A/N- New chapter! Want to say a massive thanks to all of you who have reviewed the story and messaged me this week. You've all been so nice and encouraging, and it really makes me feel appreciated. This chapter was a bit of a struggle, but I hope you guys like it (more Leo-centred). Enjoy, and as always, please review :) xxx

3. It Begins

Venus left the bathroom only to be greeted by a massive plate of waffles coated in maple syrup and bits of crispy bacon that formed the words "Happy Birthday". Venus laughed a little at the message, earning a relived sigh from April. She sat down opposite the turtle, tucking into her own waffles before realising Venus was smiling at her.

"What?" April asked, a mouth full of bacon. "If I'm going to make you a nice breakfast then why shouldn't I cook myself some?"

Venus merely laughed and tucked into her own food, enjoying it immensely and appreciating April's efforts. An awkward silence descended on the pair, the sound of chewing almost deafening in the tiny apartment while Venus fixed her focus on the plate before her. April rolled her eyes slightly; This is going to be a long day…

A sudden shriek outside his door made Leo practically leap out of bed, sword in hand. His vision blurred slightly at the head-rush, and the blood roaring through his ears made it hard to listen for any other noises, no matter how subtle. But his years of ninja training allowed him to freeze and still be acutely aware of surroundings without relying on his hearing, his hand gripping the hilt of his katana tightly. There was a moment of tense silence before a gruff voice pierced through.

"Can it Mikey! Turtles are trying to sleep here!"

"How can you sleep at a time like this Raph?! Especially when… it's our BIRTHDAY! WOOOO!"

Leo sighed in relief, propping his sword back against his bed as he sat back down, shaking his head, smiling slightly. His brother's excitement had been unbearable in the run up to today, Raphael getting particularly irate about it. But Leo knew his bad-tempered brother had secretly been looking forward to it; to the freedom. They were now 'adults', able to do whatever they wanted. Well…sort of.

Leo began to strap his gear on when he heard his brother's door open.

"I know it is, shell-for-brains. You've been telling us for the past two weeks."

"Then why aren't you excited Raph?!" Mikey whined. "We get to eat cake all day, no training, no patrol. It's our day off!"

"Not to mention that we are now classed as 'adults'," Raph muttered, earning a light hearted chuckle from a new voice.

"Mikey, an 'adult'? Now that's a scary thought." Donatello added, closing his door behind him.

"You're only as old as you feel." Mikey sang, making Leo smile.

"Well in that case you must be about six-years old." Raph stated, smacking his brother in the head.

"Ow! We made a rule, remember? 'No hitting on birthdays'!"

"That was the deal we made Raph." Don added, and Leo could hear the irritation in Raph's voice.

"Ahh, whatever. Let's just go get some breakfast."

Leo breathed a sigh of relief when he heard his brothers head for the kitchen; he needed a moment to gather his thoughts. Being 21 all of a sudden felt…different. Daunting. He was an adult now, according to the law and their society, but he wondered whether his responsibilities would change, whether Master Splinter would lessen them or simply add more, now that he was 'all grown up'. He smirked slightly at the thought; they'd already been through much more than most other 21 year olds. Technically, the guys didn't need him as their leader now, as they could be responsible for themselves. Would they vote him out? Or go and do their own thing? Leo suspected Raph would secretly like to, but he doubted he would if no one else did. Mikey and Don didn't seem likely to go off either; well, not yet at least. Perhaps when they were a little older, they would want to go and explore the world. He thought he would like to as well, someday, if life allowed him to do so. If the opportunity arose for his brothers to escape for a little while, he wouldn't stand in their way. But for now, he didn't sense a distinct restlessness, and so he assured himself his little family unit was safe.

