"You're not, babe," Casey said and beamed. "We're all back. I don't know how, but we are."
Shedding tears, April stood up, threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly and said, "Oh, Case. I thought I'd lost you forever." She looked up and saw Donnie and Mikey staring anxiously at their dad, whose condition was unchanged. "You guys are back too. I can't believe it. I thought you were all gone and I was alone. Did you see Leo and Raph?"

"Nope," Mikey said. "Which means they have to be alive, but I don't know for how long, because they had severe injuries. Donnie, is Dad going to be okay?"
"I don't know, Mikey. It's a waiting game. Not much we can do. It's up to him. I'll stay with him. The rest of you need to go out and to search for Leo and Raph when it's dark. Scour the city. Someone has to know something about their whereabouts and when they do, we'll find our brothers and we'll bring them home."
"What if we don't?"
"We can't afford to think negatively, okay?"

"What do you mean severe injuries?" April asked. Mikey filled her in. "Then they're sitting ducks for whoever took them," she said sadly.
"April, we can't afford to think that way," Donnie said. "We will find our brothers and we will bring them home. We have to be strong in the meantime. There's no point crumbling, because it doesn't help."

A voice said weakly, "My sons, my sons…."
"Dad?" Donnie said, studying the old rat. "Dad, can you hear me? Open your eyes if you do."
Splinter opened his eyes, blinked in astonishment when he saw Don gazing at him and said, "Donatello, is that really you, my son? I must be dreaming."
"No, Dad. We're all here. I don't know how, but we are and you're going to be just fine. I promise."

"Papa," Mikey said, his eyes filling with tears. "You gave us such a huge fright. Don't do that again," he added, as he grabbed Splinter's hand.
"Leonardo? Raphael?" Splinter said. "Are they here?"

"No, Dad," Donnie said, as he fetched a glass and filled it with water. He returned to his dad and said, "Drink this, Dad. Please."
Splinter sipped the water and said, "Please find them, my son. I cannot rest until they're here with us. I had a terrible dream when I was lingering between here and the light. Your brothers are facing the worst nightmare they have ever encountered, an evil they do not how to combat, because that evil is nothing they have ever faced before. It's venomous and will either break them or make them realize they are stronger than they thought. You must find them. Please don't give up."
"We will get them back, Dad. You can count on it. Did you happen to see what the evil was?"
"No, but my dream told me it's something that could bring them to the point of destruction and it could even destroy our family bonds."

"Nothing could do that, Dad," Mikey said. "We're brothers and we'll always love and be there for one another, whatever happens."
"We will bring them home, Dad," Donnie said. "I promise. Our family will be whole again. How about something to eat? Mikey, make Dad some soup, okay?"
"On it," Mikey said and ran out of the room.

"We'll help you," April said, nudging Casey, sensing Don might want alone time with Splinter.

April and Casey left the room.

"Dad," Donnie said, "What evil did you see? You can tell me. Mikey isn't here. I know you like to protect his innocence. We all do, but you can be real with me."
"The worst kind," Splinter said despondently, tears spilling down his cheeks. "They're being treated like pets, Donatello, and subjected to all kinds of mental and physical degradation. There's only so much the body can take and I fear they are soon entering the abyss. Raphael is not as strong as his brother mentally and may have already crumbled. Leonardo will be tougher to crack, but he has limits too and if they enter the abyss, they may never leave it and recover! Find them, my son!" Splinter said hysterically. "Do not tell Michelangelo. He may be older than Raphael, but he is younger mentally and doesn't need to know about such perverseness."
"We will," Donnie said, grabbing his dad's hand, as his own heart shattered at what his poor brothers must be going through. "We will bring them home and we will help them heal. I want you to eat the soup and to get plenty of rest, okay, Dad? You have to be brave and strong. Leo and Raph will need you more than ever when they return."
Splinter nodded and said, "You have no idea what we're up against here, my son."
"Maybe not, but I do know we're family, we've been through hell and back together and we will get through this too. So will Leo and Raph with our love and support."

Mikey returned with the soup.

Splinter ate it and then closed his eyes and rested.

