A/N: I decided to make this book (short story, whatever) because I was inspired by two people. TheRedScreech and her amazing story "Best Birthday Ever," and EmilyGrace18 and her fantastic tale "Bad Day." I did get their permission to do a similar story - and I'm throwing their books out there because (1) they're so awesome, and (2) I have a great respect for the two authors. Red, Emily...I guess this book kind of goes to you guys.

Stupid Turtle Luck

The evening had been going so well. It was relatively peaceful for once, meaning that Leo and his brothers could actually relax for a change. For a while, they'd been laughing and talking and enjoying each other's company - even with the minor arguments that he and Raph had.

And then their Turtle Luck just had to rear its ugly head.

"Leo, how ya holdin' up?"

Raph's voice snapped him from his thoughts. "Um..." Glancing around, the leader assessed the situation. It didn't look all that promising, actually. But he didn't say that. "I'm doing okay."

"On a scale of one to ten?" Mikey chimed in helpfully.

"...seven?"

"Leonardo..."

Make that unhelpfully, Leo thought, growling a little. "It's fine, Donnie. Really." It would be if he just stayed where he was, at least. The ledge was unstable enough without him moving around - he was hesitant to even breath, at this point. He shifted just a little further backwards, pushing himself away from the steep drop below. The old concrete gave a groan and he swore softly.

The recent earthquake in New York had really destabilized parts of the sewer system, even with the tremors being as small as they were. The sewer system was old, anyway, and the quake sped up the crumbling process.

Leo just happened to fall down one of the pipes that were worse off.

"Stupid turtle luck," he muttered.

"What was that, bro?"

"Nothing. Are you guys close?"

"We're about an hour out. Can you hold on that long?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I should be fine." Leo was well aware that he was saying that more to reassure himself than his brothers. After all, they weren't the ones sitting on the lip of an old concrete pipe that creaked every few seconds and threatened to dump him down a long, dark shaft with no discernible bottom.

The leader took a moment to focus his thoughts on what exactly had led him to this point. He supposed that it all started with the cookies...

"Come on, Leo! Hurry your shell up!" Mikey called impatiently, dancing a few feet ahead of his brothers. "If we don't hurry, we're gonna miss out on the grand opening of that new bakery!"

"I don't even know how I let you talk me into this," the blue-banded turtle grumbled in response. The only reason he'd agreed to go was because Mikey had promised him snickerdoodles. "We're dressed up like it's Halloween. Are these disguises even going to work?"

"Technically, we don't dress up for Halloween," Donnie put in as he walked through the sewer tunnel alongside his eldest sibling. "People already assume we're in costume."

"Besides," Raph added in his thick Brooklyn accent, "I've worn my disguise out plenty 'a times with Case, and no one ever says a word."

"My point is that we're ninjas. We-"

"Stick to the shadows, yadda yadda yadda. We know. We've only heard ya preach about it a thousand times."

Leo's face darkened in a scowl and he muttered a few choice words under his breath. Donnie, wisely, chose to ignore him. Raph wasn't nearly as smart.

"Y'know what I think?" the hothead piped up. "I think yer scared."

"What?"

"I think yer scared ta go out and enjoy yerself fer once. After all, what would it say about the Fearless Leader if he actually - gasp - had fun?"

Said turtle growled a little and shoved his hands into the pockets of the ridiculously large trench coat he was wearing for their trip up to the surface, but made no comment. Raph's eyes narrowed. Seemed like he was gonna have to try harder if he wanted to get Leo to snap.

"Ya seriously need ta loosen up and enjoy yerself fer once, Leo. Yer walkin' like ya got a stick shoved up yer ass."

"You know what, Raphael? Why don't I-"

Leo's retort was cut off as he tensed suddenly, pulling the rest of them into a darkened tunnel. His brothers glanced at each other and started reaching for their weapons...and then a group of heavily armed, black-clothed figures surrounded them from every angle.

"Well, well, well," one of the Foot Ninja said. "What have we here?"

"Looks like Halloween came early this year," another replied. "Isn't it a bit early for the costumes, freaks?"

Mikey sniggered. "Leo totally called it."

A sigh escaped the leader's mouth and he shucked off the trench coat and fedora, dumping them unceremoniously on the tunnel floor. He drew his katana and stepped forward. "And tonight was going so well."

Donnie's worried voice crackled through the Shell cell. "Leo? Leo, are you there?"

"Yeah. I'm here."

"Ya blanked out on us, bro. What's goin' through that thick head 'a yers?" Raph's jibe came across warm and teasing, making his older brother grin a little.

"Just trying to figure out exactly how I got myself into this position."

"Wasn't your fault, bro," Mikey said. "Could've happened to any of us."

Leo raised an eye ridge, though he knew they couldn't see it. "Any of you would've tackled a Foot Soldier down a sewer pipe to keep him from taking Donnie's head off with a katana, fallen down a drainage shaft that's crumbling because of the recent earthquake, and found yourself stuck on a collapsing ledge four feet wide and three feet long?"

The silence on the other end of the line gave him his answer. No, they wouldn't have done what he did. They couldn't have done what he did. Save other people from the Foot and Purple Dragons? Sure. Piece of cake. Save each other from the Foot and Purple Dragons? That was another matter entirely. None of the brothers could've stopped the Foot soldier in time. He was too close to Donnie - it would've been too risky to even step a hairsbreadth closer.

But not for Leo. He'd leapt across the sewer tunnel, his teeth bared in a snarl. His attack on the soldier had been fueled by anger alone - something his siblings referred to as his "protective rage." No one hurt his family. No one.

And, in typical Leonardo fashion, the action of protecting his brainy brother came at a large personal cost. The weight of his body slamming into the Foot soldier knocked Donnie out of the way...but it also carried the grappling pair towards the edge of the tunnel they were currently standing in.

A crack sounded and everyone froze. Leo, who had the soldier in a choke-hold, glanced down at the fractured concrete beneath his feet. His cobalt eyes widened and he slowly looked up to meet Raph's horrified gaze.

And then the floor crumbled completely, sending him falling into the darkness.