A/N: Alright already. 8 requests for more is where I say ok, ok, I'll do it! Holy Cow, there are a lot of you! And a great big THANK YOU to Chibi Rose Angel for the beta and telling me to go ahead and run with this!

Disclaimer: Last time I checked I didn't own the turtles. (opens mailbox and finds a couple bills and a moth) Nope, still don't own 'em (closes mailbox). Frankly, I don't see that changing either. I'm just borrowing them to play with for a little while and I promise to put them back when I'm done. I don't get paid. Please don't sue.


Chapter - 2

"Master Splinter, I'm ok!" Don insisted the next morning in their training session.

"Really, My Son?" Splinter questioned knowing full well that this turtle was anything but ok. He certainly was not ready for any physical training yet, but his purple masked son was nodding frantically. The wise rat could not help but wonder why this son was so desperate to train this morning, especially after what had happened yesterday. But he was being forced to prove his point. "Very well. Left jab!" Splinter ordered.

Don froze. He should have known Splinter would pull something like that. What had he been thinking? He couldn't even do something as simple as a left jab right now. Don knew he wasn't going to be able to participate in training today, at least not the physical training, and that meant he would be sent to another room by himself to meditate. Though he was usually a solitary soul, being alone was the last thing he wanted right now. Dropping his head to his chest he admitted defeat. He caught Leonardo looking at him in concern, evidently remembering the scene he had made last night. Don didn't want to be hidden away from his brothers; he wanted to be as close to them as was possible right now.

Splinter could feel the anxiety exuding from the one he thought of as his second youngest son. He was well aware of the nightmare last night, but like everyone else he was clueless as to what had occurred in the dream that had frightened the turtle so. "My son, why don't you…"

Don knew exactly what was coming, and he was dreading the words.

"…go find a quiet room in which to meditate?" Splinter could feel his son's anxiety level spike. That suggestion had obviously not helped the situation. All the same, the turtle stood and made to leave the room.

Leo watched as Don left. His brother glanced back just before walking out the door and looked positively miserable. As soon as Don was gone, Leo spoke.

"Master Splinter, he had a really bad nightmare last night." Leo tried to explain Don's actions even though he didn't really understand them himself.

"Leonardo, you know that dreams must be let go."

"I understand, Sensei, but I think whatever it was really got him where he lives."

Master Splinter looked uncertain. His purple masked son was usually unfazed by nightmares. Perhaps there was more to this. "My son, what was the dream about?"

"I do not know, Master Splinter, but when he woke up he said 'Leo, I'm so sorry. You never deserved that.' Other than that he didn't really tell me anything." Leo didn't reveal Don's leap into his arms, but he remembered it vividly.

Splinter nodded and looked at his three sons who remained in the dojo. "Perhaps then, Leonardo, you should see if he is ready to talk.

Leo nodded and ran off in search of Don. Mikey and Raph looked at Splinter, concern marring their features as well.

"Let Leonardo deal with your brother, you two should spar for a while."

It didn't take long for Leo to find Donnie. His brother had done exactly as he had been told. Don had gone to the far end of the living area, and he was sitting on a meditation mat. Leo knew that Don never remained in meditation long, especially not if there was something more interesting, but when he approached today, Donnie didn't immediately break from his meditative state.


"Stockman!" Donatello bellowed as he stalked through the corridors of StockTello Enterprises. The human hadn't been answering his phone, and Donatello was ticked. Taking a moment to focus, he remembered that Baxter occasionally unplugged the phone to concentrate on his work. It was a habit that annoyed Donatello to no end. He stormed up to his partner's lab.

Gliding silently into Baxter's computer lab and office Donatello used his ninja skills to slip behind his partner, knowing full well that Baxter despised it when people snuck up on him. Of course, that just made it a little more fun.

"What is this garbage?" Donatello queried quietly, speaking from a position only inches away from Stockman's ear. He watched in amusement as his business partner jumped from his chair.

By the time Baxter's feet had returned to the floor, Donatello was sitting nonchalantly on his desk. He should have known that the turtle would do that to him, but he didn't like it at all. "What's the big idea, sneaking up on me like that, Donatello?" Baxter demanded.

"Nah, ah, ah, you forget. I asked you a question first. You know how conversations work, don't you, Stockman? You answer me then I answer you. So I reiterate. What is this garbage?" Donatello's eyes narrowed as further incentive for Stockman to answer quickly.

"It is a blueprint for the prototype of the new…" Stockman was cut off when he saw Donatello raise his hand. Evidently this wasn't the response he was looking for. Baxter also had a sneaking suspicion that he had just insulted the turtle.

"This I can see, Stockman." Donatello hissed.

The human didn't move a muscle as he was confronted by the livid turtle. He wondered what sounds normal turtles made, because the mutant one before him had a hiss unlike any human sound he had ever heard. He thought he had read somewhere that they did hiss, but he wasn't sure. He'd have to do a little research. Suppressing the shivers that ran down his spine he stoically maintained eye contact with the being before him, just waiting to see what Donatello did next.

