2/21/17: I have a reason that this took so long, I had to take some time off of writing, my neighbor, (who was like an aunt to me) passed away from ovarian cancer. She fought long and hard, and she deserves her piece. And if that weren't enough, one of my friends passed from Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Cancer really sucks, if you know someone with cancer, then spend time with them.

Rest in peace: AnaVictoria (2-5-17) and Aunt Karen (2-2-17).

BETA: BrightLotusMoon

~Dream: a series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in a person's mind during sleep.~

"Donnie! What do we do?!" screamed Leo after coming to his senses. He didn't know what to do at all. This had never happened to him nor his family before. He was the kind of person who needed to know what to do in any given situation. But for once in his life, he didn't have a plan for this. His training never prepared him for this kind of situation. He did the only thing he knew how...ask Donnie. Leo knew that Donnie may know what to do in this kind of situation.

His baby brother was having a seizure...he wasn't ashamed to admit that he was afraid of what was happening.

Raph, on the other hand, was...frozen. He was still in a state of shock. This had never happened to any of them before. Not even Master Splinter getting thrown into the drain pipe was this scary, and at least he had Mikey to help him calm down back then, but now he didn't have anyone. Leo wasn't moving and Donnie was trying to help Mikey.

"We need to let it pass. Just make sure that he doesn't fall off of the bed. And that he won't hurt himself on any objects." After what seemed forever but in reality it was only one minute, Donnie rushed to Mikey's side to turn him over to his side into the recovery position. The latter's mouth was opened to double check that nothing was blocking his airway. Once Donnie knew that Mikey was out of danger, he fell into a chair that magically appeared by his side.

"He...um...luckily his seizure didn't last for more than a minute...then we would have been in serious trouble," Donnie said, trying to catch his breath.

"...What happens now?" asked Raph finally finding his voice.

"This can...no...god please no don't slow it down…" Donnie was muttering to himself.

"...are you saying what I think you're saying?" Leo asked hesitantly.

"Y...yes!" Donnie said finally breaking down the wall that held his emotions at bay. "Mikey may come out of his coma later than sooner...god forbid we need to think ahead…" Donnie drifted off, unable to even finish his thought.

"...what do you mean think ahead…" Raph asked, panic slightly rising in his voice.

"It means that we may need to think about unplugging the-"

"NO! We can't do that! Mikey is going to be ok! He's going to wake up and he's going to be better...and then w-we...I can say sorry to him." Leo was mentally berating himself for sounding so weak and bursting out like that...but the thing was he couldn't do it anymore.

His family was falling apart...and the only one who could keep them from falling apart had been lying in a coma for the past 4 months and just had a seizure. And now Donnie had just said the unthinkable, they had to decide whether they have to take Mikey off life support or not. Leo knew he was not the only one who didn't want that. He couldn't let go of his baby brother...not yet...not ever.

He had to say he was sorry for everything that he'd caused. For brushing him off so easily, for not taking him seriously, for ignoring him, for not being a good leader...or a good big brother.

"Leo, it's not like I want this either. How do you think I feel? Do you think I want to be the one who tells everyone that our baby brother is basically dead inside of his own mind?!" Donnie yelled, close to having a mental breakdown.

"He's not dead! He's in your lab and he's getting better! He isn't going to die!" Raph retaliated almost pouncing at Donnie but held back by Leo.

"Back off Raph! Donnie is doing the best he can!" Leo said trying to keep his rising anger in check.

Raph had lost it "Well it's obvious that he isn't trying hard enough! If he was even as smart as he claims to be, Mikey would have woken up by now!"

"Don't you even think about insulting my intelligence! I'm not a doctor! I'M A SCIENTIST! I'm not a miracle worker! Mikey's condition is even worse than Leo's was" Donnie screamed. The room was then filled with all voices. Leo trying to calm them down but failing. Donnie defending his intelligence and skills. Raph accusing Donnie of not trying hard enough. April and Casey trying to break up the fight but then getting involved.

"STOP!" Cassie screamed as she blasted a surge of light energy through the group, knocking them down. They grunted as they fell to the ground, they looked up at Cassie fearfully as she stood over them. Her expression was dull until a light shined within her eyes and it went to one of understanding and sorrowful love.

"Listen, you all need to calm down. I get it. This isn't an easy decision to make, but don't worry, everything will be ok. I now you have no reason to trust me right now because you're hurting. But at least hear me out, it will be ok. Mikey will come back to you guys. I know it."

