Sorry it took a bit longer to update. Hectic lives making updating hard :-P But here is the next chapter. I hope you enjoy.

It was four in the morning. I had passed the door to Don's lab countless times as I incessantly paced back and forth down the hallway. The door was slightly ajar, a sliver of light from Don's lamp shining into the otherwise dark hallway. Mikey had been pacing along with me, but had finally stopped and slid to the floor next to the lab door and had since fallen asleep with his head resting on his shoulder, a trail of drool hanging from the corner of his mouth. I stepped over his outstretched legs as I made another pass by the lab door, my hands clenching and unclenching at my sides.

It had been three hours since we had gotten Leo back home. After escaping the ally and getting to the safety of the sewers we had carried Leo's limp form back to the lair. We stopped every few minutes to allow Donny to check his vitals under the heavy sedation that had been used. I was angry that it had come to this, drugging our own brother to high heaven to get him home, especially after he had recognized me. I had seen my brother back in that alley. His eyes had been genuinely Leo when he looked back at me and said my name. It was the first time I had really seen my brother in six months.

Mikey had called Master Splinter after we had started home, and when we opened the door he was there waiting, running up to Leo who was lying in my arms. He had put his paw gently on Leo's forehead and had kissed his brow. Tears tried to form in my eyes as I watched my father silently nuzzle the son he had thought was lost. Don had explained that we needed to get Leo to his lab where he could monitor him and try and figure out what Karai had done to him.

I carried him to the lab and laid him gently on the bed that Don had set up there. Don quickly checked Leo's vitals again, and after being assured that Leo was doing fine, he had pulled out restraints. I threw a fit when I saw him pull out the leather bindings, yelling at him for even thinking about restraining our brother. But Don had fought back and had explained forcefully that we didn't know what to expect from our brother when he woke up. He could be Leo, or he could not be. Don hadn't wanted to take the risk that Leo would wake up and run, and after a lot of convincing, I finally gave in and allowed Don to wrap the leather straps around Leo's wrists and ankles.

Now that Leo was lying in the light of the lab, I could more clearly see the scars that littered his body. There were small ones and large ones, the biggest was on his right upper arm that spanned from the middle down to his elbow. There were lesions that almost looked like burns that had been allowed to heal, like he had been poked multiple times with the end of a cigarette lighter. Deep wounds ran over his wrists and ankles, most likely where he had been bound for the better part of six months. I also noticed how thin he had become. His body still held definition, but his arms and legs were much to thin, his face looking sunken. I remembered how light he had been when I carried him home. Seeing more clearly how he had been treated caused a white hot rage to boil in my blood and I had grabbed the black bandana that still masked his eyes and ripped it from his face with a loud growl. It was therapeutic for me, almost as if I was tearing away some hold that the Foot still had on him. I took the silky piece of black and tossed it roughly into the trashcan. I turned and sat heavily in a chair next to the bed, my head in my hands, a small burden now lifted from my shoulders.

Don had gathered up his medical supplies and began to fix Leo up, bandaging up any injuries that looked fresh. Mikey and I were left to explain to our father what had happened up in the ally. No emotion passed his face as he listened to our story. He only sat next to Leo, holding his bound hand and stroking his forehead soothingly.

After an hour of sitting next to Leo's side, I was unable to stay still any longer. I had gotten up and left the lab. I tried to watch T.V., but couldn't focus on the shows. I fished in the fridge, but didn't have an appetite. Finally I settled for pacing back and forth in front of Don's lab, working out the nerves that had built up and waiting for Leo to finally wake up.

I stopped walking and leaned my shell against the cement wall, slowly sliding down to the floor next to Mikey, letting my head fall to my bent knees. This was not the family reunion I had hoped for. Ever since Leo had disappeared, I had believed that he was still alive, even when the rest of the family had given up hope. Night after night in the city when I was out looking for him, I had imagined what it would be like to finally find him. To get him home where he belonged and bring our family together again. Nowhere in my imagination had I fathomed we would be dragging Leo home, drugged unconscious and binding him to a bed for our and his own safety. I sighed and leaned my head back, laying it against the cool cement and closed my eyes.

"Raph?" I heard my youngest brother speak next to me.

"Yeah, Mike?" I answered. I cracked an eye open and eyed Mikey next to me. He was looking at me, his eyes half lidded. I wondered how long he had been awake.

"Do you think Leo is going to be OK?" he asked softly.

I closed my eyes again and took a deep breath. "Yeah, Mikey." I answered.

We became silent. I heard him shift uncomfortably next to me, his breathing slow but shallow. A half smile crossed my face and I stretched my arms out in front of me, resting them on my knees and yawned.

