Hi, guys. Okay, important note. This chapter and the next chapter take place mostly durring the 2007 TMNT movie. I didn't ellaborate on what happended durring the movie because most of us, if not all, know what happened, right? I don't have to quote the movie, right?! Anway, this is the part that I've been waiting for since I started Thicker Than Water!! So exciting!

Disclaimer: If I owned the TMNT I would draw out the psychological, interpersonal aspects of the brothers' lives, and no one wants that! LOL

Chapter IV: Picking Sides

"A liar should have a good memory."
Quintilian, De Institutione Oratoria

Two days passed, and their leader returned home. His reptilian skin was darker from days in the tropical sun. His hands were more callused than ever before, and he had an aurora about him that Don couldn't define.

Was he happy that Leo returned? Defiantly Don was happy to have his brother back, and to have a since of unity again. However, Leo had come from his pilgrimage…changed. They all had changed, but Leo by far had changed the most.

For the better? Only time would tell.

"I Tech?" Leo's hairless eyebrow was raised as he expected Don's computer. Grimacing, Don nodded. Here we go again, Don mentally groaned. Did he get enough guilt trips from Splinter? He tried to lead but failed. End of story.

"The pay is great, Leo." Don said in his defense with an added smile for emphasis. Leo nodded at this, and offered a returned smile. But, Don still felt the disappointment. Either it was from himself or Leo; he wasn't sure.

Leo shared his stories around the dinner table as if he was the narrator for a warrior's novel. All listened in except for Raph. Clearly Splinter was impressed by his eldest son's exploits in the jungle. Leo came back a hero even if he believed he failed.

"How did you fail?" Donnie asked out of curiosity one day.

Leo sighed, "I…I was just so caught up in being a leader that I wasn't a brother first."

"You're a great brother, Leo. We haven't been the same without you." Don said as he sat on the sofa; fixing another broken thing. Leo huffed half-heartedly as if half believing what Don said. Inwardly Don shrugged knowing too well that dispelling Leo's angst was a donating task best left to the professionals like Master Splinter.

Life returned to an abstract painting of normalcy. Everyone was too well aware of the tension between Leo and Raph. What Don couldn't understand was why was the anger mounting? It was making Mikey worried which made Don angry.

Raph and Leo were at each other's throats. It was like they couldn't pass each other without an argument. Yelling matches happened daily. Everything Raph did or said, Leo had a stabbing criticism, and visa versa.

Don and Mikey stayed out of firing range most of the time. It was difficult when they lived in such tight quarters. Tension in the lair was as abundant as oxygen. Each fighting match that happened between the two oldest seemed to only add to the tension.

Sighing, Don poured himself yet another cup of coffee. It was the fourth that day, and it was only noon. Raph and Leo were in the dojo, at it again. Don thought about sound proofing every single wall in the lair.

Mikey walked in from his room, and looked at the open door of the dojo. Sighing, he sat down at the kitchen table across from Don.

"Fight?" Mikey questioned.

"Fight." Don sipped at his coffee.

"Nightwatcher?"

"Nightwatcher."

Mikey sighed, "Coffee?"

Don reached for the extra cup, and handed it to Mikey. "Coffee."

"Man, this stuff stinks." Mikey sniffed at the cup. "And, I'm not just talking about this sewer water. But we're out of ibuprofen." He then took a long swing, and emptied the Styrofoam cup. Sighing Mikey said, "Dude, we should seriously go on a vacation after this whole Winter's thing is over with."

"That sounds nice." Don sighed hearing something breaking in the dojo. Something Don would have to fix. More yelling from the dojo. Don sighed again. "How about we go to South America."

Mikey looked at his arm, "Awesome! I can work on my golden-green tan!"

"Don't ever change, Mikey." Don laughed, pouring himself another glass.

"Dude, how many of those have you had?" Mikey asked, "Trying to be Folger's number one customer, or something?"

Don shrugged, "Like you said, we're out of ibuprofen."

"Then why DON'T YOU JUST GO BACK!?" Raph yelled from the dojo. His footsteps were charging for the garage door. Leo yelled nothing back, but he let him go and walked into the kitchen fuming. Seeing his younger brother, Leo sadly frowned and walked up his room.

"Now he's giving us the silent treatment?" Mikey rolled his eyes.