"How can you be so sure?" Raph asked in tears instead of anger.

"I just do. Kiki and I will leave to give you guys some time. We'll come back later. I'm going to pop in to see Mikey and then we'll leave. Remember to talk to him. Who knows, maybe he can hear you." Cassie walked out of the room and it was then when she left her unshed tears to fall. She walked into the lab and went over to Mikey.

"Hey, baby boy. I know you hate that nickname but I can't help it. You need to come back to your brothers, your family. You have so much here, don't you dare give it all up, sweetheart. Wake up honey, that way you can make more with them. I want you to open your beautiful baby blue eyes and look at them again." Cassie wiped away her tears and put her hand on his head. Purple light glowed around his head. "Wake up baby...you can't leave this behind. They'll be so lost without you." Cassie bent down and pressed a kiss to Mikey's forehead and pulled the blankets up to tuck him in tighter.

Cassie and Kiki walked out of the lab and looked over into the living room. They saw that everyone had fallen into an exhausted and troubled sleep. Cassie and Kiki took them into their individual rooms and made sure that they were tucked in safely in their beds. Cassie was about to slightly close the door, but then Leo started to thrash around on the bed. It was clear that he was having a nightmare and a pretty serious one.

"Check on the others, make sure they aren't having a nightmare if they are you know what to do." Kiki nodded and ran off to the other rooms. Cassie put her hand on Leo's head and he suddenly stopped moving. Instead of erratic breathing, he was in a peaceful state of sleep.

"Mikey will wake up soon Leo, I promise." Cassie then walked out of the room. Kiki and Cassie then left the house.

When Leo opened his eyes, he could see that it was night time, he looked over to the nightstand and 3:00 AM was burned onto the screen of his clock. Leo laid there for a few minutes to think about what had happened, and what led up to his moment. He remembers that they were fighting about Mikey and then Cassie knocked them down. Something must have been in that blast because they fell asleep really fast. They had not been able to sleep very well since Mikey...fell into a deep sleep. He remembered that he was having a terrible nightmare. And he hadn't had one like that in so long...but then something happened.

Leo was running…he didn't have time to pay attention to his surroundings, but all he knew is that it was red and black. He ran until he was forced to stop. He closed his eyes in order to shield himself from whatever was coming...but nothing ever came. He slowly opened his eyes and what he saw shook him to the core. Mikey was in front of him, and he looked terrible.

Mikey standing in front of him, he looked so worn from a battle that he wasn't able to take part in. Mikey was swaying slightly from side to side, his knees were bending inward and he struggled to support his own weight, he was slowly weakening from blood loss. Mikey fell to his knees, Leo was powerless to move. Leo then saw something that he never wanted to ever see happen.

A shadow then came up behind Mikey and raised something above his head. The figure came out of the shadows and it was none other than the Shredder, holding his gauntlets above Mikey, who is struggling to get up and move out of the way.

"You might as well stay down turtle. You're brothers aren't coming for you. After all, why would they come for a useless member of their family like you?"

Mikey stayed silent as he stared at Shredder dead in the eyes. Shredder just laughed and turned away and he disappeared into the shadows. Leo is able to move forward, he runs in front of Mikey and bends down to his level.

"Mikey...are you ok? What happened? What's wrong?" Mikey said nothing as tears were streaming down his cheeks, mixing with the blood from the slash on his face.

"Oh Mikey, here...let me help you…" Leo was about to help Mikey on his feet but Mikey shoved Leo off of him.

"M-Mikey?" Leo asked hesitantly because of the resistance.

"why do you hate me?" Mikey whispered Leo couldn't hear him.

"What?"

"WHY DO YOU HATE ME?! AM I A BAD BROTHER?! A BAD NINJA?! Just...why? Why don't you guys love me?" Mikey buried his face in his hands and buried them in into his legs.

"I try my best every day to make you guys happy. I train harder, I quit pranking you guys, I take your insults and your abuse and I never say any-fucking-thing! I tear myself apart just to make you guys and Sensei happy! BUT NOTHING WILL EVER BE GOOD ENOUGH! I-I'll never be good enough." Mikey broke down in tears again.

Leo had no idea what to even say to Mikey. Why did his baby brother think this? Did they really treat him so bad? Leo felt awful, but before he had time to talk to Mikey, the shadows were groaning, and it was creeping up Mikey. Leo tried to grab him to protect him from the unknown, just like he was always supposed to do. But when Leo reached for Mikey, his fingers went right through him.

