Sorry it's been a while. Writer's Block.

Disclaimer: I don't own 'em.

Chapter 12: Catching a Ride

Leo crouched in the shadows, his duffle bag slung over one shoulder. Mikey crouched beside him, breathing loudly. The youngest kept one hand on his brother's shoulder or shell – mostly for comfort, Leo knew, but also in case something alarmed him.

Mikey shivered. He wasn't sure he was ready to be out here; he worried about what he'd do in a fight. More than anything, he didn't want to be captured again. His hand felt hot against Leo's cool shoulder, and his breath was steaming slightly in the cold air.

"Ready?" Leo whispered. Mikey tapped his older brother's shoulder twice – their signal for "yes" – and tensed, ready to leap. They had about thirty feet of open space to sprint across before they found another shadow.

A couple feet above them, Don and Raph were lookouts. They were silent as they scanned the area; nothing moved in the darkness. It was 3 AM; a few workers were still around, but not many. It had been an easy task for Don to find a ship headed for Brazil, and they had made their way to the docks.

"All clear," Don muttered, just loud enough for his brothers to hear. Raph grunted agreement; without more warning, Leo sprang and sprinted. Mikey had felt his muscles tense and was right behind him; Don and Raph took off an instant later.

Leo silently melted into the shadows again; Mikey skidded to a stop next to him, gulping down oxygen. Their brothers found another shadow nearby to crouch in; Leo checked to see each had made it safely before turning towards the ship. It loomed above them, an inky blackness against the dark sky.

"Hsst!" Don hissed, sharp and quick; the signal for "human coming," and Leo and Mike stilled completely. A man walked by, whistling; he smelled of the ocean and cheap cigars. A young woman hung on his arm, giggling. Mikey's hand gripped Leo's shoulder all the tighter; Leo ground his teeth slightly. The girl looked barely the dark side of legal; he could hear Raph shifting off to his right. Don was probably holding him back.

They passed, the pair wobbling off into the night followed by a high-pitched giggle. "Let's go," Leo ordered quietly. They headed for the ship; up and over the side via one of the anchor ropes, and they were on deck.

"This way," Don said, heading towards the port side. A large hatch took both Don and Raph to lift; Leo kept an eye out for humans and Mike watched the sea rolling gently below them. The ship rocked beneath his feet, and Mike shut his eyes happily.

Leo tugged his hand to get his attention; Don was holding the hatch open. Below, Raph was already moving down into the black hole. Mikey hesitated at the edge slightly before jumping down. Raph grabbed his wrist as he landed in a crouch; the youngest nearly leapt out of his skin and flicked Raph in annoyance.

"Sorry, bro," Raph murmured, leading Mikey towards the back of the ship. Leo and Don landed silently; the hatch clanged shut above them. All four turtles winced and waited for an alarm to be raised, but nothing responded to the sound.

"Let's get to the back," Don suggested, speaking normally. The ship was due to sail out around noon; they were prepared to wait the hours out. Leo's duffle held most of the food, Raph carried water for the trip, Mikey had brought the games, toys, and books, and Don had a few technie knick-knacks as well as extra food.

They found a secluded corner and spent an hour fortifying it, moving boxes to keep prying eyes away.

Mikey set up a corner to himself, right under the window; during the day, he could read his comics. For night-time activities, Don produced a few flashlights; Mikey turned them on and off while his brothers prowled around and made sure there was no light showing around their hide-away.

"Alright. Don, you and Mikey sit tight. Raph, let's go back for the second load." Raph nodded and he and the eldest slipped back off the ship. Don sat next to Mikey.

"How are you?" Don asked. Mikey turned the flashlight on his face and smiled slightly. "Good. This is going to be a long haul. About three months in here." Mikey nodded, gesturing to his comics. Don chuckled. "Well, sure, they might last that long."

Don picked up a gadget, using a screwdriver to take it apart. Three months on the boat – Don knew they would have to figure out ways to get to the bathroom – which by schematics was above deck – and get some sunshine. It would be very cold; part of the second load Raph and Leo had gone to pick up was a space heater and blankets.

Raph and Leo surprised their brothers – somehow they had managed to shut the hatch silently. They dropped a load of blankets on top of Mikey, who struggled through them and ended up tangled in a nest of warmth.

"Don, you and Raph go grab another load," Leo ordered. Don was about to protest when he caught sight of Leo's bandaged wing – the cast was cracked in one spot. The eldest warned him from approaching and trying to take care of it with a slight glare; Don nodded reluctantly and followed Raph back through the hatch.

