A giant thank you to Amonraphoenix for Beta reading this chapter for me and for taking he time out of her bust schedule to do this, you are awesome!

Also a big thank you to Kimmie98 and I love kitttens too for your wonderful reviews:)

Chapter 12

Donatello groaned as he opened his eyes. At least he tried to, but they didn't seem to be obeying that particular command at the moment. It was possibly due to the fact that he felt like death. That was the only way he could describe the way he was feeling at the moment. His head pounded furiously, his stomach churned dangerously, his mouth was dry, and held an unpleasant after taste; like old metal that strayed across his tongue tormenting his taste buds and making the contents of his stomach all the more likely to rebel.

He managed to peel back his eyelids with extreme effort and looked up at the dim ceiling above. Groaning wretchedly he gathered up the sheer strength of will required to roll over. He did so and instantly regretted the action. His stomach rolled, black dots of pain danced before his eyes as he tried to pull himself up before he vomited where he lay.

A wastebasket was suddenly shoved beneath his beak as he wretched up the meager contents of his stomach. He grabbed hold of the basket like it was some sort of lifeline as his stomached rolled uncomfortably to the other side of his body, causing him to heave again.

"Geez, Donny. I thought you'd died." Raphael's voice growled angrily from over his shoulder, and slightly to the left.

His brother's voice sounded like all of the drums of hell were banging around in his head. "Raph," his voice rasped in agony, "Stop talking," he begged.

His brother however wasn't the merciful type. "What the HELL, Donny?!" Raphael practically roared, though it was tempered slightly with a venomous hiss.

Donatello winced and swallowed down the acidic bile that attempted to crawl up his throat. He finally managed to push away the waste basket and realized a few things. One: he was on the floor; Two: he was -as far as he could tell- completely naked; Three: he was having a hard time remembering how events One and Two had actually occured.

He sat up, clutching at the thin sheet that was draped lightly over top of him. This movement did him no favours and all he could be thankful for was the fact that the light was dim in the library. The only light that managed to permeate the room came from the skylights, and it looked as if the storm had not yet abated.

He glanced over at Raphael who stood scrambling around for his pants and underwear. Donatello lifted up the sheet and confirmed his suspicions that he was indeed not wearing any clothing either."Why are you naked? Why am I naked?" Donatello mumbled in growing horror, the words tumbling from his mouth before he had a chance to filter them.

Raphael's amber eyes almost glowed with repressed fury. He buttoned up his jeans and knelt down, his brothers beak almost touching his own. "You don't remember?" Raphael snarled, that is if the words that came from his mouth could even be considered speech.

That his brother was furious was obvious, Donatello just couldn't understand why. Donatello closed his eyes and tried to remember what had happened last night. He remembered he had been drinking wine by himself, stupidly trying to get himself drunk, and then Raphael had come in and...it started to get a little fuzzy. He clutched at his throbbing head. He opened his eyes and looked at Raphael.

"I can't remember what happened," he admitted as he shook his head, instantly regretting the action. "I was drinking, you came in..." His eyes roved over the sideboard and the two empty glasses. "You were drinking," he said as that little tidbit of memory popped into his mind. "Then..." he paused. Katherine had come into the room soaking wet and... "Oh my, God!" He gasped in horror as memory slammed back into him like a freight train. "No...no." He stated shaking his head in abject denial. "I ...we..." he stammered, unable to wrap his mind around what had happened last night. He could feel his cheeks becoming dark with embarrassment.

"We never speak of this, Donny, you got me? EVER! This NEVER happened." Raphael hissed as he stood up. "And put your damn clothes on!"

Donatello stared numbly at the sheet clutched between his shaking fingers. It was bad enough that he had engaged in a threesome with his brother last night, worse than this -and yes it could get worse- was the fact that he had decided to try and take Katherine back from his brother. He groaned, and this time this sound of distress had nothing to do with any of the physical agony he was suffering at the moment.

He had broken up with Katherine, thrown her back into the arms of his dying brother, who thankfully didn't die because of her; and then he had tried to seduce her back from Raphael's arms into his own.

What the hell was wrong with him?

Donatello did not normally curse, but in this instance he began calling himself some pretty choice words silently in his head. Bastard, son of a bitch, two faced and betrayer, were a few that came to mind, and after that they devolved into words even Raphael would raise his eye ridges at.

How Raphael hadn't planted his fist in Donatello's face he wasn't quite sure, but he felt as if he deserved a thousand times more than just a physical beating.

