SIX MONTHS EARLIER:

April and Casey had arrived at the lair from visiting other friends and found the lair a trainwreck and utter carnage, their friends lying in pools of their own blood. Their hearts broke into a million pieces at the thought that their friends were no more. What could have happened and by whom? Was it an ambush? If so, how had anyone found the lair? It was a closely guarded secret, known only by the Turtles and their allies. Had one of them revealed the lair's location and who had?

Groaning emanated and they immediately rushed to the source of it.

Leo lay on his back, his face ashen, multiple stab wounds all over his body, his breathing labored. He had pretended to be dead until the Foot had left, but now his strength was leaving him. He knew he wouldn't be around much longer and he would soon join Splinter.

"Leo," April said, bending down and grabbing his hand. "It's going to be alright."
"April?" Leo said weakly.
"You're going to be fine, Leo," April said. "Okay? I need you to hang on."
"Help Donnie. I heard him earlier. Think he's still alive. Forget about me. Help him. Mikey's gone. Think….Find Raph. Don't let that snake have him forever. Find him. Tell him I love him and I'm sorry I failed him. Please do that," Leo said and his eyes closed.
"LEO!" April shouted worriedly and checked his pulse. Weak, but still there. "Casey, help me take him to the infirmary. He's gone into a coma. It'll be touch and go."

"Is Mikey really gone?" Casey asked sadly.
"Just help me," April said. "I need you to be calm and collected, Case. One thing at a time. We help Leo. Then we attend to the others. Got it?"

Casey nodded and they gently lifted Leo up and carried him into the infirmary.

XXXX

Casey and April placed Leo on a stretcher. Then she hooked him up to a drip, an IV in his arm, treated his wounds and sewed them up. Now it was up to Leo. All they could do was pray and wait.

The couple then headed to the lounge, fearful that their other friends were gone.

XXXX

Don was in worse shape than Leo and unconscious. A massive chunk of his shell had been hacked out. Probably with a knife and his spine had been severed. Multiple cuts and bruises littered his body. It was unclear whether he was a paraplegic or quadriplegic or even that he would survive.

April and Casey carried him to the infirmary.

XXXX

Don was placed onto a stretcher.

April inserted an IV into Don's arm, hooked him up to a drip and treated his wounds. Then she sewed them up.

Then they went to the lounge to check on Mikey.

XXXX

Mikey lay facedown in a pool of his blood, his shell fractured in several places and his severed scutes lying next to him.

His last few moments had clearly been hell.

Poor Mikey, who didn't have a mean bone in his body, April thought, her eyes filled with tears. He didn't deserve this.

They turned him over and saw that his body was a roadmap of trauma and abuse.

His eyes had been gouged out, he had sustained multiple stab wounds, especially at his groin area and the words 'Raphael betrayed you' had been carved into his plastron.

Bile rose in Casey's throat at the sight and he upchucked on the floor. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and said, "What do you think the message means, April?"

April's heart sank. Her gut told her the message meant Raphael had told whoever had ambushed the Turtles the location of the lair, but it could only have been under duress. Raphael would never have willingly given up the secret. Not protective and devoted Raphael, whose family was everything to him. He wouldn't have wanted this to happen to his family. The poor guy was probably punishing himself for his treacherous actions.

But she couldn't think about Raphael now. She had two sick Turtles to care for and Donnie needed a shell transplant to cover his exposed spine.

Mikey's shell was a necessity. It made her ill thinking about it, but she had no other choice. It wasn't like Mikey would feel it if she used his shell. It was a bit different in color than Donnie's, but hopefully it would fuse with Donnie's shell and heal in time.

She and Casey excised a large piece of shell from Mikey and returned to the infirmary.

XXXXX

April transplanted Mikey's shell onto Don and stitched it up, praying that it was a success. Even if Donnie couldn't walk again, at least his spine wouldn't be exposed. Now all they could do was wait.

But what would they do with Mikey's corpse? They couldn't leave him at the lair, because decomposition would soon set in. Maybe the Mutanimals could help.

April called the Mutanimals, who arrived and then left a while later, taking Mikey with them. The prankster would be buried at the farmhouse. The Mutanimals knew the location and when and if the others were better, they would go there, say their goodbyes to their brother and continue their rehabilitation.

XXXXX

TWO DAYS LATER:

"Guys," Don said weakly, when he saw them in the infirmary. "You're really here."
"Yes," April said and squeezed his hand.
Pain coursed through Don. He grimaced and said anxiously, as his eyes landed on Leo, "Is he going to make it?"

"Time will tell, Donnie," Casey said. "He's in a coma. All we can do is wait. April will give you something for the pain."
"Mikey's gone, you know," Donnie said sadly, tears rolling down his cheeks. "I saw it happen. Leo has to make it. I can't lose him too. Please do all you can for Leo. I need him. Please."