"Leo...why aren't you helping me? I thought I could trust you...I thought you had my back...I thought you loved me."

"NO! Mikey, I'm sorry that I wasn't there for you, but I'll be here for you now! Please...please don't leave me not again…" Leo looked up from the ground and his breath was sucked out of his very being when he saw that Mikey was gone. All that's left a fabric of orange. Leo crawls over to where Mikey's mask is and before he can grab it, it disappears.

Leo then curls into himself and cries. "Please come back...come back to me please…" Leo's voice breaks at the last word. He feels nothing but sorrow and regret. Memories surge around him.

"Why don't we ever use my plans?"

"Because they're your plans!"

"If my opinion counts for anything…"

"It doesn't"

"I don't want him...and I'm in charge."

"I'm starting to think that no one wants to be with me!"

"At least he's good at something…"

"Some ninja!"

"You're just a screwup!"

"We didn't mean it like that...he's good for everything...he would do anything for us," Leo whispered as he falls down to the ground. He feels empty and cold without his sunshine to keep him company and warm. He doesn't know how long he is crying but he doesn't really care. No one is here to chastise him for losing his emotions. No one has been able to hold anything in anymore.

He then feels something shift in his mind. At first, he felt nothing but sadness, grief, guilt, and emptiness. But then he was filled with something...was it numbness...no it wasn't that...he definitely feels something...it was peace? Why would he feel peace? He then felt his body being lifted by a pair of hands. He was hesitant to look up but he did when he felt a familiar pair of arms.

It was Mikey.

He was looking at him...smiling. He was beaming his beautiful smile. He was smiling like nothing was wrong. Mikey then opened his baby blue and and they were shining instead of nothing at all.

Leo's demeanor immediately changed. He bolted up off of the ground and engulfed Mikey in his arms. Mikey immediately melted into his arms. He never thought that he would feel those strong arms around him again. At the same time Leo was so happy that he was able to hug his baby brother again.

"Mikey I miss you so much...you have no idea...and I'm so sorry."

Mikey pulls away from Leo and looks him in the eye. Leo takes in the love shining through Mikey's eyes.

"Sorry for what onii-chan? You didn't do anything wrong." Mikey says honestly.

"For...for everything. I've treated so bad and you didn't deserve that. You deserve better...you deserve a better friend...life...you deserve a better brother -" Leo was about to continue his rant until he was interrupted by Mikey.

"Stop it! Don't say that! You're always there when I need you. You let me do crazy things, you bring me down to reality when I lose my focus. When I go out to get new comics and pizza, you always call me, even if I've been gone for a minute. You always look out for me."

"That's a lie Mikey...I've always put you down, I never take you seriously...I constantly berate you...and I never tell you this...but I love you, Mikey. I love you so much. I don't know why we never tell you...I guess I just thought you knew."

"I'll admit...sometimes I wish that you would take me seriously...and at least acknowledge me, and say that I bring something to the team. But I know that you guys love me. Remember when we fought Mega Shredder, you bros wouldn't let me out of your sight when we got home. You guys stayed with me in my room in case I got a nightmare...even though I knew you guys were the ones who were scared. You guys always look out for me! I love you bros! And Sensei and April and Casey and Cassie and Kiki!"

Leo said nothing but he held Mikey tighter than before.

"Is this a dream?"

"No Leo..it's really me...and...it's just hard...since that seizure...but I'll be fine."

"Mikey what are you saying? What are you talking about?"

"You have to go now…" Mikey said with tears in his eyes. Leo is about to ask again but MIkey steps back from him.

"Mikey...what's wrong?"

"Bye Leo…"

"Wait Mikey come back!" Leo called as he saw that Mikey was moving away from him. The world was spinning and it was then when he...bolted up from bed.

After Leo was able to catch his breath, he jumped out of bed and exited his room to run down to the lab. He ran into the room to see Mikey lying still in his bed. But something was different.

His eyes were open.

Sorry if this chapter sucks, I will get the next one up as soon as possible.

2-21-17: DID ANYONE SEE REQUIEM?! OH, MY GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH! THE FEELS! THE FEELS! I was crying like a baby when they started crying...my babies….my poor sweet darlings…They've been through so much...they don't deserve that...none of them do!

I was tearing up...but when Mikey said...that...I lost it! OMG! I can't wait for the next episode.