Mikey and Donnie watched over Splinter, praying he would make a full recovery. The heart attack had been an immense shock and it would take a long time for him to heal.

April and Casey were still in the kitchen and having a snack.

Leo and Raph, hold on, Donnie thought, his eyes wet with tears. You're courageous, Hamato's, noble warriors and not pets or whatever the sickos want you to be. Fight. Don't crumble. Keep fighting and know we will find you. We won't quit ever. I love you guys so much and when you're back we'll do everything we can to help you. You're not and will never be alone. Please don't give up. We all need and love you so much. Fuck. Just come home. Please. I don't pray, but I'm praying now. Please come home.

XXXX

Leo realized he'd fallen asleep, when rough and calloused hands stroked his cheeks and he heard a voice urging him to wake up.

He opened his eyes and stared up into dark and soulless eyes and a brown face, which wore a huge grin and were those fangs? Was he gazing at a mutant snake? What was this new person?

"I am Venom, a mutant black mamba and your worst nightmare," the person said. "You must be Leo. Beast has talked a lot about you."
"Who the fuck is Beast?"
"You may know him as Raphael. Beast is his new name. Suits him. You'll soon have a new name too. How about slut? I like it, because that's what you'll be. A slut to use and to abuse."
"IF YOU TOUCH HIM I WILL KILL YOU!" Leo snarled, his blue eyes blazing.
"So passionate and feisty. Just like Beast, who is sorely lacking in manners. All I did was help him and he was hostile. Kids today. So ungrateful and disrespectful to their elders. Never mind. He will learn respect and so will you."
"You leave him alone!" Leo growled, refusing to be intimidated by this creature, even as his heart pounded in fear. "I can handle whatever shit you want to dish out, but leave Raph alone. Don't think you have us imprisoned forever. We will escape and we will kill you for all you've done."
"So possessive. I think he's more than a brother. Your lover perhaps. It isn't uncommon in the wild for Turtles to mate with their siblings. I probably mated with some of my sisters. It's okay, Leo. There don't have to be secrets here. You can tell me. I won't look down at you for succumbing to your base needs."
"WHERE THE HELL IS MY BROTHER? Get him fucking now, you asshole! I won't play your sick games and I know my brother won't either."
"Last I saw him he was sleeping or perhaps he had my cock up his ass. I really don't know," Venom said, wishing to push Leo's buttons. It was always so much fun riling his prisoners.
"Stop messing with me, you wacko snake," Leo hissed. "Where is he?"
"So demanding. You really need to relax, Leo. Are you sexually frustrated and pent-up? Beast not being a willing boy in the bedroom? Too bad. I'm using him first and then you can have him. How about that?"

This snake is despicable Leo thought furiously, but snapping at him isn't going to get me anywhere, especially as I can see he loves testing my buttons. Pretty much what Raph did. Oh, Raph. Please be okay.

"Look, we got off to a bad start," Leo said and smiled his most winning smile, even as hatred for the grotesque mutant surged through his body. "I just want to know how my baby brother is, do you understand? Please tell me how he is."
"That's so much better, Leo," the snake said condescendingly. "Politeness is so much better and more refined than swearing. Perhaps we'll get along after all. I have to go. I just wanted to drop in and meet the brother Beast is always talking about. You're a cutie by the way. I think we're going to have a blast together. I'm a kinky bastard and I have so many plans for you and Beast of course. I don't want him to think he's neglected. He's not and will be my star pet. I hope you aren't jealous. I think Beast has been in your shadow his whole life and he needs to shine for a change. It'll do wonders for his ego," Venom said and chuckled. "Beast is extremely beautiful. I'm sorry I wasn't the first to take him. It would have been amazing to break him in first and to hear his whispered screams, as he was ravaged for the first time, my thick cock tearing through his backside. Never mind. I will still enjoy dominating him into eternal submission."
"Let me see him. Please. I beg of you," Leo said, his blood running cold at the villain's malevolent words. The guy was a sadist. It would take immense strength not to crumble. He could do it though. He was tough and he wouldn't shatter, because his baby brother was counting on him more than ever. Raphael had to realize that he was strong too and tougher than he thought. If both of them did that then they could survive this shithole they were in and they would return to their dad. That is, if he hadn't keeled over and died when he suspected all of his sons were dead.

