Leo's POV

"LEO OPEN THIS FUCKING DOOR RIGHT NOW" Raph had growled at me; he had thrown his body at it several times, but with the reinforcements Master had put in place to stop us leaving, he had all but failed. It had been a day, and he had lost all patience; not that he had any patience anyway.

"LEO NOW!"

I lay there, just staring into the darkness of the room. I didn't know how long it had been. I wasn't aware; but I knew I would remain in here for a much longer period. I couldn't face anyone.

The pain unbearable.

I couldn't dare.

I heard feet shuffling outside the door.

"Raph, its not gonna work" Donnie mumbled with a sigh; he sounded conflicted, broken.

"Well what we gunna do? Whats goin' on- North wont speak ta April. 'e wont speak ta us- fuck 'e nearly kills me! We 'ave a right to know!" Raph growled as I heard his feet pacing.

He would give up soon. They all would; give it a week.

"were not gonna find out like that are we? April thinks going to see North is a good idea and I agree. I think this has something to do with the concert" Donnie said as more feet entered.

"I got through to North again; she just keeps telling me she's feeling sick…it's a lie; I know her, I can hear it in her voice…I'm really worried- you don't think…"

Her voice went really quiet for a second and I couldn't make out her words.

"Leo? Nah; he's in love with her…he wouldn't…then again…maybe that's the reason why..." Donnie mumbled as I cringed inwardly.

"Wait. Leo's in love with Nory?"

"oh come on Ap- you gotta seen the way 'e looks at 'er" Raph barked and she gasped.

"Why didn't you tell me?!"

"Coz you woulda told 'er and 'e woulda killed us"

April huffed.

"How long has this been going on?"

It went quiet; I assumed they shrugged.

"Maybe year or two; 'es in deep- so if anyt'ins got 'im- its 'er"

April sighed loudly.

"Well now we know we need to go see her- it will clear things up; definitely"

They all seemed to plod away from me as I closed my eyes again.

Good.

She would need her friends. She needed support right now.

I had left her there like a used toy.

I gritted my teeth and swallowed.

Soon they would all know what I did.

Then I would be cast out. Of course- it was the right thing.

It was probably the only honourable thing I could be left with doing…

Nory POV

The night had flowed into another day and the day had flowed into the night. April had called; but I had sent it to voicemail. I knew she would be at work and so I ignored it knowing she wouldn't have time to call me back.

I had called in sick to my own job and moped about selfishly. I had slumped around my apartment trying not to sleep; trying to fight off the nightmares but also trying to void my living room. I would go into my bedroom, see my bed then return to the hallway. Music seemed to help; but the heart break wasn't lifting. I guessed it would take maybe three years; the amount of time I had been in love with him…but then my heart would break even further and the idea of getting over this seemed impossible.

It had been the longest I had gone without seeing them.

Without him.

I found myself back down by my wall as I lifted my head from it and sighed. I needed to get out of this state. I needed to focus myself; ground my self in the moment.

I swallowed; this would never get easier, but I needed to try.

I gripped at my self trying to pull through this depression as I flung my body up. I grabbed my I pod which still sat in the hallway floor, only to find it dead. And in my tired angry state; I threw it hard down into the darkness of my living room.

It landed with a clunk and then fell to the floor.

I froze; terrified.

My lights flew on revealing three turtles and April, who all eyed me with wide eyes. I blinked twice, not believing what I was seeing; but here they were. Donnie looked down to my sofa his eyes going wider, his nudged Raph who turned Mikey's head.

They saw the mess; the feathers, the rip, the watery floor.

And then they all looked back at me; blank expressions ran across their faces…

They froze. And so did I.

Suddenly the room felt so slow and frozen. No one moved. No one dared to blink. They all looked at me like I was a demon hiding in the corner of a room, watching me as if trying to understand what had gone on.

April took the first step.

"Nor…Nor… what happened?" she said sweetly, but I couldn't take my eyes off the brother's. They stood wide eyes and wide mouthed. Unsure what to say. But wanting to say so much.

My eyes met all of theirs instantly. My heart thumping and my stomach churning.

I looked down; forgetting I hadn't mopped my floor and it was still damp; the floor beneath soaking my PJ pants a little as well as Aprils sneakers.

She looked to me wide eyed; nervous and unsure. Her hands found my arms as she cupped them gently.