Don kept looked at Leo's door. "No, I don't think that's it."

Mikey stood, "I'll go talk to him."

"You sure?"

Mikey winked and smiled. "Sure thing! Just save me a cup of your favorite sewer water, okay?"

Jumping the stairs, two at a time, Mikey saw Leo's door open. Candles were lit, and Leo was preparing for meditation. Instead of barging in he would have a year ago, Mikey just watched Leo from the slightly ajar door.

One year and fourteen days. That's how long it took Leo's totem journey, from start to finish. Sadly, they hadn't spoken since Leo returned. Really spoken, brother to brother.

"You can't come in, Mikey." Leo called, and Mikey made a very loud 'ep.' This made Leo laugh quietly and smile. There! Mikey saw Leo smile! Miracles do happen! Santa is real!

"Sup, my big bro?" Mikey jumped inside the candle lit room. "You know the invented an awesome invention called…the light bulb a few years back." Looking up, Mikey pointed. "Wow! There's one now. As Don would say, a true wonder to human integrity."

"I think you mean ingenuity." Leo smiled, "There's no electrcity in the jungle."

Jumping to the nearest pillow to Leo's left, Mikey grinned. "Dude, you are long due for story time. Now, humor you baby brother. What was the jungle really like?"

"You don't really mean that." Don winced as Raph's glare turned back to the skyline. "Raph?"

Raph bit his lower lip. An obvious sign of torment. "I'm not…sure. I just can't stand that he can just walk in from being MIA for a year. A whole year, Don. He walks in like a self-righteous savior ready to make things perfect. He's just itching for 'flaws' to point out. What does he expect? That we'll salute him like Hitler? He hasn't changed. He's the same pain the ass."

We could say the same about another someone. Don bit back the comment and hid it somewhere next to his library of unsaid comments. Day was ending, and Don felt the chill of twilight resting over the city. They stood on a rooftop watching a sad excuse for a sunset. The sun just disappeared to the West- no flare, no brilliance. It just feel to the horizon like an orange stone.

"Would it be so bad?" Don asked. Raph turned to him, waiting him to continue.

"What would be so bad."

Don closed his eyes, "Would it be so bad…to have Leo lead this team out of obscurity?"

"That's funny coming from you, Don." Raph said in a deep rumble. "What I'm sayin' is Leo comes in here like he's the one who'll fix everything. We mean shit to him because he's the one who will fix this by himself when he hadn't even been here. He doesn't know what hell we went through."

Don said, "I just want this family back, Raph. Don't you?"

"Cowabunga Carl?" Leo said slowly.

Mikey nodded, "Our piggy bank was severely anorexic. Poor piggy. Anyway, so Don and I got jobs. He did the I-tech smart stuff. And I just flung some Nerf nunchakus around, and got my shell kicked by sugar-high youngsters. Still it did bring in a wad of cash at the end of the day."

"Still, it sounds painful."

Mike giggled, "Dude, it totally was. But, it was worth it."

"Worth it?" Leo asked. Mikey sighed.

"Leo, Splinter…His heath was really bad once you left. That's why we had to get jobs."

"Oh." Leo's face fell.

"Hey, don't worry! He's better now! Seriously, he can still kick my butt, but that's not saying much." Mikey laughed.

Leo asked, "Mike, what was Raph doing at night."

Crud. Mikey grimiest. This was The Question they'd been dreading since Leo came home. Time for a lie.

"I don't know, dude." Mikey said sadly. He was playing the baby brother, sad card now. "I slept like a log at night. The only time we saw each other was at training."

There, he did it. Impossible as it seemed, Mikey just lied to his brother. Oh well, he had been taking lessons from Raph, the biggest liar of them all.

Then Leo's newest personal mission was ending the Nightwatcher's patrol.

"He must be stopped." Leo said forcefully one night.

Mikey asked, "Why?"

"It isn't right. He's going alone on these dangerous missions that he doesn't understand."

"We go on those missions all the time." Mikey said giving what he believed to be a good debate.

Leo shot it down. "Yes, but we go together. No one has the Nightwatcher's back, and he does it without honor. I've seen the graffiti and the news reports. This guy is in it for the fame of it."

Raph was going to say something; Don and Mikey knew it. Turning away with rage, Raph walked away muttering something about fresh air. Mikey and Don exchanged glances of worry.

