Author's Note: Thank-you to everyone who reviewed chapter 13. I am so excited for you to read this update and I hope that you enjoy chapter 14 as much as I enjoyed writing it :).

Disclaimer: I don't own the turtles or any concepts of the show.

Chapter 14: The Blood of Three

Donnie's POV:

*The night after*

On the abandoned tracks, just outside the Lair's entrance, Don loaded the last of their gear into the parked 'Shell Raiser,' carefully strapping the case of his home-made bombs next to Raphael's seat in the back, making sure that they would be out of Mikey's reach and secured for the intense mission to come.

Don stood up in the vehicle, surveying his work.

His bo staff almost touched the roof of the vehicle and his belt was full of Shuriken stars. Over his shoulder, his trusty duffle bag hung, full with the printed building schematics, other needed tools and his now advanced hacking equipment.

All night, he had worked on enhancing his old hacking and surveillance kit in order for it to be ready and capable of breaking into the building of the A.T.P.L.

Don sighed. Everything was ready and it was time for them to go, for better or for worse.

He made his way back to the Lair's entrance and projected his voice forwards. "Mikey! Raph! We have to move now if you want the plan to run on perfect time!"

Raph's voice came from his bedroom. "COMING DON! Quit with the freaking out already!"

Don scrunched up his face, slightly irritated. He hadn't been freaking out. Sure, he had drawn up the plan on his chalk board, analysing every possible flaw whilst detailing their solutions. But, that wasn't him freaking out. He was just being…organised.

Don opened his mouth to reply but was cut off when Mikey's whoop of glee echoed out from his lab, "One super pumped turtle reporting for duty!"

Don watched as his youngest brother flew out from the lab, his nun-chucks in his belt and some kind of face paint on his freckled cheeks, two stripes on each side.

Don chuckled when Mike nearly collided with Raph as his red-banded brother emerged from his room. Raph let out a shout and drew out a baton from the straps over his chest before swiping at Mikey who easily dodged.

"Gotta be quicker than that Raphie-boy," sung Mikey, skipping forward.

Raph only growled and the amount of weapons he carried caught Don's eye as his brother replaced the baton.

His weapon of choice, the Sai, were strapped into his belt on his shell but over his chest, hooked into a leather harness were: Shuriken Stars, a 'Fukiya' coupled with its temporary paralysis inducing darts (specially designed by Don) and several smoke bombs. In his waist belt was his grappling hook and high on his shell so that their ends could be seen behind his shoulders were two handled and wooden batons. Strapped to the side of his thighs was a pair of 'Jitte', one weapon on each leg.

Both Raph and Mikey made their way over to join him at the Lair's entrance.

Don looked to Raph. "Everything is packed and accounted for. The bombs are secure and all functions are running."

Raphael nodded. "I spoke ta Splinter. He approved of the mission, as long as we are careful."

At this, beside him Mikey let out and burst of sudden laughter and Don turned to him, scowling.

Mikey put a hand to his own mouth, trying to muffle his laughter before speaking through his fingers, "Careful!"

Don's scowl only deepened and Mikey frowned at him, clearly confused. "What? I'm not supposed to find that funny?"

Don thought for a moment and then shrugged.

His younger brother (for once) had a point.

Even if they were careful, when did their plans ever actually go to plan?

The short answer was: never.

Which in consequence, usually lead to the idea of being careful completely disregarded and redundant.

Don jabbed the chuckling Mikey in the ribs, just over the side of his plastron as Master Splinter swiftly and silently advanced towards them, emerging from the Lair, his tail swishing across the smooth ground.

Mikey instantly stopped laughing and Donnie, with his brothers, looked up at their Sensei, standing to attention and ready to listen. Even Raph seemed calm and Mikey for once, seemed focussed.

This was serious.

Master Splinter sighed, long and thoughtful whilst his eyes studied each of them alternatively. "My sons, tonight you will face many dangers. You are going into the heart of the viper where its venom runs deep. Be wary and remember your training."

Don made eye contact with his Sensei and could see the affection and worry within his father's eyes as he continued.

"Know that you have made me proud and that a father could not wish for more loving sons. Nonetheless, you must trust each other tonight, not only as ninjas, but as family, for true strength lies within the bond of brothers."

