"Warmth!" I cry out, as I collapse onto the couch. I snuggle up into the worn-out piece of furniture in the lair. For a couch that's easily twenty years old, it's really comfortable. I close my eyes and bury my face into the pillow.

A laugh dances above my head. "C'mon, Lexi, it can't be that cold outside."

I immediately recognize it as Leo, and I turn to face him, without opening my eyes. I hold out my arms. "Hug. Warmth. Please." He laughs, but comes closer and takes me in his arms. I snuggle into his chest. He brings me closer and I feel immediately warmed. He gently strokes my back, and I feel like I could fall asleep just like that.

"Righttt," Raph says. "Not dating..."

"Was I supposed to deny her a hug?" Leo asks.

"Well sorry to poop on your party," Mikey says. "But we're goin' training topside, and little boy blue is leading us." Hearing that, I pull Leo closer, and he laughs.

"We'll be back soon," he promises. "Just gonna go out for an hour at the most. We'll be back before you know it."

"Yeah," Dad says. "C'mon, talk with Splinter and me. We aren't that bad. Old people have wisdom."

"Hey, yeah." I sit up. "Splinter, maybe you could tell some more stories from your childhood!"

Splinter smiles at that. "I would love to, Alexandra."

Leo stands up and ruffles my hair. "We'll be back soon."

"Be safe! Try not to get anymore battle scars!"

LEO'S POV:

"Ya know, you'd think that with Karai and the Dark Angels busting so many butts, there'd be more action out here," Mikey says. He's dangling from a ladder to a water tower up on the rooftop we're on. "But this place is a ghost town. Besides, ya know, the eight million other people out here."

"It's definitely out of character." I cross my arms and survey the city.

"You guys think Karai knows we're onto her?" Donnie asks, twirling his bo-staff.

"I don't know how she could," I respond. "We haven't really talked about it to anyone besides the Kings and the Headquarters."

"Still." Mikey swings up and down on the latter. "She's a ninja. Her job is to get in people's business without them knowing she's getting into their business. It's what we do too." Mikey swings upwards too hard, and goes flying. He hits the roof hard, and we all cringe.

"Ya know," Raph says. "I say we're overestimating her. She ain't as dangerous as we all keep sayin' she is. We've been fighting Karai for how many years now? I think she's all about the title more than anything. She's just a girl."

"Mallory's just a girl, and she could kick your butt in an instant," Mikey says, laughing. He stands up, and rubs his head. "What if Karai has some secret moves we've never seen before?" He chops the air in front of him and spins around. "Ya think she'd teach them to us?"

"Yeah," Don scoffs. "Right before she breaks open our skulls."

"I say we're focusing on Karai too much," Raph says. "What about the Dark Angels? They're the real threat here, and it seems like nobody cares anymore!"

"We care, Raph," I say. I turn to Raph and find that he's gripping the edge of the roof, not because he's afraid, but because he's angry. "Listen, the Dark Angels are really hard to track. It's a miracle that we have someone like Karai to go off of. She could lead us to the Dark Angels."

"So what do we do next time Karai is out?" Raph asks. "We gotta fight them."

"No we don't," I say firmly. "We won't be fighting them any time soon."

"What are ya talking about?" Raph's forehead crinkles and he stands up in an instant. "Are ya telling me we're just gonna sit here and eat popcorn and blueberries next time we see the Foot attacking?"

"I'm telling you that we don't know everything that's going on and it's a really bad idea to underestimate anyone, including Karai."

"Ya've really downgraded us, Leo," Raph says bitterly. "We could take down those Foot ninjas in an instant. We always have!" He rolls his eyes and mutters. "Very noble of you to try to tell us to lay low and not get involved with crime when just you were the one risking our family's safety for two little kids!"

I set my jaw, and I can see Mikey tense up, and draw in a breath. After that night when I got badly scolded by Splinter and my angry brothers, we all decided to never speak of that incident. Not only is Raph bringing it up, but he's using it against me.

"Raph, we know more now." I've clenched my fists and am fighting everything in me to not lash out. "But there are still things we don't know."

"There are always things we don't know!" Raph exclaims. "Only you always seem to think that you know everything, don't ya?"

I grit my teeth and don't respond.

