A/N: This is one of my favorite episodes! I was really excited to write this one and I hope you all like it and will keep reviewing! :) Thank you all for 1,000+ views! :D It's great to know you guys like this story!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but Garnet!

Tales of Leo

"My revenge is complete. My hated enemies thought they had destroyed me but I am not so easily destroyed. I was merely biding my time, waiting the right moment for my ninja forces to strike. And they struck hard. They herded my enemies to me like sheep to the slaughter and even though allies foolishly came to their aid, my enemies were forced to make a cowardly retreat. But vengeance was mine nonetheless. At last, the turtles are no more!" ~ The Shredder

XXX

Thirty Seconds Earlier…

Raph and Mikey tried and tried to break down the door. Since smelling the gas and smoke and feeling the heat from the door could only mean one thing… the Shredder was prepared to blow them sky-high. Suddenly, flames erupted from the bottom of the door, causing the turtles to back away from it.

"Trapped like rats…" Mikey said before looking back at Splinter. "No offense sensei." The rat nodded.

"Leo's in really bad shape. We have to get him out of here." Don said as he and Master Splinter helped support the eldest turtle's weight.

"Workin' on it!" Raph grunted as he continued to beat his Sais against the door. April went to the back of the room and began to move boxes and other things aside. Casey turned to her.

"What are you doing?" April looked up from what she was doing.

"I remember when we first moved in; there was a hole in the wall where a cooling unit was removed." She finally managed to get a large trunk out of the way and there was a small piece of metal on the wall.

"Raph!" Garnet said, catching the turtle's attention before he ran to the back of the room. He sunk his sai between the metal and the wall and began to pull it away. When it finally broke from the screws, he lifted it up and threw it to the side. April went through first. Raph turned back to the group.

"That's it, everybody book!" He watched as Casey was next to jump through. Donnie was next, while he and Master Splinter eased Leo through. Mikey turned to help Garnet walked over to the whole in the wall; she slipped through first, followed by Mikey and Raph. Once through, Raph knew Garnet wasn't going to be able to run from how drained she was. He easily picked her up on his back and began jogging after the rest of the family.

The explosion was large and loud but luckily they had managed to get a great enough distance between them and the shop that it didn't harm them. As the store exploded, April began to cry. Garnet's ears lowered themselves. She knew the woman was upset… she couldn't blame her. In a matter of minutes… she lost everything. Garnet snuggled her head into Raph's neck, breathing in his almost spicy (like cinnamon candy) scent.

Mikey had taken over helping Don with Leo, the two youngest turtles were looking at each other, seemingly understanding what Garnet had about April. Casey wrapped his arms around her, pulling her to him so that she could cry into his chest. Master Splinter walked up to the woman.

"Forgive me Ms. O'Neil but we must leave the past behind for now. If we are to have a future. Leonardo is badly injured and needs a safe place to heal." The wise rat said.

"What about the lair?" Mikey asked.

"Shredder has a whole ninja army down there in the sewers, remember?" Don replied. "We're in no shape to fight."

"Hey, we don't run from nobody." Raph said. Garnet lifted her head.

"We ain't running. We're trying to stay alive." Her standard New York accent came through a little thicker as she fought sleep.

"We must." Master Splinter said. April turned to look at the rat.

"But where?" She asked. Casey looked at what remained of the shop.

"Guys, I have just the place." He said confidently.

XXX

Presently…

It was cold! Garnet glanced around the small windowless trailer they were in. It was slightly depressing but all and all, it was safer for them to travel that way. Garnet transformed into the biggest Snow Leopard she could and laid wrapped around her brothers. They made sure Leo was the warmest, this ended up being beside her head, between her front legs. She made sure he was carefully placed, the blanket was wrapped tightly around him, and that she was gently covering him. Leaning against her side was Raph, Mikey, and Donnie. The youngest turtle was shivering against the giant cat. Raph glanced at face, as he was sitting closer to her head.

"Are you okay?" He asked. Her golden eyes gazed at the emerald turtle. She nodded her head. She was extremely tired from her three transformations in the past twenty four hours; normally she would never do more than one every three days. She knew she had to stay awake because if she didn't, she wouldn't be able to hold the transformation and they would get colder than they already were. Garnet reached around and nuzzled Raph with her large head before she glanced down at Leo and then Master Splinter, who was sitting in front of her.

"Man, it sucks being cold blooded." Mikey said as he cuddled into her more.

"Is he gonna make it sensei?" Don asked the question that everyone wanted to ask but no one was brave enough to.

"Only time will tell." Splinter said as he shifted the blanket closer around Leo's neck.

XXX

Once inside, they got Leo situated on the couch before placing one of the largest blankets they could find on him to keep him warm. Crimson eyes turned to Casey and Mikey as they walked back in with firewood.

"Alright, so it needs some fixin' up. The place got a little rundown since Grandma passed away." The large man said. Garnet's ears twisted in April's direction as she twisted something on the fireplace and lots of soot came down, creating a small cloud of dust. Mikey coughed before looking at the man.

"When was that, in the late Triassic?"