Well, what was left of it. Leo found himself thinking about her again. He always tried to avoid the subject, and often managed to during the day when he was distracted by training or reading, or whatever antics his brothers were getting up to, not that they hung out much as a group anymore. But then memories would come flooding back at night, when he was weary from patrol, weary of trying to block such thoughts throughout the day, and he would lay there, helpless as they caused his mind to explode. He hadn't told his brothers what had transpired between him and Venus. What was the point, when it was clear she had thought it a mistake? Since she had suddenly moved out she had barely uttered two words to him, either embarrassed or perhaps ashamed of what had happened. That first week had been torture, Leo constantly pondering why she'd left, what he'd done to scare her away. He also came back to the night that they were captured: Was it the fact she had had to save them that had worried her? Did she think, after he'd been battered to a pulp and she had had to secretly call his brothers, that Leo couldn't protect her? That he wasn't good enough? A swell of anger washed through him; who was she to demand such help? She had always advocated her independency. She was a Shinobi, one of the last of her kind, and never relied on others. So why had his inability to take the lead in that moment made him seem unworthy to her? Besides, if she had just stopped talking then Hun would have stopped beating him! But the anger was doused immediately: He didn't blame Venus for what had happened. She was scared and frustrated at being so helpless, and so became desperate, unthinking almost. She felt exactly what he had felt when Hun nearly crushed her neck. He couldn't protect her then, but he would be damned if, even though she had 'moved on', that he wouldn't keep trying. She might not be part of the team anymore but that did not mean that he didn't care about her or have any concern for her.

As he began to make his bed now that he was dressed, Leo pondered about how he did feel. He and Venus had always gotten on well, both as teammates and friends, and they had definitely grown closer over the space of a few weeks. It just seemed to take one night to make him realise just exactly how close they were. Although he was inexperienced, Leo had loved Venus, he knew he had. And a part of him knew she had reciprocated that feeling. And when he had woken up to find her smiling at him, safe and sound, he had felt elated, almost giddy. It was a feeling he didn't want to ever go away, something he had wanted to announce to his family almost immediately. But the tinge of sadness in that smile had caused an inch of doubt. Was she sad because he hadn't lost his fight, waking up instead? He cursed himself for thinking she would be that cruel, that vindictive. But then, what had tinged her seeming happiness?

Once he had recovered from Hun's beating, Leo would sometimes wake up in the night, suddenly unable to sleep. His emotions would be whirring around in his head, causing it to throb. As he made his way to the kitchen one night for a glass of water one night, he paused in the corridor. He could hear Raphael's snoring, Mikey talking about pizza in his sleep, and Donny's annoyingly loud mouth breathing. But the door at the end was silent. Without realising what he was doing, Leo made his way to Venus' door and pushed it open. The room was cold and lifeless. It was clear that someone hadn't lived in there for a while. Leo looked round and saw the pictures she'd left on the walls, some of the empty scrolls and inks sitting useless on the shelves. But as he sat on the bed, what Leo noticed most was the lack of warmth. Not temperature but…personality. Venus was kind and compassionate, but could still hold her own both against the Foot and his brothers. She was a fierce fighter, both when using magic and when relying on her sword, but knew when to admit defeat, when to ask for help and how to fight as part of a team. Her laugh was loud but contagious, her anger biting, her comfort gentle. But a quality that made Venus unique was her understanding; she seemed in tune to all of her friend's emotions, even Master Splinter's, and this had gradually rubbed off on Leo. Because of this, that sad smile gave him comfort. He believed she knew she was leaving, felt that she had to go, and that sadness meant she didn't want to go. Splinter had said she had left because she needed to focus more on her shinobi training, and didn't want to distract the guys. But Leo knew it was more than that; she had felt guilty about what had happened to him, and so felt she needed to go, for his sake. Either to protect him or to improve herself so that she would be able to fight better in the future. Which meant that she might one day return.

Leo clung onto this belief, desperately wanting it to be true. He knew Splinter had been aggravated by her during her last couple of weeks, but he wasn't really sure why. He had a fleeting fear that he had forced her out, but relaxed when he realised his father would never be so cruel. Venus was their friend, and he had promised her father that he would look after her. The thought of Chung I brought another line of thought: What would he have said about all this? Would he approve of their affection for each other, or condemn it? He remembered Venus' nightmare on that night, when Chung I had yelled at her with such a cruel fury that she became afraid of the thought of her father, of his anger at her shame. Leo had doubted the old man would have said such a thing but Venus had seemed so terrified by the thought. And then they had kissed…

Reality seemed to suddenly smack Leo in the face. Stop thinking about it he scolded himself. At this moment in time, she was living at April's, training, without any thoughts concerning him or their 'episode'. He would need to accept that. Then he remembered what day it was, and the celebratory gathering that had been planned for later. She's coming over Leo realised. He quickly stepped over to his desk and opened the small box that sat on it, allowing a small smile to form on his face whilst a shout rang out on the other side of his bedroom door:

"Come on Leo! Before Mikey eats all the food he hasn't put in this freaky omelette!" Raph hollered. Leo snorted in amusement before replacing the lid, hope settling in his stomach.