"I found three mistakes in a quick once over," The turtle informed, "and 18 more upon a thorough inspection. That is downright sloppy, Stockman." Donatello hurled the blueprint down onto his partner's desk. "I don't want to see another blueprint with 21 errors. Check your own work before you give it to me."

Donatello vanished as soon as his sentence was complete, ending the conversation quite effectively. Baxter couldn't help but notice that his question had been answered. He knew better than to annoy the turtle, but he had done so and Donatello had retaliated. Stockman sighed and picked up the blueprint. Every error was one that he would have noticed a few years ago. Rookie mistakes. The two words kept replaying in his head. Well, he'd just have to be more careful next time.

Instead of returning to his office, Donatello decided to take a long lunch. He went home and, as expected, found Leo still chained to the wall. Earlier in the day he had made a discovery that he wished to share with 'Fearless Leader'.

Donatello inhaled deeply as he entered his brother's room. "Do you feel it, Leo?" He asked quietly. "Do you feel them? They're here you know?"

Leonardo looked at the monster before him in horror. He was unable to believe that it was telling the truth. There were only two in existence that it could be referring to: Raphael and Michelangelo. Surely, they were smart enough to stay out of the city! Evidently his eyes betrayed him because he heard Don start speaking again.

"No, Fearless Leader, they are definitely coming for you. Do you know what they are going to find?" Donatello spoke slowly, his voice low and dangerous.

Leonardo couldn't prevent the shiver that shot up his spine.

"That's right, Fearless Leader." Donatello said as he glided across the floor, stopping only inches from his brother. He laughed and used the robotic hand to caress Leo's cheek.

Leo pulled away from the thing's touch and slammed his shell against the wall, expressing his extreme disapproval of the plan he knew was brewing in the monster's sadistic mind.


Noticing that something was definitely wrong, Leo reached out and touched Don's shoulder. "Donnie?" He was surprised when Don snapped from the meditative state and easily pinned him to the floor. One hand, the right one, found his throat and pressed.

"Never, ever presume to touch me, Leonardo." Donatello hissed into his brother's ear.

Leo was shocked by the turn of events and even more so by the dangerous tone in his brother's voice. Looking into Don's eyes, Leo was frightened by what he saw there. Two soulless voids glared back at him, they certainly weren't the eyes of the Donnie he knew. "Donatello, stop this!" Leo ordered quickly.

The blue masked turtle could only look on in astonishment as Donnie realized where he was and what he was doing. He could almost see his brother flood back into the eyes that still locked with his. Leo was freed in a moment, and in that same moment Don was gone.

Leo jumped up from the floor, where he had been left by his fleeing brother, and gave chase. He had heard the door to the sewers opening and raced to catch up with Don. While Donnie might not be the fastest of his brothers, especially with his arm giving him trouble, he did have a head start and seemed pretty motivated to get away from Leo. Leo knew that it might be a while before he found Don, but that wasn't going to stop him from trying. Something was telling him that part of Donnie really wanted to be found.

Pausing in a tunnel Leo stopped to listen carefully. He wasn't sure if he would be able to hear Don or not, but it was worth a try as he'd lost his brother's trail a way back. Leo closed his eyes and allowed every one of his senses to search for his brother's presence. A muffled sound reached his ears that did not fit in with the surroundings. Leo followed that sound until he came to a hole in a wall that he was pretty sure he couldn't fit through. He sighed and turned around, again he reached out, and this time felt more certain that Donnie was on the other side of that wall. While he had no idea how his brother might have gotten over there he was sure that Don had managed somehow.

"Don?" Leo called, poking his head through the hole. His brother was sitting in the far corner of the small space beyond the hole, with his knees tucked up under his chin. "Hey Donnie, are you ok?" Even as he spoke the words he regretted it. If one thing was obvious, it was that his brother was not ok.

Careful not to make eye contact, Don looked at the brother who had invaded his quiet little space, or tried to. He wasn't quite sure, but his guess was that Leo wouldn't fit through the opening and therefore wouldn't be getting in anytime soon. Don turned away from the intrusion and poked at the sling that supported his left arm. His gaze moved to his left hand as if to make sure that it was still there, that it was still green, not that awful silver he hid with the black glove in the dreams.

"Donnie, how did you get in there?" Leo finally asked. When Don didn't answer, Leo took another look at the hole. It was just barely too small for him to fit, which meant that Don's slightly smaller frame probably could slip through. Leo shook his head, it would have to be Donnie that he followed down here, the only one of his brothers that could still get into places he couldn't. "What happened back there, Don?" Leo asked quietly. Concern laced his voice and he was careful to keep any anger out of his tone.

Squeezing his eyes shut, Don looked away from Leo. Part of him still hoped that the blue masked turtle would just go away, but another part hoped that Leo would stay.

"I'm not angry, Donnie. I just want to help, but I can't if I don't know what's wrong. Please. Please come out of there." Leo begged. He wasn't sure what his brother would do, but smiled gently when Don stood and moved toward the hole.

Don slid out of the hole and stood before his brother, when he spoke his eyes never left the ground.

"You would be angry, if you knew what I am going to do to you." Don stated quietly.

Leo had no idea what his brother meant by this, but he did know that it couldn't be good.