"Katherine." He managed to say out loud, all of the blood draining from his face. God, he had treated her like a...a...his mind couldn't even come up with the correct term. Whore came to mind, but, that wasn't quite right; although perhaps Property or Prize would be a better term. He had acted like her feelings had nothing to do with his battle against his brother to 'win' her. He hung his head in shame, clutching it in both physical and mental agony.

"She ain't here." Raphael grimaced. "At least, she ain't in this room anymore. Wasn't here when I woke up. Thought you were dyin'; you were all pale, barely breathin' and covered in sweat." Raphael was talking now, almost rambling. "Then I remembered..." He cut himself off as he dragged a hand down his face. "Donny, what the Fuck happened last night?" he snarled.

Donatello's gaze left his brother's furious, worried eyes and looked at the empty wine bottles that were still strewn about the room. The wine rack was now empty, and the decanter that had been sitting on the sideboard was gone.

"This is your fault, Raph," he hissed back accusingly. "You made me kiss her," he growled. If his brother hadn't told him to kiss Katherine, none of this would have happened.

Raphael pulled his lips away from his mouth in a snarl mixed with a grimace. He opened and closed his mouth a few times obviously trying to think of something to say, but either unable to refute Donatello's accusation or unable to find the right words to express his anger.

"Don't you dare put this all back on me, Donny," Raphael finally bit out through clenched teeth, his hands balled into angry fists.

"I'm not, Raph," he said blowing out a hiss of air. "This is our fault."

"Fuck," Raphael snarled.

Donatello didn't reply to his brother because what he would have said would not have been complimentary to either of them. He moved his arm, grabbing his pants and underwear, and pulling his clothes on as fast as he was able. He rolled over managing to scramble to his feet without falling over and without needing the waste basket again; which the way his stomach churned in his gut, was a huge accomplishment.

"She ain't never gonna forgive us, Donny. Not after last night," Raphael said dragging his hand across his eyes again.

Donatello gave no answer and no reassurances to his brother, because he absolutely agreed with him. If Katherine hadn't already ditched them both on the island and took a boat to the mainland, he would be very much surprised. Though he could still hear the storm that raged outside, so he seriously hoped that Katherine hadn't been angry enough to put herself in danger and risk being killed just to get away from them.

"We'd better go find her," Donatello grumbled glumly under his breath. He may as well have also added Let's just get this over with as well, but it was already implied. Katherine -if she even talked to them- was going to tear a strip off each of them so wide, they would be lucky to get away with their shells intact. Not that they didn't deserve whatever form of punishment or justice that Katherine was about to mete out, but still, he was not looking forward to the encounter.

Losing Katherine to Raphael was painful enough, not having Katherine in his life at all was a devastating prospect he didn't think he could bear; and after studying Raphael's wretched face -pulled into lines of fear, worry and self hatred- his brother would not be able to bear it either; not a second time.

They made their way slowly and silently from the library, and with feet made of lead, went in search of Katherine. They headed straight for the kitchen, not even bothering to look over any other part of the house. Raphael went first and Donatello slammed into his brother's carapace when he suddenly stopped in the doorway.

Donatello protested his brother's sudden halt and pushed past him.

Katherine was sitting at the table in the kitchen. The lights were on so either the power had come back on, or the generator had finally kicked in sometime during the night… or this morning...

Katherine sat staring off into space; her hands clasped together on the table, a mug of hot chocolate by her hands. She looked as if she were thinking about something weighty, and Donatello felt himself swallow in nervous apprehension. He opened his mouth to speak but no words came out, because he had no idea what to say. How did he even begin to apologize for treating her like he had, like they had? He hadn't even had a chance to apologize to Raphael for trying to steal his girlfriend away from him. Donatello flinched at this thought and hung his head in shameful guilt.

Katherine finally decided to acknowledge their presence, Raphael remaining oddly silent. Donatello flicked a quick, worried glance towards his brother who looked pale, lost, and grim.

Donatello wondered bleakly if the same expression was mirrored on his own face. He turned his attention back to Katherine whose face was a blank mask. Her eye colour appeared to be normal, but her eyes were slightly in shadow, so it was hard to tell.

Katherine broke the silence first. "Donatello," Katherine looked towards him and Donatello forced himself to look at Katherine in the eyes. "Michelangelo thought that both you and Raphael were sharing me, didn't he?" She asked him bluntly.

Donatello was so shocked by the question that his mouth dropped open before he was able to snap it closed. Katherine took his shocked silence as confirmation of her observation.

