A/N: Don't own TMNT, but you knew that.

To my fantastic reviewers! You do more than just inspire me, you remind me that the world is actually a pretty cool place full of pretty cool people.

As always, please enjoy.

The headlights of the subway were coming straight at him, and Raphael couldn't move. As in physically could. Not. Move.

At his feet, Casey dug the blade of Raph's borrowed sai into the strange goopy, sticky web-like substance gluing Raphael's feet to the subway track, working furiously to pry the stuff apart. He'd already managed to free the left and was now working on the right.

"I'm almost there buddy," he chanted, his hockey mask pushed high on his head, "almost there."

The wailing sound of the subway called, and Raph's stomach twisted.

"Forget it Case, you gotta go...now." Not waiting for the man's eminent protest, Raph fisted his fingers into the back of Casey's shirt, hauled him to his feet and with the sort of strength that only made itself present in life and death situations, he threw him up onto the cement ledge, and then braced himself for what he had already accepted.

His death.

The subway sped toward him and yet everything seemed to slow down as he recalled the events that had landed him in such a predicament.

The night had started off innocently enough. He and Casey had gone patrolling like they did every Friday. Nothing worth mentioning had occurred, and they'd been on their way back to the lair, lured with the promise of tacos and a Doctor Who marathon (Donny's choice) when they'd stumbled across the thug robbing a jewelry store.

He'd seemed normal at the time, and so had the guns he'd been brandishing. One was. The other had been tampered with, recreated to shoot sticky shit like Peter Parker in the new Spiderman movie.

They'd pursued him down to the subway tracks where they'd scuffled a bit. Casey had fallen off the ledge while he and the man had wrestled for custody of the stolen jewelry and Raph had jumped down to assist, and now he was never jumping back up again.

The subway horn blared, Raph ducked his head, reflexively throwing up his arms, and the last thought that flitted across his mind was Leo will never forgive me for going first.

"Raphael!"

The breath was knocked out of him when the impact came and then, as he wheezed for breath he realized he shouldn't even be wheezing at all.

Gradually his awareness returned to him and eventually he recognized the arms around him, the pulse throbbing against his temple, the curve of the throat his head was tucked against.

The subway blazed past, the rattling of it thundered in his ears. He could feel the tails of his mask whipping in the wind the speeding metro was making as it finally moved past them.

At last the tight grip on him loosened and Raphael was able to pull back. He blinked up at his brother, and then the ledge of the cement of the abandoned boarding platform above them.

He was alive. Holy fu–had he really just survived that?

Suddenly his sibling punched his shoulder. Hard.

"Ow! Damn Leo, shell was that for!?" Raph demanded, rubbing the offended limb with a furious scowl.

"Don't you ever do that again!" Leo snarled, his eyes darker and angrier than Raph ever remembered seeing. Turned on him anyway.

Raphael felt his temper flare up. "Do what exactly? Stop crimes? Watch Casey's back?"

"Give up!"

"I–what?"

"You were almost free, Raphael," The name came out as a hiss, "After you threw Casey, you could've kept trying, but you didn't. You'd just accepted that you were going to die, like you were okay with it."

"I..." Raph didn't know what to say. Had he given up? It didn't feel like it...he'd just been so preoccupied with protecting Casey it hadn't really occurred to him. He searched Leo's face, the clenched jaw, the hooded stare...and the fear behind his eyes. Raph's stomach dropped. "...I'm sorry."

"Never again." Leo declared, but it came out more like a question, like he was waiting for his brother's agreement.

"Never again," Raph promised.

"Hey! You two okay?" Mikey's upside-down face appeared over the edge of the platform, mask tails dangling comically.

Casey appeared next to him. "Dude, I'm so glad you ain't dead."

Raph exchanged a quiet look with his brother, one eye ridge raised.

Amusement pulled at the corner of Leo's mouth, despite his obvious attempt at resisting. "That makes four of us."

And with that Raphael knew he'd been forgiven.

"Great!" Mikey called enthusiastically once his brothers were next to him. "Now let's go eat some tacos! Whoa-ow!"