"You know? I never believed Leo was dead." My little brother said, his voice barely above a whisper. I opened my eyes and turned my head toward him. His face had become serious, his eyes shadowed. I frowned.

"Whaddya mean?" I asked him.

He took a deep breath and looked away from me as if he was ashamed to meet my eyes. "I never believed he was dead." He said, his voice softer than before.

"Then why did ya stop looking?" I asked, my voice flat, almost harsh at Mikey's revelation. Mikey flinched at my question.

"I just…" He stopped, his voice shaking. I watched as he took a deep breath and pushed his palms to his eyes, wiping away a few stray tears. "I just couldn't take the disappointment anymore. You know? Going out there night after night and not finding anything." He swallowed hard. "I should have kept looking. I shouldn't have given up on him." He sniffled loudly and wiped at his eyes again.

I was shocked at Mikey's words. It wasn't often that Mikey allowed himself to be this serious, this candid. These were the sorts of conversations our youngest brother tried to avoid by spouting off a joke or a movie quote to lighten the mood. Mikey had always been an open book, unable to hide his emotions well, but it was rare for him to actually talk about it. Hearing him admit what he was telling me made me feel betrayed. He had given up on our brother. The brother that had been captured and tortured for six months. The brother that I had continued to look for night after night despite my family turning their backs on him. I turned my eyes away from him, unable to look at him any longer. He sniffled loudly again.

"I'm sorry, Raph." He spoke, his voice thick. "I should have been stronger. Thank goodness you were."

I felt a lump form in my throat at his words and my eyes softened. There was no reason to punish Mikey now for what was in the past. It had hurt when they had given up on the search, leaving me to continue on by myself. But we had Leo back now. That was all that mattered. I turned my head back toward my youngest brother and put my arm around his shoulders. He leaned into me and laid his head in the crook of my neck.

"It's OK, Mikey." I told him, trying my best to soothe him. "We have Leo back now. It's going to be hard for everyone to help him recover. You can be strong for him now. I know you can be."

I heard him sniffle loudly and he moved his hand up to wipe his nose. I felt him nod lightly, then he pulled his head from my shoulder and his brown eyes met mine. They were brimmed with tears, but held a determination in them that I had never seen before.

"I will be." He said, his voice no longer shaking. I smiled at him and moved my finger tip to wipe a tear away from his cheek. He managed a crooked smile, then leaned his head back and rested it once again against my shoulder.

"Guys?"

Our heads snapped up synchronously and we both looked over to Don who was peaking his head out of the lab.

"He's waking up."

In a moment we were on our feet and moving to the lab door, our exhaustion forgotten. I strode into the room and immediately made my way to Leo's side. Our father was already there, still holding Leo's hand and softly encouraging him. I looked down at Leo's face and watched as his eyes fluttered in an attempt to open. His fingers moved sluggishly at his sides. His mouth was drawn in a grimace. I moved my hand toward him and laid it softly on his forehead.

"Leo?" I said softly. His head rolled toward me, his eyes still closed. I swallowed hard. "Come on, bro. Wake up."

I watched as he swallowed thickly, and his movements stilled. I looked to Donny with concern, and he shrugged his shoulders, making his way back to Leo's side to check his vitals again.

"Leo?" I repeated again.

Suddenly his eyes shot open. I gasped lightly in surprise and my heart sank when I looked into them. My brother's light brown eyes were once again empty. I swallowed and took a closer look, but I didn't see any sign of the recognition and concern I had seen before back in the alley.

Our father had noticed the absence of Leo as well. I heard him suck in a deep breath and watched as he wrapped his furry hands around Leo's own. "My son." He said lightly.

At the sound of his voice, Leo suddenly jerked his body, his wrists and ankles rubbing roughly on the leather binding that held him down. Splinter jumped back in surprise, but I had seen a reaction like this before. I stayed at his side. He jerked again, fighting desperately at the bonds that held him down. His eyes were still empty, but now held a deep fear within them. He reminded me of a trapped animal as he struggled and fought to get away from us.

I placed my hands on his plastron and used my strength to try and still his wild movements. I watched as Donny quickly did the same, not wanting to see Leo hurt himself any further by struggling against us. It took all my strength to try and hold him in place. For as thin as he was, he still held a great deal of strength.

"Leo!" I pushed out in between breaths, trying to grab at his arms and keep him down. "Leo, it's OK! It's us!"

If he heard me, he didn't show it. His movements became more panicked and he began throwing his head back and forth, making a small noise in the back of his throat that would later give me nightmares.

