"Raph, no. I don't… I… Raph, please." Don slipped his wrist out of his brother's hand and pulled away.
"You do fine with me. There's only the five of us out there. It's just you, me and three others, bro. Donnie, You can do this."
"Raph, no."
"Donatello," now Raph had the other turtle's undivided attention, Raphael NEVER used his brothers' full names. "I know that you can do this. Read me for yourself if you don't believe me. Now you need to know you can do this. Come on, what happened to the confident and determined turtle I once knew?"
"Life happened and he got telepathy. That turtle's gone, Raph."
"I don't believe that, and you don't either. Now stop this foolishness and come out into the lair with your family."
Raphael reached out and pulled his brother from his room. Don finally stopped offering up resistance. They were just about to the main room when Don gasped and clutched at his head.
"No. Donnie, focus. You need to focus."
"Raph,"
"I'm right here, Donnie." Come on, Donnie, you can do this. Focus. Come on, you were doing so well. Keep going, Don. You can do it. Now, get back inside your own head! Raphael watched as Donatello finally started to calm down.
"Please don't make me do this. It's too loud, Raph. I'm not ready for four other people."
"It's only three more than you're used to." Raphael insisted aloud. Come on Donnie, please try. At least give it a try. "Tell you what. I'll go out there first and talk to them, that way they won't get too excited, would that help?"
"Leo's really angry, Raph. Did you do something earlier that ticked him off?" Don asked, ignoring Raphael's question.
"He's been like that all week." Leo had been a real pain in the shell for the past several days, and it was truly grating on Raph's nerves. The leader's insistence on acting as though nothing had happened pushed Raph very near the limits of his tolerance for his blue masked brother on several occasions. Splinter had even been forced to intervene more than once.
"Not like this he hasn't." Don paused a moment. "You told him earlier. He doesn't want me anywhere around." He tried to pull away from Raphael, but his brother held fast to his wrist.
"He just doesn't like people in his head. Stay out of his head and he'll be fine."
"Raph, he's practically screaming. I can't stay out of that. You know how he yells when you two really go at it? It's kind of like that. It's impossible not to hear!"
Raphael could see Donatello was getting pretty worked up about all this, and knew he had to put a stop to it right now. "You listen to me, Donnie. And you listen good." He pulled his brother around and forced him to make eye contact. "This is your home too. Leo can't keep you locked away in your room because he doesn't want you around! He needs to remember that you're his brother. You have every right to be out there, no matter what he thinks! Besides if he doesn't like it he can leave, but it's his loss!"
Don's eyes dropped to the floor. "Can you see if Mikey would be willing to try calming him down?"
"He can try, but I can't make any promises, and you're not getting out of this."
Donatello smiled, but slunk away from the main room while Raphael went out to have a chat with their orange-clad brother. After Raph disappeared around the corner a few moments passed before Don was pretty sure they had started their conversation. Raph was calm, so his thoughts were quieter and he could block them out, but he could hear Mikey's quite clearly.
He wants me to do what! There's no way! Please, let him tell me he's joking! He's not joking. He's not joking. Oh shell! Leo? I have to calm down Leo? How am I supposed to do that?
At that point Mikey calmed down enough that Don was able to tune him out. It didn't sound like Mike was going to try, but something else told Don that his brother would do his best. When Mikey came out and pulled Leo from the room Don realized that the thing that told him Mike would try hadn't been Mikey's thoughts, but his own knowledge of his family. Something he had forgotten about since this whole thing began. It didn't matter what they thought. What mattered was what they did. Don knew he seriously owed Splinter an apology. His sensei wasn't the type to give up on anyone, certainly not one of his sons.
"They're gone." Raph informed as he came up beside Donnie.
"I know."
"Well then get out there. Go on, I'm right behind you." Raphael gave his brother a little push and let Don go out into the main room by himself. He knew there was something that Donnie needed to do before he interfered.
