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Chapter 19: Love

Mikey's POV

I'm jerked awake but Raph shaking me, he's saying something but I'm not all the way awake so I can't make out what he's saying.

"Wah?" I manage.

"Get up, the Foot just took Leo and Anna from the orphanage," I hear Raph order. I'm awake instantly.

"What? They just? But?" I stammer as I scramble out of bed and follow Raph. I can hear Don trying to calm someone down on the phone.

Raph grabs his Sais and starts flipping them frantically. He does that when he's nervous or upset.

"Sarah, Sarah we'll...we'll be there in a minute...just calm down...Sarah...call an ambulence...we'll be there...Sarah we're on our way, we're coming," Don sauys quickly. He grabs his "bag of goodies", filled with all kinds of little inventions. He looks ticked.

"They killed Jimmy in front of Leo," he spits. My breath catches and I stumble back in shock, the little boy that clung to Leo?

"They? Oh Leo," I breathe, too stunned to move. I hear Raph's fist slam into the table.

"They told him they'd kill all the kids one by one if he didn't come with, they threatened Sarah's life too, he let them take him, they tied him up and everything, Sarah said they beat him in front of the kids before they took him away," Don said bitterly.

I'm shaking and I can hear Raph breathing like he does when he's mad. I'm mad too, but I'm more worried about Leo at this point, is he going to be ok after seeing that? I'm scared that Leo might lose it again, what do you call it? Have a relapse? Yeah that's it. What if he loses it completely?

They're telling me to move, that we have to go. When we get there Sarah is sobbing and Jeff is trying to calm the kids down. I see a sheet covering what must be Jimmy. I can smell the blood, the kids' fear.

Sarah looks up and rushes to us. Don hugs her and gets the information we need, then we slip out as Sarah calls for an abulence. I spot the teen boys who hung out with Leo earlier, they look just as scared as the little ones. I stop and nod to them.

"We'll bring him and Anna back," I whisper, I'm surprised at how fierce I sound. They nod. It seems like hours later when we reach Foot headquarters, we've know where it was for months, Master Splinter died before we could wipe them out for good, then Leo...yeah...

I don't even remember going in, I don't remember anything but finding Leo chained to the wall, covered in brusies and blood, a little girl, Anna, sprawled on the floor about a foot away from him, sobbing and the foot ninja with the blade at her throat. Leo's eyes are open and glazed over, he looks like he's struggling to stay sane. Anna looks like she's been beaten, and there is blood in her hair and on her night shirt.

Don's POV

It feels like the air has been ripped from my lungs at the sight of that little girl on the ground and Leo chained to the wall. Then I see the ninja looking at me and I realize he's laughing. Leo looks up and stares only for a moment.

"RUN!" he screams and throws himself against the chains and into the approaching ninja. I see a red and green blur and then the ninja is sprawled on the ground, his neck broken. I hear others coming. Raph breaks Leo's chains and drags him into a fireman carry. I find myself scooping up Anna and holding her to my plastron, pressing her face into my shoulder. Mikey is sprinting ahead, clearing a path, or at least trying. We stop and Raph lowers Leo to his feet, I watch ehlplessly as Leo tries to get us to leave, he's saying something frantically but I can't make it out, it doesn't look like Raph can either. I gasp when Leo stops talking and I see we are surounded by a sea of black-clad ninjas. Karai is standing above us grinning.

"Well, Leonardo it seems your brothers came to me," Karai laughs. Anna whimpers and clings to me. I feel a werid sense of calm and feel as if soemthing is going to happen, something big, something that will change the course of the rest of our lives. Then to my horror I see a blur of green and blue shoot toward Karai, hear "RUN!" and see Leo hit Karai and hear the explosion, feel the flames against my carapace as I sheild Anna and run for the exit. Where did Leo get the bomb? Did Leo survive that? could he have survived that?

I know Anna didn't see anythign I haven't let her move her head from my shoulder. I hear her asking for Leo, sobbing, I can smell her fear. I spot Raph and Mikey they are staring at the burning building, then to my horror I see Raph sprint toward the flames, looking more determined than I've ever seen him, he's going after Leo.

Raph's POV

I scramble through those flames, Leo's words repeating in my head.

You have to leave me!!! Get out!! Please Raph! Please!! You have to leave me...a bomb...Raph get out!! Please!!

I saw it when he ran for Karai, saw the timer under his carapace, it was just under the area by this shoulders, wrapping around the front under his plastron. They worked the bomb into his body, they knew we were in the building, they timed it for how long we were going to be allowed to get out, Leo hit the detonator in Karai's hand. Setting it off early. He threw himself at her to save us. I just hope somehow he survived that, even if its only long enough for us to say good-bye. I spot him under a pile of rubble, covered in blood and struggling to breathe. I gasp at what is left of his upper body, and shutter as I gather him up. I feel his ribs, whats left of them against my hands, his lungs, black and struggling to take in air, they feel like sponges. There is a hole where his heart was, and part of his lungs are missing. He's saying something. His carapace is broken, cracked and fallling apart. There is a huge hole in his chest...my stomach twists. How is he alive?

I finally hear what he's saying,"Love you...ta-ta-take care of them..."

I fight tears as he takes one last struggled breath and goes limp in my arms. I know what he means, both our brothers and those kids. I pull Leo close and press hi face against my shoulder. Tears roll down my cheeks as I stumble out of the building. Mikey screams when he sees Leo, Don just closes his eyes and clutches Anna, he won't let her look, won't let her see. I wish I couldn't see, Mikey is next to me, screaming and sobbing, I'm covered in Leo's blood.

"Leo!! OH MY GOD!!! LEO!!" Mikey is screaming. I struggle to stay calm...weirdly I manage it.

"Mikey, go find a blanket off a laundry line we can wrap him in," I hear myself say, I don't remember even thinking it...my voice sounds weird, so calm...the anger I sould be feeling isn't there.

Leo's POV

I knew the minute I woke to find that thing in my body, I wasn't going home alive. I knew when they tortured Anna and demanded to know where my brothers lived it was only an act, I was dying today. When my brothers came in I foudn Raph taking me, the bomb I could feel it preparing to go, I could hear the timmer, slowly beeping down the seconds. When I got Raph to put me down I tried to get him to leave me...naturally he wouldn't. When Karai showed up I happily complied with the urge to throw myself at her. Suicide is a funny thing....some do it from pain and anger, I tried it once...others do it for love...some call it being a hero...never thought I'd be one...

I vaguely remember Raph lifting me up. The last thing I remember is telling Raph I loved him asking him to take care of them...all those I've come to love...I feel a strange sense of peace and let go. The pain is gone...

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Reviews Please? I'm back...I'll finish this story up tomorrow and "Protection" will be started up. For those of you who haven't read "Defense" or "Offense" read those first if you are interested in "Protection".