"We have to get him to stop!" I heard Don yell from beside me. He was throwing his weight on Leo's legs, trying to keep Leo from injuring himself. "I need to get the sedation!"

My heart sank, but looking at Leo's fearful gaze and seeing his wrists begin to bleed, I knew Don was right. I nodded my assent curtly. Donny attempted to move away from Leo's side and I tried to lay more weight on him to still his arms and legs. He gave a particularly rough jolt and almost knocked me from his body. I clenched my teeth and continued to try.

"Donny, hurry up." I managed. My arms were getting tired. I could see the bloody bonds on his wrists loosening from his movement.

Then suddenly Mikey was there. He appeared at Leo's head and placed a gentle hand on his flailing forehead. The other hand he used to cup Leo's far cheek and hold his head steady with a gentle force that only Mikey could use. Leo's eyes flashed with fear at Mikey's appearance, but Mikey didn't give in. He sat in the chair nearby and continued to cradle Leo's head in his hands, lowering his eyes to Leo's level.

"Hey, bro, it's alright." Mikey spoke gently. Over the racket of Leo's struggling body I was sure Leo couldn't hear it but Mikey kept trying. He turned Leo's head carefully until Leo's eyes met his. He stared softly into our brother's frightened gaze, and smiled softly.

"It's OK, Leo." He said again, letting one of his fingers calmly stroke Leo's cheek. "It's OK. I'm here. You're safe."

Leo's movements slowed ever so slightly as Mikey spoke to him. I watched in amazement as Mikey laid his chin on the table, never taking his eyes from Leo's. His thumb rubbed lightly on Leo's brow.

"You're alright." He tried again. "It's me, Mikey. You're home now."

Leo's struggling arms slowed more, his taught muscles beginning to relax as Mikey calmly stroked Leo's face with his fingers.

"You're safe, bro." he continued, his voice even softer than before.

Leo's movements stopped under me and I now lay sprawled over his unmoving plastron, captivated by Mikey's words. Beads of sweat dripped their way down my face and onto Leo's shell, my mouth was dry from exertion, but I couldn't tear my eyes away from them. Leo's bare eyes stared into Mikey's deep brown ones and his face relaxed.

"You're OK." Mikey spoke again. I watched as Leo's mouth formed into a tight line and he blinked a couple of times, a few tears releasing from the corners of his eyes. I held my breath, waiting.

"Mikey?" he whispered, his voice barely heard as he stared back at Mikey's face.

Our youngest brother smiled widely at his words and leaned forward to touch his forehead to Leo's. "Yeah, Leo." He said gently. "Yeah, it's me."

I heard Leo let out a choked sob. I melted away from him and moved myself to stand behind Mikey. There, in his eyes, was our brother again. Leo took a deep shuddering breath and let his eyes close.

"I was lost." He sobbed, his eyes leaking more tears.

"And we found you." Mikey said lightly. "You're home now."

Leo let out another agonized sob and I fell to my knees at his side, needing to be closer to him, to comfort him. Mikey remained at Leo's head, softly murmuring soothing words and continuing to run his fingers lightly over Leo's face.

Donny came up next to me and lowered himself, putting his hands on Leo's arms and rubbing gently, the sedation forgotten as he saw his oldest brother reappear. I saw tears in Donny's eyes as he looked on the form of Leo, letting himself believe it was really him. The three of us sat together, our hands on Leo, listening to Mikey's soothing words until Leo's body stilled beneath our hands and his breathing became more even and deep. He had fallen asleep.

I stood and moved away from my brother's side, my muscles shaking and a feeling of elation running through me at seeing Leo tonight. I looked over to where Mikey sat, his fingers still massaging gently over Leo's temple. I went over to my baby brother and put a strong hand on his shoulder. I had never been more proud of Mikey then I was in that moment.

He turned his head and looked at me, his eyes brimmed with clear tears. He smiled at me, and I returned it.

"Ya did good, Mikey." I said softly. He nodded, then turned his head back to his oldest brother.

"He was so scared." He spoke softly. "He just needed to be reminded that he was safe."

I nodded, swallowed thickly and squeezed his shoulder. Mikey smiled then and I saw redemption in his eyes. I smiled at my little brother, then moved back to Leo's side, taking his hand. I saw Mikey lay his head down on the side of the bed, letting his eyes close. I lowered my head to the bed as well. If I was going to sleep, it may as well be with my brothers. I yawned, suddenly feeling deeply tired. I vaguely heard the soft footsteps of our sensei leaving the room, and Don shuffling around the lab as my mind drifted into sleep.