Chapter 4: Stormy Weather

A/N: So here's the next chapter in this saga. This one came to me because we're going to get storms in my neck of the woods today and tomorrow, so I thought it would be neat to have it happen at the farmhouse, too. Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed thus far. It means a lot to me that you're enjoying this story and I hope you continue to enjoy it.

Disclaimer: TMNT and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon. I only own the plot and nothing more.

Leo winced as he knee twinged again. He hated being in pain, but according to Donnie, they were supposed to get thunderstorms in the area, and he figured that Leo's knee was acting up because of that. They had just finished a training session because Raph wanted to get it out of the way before the storms hit. Leo was sitting on the couch, and Raph was in the kitchen getting ice for his knee. Don was in the lab, wanting to get some work done before the storms hit, and Mikey was with Leo, watching TV. April and Casey were at the store to stock up on supplies that they'd need during the weather.

"Here you go, Leo," Raph said as he put ice on his brother's knee.

"Thanks, Raph," Leo said. "I really hate this, you know?"

"I totally know," Raph answered. "I'm surprised you haven't flipped over a table yet."

"No, that's your thing, remember?" Leo teased.

"Guys, do you think we'll get any tornadoes out here?" Mikey asked fearfully. Mikey had always had a fear of thunderstorms and tornadoes.

"I don't know, Mikey, but we'll be safe," Leo reassured him. "Now that we know where the basement is, we'll just take cover in there."

"But that's where the Kraang ship is!" Mikey protested. "Do you really think we should be down there?"

"It's the safest place for us, so that's what we have to do," Donnie replied as he came in from the barn. "You always have to go to the lowest level of a house. In the sewers, we didn't have to worry about that because we were always safe."

"You could also go into a bathroom," Mikey suggested.

"Yes, but you'd be safer in the basement," Don reminded him. "Don't worry, Mikey, we'll all be there with you. Nothing is going to happen."

Raph rolled his eyes. "Fraidy cat," he muttered.

"Hey, you used to be scared of storms too," Leo reminded him.

"We all were," Don said. "Remember when we'd cuddle up to Master Splinter when we were little whenever it would thunder? He'd always comfort us and tell us there was nothing to be afraid of."

The others grew quiet as they remembered their early years and how Splinter would reassure them that they were safe as he put their arms around them. They wished he was there now and would do the same thing because they really needed it. Leo reached out and pulled Mikey close, and the others piled on, putting their arms around each other just as Splinter used to do. It gave them comfort and made them feel better. They parted and smiled at each other.

"Thanks, guys," Mikey said softly.

"No problem," Leo answered.

April and Casey arrived in record time and put away some of the supplies. April put the emergency kit downstairs so they would have it if they needed it. Then they sat down and waited to see when the storms would hit.

Soon they heard the distant rumble of thunder. They kept the TV on so that they'd know if there were any severe thunderstorm warnings in their area. Sure enough, the TV broke in for a weather bulletin as the meteorologist showed the storms that were heading their way.

"Dude, those look bad," Casey commented.

"Should we go downstairs now?" Mikey asked.

"Not until they declare a warning for our area," April replied. "That hasn't happened yet."

The meteorologist kept on talking about the storms and then issued a severe thunderstorm warning for the entire viewing area.

"I'm outta here!" Mikey yelled as he made for the basement. He threw open the door and ran downstairs at a fast clip.

"Man, that didn't take long," Raph commented.

"We'd better seek shelter now," Don said.

Leo got up and gingerly made his way to the basement area. Raph was behind him and held him steady as he made his way down the stairs. Mikey was huddled in the corner, trembling. Leo went over to him and slowly sat down next to him.

"Don't be scared, Mikey," Leo soothed. "We're all here now."

"I hate storms," Mikey whimpered.

"I know you do. I hate them, too."

"Why do you hate them?"

"Because they make my knee hurt," Leo answered.

"Well, here's the ice so you won't have to worry," Raph said, giving it to his brother.

"Wait! What about Ice Cream Kitty? We can't leave her up there!" Mikey dashed up the stairs before anyone could stop him and came back down with the small cooler containing the mutated cat.

"I think she would have been fine, Mikey," Raph said.

"No she wouldn't," Mikey insisted.

Soon the storm arrived at full force. The wind howled, the lighting was fierce, and the thunder was loud. Mikey kept whimpering while simultaneously comforting Ice Cream Kitty that everything would be okay. Leo had his arm around his little brother and was rubbing his shell in soothing circles while whispering comforting words. Raph had his hand on Leo's shoulder and Donnie was trying to hold April's hand, but Casey kept making that difficult.

