Ch 24 A Hateful Heart.

At the sight of seeing Jeffrey, Leo stumbled backward and, losing his footing, fell backward. He quickly jumped back up and got into a defensive stance as Jeffrey continued to come toward him.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" Leo demanded angrily as Bradford came out of the kitchen behind Jeffrey.

"Don't be like that Leonardo," Bradford told him with a smirk, "Jeffrey came all the way from California to visit us for Christmas."

"Well he's not staying here!" Leo yelled, he looked at Jeffrey and attempted to fight the fear that was building in the pit of his stomach. "You were in jail," He said as he steeled his gaze at the other human. "How did you get out?"

Jeffrey shook his head at the turtle and let out a small laugh, "This was not the reception I was hoping for Leonardo," He said as he got closer to Leo.

Leo quickly got his coat on and attempted to put on his boots all the while keeping his eyes on Jeffrey, "You killed two people in a drunken rage, Jeffrey!" Leo stated angrily as he grabbed his backpack and held it in front of him protectively, "How did you get out?!"

Jeffrey leered at the turtle, "Turns out there was a technicality Leonardo," He said in a mocking tone, "I wasn't given a fair trial." He let out a cold laugh that sent a wave of fear rippling throughout Leo's body. "So now here I am and I'm really hoping we can take up where we left off," He stalked his way closer to Leo till he was almost up against Leo's back pack, "You remember what we were doing before you left me on the sidewalk, right Leonardo?"

Leo pressed himself against the door and swallowed hard, "You will stay the hell away from me Jeffrey or you'll be in a lot more pain then the last time I saw you." He clenched his jaw and stared up angrily at him. "You remember how I left you on the sidewalk?" he said through gritted teeth, "Right Jeffrey?" He felt for the door knob behind him and started to open the door.

Jeffrey laughed coldly and stepped back; he watched as Leo, with his eyes still on him, opened the door and walked backwards to the outside. Jeffrey shook his head after the door closed. "I guess Leonardo wasn't all that happy to see me." He said as he turned to face Bradford. "What do you want me to do?"

"Keep tabs on Leonardo," Bradford handed Jeffrey a piece of paper, "Meanwhile, this is the address that kid Raphael lives at," Jeffrey took the paper and placed it in his pocket. "Convince him that Leonardo is not someone he should be with."

"What does your Master Shredder say about all this?" Jeffrey asked as the two of them walked toward the kitchen.

"Saki is too busy with this project of his to be bothered with such frivolous details," Bradford spat. "He's put me in charge of watching over that snot nose punk turtle who doesn't give a damn anymore about what I tell him to do so now I'm putting you in charge of it." Bradford told him as he pulled two beers out of the fridge and handed one to Jeffrey, "With Xever's help of course." He looked him up and down, "Are your parents okay with you being here for a while."

Jeffrey shrugged, "They don't give a rat's ass if I'm here or there," He told him with clear anger and hurt in his eyes. "Just so long as I'm out of their hair then everything's fine." Bradford nodded and the two drank their beer.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Leo quickly ran down the driveway and made his way over to the bus stop. He leaned heavily against the pole and shook hard as tears began to fall. Memories of the last time Jeffrey had been with him began to flood his mind. 'Get yourself together Leonardo,' He told himself as he saw the bus coming in the distance. 'You've got a game to play and a boyfriend whose going to be there to meet up with you.' He took a deep breath and wiped his face.

The bus pulled up and he quickly got on. As he made his way down the aisle to a seat in the back, he looked from one person to the other and felt as though everyone person on the bus was staring at him. He made it to a seat and shook his head, even though there were very few people, he still couldn't help but feel like he was in a crowd and being watched. He pulled out his cell and pressed the number one button.

"Hey Leo," Raph's voice came over the phone, "You at the school already?"

"Um…no," Leo said as he tried to think of a reason to speak with Raph. He didn't know what to say, he didn't even know if he wanted to tell Raph what had just happened, "I…um… just wanted to hear your voice," He said, "That's all." He let out a nervous chuckle. "Hearing you always makes me feel good."

Raph frowned as he listened to Leo, his voice sounded shaky and Raph thought he could hear Leo being on the verge of crying. "Leo, what's wrong?" Raph asked worriedly, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Leo took a deep breath, "I'm on the bus and I'll be at the school in a few minutes."

"That's early," Raph said, "You didn't need to be there till eight," he looked at the clock, "You'll be there by seven-thirty," He muttered, "You want me to meet you there and we can hang out together."

Leo closed his eyes and thought of Raph's proposal. "No that's okay," He told him quickly, "I'll see you at the normal time, love you." Before Raph could respond, Leo hung up and put his phone away. He laid his head against the back of the seat and closed his eyes; he took deep breaths and tried to push the fear down. 'You're just being paranoid Leonardo, everything's going to be okay,' He told himself over and over again, 'Jeffrey doesn't have that hold on you like he used to.'

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Raph, along with his brothers and friends watched from the bleachers as the basketball game went into halftime. They stared at Leo in bewilderment as the Roosevelt team walked off the court. "What is going on with Leo?" Mikey wondered out loud," He looked over at Raph who was looking at Leo in concern as the blue eyed turtle followed his teammates looking very dejected.

