Nose Over Tail
Preface:
Time to Waste

There comes a time when you realize that life is bigger than you, or that your situation is out of your control. Recently my brothers and I came to that conclusion…life and our situation is far bigger than any of us, even Master Splinter, could have imagined.

~Leonardo

"They're still coming." Don's voice was urgent and quiet. He was leaning forward against a door. They were wedged in a small closet-like room. The only light in the tiny spot was a dim emergency light which dispensed a small amount of blue hue. He was breathing heavily. In his arm he held a small box, the prize – the thing they were after.

Leo didn't have to hear Don's words to know that they were still being pursued. He knew as much, the thing that troubled him was that they had barricaded themselves in a dead end. It could be considered a coffin for what appeared to be so obviously next. They shouldn't have trapped themselves in the room. It might dissuade their adversaries for a minimal amount of time, but the point was that it would be minimal.

"We can't leave the way we came in." Leo said in the same quick and soft voice Don had used as he tapped lightly on the door.

They needed to escape, and quickly, if they were to make it out with their lives. His eyes were searching the ceiling as his hands ran along the walls taking in all the visual and textual information meanwhile trying to process a quick exit plan. Mike and Raph came to mind, they had to get out for them – it was imperative that he and Don return with the box.

Leo angrily pushed aside the broom and hanging fabrics to feel the wall behind them. He had been wounded slightly in the tussle they'd just incurred and Don was bearing the burden of their reward.

There was nothing in the room that could benefit him, as far as Leo could tell so far. The ceiling wasn't tiled for an easy exit into duct work above and the walls seemed to be solid concrete. He looked back up – taking the door wasn't an option as they'd be quickly discovered. Breaking through the wall was out of the question. Leo scooped up the broom and gently moved it over his head to give the ceiling a test prod.

There was resistance against the wooden shaft and Leo frowned. He drew it back down and let if fall into the corner with a soft thump. Though his adrenaline was pumping hard he could feel himself tiring. It was supposed to be easy, it was supposed to be quick, it was supposed to be in and out. Somehow this didn't qualify as any of those things. Leo leaned over and pressed himself against the door, listening quietly. There was a siren ringing loudly through the halls. The noise almost over road the thumping of footsteps thundering passed.

Time was being cut into the few precious minutes they had. Leo, though cool and collected on the exterior, could feel his heart hammering against his chest so hard he thought that the sound of it alone might draw them back. He sighed when it passed and he turned to give the ceiling another go around.

However as he turned back he felt a light prick in his arm. He gave a low hiss in retaliation. He'd nearly forgotten Don was there as he was so wrapped up finding their way out. It was something commonplace with Leo, he became so focused on leading or rules that he sometimes lost sight of the who he was leading and protecting. He was aware of the problem and was working on that aspect of his guiding, but it still seemed to slip out when the pressure was on. The ends, when trapped, always justified the means in Leo's protection of his family. The ends, in this case, was getting he and Don the hell out of the room and the entire building for that matter.

The moment he felt the stinging in his arm and then the subsequent warm sensation that raced through his body Leo was painfully aware of what had happened; of what Don had done.

There was an ache in his side that pulsed through his chest and he lunged forward narrowly missing a smack against the door. He wouldn't have recognized Don at all if it weren't for the purple mask that was looped around his neck; but that was the least of his worries in that moment.

He cringed as the painful pulse raced through him a second time. "Damnit Donnie." He managed between shooting pains and labored breaths. "It wasn't an option."

"It was the only option Leo." Don argued calmly in a low voice. He reached out and snatched one of the hangers off the rack of which Leo had pushed aside. "Put this on. Turns out…we will be leaving the way we came in."

::Author's Note::

A little bit of a warning: This story takes the 2003 cartoon as the backing for it's foundation. However, it is technically an AU (alternate universe) as it only goes as far as the first season. The conception of this story was thought and planned when the new cartoon originally aired, as it was plotted during that time - never fully written - it didn't take into account future events of the series. Therefore may not fit with the whole series - however the personalities are aligned with that particular universe.

Thank you for taking the time to stop by. We hope you enjoy this piece. It's a little more light hearted than Sing to Me Your Darkest Secrets; but just as massive an undertaking. Please, if you have a moment, let us know what you think - we'd love to hear.

- Stoic and Harley