Disclaimer - Don't own them, I'm only borrowing, please don't' sue me. Um, what else, oh, yeah, thanks to all who have faithfully read and reviewed! I know it's been a long ride, folks, but I think I can see the end in the distance. Wait…ah dang, that's only another plot bunny. (Rein runs and hides)

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Chapter 43 - Exculpation

Leo leapt up and grabbed onto Raphael's weapon arm, as his other two brothers rushed in to help. Now, the three struggled to keep Raph from impaling their friend, Casey Jones. In response, Raphael growled out a run-on line of profane complaints.

Meanwhile, Beth stared wide-eyed at the scene before her, mute with shock. She didn't react when Mike and Don left her side to assist Leo, though. All Beth could do was to stand there on the warehouse roof, frozen in place, and watch as three brothers battled one to prevent him from disemboweling the very man who had raped her.

In all honesty, Beth felt that Casey deserved it, yet she had also listened with rapt attention to his story. It was just something about his explanation that had tugged at her heart and it confused her terribly.

She should hate the man, wish for his death, and even encourage Raph to toss him into the river.

Yet she knew that something seemed unfinished, something that Casey Jones had yet to say - and where her own father never had a chance to say his last words to her…

"No, don't kill him, please - don't kill him!" she cried out suddenly.

Four brothers paused in their struggle, turning their attention to her, with shock and surprise clearly on their face. Casey didn't react, but hung limply in Raphael's grasp. Eyes closed, he seemed to have resigned himself to his fate.

"What?" Raph bellowed in conflict, as he glared back at Beth, "how can you say that, when this scumbag did what he did to you?"

Beth trembled, now, afraid yet determined, "I know, but he…he hasn't finished his story."

"Finished WHAT? What more can he say? It's enough t'know, Beth, that he raped you!" Raph shook from the sheer rage coursing through him, his grip on his 'friend' tightening.

Despite Leo's strong hold of his brother's arm, Raphael's sai pressed harder into Casey, now. The man sucked in a startled breath as the middle prong of the weapon pressed against his gut, his t-shirt puckering around it in response.

"I…I want to know, I have to know, please…it's…important," Beth begged, taking a single and pleading step towards the group, her hands outstretched in supplication.

Raph snarled; his mind in full-on blood lust, his eyes large and threatening. This caused the girl to shrink back a little.

In that moment, Leo took advantage of the interruption, his voice soft yet insistent as he tried to reason with his enraged brother, "Yes, Raphael, we need to hear Casey out, he needs to tell his story…" he looked at the man hanging limp in his brother's arms and asked, "is there more to tell, Casey?"

Dejectedly, Casey didn't respond immediately. Snorting indignantly, Raph shook him and brought the man's face nose to muzzle with his, "Speak now or so help me, Case, or I'll shove my sai straight through ya!"

Gulping nervously, Casey nodded, too subdued with his close encounter with death to do anything else.

"Fine!" Raph grouched, shoving the man back down onto the gravely rooftop, "say what ya gotta say, but be quick 'bout it, 'cuz I'm losin' patience, in case ya haven't noticed."

Slumped into a heap, Casey looked up, "Doesn't matter, yer gonna kill me anyway," and hung his head again.

"No," Beth's voice sang out, as she took yet another step, "Raph won't kill you." She then glared at the turtle in challenge, and he gave her an angry frustrated scowl in reply. Satisfied, Beth said as she looked back at the man again, "I…I want to hear, please."

Casey stole a glance at the girl, his voice soft and subdued, "Ya heard it at the trial, didn't ya?"

Beth thought about that and nodded, "Yes, but…I want to hear it again. Much has happened since that time," she looked over at Leo and smiled a little, before gazing once again at Casey, "And I've found out a lot about myself. I…I need to hear it one more time - from you."