"That sounds like a good idea." Don stretched and followed Raph to the exit.

Leo and Mikey were left. Mikey still sat at the kitchen table while Leo leaned against a wall. Seeing Leo's face in confusion, Mikey tried to ignore it.

"Since when did Don and Raph go together topside?" Leo asked.

Mikey shrugged, "It's happened before, dude. Because of his job, Don's been more of a hermit than normal. Master Splinter told Don he needs more exercise and junk."

"Is that what Raph does at night?" Leo asked, and Mikey almost faltered. Of all the brothers, Mikey was the easiest to read.

"Uh…I don't know, dude." Mikey shrugged, "Like I said, at night I am the log!"

"He's just so damn persistent!" Raph roared, punching another wall. "You saw that smug smile, Donnie. He's just itching to have us train for hours."

"He's just…adjusting. We all are." Don tried to defend Leo in front of the leader's greatest rival and critic. "Master Splinter wants this team back to what it was, and so does Leo. However; Leo's impatient about it."

"That's an understatement."

Don sighed seeing Raph close those doors inside him again. The restless city still buzzed everywhere, but they found small silence on the rooftop. Raph had done this, ran off in the middle of a Leo lecture, to cool down. Heck, he did that for years now, but just recently had Mikey or Don went with him. Partly to convince Raph that Leo would understand, and the other part to hold the walls from crumbling around them.

A presence arrived nearby, and both Don and Raph froze. Their ninja trained senses almost melting into the environment, but they relaxed when Mikey walked away from shadow.

Waving, Mikey smiled. "Nice night."

"You have better have kept your…" Raph growled.

Don interrupted, "Don't jump to conclusions!"

"I didn't." Mickey wove defensively.

Huffing, Raph nodded at this, and then turned. "I need to go for a ride…alone." He then jumped from the rooftop leaving his little brothers alone. They heard the cycle's engine, and watched the Nightwatching driving into the dark streets.

With a little bitterness, Mikey mockingly called to a brother out of ear shot, "You're welcome, Raph! Anytime you want me to lie to my brother, I'm your turtle!" Mikey growled, "Is it just me, or does Raph need a little vacation time in the jungle?"

"I bet he appreciates it, Mikey." Don offered as he began defending Raph now. Playing peacemaking was wearing on his frayed conscience, and it didn't help that his support system, Mikey, was now being just as bitter.

Turning into the Mikey Don relied on for sanity, Mikey smiled. "Oh, I know he does. Now that he is in our debt, I believe we need to raid Raph's beer stash. Come, Robin, to the Raph Lair!"

"Leo doesn't expect anything?" Don asked.

Mikey turned still smiling, "Of coarse he expects something. He's not stupid."

"Someday this will all hit the fan."

Putting a comforting hand on Don's shoulders, Mikey said. "Then we'll just have to clean up the mess. I hope you brought plenty of sponges!"

Things just got worse. Leo was asking difficult questions, and Raph played Nightwatcher every night. Master Splinter seemed to ignore all the pending conflict. Mikey and Don tried to keep things sane and happy while Raph and Leo stood like two opposing generals ready for war.

Raph threatened and pleaded to Mikey and Don to keep his second life and second secret. If Leo was suspicious earlier; he was almost speculating what the secret was. Jokingly, Mikey called it turning from tornado warning to tornado watch. The storm was coming; all they had to do was watch for the signs.

One of those 'signs' came into Donnie's lab late one night.

Being Mikey's turn to keep watch over the Nightwatcher, Don was called to watch Leo so he wouldn't find out. However; Don had just quit his I-tech job for good that night. Stress was building to screaming levels, so Don's brain called for all droppable stress to be removed from life. I-tech was first on the list, and Don left the job without regrets or a shred of sadness. In fact he was just about to go into a very Mikey-ish happy dance when Leo walked in behind him.

"Hey, Leo!" Don was in a good mood. The best mood he had been in months. He allowed himself one 180 degree spin in his chair. "I just quit that dumb job! We need to do something to celebrate."

Blinking, Leo laughed, "You have been hanging out with Mikey too long."

"I guess I have." Donnie smiled. Was there something wrong with that? "So, what are you up to?"

Something bleed through Leo's stronghold, and Don saw it. That something was tormenting Leo badly, and Don dreaded his own guess at what that something was.

