A/N For those of you who thought you had me figured out, guess again. ;) Just...trust me.

"What?!" "No!" Raph and Raphael exclaimed simultaneously.

"My sons, how can this be," Splinter asked, searching his oldest son desperately for physical wounds.

"He was poisoned," Donatello explained. "Apparently when Darktide stung him with that tentacle it injected some sort of poison into his system. My best guess is that's what killed him."

"Why did your brother not tell anyone he'd been poisoned," Splinter asked in a surprised voice, as if Leo had kept the secret just as means of hurting his family.

"To be fair, I don't think Leo knew," Donatello defended his older brother. "We only found out when Darktide was bragging about it while you three were out."

"So what do we do now," Mikey asked distraughtly from where he was seated at Leo's side, a hand gently caressing his brother's shell.

"I…I guess we somehow learn to go on without him," Donny choked out through the tears clogging his throat.

"No."

Everyone turned to look at Raph who was standing with his arms crossed over his chest, a mulish expression on his face.

"I'm through kow-towing to fate's whims," he told his family. "I am not some fictional character to be jerked around by some anonymous author's pen. As of right now, I'm taking over this 'narrative,' and writing it MY way." With that, he turned and stalked out of the living room toward his family's set of rooms.

"Raph," Donny called after him, a little uncertain what his brother had planned. "What are you doing?"

"You'll see," Raph called back. He emerged a few minutes later with six meditation candles in hand. As his brothers watched in puzzlement, he arranged them on the floor around Leo's body: one at his head, one at his feet, and two to Leo's right and left. Raph lit the candles then took his place at candle by Leo's head.

"Bro, this is crazy," Mikey told him. "Leo's dead."

"He came back once, he can do it again," Raph insisted. "Up 'til now, we've just kind of been bystanders in regard to this power we've been given. Well not anymore. As of this moment, it's going to work for me."

At this fervent statement the Brats looked at each other. After a moment of silent 'discussion,' they took their places to Leo's right. Immediately on their heels Donny and Donatello settled themselves to Leo's left. That left only Raphael, who stood glaring at his brothers with a look of stubborn refusal on his face.

"This is stupid," he told his brothers. "Leo's gone; get over it."

"Raphael, listen to me," Raph said quietly but passionately. I know how hard this is for you. I . But I also know Leo, and there is isn't anything our big brother wouldn't do for us; even come back from the dead again. Besides, wherever he is, I can still feel him; deep down inside a part of him is still connected to us. The bond remains unbroken. If he was really gone, it would have dissolved, don't you think? But it hasn't, and we can use it to find him and bring him back."

Raphael considered his twin's words for a moment. "Fine," he conceded. "We'll try this…whatever you want to call it. But don't say I didn't warn you when it doesn't work."

Raphael took his seat at Leo's feet, and all six brothers closed their eyes. Not a word was spoken as each brother searched deep inside himself for that little spark that remained of his bond with Leonardo. All at once, they became aware of a subtle shift in the atmosphere around them. Opening their eyes, the six turtles found themselves standing in a sewer tunnel, both Splinter and Leo's body nowhere to be seen.

"Okay, this is weird," Mikey said, taking in the new locale.

"Ah, young ones, what are you doing here," a voice, familiar at least to the younger half of the family, asked. When they turned to face the speaker, however, she looked far different that she had the last time they had seen her. Instead of white, glowing, amorphous figure, there stood a being that looked to be something of a mixture of a centaur, a winged horse, and a unicorn. The female looked like a white, down covered centaur, with two large angel-like wings, and a small golden horn sprouting from her forehead.

"Madame Bridger," Raph said, bowing politely to the creature. "We apologize for intruding, but we've come to get our brother back."

"But your brother has passed on," the Bridger said softly.

"We know," Raph acknowledged. "But, you see, we can still feel him. He's still bonded to us. That must mean there's still the chance he could come back. Right?"