"I don't know but I'm going to find out," He said adamantly. He made his way down the bleachers and toward the locker room where Leatherhead was currently giving his players a pep talk.

"When halftime is over," Leatherhead was saying, "Get out there and really give it to them."

"What is going on with you Leonardo?" Slash asked. "You're not concentrating and you haven't been able to make one basket,"

"Yeah Leo," Spike chimed in, "You're usually so much better then this, what's going on?"

"That's what I would like to know?" Raph said as he walked into the locker room.

Leo looked up at his teammates and Raph as he sat down next to him. "Leo," Raph place a gentle hand on his shoulder, "Please tell me what's happened," He implored, "When we first spoke this morning you sounded happy and really looking forward to today but now," He stared intently into Leo's eyes, "You look so upset," He said, "What happened Leo?"

Leo sighed and shook his head. "I'm sorry everyone," He told them, "Maybe you should keep me out of the rest of the game,"

"But Leo," Spike came forward, "You're one of our best players, we need you."

"Look Leo," Raph said firmly, "We have twelve more minutes," He took Leo's hand and walked him over to Leatherhead's office, "Tell me what the problem is."

Leo sighed and nodded. "This morning after I spoke with you, I went down for breakfast, Bradford was in our kitchen with…." Leo took a breath and shook his head, "Oh God Raph, I've tried so hard to push this part of my past away from me but it just keeps coming back!" He cried out.

"What does Leo?" Raph demanded, "Who was there?"

"My ex…Jeffrey Moore," Leo told him with tears running down his face.

Raph looked at him slightly confused, "Your ex-boyfriend?" He said shaking his head as he tried to remember what Leo had told him, "Leo, I know you told me he was controlling, much like your dad is but…."He looked around in consternation, "Why does he make you go all crazy like this."

"I'm sorry Raph," Leo said as he wiped his face, "There's so much more to him then just trying to control me," He looked up at the clock. "But it's almost time for the game to start back up again," He looked out into the locker room and noticed the players were getting ready to leave. He turned back to Raph, "Let me just try to get through the game and we'll talk later." He said as he stood up to leave.

"Leo," Raph gently took Leo's arm before he could get out the door, "If you want, after the game, why don't you just come straight to my house," He suggested, "My dad won't mind and you're going to be staying with us anyway later in the week so why not just come over now."

Leo looked down at Raph's hand covering his arm and placed his other hand over it massaging it gently. He looked up at Raph and smiled sadly as he shook his head, "I'd have to go back home and get things," He told him.

"Then let me take you."

Leo nodded. "I'll see you after the game," He smiled nervously, "Wish me luck, I'm going to need it." He turned and quickly hurried after his team mates.

Raph hurried back to the bleachers and took his seat next to his brothers, "What happened Raph?" Mikey asked, leaning closer to him. Raph shook his head, "I'll explain later." He told him as he watched, intently, as Leo ran out onto the court and got back in his position.

Over forty five minutes later, Raph and the rest of the crowd cheered loudly as they watched Leo weave around the other team's players and make the final basket winning the game. "He did it!" Mikey screamed out as he grabbed Renet in an exuberant hug, "He did it!"

"I don't know what you said to him in the locker room Raph," Casey said from behind him as he clapped his shoulder, "But whatever it was, it sure did help."

Raph nodded and looked down at Leo who was being hugged by Spike. Leo looked up at him and gave him a nod then followed his team back to the locker rooms. Raph followed the rest of the group down the bleacher steps and stood next to the exit.

"You coming bro?" Mikey asked as he turned and realized Raph was not following.

"You go ahead," he told him, "I'm going to wait for Leo."

Mikey nodded and followed the rest of the group out the gym and toward the parking lot where he and the others waited for Raph and Leo to show up. Several minutes later, Leo, along with the rest of the team, walked out of the locker room. Raph walked over to him and gently took his hand. Leo looked at him and wrapped his arms around him.

You did good Leo." Raph whispered into his ear.

"Thanks to you," Leo whispered back.

The two parted and looked into each other's eyes. "You ready to tell me what happened with you and this Moore person?"

Leo nodded and the two walked toward the parking lot where the others were waiting for them and gave a brief explanation of what was going on before getting into his truck. "You all go ahead to Murakami's," Raph told them, he looked at Leo, "We'll meet you there." While the others went toward the town, Raph drove his truck away from the town to Leo's house. "Okay Leo," Raph said as he drove along, "Talk to me."

"I met Jeffrey last year," Leo began, "My mom was sick and I was feeling really depressed with everything going on, my dad was no help whatsoever, and I didn't have a lot of friends so when he came along I just…." Leo sighed heavily, "Let him into my life and take over." Raph watched from the corner of his eye as he saw Leo wipe a tear. "Problem was, before I knew what was happening, he was taking over everything." Leo pulled out his cell and stared at his mom's picture. "He started demanding to know where I was all the time and who I was with. He would begin to meet me after school to make sure I went where I was supposed to go." Leo put his cell away. "If I was late meeting him somewhere, he would get angry and…" Leo swallowed hard. "Yell and scream and tell me how pathetic I was and…."

