The Leo/Raph chapter is finally here. It's not as angsty as I would have liked, but the boys informed me the torture I'm putting Leo through in my other story is all they can stomach at this time. Besides, they have their hands full with two one-year-olds; they don't have the time or the energy for angst. Still, hope you find this chapter at least marginally fulfilling.


Leo spent the next several days shoring up his battered relationship with his two genius brothers. He kept a peripheral eye on Raph, but as much as he wanted to approach his younger brother, instinct was telling him that, in this case, Raph needed to come to him. Leo just hoped he'd have the patience to wait his brother out.

Two days before the combined welcome home/birthday party, Leo's patience finally paid off. He'd finally gotten the twins down for bedtime, and he'd retired to his room for bed himself, when Raph silently crawled in beside him. Without a word, Leo let his younger brother cuddle up next to him, and the pair just lay quietly for a long while. When Raph finally broke the silence, the conversation didn't start where Leo thought it would.

"I never thanked you for letting me in during that dream walk," Raph said. "It was a bit of a risk that you didn't have to take."

"Of course I was going to let you in," Leo countered. "It was no real risk. After all, you were there if I needed back up. I'd never purposefully lock you out, I hope you know that."

"Not even if I deserved it," Raph whispered, and through the bond Leo could feel how close to breaking his brother was.

"You could never do anything that would make me cut you off or lock you out," Leo told him. Fortunately, he was ready when his brother fell apart and began to sob uncontrollably. Gathering the younger turtle in his arms, Leo let him cry it out. It sometimes amazed him just how deeply Raph felt things. It was his brother's greatest strength, though it could sometimes trip him up. He cared so much for his family that he sometimes got in his own way. This was an instance Raph's powerful emotions had hurt more than helped.

Once the spate of tears had ended, Leo released his brother, though he made sure to keep a secure arm around his shoulders.

"Okay, little brother, I think we both know you have a lot you need to unload," Leo said. "The Brats are on twin duty for the rest of the night, so I've got all night. Why don't you take a deep breath, get your thoughts together, and then let me have it? If I can take on Raphael at his worst, there's nothing you can throw at me that I can't deal with."

Taking his brother's advice, Raph took a deep breath, and then started speaking.

"From the start, I wasn't sure who I was angrier with, you or me. I was so furious that, once again, you took the choice away from us and went off on your own. I thought after the whole Darktide affair we'd settled this. Your choices don't just affect you; they affect all of us. I don't care how friendly they seemed; you should have taken at least one of your Guardians along when you met with the Faerins. We saw with Krangendore that Darksiders' appearances don't always match their threat level, and you know what they say about assuming things. On the other hand, you have no idea how much I have hated myself because it was my wish that took you to the Faerins in the first place. If they had been Darksiders looking to take out the Avatar, I'd have played right into their hands."

"Okay, let's pause right here," Leo cut in. "First, you're not the first to take me to task for going off on my own. I'm adult enough to admit I was wrong. I should have let all of you know what was going on, and not just because you're my Guardians, though that should have been enough. Beyond that, however, bringing a baby into the family was going to affect all of us, not just me, so all of you should have at least been informed on the matter.

Now, this matter of blaming yourself, worse, hating yourself, for all of this; it's time to stop, little brother. Has it occurred to you yet that what you're castigating yourself for is wishing me to be happy? That's all you wanted, Raph. I can't think of anyone who would condemn you for wishing to make someone you love happy. The only ones who hold any culpability for what happened are Mindshadow and the Broanins. They are the ones who hatched the plot to create a clone of me for Mindshadow's nefarious schemes. But did you consider that if they hadn't, we wouldn't have Remy as well Gabby? The way I see it, your so-called mistake turned out to be a blessing in disguise."

"I'd never thought of it quite like that," Raph admitted thoughtfully. "I guess that's one way of finding the silver lining in this mess. But it in no way excuses how I treated you once we knew that baby was you. I abandoned and neglected you for months. Shell, I wouldn't even say your name, much less hold you, or feed your, or take care of you in any way."