"What?!" Raphael yelped in shocked protest, his head swivelling between Katherine and Donatello in disbelief.

"I was trying to understand all of Michelangelo's innuendoes when he left. He wasn't angry so he didn't believe that Raphael and I were having an affair." Katherine explained, shaking her head slightly before looking down at her hands, taking a deep breath and continuing. "I've taken all of the alcohol and moved it into the basement and locked the door. Apparently you two cannot handle your liquor." She told them, her voice had gotten lower, more strained. "At all," she finished her green eyes flashing dangerously.

"Kitten…" Raphael began, obviously trying to offer up some sort of explanation or apology, but one look from Katherine silenced him.

Donatello studied Katherine as if trying to understand where her mind was going.

"I'm sorry for last night," she apologized softly.

Donatello was able to keep his jaw in place but his eyes widened in shock. He shared a stunned look with Raphael as they listened to Katherine continue.

"I was angry that you both were acting like I was some sort of... possession. A possession that could be won." Her voice had gotten lower, her eyes shading slightly towards blue, which indicated that she was upset.

"Katherine…" Donatello began and he received the glare of death for his troubles. Donatello swallowed down his words, glanced at Raphael whose face seemed to have paled even further.

Katherine clasped her tightened hands more tightly together. "I am not a possession. I have my own feelings, thoughts and opinions," Katherine growled as Donatello flinched.

"Last night was a mistake," Katherine said earnestly, looking at both of them in the eyes. "I think we can all agree on that. Raphael, Donatello, I apologize for taking up the challenge that you levelled upon each other. I was hurt and angry, but I should not have seduced you both just to prove that I could. That was unfair to all of us," Katherine whispered sadly.

Donatello blinked a few times, his mind attempting to process what was being said and where her line of thought was leading to.. Why was Katherine apologizing to them? He wondered in shock. They should be apologizing to her for playing with her heart, trying to seduce her, using her own body against her, and forcing her to choose between them.

Donatello opened his mouth and Katherine lifted up a hand, silencing him. Her other hand lay on the table top, clasped around something that he could not quite see.

"You both regret your actions, your words... everything that happened last night. I can tell this by your expressions, your postures, and your eyes. I could be angry, in reality I should be beyond furious, but I'm not. I understand what you both were thinking, and how your liquor addled minds came to the erroneous conclusion that I did not know my own heart." Katherine's eyes bored straight into Donatello's as if accusing him of something. "And so as far as I am concerned we are even."

"Even?" Raphael growled his face losing its lines of anxiety and deepening into a familiar anger. He took a step towards her, his hands clenching into fists. "You think that-" Raphael stopped suddenly, snapping his mouth shut. His brother was angry, but somehow managed to realize that Katherine wasn't furiously ripping a strip off of them; and so in a moment of amazing self control and supreme insight, decided to shut his beak for once before he said something he wouldn't be able to take back.

"Even isn't the right word. We are not even by any stretch of the imagination, but as I said before, last night was a mistake better left forgotten. I think we can all agree on that."

Raphael blinked in confusion, but slowly gave a nod of agreement.

Donatello gave a curt nod of agreement as well. He wanted so very much to forget most of what had happened the previous evening. And although there were still some blurry bits -which he was thankful for- he knew that Katherine was still owed an apology from both of them.

"Good," Katherine nodded at their agreement and sat back slightly as she looked at both Raphael and himself, her eyes still slightly on the blue side.

"Katherine," Donatello began. "I'm sorry. I am so, so sorry for...for treating you like... like I did, like we did," he apologized softly.

"I know, Donatello," Katherine replied sincerely.

"Kitten." Raphael had by this time unclenched his fists and moved slightly towards her. "I am...God, I am sorry. Donny's right, this is all my fault. I don't know what came over me..." he trailed off miserably.

"Raphael, I already said I know exactly what was going on in your head. I understand. You think that I was forced into being with you. You don't doubt that I love you, but you doubt that I love you more than Donatello, so you decided to break up with me to allow me the opportunity to choose."

Raphael pursed his lips together. "I didn't... I didn't break up with you," he whispered, shifting his eyes away.

"Didn't you?" Katherine asked softly as she studied Raphael's averted face.

Raphael closed his eyes in pain. He had broken up with Katherine, in a way. He had told Donatello that he didn't care what Katherine had promised him on his death bed. It was then that Donatello realized that Katherine may have overheard that portion of their conversation, and knew that Raphael was essentially going to break up with her.