"But Raph, what if Karai has taught the Foot some of her secret moves? Or what if the Dark Angels have taught Karai their secret moves?" Mikey inquires. "And then maybe...maybe Karai taught the foot ninjas the secret moves that the Dark Angels taught her?"

"We ain't as weak as ya think, Mikey," Raph says bitterly. "We could take them down in an instant."

"Are you out of you mind?" I can't keep my cool anymore. "Karai is getting more and more dangerous the more time she spends with Melinda. So what, we've been able to beat Karai in the past. But she's not that same Karai. She's been killing people. It isn't four turtles up against a clan of people with the same skills as us anymore. It's four turtles up against a clan of killers working with another clan of killers. What about that don't you get?"

"Guys—" Donnie says, but Raph is boiling.

"What about this do you not get? I ain't listening to this crap any longer. You wanna keep hiding behind your little wall of fear that you pretend you don't have? Go ahead. See if I care." He gets close to me, and shoves me hard. "But I'm gonna actually do something about all this crap. I ain't scared, unlike you. Lay low?" He laughs bitterly and shakes his head. "Give me a break...that's all you ever do, Leo. Lay low until it's too late."

I open my mouth to respond, but I don't know what to say. Even if I wanted to speak, Raph runs off before I can. I watch him as his legs carry him across the rooftop. The rain makes it difficult for me to see him very clearly. I let out a breath, and close my eyes.

"Uh...Leo..." Mikey says slowly. I feel my brother latch onto my arm beside me.

"What, Mikey?"

"You said not to look for or get involved with any trouble tonight." He pauses. "What if the trouble finds us?"

He isn't looking at me; he's looking forward. But before I can follow his gaze to see where he's looking, my eyes widen at the sight behind him. Just feet away from my younger brother are several bodies, their faces decorated with scars.

Dark Angels.

"Mikey, look out!" I scream, shoving him out of the way. My brother goes flying, and hits the ground hard, skidding across the rooftop because the rain has made it slick.

"Leo!" I hear Donnie shout, and I feel something swipe over my head. Donnie hits a Dark Angel with his bo-staff. But the Dark Angel immediately removes it from his hands, and snaps it right in half.

Donnie's eyes widen, and he slowly backs away. His eyes scan the area for something to use as defense, but several Dark Angels come up from behind him. One of them kicks him forward, and he crashes to the ground. He groans and is kicked in the head, knocking him out.

I whirl around, towards the direction Raph had gone running. He's still running, but it looks like he's slowed down. With a strength and volume I've never before had any reason to use, I scream my brother's name.

"Raph!" I feel every part of me rumble as I scream his name, and I realize that my voice sounds broken and afraid. Immediately, Raph halts and turns around. I can't see his facial expression very well, but the next thing I see is absolutely unmistakable.

I've never seen Raph sprint so fast in my life. His feet seem to glide off the ground, and he nears us, but he's still very far.

"Leo!" The broken voice of my youngest brother tears my heart right out of my chest. "Leo! Please help!" I whirl around and make a dash towards Mikey, who is being cornered by Dark Angels. I watch in horror as a knife is shoved directly into Mikey's stomach.

A sound escapes his throat that I've never heard come from any creature before, but it has to be the universal sound for agony. I feel tears spring from my eyes, and I scream, pushing forwards towards him. I'm thrown back, and find that Sullivan himself is gripping me. He throws me at the ground, and someone kicks my face into the cement. I look up the slightest bit and see Karai and a number of Foot ninjas slowly approaching.

Karai has a smile on her face. She has something in her hand, and when she throws it in Raph's direction, it makes an incredibly loud noise, and seems to shake the ground.

The last thing I hear are Mikey's sobs and Raph's screams.

LEXI'S POV:

"They've been gone for a long time," I say, slowly. "Master Splinter, are they usually gone for this long?"

Splinter's eyebrows scrunch together and he sits there for a few moments. After a while, he shakes his head and looks over at me. "No, Alexandra. They should be back by now. I hope nothing has gone wrong."

"Me too." I pause. "I had some important stuff to tell them. I didn't expect them to be leaving for training though, so I decided I'd tell them afterwards."

Splinter looks curious. "What does it pertain to?"

I take in a breath. "We've found out a few things about the Dark Angels and Karai. We've discovered what they've been planning."

"Does it have anything to do with those explosives you found them with recently?" Dad asks, leaning forward.

