A/N:-  Hiyaz, I am posting this next chapter for all of you but especially for Lioness-Goddess for being my first reviewer – and yes, lorry is another word for truck! Thanks again and keep reviewing!!!!!

  Leonardo awoke at about 7:00am next morning and went to find himself some breakfast but all there was in the fridge was leftover pizza with cheese and strawberry sauce on top. Usually, Leo would've eaten this without hesitation but today he didn't feel like pizza. He rummaged for something else and eventually found some bread and butter. However, he obviously wasn't ready to stomach food yet as he gagged as soon as the food was in his mouth. He rushed outside the lair and retched into the sewer water. Donnatello had heard his brother leave the bedroom and followed him. When Leonardo came up from being sick, Donnatello grabbed his swaying brother and supported him as he helped Leo limp back into the lair.

"You should take it easy! Splinter said you're not allowed to eat anything for forty-eight hours after you wake up…that was yesterday so you shouldn't really eat until tomorrow early evening."

"Ok, so am I allowed to drink or is that forbidden too?"

"Nah, you're allowed to drink."

"Phew, that's good!" Leo laughed, but stopped short with a wince.

"You ok?" Donnatello asked, leaning over and putting a hand on Leo's shell.

"Yeah, I'm fine; you go and see the movie with Raph and Mikey."

"Ok…if you're sure," Donnie left with the others, who were now wide awake and ready to go. Casey and April also left, deciding it would be better if they gave the turtles a bit of time to recover.

    Three hours later, the three Turtles came home after the movie, laughing and joking, but were in for a shock. The lair was wrecked. Things were turned over and there was no sign of Splinter or Leonardo. Donnatello, Raphael and Michelangelo searched the lair for their brother and their Master. Michelangelo searched the living area and was suddenly sprung upon by Leo and threw him off thinking he was an enemy. Realising his mistake, he rushed over to his brother and knelt beside him, helping him to sit up.

"I'm so sorry, dude! I didn't know who you were for a minute!"

"It's…ok…Mikey, they took…Splinter…" Leo collapsed into Mikey's arms, and Mikey hugged his brother. But he noticed a nasty wound on the back of Leo's head and neck. It was a deep welt obviously inflicted by a whip. There were several more on his arms and legs. Mikey put a cushion behind Leonardo's head and went for some water. When he had warm water and a cloth, he began to clean and bandage the worst of his brother's wounds.

"I can't find Master Splinter or Leo anywhere!" Raph raged into the room, slamming his fist against a wall.

"Me neither…they've just dis--------LEO!" Donnie rushed forwards and took his unconscious brother's head into his arms.

"He told me that whoever attacked this place took Splinter."

"And who did attack this place?" Raph asked.

"Leo passed out…he didn't tell me…" Mikey began tidying up the lair and re-stacking the pizza boxes he'd been saving for years…he was trying for a world record. Leonardo had told him it was a bad idea but Mikey was sure Leo was wrong about that, even if he was right about everything else.

"Ouch…that hurt…" Leo rubbed his head as he sat up.

"We can't leave you on your own for a second, can we, dude?" Mikey joked.

"Hey, leave me alone already!" Leo tried to lightly punch his brother in orange on the arm but only succeeded in hurting himself further!

"Hey, I only meant that you're supposed to be the leader…the movies was no fun without you! Don't hurt yourself, man!"

    That night, all four turtles sat in the living area and were formulating a plan to rescue their Master. They were guessing that Shredder and the remaining ninjas were the attackers…Leo had been shoved in a closet before he could tell…and that Splinter would be at the Techno-drome. They agreed to set off instantly and tried to convince Leo to stay. Needless to say, it didn't work and he insisted on going with them.

   Creeping through the sewers, in the direction of the techno-drome, they began to wonder if they were actually going the right way. Their concern for their master and their brother had caused their minds to be elsewhere and that didn't help matters much.

    Eventually, they found the techno-drome and were sneaking round to the side when there was a gigantic rumble and the ground shook, knocking the four of them off balance. Helping each other up, they continued to make their way round the techno-drome but were confronted by Shredder before they could get inside.

"So, you thought you could stop the techno-drome?"

"Yes," growled Raphael, moving slightly in front of his brothers. He charged and was thrown to the side and knocked unconscious. Next went Mikey and he held off Shredder while Raph came round and Donnie literally dragged Leo away to try and get into the techno-drome. If Leo got into a fight with Shredder then the consequences, for Leonardo, would be dire.

"What are you doing?" Leo struggled against Donnie's grip but Donnie just clamped a hand over Leo's mouth to shut him up before he got them discovered.

"Shut up, Leo! We all agreed, meaning me, Raph and Mikey, that you can't fight Shredder. He'd kill you before you even had a chance to attack."

"No, he wouldn't! What do we have to do, then?"

"Get inside the techno-drome and then find Master Splinter."

"I hope Sensei's ok," Leo trailed off, casting his gaze down to the floor.

"He will be fine. Now, let's go…Mikey and Raph won't be able to hold Shredder off forever."

"Remind me again why we can't just kill him and have done with it?"

"Because…Donnie and Leo need time to find Sensei and get him out!"

"Oh, ok…wow! You listened for once!"

"I always listen," Mikey retorted.