Your wing. At least, that's what Leo thought Mikey was trying to "say:" Mikey pantomimed a chicken and then made a sad face and pretended to drag one "wing" along the ground.

"It's nothing." Leo sat and gingerly spread the wing out, trying to look at it over his shoulder. Mike snorted and shook his head, moving behind his elder brother. His cool hands surrounded the inflamed area and he gently pried the cast off Leo's broken bone. It was healing, but it needed a lot more time.

Mike clucked his tongue in admonishment as Leo attempted to shift away; he grabbed a roll of bandages and another straight stick from the pile Don had brought, and splinted the wing again.

"Thanks, Mikey," Leo said. Mike winced as the bones shifted underneath his hands. The leader's wing trembled slightly for a moment, and then quieted as he brought his will down on the pain. Gingerly, the youngest helped close the wing and then offered Leo some comic books.

The eldest declined, assumed a meditation pose, and awaited the arrival of their brothers.

Don and Raph said a final farewell to Splinter, who was moving into April's house at her insistence, and gathered up the last blankets and foodstuffs. Donnie set the outer door to hide it until they returned, or someone who know what to look for, and they began the run back to the docks.

"How close are ya to gettin' Mikey a new voice?" Raph asked as they halted briefly, one of the blankets having come undone and spilling its food contents across a rooftop.

Don handed him a can of soup and answered, "Close. Probably by the time we get there, I'll have it."

"This vacation's gonna suck," the grumpy one persisted. "Three months there, three months back, an' Fearless wants to stay for a full summer."

"We'll get there in the middle of the South American summer," Don said quietly. "We'd have to be there almost a year. Maybe that's his intention."

"Righ'… Leavin' Masta Splinte' alone here."

"He can take care of himself," Don asserted, a hint of dry humor in his voice as he retied the blanket. "He taught us, after all."

"Don, ya know he's gettin' old, 'specially for a rat."

Don's face fell. "I know… I can't help but wonder if he's sending us away to learn how to deal without him…"

Raph shook his head and took off again; the purple-banded turtle followed silently. They slipped into the hold again, and Raph showed Don how he and Leo had rigged the hatch to close silently. The pair found their hiding spot again and stored the last of their supplies.

Don checked Leo's wing without the leader seemingly aware; Mikey had done a good job, and though it would need to be watched for infection or misalignment – which wasn't impossible, Don knew – it looked okay.

Mikey spent a few hours sorting everything by color, name, weight, and then likes and dislikes. To do the last, he cleared a space between his brothers – Don was working on a gadget, Leo was meditating still, and Raph was reading one of his own books – and imagined three circles for each of his brothers, and then arranged the items. He put the potstickers, which would have to be eaten quickly, in Raph's circle; in Don's, the cans upon cans of greenbeans. Leo's circle filled out with a few boxes of tea. Between each circle lay the items each pair liked, and in the middle – where the majority of the food was concentrated – were their "total likes" as Mikey termed it.

"Where is your circle, Mikey?" Leo asked without opening his eyes. Mike frowned at the leader; wasn't it rude to interrupt someone trying to plan a menu for three months at sea?

Don glanced up, as did Raph, and noticed what Mikey had done. It wasn't very hard to figure out whose was whose; and sure enough, Mike didn't have a circle.

"He eats everythin'," Raph snickered, motioning to the middle pile.

Mike latched onto that explanation and nodded, smiling.

Don shook his head. "Mike, you put the fake mashed potatoes in the middle, along with the dried squid. You hate dried squid."

Mike blinked, and then tossed the squid into Don and Leo's shared pile. He looked nervous, slightly; Leo opened his eyes and fixed Mikey with a stare, even if the youngest couldn't see his eyes. Mikey definitely felt them.

"Mikey, you know you aren't any different, right?" Leo asked carefully. "We love you the same. Your not having a voice is nothing; we still have you." Mikey pretended to toy with the cake batter he'd brought – he liked it dry – and didn't look up.

Raph grunted. "Leo's right, Mikey. 'Sides, Don's gonna fix it."

Don nodded. "It shouldn't be too much longer," he asserted firmly. "You'll be back to teasing Raph by the time we get to South America."

Mike forced a smile, which his brothers accepted. They didn't understand; his voice was everything to him. No mechanical device could replace his bawled songs in the shower, his shrieked litanies when Raph got pissed off and tickled the youngest, his quiet talks with Klunk late into the night. Least of all could it replace the hollow feeling in his throat. He knew it wasn't really hollow – Don said it was fine – but he hated it. Absently, he touched his throat, the puckered skin of the scar tissue standing in sharp relief to the skin around it.