"You wouldn't or couldn't say my name," Leo asked softly. "Do you remember our conversation after we got back from rescuing the Geeks and the senior brigade? You told me that night how much you depended on me. You've faced a lot of losses, and I was supposed to be your bedrock. Despite knowing that, I still chose do this on my own. I'm the one who doesn't have an excuse here, Raph. It wasn't a conscious, or even unconscious, desire to hurt any of you, but there can be no denying that is exactly what I did. When taken in context of our history and emotional scars, your reaction is not surprising. To have not one, but two brothers disappears and so drastically altered; it's bound to be traumatic. Actually, I'd be more concerned if you hadn't been angry with me."

That threw Raph a little off balance. "Wait, you're glad I let my emotions get the better of me for nearly a year? That I essentially threw a hissy fit for several months?"

"Yes," Leo told him honestly. "As long as you continue to get angry with me when I pull crap like this, when I hurt you like this, then I know you're still thinking for yourself. If we ever get to the point where you're apathetic about me hurting you, well, our relationship would be in need of some serious intervention, and we'd both need some major therapy."

"So the fact that part of me is still absolutely furious with you doesn't bother," Raph asked.

"It bothers me because I caused it," Leo told him, "but as long as you're dealing with it in a healthy manner, no, I don't begrudge you your anger; you deserve to feel how you feel. Your feelings are just as valid as mine. Besides, there's a lot I need to make up for, with all of you. I mean, I was an absentee father for nearly the first year of my daughter's life. I can't get that back, and I can't make that up to her."

The sudden onslaught of guilt pouring through the bond both relieved and startled Raph. As always, he was struck by just how much guilt his older brother could pile on himself, but he was simultaneously grateful he was releasing it rather than burying it like he usually did. This, at least, was familiar ground, and might prove to be mutually healing.

"I don't think your daughter will ever fault you for protecting her brother from a miserable, degrading fate I wouldn't wish on my worst enemies," Raph defended. "If my worst enemies weren't dead, that is." He was rewarded by a slight grin from Leo. Heartened, he continued. "Gabby was safe and cared for; you knew that. On the flip side, you couldn't have walked away from Remy any more that you could if it had been one of us; less so, because he was truly defenseless. And if you even think about taking the blame for what happened to us with Mindshadow, I will smack you."

Leo, who had been doing just that, grimaced at his younger brother. "He hurt you to get to me," Leo argued.

"Uh-uh," Raph said. "If it wasn't my fault you spent nearly a year as an infant, it certainly wasn't yours the crazy mastermind behind the whole mess used us to draw you out. Let's put the blame where it belongs: on the loonies who think they can get away with messing with our family."

"Deal," Leo said. Then, at the unusual expression on Raph's face he asked, "What's that look for?"

"I was just thinking it would be nice if we could go awhile without any of us getting into the kind of trouble that requires these heart-to-heart discussions to resolve them," Raph told him. "I'm thinking, in addition to the family guilt complex, we're also a bunch of drama queens." He looked so disgruntled Leo couldn't help laughing.

"I don't think we can avoid drama for long, bro," Leo said. "We're seven mutant turtles, from two different dimensions, living in a sewer and training to be ninjas. On top of that, we've got the whole Avatar/Guardian thing going on, now with the added complication of two baby mutant turtles, one of which is actually a clone. And if you really want to get crazy, you can factor in the family ghost and our senior counterparts from yet another dimension. I think drama is just going to be a fact of life we're just going to have to learn to live with."

Raph just whimpered, making Leo laugh again, though he did tighten his arm around his brother's shoulders in sympathy.

Scooting closer to Leo so he could lay his head on his brother's shoulder, Raph asked, "Can you at least promise no more solo dramatics, then? Taking back-up with you will cut the need for drama nearly in half."

"I think I can do that," Leo said as he, too, got into a more comfortable position. Both turtles were nearly asleep when Raph whispered,

"Welcome back, big brother. Welcome home."


Okay, I'm trying to decide whether to do an epilogue with the party where the senior turtles show up, or leave this where it is. If I don't do the party scene as an epilogue here, I may try and write it as a separate piece as a companion to this story. I haven't decided yet. Regardless, I hope you've enjoyed this journey with me as our boys have been put through the ringer, multiple times. Thanks you for your great reviews and wonderful encouragement. And keep a look out; I have a cross-over story in mind for this world and my new AU. With the Avatar and his Guardian brothers, you never know where they might end up.