Okay, this is the last chapter but I am writing a third book to this, it will deal with Leo and Raph's wedding and, yes, it is Leo-centric and bad things will happen to him. Now...on with the story.

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Ch 15 Finding Forgiveness.

"Leo." Raph knocked on the guest bedroom door. "Please open up." No answer. "Leo, please, it's been over a day, you need to come out." Raph sighed and pressed his ear to the door. If it wasn't for the occasional movements and sobbing, Raph would have probably broken the door down by now. But Leo had told him more then once he wanted to be left alone. "You need to come out and eat." He implored. "Please babe, for me."

"Not right now Raph." Leo's tired voice sounded through the door. "I just need more time." He whispered. "Please, just give me more time to deal with this."

Raph smoothed his hand over the door and leaned his head against the door. "I love you Leo." He whispered.

"I love you Raph." Leo whispered back.

Raph went downstairs and found Master Splinter coming out of the dojo. "Will Leonardo be joining us Raphael?"

Raph shook his head sadly. "I don't know what to do for him Sensei." He said dejectedly. "I want him to come out and be a part of...of us but he just won't." He looked at his cell phone. It was eight thirty five. "I just don't know what to do anymore."

Splinter placed a paw on his son's shoulder. "Go to school Raphael." He told him. "And do not worry about Leonardo for now." Raph looked up at him in wonder. "Leonardo has been through so much and needs time to heal spiritually as well as physically." He smiled down at his son as Donnie and Mikey came walking into the room. "When he has had time to come to terms with what has happened, we can help him find forgiveness."

"Forgiveness for what Sensei?" Donnie asked.

"Leo feels responsible for all that's happened." Mikey told him. "His mother's death, his aunt's and now his father." Mikey picked through some comics laying on the coffee table. "Especially after what his aunt said about killing her husband and being blackmailed, he feels responsible and like his whole world is just falling apart around him and he can't protect anyone from all that's happened."

His family looked at him dumbfounded as he found the comic he was looking for and looked back at them. "What?"

"Wow Mikey." Donnie said. "That's deep."

"And incredibly smart of you." Raph added.

Mikey shrugged. "Saw an episode of Dr. Phil that dealt with something similar." He told them.

"Of course you did." Splinter shook his head and watched as his sons one by one left the house to go to their daily activities. After his classes, he walked up to Leonardo's room with a tray of tea knocked on the door. "Leonardo, may I speak with you." Leo opened the door and smiled up at Splinter. "I was hoping you would join me our daily tea."

"Forgive me Sensei." Leo said as they sat down at the little table by the window in the guest room. "I'm trying to move on but I just don't know how." He sounded exasperated.

"May I make a suggestion?" Splinter asked.

"Please." Leo implored.

"You need to find closure my son." Splinter said, taking a sip of tea.

"But how?" Leo placed his head in his hand. "If only my aunt had talked to me, confided in me. We could've done something together." He moaned. "I know what she went through, I would've forgiven her."

Splinter looked at him curiously. "What do you mean you know what she went through." He asked. "Leonardo?" He cocked his head to one side. "Were you in an abusive relationship?"

Leo hung his head. "During the last year of school when my mom was really going down hill." He took a deep breath. "There was this guy and we started hanging out." He hung his head in shame. "At first it was nice to have someone to speak to and just be with, but then he started getting possessive. Insisted I had to let him know where I was when we weren't at school. He started showing up at the dojo and after practice, he would make me go with him where ever he wanted me to go. One day, my mom needed me to come home early. When I went to leave, he grabbed me and told me the only place I was going was with him. He started dragging me away and when I tried to force him to let me go, he hit me and told me I had to do what he said." Leo rubbed his cheek and Splinter saw a tear roll down his cheek. "I kneed him and told him to stay away from me or I would call the police for assault. After that I never heard from him again."

"What ever happened to this...person" Splinter asked.

"Jeffery Moore." Leo told him. "Was arrested for vehicular homicide. He got drunk and killed a couple coming home from a party late one night." Leo shook his head. "Oh Sensei. How am I suppose to find closure?" He ran a hand over his tired face. "There's no one left to talk to." He looked away sadly. "No one to go to anymore."

Splinter smiled at him tenderly at him. "Isn't there."

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Later that week, Leo made his way up a dirt path that was situated between a row of headstones. Tears fell from his eyes as he stood in front of one and placed a large bouquet of flowers in front of it. He placed a hand on the stone and rubbed his thumb along the name: Venus De Milo Tartaruga.

"Hello mother." Leo said, choking back a sob. "I'm so sorry I haven't been to visit in so long, but so much has happened since I last saw...sob...you." He took a deep shuddering breath. "I met this really great guy and we've fallen in love, his name is Raphael Hamato." Leo let out a small laugh. "Turns out we knew each other briefly in New York, which is where I've moved back to." He lowered his eyes. "But I'm sure you already knew about that...as I'm sure you already know about aunt Irma." He hiccuped as tears began to fall again. "Oh mom, I'm so sorry for everything." He wailed. "I wished I could have protected you from him. I wish I could have done something to help."

Behind Leo, Raph along with the rest of the family watched as Leo's body shook and he leaned heavily against his mother's tombstone. Raph started to move but was held back by Splinter. "Not yet my son." He told him.

"I don't know what to do." Leo confessed. "How do I move on?" He moaned. "I really need you right now mother." He whispered. "What do I do?"

A memory of his mother holding him as a child came back to him, he could hear her singing the lullaby "Pretty Little Horses" as she rocked him gently. Her bright blue eyes looking down at him tenderly and her smile bright and happy as she gently stroked his cheek. "Remember my son." She whispered to him. "No matter what, always look ahead, never behind."

Leo blinked as the memory faded away. He sat up and nodded as he took a deep breath and placed his hand on the headstone. "I love you mother." He said.

Raph felt Splinter's hand squeeze his shoulder. "Go to him now my son." Raph began walking up the dirt path. Leo turned his head slightly at the sound of approaching footsteps. He leaned his head on Raph's arm as he placed his hand on his shoulder and put his hand over Raph's. He stood up and looked down at the headstone.

"Mom, this is Raphael Hamato." He said. "We're engaged and he's made me really happy. I know if you were here you would approve of him." He turned and looked at Raph with a smile. "Behind us is his father and brothers and friends. They're really great and they...they've helped me so much."

Raph wrapped his arms around Leo from behind and kissed his cheek. "I promise you Mrs. Tartaruga, we'll take good care of each other."

"I've made plans to move you mom." Leo said. "I want you to come home, back to New York where you belong." He sighed deeply. "Aunt Irma left me lots of money and I'm going to see the lawyer on Monday. After that, I'll see you as often as I can. I promise." He took Raph's hand in his. "I love you mom, and thank you for being there for me."

Raph and Leo turned away from the grave and made their way back to their family and friends. They got in the car and as they drove off, Leo took one last look at his mother's grave and smiled.

As the car slowly drove out of the cemetery, the tall figure of a man in his early twenties stepped out from behind a clump of trees not too far away from where Venus's grave laid. The figure smiled and looked down at a picture of himself, slightly younger, hugging a slightly younger Leonardo. "Soon, Leonardo." The man whispered as he looked up and watched the car drive away. "Soon...I'll get you back."

~End~

So stay tuned for my continuing adventures of The Travelers. Have some other stories I want to write, yes they will be Leo-centric but I do have one that is Donnie and Mikey centric. Please keep those reviews coming. I love to go back and read them from my other stories too. Peace.