Redemption-

Summary: Takes place during the 2007 CGI movie. Leo finds out who the Night Watcher is in a completely different way...

Disclaimer: I do not own the turtles. *Imagines what it would be like if I did and grins evilly*

A/n: I would like to thank everyone who has read, favourite and reviewed this story so far. You're positive encouragement helps a lot!

Warnings for swearing and blood.


Leo ignored the rain. He ignored the way it hit his skin, like tiny shards of glass. He ignored the way it drenched his mask, and the way it made it stick annoyingly in his face. He ignored the shivers that raced across his skin from the contact of the icy cold water. His gaze was fixed solely on the car ahead of him, and his brother that was inside it.

He slipped a couple of times, and ended up scraping his skin on the harsh asphalt. His hands and knees were bleeding as a result, but he barely even noticed. He could dimly hear Michelangelo and Donatello a few metres behind him, and could practically feel the emotions coming from them. Worry, relief, fear, guilt, sadness.

It seemed like forever had passed. Every time Leo took a step closer to the car, the further away it appeared to be. He felt like he had been running for years, when in reality he had only been running for a few seconds.

He reached April's car, the metal catacomb that was standing silently in the rain, holding his brother prisoner. The rain made his grip slippery, as he tried to grab the handle of the door. Finally gripping it, he pulled it open with enough force to rip it off its hinges. A small part of his mind realized that to April and Casey, who were inside the car with Raph, he would look like a mad and deranged monster, banging on the window, ripping the door wide open, and standing there in the shadows with torrents of water dripping off him.

But he didn't particularly care at that moment. His hazel eyes acted like a search beam, piercing through the darkness until they landed on a form slumped on the back seat. Raphael, his brother.

Leo felt like a giant weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He had finally found his brother. His relief grew and turned into shock when he realized that his brother was looking around with amber slits, confused and disoriented, but most definitely alive and awake.

He made a choking noise in the back of his throat. It sounded like a whimper, a small strangled cry. Tears flooded his eyes and momentarily blinded him. His heart soared and felt like it had just grown wings.

"Raphael!" The cry was torn from his throat as he launched himself at his brother, wrapping his arms around him and pulling him close. Burying his head against Raphael's shoulder, he felt his whole body start to shake violently as it was overcome with heavy sobs of relief.

"Leo?" Raphael rasped in a broken voice, not sure if what he was seeing was real. Maybe he was just dreaming, or he was dead and didn't even realize it.

"It's okay," Leo murmured, pressing a kiss to his brother's cheek. "You're safe now. I'm right here."

"Raphie!"

Leo turned his head towards Mikey as his youngest brother reached the waiting car, his eyes alight with relief at the sight of seeing Raphael awake and talking, even if he was covered in bruises from head to toe.

"Hey…Mik..ey," Raph said in a broken, raspy voice. "Good…'ta see ya."

"Yeah, it's good to see you to bro," Mikey said with a soft smile.

Just then, Don approached the car, his face neutral as he got into 'doctor mode.'

"It's good to see you guys," Casey said in obvious relief. His eyes were still red and puffy from when he had been crying earlier, and his arms were still wrapped protectively around Raph.

"Come on," Donnie said, backing away from the car to give the others room to move. "We have to get him to the battle-shell, now."

April moved and hopped out of the car to give Leo and Casey room. Leo carefully took the blanket off Raph. The blanket had been covering his body, and Leo gasped when he removed it and saw the full extent of his brother's injuries. Mottled blue and black bruises covered his sweat-sleeked body, and drying gashes were starting to scab over. But it was his splintered leg that had Leo nearly reeling out of the van to empty the contents of his stomach. He couldn't even describe what he was seeing. His leg was just…mush, and bruised nearly completely black.

Taking a deep shuddering breath, Leo returned his eyes to Raph's, that were clouded over with pain and fighting to stay open. "It's going to be okay big guy; we'll get you out of this."

"I'll grab his arms if you grab his legs," Casey said, looking down at Leo.

Leo nodded and went pale. There was no way he would be able to touch Raph's legs, not without hurting his brother more. But there was no other way to get him to the battle-shell either.

"Sorry about this bro," Leo murmured, moving so that he was in a better position. "This is going to hurt a bit."

Raph took a shuddering breath as he closed his eyes and nodded grimly. He knew it was going to hurt. Of course it was going to hurt. But he could still pray, pray that it wouldn't, or that he would black out before he felt the worst of it.