Don caught Mike touching his throat again; he had observed that habit often enough in the youngest to notice it was a tic associated with stress and discomfort. Sighing, Don bent back to his gadget; he would fix Mikey's voice first, which he knew he could do. Mikey's mind… Don wasn't sure if that would be fixable.

Raph pretended to be absorbed in his book, but he didn't miss Mike's reallocation of the foodstuffs to hold up under the pretense that the middle was his pile. It took a few minutes, but eventually Mike sat back, satisfied, absently stroking the cover of a comic book nearby.

Leo watched Mike, sighing. It was a dangerous time for the youngest; he was in great emotional turmoil, both internal and external. Mikey was being very brave, but he was also not letting his brothers comfort him. He spent so much time comforting them and caring for them that they didn't have a chance to reciprocate.

Leo's gaze shifted to Raph. It had been a sleepless week for the eldest, who was constantly waiting for Raph to try sneaking out to exact revenge with Casey. The hothead had tried every night, only to be caught by Leo. They kept their arguments nearly silent, but they were sure Master Splinter heard and was waiting for Raph to try pushing past Leo.

It was a marked difference; it had used to be that Leo would be supported by Splinter's arrival mere moments after Raph's door opened. However, the rat was absent from their nightly disagreements. To Leo, that means their Sensei was preparing him for the year or more he would spend trying to take care of his brothers in the jungle.

Raph felt Leo glance at him and refused to shift, as was his custom, or sneer. The failure of Splinter to appear and break up their nightly fights over the past week disconcerted him. It wasn't as though Splinter really expected him to follow Fearless unconditionally… right?

Raph didn't understand why Splinter Jr got all the freedom; if he snuck out, no one would stop him. Like he ever would leave, Raph snorted to himself. He could see the exhaustion on Leo's features, though he tried to hide it.

I'm supposed to be second in command, Raph fumed. He treats me like a frickin' slave. He's got all the freedom; he never has to listen to his speeches…

Raph nearly sat bolt upright. That was it; he had never heard his own speeches. Glancing at Don and Mike, Raph felt a germ of an idea begin to grow. Usually mischief was Mikey's department, but surely Raph could use it, too, especially to get back at Leo.

Raph noticed Mikey pretending to read his comic, immersed in the pages – except that it was upside down. Clearly Leo and Don hadn't noticed – Raph couldn't tell if Leo had gone back to meditating in the short time it had taken Raph to "light bulb" on an idea, but Don was definitely dead to the world, the gadget in his hands being dismantled deftly for possibly the eighth time.

Don pretended constant concentration on the object in his hand. He didn't know if Raph was buying it, but he was sure Leo could tell Don was worried. Mike was pretending to read – a quick glance nearly killed Don's stoic mask. The doofus was trying to read upside down.

Don was tired; he spent his last few nights with access to his computers looking for plans of an electrolarynx, the "mechanical voice box" for Mikey. He hadn't found much, but everything he knew was carefully noted in one of the many notebooks he had brought with him.

Though he was aware that Raph would go for revenge, the first hint of trouble brewing had been when he took a rare break from his research to get more coffee. He'd nearly opened the door to his living room but had been warned by the slightly whisper of sound.

Don felt his hands moving, but he was lost in the memory of that night, which had scared him almost as much as seeing Leo's shoulder get sliced and diced.

Don approached the door, yawning. He had his hand on the knob when he heard a whisper from outside; it sounded hoarse, like someone was trying to scream and unable to get enough air to do so.

"I don't care, Leo!" Raph's voice; muted, certainly, but there was anger and passion in his tone. "I hafta do this."

"No, you don't." Leo's voice; calm, assertive, almost caring. Don blinked; Leo didn't usually connect with Raph's wilder side. "Don't you think I've wanted to go after him for what he did to Mikey?" Ah, so this was about Stockman… Don listened harder, picking up an empty glass from a nearby table and using it to amplify the sounds from the other side of the door.

"Well, why haven't ya?" Raph demanded. Don heard scuffing – Raph was probably pacing.

"Because I know Mikey is best helped by his brothers being here and supporting him," Leo insisted. "Because he needs us, Raph. He needs your strength. How would you help him if – no, when – Stockman captures you?"

