Leo's turn! There's a surprising twist to this one... I like it a lot. I still find it funny that he's the last to be a father, hehe. I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll save explanations for the end!

I don't own TMNT, just the kids.


Leonardo

Leonardo experienced déjà vu all the time. It was a side effect of constant meditation. But sitting on the couch waiting for a baby to arrive was becoming an all-too familiar feeling.

8 months ago, he experienced the anticipation for the first time when Daphne arrived. Only 3 months after that, Raph became a father. And three weeks ago, Doctor Donnie delivered his own son, Amadeus. Leo's son wasn't due for another couple of weeks, but according to Donnie the unborn turtle had grown too big and was coming early. To back up his report, (Leo's wife) went into labor a few hours later.

Now it was Leo's turn to experience the anxiousness of a first-time expectant father.

Hours went by. Leo meditated, drank calming tea, ran through his katas, and repeated. A thought in the back of his mind kept nagging him. Donnie said he was too big. Unnaturally big. But why would he be born prematurely if he was big? Weren't preemies usually too small?

Leo wondered aloud, "There must be something else going on."

Donnie answered from the door of his lab, almost scaring Leo out of his shell. "As usual, you're right. I think you're gonna be surprised as to what that 'something' is, though." Donatello waved his brother in and walked back to the nursery without looking to see if he followed.

Leo's mind didn't even explore the possibilities that Donnie's statement created. He just followed closely behind his younger, taller brother.

Once inside the nursery, Leonardo almost ran into his father, whose back was toward him. Clearly, Splinter was busy with whatever he was holding. Then Master Splinter turned.

Leonardo forgot how to breathe.

In the old rat's arms were two turtles, one boy and one girl. The boy was much larger, even larger than Amadeus. The girl was tiny, so tiny that Splinter could balance her shell in the palm of his hand.

Twins?

Donnie's gap tooth grin was bigger than Leo had ever seen it. "So, big guy, is this enough of a shock, or can I show you the third one that's behind my back?"

Leonardo whipped around to his brother, his green face looking eerily white.

Donnie really laughed now. "Nah, Leo, I'm kidding. You've only got two."

Seething with anger, Leo snapped at his brother. "Only?! Donatello this is… this is a big deal! How did you not see…"

"The girl? The boy had her all wrapped up into his plastron. You'd think they were conjoined by how closely he was holding her. So imagine the surprise I got when he slipped out with his sister in his arms."

Leonardo shook his head in wonder at his son's inbred protectiveness. "Did he hurt her? She's tiny Don. How did she survive?"

"I can't say Leo. She really shouldn't have survived. I imagine her brother probably helped her, but also I think she just got lucky. She's a fighter, for sure."

Master Splinter and the babies had been silent the entire time, Splinter just watching the twins interact with each other. Both of the children's eyes were closed, but the little boy looked upset and reached out into air, trying to find his sister. He even let out a small yelp. The sound of distress caught the attention of his father, uncle, and sister.

The tiny girl's eyes popped open, searching for a second before resting directly on her brother. The three men in the room all stared in wonder at the girl's eyes, trying to figure them out. Colored sky-blue, like Mikey's, but the outsides (at the edge of where the iris met white) were the same dark blue as her father's.

Leo couldn't look away. His daughter's eyes were terrifyingly beautiful. He was so mesmerized that Donnie had to nudge him and point out that his son's eyes were now also open. His sons' eyes were crystal blue, a shade lighter than Mikey's and his daughter's. The twins locked eyes with each other, communicating in a way only they could understand.

Splinter held the babies out toward their father. Leo didn't realize how badly he was itching to hold them until his father offered.

Soon, two pairs of blue eyes were trained on Leonardo. He leaned in, kissing each on the forehead. His children seemed highly intuitive, so much so that Leonardo felt compelled to speak aloud to them.

"Well, I know who you are." He looked down at his son, "Jackson. It is a strong name, so you must be strong, too. Got it? But you," He considered his daughter, "surprised me. But your Uncle Donatello tells me you are especially strong. And you're my beautiful little girl. A name for a strong, beautiful girl..." Leonardo thought for a moment. Funnily enough, the answer came to him from a song. "Layla. Do you agree, Ojōsan?"

Jackson and Leonardo watched Layla expectantly. But she was already asleep.

6 Years

Layla charged again, searching for some small sign of hesitation in her brother's stance.

But Jackson held his defensive position, his breath even and calm, grip relaxed on his shortened bō staff. Layla gripped her bokken tightly, using her small frame to duck under and through her brother's legs at the last second, pulling her bokken through behind her in an effort to trip her brother.

Her bokken never connected. Jackson had launched himself to the top of his bō, balancing with one hand on the end, the rest of his body in the air. Using the same momentum, he pushed off from the staff with his arm, bringing it with him as he flipped. He landed yards away from the tips of his sister's bokken. He assumed the same defensive position. Layla was furious. She was tired of her brother constantly running away, never striking back. She wouldn't feel so bad about losing to him if he would actually hit her once or twice. Instead, they always tied because of his evasiveness.

Only Amadeus could land a blow on Jackson, and that was only because he could tap in to his weird spirit-meditation thing and become almost psychic, knowing exactly where Jackson would leap away to and meet him there.

Layla desperately wished she could do the same. She was the most skilled fighter (excepting Amadeus of course, but you couldn't really count him due to his genius giving him an unfair advantage), but it was hard to prove she was better than her brother when he side-stepped every attack she threw at him.

Getting to her feet, Layla took a deep breath to calm herself. Jackson loved to rile her up, cause her to be more aggressive. He evaded her easier the more aggressive she was. Approaching her brother slowly, Layla threw a couple quick swipes to the feet and head, causing Jackson to dodge to the left. Seeing an opening on Jackson's right side, Layla twisted her shoulder and brought the bokken together, slashing with the parallel weapons. Jackson blindly brought his bō around to meet the bokken, swinging the staff like a baseball bat.