Dad, please be alive, Leo thought. Please. We'll need your strength, love and wisdom more than ever when we get out of here, as we try to heal. Dad, if you can hear me, wherever you are, please don't fall apart. Stay strong. I will do everything in my power to bring Raph and I home to you.

"Afraid not, my pet, but you will see Beast when he's accepted his new life," Venom said. "Perhaps or you might not. It depends on how you also behave. I'll send my beast your regards."

Venom left the room.

"I WANT MY BROTHER!" Leo screamed in frustration. He'd tried his utmost to be civil, but it hadn't got him anywhere. He still hadn't seen his brother, who was probably terrified out of his wits. Poor sweet Raphael, who didn't deserve any abuse. Not that he, Leo, did either, but Raphael had already been through the wringer with Slash. Why did he have to suffer again?

Leo badly needed the bathroom and he was so damn hungry. Why hadn't he been fed and taken to the bathroom? Oh, that's right. Starving him and depriving him of the bathroom were well known torture techniques to mentally humiliate him and to make him beg like an animal to have those privileges.

Starvation could lead to hallucinations and eventually death. Leo knew that. He'd been stranded a few times on missions with his brothers when food had been dangerously low. They'd always been rescued by their allies before the food ran out though.

But this was different. No allies would come running if he didn't submit and if he didn't bow to his new fucking Masters, then he couldn't help his brother and get out of there.

So he had to forget his dumb pride, because damn it, he had pride too. It was one of the reasons why he and Raphael fought so much. Neither liked backing down when they argued. They were really the same sides of the coin: passionate, feisty, opinionated, had raging tempers, were hot-blooded spitfires and deeply devoted to all they loved, although Leo had a better handle on his temper and had learned to temper it.

It was inevitable they'd clash then and as much as Raphael pissed him off and vice versa, they were still extremely close and sought the other out when they had nightmares and needed comfort. They talked about everything under the sun and they knew they'd always have each other's backs. They were best friends. Sure, Raphael was close to Casey, but he said that Leo was actually his best bud. That made Leo puff up his plastron in pride, because he thought the same about his little brother and had always been a bit jealous of his friendship with the human.

Brothers. Well, Donnie had said that he and Mikey were bio brothers, but Leo and Raphael were unrelated to them and to each other. That hadn't mattered to any of them though, because they counted each other as family and always would. You didn't have to be blood to be family, did you?

Leo loved them all, but if he had to be honest his love for Raphael ran deeper. He knew that's why he'd so readily acquiesced when Raphael had said he wanted to be with Leo if he became a girl, because he wanted Raphael and that's probably why Raphael had asked him. They wanted one another, but it was a forbidden fruit, because they'd been raised as brothers and Splinter would never approve and Donnie and Mikey probably wouldn't either. He and Raphael would be called sickos and a lot worse and would probably be banished.

Leo cast his mind back to the farmhouse and a moment that was seared into his memory forever.

FLASHBACK: SEPTEMBER 24

Leo and Raphael were standing out on the veranda late at night and talking, as they gazed at the full moon and the stars, enjoying the view, something they rarely had the opportunity to do.

"Take off yer mask, Leo," Raphael said. "I wanna see ya without it."
"Why?"
"Just do as I ask. Please."

Please, a word Raphael rarely used.

Leo undid his mask and Raphael did the same thing. They hated being maskless around others, because it made them feel vulnerable and exposed, but they didn't feel that way around one another or their brothers and often were maskless when their human pals weren't around.

"Better, Leo," Raphael said. "I like ya without yer mask. Do ya remember the talk we had some time ago?"
"We talk a lot."
"'Bout findin' someone."
"Yeah. What of it?"
"I've been doin' some thinkin'. It's just gonna be ya, me, Donnie and Mikey forever, right?"
"What's your point?"

Raphael suddenly smashed his mouth onto his brothers in a passionate and spine-tingling kiss, stunning Leo, who to his immense astonishment soon recovered and eagerly reciprocated, wrapping his arms around Raphael's waist and drawing him closer.