"Hey…hey- look at me"

But I couldn't; my eyes had found Mikey's…

The same shade of blue as Leo's.

And then I seemed to be released as I gasped heavily; breathing way to deep as my chest thudded up and down. I carried on breathing deeply, trying to dispel the waves of emotion from hitting me further. But it was no use. It came back; the pain, the memories, the flood of hurt as I found the tears pricking my eyes.

April rubbed my shoulders gently as I cried freely in front of the turtles. Her head seemed to scan me over.

"W-what are you…what are you d-doing here?" I croaked knowing they could all hear my hammering heart beat.

His brothers had come for me; that's what this was- it was the beating up party. They knew.

"Well we've been…we were worried" She told me. But I couldn't look at them. I folded my arms in front of my chest, my shoulders shrouding in on my self.

"Donnie…" April spoke touching Donnie's arms; she grabbed his attention as he stared hard at my arms.

My bruises.

I looked at them with dead eyes, pleading with them not to pry. But it was too late; they were going to and the truth would come spilling out.

Donnie took a step forward towards me as I took one step back instinctively. He watched me unsure.

"Nory- its alright…I'm not going to hurt you-its okay" he said calmingly as I tried to still myself.

I could see in his eyes; his brain trying to work out what had happened.

Had Leo told them about what I had done? If he had, why were they being so nice to me?

April came forward first, and she took my arm in her hand leading me down onto the small chair of my living room. I dragged my feet behind her; keeping my eyes forward.

All eyes turned on me as I cringed under the look. The atmosphere way too tight.

"I'll kill 'em- I'll fuckin kill 'em" Raph grumbled deeply, darkly; angrily. The words bouncing up the walls.

"But…wait- I don't…" Mikey kept asking, the look of disappointment in his eyes burning at me. I couldn't look back up at him.

It was way too hard.

Oh god…this was it- my punishment. Raph was here to kill me; Mikey here to tell me how disappointed he was.

Donnie to toy with me.

I sobbed.

"Guys…give her some space" April turned to look at Raph and Mikey who both remained frozen.

"Do patrol; come back in an hour" Donnie told them softly. I thought Raph would have argued; but he didn't. I thought he would have put up a fight be he never even flinched.

I sat confused; why were they being nice to me? Surely they had seen the evidence- was Leo not enough?

Without thinking about the damage; I looked back to Mikey's eyes.

The pools of blue flowed to me. I stopped breathing. Mikey looked sad and confused as he took a step towards me and his eyes big and heavy.

I didn't deserve him.

I didn't deserve any of them.

Another few tears dropped as April turned again and nudged her head back towards the window as if to shoo him.

They did as they were asked; although their eyes burned on me.

There was only April and Donnie now left. They leaned over me like parents would do a small child. April, then carrying on her role of the mother, knelt down to my height.

Her hand fell on my knee.

"Nory…you have to tell us what's happened…is this got something to do with Leo?"

I gritted my teeth and squeezed my eyes shut.

So he hadn't told them… maybe he was too ashamed, maybe that was what he wanted…but then Raph had said…

Another loose tear dripped down my face.

"Nory…Leo's banned himself to the Hashi- he wont speak to anyone…what happened?" Donnie asked.

I looked to his brother's eyes as loose tears dripped from my own.

I opened my mouth to say something but couldn't. I looked back down to the floor; completely deflated as I swallowed the lump in my throat.

"Did he..." Donnie swallowed; his eyes seemed impossibly wide as he asked the question I never thought he could. He rubbed his mouth with his hand and then looked to me with a soft expression

"…did he hurt you North? Is that what's going on?" Donnie added. My eyes flicked to his face. He eyed my wrist. Without trying to alarm me; he moved snail-slow, reaching for my wrist until he could take hold of it in his own.

The three distinctive marks on his fingers matched up with my bruises. Donnie's eyes widened.

"He did hurt you…"

My eyes looked to Donnie's sharply.

"No" I growled and stood up moving away from him. I walked across the room folding my arms to hide the bruising. He and April shared a look. April took a step forward.

"Nory; you've been in here for two days…you look like hell. You've been crying your eyes out; your bruised and Leo- who went home with you that night; wouldn't even speak when he came back. He looked as if you had died…as if he had done something…"

"He did nothing wrong" I pressed, my eyes now wide wanting to express his innocence. But it didn't seem to work; they looked doubtful.