Donnie glanced at Mike and Raph, only to see Raphael staring at the ground, a slight smile on his lips whilst Mikey was shifting his weight from foot to foot, his attention span obviously beginning to thin.

Don shook his head. So much for being focussed, he thought.

Master Splinter gestured towards the 'Shell Raiser,' "Go and remember, trust each other and you will prevail against every foe."

It was good advice and Don bowed. He turned with his brothers following close behind him, before he climbed into the 'Shell Raiser' and closed the door behind them.

He made his way to the front and sat down in the driver's seat, looking briefly in the review mirror to see Raph on his weapons chair and Mikey ready, sitting in his old seat. They wouldn't need anyone to navigate, not tonight, as they all knew where they were going.

Into the heart of the viper – the Alien Threat Prevention League.

Don started the engine and the 'Shell Raiser' launched itself through the subway and out onto the streets, bursting through their secret entrance in the otherwise normal alley.

He crossed his fingers for good luck, even though he didn't believe in such a thing, and hoped that they would return victorious, if they even returned at all.

Raph's POV:

The 'Shell Raiser' was in position, parked meters below them behind the massive industrial dumpsters, hidden from the front reception of the A.T.P.L. Only whilst sitting in the front seat could they see the A.T.P.L's building and apparently the car was safe from the blast zone of the explosion to come.

At least that was what Donnie had told him.

Raphael looked down, hanging onto the side of a building next over from the Alien Threat Prevention League's, his 'Shuko' hand spikes hooked into the building's smooth material.

The 'Shuko' hand spikes were specially designed by Don to cut into most, if not any, materials. And god, did Raph thank him now.

The road below was so far down and the night was black with a blanket of thick and threatening clouds covering all remnants of the moon behind them. A rumble of thunder echoed across the sky and there was an electrifying white flash in the distance as lightning followed.

To his left and just below him was Mikey, climbing close behind, his plastron flattened to the building and his eyes a little too wide.

"Oh Shell," Raphael cursed under his breath, remembering Mikey's fear of storms.

Ever since they were little, his bro had been petrified of thunder and the thought of rain flooding the sewers.

Again, Raph peered down at his brother and yelled, "You're doing good Mikey!"

He was the leader – he had to look out for his brothers against everything, even if that included a harmless storm. Raph shook his head thinking: Geez, I sound like Leo. That's just weird.

All he received from Mikey was a feeble nod and Raph caught sight of the hard case of bombs, strapped back-pack style over Mike's shell.

He frowned. Giving Mikey the responsibility of the bombs, probably wasn't the best part of the plan but a meter above him and to his right, was Don, duffle bag and all.

Raphael refocussed, concentrating on maintaining his grip and reaching the top of the building.

Above him Don had made it, disappearing onto the building's roof before his olive green hand re-appeared, offering help as Raph neared the top.

Raphael took his brother's hand and was hauled over the side of the building, rolling with the momentum of his shell.

He turned to see Don doing the same for Mikey, but just as Mike clasped Don's hand, the sky rumbled and the cement beneath his feet vibrated.

A crack, like a gunshot, deafened Raphael and his hands went to his head in a foolish attempt to shield himself from the lightning fork which struck the buildings side, near to where Mikey was climbing. Its light was jagged and violent. Blinding. Loud.

Donatello yelled, "MIKEY!"

Mike's shrill scream from the side of the building echoed in Raph's ears and time seemed to slow as he watched Don begin to tip forward. Within seconds, Donnie and Mikey would be over the building's side and falling.

It was Raph's turn to yell. "DON! HOLD ON!"

His hand lashed out, seizing the top of Donnie's shell and stopping him before his brother, still holding onto the ailing Mikey, went over the edge.

The thunder rumbled on and another flash of lightning illuminated the sky.

Raph held onto his purple banded brother, gripping him by the top of his shell and looking down, over the side of the building, to where Mikey dangled, gripping onto Don with both hands and screaming, with no connection to the building at all.

He looked pleadingly up to Raph. "This isn't funny guys! PULL ME UP!"

Together, with Donatello, Raphael managed to pull Mikey up and towards them.

Raph quickly readjusted his grip, hooked a hand under Mike's arm-pit and tumbled backwards, hauling Mikey with him as they went sprawling out over the building's roof, panting and sweating.

Raph looked to his youngest brother as he began to sit up. "Never said it was funny bro. You good?"