"Dude, you live in a sewer!" Casey replied back. They glared at each other for a minute before Leo moaned, causing them to drop the firewood and come to the eldest turtle. After that, it was silent.

XXX

Leo was never alone as each person went to do something. April and Casey left to change clothes and the turtles left to do their own things. Garnet sat by the eldest turtle the whole time. She even convinced Master Splinter to go mediate, to help him clear his mind. The woman couldn't move, the cold weather wasn't helping her aching joints, Raph was constantly tending to her and his elder brother (more so Garnet).

By the time everyone came around Leo again, it was night. The fire was going so it was nice and warm all throughout the house. Suddenly, Raph hit the wall.

"Why won't he wake up?" He asked.

"Healing takes time and Leonardo is recovering from more than just physical wounds." Master Splinter replied to the impatient turtle. "His spirit has also been gravely injured." The rat placed a hand on the top of his head.

"You think he can hear us?" Don asked.

"Perhaps." Master Splinter said as he made room for the brainy turtle to kneel next to him.

"Hey Leo, it's me Don. Listen you're gonna pull through this, I know you are. You have to. I mean, you know what trouble we'd get into without you. Like, remember that time I built that remote control car?" Donnie said to the fallen leader. "There was all kinds of debris clogging up the tunnel and the sewers were overflowing from the heavy rain we'd just had but I wasn't paying attention to that, I just wanted my car back." Garnet smiled as she listened to the story, she had been around when this story happened. "You really came through for me that day Leo, you always do and I know you will again." Raph snorted.

"Looks like you got him hanging on your every word Don." Garnet glared at the turtle before Leo groaned and shifted.

"I think he heard you Raphie!" Casey said.

"Maybe talking to him really does help." April said.

"It is said that the voice of loved one can guide a lost spirit back to its home." Master Splinter said. Mikey walked up to where Don had been kneeling.

"Mind if I take a crack at it?" He asked before kneeling down. "Listen bro, just like concentrate on my voice. Come on Leo, you know how focused you get when you set your mind on something. Like, remember that time when you were trying to perfect katas?" Garnet rolled her eyes but had a smile on her face. She'd been there for this story, watching all of Mikey's crazy antics to snap their elder brother out of his focused trance. "Nothing in the world was going to break your concentration but that wasn't going to stop me from trying." Mikey laughed. "You know how I hate to be ignored." Mikey had tried everything from just being purely annoying to a large burp (after eating onions) in the elder turtle's face. "So then I decided if I couldn't make you laugh, maybe I should just make you say ow. Leo, when you put your mind to it, you're unstoppable. So, how about using that famous focus of yours to come back to us." Garnet watched the youngest turtle before Raph said something.

"Huh, if you ask me Leo's not coming back because he's afraid." Garnet turned and glared at the red banded turtle.

"No one asked you." Mikey said as he turned to the elder turtle.

"Well, he got his butt whooped and now he's too chicken to come back and face it." Raph said as he looked down at Leo, his hands on his hips.

"That's enough Raph." Don said as he laid his hand on the elder's shoulder. Raph shrugged off his hand.

"Well I say who needs ya! It's not like we can't get on without you playing fearless leader." Raph paused. Garnet noticed the tears in his eyes, he was really hurting. The woman reached back and placed her hand on the couch to help herself up. She stepped up to Raph and wrapped her arms around him. The emerald turtle wrapped an arm around her waist and laid his head on hers. She purred lightly, just so Raph could hear and feel it.

"It's okay Raph." Garnet whispered to him as she rubbed a hand over his chest. The emerald turtle took in a deep breath before opening his eyes to look at Leo.

"Back in the day, I always figured that I was gonna be top turtle. I was strongest, bravest. Remember that time I brought you to that closed off section of the sewer? We were playing follow the leader." Garnet smiled as she listened to Raph tell his story. "I don't even know why I told you that story, I guess you just… I mean… What I'm trying to say is…" He placed a hand on his forehead. Garnet hugged the turtle tighter and purred a little louder. Splinter stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Your brother hears you Raphael, he understands." Raph's eyes became teary up again. He gently pulled away from Master Splinter and Garnet before walking to the window, looking out at the snow of Massachusetts. He leaned against the window and closed his eyes, trying to contain himself. Garnet sighed and kneeled down beside Leo.

"Hey bro. Listen, Raph and them have told some great stories but unlike them… I really don't have a really awesome one to tell you." She said as she played with the blanket covering him. "You've always been there for me Leo… whether or not you believe that. You've always been the one to keep me out of trouble or help me try to fix it." She looked up at her older brother's face. "Remember that time when I went into Master Splinter's room while he was away looking for food?"

XXX

Master Splinter's room had always been off limits to the children. Garnet had never understood why so, when the chance presented itself, the young female mutant took the opportunity. She peeked into the room; on the walls were pictures and weapons. She turned and looked behind her before walking into the room.

The girl was young enough that she never had a weapon in mind so as she walked around the room, gazing in awe, she saw a large Tessen hanging on the wall. She smiled, it was beautiful. The girl walked up to it and stood up on her toes, trying to reach it. Her fingers brushed against it when I voice caused her to jump.