"I can't…I can't talk about this…its private" I pressed grabbing a fistful of my hair and tightly holding it.

I couldn't tell them.

Because Leo had chosen not too.

Its what he wanted.

"Its up to…" I gritted unable to say his name without feeling the pull "him…I'm the bad guy here- not him" I told them honestly as they screwed their eyes up confused.

"Nory- you need to tell us so this can make sense; were family" April said pointing to her and Donnie. I looked to them with a locked jaw, my eyes wider than ever before as they spilled into theirs.

I looked to Donnie who tilted his head confused.

How he reminded me of Leo when he did that.

I felt the sharp pain in my stomach as I wrapped my arms around myself, the pain spewing from my over drenched emotions clawing a hole in my chest.

"Not anymore" I whispered looking directly at Donnie. I turned away from him, my back straight and my face shielded.

They stayed quiet for a second unsure what to do or say. I looked to my ceiling, trying to look beyond the tears in my eyes as I spoke freely.

"Donnie; be kind to him, don't…don't blame him" I said pressing the issue to his brother. Donnie looked completely baffled "but I can't be part of your lives anymore…I'm the bad guy here" I told them as April huffed upset and angry. She marched over to me trying to grab my attention.

"North James. Tell us now."

I turned to reel at her, the anger in my eyes.

"Its his choice! How can I when its his choice to tell you! He didn't hurt me! it was all me! I broke him! I hurt him! Punish me! Get Raphael in here to kill me! I don't understand! Why are you being so nice to me?!" I breezed out as they watched me with sad looks. Tears dripped down my face. Their looks soon moulded into confusion and pain.

They would never understand.

I looked down and pinched the bridge of my nose.

I turned to look back at Donnie; he looked at me in the same worried face.

"You shouldn't be with me; its him you should be with…I ruined him and now he hates me" I told him with a wobble in my voice.

Donnie opened his mouth to speak, but it was met with a thump, then a thud.

And a crash.

I froze.

It seemed my yelling had caused some disturbance, as I turned around, I looked through my window to see the face of a large warthog and Rhino.

Bee-bop and Rock Steady.

I remained still as they leaned on my balcony. I had seen them once; from a distance as April and I crept passed them when they were causing havoc.

The boys had come in and resolved it.

My heart started to thump again. They were looking directly at me. And I had never felt so frightened in all of my life.

Maybe this was my punishment for my actions. That Mikey and Raphael had led them here. Maybe I deserved it.

Suddenly, with a barrelling force, the wall to my little apartment blew open being burrowed in by their faces. Smoke and bricks filtered the floor, scattering the already ripped feathers and sofa in pieces.

"Well well well…three for the price of one" The huge rhino called as he barrelled into my little apartment.

The warthog eyed me aggressively, his eyes twinkling at Donnie who gritted his teeth and held his stance.

There's no way he could take these on in a battle on his own. I doubt any of them could do so. I breathed evenly, for once forgetting about the incident with Leo for two minutes…

"and to think we only turned up to grab yo leader's girlfriend 'ere"

Then it came whirling back as I leant over and cringed at the hole in my chest. Both animals laughed humiliating me just like my nightmare.

"left ya all alone did he?- man oh man you should 'ave kept your curtains closed dat night" He wolf whistled as they took two more steps closer to me, their feet vibrating the room. Horror filled my eyes.

Oh god…

"We were jus' passin' near by, thought 'e was a human till you moved down 'im …damn you were such a pretty thang all wet on his lap"

I gritted my teeth as a grated whimper fell out of my mouth. They chuckled. The memory so fresh in my mind.

It was like my dreams. And just like those dreams, I couldn't move- the weight of my arms seemed way to heavy and the feel of my legs kept me still.

This wasn't happening…

I looked to April, who then looked to Donnie- his arm out protectively in front of her. It didn't go unnoticed by me that Donnie and April had both pressed their shell cell alarms as they flashed in their back pockets.

The rhino and warthog stood on par with me.

I turned my head away from them.

"See we were gonna attack you den and dere; but thought we'd getcha when he wasn't wid you…use you as bait- I bet he'd do any 'thang' to keep this sweet little tail-sucka close to him…"

I growled down hard, my arms crossing my chest tightly.

This wasn't happening.