Mikey looked a little shaken but he gave a nod. "Yeah. Just freaked out a little cause of, well, you know."

Raph did know. Yeah, Mikey wasn't great with storms, but it wasn't the first time Mikey had been dangling near death, relying on his brothers to save him. Raph remembered Mikey in the drain and he shivered.

It wasn't because of the cold.

Raphael picked himself off from the cement whilst Don was already on the other side of the building, looking over at the A.T.P.L's building.

The wind had picked up and Raphael extended his hand to draw Mikey to his feet. He was anxious to keep moving - to keep on time and to the plan. "Ready to keep going?"

Mikey smiled a wide toothy grin. "Ain't nothing stopping this ninja."

Raphael smirked, "Come on then."

He went to the edge of the building to stand next to Don, whilst unhooking the grappling hook from his belt along the way.

Mikey followed and stood to his left, squinting through the dark to the building in front of them, where only some lights within the building were on. "Kinda quiet, don't ya think?"

On the other side of Raph, Don turned his head. "That's the point Mikey. This is a secret Government building." He gestured forward to the high rise, "Its outside appearance disguises the operation on the inside."

Raphael raised his grappling hook and aimed for a pipe which protruded the top of the building.

He pulled the trigger.

A rope sailed from the device, flying through the air in rings, before lassoing around the pipe. The hook caught and pulled the line tight across the two buildings.

Raphael stepped back, allowing the rope to unravel from the device until he had room to tie it off on a vent behind him. Once satisfied with the knot and tie, he drew one Sai and cut through the rope still connected to the grappling hook. He fastened the device back to his belt and joined his brothers at the buildings edge.

Raph drew out his second Sai and hooked them both around the rope.

And then, without hesitation, he propelled himself off the edge.

The rope sagged slightly with his weight but held as he soared across the road below.

Two tremors down his arms told him that Mikey and Don were close behind, using their own weapons to swing along the rope.

The A.T.P.L's building was approaching fast, its roof rising up to meet him.

The road below disappeared from view as his feet connected to the cement. Quickly, he pulled his Sai from the rope and moved out of the way so that both Mikey and Don also had a clear passage.

Mikey landed, flicking his nun-chucks off from the rope and Don followed, whipping his hands from his bo staff and swinging the weapon around and back onto his shell.

Meters in front of Raphael and his brothers was the door which he knew would lead them down to level 56 where he had encountered the huge man, Dr Victor Serley and the offices where he had stolen the folders.

Since then and through the files which Donatello had hacked on the computer, they had learnt much about Serley, including his methods and his position in the A.T.P.L.

Dr Victor Serley was the head of the operation. Nothing was carried out without his say so and all alien experimentation was overseen by his 'high and mighty' presence. He had studied for years to obtain his position and was a founding member of the A.T.P.L, controlling the operation with an iron and educated fist. He was cruel, efficient and yet respected by the people beneath him in rank.

Basically, the dude was everything Raph hated.

Raph nodded towards Donnie and his brother unzipped his duffle, the noise sounding like it was on loud speaker and he drew out a stuffed pigeon soft-toy and a small wired device.

Raphael took the pigeon from Don, motioned for Mikey to stay behind him and then stole silently around the security camera positioned above the door.

He held the pigeon high, covering the vision of the camera before he signed back at Don with two fingers like scissors, signalling to cut the power.

With the camera's vision blocked, Raphael watched as Donatello made his way over to the power box on the roof which stood in a glass and reinforced compartment. Tiny red and green lights flashed within it and wires were intertwined with the switches.

His brother studied the switch box for a moment and then attached his wired invention to the opening near the lock.

The device disappeared from view as Donatello worked in front of it. Seconds later, there was a click and his genius brother turned back to Raph, pulling the latch open.

Don's voice was hushed, "Once the power is cut, the cameras and elevators will be down for five minutes before the back-up generators kick in. We need to be through the building and locked in the control room on level 53 before that happens."

Raphael gestured for him to proceed, "Do it."

Don nodded and turned.

Thunder rumbled across the storm ridden sky and Raph felt the first splatter of rain fall onto his head, cold and fresh.

He was inclined to slap Mikey on the side of the head when behind him, his little brother stuck out his tongue, trying to catch the droplets falling from the sky. Raph held himself back though, balling his fists and nearly strangling the soft-toy.

