Chapter 3: Fearless

A/N: Back with another chapter. I swear, I'm getting these out faster than I thought I would. Don't worry I do plan on finishing Last Words and Don't Go Into the Woods though that story may not be on the deadline I set for it, but whatever. I'm not worried about that right now. I'm just having fun doing this little series and enjoying what my brain comes up with. Thanks to those who have read and reviewed thus far. It means a lot to me that you're enjoying this story.

Disclaimer: TMNT and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon. I only own the plot.

Leo and Raph headed to the woods to do some training as they had promised. Leo was happy Raph was okay and was determined to get better even faster, though Don had warned them both not to overdo it. Just as before, Raph took the lead, and Leo didn't mind because he felt it was a natural thing for Raph to do. They reached the creek again, and Leo couldn't help but feel some trepidation as he looked at the rushing water.

'Okay time to cross this creek again," Raph declared. He jumped from stone to stone and looked back to see if Leo was following him. Leo just stood there, frozen in place.

"C'mon, Fearless, you can do it," Raph encouraged.

Leo winced at the nickname Raph had given him in their youth. It made him angry to hear it now after all that had happened. "Don't call me that!" he snapped.

"What are you talkin' about, Leo?" Raph asked him. "You never cared about it before."

"It's a lie, Raph," Leo replied. "I'm not fearless and I never will be."

Raph grew concerned and hurried to his brother's side. "Leo, everybody has fears, but that's not the reason I gave you that name."

"Then why did you?"

"Because every time we had to do something you did it without any hesitation. If it was a kata, you did your best to perfect it the first time. If Sensei had an obstacle course lined up for us, you were the first to want to try it. The name doesn't mean you're not afraid, but it means that you're the first one to actually do something and that does take bravery. You do so well to mask your fear, and that's why I gave you the name."

"Well, I don't want to be called that anymore," Leo said bitterly.

"Is this because of what happened in New York? Because if it is, I'd say you were pretty fearless to take on Shredder's army, and that's not something anyone would do by themselves."

"It wasn't my choice to do it," Leo said softly. "I had to protect you guys, but I was scared the whole time. I did my best to mask it, but I couldn't do it, and in the end, my fear got the best of me. I was defeated, and there was nothing I could do about it." He didn't even notice he was crying until he saw Raph pull him in for a hug.

"Hey, it's okay, Leo," his brother soothed. "You're allowed to be scared now and then. I was scared when you didn't wake up, and I was afraid you'd never wake up. I may act tough all of the time, but I have fears, too. It's only natural to have them. But you've got us to help you through it just like we have you to chase away our fears. That's all that matters in the end. Are you ready to cross this creek with me?"

"I don't know," he said hesitantly. "I almost drowned when I got attacked when I fell through some ice."

"I won't let you drown, bro," Raph reassured him. "You'll be safe with me. We'll cross it together."

Leo nodded and let Raph help him across the creek. It actually felt good having Raph support him like this and knowing that he had someone he could count on. With Raph's help, he knew he'd get better in time and that they'd go back to New York and finish what they started. Once they crossed the creek they settled down to rest.

"So is it okay if I call you Fearless then?" Raph asked him.

"I think I can handle it every now and then," Leo answered with a smile.

"You got it, Chief," Raph said as he playfully punched Leo in the shoulder.

"You know, Raph, you've really changed after all of this," Leo commented. "I think you've proven that you'd make a good leader."

"Nah, I'd suck at it," Raph said waving his hand dismissively. "You're the real leader here, Leo."

"Not right now I'm not," Leo replied sadly.

"You don't have to be in top form to be the leader," Raph pointed out. "I know you can't train with us right now, but you can still lead us in exercises and give us pointers. I think that's all we'd need from you. And once you get back on your feet, you can go back to being the leader you were meant to be."

Leo looked really unsure. "Are you sure you guys would want me to lead again? I messed up. Maybe if I hadn't argued with Donnie, none of this would have happened."

Raph glared at his brother. "Of course we want you to lead," he answered. "That's who you are. And if it makes you feel any better, Donnie's been cut up about the whole argument he had with you. Maybe you should go talk to him about it and patch things up."

"I guess you're right," Leo conceded. He needed to sort things out and make Donnie understand that it was the stupidest thing they both could have done.

"You ready to go back?"

"Yep. Let's do this."

After they got back, Leo sought out Donnie in his laboratory in the barn. Don smiled as Leo came in, and Leo took that as a good sign.

"Hey, Leo, how'd the training go?" Don asked him.

"Pretty good, though it's going to take me a while to get back to my old self," he answered. "I really wanted to talk to you about what happened back in New York with our argument."

Don's face clouded at the mention of it. "Yeah, I've been thinking about it, too," he said. "I was so stupid, Leo. If I would have listened to you, none of this would have happened."

"No, we were both wrong," Leo contradicted. "I never should have doubted you or given you that remark about leadership. It was wrong of me, and I'm so sorry that I ever said it. Can you forgive me?"

Don smiled. "Of course I forgive you, Leo, if you can forgive me."

"I think that can be arranged," said Leo with a smile.

"Well, that's a weight off my mind," said Don with relief. He pulled Leo in for a hug, and Leo gladly returned it.

"Are you coming back to the house?" Leo asked his brother after they pulled apart.

"Yeah I'll be there in just a bit after I finish building you a new T-Phone. I think I've almost got it."

"But I thought the T-Phones don't work out here," Leo reminded him.

"I'm upgrading them so that they do," Don answered. "With any luck, I'll have them fixed in no time."

"Sounds good, Donnie. I'll see you later then."

"See you later, Leo."

Leo smiled and left to go back to the house. He found Raph in the living room with Mikey watching an episode of Cops.

"So did you work things out with Donnie?" Raph asked him.

Leo nodded. "Yep, we worked it out and all is forgiven."

Raph smiled. "That's what I mean about being fearless, Leo."

Leo knew Raph was right. Being fearless didn't mean not having fear. It was about having the courage to face your fears and doing what was necessary to achieve that goal. Leo wasn't sure when he'd have the courage to face Shredder, but he knew that in time he'd gain the courage to do what was right. He had to avenge what had happened in New York and his own attack. It was the only way to end all of this. He joined his brothers, happy to have their support and knowing that as long as he had his brothers and his friends, he could face any fear he had.

A/N: So that's the end of another chapter. Next chapter will be Donnie and Casey focused. In the meantime, feel free to leave a review and have a shelltastic day. Oh, and I got Taylor Swift's new album, and it's awesome.