"Whatever, Mikey," Raph aimed a high kick at Shredder but Shredder blocked him and threw him into a rocky ledge. Mikey growled and charged at Shredder but he, too, was thrown away like rubbish. Shredder, looking pleased, turned back to the techno-drome and entered it.

 Donnie and Leo dropped into the fifth room they had searched so far and they finally found the right one. Their Master was chained to the wall and, with one swipe of his Katanas, Leo freed him. Donnie kept a lookout by the door and then helped Splinter out and the three of them made their way out of the techno-drome. However, they didn't get far before they were confronted by Shredder and twenty foot soldiers. Leo and Donnie fought bravely but it was not enough. Then, a foot soldier threw a smoke bomb at Leo's feet and it burst into flames. He yelled and jumped backwards, fear shining in his eyes. Donnie cried out and rushed to his frozen brother's aid. He shook Leo out of his daze and the two of them used the smoke as cover to sneak past the foot soldiers and they got out and dragged their two dizzy brothers to their feet and made a speedy escape back to the lair.

"Sensei, are you alright?" Raph asked, anxiously once they were safely back at the lair.

"I am fine, thank-you, Raphael. But now, I suggest we meditate."

"Aw, man! Sensei, do we have to?"

"Yeah, come on, man! You have got to give us a break." Mikey agreed with Raph.

"Why? Give me three good reasons."

"Number one: you've had a traumatic day. Number two: We just saved you. Number three: Leo looks half-dead over there…I'm certain he needs a break!"

"Alright…but tomorrow you will meditate."

"Very well, Sensei."

"Now, get some sleep."

    Raph and Mikey left instantly before Master Splinter could change his mind. They were closely followed by Donnie and Leo. Donnie climbed into the top bunk and fell asleep almost instantly. In the bottom bunk, Leo's head was aching and his eyes wanted to close. He fell asleep and was consumed in a deep sleep.

    Leo awoke at 7 O'clock the next morning to the sound of Donnie falling out of the top bunk. He groaned and opened his eyes. Donatello was sprawled out on the floor looking extremely comical but guilty when he saw Leo staring at him.

"Sorry," he apologised as he scrambled to his feet, "I didn't mean to wake you!"

"Don't worry about it…I should've been up by now anyway."

"What?"

"I hate sleeping in; you know that!" Leo got out of bed and he and Donnie made their way to the kitchen for breakfast. They helped themselves to the leftover pizza from the night before. Mikey was supposed to give April a shopping list but he evidently hadn't! Grimacing as they ate the cold, chocolate topped, pizza, Donnie felt a wave of fear rush over him.

"Don? What is it?" Leo asked, staring into his brother's anxious face.

"Nothing…I just – I just keep dreaming about the night at the warehouse and how Shredder's army nearly killed you." Leo shuddered at the words.

"Donnie – you should stop worrying about it…he didn't kill me and he never will!"

"How can you be so sure? And I can't stop worrying because you're still worrying. It shows, Leo, and you can't hide the fact that you're not sleeping well at night! Please, tell me what keeps haunting you!"

"It's the fall…when I fell from the high platform…I keep seeing it in my mind…"

"Mikey blames himself for that."

"I know, and he can't hide it either! I guess Raph is the only one holding us together…"

"Not really…he was close to tears when we found you…and the only time he's ever cried before was when Splinter said you might die after you were ambushed that time, remember?"

"He cried?"

"Yeah, he thought we were gonna lose you…and he knows he can be a jerk sometimes but he just wants a normal life…"

"Something we'll never have," Leo sighed. His brothers were all equally troubled by the recent events…and Raph had cried last Christmas? Leo had never known that…but that would explain why Raph had been so over-protective ever since. Smiling, Leo looked up as his other two brothers walked into the room. His family. And they would get through whatever was thrown at them…as a team…no matter what…

"Hey, guys, you ok?"

"Yeah, we're fine, Mikey…what about you?"

"Yeah, dudes, we're fine."

"Sure?" Leo studied his hands as he casually asked Mikey.

"Yeah, jeez, what is this? Operation Interrogation of Mikey?"

"Wow, long words for you!" Raph snorted and received a glare from the two turtles sat at the table, "What?" he raised his hands in mock surrender.

"Can't you just give it a break?" Donnie sighed.

"Why should I?" Raphael retorted, slamming a fist onto the table, "I'm going to Casey's." Raph stomped out of the room. Leo sighed, rolling his eyes to the ceiling.

"I'd better go after him…Casey doesn't deserve to handle Raph on his own…he'll be torn apart!"

    Leo followed Raph to Casey's and waited outside the door.

"Casey, I don't know what to do!"

"What do you mean?"

"They all want me to stop being s aggressive but I can't…I hide behind my aggression. It's a part of me; the way I am."

   Outside, Leo listened, hoping to solve some of the problems between the four brothers at the moment.

"But how are you guys all coping? Is everything getting back to normal?"

"Slowly…"

"Are the others ok?"

"Mikey's still blaming himself for what happened but is getting better. Donnie is coping as best he can by pouring his heart into his research…out of all of us, I'd say he was coping the best."

"And Leo?" Casey asked. Outside the apartment, Leo held his breath.

"I don't know…I'm worried about him…he's only ever been through something like that once before…when he was ambushed by Shredder and nearly died. I don't know…I think he hates me…"

"I don't hate you!" Leo burst into the room, causing Raphael to leap up and Casey to fall over. Leo froze and bit his lip…his cover was blown!