Despite the rain, Don continued to work unfaltering and Raph stood by the door until the lock clicked and the camera above went dead, its power light fading.

Raph removed the pigeon and Don hurried up to them.

He swung his duffle back onto his side, "We have five minutes of darkness."

Raphael took the lead, pulling the door open and where the staircase should have been, he was only greeted by darkness.

Raphael smiled - Don had done his job and everything was pitch black.

Behind him, Donatello pulled out a flashlight from his duffle and flicked it on.

Raphael bounded down the stairs – his brothers following.

The bombs made Raphael nervous.

They were cool, sure, but his hands trembled slightly as he attached one bomb to the hand rail of the staircase on level 56.

Down the hall, Don was attaching another to the door of Dr Serley as a little 'gift' and Mikey had thought it would be funny to attach one to the centre of their fancy emblem on the other side of the level.

Raph finished his work and called to Don and Mikey. "Ready guys?"

Mikey gave him a double thumbs up and he heard Don yell a yes from down the hall.

"Okay, setting the timers in three…two…one!"

Raph clicked the timer and instantly the bomb started to count down, its little red and digital numbers beginning on thirty minutes. He heard Mikey yelp as he did the same and Don's running footsteps as he pelted back towards him.

Raph turned, "LET'S GO! Mikey – MOVE YOUR SHELL!"

Raph ran to the elevator doors and pulled them open with his Sai.

In front, there was an empty shaft and far down, stuck and shut down on a lower level, was the elevator.

Raphael climbed down into the dark and creaking shaft. Mikey followed, handing Don bombs, who swiftly and with expert hands, attached them to the shaft's side whilst they travelled down, precisely setting the timers so that they were all in sync.

Raphael had counted four minutes by the time they had climbed down to level 53 and he quickly opened the doors to a hallway.

The bombs were counting down after all. He had no time to stuff around.

Don took the lead then as he climbed out from the shaft. He was the one who had memorised the building schematics and Raphael and Mike followed, taking sharp left and right turns through dark hallways and thin corridors until Don abruptly stopped at a steel door.

Beside him, Don flashed the torch over it, revealing a plaque with the door number 53.62.

The control room.

Raph manoeuvred past his brothers, unsheathing his Sai as Don and Mikey also brandished their own weapons, holding them ready to strike down anyone within the room.

Above them, the hallway lights flickered back on as the back-up generators which Don had warned them about, rebooted the power to the building.

Raph swore under his breath, "Screw it."

He pulled the door handle and swung the door open.

Mikey's constant swivelling on his chair was beginning to get under Raph's shell.

The squeaking noise that the chair made was enough to put his teeth on edge and the tiny enclosed space around him, full of technology and computers was making him sweat.

Wires hung from the ceiling, grouped in their organised colours, hanging above the continuous bench which outlined the small room. Sitting on the bench were panels of switches and computers, whilst hanging on the front wall were security monitors, showing the images being relayed back from the cameras in the building.

Raph took a deep breath.

They had found the control room empty and straight away Don had started to hack into the computers, flicking over buttons and rewiring monitors into his own hacking equipment.

Raphael growled as Mikey continued to swivel back and forth on his chair before he rolled around Donatello to stop next to him.

He looked excitedly at Raph, swivelling still, "We should totally get some of these chairs for the Lair."

Raphael in turn regarded him with a blank look, his lips turned down. "No, you'll only annoy me more."

"Oh come on Raph," he did a full 360 turn, swivelling with his hips, "It'll be fuuuunnnn."

Raph held up a fist, "I'll show you fun…"

In front of them Donnie snapped, slamming his fists down on the desk. "BE QUIET! Both of you, I NEED to THINK!"

Mikey slunk back into his chair and Raph stood up to stand next to Don. "Progress update?"

Don didn't look up at him, his hands skimming over the switches and then going to the computer's keyboard, typing. "I have control of most of their systems. The override codes are working. The mechanical doors to the cells where the Krang are being held can now be opened at your signal and all security systems can be disabled."

Raph nodded. They were halfway through the plan and so far, things had gone relatively well. Brilliantly actually.

Don continued, "I've also hijacked their speaker system. When you're ready, we can send out our message."

Raph bent the microphone forward, which was attached to the panel of switches on the desk in front of him.

Behind him, the irritating chair gave one final squeak as Mikey pulled his legs up so that he was kneeling on the cushions, his arms folded over the chair's back.

