Mr and Mrs Hamato

Chapter 9 - Maybe

0100am

Donnie and Casey met up in Donnie's lab at Casey's request. He told Donnie that he needed to get something off his chest. When the two met, Casey was teary-eyed. "Case, are you alright?" Donatello asked worriedly. 

"Yeah. Yeah, I am, Master Donatello." 

He wasn't. Casey never called any of the brothers by their titles unless something really bad happened for the situation happened to be extremely tense. Donnie coaxed the sad young man to speak. 

"I need to tell you about her. About Dianne."

Donnie was too tired to admit that he had about enough with Dianne, Sil, whatever her name was but for Casey's sake, he let him speak. Donnie was never good with emotions, still, he made the effort to try.

So, Casey told Donnie the tragic story of Mr and Mrs Hamato's untimely deaths.

0346am

The purple genius was in dreamland, his once steaming cup of coffee now cold and forgotten but still in his hand. Donatello found the kitchen's warmth always providing a little sense of comfort from his intrusive thoughts. 

Nothing around him made sense anymore. The laws of time and space, the theories of time travel, paradoxes and all. None of it tied back to the hours upon hours of study the genius had done on his own. Night after night, day after day, seconds and hours which had ticked by, all those precious theories are put to shame by one person, Dianne Rosetta. 

"You're up," an unsurprised voice called out causing Donnie to snap from his thoughts. Casey Jones Junior invited himself to sit across the purple terrapin. The young Jones was in simple nightwear, Star Wars t-shirts, and baggy black pants. "Should you not be asleep?" the terrapin asked tiredly, stifling a yawn. Jones shrugged, "I could ask you the same thing. Though I know that you always have a sleeping issue." 

Donnie lazily swished the contents of his mug and huffed, "Let me guess. From future me?" Casey answered in a weak 'yeah', "You always did this. Especially when something is eating you up on the inside."

"Hmph, some things never change," Donnie whispered. The boys sat in comfortable silence for a while deciding to enjoy each other's company until one of them decides to break it. Jones was first, "How, how is she?". 

The turtle stiffened, "Doing fine," he answered bluntly. Casey sighed in relief, shoulders sagging "That's good. That's good. Uhm, when will she wake up?". 

" 'Nother 5 hours,". Once again the boys were plunged into silence, this time slightly tense. So many things were running through the turtle's head. Worry, anger, frustration, maybe a little hint of love. Donnie shook his head. Psh, love. 'I don't need to love. Caring is far enough,' he thought to himself.

But Dian-

'No, do not finish or say that name'  the mental debate went on.

Dianne. You care for Dianne. You care.

'Not that way. Never. I can't feel that.'

Can't, or won't?

'Stop it stop it! I- I don't know!'

You're scared. It's normal.

'I'm not scared'

Confused and worried.

'I am concerned. It's just my job' Donnie tried to rationalize.

She's part of your future.

'I barely know-... I barely know the thief,' downright refusing to even think her name out loud.

It's a fixed timeline.

'I -I don't know anymore'

You're tied to her.

'I- why like this? Why now?'

It's simply meant to be. You just simply love her.

' I don't'

You care.

'No'

It's natural.

'I don't know her. I don't love her. I barely know her. I DO NOT CARE!' 

That seemed to shut his intrusive thoughts. An audible sigh left his lips and Donnie finally decided to finish his coffee. All the while, Casey had seen the complex emotions pass over Donatello's face. Whatever mental debate went on in his mind how disappeared. Casey smiled sadly, remembering how Future Donatello went through similar issues. 

Then, Master Donatello had his wife to lean on, a shoulder to cry on. He was emotionally vulnerable to her and only her. Of course, future Donnie loved his brothers and father and cared for Casey, and his mother but it was never the same when he was with his wife. 

Casey remembered how loving the couple was. Even in the face of insurmountable odds, Donatello Hamato and Dianne Hamato were an unstoppable force and definitely not ones to be reckoned with. They fit each other perfectly with their personalities easily supporting each other. If Casey knew anything about love, he was sure he had learned it from watching his foster mother interacting with his genius foster father.

Master Donatello would never admit it, but he secretly liked being somewhat of Casey's foster parent. Although he was technically the genius uncle, Dianne taking the role as a foster parent made Donnie an automatic holder of the title as well. Yes, Master Leonardo Casey's father figure too so it made for a weird family dynamic but who cares about details during an apocalypse?

Casey Jones Jr had a wonderful family growing up. Now he was determined to see his family thrive in happiness. Sure, they all might be around the same age now making the family dynamic much more complicated still, but it didn't shake Casey's determination to get his two previous foster parents together. Casey never knew much about how Master Donatello and Master Dianne got together or how they met. So now, since he is in many ways witnessing history being made, Casey had to see it through. 

Donatello of the present moment decided to go back to tinkering. "I'm heading off now, kay," he told Casey.

The young Jones quickly made the first attempt at 'seeing it through', "Sure but hey, just so you know and I hope this helps, Dianne-she cares for you very much." Step one, give hope. "I know for a fact if it's anyone who you would learn to love it would be with only her. You love her very much, future you."

The purple turtle gave him a weird look, "Uh huh, yeah sure, he said without a hint of sarcasm."

Donnie placed his cup in the sink and patted Jones' shoulder. "Get some sleep Jr. I will call you when she's awake." Donnie mustered a gentle smile toward Casey and left for his lab and Casey left to his room.

Meanwhile the small reminder Casey told him managed to worm its way into Donnie's heart. Giving him a small tingle of hope that maybe, just maybe, he could care just as much as her.

----

Hiding just by the kitchen's entrance away from watchful eyes the leader in blue clenched his jaw. Call it twin sense or what you will, Leo felt uneasy all over himself like how Donnie felt just moments ago. At least he got some valuable information from unintentional eves-dropping. Her real name and her possible involvement in their future.