"Basically just cut you down?" Raph finished. Leo nodded shamefully.

"I should've known what kind of guy he was when I found out he was a student of Bradford's." Leo said ruefully. "But by the time I found out, I had already let him take control."

"So I guess coming out here was kind of a blessing, huh?" Raph asked.

Leo shrugged. "I actually got away from him before we came out here but it took my mom's illness to do it."

"How so?"

"When I was leaving school one day," Leo shuddered at the memory, "My mom called and asked if I would come straight home, she was alone and in a lot of pain." He shook his head. "No one was there so of course I headed home but along the way Jeffrey found me and tried to get me to go with him. When I refused he began to hit me."

Raph stopped the car a few feet from Leo's home and stared at him in shock. "But Leo, you're a martial artist," he said in wonder, "Why would you let him do this to you?"

"At that time I had no idea," He said clearly getting agitated, "But I finally got so fed up with listening to him telling me I was to do what he wanted me to do and nothing else." Leo started shaking in anger as he recalled that day. "That I finally hit him back and kneed him in the groin" Leo shuddered and clenched his jaw. "As he laid there on the sidewalk groaning and moaning in pain, I screamed at him telling him he was to stay away from me and never touch me or come near me again or I'd make sure he'd never get up." Leo clenched his fist hard and took a deep breath to calm himself. "I never saw him again, last thing I heard he was in jail. Was arrested for killing two people while driving drunk." Leo looked at Raph, "But now, thanks to Bradford, he's back and making me feel like I did when we dated."

"Well, you got me now and if he comes anywhere near you, I'll do so much more to him then a knee to the groin," Raph said punching a fist into his hand. "I'll slice his dick off and throw it down his throat." He growled.

Leo laughed and pulled Raph into a hug. They kissed tenderly before pulling apart and Leo stroked Raph's cheek. "Thank you Raph," He said as he started to get out of the truck.

"Let me go with you." Raph said as he too began to get out of the truck.

"No!" Leo said nervously. "Just please wait here Raph," Leo told him, "I don't want Bradford or Jeffrey to see you," He told him. "I don't want either of them to know I'll be with you and you're family."

Raph hesitated before closing the door, "Okay babe," He said as he turned the heat up, "But don't be long, it's cold and I want to get you as far away from this place as possible."

Leo smiled and nodded. "Raph," Leo looked at him with uncertainty. "You know I will have to return home when my dad gets back, right?"

Raph nodded sadly. "I wish you wouldn't but…" He took his hand, "Like you said, just till school is over and then you can leave."

Leo squeezed his hand and stepped out of the car and toward his house. He walked in and looked around. Seeing no one, he quickly ran to his room and began packing his suitcase. Within five minutes, he gathered all he needed along with a bag filled of Christmas presents and made his way downstairs. But as he reached the bottom step, the creaking of the study door caught his attention and he turned to see Bradford walking out.

"Where's Jeffrey?" Leo demanded angrily.

"You said he couldn't be here," Bradford said staring down at the suitcase in Leo's hand. "So he's at my home," His eyes narrowed and a look of anger sparked within them. "Where are you going Leonardo?" He demanded as his voice slowly rose in anger.

"No where you need to know," Leo stated hotly. He started walking toward the door but stopped and looked at Bradford with furious eyes. "How could you bring him here, especially since you know what kind of person he is!" Leo yelled, "But I guess I shouldn't be surprised you don't care seeing as how he was your student." He took deep breath, "And you two are so much alike." Leo turned and continued toward the door. "As long as Jeffrey is in town, I'll be staying elsewhere." He was just about to open the door when he was roughly grabbed by Bradford.

"Look boy," Bradford started as he forced Leo against the door and grabbed onto his collar. "You seem to have a memory problem so let me remind you," He brought his face closer to Leo's. "I'm in charge when your daddy isn't here and I am not letting you leave this time."

Leo pushed him away and scowled angrily at him. "I think you're the one with the memory problem Bradford!" He yelled back, "I don't care if you are in charge, I refuse to answer to you and if my father should happen to need me, he has my cell number and can call me whenever he needs to!" Leo took a breath and steadied himself. "So why don't you go back to that hell hole you crawled out of and let my daddy know you're not needed." With that said, Leo walked out of the house and back to where Raph was still waiting for him in the car.

Bradford clenched his fist and punched the door after it had closed. He grabbed his cell and forcefully pressed the number three. "Jeffrey!" Bradford yelled into the phone, "He just left to go somewhere and from the looks of it, he isn't coming back." He told him, "Are you set up in that apartment I gave you?" he waited while Jeffrey answered. "Good, let me know the minute he gets there.

As Bradford spoke, behind him, watching from the study, a tall dark skinned man with dark hair had watched everything with a gleeful expression. As soon as he had seen Leonardo leave, he closed the door and looked down at his cell phone thoughtfully. 'Yes Bradford,' He thought to himself, 'Perhaps Saki should be told of what's going on here.' He laughed as he pushed a button on his phone.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Okay, long chapter but a lot of detail. Please R&R, :) Peace