Raph nodded. "Let's do this."

Don hovered his finger over the enter button of the computer's keyboard and then pressed down.

There was a crackle as the speakers came to life and Raphael knew that whatever he said into the microphone would be heard by everyone in the entire building as his voice was projected through their speaker system.

He stood a little taller and leant into the mic.

He had practiced this speech and knew exactly what to say.

His voice was strong. Threatening.

"I have a message, a warning, for the Alien Threat Prevention League."

He paused and then continued, "We are here, we know who you are…and we know what you have been doing. We have control of the building but soon it will be no more than dust and rubble."

There was a beat and outside the control room, alarms started to wail. Raph could hear it and Don looked to him, slightly startled. The room flashed yellow as the emergency lights above them erupted through the room.

Raph continued with his warning, speaking clearly into the mic. "The torture of those you hold prisoner is over. You have ten minutes to evacuate the building. This ends…tonight."

Raphael nodded at Don who re-pushed the enter key, switching the mic off.

He gestured to the computer and his brother's hacking equipment, "Release the Krang. Open all cell doors and disable the security measures in their cells."

Donnie's fingers ran over the computer keyboard, clicking and selecting. In seconds he looked back at Raph, triumph written on his face. "Cell doors are open. Shackles are unlocked. Now it's up to the Krang to get out."

Raph turned to Mikey and grasped Don by the shoulder. "We gotta move."

Mikey went for the door, the chair flying out from under him and rolling across the room on its wheels, but his fingers stopped at the door's handle. "Uhhh…where are we going again?" His eyes looked panicked and he raised his hands to clutch at his head as if to squeeze and claw at his brain until it worked (if it ever did), "I don't remember the plan. Guys, I don't remember the plan!"

Raph pulled Don over to the door. "Mikey, cool it. All we have ta do now, is get down to the parking lot, plant the last of the bombs and then we get the hell out. We go back ta the 'Shell Raiser' and then the building is going to go down in one…big…boom."

Mikey's shoulder hunched and he let out a breath.

He opened his mouth to reply but didn't get the chance as Raph pushed him back through the door.

They really didn't have time for a chat.

The bombs were ticking.

Leo's POV:

*Three minutes earlier*

All day, Leonardo had been waiting for the inevitable – his dissection.

And he was content. Just…content.

He hung, attached to his steel shackles on the wall, head down and barely breathing.

His body had been left broken, bent and warped to the point of disfiguration. Cuts were infected, his plastron had dried out and flaked. His skin was grey and his shell ached.

But, even whilst hanging limp, he still managed a smile.

His brothers – they would be okay without him.

They would understand why he had to go.

It was almost funny – the way that he could hear Raphael just outside his cell. People always said that you hear the voices of those you love, just before you die. Leonardo had never believed it, but perhaps it was true after all.

Nice to hear your voice little brother, Leo thought as he listened.

"I have a message, a warning, for the Alien Threat Prevention League."

Leo managed to raise his head.

Raphael sounded…real.

Leo tried to focus. He really tried as the voice of Raphael didn't fade away into his delusional mind or imagination but instead it returned, cutting through his reality, his foggy haze.

"We are here, we know who you are…and we know what you have been doing. We have control of the building but soon it will be no more than dust and rubble."

Raph's voice was strong and Leonardo's breath hitched involuntarily. It was painful but only one thought rang through his head: They're here. They came back for me.

He listened, picturing Raph's face as with his voice projecting through the speaker outside, Leonardo could once again remember every detail of his brother's appearance. He could remember everything and his contentment with dying was gone. Raph's voice only made him pull against his steel binds and his body exploded in a numbing pain.

"The torture of those you hold prisoner is over. You have ten minutes to evacuate the building. This ends…tonight."

Leonardo listened, but Raph's voice was gone.

The speaker was dead and outside, alarms screamed.

He could almost feel the building's panic.

His heart picked up in pace. His brothers were coming. Right?

Leo looked to the steel shackles which kept him bolted to the wall, but suddenly the automatic mechanisms which locked his steel door worked, their clunks turning and gears grinding before the lock clicked and the door opened just a fraction.

Above and below him, the steel shackles around his hands and feet loosened, before they violently snapped open, dropping him onto the ground.

His body hit the scarlet stained cement hard.