Raphael finally returned her gaze. "I-" he began.

Katherine interrupted. "I found this on the floor this morning," she said, opening her hand and sliding the small black velvet ring box forward. "I would like to know whose it is," she asked softly.

Donatello stared at the box in shock. He could feel that the heavy weight of the ring box was no longer in his pocket. He made no move to check because he could plainly see that it had somehow fallen out sometime during the night, and was now resting in all of its accusatory glory on the tabletop.

Donatello furiously thought of how to answer the question. The answer was complicated. Technically the ring was his, given to him by his dying brother to give to Katherine so that Donatello and her could be married and live happily ever after, or so the storybook goes.

However, his brother -thankfully- did not die, and Donatello broke up with Katherine; therefore in theory, he no longer needed the ring. The problem was that if Donatello claimed the ring was his, that was fine, it would have made sense for Donatello to have the ring. If Raphael claimed the ring was his, Katherine could misconstrue this information to mean that Raphael had intended to find some way to attempt to steal Katherine away from Donatello.

Donatello sighed. "The ring is Raph's," he informed her softly. "He's been carrying it around in his pocket for the last two years. He was going to propose to you when you got back from Egypt, but never got the chance because... He keeps it to remind himself of what he lost," Donatello finished quickly.

If Katherine was surprised she didn't let the emotion show on her face. Instead she looked down thoughtfully at the ring.

"Donny-" Raphael protested.

Donatello knew that Raphael was about to tell Katherine that he had given the ring to Donatello because he knew that Donatello wanted to marry Katherine, but Katherine began talking, interrupting Raphael's protest.

"Do you still want to marry me, Raphael?"she asked his brother softly.

Raphael seemed to freeze. Donatello couldn't even see his brother breathing anymore; and if he were honest, Donatello had o admit that he had stopped breathing as well as he waited for Raphael's answer. Raphael looked down and away, as if he were wrestling with something before finally giving a sight nod of his head. "Yeah, Kitten, I do." He replied gently, looking back at Katherine. " I always have. Probably from the first moment I opened my eyes and saw you staring down at me in concern, I knew I never wanted to leave your side."

"Okay." Katherine said pushing the ring towards Raphael.

"Okay?" Raphael asked in confusion.

"I accept." Katherine explained gently.

Raphael seemed to freeze again, as if he was unable to process Katherine's words.

Donatello however understood her words and felt his entire chest being crushed painfully in a vice. He couldn't breathe, his stomach rolling with nausea. His heart felt as if it had been cruelly ripped from his chest, and his soul brutally torn to bits.

"I'll marry you, Raphael." Katherine explained with a slight smile, as if realizing that Raphael was having a hard time understanding her words, or perhaps he had just been unable to believe them.

As soon as her words left her lips Raphael strode forward, pulling Katherine up and into a fierce embrace, lowering his head and kissing her passionately.

"I love you, Katherine." Raphael whispered huskily to her as he pulled back enough to search her eyes, brushing back a stray golden curl.

Katherine smiled up at Raphael, her eyes smiling but still tinged with blue. "I love you too, Raphael." She leaned in and kissed his brother again.

Donatello felt the invisible knife that was lodged in his heart twist sharply. Katherine had chosen Raphael. His mind went as numb as his body. He had to leave; get away from the kitchen and the sight of Katherine in Raphael's arms.

He turned to leave the room, looking back at Katherine over his shoulder before he left. Katherine was looking at him, her eyes nearly completely blue, the green swallowed up completely by sorrow. Whether this sorrow was because of losing Donatello or because of hurting him, he wasn't quite sure.

Donatello studied her a moment and then gave her a small nod of understanding as he read the message in those clear blue depths.

Katherine was placing herself firmly out of Donatello's reach, forever. She loved Raphael, and she loved Donatello, but Donatello had broken up with her and she had promised Raphael that if he survived, they would be together; and no matter what Raphael believed, nothing had changed. Or maybe everything had, he wasn't sure. All Donatello knew for sure, was that he would never know if she loved him more than Raphael; not ever, because she would never tell him.

Donatello closed his eyes in pain, turning his head back quickly and leaving the room, hoping that neither Katherine or Raphael had seen the broken-hearted tears that rolled down his icy cold cheeks.

Leonardo sat in Raphael's room, staring blankly at Raphael's spare sai that he held carefully in his hand. He still couldn't believe that Raphael was dead. One moment his passionate, difficult, hot-headed, brother was alive, the next, he was gone... forever. He hadn't even had the chance to say goodbye, or to even be there as Donatello cremated their brother's body, gathering up the ashes to return home to be buried beside their father.

