Chapter Nineteen: Cold Shell

AN: THANK YOU ALEXLUKE FOR ALL YOU DO! #1 PATRON! Your two stories are approximately 70% done! Awaiting feedback/approval, and then I can begin uploading. :D

AN2: SOOOOO sorry for the delay my wonderful readers! I apologize profusely! Been trying to do some spring cleaning and my back hasn't been cooperating so I've been laid up on heating pad, taking muscle relaxers and enough Tylenol to put down a cart horse, and seeing the chiropractor every couple of days. I wanted to get SOMETHING out here for all you loyal readers, so I hope this chapter satisfies. Please excuse any mistakes.

~your humble author

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"Leonardo…"

"No," Leo said adamantly. He stared at his father in rock solid resolution.

Splinter wilted upon seeing the ice in Leo's eyes. He was so cold. Distant. Closed off. Splinter understood the cause but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't help his son melt the coldness of his spirit. Nothing was chipping away his resolve and nothing would dissuade him from his lonely path.

The father in Splinter wanted to cry at the thought of Leo's cool despondence.

Leo was always a hard worker and focused in his training.

But now?

Now, his sole purpose was the honing of his body and skills, at the expense of his heart.

Splinter tried to broach the subject of Donatello and his relationship, but Leo was resolute. He did not approve of Donnie's choice. No amount of argument Splinter provided would change Leo's mind. He was dead set on keeping the geek from making what Leo perceived as a colossal mistake.

"I have training," Leo said curtly, ending the conversation he had been having with his father. Whirling, he marched toward the dojo, calling to his brothers, "Training. Now!"

"Man!" Mikey whined, reluctantly turning off his video game. He knew better than to argue with Leo when he used that tone.

Splinter became aware of a presence beside him. Ears twitched, sensing the massive form looming in his shadow.

"Want me to hit him, Master?" Raph asked.

Splinter gave a soft sigh, shaking his head.

"No, my son. This is something Leonardo is going to have to deal with. In his own time and in his own way."

"Maybe a knock to the head is what he needs to fix him?" Raph suggested, half joking, half serious.

"It matters of the heart, one must allow time to take its course," Splinter said, giving Raph a noise of exasperation.

Raph's solution to every problem involved violence.

"Raph! Dojo! Now!" Leo yelled from across the room, pointing to the indicated doorway.

"Yeah, yeah yeah, keep your shell on," Raph answered gruffly. He gave Splinter an affectionate pat on the shoulder and headed toward the dojo, glaring at Leo and snapping, "I'm coming you obnoxious asshole! What crawled up your shell and twisted your tail today?"

Leo snarled as Raph approached, fists clenching at his sides.

Raph responded in kind, adding a sneer as he passed, daring Leo to lash out. But like always, Leo maintained his cool. He followed Raph into the dojo and barked out orders to pair off for weapons practice

Leo entered the kitchen, stretching his muscles after a long strenuous workout. He found Donnie with his head in the fridge, searching for an ingredient.

"What's cooking?" Leo asked.

Donnie squawked, banging his head on the fridge. Rubbing his head, he rose up, glaring at his sneaky older brother.

"Making lasagna but I think Mikey ate all the cheese," Donnie said, returning to his hunt for the final ingredient.

"Check the crisper," Leo suggested, going to the cabinet and withdrawing a glass. "Raph hides cheese in there because Mikey thinks it's only for vegetables."

Donnie opened one of the drawers and rummaged around a few seconds. Triumphantly he found the last bag of grated cheese and returned to his cooking. While he was covering the top of the sauce and noodles, Donnie took a chance to broach the touchy subject with Leo.

"So, I was thinking of going to Sable's day after tomorrow to work on the farmhouse and get it up to code to be a secondary base," Donnie said, using the entire bag and pulling out foil to cover the dish.

Leo paused mid drink. He swallowed audibly, a frown forming. He watched Donnie place the lasagna in the oven and set the timer before he spoke.

"No."

Donnie wiped his hands on a towel, scowling at Leo.

"What do you mean, no?"

"No, you aren't spending the weekend with this strange woman," Leo reiterated, downing the last of his water and placing the glass in the sink.

Donnie's brow line moved upward in surprise.

"If you're worried I'll let things slide around here, you have nothing to worry about. I've already gotten caught up on repairs. Still need to back check sensors and diagnostics, but I should be done by Friday. It won't be a problem."

"You're not going," Leo said sternly. "You will remain home. You have duties to attend and you allowed yourself to slack on your training during your captivity. You have a lot to catch up on."

Donnie scoffed.