Donatello approached Splinter slowly.
"Is there something on your mind, My Son?"
Don fidgeted a moment before he knelt down before his sensei. "Master Splinter, I…" It took him a moment to get up the courage to say the words that needed to be spoken. "I believe I owe you an apology. My actions last week were… uncalled for."
"You are forgiven, Donatello. And I am sorry as well."
Confused by the apology Don looked up at Splinter "Why?"
"My momentary lapse of concentration harmed you, My Son. I never meant to sound as though I had given up on you. The approach was not working. You needed something else, something that I was ill-equipped to give."
Donatello just looked questioningly at his sensei.
"I couldn't help you, nor could I help your brothers. I am proud that two of you have found it in yourselves to help each other."
"Raph."
"Yes. He is in much better spirits than he has been in a long time, and you are too. I could not truly understand your situation. Raphael alone was in a position to help you, and you were the only one who could help him." Splinter paused for a moment then called Raph into the room. "I am very proud of you, My Sons. You have learned a valuable lesson."
The two turtles smiled up at their sensei.
When the little chat with Master Splinter had been completed Raph moved over to the couch and dug the remote out of the cushions. Donatello claimed the opposite end of the couch as Raphael started flipping through the channels. Finally settling on an old movie Raph put the remote on a nearby table. He noticed Don looking in the direction that Mikey had taken Leo.
"Donnie, you alright?"
"Huh? Oh. Yeah, I'm ok. It's just… Leo's pretty mad."
"Leo's in denial." Raph all but shouted. "He's been in a foul mood for days. Don't worry about it."
Only moments later Mikey's voice could be heard quite clearly as Leo's door was pushed open, the orange masked turtle was shoved out into the hall, and the door slammed in his face.
"Aw, come on Leo! It's not that bad. You look good in puce!"
"Go away, Mikey!" Leonardo shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Fine, okay, good, I will." Michelangelo stated calmly through the door. He came back down to the main room and walked up behind the couch. He was receiving identical upside-down looks from both brothers who occupied said piece of furniture. Neither Raphael nor Donatello had bothered to turn around; they simply tipped their heads back in order to see their brother.
"Uh, I don't think he'll be coming down for a while." He watched the TV for a moment. "Hey! Die Hard! I think this calls for some popcorn!" Without another word Mikey scooted out of the room.
Coming back into the room Mikey made a run to jump onto the couch between his brothers. Instead of the expected jog and hop Michelangelo shot through the room and the jump onto the couch toppled the thing over spilling all three turtles to the floor. Raphael and Donatello landed in a heap under the overturned furniture while Mikey bounced away.
Is he Bouncing?
"Yeah, I saw it too, Raph. He bounced. He's still bouncing. He's bouncing on his shell." Don confirmed.
"Guess we know what his new little trick is."
"Yup, running and bouncing. Why am I not surprised?"
Raph had to laugh a little at the joke, but he had noticed the strain in Don's voice. He was forced to agree though; these were very fitting changes for his brother in orange, and he was sure that Mike would soon be using them to drive him absolutely batty.
What the…? What just happened? Michelangelo was quite confused at the moment, and tired too. He didn't know how he had gotten to this side of the room. How did the couch get knocked over? What's going on here? Oh shell! Donnie and Raph! Are they ok?
Raph could see Don fighting for control, and his brother seemed to be losing that battle. Only then did he realize that his own thoughts were racing, and he was sure that Mikey's were too. He took a deep breath to control his own mind first then stood. He easily picked the couch up and put it back where it belonged then went to help Mikey out. Eventually, Don pulled it together, got up and joined them at the far end of the room.
"Hey, Mike." Raph greeted the turtle who was lying dazedly on his back on the floor where he had finally stopped bouncing. "Welcome to the club, bro."
All Michelangelo could do was stare. He lacked the energy to do anything more.
A/N: Aw, come on. Don't look at me like that. It had to happen sometime! hehe.