Every break felt like it shattered again, splintering his bones into shards, like glass.

He screamed.

Finally his voice had returned and all he could do was scream.

On the floor, he folded in on himself as the waves of pain slaughtered into him. His mangled body shook with shock and he tried to breathe, taking rasping and quick breaths, whilst whimpers and groans still escaped from his mouth.

He unfolded his head to look at his cell door.

The open cell door.

This was it.

His brothers were coming.

My brothers. My family. My brothers….

Leo waited, his vision already blackening and bobbing in and out of focus.

He could see Raphael bursting through the door with Donnie and Mikey behind him. He could see Raphael defending his two younger brothers whilst Don rushed to his side, assessing his injuries, whilst Mikey would cradle his head and chant that everything was going to be okay.

Leo could see it and he waited…but the door remained still, slightly ajar and yet opening no further.

There was nothing. No-one.

Leonardo squeezed his eyes shut.

He reached out with his hand, forcing his stiff fingers to grasp his destroyed bandanna. The fabric was crusty with blood and most of the blue was gone.

Clutching the mask, his dislocated shoulder throbbed as he dragged himself to the door on his plastron. With every drag, with every inch, he screamed.

From the ground, he drew the door open, forcing his body to work as he pulled himself up and onto his trembling feet, using the bar like handle of the door as a grip.

Once upright, he listed forward, hissing as his grip on the handle tightened.

He stepped forward once, staggered and nearly fell, but then he stepped again with his next foot, leaving the security of the handle behind.

He was hunched, limbs were awkward and set at wrong angles and his lungs burnt like they were on fire, but he was shuffling - moving - down the hallway, his bloody bandanna always clutched in his fingers.

He had ten minutes.

It's enough, Leo assured himself.

He limped forward, I can do this. I beat them.

I can do this.

It's enough…

Mikey's POV:

Michelangelo had the front row seat.

This had happened because of two reasons.

One: he had nagged Don to death whilst his brother was writing up the plan to put him in the front seat of the 'Shell Raiser' whilst waiting from the explosion.

Two: he had ran the fastest out from the car park underneath the stupid A.T.P.L building where they had finished arming the remaining bombs.

Mikey looked out the window and through the rain to the building in front. The place was full of counting down bombs! Of course he was going to run! Duh.

Donnie interrupted his thoughts as beside him his brother pointed through the windshield and over the dumpsters in front of the 'Shell Raiser.' "Look, there goes another one."

With his eyes, Mikey followed where his brother was pointing, squinting through the pelting rain to vaguely identify a pink blob, as the recently freed Krang disappeared into the darkness of a nearby alley.

Over the last few minutes, lab coated people had been running out from the building, some carrying boxes whilst others clung to each other before racing to their cars and driving away, probably breaking every speed limit known to man and turtle alike.

Now, the building was kinda silent.

Mikey was happy about that.

Yeah, he didn't like the Krang, but he didn't want to become a murderer, blowing up buildings with unaware people on the inside, no matter who they were.

That's why broadcasting a message over their speaker system had been a good idea.

It gave people some warning and time to get out.

Mikey sat back in the driver's seat, putting his feet up and over the wheel.

The rain battered the 'Shell Raiser' and way off, somewhere in the distance of New York City, mixed in with the clatter of rain, Mikey could hear police sirens. "You think someone called the police?"

Don nodded, "Probably."

Raph's voice came from the back, grumbling and low. "Don't you reckon that we should get outta here then?"

Don shook his head. "No, we need to see this." He gestured the A.T.P.L's building, "We need to see the explosion to know that it truly worked, not that I'm having any doubts."

Mikey grinned, turning his head back to see Raphael leaning against the 'Shell Raiser's' side, spinning a Sai. "C'mon Raph! It's an explosion. It's going to be super cooool. How could you not want to see that?"

Raph scoffed, "I've seen enough hell over the past few months. Don't need ta see it."

Mikey frowned, twisting around in his seat to look at his brother. "Are you going to explaino amigo, or is this the part where I'm supposed to ask you what that means?"

Raphael shook his head and twirled his Sai, replacing it back into its strap. His brother looked up and straight into his eyes.

"No and no."

And that was all Mikey got.

It was like talking to a brick wall…and he couldn't just sit back and take it. He couldn't just sweep it under the rug and forget about it. He had seen Raph step up to the plate and lead, just like Leo but with his own annoying flare. With his own attitude and temper which spurred him on.

