Nalong - Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Do I have to? (lawyer nods) but I already did it 10 times! (lawyer glares) Ok, ok! I don't own the TMNT or any associated characters. I also make no money from this. That is what my day job is for. (Looks in wallet and finds the whole three dollars to her name and a bill for forty) Please don't sue me.
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The day had been a lot of driving, hard driving, the kind of driving where you stop pretty much only for gas and the occasional 5-minute-max rest stop. April was behind the wheel, and Casey took the passenger seat. Splinter was in the back for fear of being seen. It wasn't terribly likely with the layout the turtles had created for the front of the Battle Shell, but all the same, he felt better in the back.

He had attempted to meditate in the back of the truck, but that was much easier said than done, especially with Casey interrupting every two minutes, so he had settled for reading a book instead. Up to now the trip had been pretty uneventful, and Splinter truly prayed that it would stay that way.

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Steve and Leo were the first to return to the barracks, and Leo didn't like that one little bit. He hated being the first one back because that meant he had to wait to see if anyone else made it. He sighed and started pacing again. In any other situation he would probably have already gone to sleep, but he knew he wouldn't be able to until at least Mikey was back. A rumor had circulated among the prisoners that there had been survivors of last night's Course, and Leo gained a little hope from that. That hope was tempered though, because according to Steve, who wouldn't lie to the turtle, there were always rumors, but the rumors had never been true before. Leo continued to hope that his brothers were ok, but he could never be sure until they physically walked through that door.

Annie was the next to return, she looked almost as tired as Leo felt. He figured that maybe talking to someone else would at least take his mind off his worry.

"Hey Annie, You ok? You look tired." He said sadly as he took a seat on the bed opposite her.

"Yeah, uh, to both." She responded. "I didn't sleep well last night." Looking up and actually seeing Leo she noticed that he looked tired too, which wasn't surprising. She hadn't been able to sleep out of worry for the two roommates, new ones at that, and couldn't imagine what it had to be like for Leo and Mikey. She had heard them crying last night, but hadn't said anything.

"You look like you've seen better days too." She added.

Leo laughed slightly. "Yes, I guess I have." He dropped his head.

"I'm sure they're ok. You should have seen Don yesterday. I tell you, it was amazing." She said in an attempt to cheer up the blue turtle.

Leo smiled sadly and propped his chin on his hands.

"Why don't you tell me about them?" Annie asked. She wondered what Steve had heard about them during the day, and hoped Leo wasn't tired of the stories she looked forward to getting out of the turtle now.

"Really?" Leonardo sounded hopeful, and Annie nodded.

"I don't really know that much about you guys, only what Don told me, and I would like to hear some of your stories. Best moments, worst moments. Whatever you feel a need to tell, I'll listen."

Leonardo was about half-way through telling her about the mousers when the door opened again and Leo jumped off the bed in his haste to find out who it was. Mikey and Eric came in, and while Leo was glad that Mikey was home and alright his heart also sank at the fact that it hadn't been Raph and Don.

Mikey's own optimistic smile faded as he realized that Leo was the only other turtle in the room. He hoped that the disappointment he knew was on his face wasn't taken the wrong way. Sure, he was glad that Leo was alive and safe, but he had really been hoping Raph and Donnie would be there when he got back to the barracks. Seeing Donnie and Raph again had been the thought that kept him going all through his chores, and Eric would attest that he had even been cheerful for most of the day. However, those hopes were dashed at the sight of only one brother. He caught himself thinking how horrible it would be with only Leo and himself, he quashed that line of thought right there. Donnie and Raph had to be ok. They had to be. Suddenly shouting from outside was heard.

"Let me go you little…! Why I oughta…!"

Mikey knew that growl!

The door was slammed open and Raphael was deposited roughly on the floor. He leapt to his feet.

"Well, back at 'cha, you punk!" He barely finished his sentence when Leo and Mikey jumped and embraced him.

Raphael was thrown totally off guard by the display of emotion and looked around the room to his other roommates with confusion on his face.

"I think they missed you." Eric explained. He laughed a little as the red banded turtle awkwardly returned the hug.

"You didn't really think the Course would be a big deal did ya." Raph chided.

Mikey was nodding emphatically as he finally released his brother.

"We did. We really, really did." He insisted.

"Raph, what about…"

The door slammed open again and Donatello was deposited on the floor not far from where Raph had been dropped, but he didn't get up as quickly. In fact, he was all but yanked to his feet in an emotional display from Mikey and Leo to rival the one Raph received, though Don was much quicker to return the greeting.

"Hey, hey, are you guys gonna let me breathe sometime soon?" He asked quietly.

When his brothers finally released him Donnie made a beeline for his bed. As soon as he was sitting down he dropped his head into his hands and pinched the space between his eyes.

"Donnie, are you ok?" Leo asked. He knew Donnie's tells. He knew all of his brothers' tells, and he knew that they knew his.

Raphael, who had been preoccupied with Mikey, turned and saw what Don was doing.

"Dang, I thought Alejandro took care of that."

"He did, last night." Don answered Raph first before turning to Leo. "I'm ok, just a headache."

"When's the last time you had something to drink?" Leo asked sternly.

Don thought for a moment, and took far too long about it for Leo's liking.

"I honestly don't remember Leo. It was a while ago. Uh, maybe breakfast yesterday?"

Leo didn't like that Donnie didn't remember, Don always remembered everything.

"Some nasty almost orange juice TANG stuff, yeah, it was yesterday at breakfast." Donnie added, and one of Leo's fears was calmed.

"Too long," Leonardo scolded flatly, "you know that, especially if you've been active, which you have been."

"I know, but it's not like there was a whole lot I could do about it."

Leo noticed that Raph, sitting on his own bed, was nodding in agreement, so Leo let it go. Instead he turned to Steve.

"Is there a way we could get some water for him?" Leo asked.

"Not without getting in trouble, and with what they've done already it's probably best to lay low for a while if possible." Steve informed them.

"I'll go!" Mikey volunteered.

Leo shook his head in response to Mikey before he turned his attention to Raphael as Donnie carefully pulled his feet up onto the bed and laid down, shell to the room.

"Tonight, dinner." Raph informed promptly, knowing exactly what Leo was going to ask.

When Leo turned to scold Don again he realized that his brother was already asleep.

"He wasn't there." Raphael informed him. "The other three were, but he wasn't. I don't think the guards were amused that 5 prisoners got through the Course, and I think they blame him for getting through the two main obstacles. It… wasn't easy on him." He added unsurely. Raph was just as tired as Don, but at least he didn't have the dehydration headache.

"What happened?" Leo asked concern in his voice.

Raphael explained the Course to his brothers. He explained Don getting them out of the gas chamber. Nalong and the little warnings he called out to them, he explained the man who fell into the acid. And both Mikey and Leo were cringing when he told about the girl who had grabbed the door in her haste to get out. He continued his story through the previous evening, the morning, Nalong's second cryptic visit and the rejected proposal, and then went on to describe his day re-roofing some of the barracks. Raphael fought to stay awake as the other five waking roommates described their days to the others before going to bed as well. The lights were out and silent hours were in effect when Mikey spoke quietly.

"We really missed you guys."

"We missed you too Mikey." Raph responded sleepily.

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