Casey swallowed once before saying, "Okay, but my version's a little different now, since my head's not as muddled as it was then. I've had some time to think about…some things." He could see Raph relax a little more. Casey almost breathed a sigh of relief, too, when his old friend sheathed his weapon back into his belt.

Taking a deep breath, Casey then began…

"Well, after a while, those painkillers just didn't do the trick by themselves. I had to have something else…something stronger and I knew…I knew I was hooked, addicted." He chuckled lightly, "Funny thing about addictions, you know you have a problem, but you don't want to stop it. It was terrifying to think 'bout living in pain the rest of my life like that." Casey sighed, "And I honestly believed I would, too. Wasn't until I went t'prision and had a doctor look at me to find out I had a slipped disc. A little chiropractic work and some physical therapy and I was good as new."

"So glad to see how our taxes are bein' used." Raph drawled.

"Raph, we don't pay taxes," Don corrected.

Raph turned on his brother, "It was a rhetor'cal statement, computer-brain!"

"Raphael, just shut it, let Casey talk," Leo said pointedly. He stared his brother down and when Raph harrumphed, Leo motioned to his friend to continue.

"Anyways," Casey said, "I had t'do more pick pocketin' and stuff like that t'get money fer my fix. Every once in a while, though, I'd find drug money from some sap who had dropped it and that would tie me over nicely, but then I started drinkin', too, which only worsened the affect the drugs had on me. Sort of let myself go, too, hair got long and shaggy and had a beard, now, cuz I didn't have any means or desire t'shave. Ap wouldn't have even recognized me.

"Well, one afternoon and higher'n a kite 'cause I'd been drinkin', holed up in m'carton in some dense brush, I new I needed more money, knew that even in my dippy state. Anyways, I sees this girl comin' and she looked rich enough. But, right 'bout then, I started havin' a flashback of sorts, a hallucinatin' illusion. She was wearin' black, even had a black hat on."

Beth gave a slight, affirming nod, remembering what it was that she wore that fateful day.

Casey continued, though, either unaware or ignoring her gesture, "Don't know why she was there, it wasn't like a lot of people came by that way; s'why I chose that spot in the first place. Anyways, before I know it, I'm seein' her as one of the Foot, I think she's just out for a stroll, you know, doing non-Foot stuff, her time off from work, so t'speak. I'd had dreams off an' on about all the battles Raph and me had wit dem bums, so I see her comin' and I knows - I knows I hafta do somethin'. That's when I decide t'act th' part of th' wounded animal to lure her to me. I figure, she's a gal, must have some heart, right?

"Well, just as I expected, she investigates and that's when I grabbed her, dragged her into m'carton, hand over her mouth so she couldn't scream. I was goin' t'kill her outright, but what they did to April, the way they beat her, cut her fingers off, and who knows what other violations they might have done t'her, I decided right then and there to…" Casey looked forlornly over at Beth, his eyes misting just a little, "Forgive me, please, I was outta my mind," he sobbed once, before saying, his voice cracking, "I…I decided to even th'score, t'get…the justice Ap never got. I…raped the girl." He scrunched his face at the word, as detested by his actions in the same way his friends were. He looked up at Beth again, "It wasn't until after I stabbed you, after the police caught me, that I learned you weren't anythin' like the Foot. You were a…an innocent." Casey slumped further into himself, spent beyond his stamina, crying softly into his chest as he hung his head.

A heavy silence fell over the tight-knit group as the man sat there. Not a word did anyone speak, but all eyes were on Casey - especially Beth's.

Then, after a moment, Casey remarked, "I never expected t'get outta jail so soon, but I wasn't goin' t'argue. I had ta see you, t'apologize. I know I shouldn't have been anywheres close to your apartment, but - I just had to tell ya how sorry I was. After that…" Casey's voice trailed off for a moment, but then he looked up at Leo, "after that, I was gonna go visit my friends, enjoy a bit of reunion with them, and - tell them where I'd been an'…an' why." He looked up at Raphael now, "I know the penalty for doing what I did to her, Raph, I know about your honor system. And…I didn't want to live anymore, anyways, knowin' what I did to Beth, living without Ap, knowing I dishonored and insulted everythin' you guys taught me, what Splinter taught me." Casey sighed, "Jail time showed me what I needed to do. So, do what ya have t'do t'me, what your Bushido code demands. I'm…ready."