CRACK.

Layla's bokken snapped as wood met wood. Jackson was bigger and stronger than her, and with the force he put behind the swing of his bō, snapped both of his sister's practice swords cleanly at the handle.

All that Layla was left with were the grips of her favorite bokken. The young turtles hadn't been given their actual weaponry yet, so the bokken were all Layla had. The wooden blades settled to the ground halfway across the dojo. Jackson back-handspringed away, again taking up his defense. Layla had been weaponless and vulnerable, and still Jackson did not land a blow on her. That fact made her angrier than her broken bokken.

"You COWARD!" Layla screamed at her brother. She charged, relying on her speed to overcome her twin's size and strength. She jabbed at Jackson, landing hits on his stomach, wrists, and backs of his knees. But he was stronger than her, and pushed her back, hard, with his bō. Layla rolled out of the hit, launching herself right back at her twin, foot aimed for his plastron. Jackson held up his bō to stop the kick, but the force of Layla's foot broke through the staff and landed on its intended target. Jackson only had the wind knocked out of him because the bō had taken most of the kick, but Layla was on top of him in a second, pinning him down.

But Jackson's strength was unmatched, and he merely pushed back on his sister's shoulders and lower plastron, sending her into the air. Layla came down, trying to roll out of the impact. But instead, her shoulder took the brunt of the force.

Layla knew something was wrong. She tried to get up, tried to hold back the threat of tears.

"Yamu!" Master Splinter yelled out. Master Leonardo ran for his daughter. Bellona and Amadeus, who had been watching the two spar, came to help Jackson up. Daphne joined Leonardo at Layla's side.

Leonardo said something to Daphne, who went running out of the dojo. She quickly returned with her Uncle Donatello. Together, Donatello and Leonardo took Layla from the dojo, probably off to Donnie's lab.

Jackson watched all of this in horror. He reached for his bō; the staff comforted Jackson when he was worried. Then he remembered his sister's kick; she had split his bō in two. Jackson cried out in anger and ran off. Bellona, who was the closest to Jackson, made to follow him, but Amadeus held her back. He shook his head at her; told her to leave him be. He understood that his cousin needed space and time alone.

Jackson ran from the dojo, diving into the pool that took up the entire back of the subway station he called home. Just a few minutes underwater and the tunnel opened up to a smaller station. It was Jackson's favorite place to go, and only Layla knew about it. She would be the only one able to find him, and it seemed like she wouldn't be going anywhere any time soon.

Exhaustion from training and swimming finally caught up with Jackson. He felt himself slowly drifting into sleep.

It seemed only minutes had gone by when Jackson felt someone shaking him, calling his name. "Jackson? Please wake up, my Botchan."

Jackson's eyes snapped open. "Otōsan?"

Leonardo wrapped his son up in an embrace. "You're not hurt, are you?"

Pulling away from his father, Jackson shook his head. "No Otōsan. I must have just been tired… is Layla okay?"

Leonardo sat next to his son, leaning against the wall. Smiling down sadly at him, he reassured the concerned turtle. "Your Sōseiji is fine, Jackson. She is tougher than she looks."

Jackson nodded, lost in thought. "I know. She's tougher than all of us. Well, besides Uncle Raph." Leonardo laughed at his son's honesty. Jackson smiled with him, but instantly the smile was gone. "But I hurt her. This is why I don't attack! I don't want to hurt her, or any of my cousins. And every time I strike back, someone ends up hurt. I'll never attack again. Defense is my best offence, from now on."

Leonardo frowned at the hurt in his son's voice. "Botchan, of course you don't want to hurt your family. But not attacking them isn't going to help them when you grow up. As you get older, you will have to use your ninjutsu skills to fight the people who want to harm you and your family. Not pushing your cousins and Sōseiji now will hurt them then, because they won't be prepared for a fight. And you," Leo took his son's hands into his own, "won't be ready to battle these people if you don't use some offensive strikes during training." Jackson shook his head, still not convinced.

"You never intend to harm your family when you train, Jackson. And everyone understands that. Which is why it is okay to attack. We all fight. We all know the risks, but we take them."

Jackson was at a loss for words. He buried his face into his father's plastron, something he hadn't done in years.

Leonardo held his son close.


Leonardo and his brothers had just returned from patrol. The Foot had been giving them more trouble than usual, and it set Leo on edge. He needed to see his children, make sure they were safe.

He made his way to the room his Sōseiji shared. He heard deep breaths coming from the other side of the door; they were asleep. Slowly, to not wake them, Leo eased the door open. He looked first to his daughter's bed. She was gone. Upset, he regarded his son's bed. He breathed easy, seeing his Sōseiji were both safe.

Brother and sister lay together, the girl curled up against her brother's plastron. His arms wrapped protectively around her, his larger frame almost completely hiding her from view, shielding her from harm.


Don't you wish you had a twin?! Sometimes I do.

I mentioned Leo's wife again, she is un-named and I don't plan on creating a character for her or any of the other guys' matches. At least, not in this story.

So this little distraction is done, unless you guys want some more stories about the kiddos? I honestly love them, they're perfect! But I have other things to work on too. If you really want more of Daph, Bell, Deaus, Jackson and Layla, review and let me know!

The song Leo was thinking of is Eric Clapton's Layla, which is written about the girl he and George Harrison fought over. They both loved her. Why Leonardo would be listening to Eric Clapton, or name his daughter after a song, I don't know. But I liked it, so there ya go.

Translations:

Sōseiji: Twin

Bokken: wooden practice katana

Thanks again for your interest in this story! Love the reviews!