Master Splinter takes the remote and shuts off the television. He then turns his full attention towards me.

"Well," I begin. "We don't know everything. So we don't know how the explosives are involved but we do know this: Karai and Melinda have been planning a kidnapping. We don't know of whom, but we know that they're definitely planning on kidnapping someone."

"How do you figure this?" Splinter asks, tilting his head.

"We've been watching Karai for a while, as you guys know. She's been careful not to let on any trails to the Dark Angel Headquarters, but we've overheard a few conversations she'd had. We've sent spies to track her. She's spoken a few times about an abduction, and a few things that hint that she's planning something."

"But you don't know who she's planning on—"

The doors to the lair open. Nobody enters for a few moments. Then walks in a red-clad turtle. Slowly. He's moving so incredibly slowly; more so than I've ever seen him move before. He's still lingering in the shadows, and he's holding something.

"My son..." Splinter says slowly. "What troubles you? And where are your brothers?"

He hesitates. And when he finally comes forward, I notice two things.

One, he's holding Donnie's broken bo-staff. And two, his eyes are bloodshot and face tear-stained.

He comes in alone.

"I..." He stops there, and doesn't finish. Well, doesn't finish with words, at least. Tears begin spilling from his eyes, and his cheeks are soaked within moments.

Master Splinter has risen from his chair, and is immediately by Raph's side. I forget that he's a ninja too.

"Raphael," he says evenly. "Come sit, my son, and tell me what has happened." His voice sounds gentle and kind. It isn't all that often we see Raph like this. I think the only other time I've seen Raph cry was a bit at Benj's funeral.

They near the couch, and as Raph's shaking gets stronger, he collapses onto his knees. He breaks out into a sob.

"Master Splinter..." he cries. "I'm so sorry. I got angry. I got really angry. Leo was tryin' ta tell me what ta do and I shoulda listened to him. He's always right." Raph lets out another sob. "He's always right and I always make fun of 'im for it but he was only tryin' ta protect us. He told us not ta get involved with anything tonight, because we didn't know enough about the Dark Angels and Karai and I just..." Raph squeezes his eyes shut tightly and punches the couch. "I said some things. I said some things I didn't mean."

We all wait for him to finish, as he sniffles and tries to compose himself. But as soon as he opens his mouth to continue, he breaks out into another sob. It breaks my heart to see Raph this way, and it scares me because I know that something really bad has happened. The scariest part is that I don't know what.

"Master Splinter...the Dark Angels took 'em. All of them. My brothers." He sobs and bangs his head against the wall. "I was running away, and I heard fighting from behind me. I didn't turn back because I'm an idiot. It didn't...I didn't process it until I heard Leo scream for me."

Raph looks up and Splinter. "Father...it was the Dark Angels and the Foot. They were workin' together. They broke Donnie's staff." He sets it down in front of Splinter, whose gaze lingers on it for a few moments, before he looks back up at the red-clad turtle. "I didn't see what they did to 'im. But they stabbed Mikey...right in the gut. They knocked out Leo—pushed 'im down, and cracked his head on the rooftop." He takes in a breath, and shakes his head. "Those explosives...those explosives that Karai was messin' with the other day...I found out tonight what they were usin' 'em for."

He pauses again and wipes his face. "They were usin' 'em to cover their tracks. They bombed the place. Karai threw one. I tried to jump out of the way, but it got near me. The entire roof caved in, Master Splinter." He swallows. "I thought I was gonna die in the rubble, but I made it out. Think I broke somethin' but that don't matter." He lets out one last cry. "That don't matter because my brothers are gone. And it ain't nobody's fault but mine."

Silence fills the room, with no other sounds besides Raph's sniffles and Splinter's steady breathing.

The phone rings, but nobody goes to answer it. Splinter's eyes are closed, and it's obvious that he's focusing hard on his breathing.

"Hey guys, I'm watching the news and I saw something about an abandoned building that caved in tonight. Explosives...and a lot of them. It's on the news right now, and I'm just calling to see if you guys are okay." April is leaving a voicemail. "I really hope you guys are okay..."

Dad has the remote and immediately switches the news on.

"—luckily, nobody was hurt and there was not much inside the building. Firefighters are currently digging through the rubble to make sure that nobody was affected, but police are investigating the causes or owner of these explosives. There are said to have been several trucks full of bombs directly behind the building, though no one knows why or to whom they belong. More information will be reported when discovered."