Leonardo graced Casey's shoulder with a hand and bowed his head, said nothing, and then stood up. He made eye contact with Raph, then Donnie, and finally Mike, a silent conversation passing between them. Leonardo gave a quick glance towards Beth and then bowed his head once. Next, he reached up behind him and unsheathed his sword, the metal 'shring' of the blade breaking the oppressive silence. At the same time, Raphael grabbed Casey by the back of his shirt and dragged him over to the edge of the roof, where thirty feet below the waters of the East River flowed.

Leo followed, as did Mike and Don.

Casey never once flinched or resisted.

Leo uttered a phrase in Japanese, bowed and then he raised his sword over the man. At the same time, Raph released Casey, stepped back, and bowed as well. Don and Mike offered the same formality. Casey huddled even more, now, wrapping his arms around himself, as he gave a small, resigned bow of his head. He stared straight down at the dark river flowing below him; knowing what was to come.

However, in that moment between earth and sky, between life and death, a voice cried out, desperate and pleading.

"NO! STOP…" Beth cried as she rushed towards the scene, "you can't kill him like that!" She was by Leo's side in an instant, grabbing onto his sword-arm, trying to hold him back, "Please, Leo, this is crazy, you just can't kill him." She looked full into his profiled face, her eyes wide and desperate.

Leonardo turned to her, his expression as cold as stone, "Why not, he raped you, stabbed you, left you for dead."

"But, I didn't die, Leo, I lived," Beth replied hurriedly.

"Did you?" Leo cocked his head a little and asked, "Did you live, Beth, or did you die that day, that part of who you were, before Casey attacked you, dying to the world. You turned your back on life, on living, because of him!" He shook his head, "What Casey did to you, Beth, forced you to hide away." He sighed solemnly, his voice a bare whisper, "He…deserves to die, Beth."

"No, he…he doesn't." Beth looked down at the man and then back to Leo, "I chose to turn my back on the world. I could have gotten help, counseling, like what Splinter tried to do for me."

"And, now?" Leo asked as he lowered his sword, "Do you want to get help, to learn to live again."

"Yes, yes, of course I do, you know that, Leo?" Beth nodded and closed her eyes, tears streaming down her cheeks, "But…" she looked down at Casey again, "I'll never be able to sleep at night if you kill him."

Raph growled out, "Maybe I understand how and why Casey did what he did to ya, now, but he shouldn't have done it. He still has to pay, Beth, he still has to bring honor back to you."

Don and Mikey both looked at her, both nodding in agreement. Mike remarked, "Yeah, Dudette, Casey deserves punishment. What he did to you…"

Don finished, "Was unforgivable."

Beth shook her head, slowly at first as if disbelieving what her friends were saying and what they were planning to do. Then, her negative gesture grew more determinedly as it dawned on her that they were actually going to execute this man, this man who, had it not been for the drugs and alcohol or his grief, wouldn't have even been there in the park in the first place. In fact, if he had made it to New York City without incident, Casey would have reunited with his friends and Beth knew how much they had all suffered with April's passing. Having Casey around would have made it easier to cope.

Suddenly, she looked down at the man and saw how beaten he was, a man who now trembled uncontrollably, and Beth wondered if it was because he was cold or because he feared for his life. Yet, didn't he want to die just a moment ago? Wasn't Casey so remorseful for his actions that living wasn't an option anymore? Maybe, if given a choice, he would want to live?

