A/n: Oh my God...over 200 reviews...You guys are awesome! Thank you so much to everyone that has reviewed and favourite this story. It really means a lot to me, and I love knowing that you guys are enjoying reading this as much as I enjoy writing it! And a big, big, big thank you to Amonrapheonix for beta-ing.

-Chapter Twenty Three-

Leonardo's POV

Leo stared out at the New York City skyline, which hours ago had seemed so beautiful, now caused a putrid taste in his mouth. A blue hue tinged the sky, the first sign that dawn wasn't far off. A few stars still studded the sky, harder to see now and less radiant than before.

He was frozen, immobile. Not even the strongest of gales could have moved him than. His heart was lurching inside his chest, like he was on an out of control roller coaster ride, and was about to fall off the tracks at any moment. Tears stung his eyes, but he would not allow himself to shed them. He didn't have that right.

A warm hand rested on his shoulder, offering a comforting squeeze. Leo turned around to look into the eyes of his younger brother, moist with tears. Leo saw his brother try to compose himself and swallow the hard lump that had formed within his throat.

"We should go, Leo," Donnie whispered, eyes dropping to the cold ground under his feet. "We...we need to tell Master Splinter what happened."

Leo shook his head, fighting through the desperate need to fall to his knees and sob, like someone in high-rated drama sitcom. Instead, he pulled away from Don, moving further towards the ledge of the roof they were standing on.

"It's my fault," Leo whispered, his voice broken and unfamiliar.

"Leo..." Don started but was cut off.

"We lost him, Donnie. Again," Leo murmured, looking down at his hands. "We just got him back, now he's gone again."

"We will find him, Leo," Don said firmly. "Just like we did before. We haven't lost him yet, Leo."

"Come on, Leo," Mikey spoke up, his orange mask stained wet with tears. "We have to tell Master Splinter."

"No," Leo shook his head firmly. "Ineed to tell Master Splinter. I was the one in charge of you all. I am the one to blame, and I must be the one to tell Sensei."

Preparing himself for what he had to do, Leo turned, and slowly, solemnly, headed back towards the lair, the absence of their missing brother hanging above their heads like a dark storm cloud.

Splinter was in the dojo when the turtles returned home, one short and solemn faced. Leo made a gesture for Don and Mikey to stay where they were, as he moved quietly towards the dojo. He stood in the shadows just outside the door, trying to prepare in his head how he was going to tell his father that he had lost a son, again.

Taking a deep breath, Leo pushed the door open and walked into the dojo, trying to remain as calm and as collected as he could. But as soon as his father turned around to face him, Leo lost his composure. A burning rage fuelled by guilt and despair washed over him like a wave. Unable to control this anger, this burning rage, Leo lashed out, furiously knocking over the stand of weights. Barbells of all sizes fell to the ground with a crash and rolled haphazardly around the room.

"Leonardo!" Master Splinter shouted, confused and shocked at his eldest son's behaviour he was displaying. Leonardo was never like this. Out of his four sons, Leonardo was always the calmest, even in the most stressful of situations. Never before had he lashed out in pure anger and grief like he had just done now.

"Kneel," Master Splinter commanded, folding his hands behind his back. He felt something in his chest drop when he saw the look on his son's face, and knew immediately that something bad had happened.

"We-we were on the roof," Leo was stammering, unable to form a coherent sentence as he dropped to his knees in front of his father. "We were distracted-talking-and-and it's my fault. I should have seen them coming..."

"Leonardo, you are the leader of this family, and because of that, you always bear the world's problems on your shoulders. You are a protector of others, as your position entitles, but you must realize that at times, though you are the leader of this family, sometimes, you too, need to feel protected as well. You are highly skilled and loyal to your fault. These are the merits of a great leader, but only when tempered with understanding and humility."

"But Sensei...I messed up big tonight," Leo whispered, unable to look his father directly in the eye. "They took him."

"Raphael..." Master Splinter felt his heart stop as Leo carefully placed Raphael's Sais on the ground in front of him.

Master Splinter closed his eyes, taking several slow, deep breaths to keep his emotions in check. Slowly opening his eyes, he looked down at his grieving son.

"Then our time for hiding is over," he said firmly. "We must return to the surface, and reclaim what is ours."

A/n: I apologise for the shortness of this chapter; it's more of a filler than anything else. Next chapter will be longer, and I guarantee, a lot more interesting! Did you notice this is like a reversal to the film? Haha, it's suppose to be that way!

Feel free to leave a review; I'd love to hear what you thought.

~Cat