"Leo? Is something wrong?"

Looking at Donnie, Leo sighed again as he sat on Donnie's bed. Here it comes, Donnie dreaded. He'll ask 'The Question' Donnie couldn't answer yet needed to answer.

"Don…are you guys hiding something from me?"

Direct hit. Don didn't stifle the sound of his breath hitching. Inside his stomach wrenched and his mouth ran dry. That look in Leo's eyes was heart shattering. Wasn't Donnie's nagging conscience enough? Why did it seam that Donnie's bo staff was lodged deep in Leo's shell?

"Leo." Don began slowly, and the pain was evident in his tone. It was something between a whine and a whisper. Behind his tired eyes, hot stingy pain began scratching. NO! He could NOT cry. Yet, when he looked back at Leo; Don wondered what he was fighting and why he chose one brother over the other.

"Tell him. He deserves to know."

"No. I promised Raph, and who knows what trouble he'll get in. Leo will tell Master Splinter, and…and he'll disown him!"

"He won't! Leo and Splinter will understand. He might even try to help Raph, and you can have your family whole again."

"Do you want to betray Raph's trust like that?"

"At the expense of Leo's."

"What will you choice."

"The time is now!"

"Chose!"

"CHOSE!"

"Donnie."

Without knowing, Don had lowed his head like a defeated warrior. Emotional exhaustion was winning over logic. His green fist clenched turning into a strained white, and the smart turtle never felt so lost. He had his share of map-less journeys where hope glimmered like a candle in the rain. Now that flame was gone; leaving Donnie wet.

As if on time, Leo's hand cupped Don's shoulder forcing him to look up. Gently squeezing, Leo waited for the answer behind Don's teeth. Struggling behind his mask, Don's brain reached a sad compromise.

Don't look at me, brother. You won't like what you see.

"I…want to tell you." He said weakly, but he didn't feel better. It wasn't a lie; in fact Don couldn't say anything more true. The walls around him didn't feel so thick, but still Leo's hurt eyes were looking at him.

"I'm not in that position." Don offered a half explanation. Inside he mentally prayed a desperate plea to the God his logic denied. His prayer left him empty as he saw Leo's eyes drop.

"I see." Leo's voice was hard, unforgiving.

The wall between them grew as Leo stood. Reaching up by pure instinct, Don gripped Leo's arm. Turning Leo waited for an explanation for Don's action. Don's mouth was slightly opened as Raph's secret begged to be released. Stop the tension building behind his eyes and just tell him. One tear slipped behind a purple mask.

"I-I'm sorry."

Was that all he could say? That sad excuse for an apology? He was sorry for betraying and hurting Leo. He was sorry for failing at being the leader of a broken team in Leo's absence. He was sorry for failing. He was sorry for killing brotherly bonds.

The lair was too quiet, and the air was too thick. The pain was too much, and Leo's eyes were too cold. Inventions lied on the floor; some finished, others broken, and few not even hatched. Posters and blueprints lined the bricked walls, and the bluish light from the monitor filled the room. Here in Don's sanctuary, Don whispered something.

"Raph."

"Raph? What about him?"

"Just…I can't say anymore. Please, Leo."

"What? Donnie, what's wrong?"

"Why can't I come?" Mikey demanded sadly.

Raph stood near his motorcycle with the Nightwatcher's helmet tucked under his arm. The two stood in a small alley, and the clouded air was pungent with an approaching storm.

"Master Splinter doesn't want us to fight." Raph said for the tenth time. Mentally groaning, Raph realized he was acting like Leo again.

"Then what are you doing?" Mikey asked; folding his arms across his chest.

"I'm just going to answer a police stress call from the diner across town."

"You mean you're leaving to fight." Mikey said fully seriously. The hurt was obvious in this tone, and Raph sighed.

"You're not coming, Mikey. I have to do this alone."

"Why?" Mikey asked a little too loudly, "Why do you do this? Why do you always have to leave us behind?"

"I just…don't want you to get hurt." Raph said angrily.

"I can hold my own, thank you very much. Even though I'm the youngest doesn't mean I can't fight. We've had equal training and…"

"You ain't coming, Michelangelo, and that's final!"

Swiftly, Raph mounted his ride and donned his helmet. Mikey just stood there in the ozone and pavement watching his big brother ride off alone again. Once the roar of the engine droned off in the muttering of the city, Mikey snarled and released his anger on a few defenseless trash cans.