"I…" she began, her voice quaking, emotions spilling forth, tears streaming down her face, "I…think he's already paid. He's lost someone very dear to him, he's lost his self-respect, and it's obvious that he's…agonized over what he did to me." She didn't know why, but Beth found herself kneeling beside the man, no longer afraid, "I…forgive you, Casey Arnold Jones."

He turned a tear-stained face towards the girl, the very one who should be demanding his death, not begging for his life. He shook his head, suppressing a sob, "No, you can't forgive someone like me, I'm - I'm a scumbag, just like Raph said."

Shrugging, Beth replied, as she smiled a little, "Doesn't mean you can't be forgiven and I forgive you." She stood up and faced Leo, positioning herself between him and Casey Jones, "I forbid you to kill him, Leonardo. You may think he deserves to die," she turned to face the other three brothers and then gave Raphael a hardened glare, "and maybe he does - according to your code of honor…" Beth glanced down once more at the man, still huddled, yet not trembling so much, "but this is my honor, my justice that we're talking about and it's within my right to forgive him." Beth shot a look at Leo, "And people who are forgiven should not be executed!"

Leonardo let out a long-held breath - and smiled, "I'm glad you feel that way, Beth, because I would have hated to have killed Casey - If I had, I don't think I would have slept much at night, either." As Beth sighed in relief, Leo looked over at Raphael, "Satisfied, dear brother?"

"Whatever, but he's on my watch-list from now on," Raph grabbed Casey by his shirt, again, and hauled him up to a stand, "Remembeh, I'll be watchin' you! Go near Beth's apartment, I'll know. Do drugs again - or even drink - I'll know. Consider yerself on the probation from hell, Case!"

Casey gave an exhausted smile, "Thanks, Raph, yer the best friend I eveh had."

"Yeah, no problem."

Leo then took a hold of Beth's hand and led her away from the group. When they were about fifteen yards from the others, he stopped and turned her so that she faced him, "You do know that Casey's violated probation."

"Yes, I figured as much, but…" Beth soon found Leo's fingers against her mouth, effectively quieting her.

"But you don't have to report him, if you don't want to," he smiled.

"I won't…but I don't want him around me, either," Beth sighed, "As it is, I think it's going to take some time before I can even get myself back to normal again."

"Not so much time, I think you're ready," Leo assured. He stared at her for a long moment, taking her in. Then, his peripheral vision caught the hugs Mike and Don were giving Casey. Raph, as always, stood off to one side; hand on the hilt of one sai, a slight smile crossing his face as he watched his two brothers welcome Casey back. Inwardly, Leo smiled - their friend had finally come home. A little scuffed up maybe, a little scarred emotionally, but he was finally back.

Leo suddenly cupped Beth's face with both hands, his thumbs working gently along each side of her temples.

Beth reached up to grasp his leather-bound wrists. "What…are you doing, Leo," she asked. feeling herself getting a bit fuzzy in the brain, drifting, fading.

"I want you to know that I love you," and he leaned in and kissed her, deep.

In that moment, Beth's equilibrium went screwy. All time fell away from her mind, the events from moments before fluxing and bending. She recalled scenes of waking up in the lair, of Leo by her side, of Splinter talking to her, of her attempt to finding her own way home only to get lost in the tunnels, all blending together in a mosaic pattern of events. Beth felt herself drifting, floating, and then…

She was back on the rooftop again, with Leo and his brothers. She smiled sheepishly at her friend.

Leo studied her for a moment, and then, "It was a brave thing for you to forgive Casey, considering what he did to you and all; not many people would." He smiled then, "I think you're on the right road to recovery. Bitterness comes from not forgiving. So long as you feared him, so long as you kept remembering what Casey did to you, rather than letting the memory stay where it belonged - in the past - you were never going to get better."

"You sound just like Splinter!" Beth teased, grinning.

"Do I, now? Imagine that!" Leo laughed. He looked over to where his brothers were and noticed Casey walking off.

Beth followed his gaze and when she saw the man heading for the far end of the rooftop, she asked, "Where is he going?"