"That's impossible," the Bridger protested, though in a non-condescending manner. "His bond to you should have been severed when he passed over."

"But it didn't," Donatello said. "Look." He pointed ahead of him and his brothers. There, shining with a pale golden light, was what appeared to be a golden cord, about the diameter of a wooden pencil. The Bridger examined it with apparent surprise.

"As far as I know, this has never happened before," she told the turtles after a few moment of thoughtful scrutiny. "That being the case, I must take the matter before the Council of Light. They will make the decision about what is to be done. I will bring you word when they have reached a verdict. Until then, you six must return to your home; it is not safe for you to be here." And with a wave of her hand the six turtles found themselves back at the Lair.

TMNTTMTN

Two days later the verdict came back: request denied. The council had decided that it would be unfair to drag Leo away from his well-earned eternal rest. Instead, the bond connecting him to his brothers was immediately and irrevocably severed. Feeling like a part of them was missing, the small family sadly set about preparing their brother's funeral.

It took another two days to make the arrangements, but finally the family set off to Casey's farm, where Leo was laid to rest in a hidden grove, deep in the woods. As many of the turtles' friends as could make it were invited. For the next several weeks following the funeral, things around the Lair were a little off. Practice was still held, but only sporadically. No one, not even Master Splinter, seemed to have the heart to do much more than that. Eventually, though, some measure of normality came back into the family's life.

The next big alteration in the family occurred two months after Leo's death. Thanks to a creation of a small intake, large output generator, GT (as in Geek Twins) O'Neil Tech hit the ground running and took the world by storm. Within two months Donny, Donatello, and April had a brand new lab, complete with stare of the art (most of it their own invention), equipment materials to work with. Four months after that Donny and Donatello moved out of the Lair and into a private, upscale, self-designed penthouse downtown. Of course, they invited the whole family to move in with them; they had more than enough room, but the only ones who took them up on the offer were the Brats.

Within no time at all, Mikey and Michelangelo had moved up from being the GT O'Neil's official game testers, to being the joint heads of the entertainment division. This was on top of being the names in the online and subscription gaming communities. Never had two turtles been happier.

Raph remained in the Lair looking after Master Splinter. Following his oldest son's death, the elderly rat's health had seen a drastic decline. The Geeks had later been able to determine that their sensei had suffered a series of minor strokes, leaving his dependent on his adopted son's care. Without Leo around, the seemingly directionless Raph had thrown himself into care for his second father.

As for Raphael, he had continued his vigilante gig. Adopting the persona of "Nightwatcher," and with technical assistance from his two genius brothers, Raphael spent night after night kicking the criminal element's collective tail.

Eventually, however, the family began to drift apart. With more and more responsibilities to take care of in the company, Donny and Donatello rarely made it home to visit their father or older brothers. Mikey and Michelangelo were in such high demand in gaming circles that it was rare for them to even be in New York, though their department in their brother's company never suffered for their absence.

Finally, five years exactly after Leo's death, Splinter's health finally gave in, and he passed away. Raph might have dealt with it better had any of his other brothers, besides Raphael, bothered to show up for the funeral. As it was, only he and his twin and Casey were present to lay the ancient rat to rest in the grove next to Leo. Following Splinter's death, Raphael did his best to consol his twin, but it was as if Raph had lost all interest in life. A week after Splinter's funeral, Raphael came home to find his twin had hung himself in Leo's old room; the very room Leo had attempted to do that same thing all those years ago.

Left alone, Raphael was forced to face how empty his life had become. He tried to reconnect with his siblings, but they just didn't seem to have the time for him anymore. In a last ditch effort to reach out, Raphael called April, badly needing someone to talk to. April didn't get the message until two days later. Frantic at hearing the desperate voice mail, April rushed down to the Lair; but it was too late. She found Raphael lying in Leo old bed, in what had become his second bedroom, his own sai protruding from his chest. Next to him was note that simply said, "I'm sorry. Leo, wait for me."