A/N I do not own TMNT, but I am forever grateful for their existence!

Hey guys! So as many of you know the first fanfiction I ever produced was a crazy set of fics (seriously they are kind of weird) in my shape-shifting arc (see my profile for chronological order). Originally although I had ideas of where I wanted to go after "Homecoming" I lost steam, wrote a pretty crappy epilogue (yes I admit it), and left what I hadn't posted to gather dust on my desktop. I thought it would never actually see the light of day and that you my lovely readers wouldn't care because the fics were pretty crazy, not particularly well written (as my first tread into fiction in years I was more than a little rusty), and were painfully obviously the result of plot bunnies gone awry from being long since ignored thus madly breaking free to result in this pure madness.

Honestly, if I didn't believe in keeping my all my work up just as a reminder of where I started, I probably would have taken them down ages ago. I moved onto other projects and figured that was that.

Oh how wrong I was.

Apparently my craziness is enjoyed and so I have finally decided to reopen this arc and give it a multi-chapter – a light-hearted, crazy, but hopefully fun – fourth and final part

It takes place directly after the events in "Starry Night," but if you haven't read the other fics in the arc you will probably be lost. So, without further ado, a give you "Protect!" Hopefully you all enjoy it :D

Also, I want to give a special shout out to Mr. E. If not for your support and interest this may have very well never made it to publication. It is fans like you that make my day every time I get a review. I am sincerely grateful and so this fic is dedicated to you! I hope it was worth the wait :)

Protect

Chapter 1: Operation Break Leonardo

It had been a week since Donatello had gone stargazing with Raphael. Although the purple-clad turtle knew there was more going on with his brother than previously thought, the morning after returning from their adventure, it was as though nothing had changed. Raphael was as moody as ever and Donatello was as busy as usual. On a few occasions over the next couple of days the younger turtle tried to catch his brother alone in an attempt to flesh out some of larger reptile's story. However, Raphael was about as approachable as a rabid porcupine, which forced Donatello to seek a new strategy: Operation Break Leonardo.

The eldest brother was easy enough to corner alone. Apparently Michelangelo and Raphael would rather watch paint dry than follow Leonardo's enlightening daily routine. Between meditating alone in his room and doing one-armed chin-ups while reading, it wasn't surprising that Donatello found Leonardo alone on day one of his plan. Trying to be as casual as possible, the younger sibling leant against a nearby wall while the older plowed through probably his hundredth chin-up of the day while steadily tackling "Crime and Punishment." Without even looking away from his novel, the elder questioned, "What's up Don?"

Trying to keep his cool composure, Donatello resisted fidgeting, "I was hoping I could talk to you Leo. If you've got a minute."

Leonardo blithely dog-eared his page, "Sure Don," before nonchalantly flipping to the ground, "What's on your shell?"

The younger rubbed his neck, "I was wondering if I could talk to you about Raph."

The change was subtle, but now that Donatello knew to look for it, he saw Leonardo's body tense ever-so-slightly. Still the elder's teasing tone gave nothing away, "What's that hard-head done now?"

He decided to play along, "Well he hasn't destroyed anything if that's what you're worried about."

The blue-clad leader shrugged, "Hey, with Raph you never know."

"Haha, that's true…" Despite his best efforts, Donatello found himself rubbing his neck awkwardly, "I wanted to ask you about something a little more personal."

This time Leonardo stood slightly straighter, "Alright."

The voice was coolly neutral, but the purple-clad turtle knew he was on precarious ground, "Well, you know how Raphael and I were on patrol together the other night?" The elder nodded, but Donatello suddenly found himself rambling out of nerves, "Well after running for a bit, Raph jumped down and disappeared into this alley. Of course I followed him, and once I got down to street-level he reappeared on his bike. Apparently, he had planned to take me to see the coronal mass ejection, but I didn't know that. Uh… well actually I was less than reluctant to go on his bike because of the current er – foul mood I was in. Anyway, when I wouldn't get on, Raphael said he was going to make me, and uh well he did."

Leonardo had folded his arms throughout the story and now quirked his eye ridge at his brother, "Wow Don, letting Raph kidnap you? You're slipping."

"That's the thing," Donatello frowned, "The Raph who grabbed me and got me on that bike was well… He was bigger than normal."

His older brother's poker face was impenetrable as he hummed, "Hmm."

Steeling himself, Donatello probed harder trying to get Leonardo to confess, "I mean, a lot bigger Leo, as in about seven feet of raw muscle."

Leonardo just looked at his brother in silence, which agitated Donatello to spew more word vomit, "I mean I did question him about it later – obviously I figured there had to be a logical explanation behind the events – but he didn't tell me much. However, he did say you knew about it."

"Have you talked to Raphael since?" The blue-clad leader responded flatly giving nothing away.

Fidgeting slightly, Donatello tried a more direct approach, "Well no… He's been avoiding me. That's why I came to you Leo."

The eldest didn't even blink, "I have nothing to say Don."

Realizing the conversation was quickly coming to an end, Donatello cried in exasperation, "Come on Leo! You know how Raph is! He can be so pugnacious when it comes to this kind of thing, and I just want to know what's been going on."

"It is Raphael's business," when Donatello opened his mouth, Leonardo silenced him with a hard look, "When he is ready, he will tell you, but until then I have nothing to say."

"But you know the story Leo! Why can't you tell me?"

Leonardo's stare turned into a piercing glare, "He is clearly uncomfortable about the topic Don, and I refuse to go behind his back and betray his trust." Leonardo paused briefly before adding an unmistakable tone of finality indicating the discussion was undeniably over, "Especially regarding this."

The younger sighed in defeat before turning away, "Alright, I got it Leo."

Donatello began to walk towards the dojo exit when Leonardo spoke again, "And Don."

He turned back to see a very serious and slightly terrifying older brother, "Yeah Leo?"

"Do not speak a word about this particular subject to anyone."

With that, Leonardo jumped back onto his bar with his book in hand, leaving Donatello to ponder how he could get Raphael to open up to him.

A/N I don't know about you guys, but Leo exercising while reading Dostoyevsky just seems like something he would do in what he views as his "down time."

Also, I know this is a short first chapter, but that's because I felt it better to split my original first chapter into three so it flowed better. Hopefully, I'll have chapter 2 up in a few days.