Their hearts raced, as tongues danced and their plastrons ground against one another's, causing an amazing friction and electricity surging through their bodies.

They churred, as the kissing intensified, hands roaming and tugging at belts, which fell onto the ground. All they wore were their bands now.

Raphael's first kiss. It had been everything he'd ever wanted: passionate, special and mindblowing.

It wasn't Leo's first, but it was everything he'd ever wanted in a kiss. He should feel guilty for kissing Raphael, because he had a girlfriend, but he didn't. Being with Raphael felt so wonderful and so right.

They made out until the need for air was too great, Raphael pulling away, a huge smile on his face.

"What the fuck was that, Raph?" Leo said breathlessly.
"I picked ya," Raphael said shyly.
"What do you mean you picked me? And are you nuts? The others could have seen us."
"Nah. They're asleep. Well, it had ta be. We got the most in common, Leo, and we got chemistry. Ya can't deny it."

No, Leo couldn't, but come on, this was his brother. It was wrong on so many levels.

"It ain't wrong, Leo," Raphael said. "We ain't bio brothers and it's obvious we want one another. Ya wouldn't have kissed me if ya didn't. Why can't we be together?"

Leo's head was spinning. Raphael had just kissed him and he'd liked it. Loved it. What was wrong with him? He was so fucked up, wasn't he?

"We could sneak 'round until Dad's passed," Raphael said, trailing a hand down Leo's spine and making him shiver. "Then we don't gotta and can do whatever we want. I love ya, Leo. I have for a long time now and yer the subject of my most intimate dreams. I want ya, desire ya and wanna be with ya forever. Ya feel it too, don't ya?"
"No. We have a connection. I feel the same way and have always loved you. I guess I just buried my feelings, because no one would approve. Fine. We'll do what you suggest, but we have to be careful."
"That's my middle name," Raphael purred and kissed Leo hungrily, his arms wrapped around Leo's waist.

And they had snuck around for two weeks at the farmhouse, making out whenever they could and even petting, but Leo had gotten anxious about others finding out and had called it off to Raphael's dismay and ire. They'd had a blazing row. Raphael had even shed tears and since then they'd been on edge and nervous around one another.

It wasn't unusual, because they constantly fought anyway.

Raphael completely ignored him when they arrived home and chose to spend all of his free time with Casey. He talked about banging chicks and would even show his brothers the crude porn mags he had and the websites he went on. It was like a dagger to Leo's heart. He did want Raphael so much, but he was petrified of everyone's reaction.

So Leo wasn't the brave leader he was supposed to be. He was a fucking coward for not having the balls to say 'fuck you' to the world and to all he'd ever known, so he could be with the person he cherished most.

His Raphael, his love.

Well, perhaps this new nightmare he and Raphael had been thrust into was meant to give him the push to man up and to fight for his love.

So forget his stupid pride, his ego and everything he'd ever known. None of that mattered. All that mattered was Raphael, his brother, his treasured love and soulmate.

He would do whatever the psychopaths wanted, no matter how horrific it was and would suffer if it brought his Raphael peace. He would be relegated to a mere pet, but he would do it with a twist.

He would pretend he had lost his identity, his soul, his mind. He could pretend. After all he'd pretended that he didn't love Raphael after their breakup and had been so good at it. Sometimes he had even believed himself.

Yes. He would do that and he would be strong, relying on his meditation that never failed to help him through his trying times.

Then he would find a way for he and Raphael to escape and they'd return home to Splinter. He would apologize to Raphael, beg him back and then they'd tell Splinter they were an item.

The rat might be furious and threaten banishment, but Leo wouldn't back down. He and Raphael would leave and would make a new life somewhere else together.

He'd lost Raphael once, but he wouldn't again.

Leo squeezed his eyes shut, tears raining down his face and thought, I love you, Raphie. I'm so sorry I didn't have the guts to fight for our relationship. I hurt you immensely. I regret that so much, but I promise we'll get out of here, we'll be together and I won't let anyone break us up. Just hold on, Raphie. Please.

A/N Shredder's up next and it's never good when he is.

Thanks to all for the reviews :)