And so Mikey couldn't just leave it.

He had seen Raph change, if only a little, and he wanted to know why.

His words were soft and he gestured to himself and Don, "We went through hell too you know….I went through hell too."

Beside him, Don looked up slowly and Raphael's expression took on a mixture of curiosity and confusion.

It was priceless.

Mikey's heart was thumping and in his head, he could hear Master Splinter's words about trusting his family, his brothers.

Mikey switched his gaze between Donatello and Raphael, thoughts turning over in his mind. If I can't trust them, then who?

There was no one else he trusted more than his brothers. I can tell them. I can tell them anything.

Mike spoke slowly. "I know that you think I'm crazy and that I dreamt it from the very beginning, but I still hear Leo."

He had expected Donnie to interrupt but his brother just stood silently, listening. Raphael looked taken aback and he began to ring his hands, if only slightly.

Mikey continued, "Sometimes he's in my head, comforting me when I need it and sometimes…his voice will ask for my help." He paused, opened his mouth and then closed it again, struggling to find the words. "He ummm, would always sound sad or in…pain. Not like…him."

Mikey dropped his eyes to the floor, unable to meet Raph's gaze or Donnie's stare.

Outside, the rain pelted down and Raph's voice was the first sound to snap him out of his zone between reality and his own head.

"Ya know, I kinda know what ya mean."

Mikey looked up at that, slightly hopeful. "You heard him too?"

Raphael shook his head and Mike's stomach dropped again. Yeap, I'm just back to being plain old regular crazy then.

Raph cleared his throat, "No - I never heard him, but I felt him."

Mikey stared at his brother and Raph smiled. It was rare for him to smile and Mike listened as his brother continued.

"Whilst I was out on my own, sometimes I would feel him beside me. I would feel his presence, ya know."

Mikey was about to reply but to his side, Don suddenly gripped his arm tight enough to leave a bruise.

Mike turned to him but found himself mute at his brother's expression.

No joke came from his mouth as Don's face was pale and his expression was only that of horror. His brother's eyes were wide and his mouth hung slightly open, his missing tooth showing.

Mikey looked to where Don gripped his arm and then back to his face. "Don, bro, you okay?"

Don seemed to refocus but Mikey still saw the fear plastered across his face.

"I saw him," his purple banded brother whispered. "Guys, I saw him."

Mikey's chest tightened. "What?"

Don swallowed, "I dreamt about him. Nightmares, nearly every night."

Mikey looked through the rain outside and towards the A.T.P.L's building. "You're saying that I've been hearing Leo, you have been seeing him and Raph has felt him?"

Donatello nodded solemnly. "He could be….he might not be…maybe he isn't. Guys, I don't know. Oh my god…"

Behind them, Raph leant forward to be between him and Don.

Mikey squinted through the dark night and the bombarding rain, looking to the entrance of the building. He squinted and could faintly see the outline of a figure as someone else emerged from the glass doors at the reception of the A.T.P.L.

The figure had a limp and swayed as if struggling to stand upright.

Lightning flashed, bright and violent, illuminating the daunting road, drawing out the shadows and briefly revealing the figure in the doorway.

He was hunched, a piece cloth dangled in his hand, his head was down, his face was drawn tight in nothing but pain and on his back was the familiar shape of a shell.

"It's Leo! LEO!" Mike yelled, fisting at the glass, tears instantly streaming down his cheeks, his voice breaking with sorrow and happiness, nearly unable to believe that what he was seeing was true.

That he was there! That Leo was alive! ALIVE!

Mike scrambled to the door of the 'Shell Raiser,' his hand going to the handle in a panic – in a desperate scramble to get out. To get to Leo as his brother, in the distance fell forward, going to his knees just beyond the building.

Don was staring through the front windshield, a hand on the glass and Raph was behind Mikey at the door, pushing to get out.

Mikey barely heard Don mutter under his breath.

"Oh no…."

Mikey looked through the windshield.

There was a beat.

And then the building exploded and Leo was consumed in fire.

To Be Continued…

Chapter 14 everyone! I don't know when I'll update again, as I will be busy over the next few weeks. I hope that this long chapter will tie you over though. Please review. Ya'll are awesome. Thanks for reading and Merry Christmas!