"What are you doing in there?" She turned and saw Leo before suddenly, the large Tessen fell to the floor. Both children looked at it like it was an alien. "Garnet…" Leo said as he looked at his sister.

"Leo! I didn't mean to! You surprised me and I jumped!" She said as she tried to explain to the eldest turtle. He glanced around the doorway before walking into the room.

"It's okay Garnet. It was my fault I surprised you." It took both children to lift the Tessen on its side before they noticed that something caught it as it fell and tore a portion of the fabric.

"Master Splinter gonna kill us!" Garnet said as she looked at the cut.

"No way, it's okay. We'll fix it." He said as he placed a hand under his chin. Suddenly, he snapped. "I got it! Can you go get your sewing kit?" Leo asked. Garnet nodded and ran up the stairs, into her room and grabbed her sewing kit. She ran back down the stairs and into Master Splinter's room. She quickly threaded the needle for Leo and watched as the turtle quickly sewed the fabric back together. It was such a small string and it was well and carefully done that you couldn't even tell that something had happened to it.

"Man, Leo, you are a life saver." The girl said as she smiled at her brother. He smiled back before using his teeth to cut the small thread.

"Done, let's get it back up." He said as he stood. "Hurry, Master Splinter will be back soon." Garnet nodded as she stood on her toes to help Leo put it back on the wall, exactly where it was before. Once it was up and they were sure it wasn't going to fall again, the booked it out of Splinter's room and into the living room. They both jumped on the couch and watched whatever was on it.

"Thanks a lot Leo." Garnet said as she smiled at him. The turtle smiled back.

"You're welcome."

XXX

"I mean, we ended up telling Master Splinter two days later cause the guilt was killing us but it was nice that you put yourself in "harm's way" to help me with my own problem." Garnet laid her head on the couch. "The others are right, you are so strong… you can come back to us. Please come back." Garnet began to cry. Don, Mikey, and Master Splinter closed their eyes, lowering their head. Raph walked up behind her and kneeled down.

His hand touched her back, letting her know he was there. She turned and looked at him, the tears running down her face. He sighed, mumbling 'oh Garnet', before wrapping his arms fully around her. She turned and cried into his chest, the hot headed turtle sat quietly as the girl cried against him. He rocked her back and forth slightly as he churred. The others looked on, they'd never seen Raph so calm and gentle, the way he acted with Garnet was always a shock to them.

The three transformations, fighting, stress, the sound of Raph's heartbeat and churrs, along with his scent was enough to cause the woman to pass out. Raph watched her closely and waited until her breathing became normal again before wrapping an arm under her knees lifting her up. There was another couch across the living room, where he laid her. He tried to move away but he woman shifted, as if trying to find the turtle. He began to churr again as he stood. She settled again, he kept churring until he was standing by Mikey once again. He looked at the others, who were staring at him.

"What?" He asked. No one answered, only looking from him to Leo. Raph shrugged his shoulders before looking down at Leo and then over at Garnet. Eventually, he was gonna ask her out and eventually the others were gonna find out. But right now, they had something more important to deal with.

XXX

Garnet opened her eyes and noticed that they were in a house. She sat still, blinking a few times before looking around. Right, Casey's Grandma's house. She sat up and saw the others surrounding Leo, Master Splinter had just finished telling his story of Leo's fear of heights. She stood up and stretched, the ache of her muscles was gone and she felt so much better after her brief nap. She walked over and stood next to Raph, who smiled at her and wrapped at arm around her shoulder in a hug.

"No…fear…" Leo said quietly, causing his siblings to look at him in shock. The turtle opened his eyes and looked at his siblings. They all started cheering. Raph wrapped his arms around Garnet, picking her up and spinning her around. Don hugged Mikey, April hugged Casey, and Splinter was actually crying. Raph set her down and smiled at her before turning to Leo.

"We thought you were gone bro." Raph said. Leo smiled at them.

"I was…but you brought me back… all of you." His voice was very hoarse. Garnet turned and ran into the kitchen to grab the turtle a glass of water. Garnet walked back and kneeled by the turtle's head.

"Here Leo, drink some of this." The blue banded turtle smiled at her before taking the straw between his lips, taking a sip of the cool water.

"Thanks sis." He said smiling at her, his voice was a little stronger now.

"You fought your way back my son." Leo said as he came to stand next to kneel next to Garnet. "You have done well." Leo smiled at the rat.

"Thank you sensei." He then turned his head and closed his eyes, falling asleep.

"The danger has passed, now we must let him rest." Everyone followed Splinter out of the room, Raph falling behind. Garnet paused at turned to the red banded turtle.

"Hey Leo, if you need anything, I'll be right outside." Garnet smiled at the sweet gesture before the emerald turtle turned back to her. She held out her hand to him, she smiled and blushed as he slipped her hand into his and led him outside. Yes, as Master Splinter has said, the worse has come to pass. Raph smiled, everything was falling into place. Soon, he might even ask Garnet out… he nodded his head slightly, that sounded like a pretty good plan to him.