A moment of silence… Then, Raph's voice again. It was quiet, and bleak; Don had never heard that from the hothead. "I don't know if I can be strong for him, Leo. Masta Splinter always said we're each other's strength, but you know mine ain't all it's cracked up to be."

Raph had actually sounded sincere at that last; Don waited, breathless, for a reply from Leo, which would hopefully shed some light.

"I know." Thanks, Leo, Don thought sarcastically. Not much help for an eavesdropper. "You have to keep pretending, Raph. Just like I do. They expect it from us; we can't just break down, or they'll be beyond terrified. It's a dangerous line as it is, with Mikey so close to mental instability."

Don heard Leo begin pacing; his footsteps were nearly silent, but Don's glass magnified them. "You still haven't talked to Don?" Raph asked. The eavesdropper blinked; what was he missing? Was Leo hiding a sickness? He'd done that before, but Don thought he had learned his lesson.

When Leo didn't seem to form a reply, Don hypothesized he had shaken his head reluctantly, with a little bit of the dropped-chin look Leo displayed when he was on the defensive.

"Dammit, Leo, ya said ya would." Raph nearly spoke in a normal tone; it boomed in Don's ears. The hothead must have gotten closer to Don's door.

Leo's voice sounded tired when he replied. "He doesn't need the extra stress. Neither do I, for that matter."

"Leonardo." Raph's tone of voice almost sounded like Sensei so much that Don straightened for a moment, thinking Splinter had entered the room. He quickly pressed his ear back to the glass.

"Don't "Leonardo" me, Raphael," Leo snapped back. The leader sounded agitated. "You've added enough stress already, trying to sneak out like this. You can't possibly take on Stockman and his armies all by yourself."

"Don't ya dare turn this back, Leo," Raph growled. "We're going to talk to Don, now." Don skidded back from the door as he heard Raph approach.

"No," Leo said firmly; Raph's approach halted mid-step. Don guessed Leo had grabbed his arm.

He didn't hear the exchange between them until he took up the courage to approach the door with his glass again.

"Yer gonna have to talk to 'im," Raph said. It sounded like he had been beaten in the silent argument again. The resignation in his voice told Don he knew the eldest wouldn't be telling the braniac anything any time soon.

"I know, Raph. Go to bed." Leo sounded flat, like he'd rather escape than talk to Raph for one more minute..

"Yer not my mom."

"Close enough." Don blinked; did Leo just make a joke? He heard a quiet sound like a snort and then one pair of footsteps moved off towards the rooms.

Don almost moved away again when he heard Leo thump to the floor; that wasn't right. When Leo started muttering for himself, though, Don really got concerned.

"Just keep it together, Leo. A few more days…" Don only caught the beginning of Leo's soliloquy. He began to crack open the door when a loud bang deafened him; he reeled for a moment, disoriented, and then lurched up and opened the door.

Leo was gone; a small scrap of blue mask material was caught on the wall. Don examined it and concluded the bang must have been Leo hitting his head on the wall. But why?

Don pondered that as he went back to his room, the need for coffee gone. He was wired enough to spend a thousand nights awake. Leo would tell him in his own time, and he knew Leo wanted Don to repair Mikey's voice – or get as close as possible – before he would care about his own health. It was something that frustrated Don to no end. For example, that time he'd hidden an infected cut just because Mikey was coughing from a small cold for days.

Don woke from his memories when the hatch boomed shut above them; human voice penetrated the quiet of their hideaway.

Mikey immediately clicked off the flashlight in his hand; Raph followed suit. Leo didn't seem to react, and Don looked up, defocusing his eyes and concentrating on his ears more. They didn't have very great hearing – they lacked "flaps" to gather the sound – but they had trained for years as ninjas and knew how to sense movement if they couldn't hear it.

"Looks good," a gruff voice said. "Let's get goin'. It's a long haul." A shuffling off to one corner.

"Yes, sir," a smart, crisp voice answered. "We got all the cargo?"

"All of it." This time, the gruff voice sounded satisfied. Don blinked; was this a smuggling operation they'd boarded accidentally.

"We'll cast off, then, sir." There was a salute, probably, and then the owner of the second voice moved back towards the hatch.

"My beauties…" The gruff voice was impossibly close; Don, Raph, and Mike blinked and froze. Leo didn't react again. "You'll soon enjoy a new home," the voice continued, moving off. "As pets."

Mikey's blood ran cold, as the saying goes. He felt warm still, but pulled another blanket over his legs anyway. They had to save those animals – he didn't care what it took. The hatch banged closed again, and Mike lunged for his paper and pen.