Leo smiled, "Probably as far away from you as he can get." Then, he noticed Raph walking towards him, with Mike and Don following from behind.

With a grin on his face, Raph remarked, "Case is gonna go back to th'farm. He has a little cleaning up to do with all those bottles and stuff, but I think he'll make it." He looked at Beth, "Brave thing ya did back there, Beth. Don't know if I could forgive like that, but - well..." He broke off and then addressed Leonardo, "Okay, fearless leader, what d'we do about Beth, now? Can't let her go back t'her apartment. Foot are already aware that she knows us."

"Yeah, about that…" Leo looked at Beth again, "I'd invite you to stay with us, but…I honestly believe you'll have better success with healing if you were in your own place."

Don interjected, "We could always rig her apartment with a warning system."

Raph shook his head, "Th'lair's too far fer us to get there in time. Won't work."

As the two of them continued to discuss options, Don's security measures to Raph's more pessimistic opinion, Mike watched, quite amused with his two siblings. He smiled wide, wider than he had in a long time. It was enough that Casey was back, that Leo was his old self again, and that maybe things could get back to normal once more. The only missing ingredient was April, of course, but Mike was certain she would approve of Beth, if Beth became a fixture in their lives. He knew that Leo approved, if the kiss he gave her a moment ago was any proof!

Finally, Beth interrupted their banter, "Okay, enough talking guys, I have another place that I can stay at."

Four voices chorused, "You do?"

Grinning, Beth replied, "Yes, my father's place. It's still in my name from the inheritance."

"You're - rich?" Mikey's eyes widened and a smile spread across his snout.

"Well, I don't know if I'm rich, but - Father made sure I wouldn't have need for anything."

Raph asked, one eye ridge quirked, "So, why were ya stayin' in that dump of an apartment, then?"

Beth shrugged and answered, "My way of disappearing, I guess. I haven't been to the old house since right after the trial five years ago. I was afraid if I stayed, housekeeping would get concerned with my behavior and then call in the authorities." She sighed, "I'd lose everything, then."

"Servants? You had servants?" Don was incredulous.

"Well," Beth replied, "not servants, just the doorman and those responsible for keeping the penthouse clean." She sighed and smiled, "My dad owned a high-rise apartment building on Park Avenue, just down the street from his law firm."

"How will you explain your absence, though?" Don inquired as he leaned against his staff.

"I don't have to, Don. Why should I have to explain myself if the property and all that I inherited is justly mine?" Beth replied firmly, "I get mail pertaining to my investments; I just chose not to spend much of it. Either way, I need to go back to my apartment to get my keys, identification, and other things." She looked at Leo, "Is…that possible?"

"Well, I don't know, depends on what's going on over there. The fight drew attention from your neighbors and it's likely that at least one of them called the police already. I'll send Raph on ahead to scout the area for Foot and to see if any authorities showed up. Mike and Don, too, just to be careful." He took Beth's hand, "You and I will remain a safe distance away until they give the signal that all is clear."

"What if the police are already there, though?" Beth asked worriedly, "Where I'm gone, they'll probably have an APB out on me, have my apartment cordoned off like I was kidnapped."

Leo thought a moment and then brightened, "Well, then you're going to have to approach them, I think, tell them your home was invaded and some 'good citizen' came to your rescue and fought off your attackers."

Mike added, "And then helped you to escape. You can tell them that…"

Don interrupted, "Then, when you saw the police arrive, that was when you knew it was safe to return. You can tell them you were afraid, given your personal history and all. I doubt any officer will hold you accountable considering that!"

"I guess I could do that," Beth replied, sighing, "But, I sure hope I don't have another episode."

"You won't," Leo assured her, "After what you just went through with the Foot and now facing Casey again after all these years - and forgiving him," he smiled, "your recovering better than you think you are."

"And you're sure of this?" Beth smiled.

"Absolutely, no doubt about it."