"Coming."

Mikey's excitement permeated through another loud shriek when he saw presents sat on the coffee table in the living room. He instantly ran over but a warning voice made him freeze.

"Michelangelo, I do hope you were not thinking of opening your gifts without your brothers," Master Splinter scolded, albeit gently. Mikey smiled sheepishly, causing Splinter to chuckle a little. "Come my son, let us enjoy breakfast together, and then enjoy your gifts."

Mikey dropped his head and slumped to back to the kitchen, slumping in front of his pizza omelette. Splinter frowned at it in disdain, but he couldn't deny his son his favourite breakfast on his birthday. The old rat smiled at his other sons, who began tucking into their omelettes avidly, clearly enjoying the interesting concoction. Splinter was just glad that Michelangelo had seen fit to only put cheese in his father's. In the corner of his eye, Splinter caught sight of Leonardo approaching the table. He couldn't work out his facial expression, but it changed to a broad smile when he saw his brothers.

"Hey Leo! Happy Birthday!"

"Happy Birthday Mikey," Leo smiled, taking his seat. He didn't comment on how exhausted his hot-headed brother looked this morning despite the smile on his face. A birthday wouldn't stop his late-night wanderings, and he still seemed to be in a fairly good mood. "Happy Birthday guys."

"Thanks Leo," Raph mumbled, mouth full of omelette. He swallowed loudly. "Hey, you gotta try this before it gets cold. Mikey's excelled himself today, surprisingly."

"Don't praise him too much Raph, he'll only get cocky." Donny joked, earning a shove from his orange-masked brother. Leo laughed, a genuine laugh, and it was like music in Master Splinter's ears. He smiled at the grins on his others sons' faces at the sound, the tiny ounce of tension left from those events at last dissolving. He watched in happiness as his prodigal son tucked heartedly into his breakfast, and simply listened into their excited discussion of being 'adults'. Leonardo had nearly isolated himself completely in that first month, but had gradually opened up again, his brothers' presence and warmth providing the healing he needed. Not that they knew what they had done. Leonardo hadn't brought up whatever his feelings were for her, and Splinter had been greatly relieved. It would be a subject that would simply dissolve on its own, not being mentioned repeatedly by the others.

Despite this, a twinge of fear nagged at the old rat's gut: Leonardo was now an adult. Technically, he could now do what he liked. He had every right in the world to walk out of the lair and leave his family to peruse a life with her. Splinter didn't want to outwardly oppose the relationship, but if his son contemplated that decision, he would have no choice but to remind his son of the sacred duty he held to this clan, not just this family. As such, he would have to trap him inside the family, lock him in a safe cage of burden and responsibility. And whilst Leonardo would not blame his sympathetic brothers, it would shatter the father-son bond he shared with his father, and possibly strain the bonds his brothers shared with the rat.

'But it won't come to that. Leonardo would never abandon his family for anything. If you had given the pair a chance, then you would have seen that. And if things didn't work out, then they both would have learned from their folly. But you exploited Venus' loyalty to her duty as a Shinobi, as a daughter, and her want to keep Leonardo safe. And without him knowing, you exploited your son's undying faith in you. You meddled in things which did not concern you.'

That niggling voice in the back of Splinter's head faded once it had said its full. The usual trickle of worry flowed through him as he contemplated the harm he possibly caused. Should he have let them be? Would Venus ever forgive him? A shiver went down his spine; would Chung I? But as he gazed over the scene playing out in front of him, all four of his sons laughing joyously together, just like before, when they were younger and hadn't experienced the world above, his worry was stayed. No, his little family was perfectly happy. Things were just as they were meant to be.