Don leaned over and tapped Leo's shoulder silently; the leader started, as though startled, and turned his head towards Don so quickly it almost didn't move. Don noticed Leo's chin lower until the spike brushed his collar bone. "Yes?" Leo spoke quietly, but Don still felt a thrill of fear sweep through him.

"Shhh!" he admonished. Don noticed Raph watching Leo carefully. "We've got a complication."

Leo shifted slightly, and nodded. "I know. We'll sit tight for now."

Raph's eyes narrowed and he seemed about to growl something out, but was interrupted by Mikey, who thrust the paper he had been scribbling on frantically to Leo. Leo looked down and read it quickly, then nodded.

"Okay, Mike, I agree. We'll save those animals – but we'll have to wait for landfall." The boat's rocking was almost natural-feeling now. "We're away from the port," he said when Mike made as though to protest. "We can't just dump the animals in the ocean."

Mike sat back and nodded sullenly. "They'll be well taken care of," Don asserted. "If they want them as pets, they're smugglers, and they'll keep the animals in good condition for buyers." The youngest accepted his logic and returned to reading.

Leo appeared to be back in meditation; Don glanced at Raph and noticed the hothead had given up reading to glare at the leader. The red-banded turtle felt Don's glance on him and frowned. His brow dipped like it usually did when he was worried but wasn't admitting it.

"Don…" Leo seemed to wake up and turned his head towards Raphael, his entire posture a very clear warning. His wings mantled slightly behind his back; he seemed to swell slightly. Don blinked at Leo's immediate reaction; Mike didn't notice.

"Let's go check the hold," Raph continued, brushing off Leo's obvious threat. Don nodded and stood up as Raph did; they silently slipped away. Leo hissed quietly to himself, but didn't stop them. He sank back into meditation; Mike didn't notice the leader's immediate silence and immobility.

Raph and Don made their way to the opposite side of the hold; they found the animal cages. They also found something they hadn't expected; a human. Both had almost walked into him, but the human was obliviously enjoying a cigar and the pair of mutants found a corner to speak to each other.

"What's going on with Leo, Raph?" Don asked immediately. Raph stiffened. "I heard you talking the other night."

"It ain't my place t' tell ya," Raph said quietly, after a long pause. "He's gotta, 'cause I don' think I can 'splain it…"

"Try." The command was short; Raph glanced at Don in surprise, but the braniac was glaring at him. It was the rare side of Donatello that only showed itself when the genius was overworked and anxious.

Raph muttered, "He's sayin' the changes ain't all phys'cal." Don blinked.

"Mental, then?"

Raph nodded slightly. "An'… Something more. I dunno. Instincts, maybe?" Raph shook his head in frustration.

"Raph." Don leaned in close to Raph and caught his eye. "You know what season it is."

"Exactly." Raph breathed a sigh of relief. "I think it's just that…"

"As dominant male, he does begin his cycle earlier than we do," Don noted. Raph growled at the assumption Leo was dominant, but he couldn't deny that Leo showed the signs before the other three. "I'll keep an eye on him, okay?" Don was the most calm during the times of raging hormones. "Just keep yourself out of his line of sight."

Leo had once attacked Raph and had to be pulled off by Don. As the largest, Raph appeared female to Leo when the eldest was deepest in his cycle; Leo had been trying to pummel him into submission. Don explained it had something to do with the fact that they were all prey to their turtle instincts, and without a true female, Leo had substituted the largest turtle.

After that, they knew what to look out for, and Leo himself was more careful when around Raph.

That would explain his meditation, Don mused as they returned to the "nest." He retreats so he doesn't endanger all of us.

Leo noticed their return, and Don's careful gaze on him. He ground his teeth, wondering what Raph had told him. Leo himself had barely told Raph anything.

It's just the season, he insisted to himself. I have three animals now contending for breeding. The reasoning was sound; the results, not so much.

Leo resisted the urge to shuffle his wings; they were itching again. Shifting, he let one rub gently on a box behind him. The itching immediately intensified; with a mental growl, Leo went back to meditation.

Don and Mike fell asleep, sharing a pile of blankets. Raph claimed some for his own and, when seeing how deep Leo had gone into meditation, gently put a couple over his leader's shoulders and legs to keep him warm, too.

"Good night," he said carefully to the eldest; Leo gave no sign he heard, but Raph knew he did. Raph returned to his spot and hunkered down to sleep a bit himself.