"Okay, on the count of three," Leo said, his hands beginning to shake and get sweaty.

Casey nodded, tightening his grip around Raphael's shoulders.

"One,"

Leo moved down and gently took a hold of Raph's legs.

"Two,"

Raphael winced at the pain that shoot through his legs, but bit his lip to stop from crying out.

"Three!"

Leo and Casey both moved quickly, with Leo gripping onto Raph's legs and pulling him out of the car.

Raphael screamed and gripped Casey's arms as they maneuverer him out of the car and into the chilly rain.

"I'm sorry Raph, I'm so sorry," Leo repeated to him again and again. "I'm so sorry little brother."

Thankfully Don had parked the battle-shell close, and had already disappeared inside with April and Mikey to get things set up for Raph.

"Nearly there big guy," Casey murmured encouragements to the somewhat delirious turtle.

Raphael moaned in pain, his head rolling limply against Casey's chest as his eyes closed tightly from the pain of the short journey.

"Come on," Mikey called out from the open door of the battle-shell. "Donnie has everything ready."

Leo and Casey hurried over to the battle-shell. The rain was coming down harder now, and the wind had picked up, pulling at hair, clothes and bandana tails. Despite the cold weather, Raphael's skin was damp with sweat. His eyes were screwed up tightly and he had his teeth mashed together. Leo could tell that he wasn't unconscious yet, but he wasn't far off it. Adding renewed speed, Leo and Casey quickly moved Raphael out of the rain and into the waiting battle-shell.

"Lay him down over here," Donnie said as soon as they were in the car, not looking up from where he was crouching on the floor, surrounded by blankets and medical supplies from their first-aid kit.

Casey and Leo gently lowered Raphael onto the waiting blanket that had been spread out for him. Raphael groaned in pain from the movement, and Leo could see the veins bulging in his neck from the intensity of holding back his scream.

"Here, put this under his head," Don instructed, passing Leo a checked blanket.

Leo carefully held up Raph's head as he slipped the bundled blanket underneath, before slowly lowering him back down.

"I'm going to need some room," Don said as he picked up his first-aid kit and moved closer to Raphael.

Casey and Mikey instantly stepped back to give Don room. April hesitated, and moved to Raphael's other side so she wouldn't be in the way. Leo stayed where he was, crouched down beside Raphael. It was clear from his posture and body language that he wasn't going to budge an inch.

Don just sighed and worked around him, knowing that nothing he could say would get his brother to move away from their injured brother.

Don examined Raphael critically from head to toe, his face becoming more worried the further down his eyes travelled.

"Casey, I need you to drive back to the lair as fast as you can," Don instructed, tearing his gaze away from his brother long enough to look at Casey. "I don't have the right equipment here with me to do more than sterilize and wrap his wounds. I need to set his leg as soon as possible, before more damage is done to it."

"What can we do until then?" April asked, looking up at Don. She was gently stroking Raphael's cheek, offering as much comfort as she could.

"All we can do is try to lessen his pain with what we've got," Don sighed, frustrated and angry that there wasn't anything more they could do for Raph until they returned to the sewers.

Mikey inched towards Raphael slowly, his baby blue eyes wide and his movements slow and hesitant, like he was afraid he would cause Raphael pain by simply walking over to him.

"Raphael, Raphael," Leo whispered softly, placing his hand on Raphael's shoulder to let his brother know that he was there. "I know you don't want to, and I know it hurts, but you have to try and stay awake, okay?"

"Mm…try…," Raphael whispered, forcing his eyes open to small slits.

"You have to hold on bro," Mikey said in a shaking voice, crouching down next to Leo and placing his own hand on Raphael's forearm. "Please bro; hold on just a little while longer."

"K…Mi..Mi'ey," Raphael rasped, his eyes starting to flutter closed again, despite his best efforts to keep them open.

Casey looked over his shoulder at his best friend as he jumped behind the wheel. He quickly turned the key in the ignition, the engine roaring to life. Pressing his foot down on the accelerator, the battle-shell tore off down the road and into the night. April's van sat abandoned on the side of the road, growing smaller and smaller in the rear-view mirror.

Casey didn't even look back.


A/n: We're finally starting to get somewhere with this, which is good. Luckily I have most of the plots worked out for each chapter, so my writing will be a lot more organized and smoother going.

Feel free to leave a review; I love knowing what you guys think of this :)