"We will," April vowed. "Donnie, we know Mikey's gone and we're so sorry. He was an angel and we'll miss him dreadfully. He didn't deserve what happened. As for you, we're really sorry, but your spine was severed and we….I transplanted Mikey's shell onto you. Your spine is no longer exposed and hopefully it'll fuse together and heal, but I…." Her voice trailed off and her eyes grew misty.
"I might never walk again, right?"
"Yeah. I'm sorry."
"You did your best and it's not your fault. Please don't blame yourself. I don't. Now I'll have more time to focus on my experiments, right? Now that I can't be a ninja anymore. See, always a positive," Donnie said cheerfully.

Too happily in April's opinion.

"Donnie….." April began.
"It's fine, April. Look, I'll give my all and try and get better. Rehab, whatever, but if I can't, I'll learn to deal. It could be worse. Well, not really. Mikey's dead, Leo's comatose and Raph's with a twisted snake and possibly dead, but then again, Raph deserves that!" Donnie said bitterly, his hazel eyes flashing.
"Why would you say that? Raph's your brother and loves you," April said in astonishment.
"He's no brother of mine," Donnie spat. "Just before I became unconscious one of the Foot told me that that Raphael hates us and revealed the lair's location. Loving brother, my ass. He's a traitorous jerk. Look what he's caused. I despise him and I'll never forgive him. Mikey was the light of our family. Now he's gone. Leo may die and I might never walk again. All Raph's fault and don't lecture me. How would you feel if your brother did that?"

"I'd be pissed," Casey said. "But perhaps it was forced out of him, Donnie. Raph loves you guys and he wouldn't willingly betray you."
"I don't care how it happened," Donnie said furiously. "That doesn't matter. What matters is the result. Mikey's dead. That won't change, even if we recover. Nothing can bring Mikey back. Raph can rot in hell. Poor Leo. He'll be crushed when he learns what his beloved Raphael has done. I bet he'll loathe him too and will stop looking for him."

"Let me get you something to drink, eat and a pain pill," April said, saddened by what Donnie had said.

She believed Raphael had been tortured and that's why he had revealed the closely guarded secret and she wouldn't stop looking for him. She didn't think Leo would either. In a rare moment of vulnerability, Leo had confessed to her how much he loved Raphael and that he always would, no matter what happened. They were soulmates and two sides of the same coin, who perfectly balanced one another out.

April chose not to argue with Donnie, because he didn't need more stress right now.

"I'll be back with the food," April said and went to the kitchen, followed by Casey.

XXXXX

A few days later, Leo woke and was extremely distraught when he learned that Mikey had passed and that Raphael had been the cause of the ambush, but unlike Donnie he wasn't irate with the Turtle he adored.

"Raph was tortured or manipulated into betraying us by that contemptible snake," Leo had said. "I'm convinced. I know Raph. He would never willingly sell us down the drain, Donnie. How can you think he would after all he's ever done for us?"
"Yeah. Endangering us countless times, because he didn't adhere to orders," Donnie said sarcastically.

Donnie has a point, Leo thought, but Raph also risked his life on many occasions, including saving me from a burning building. I will still look for Raph when I'm better and I will help him heal. I will never abandon him.

"True, Don," Leo admitted. "But he also risked his life for us…"
"Mikey dying cancels all the good he did," Donnie snapped. "Go on your rescue crusade if you have to, Leo. Save the Turtle you love most. He was always your precious baby and the one you favoured most. You can't deny it and you always made excuses for his behavior. Exactly what you're doing now. I used to as well, but Mikey's death is inexcusable, Leo! Do you fucking hear me? I can't forgive Raph. Not now. Not ever. And not to mention what he did to me. Look at me, Leo. I'm a fucking paraplegic and will probably never walk again. Raph caused it and the destruction of our family. Nothing will ever be the same again. Our lives are irrevocably changed. How can I fight? You can and you will make a full recovery, but our family as we knew it is severed forever, even if we find that scumbag!"
"He's still your brother…"
"Only raised as. Not biologically. I owe him squat. Look, I won't make you pick sides. I get he makes you all warm and fuzzy and you love him. I don't understand why, because he betrayed you too, but shit, love is blind. Do with him what you want, but I won't have anything to do with him. Do you understand?"
Leo pinched the bridge between his nose, nodded and said, "Yeah. Listen, Donnie, it's not so black and white. You have to look at what Raph could be enduring, which made him…"
"I don't give a fuck. Mikey is gone, Leo. Do you fucking get that? Raph caused his death. Now, leave me. I need some sleep."

Leo closed his eyes and thought, I won't quit on you, Raph. I will find you, heal you and I don't hate or blame you. I never could, my love. I blame that snake. Hold on. I love you so, so much. I wish I'd told you before. Maybe then none of this would have happened and you'd be right here in my arms, where you belong. Oh, Raphie, please keep fighting. Don't let that bastard win. Fight. You're stronger than you think. A

A/N Will they find Raph and will Donnie ever forgive him?