"I don't know if you realized this or not, Leo, but you have no authority to tell me what I can and can not do. We're both adults. We only answer to Master Splinter in regards to responsibilities and training. And you may not approve of my choices, but they are mine, and mine alone. I don't need your permission."

Leo drew up, boldly stepping in front of Donnie to block his path.

"I am the oldest and in charge of this team. You will follow my orders or find yourself being left behind on missions. I will not tolerate insubordination."

Donnie wasn't going to back down. He squared off with Leo, though Leo had a couple inches in height and several pounds on him.

"When we are in the field, yes, you're the leader," Donnie said, staring Leo down to let him know Donnie wasn't going to be a pushover. "But when we are at home, we are brothers. Equals. If you think you can throw your weight and order me around, then you have another thing coming."

Leo bared his teeth in a snarl, but Donnie didn't even flinch.

"You're my brother, Leo, and I love you," Donnie said, hoping to prevent further friction. "But I'm an adult now. I can make my own choices and my choice is to spend the weekend with Sable."

"I do not approve," Leo growled threateningly.

Donnie's expression turned tragic.

"I know. And I know why you feel that way. I'm sorry, Leo, but I'm in love with Sable. Nothing you can say or do will change how I feel about her."

"You don't know what you're talking about," Leo spat. When Donnie made to leave, Leo reached out, grasping his brother's arm to prevent him from walking away. "You have a responsibly to this team and this family. If you can't honor either, then you aren't welcome here."

Donnie opened his mouth to speak but a much stronger voice than his own cracked through the tension.

"Leonardo!" Master Splinter snapped, glaring at the eldest of his clan. "Release your brother at once!"

Leo reluctantly let go, adding a little shove to reiterate his stance on the subject. His icy blue eyes were mere slivers of contention.

"Donatello, I believe you have diagnostics to run," Splinter said, though he stared at Leo.

"Yeah," Donnie muttered, taking a hasty exit.

Leo watched him go before slowly turning to regard his father. "Sensei?"

Splinter stroked his whiskers while he tried to find the best words to address Leo's behavior.

"You are being an ass."

Splinter was never one for subtly.

Leo drew up at the admonishment.

"Master?"

Splinter sighed, his aged body deceptively strong for one so frail looking.

"My son, I know you are in pain." Leo scoffed and made to leave, but Splinter's tail shot out, catching the belligerent turtle by the back of his leg and dropping him flat on his shell. As Leo sat, stunned, Splinter continued as if never interrupted. "But you must learn to channel your anger and release the negative emotion that threatens to drown you."

Leo huffed, adverting his gaze away from his father and mentor. Splinter's gnarled fingers curled under his chin, directing his gaze to the pale beady eyes of the rat who raised him.

"Do not take your rage and pain out on your brothers," Splinter said, thumb stroking Leo's cheek reminiscent of when the turtle was young and naive. Leo carried such heavy burdens now. His heart weighing heaviest of all. "Know that we are here for you and love you. Please, Leonardo, put your trust in your family."

Leo faltered, warring within himself. After a moment, his expression darkened. He shoved his father's hand away and rose to his feet.

"When my family is working as a seamless unit without allowing their emotions to cloud their judgment, then they will have my trust."

Leo spun and left his father standing in the kitchen. Donnie emerged from the shadows, face drawn and grey.

Splinter reached out, taking Donnie's hand and patting it gently.

"If you place your faith in this young woman, then you have my blessing to continue your relationship."

Donnie wanted to cry, but he settled for nodding. He dropped to one knee so his father wouldn't have to crane his neck.

"I wish Leo would be as accepting," Donnie confided. His heart was breaking for his brother. Like Splinter, he was unable to help Leo's broken spirit.

"You're brother is battling emotions he is unfamiliar with," Splinter said, cupping Donnie's cheek. It seemed only yesterday his sons were toddlers, bright eyed and curious and so innocent. Now, wisdom and suffering were beginning to etch their features. It was a sad thing for a father to witness. "We must be patient with him. Allow him to deal with things in his own time."

"Hopefully we won't strangle him in the process," Donnie quipped, always the good natured one.

Splinter snorted. "Well, there's that." He winked.

"I better get working on those backlogs," Donnie said, rising and checking the time remaining until dinner was finished. "I need to set up the decryption program to run on the information I downloaded from the lab we escaped. I've had to bounce it between servers, and download to a non-networked computer, but it's heavily encrypted. Might take a few days to decipher. Can't risk linking it my Ipad in case someone is monitoring the transmission. Better get started. I want to leave on Saturday morning."

Donnie offered a smile to his father then took his leave, hoping to get as much work done as possible so he could enjoy a few days with Sable. He only prayed Leo's attitude improved before he left.