It cuts to another story, and Dad shuts off the television again. We are left in silence once more. Raph's breathing has steadied, but his tears remain on his face for the most part. He looks like he's afraid that if he says anything else, he'll break down again.

Splinter comes closer to him and wipes the rest of his tears from his Raph's face.

"My son," he says slowly. "You let your anger get the best of you, it's true. But it may have saved you this time."

"But what does that matter if it didn't save my brothers? What if that's the last time I'll ever see them?"

"It will not be," Splinter says firmly. "My son, we will get back what is rightfully ours. Your brothers will return, for we will not stop searching until they are found. We are a family. We fight for one another because we love one another." He pauses and looks directly at Raph. "And Raphael, I still love you. Go, my son, and rest. For in the morning, we will begin our journey to retrieve tthe missing pieces of our family."

Raph hesitates, but he stands up and nods. He wipes his face once more and heads towards his bedroom.

"If Raph hadn't gotten angry like that, he would've been taken too," I say. "I'm not saying anger is ever good, but you're right, Splinter: this time it saved him. And it gives us a lead on what has happened to them."

"It does," Splinter says slowly. "But Raphael will blame himself for quite some time."

"Lexi, I don't think you should go home tonight," Dad says. "Even if the Dark Angels and Foot clan took the turtles, I'm afraid for you. I don't want them to get you too."

I don't object.

"Alexandra, you may sleep wherever you please," Splinter says gently. "I'm going to phone April and let her know what has happened."

My feet wander the halls of the Hamato residence, and they take me to Leo's room. When I walk into Leo's room, it's very chilly. The turtles don't really get cold, so I'm not surprised when Leo's bed only has a thin blanket. My eyes shift to a pile of big blankets in the corner of his room. He keeps them there because whenever I come over for a movie night, I get really cold, so the turtles have learned to keep blankets here.

I wrap myself in Leo's blanket first, because it preserves his scent, which is a very earthly smell—a mixture of herbs. Something you might smell in a garden, but mildly. I then pile the other blankets on top of me. My head sinks into his pillow, since it's not meant for a human head, but I'm okay with that.

I don't fall asleep right away. Even with all these blankets, I'm still incredibly cold. I'm shivering and can't send my mind to sleep. My brain replays Raph's descriptions of Mikey getting stabbed, and Leo's head cracking against the cement. I think about what the argument between Raph and Leo must've been like. The scenes in my mind are running so quickly, and I can't seem to fathom it all.

Tears pour out my eyes, and I squeeze them tighter, hoping that all the images depart. But they remain. I try everything I can to imagine happier things, but I'm shaking. I'm scared. I know Master Splinter said that we'd find the guys and that they'd be okay, but I can't know that for sure. None of us can.

It makes me sick to my stomach to imagine someone stabbing happy-go-lucky Mikey in the stomach. It hurts me to think of someone snapping Donnie's staff in half, and then knocking him out. I can't imagine the guilt Raph feels for getting so angry.

And it breaks my heart to think of what Leo might have to endure, along with what he'll have to watch his brothers endure.

I think of the pain I felt when I was being held captive by the Dark Angels. The torture. The hurt. The numbness that eventually came and the trauma which still resides. I think of the broken bones, broken faces and broken hopes that will come to pass. I think of how Leo's younger brothers will have to watch as the person who they've always seen as strong, will be beaten to a pulp and I think of the screams Leo will let out while he has to watch his own brothers tortured.

So I cry and cry and cry, and don't try to stop it. But I do try to think of better things.

I imagine Leo's arms around me, and I imagine him being alright. I imagine that when we go rescue the turtles, we'll go away from all danger and from all hurt and all sorrow. We'll go to a place to escape and we'll be away from the danger for a while.

I drift off to sleep with the image of laughing and Mikey catapulting into the lake on a bright summer day.

A/N: This is definitely a darker chapter with a certainly darker ending. Gave me TMNT 2007 movie vibes, like when Leo and Raph got into that big fight and Leo was taken. I thought about only having Leo be taken but there is a reason why the Dark Angels want more than just him, and you guys will see in due time. Lexi isn't the only one that the Dark Angels have had their eyes on.