Leonardo dashed away a few stray tears from his eyes. He had tried to keep himself strong for Michelangelo's sake, not allowing himself to cry in front of his baby brother; no matter how hard it was to blink back the tears that had trembled and threatened to fall from his eyes.

It had been five days since he and Michelangelo had listened to Donatello's heartbreaking message, and Leonardo still woke every morning, believing that Raphael was only on vacation and would be home at any moment. Then he would remember that Raphael would be coming home as ashes, placed in a small box. Painful grief would then bury itself deeply into his chest, and tear his bruised and battered heart to shreds.

Leonardo placed Raphael's sai gently down on his brother's desk, next to its mate, and pulled his phone from his jeans pocket. He stared at it blankly for a few minutes. He stood and walked over to his brother's unmade bed, sitting down on the edge before climbing under the covers, trying to find some sort of comfort from the sheets that still harboured his brother's earthy, musky scent.

He curled into a tight ball and stared at the front of his phone again. He had already told Casey and April that Raphael had passed away; both of them had been devastated and shocked to hear the horrific news. They had immediately come over and stayed from a few days. They had all shared memories and bitter complaints of the fickleness of fate, before finally leaving to go to Casey's farm to get things ready for Raphael's burial.

Pain lanced through his heart again at the thought of having to bury his younger brother. More wet, salty, bitter, tears rolled down his cheeks as he briefly buried his head in Raphael's pillow.

He shifted his face and opened his phone. His fingers paused over the buttons to call Karai, but instead he just closed the cover instead.

Even though he and Karai had broken up, he still felt that he should tell her of Raphael's death, and yet he was unable to, because he didn't want to share that pain with her. Of course this just illustrated why they had broken up in the first place.

Leonardo ran a hand across his face, brushing the damp away from his cold cheeks. He and Karai had always had a strange mutual interest and respect for one another. He had struggled with his feelings for their former enemy and finally given into the temptation to ask her out on a date. But their relationship had always been strained, as if they were unable to completely trust one another. Their relationship had moved slowly, but had been comfortable in its own way. It hadn't been filled with the type of deep passion that had been characteristic of Raphael and Katherine's relationship. Of course Leonardo had believed that this was because Raphael was loud, possessive, obsessive and overzealous by nature, whereas he wasn't.

Leonardo had been content with the respect and mutual interests that he and Karai had shared, the physical side of their relationship never really being explored, because Karai was herself not an overly affectionate person.

It wasn't until Donatello and Katherine had begun to date that Leonardo had questioned his relationship with Karai. Donatello was incredibly logical; never easily moved by emotions or feeling. And yet with Katherine, she had turned his younger, rational brother completely on his head. Their relationship was extremely passionate and fervent. Some of the looks they gave each other were enough to set fire to the room they were standing in.

It had taken a while for Leonardo to realize that perhaps there was something wrong with his relationship with Karai. He had decided to try moving his relationship with Karai to a more physical level, but Karai had not responded well to his advances; something he had been secretly grateful for. Having sex would have left them both open and vulnerable to each other, and for some reason, this was something that neither of them had been willing to pursue.

And although he had been upset, he knew he was not heartbroken when he and Karai had decided to end things.

Leonardo's eyes strayed to Raphael's sais again, lying forlornly on the desk.

Being open and vulnerable meant that you could get hurt. Perhaps he had chosen Karai because he knew that he would never have to suffer the heartbreak that Raphael had suffered after his relationship with Katherine had ended. He never wanted to feel that kind of pain, and yet here he was, lying in his dead brother's bed sobbing, because no matter how much you wished to protect your heart from loss, it would always find you.

He wondered how much Raphael had suffered in his final days; if he had been in pain or if he had just slipped quietly away in his sleep. He wondered how much Donatello and Katherine, had suffered watching Raphael slowly die right in front of them, and not being able to do anything to stop it. Leonardo had no doubt in his mind that Donatello -being the family's doctor- would have blamed himself bitterly for Raphael's death.

Leonardo sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. He flipped open his phone and dialled Donatello's cell. He had been trying desperately to get a hold of his younger brother, and had failed to do so. He tried Katherine's phone as well on several occasions, but according to Holly, the storm front that was currently pounding the Caribbean was interfering with the cell towers and even the internet.