Donnie hated confrontation with his brothers. He loved them. He hated when they fought. But with Leo's growing anger, it was only a matter of time until he blew his shell off.

Leo's words were as sharp as his blades, cutting twice as deep. The last time he had allowed his mouth to run was on the return journey from Brazil. Emotions were running high and they all said things they didn't mean.

Mostly. There were some harsh truths spoken.

Things that still festered in the hearts of the brothers and gave them moments of doubt and self loathing and an undercurrent of hostility.

But with Leo's increasing instability, there was a building tension, something much more powerful and dangerous bubbling beneath the surface. And there was no guarantee the brothers could survive the eruption.

The air was thick with tension for the next couple of days. Donnie stayed mostly to himself, running diagnostics, and fixing the computer Mikey had locked up from playing an online game.

Donnie was concerned there was no further chatter between the possible Foot locations he detected before his capture. Tokyo, Washington, and even the New York airwaves had been silent during his incarceration.

It was worrisome.

Checking the time, Donnie finished with the computers and set them to scan while he was away. Not wanting to walk to Sable's, Donnie found the keys to the moving truck and began putting surveillance equipment in the back. Though he planned on spending a lot of time in Sable's bed, he was serious about turning the farm into a secondary base.

Caught up in his thoughts, Donnie sidetracked several times, forgetting what he was supposed to be packing and taking a moment to solder a loose pipe or rearrange his tools. A few circuit boards were needed to handle the live feed from the cameras Donnie was going to install, along with coils of wiring.

Donnie hummed as he worked, packing the moving truck before becoming sidetracked again and browsing his computer for a florist. He wanted to surprise Sable with a bouquet of roses.

Unfortunately, being easily distracted cost him valuable time.

When he realized how long he had been idle, he found Leo storming toward him, war in his eyes.

"I've been calling and calling!" Leo half screamed, stopping up short in front of Donnie. "Are you deaf?"

"Sorry," Donnie said, ducking his head with embarrassment. Not from missing Leo's call but because he just bought Sable a sexy nightie online and was scheduling a time for it be delivered. He put his Ipad away and gave Leo a bright smile. "What's going on?"

"Training!" Leo reiterated hotly. He pointed toward the dojo. "Now!"

"Right," Donnie said, grabbing his bo and making sure it was fully charged.

Leo followed Donnie into the dojo, where Raph and Mikey were already immersed in training. Mikey offered a little wink to Donnie behind the blur of his nunchakus.

Donnie had a feeling Leo's workout regime was going to be brutal and he wasn't wrong. Two hours of weapons training, followed by an hour of hand to hand combat, which mostly Leo won, and as Donnie and Mikey finished their last session and made to leave, Leo called out.

"Meditation. Two hours."

"Dude! It's dinner time!" Mikey griped, standing in the doorway. "I'm not sitting here with my shell growling!"

Leo made to argue but Raph was already moving to the door.

"I think we should order Chinese. Want something spicy tonight."

"Mm, General Tao Chicken," Mikey hummed, rubbing his midsection. "Egg rolls."

"Lo mein," Raph added, grasping Mikey by the shoulders and steering him out the door.

Donnie made to follow but Leo called out.

"Donnie! You have another hour of practice remaining."

Donnie paused mid-stride, glaring at Leo over his shoulder.

"Extra hour? Why?"

"You're sloppy. You've been bested many times this session." Leo explained, motioning for Donnie to square off with him. "Until your skills improve, you will train in hand to hand combat for two hours in the morning and two hours in the evening."

Donnie didn't bother arguing. He'd practice when he was able, but for the next few days, he would be at Sable's. He took a defensive stance against Leo, ready to quell his brother's thirst for perfection.

Leo didn't give him a warning. He lunged, sending a series of blows to Donnie's head that he barely deflected.

Okay, his skills were lacking a little. He'd have to make sure to get in some extra practice. He didn't want to let his team down or become a liability during a fight. Or even worse, get captured and held hostage again.

Determined to prove himself, Donnie fought with all he was worth, getting in several good strikes that stunned Leo, causing him to backpedal to regain his senses. But Donnie didn't gloat or smirk. He stared, remaining focused and poised, ready for the next assault Leo launched.

By the time Mikey entered the dojo and announced the arrival of food, Donnie and Leo were out of breath and covered in minor bruises. Both sported busted lips and Leo's right eye was slightly swollen.

Donnie held Leo in a lock hold, which Leo struggled to escape.

"We're done," Donnie growled, releasing Leo and shoving him away. He stood, not bothering to wipe the blood from his face, and extended his hand to Leo in a sign of respect and camaraderie.

Leo hesitated for a long moment, glaring at the peaceful offering, before accepting Donnie's help to gain his feet.