When the storm had passed, Don was the first to go up and check to make sure it was all clear and then he called for everyone to come up. Mikey was relieved and immediately went upstairs to put Ice Cream Kitty back where she belonged.

"We made it through, Kitty," he declared. "I knew we would."

"Are you okay now, Mikey?" Leo asked him.

"Yeah, I'm good as long as we don't have any more storms."

"Are you holdin' up okay, Leo?" Raph asked his brother.

"I'll be fine," Leo reassured him. "I just need to rest my knee."

"I'll get you some medicine," Raph said and came back with some Advil for the pain. He wasn't sure if it would work, but it was worth a shot.

Leo took the medicine and settled into bed with the ice on his knee. He really hated being hurt, but there wasn't much he could do about it now.

"Just rest, Leo," Raph said. "I'll check in on you later."

Leo nodded and closed his eyes, doing his best to ignore the stabbing pain in his knee. He imagined that Splinter was there, rubbing his knee and soothing his pain, just as he used to do when one of them got hurt. And although it made him sad to think about that, it also comforted him and helped him to sleep.

22222

The thunder rumbled as a thunderstorm made its way through the area that night. It wasn't going to be a severe one, so nobody was worried about that. But for some reason, Raph couldn't sleep. He got out of bed and went to the window and watched as the lightning flashed. It lit up the night before sinking everything into darkness once more as the thunder rumbled. Raph never hated storms and always felt he was a part of it himself. He had a stormy temper and often equated that maybe the storm had been born in him when he was mutated. He kept on watching the storm pass by until he heard Leo stir in bed.

"Raph, are you okay?" his brother asked him.

"I'm fine, Leo," Raph reassured him. "I just couldn't sleep."

"Why not?"

"I don't know. I'm just havin' a hard time with it, I guess. Go back to sleep, bro. You need your rest."

But Leo didn't listen and got up to stand beside his brother. "It's definitely different from when we lived in the sewers, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is. We couldn't really see it unless we were by the sewer grates or that skylight in the dojo. I remember how scared you looked and how you always were pretending to be brave for us."

Leo laughed. "You did that, too, you know."

"Yeah, but you couldn't hide it so well," Raph reminded him.

"I guess not. I guess I'm not so fearless after all."

"We all have fears, Leo. But the thing about you is that you do your best to face them."

"I don't know if I can face this one though," he whispered.

"You will, and we'll be with you when you do. I'll make sure you're not alone, okay?"

"Okay. So what have you been thinking about?"

"Just about the storm and my temper. I know I get out of control sometimes, and I don't mean to. I'm really sorry about what I said to you before."

"Raph, we worked that out," Leo reminded him. "You don't have to be sorry about it."

"I know, but it still eats at me," Raph said. "I don't think I can forgive myself for being that way to you."

"We get on each other's nerves, Raph. It's natural for us. Just talk about what you don't like about me."

"Well, I don't like how you nag me sometimes. I get upset because I keep thinkin' you're doin' it to show that you're better than me and that you know it all. But I like how you stick with things and how you do your best to always be the best you can be."

"I don't nag you to be superior to you. I do it to protect you. Maybe I should handle it better and word it better though so it doesn't come off that way."

"Okay, so what do you not like about me?"

"I don't like how you rush into things without a plan," Leo answered. "You're impulsive and that can sometimes lead to disaster. But I do like how you're passionate about protecting your family and how you use the fire inside of you to help with that. I don't like your temper and how you use it to be mean sometimes, but I like when you use it against our enemies. Does that make sense?"

Raph nodded. "It does, Leo. I definitely need to work on all of that, and I'll do my best to be better."

"Same here," Leo agreed. "That really wasn't so hard, was it?"

"Nope."

"Do you feel better now?"

"Definitely, and I think I can sleep now."

"Great. Let's get some sleep. We've got a big day in the morning."

Raph settled into bed, but for some reason, he didn't want to be by himself so he slipped into Leo's bed and Leo let him. The two brothers drifted off to sleep, happy that they'd settled their differences and opened up to each other. Sometimes it was a good thing to open up and not be so closed up all of the time. Raph vowed that he'd definitely work on things with Leo and make sure that his brother was safe at all times. That's what brothers were for.

A/N: That's the end of another chapter. The bit about the flaws was in response to a request by Andromakhe who asked if I could do something like that, so I did. I'm not sure when the next chapter will be out because we're supposed to get storms here, but I'll try and have it up soon. Feel free to leave a review and have a shelltastic day.