Leonardo didn't even bother holding the phone up to his ear, he didn't believe that he would get through. He heard the phone ringing, before going straight to voice mail. Leonardo closed his phone with a snap and put his head in his hands, trying to pull himself together.

According to Holly the plane would be picking Donatello and Katherine up tomorrow; weather permitting. Leonardo would be glad to get Donatello home, and hug him and tell him how sorry he was that he had to bear Raphael's death without the support of his family; alone but for Katherine, who must be heartbroken and devastated by Raphael's death as well.

Katherine was strong, perhaps the strongest woman he had ever met; and considering he knew Karai, this was saying something. But she still loved Raphael; that much had always been clear, and Leonardo knew that Raphael's death would be just as hard on her as it was on any of Raphael's siblings.

"LEO!" Michelangelo's panicked call tore through the lair. Leonardo jumped from the bed, dashing his tears away as he rushed to the living room where his baby brother's voice had emanated from.

Leonardo ran into the living room and looked at Michelangelo who was standing, the phone pressed to his ear, the remote in his hand as he stared at a program on the Television.

"Mikey?" Leonardo asked in concern.

Michelangelo turned a pale, tear streaked face towards him, his whole body shaking with fright.

"Mikey, what's wrong?" Leonardo asked worriedly, wondering if Holly -who had been very supportive of Michelangelo the last few days and who was on her way to New York at this very moment- had broken up with his baby brother for some reason.

Michelangelo seemed numb with shock, only pointing a shaking finger at the TV screen.

Leonardo turned his attention to the screen watching the sportscaster listing off games scores. Leonardo frowned knowing that Michelangelo never paid any attention to sports, that had been Raphael's interest.

Thought of his hot-headed brother brought a pang of renewed grief rushing through him. It was then that his attention was caught by the words running across the bottom of the screen.

He frowned, realizing that there had been an earthquake just off the coast of Barbados. It had been a big one hitting a 7.5 on the Richter scale. The damage from the earthquake was not as bad as it could have been, due to the fact that it had occurred in the ocean, but this meant that the surrounding islands were issuing tsunami warnings.

Leonardo snatched the control out of Michelangelo's shaking hands, a feeling of growing horror filling him as he rewound the news program and turned up the volume.

There on the screen was a satellite image of the area hit by the earthquake. He knew the news anchor was speaking, but Leonardo couldn't hear his words over the blood that rushed through his ears as he took in the scenes of destruction that were shown in short video clips and pictures.

The area where the earthquake had hit was painfully close to the tiny island that Katherine's uncle owned, and the tsunami that was fast approaching Barbados and St. Luca, had already swept over it.

Leonardo felt himself go numb. "Oh, God, Donny," he croaked out in numb horror before swallowing dryly. "Katherine," he croaked out shaking his head from side to side in disbelief.

"H-Holly... she's still too far away and the plane isn't ready yet." Michelangelo managed to stammer out anxiously.

"We need to get there, Mikey." Leonardo said steadily his entire body shaking with too many emotions to pick just one. He was numb, his mind trying to shut down, because the thought of losing another brother and Katherine -all within the same week- was something he couldn't even contemplate, because it would break him completely.

"Do you..." Michelangelo's voice broke away in a sob as he fell to his knees in renewed grief and terror.

Leonardo knelt down beside his baby brother. "I'm sure Donny's fine." Leonardo whispered soothingly. "He'll protect Katherine, They'll both be fine."

Michelangelo gave him a grim look that was filled with overflowing sorrow. It was obvious that Michelangelo did not believe his comforting words and assurances that sounded weak to his own ears.

"I can't bury two brothers and Kitten, Leo, I...I just can't." Michelangelo choked out, shaking his head frantically back and forth.

Leonardo pulled his baby brother in close, hugging him tightly and not even trying to stop the tears that rolled down his own cheeks.

"I know, Mikey." Leonardo whispered softly, rubbing his brother's t-shirt covered carapace.

"Leo, Kitten can't lose them both; and Donny, he can't lose her. I...I messed things up between them and...and... Leo what are we going to do?" His brother sobbed out wretchedly looking at him for an answer.

Leonardo squeezed his brother more tightly, not quite understanding his jumbled words, but knowing that he needed to do something, anything. He refused to lose any more family members.

Leonardo looked at the phone that was still clutched in his hands. He flipped open the phone and dialed a number he never thought to dial again. The phone rang a few times before being answered. "Karai, I need a plane."

uh-oh that can't be good...

thoughts and opinions always welcome:)