Not wanting there to be ill feelings, Donnie offered his trademark lopsided grin.

"Hope there's extra egg rolls. Mikey's such a pig."

"Dude!" Mikey scoffed, smacking Donnie on the shoulder. "I'm not a barnyard turtle!"

Leo's expression softened but only marginally. He followed his brothers out the door and to the kitchen, where Raph and Master Splinter were unpacking the bags of food littering the countertop.

Mikey held up a long noodle and batted his eyes at Leo.

"Wanna recreate Lady and the Tramp?"

Leo rolled his eyes and picked up chopsticks.

"Want to recreate the Scarecrow from Wizard of Oz?"

"Meep!" Mikey squeaked, hiding behind Raph, who sidestepped to reveal his chicken brother.

Donnie sat for all of three minutes before he got up, wandering to a work station and picking up an angle grinder. With an egg roll hanging out of his mouth, he set to work on polishing a sheet of metal to be molded for the garbage truck's next upgrade.

His brothers paid him no mind, as it wasn't unusual for Donnie to get a brainstorm and act on it spur of the moment. Often times he worked while eating or drinking, immersed in his own little world.

Donnie flittered about the lair, ignoring Mikey and Raph's heated argument during their video game battle. Leo reclined on the couch, observing their progress and offering advice on advancing to the next level. Master Splinter was on the opposite side of the room watching a police drama, his head bobbing as he occasionally nodded off.

Splinter went to bed before midnight. Leo shortly followed, threatening his brothers with bodily harm if they made too much noise.

Raph groused, flipping Leo off and defeated Mikey in the game. He jumped up and performed a victory dance to which Mikey joined in, singing a crude version of a popular song.

Donnie made sure his equipment was packed, keys in the moving van, computers set to continue their monitoring of the airwaves, and his workstations in his usual chaotic disarray. There may not have appeared to be order to the chaos, but to Donnie, everything was in its proper place. Satisfied with his preparations, Donnie went to his room.

He lay down, willing his mind to rest so he could get an early start. He wanted to leave before Leo got up to avoid confrontation. It took some time, but Donnie finally managed to drift off.

It was just after five when Donnie left the lair. He hoped the sound of the engine didn't disturb the others and made a note to move the garage a little further away from the main living room. Sound echoed horribly in the concrete cavern. Donnie eased along the tunnel and touched the button that opened the door hidden from prying eyes.

Once on the road, he made slow progress, not wanting to draw attention. He hummed while he drove, grateful when traffic thinned out and wider country roads greeted him. Traffic congestion added to his time and wore on his patience. It was funny that when Donnie was on a mission with his brothers, traffic never bothered him. Now he was on the way to spend some time with Sable, it couldn't move fast enough.

Finally out of the city, Donnie added a little more speed. What had taken him two hours to travel by foot was easily slimmed down to twenty minutes via the main road.

He turned off onto Sable's long drive, glad it was paved to prevent the truck from bouncing around and damaging the undercarriage, and smiled when the farmhouse came into view.

Dawn bathed the rustic home in pale amber and orange. Windows on the three floors were dark, its occupant still in slumber. The wrap around porch was littered with leaves from the giant oak on the left side of the house, its branches becoming heavy with green leaves.

Donnie parked behind the house in front of the garage. Sable offered the giant expanse of the three car garage to Donnie to use as a workshop or park, but only with the stipulation he help clean it out. Donnie was looking forward to digging into the garage and seeing what treasures it held.

Yes, he was a weird turtle.

But his spelunking would have to wait.

Not only did he have to get the house secured and up to date on security measures, but there were still small projects that required his attention before getting lost in the labyrinth of the garage. Not to mention the doors were wedged shut due to all the junk that had been stored in there from Sable's grandparents.

When Sable's parents inherited the house, they never bothered to sort out the collected junk. In fact, they often stopped by to add their own things to the growing collection. Sable had every intention of making the place more habitable, but when she got sick, her health declined and her aspirations were put on hold. Now that she had help, she could get the place set up the way she wanted.

Donnie didn't bother knocking. He turned the knob and stepped inside the kitchen. Sable texted she was leaving the back door unlocked for when Donnie arrived. Donnie locked the door behind him and crept up to Sable's room.

"Sable?" Donnie called to the lump of blankets in the middle of the bed. "Are you awake?"

Sable groaned, the mountain of blankets moving until an arm appeared and pulled down one side of the covers in invitation.

Grinning, Donnie stripped down and crawled under the blankets with her. She was warm and toasty, curling into his side, her head resting on his chest. Her breath was slow and even, tickling his skin.

Donnie sighed and closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep.

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