"Whoa! Mikey! Littering is against the law." Don climbed out of the man hole.

"I don't care!" Mikey snapped bitterly. Leaning his shell against the wall, Mikey slid down to sit on the cold sidewalk.

"What happened?" Donnie asked as he scanned the area, "Where's Raph?"

"Gone on his 'noble quest." Mikey spat.

"You didn't stop him?" Don asked.

Mickey growled, "I tried, Donatello!" Pressing between his eyes with his fingers; trying to relive the tension, Mikey asked. "So? How's Leo? Already calling a private eye on his brothers yet?"

"I wouldn't be surprise." Don sat next to Mikey. "I've never felt so guilty in my entire life! He asked if we were hiding anything from him."

"What'd you say?"

Don fell silent, so Mikey opened his eye. Seeing Don's expression made him gasp, "You didn't?"

"No!" Don snapped. "At least…I didn't tell him the whole truth. I only said that I wasn't in the position to tell him. Then I said Raph's name, but that was it. I swear, Mikey."

"Don't sweat it, dude. I would have cracked if he asked me that. Beside we both said this will hit the fan soon, right? Leo has to find out sooner or later."

"How about sooner than later?" Echoed a voice from the rooftop which made both Mikey and Don jump. Looking up the two younger turtles saw their leader, eldest brother, Leo, looking down at them.

"Oh shell." Mickey groaned as he stood. Leo jumped from the roof to block both the man hole and the alley's exit. His swords were still inside their sheaths. Don didn't move or even look in Leo's direction.

"What is going on here?" Leo demanded, "What do I need to find out sooner or later?"

Don sighed, "I told you Leo, we're not in that position."

"Well, I'm putting you in that position." Leo looked around, "Where's Raph, Mikey. Wasn't he with you?"

"He left." Mikey answered truthfully.

"Should I believe you?" Leo demanded.

Donnie stood defensively. Leo was not going to blame Mikey for this. "Yes, you should."

"I never thought you guys were low enough to keep secrets from your own brother." Leo snapped.

"We are not getting in the middle of this." Don frowned.

"It's too late for that, Donatello."

"You think we're doing this to hurt you?" The purple clad brother sighed, "We hate this more than both of you. I'm sick of lying to you more than being Raph's protector, okay?"

"So you're both choosing Raph over me? I hold no favorites between any of you. True Raph drives me crazy, but that doesn't mean I love him less than you or Mikey."

"We're not choosing Raph over you!"

"That's what it sounds to me!"

"Stop it!" Mickey yelled stopping the yelling match before it climaxed. Leo and Donnie turned to the youngest. "Man! Let's…just chill for a second, okay?" Turning to Leo, Mikey said calmly, "Don's right. We're not choosing Raph over you, but we're choosing to lie to you for both your sakes. Now we see that it was stupid, and we're sorry. What we're keeping from both you and Master Splinter would have ramifications that will shred what's left of this family to shreds."

"If Raph is doing something dangerous, it's up to you, as his brothers, to tell me for his sake and our own. What ever it is, I'll try to understand. I'm positive Master Splinter will too. If the secret is too damning, which I doubt, than I won't tell Master Splinter." Leo lowered his head. "I'm scared for Raph. I want to help anyway I can."

Don and Mikey exchanged glances. That hit deep, and each word had truth saturated through it. Don steeped forward, but before he could even breath in a large crash and a scream rang through the city followed by car sirens.

"That came from the diner." Leo gasped, and he began running to the rooftops.

"Leo! Wait!" Mikey called and was about to follow, but Don reached and gripped Mikey's shoulder.

"Let him go." Don said, smiling. "That's probably the Nightwatcher. We both said this would hit the fan. Maybe there is not fan, and Leo will understand. It's not our fight anymore."

"Were you really going to tell him?"

Donnie turned and motioned, "Come on. I quit my job, and Raph's beer is sounding very good right now."

Ohhhhhhh! Fun times! Seriously I'm getting a high off of this stuff. Man, I love being a writer! We all know what 'happens' next, right? RIGHT? AHHHHH! Okay, I need to clam down. Someone teach me meditation or something. LOL

Anyway, thanks for reading!

-Weezellee