I don't own the TMNT

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In an instant Raph was moving, covering the distance between him and Marshall. The detective blanched slightly but then a resolve likely brought on by training swept over him. His brain had decided to process the giant-turtle information later to take care of the threat that was my brother. I could see his finger tighten on the trigger.

"RAPH! NO!" Leo yelled. He moved to take a step forward then winced, hand going to his plastron, over his heart. He blinked hard, like he was trying to focus. Then finally he just shut his eyes. "Don't even think about it." He gasped.

My eyes went from one to the other, my scientists brain kicking in. Leo was deteriorating fast, it looked like. What had happened? Where did the bullet lodge itself? It looked like where his heart was, but it couldn't have hit his heart directly or he'd be dead already.

Then my gaze shifted to Raph who, amazingly, had obeyed Leo and skidded to a stop a few feet from Marshall, snarling at him with pure animal malice. His hulking form seemed to dwarf the detective. The blood had since completely drained from Marshall's face as he stared my huge brother down, the gun in his hand trembling slightly.

How much longer would Raph wait for orders from Leo, who may not be able to give them?

How much longer would Marshall wait until he decided to fire anyway.

I had to take care of this.

Shifting to a sitting position, my hands pulling at the bonds, I shouted. "Marshall!"

He jerked at the sound of my voice. In his fear he even took his eyes off of Raph to stare at me. Raph, annoyed and in a state of shock himself, turned as well.

Grunting, I got to my feet, hands still bound behind me. "You can't tell anyone about us. I mean it."

Raph glowered, lip curling into a snarl. "How do you know he wo-"

I continued, ignoring him. "Not only would no one believe you, but I would make you regret it. Remember, you told me that you knew the Vigilante Butcher had computer skills. I could wipe your 401K clean. I could sign you up for the right blogs and sites that would make the NSA, secret service or FBI snatch you up in an instant. Basically, I can ruin your life in a day."

This wasn't what he was expecting me to say. His eyes widened. "But, I-"

"Remember!" I snapped. We were running out of time, Leo was running out of time. But we couldn't leave until I was sure. "I've been monitoring everything that you've been doing. Everything about your life. Sure would be a shame to lose the custody battle with your kids. Your ex wants no visitation, right? And your precious job. Sure would suck if they found drugs in your locker, right? Or found that you 'tampered' with evidence. Just think of the possibilities."

We all stared at him for a second. A mix of fear, crushing defeat and blazing anger swamped over his face. "I could just kill you now, your body will be proof."

"You think you can take all of us down before one of us reaches you and snaps your fucking neck?" Raph snarled.

He blanched.

I looked over at Leo. He was clearly having some trouble breathing, but he remained on his feet, trying to put on a look of self-assurance. All four of us, Mike included, stared him down.

The emotions still clearly warring within him, Marshall slowly backed away, gun still drawn. His eyes flitting over to mine, I could read his message clearly. This wasn't over. And with that he disappeared behind the door.

Now I had to take care of things. Grunting, I shoved my hands to Mike. "Untie me."

I could feel his hesitation. Raph rounded. "Don't do it Mike! You don't know what he'll do!" He glared at me before starting over to Leo, who was now wheezing slightly, blinking hard.

I snarled. Didn't have fucking time for this. Seeing Leo like that, it was kicking in my old well-honed instincts big time. Not that it would change anything afterwards. "Now isn't the fucking time Raph! Deal with my shit later, unless you know how to take the bullet out of Leo!"

A few precious seconds passed as my brothers seemed to struggle with what to do. Trust me? Or try to deal with it themselves. Truly I didn't give a fuck if they trusted me fully, they didn't need to, it's not like I was going back to them anyway. But something in me couldn't allow me to leave Leo in this condition.

Finally Leo grunted. "Do it." He gasped.

Mike needed no further word. Before Raph could protest, I felt my bonds loosen.

The ties dropped to the floor. For a long moment, I just sat there. Everyone around me stood stock still, staring at me, waiting to see what I would do.

What would I do?

It would be the best time to escape right now. With Leo hurt, distracting them, slowing them down. Much easier.

Slowly, I got to my feet. Raph shifted, ready to come after me.

I felt like I had two bonds yanking at me from either side. Could I do both?

Then, I found myself coming to Leo's side, looking over him with a critical eye. It was obvious that there was an issue with his lung, but how deep was the question. Our shells were mildly bullet resistant, but how much protection would our plastrons provide against it? Immediately my mind worked through all the possible choices.

Barely aware of my other two brothers hovering slightly, though whether it was more out of concern for Leo or worry that I'd do something I didn't care. I grunted. "Raph, get Leo's legs. Mike, help me get his arms. There's a free clinic near here." Leo started to protest but I cut him off. "He shouldn't be walking, it will put more strain on his lungs."

Still glaring at me, Raph complied. Implicitly trusting me, giving me the occasional smile, Mike took his place beside me as we hoisted up our brother. Though he wasn't happy about being carried, Leo didn't protest.

The walk to the clinic wasn't short, but it seemed longer. We all moved in complete silence, though I could tell that questions were burning on my brother's lips. Both of their eyes constantly flitted to me, as if seeing me for the first time. Maybe they thought that me helping him meant that I was coming back.

Which of course was impossible. Not when Sophia needed me.

She was going to be pissed about this, though.

I needed to do this quick, then find a way to escape again. Sophia knew how to track me, I put the program on her phone at her insistence. She would have arrived home about an hour ago. Likely she was already in the process. I just had to get this over with.

As soon as we reached the clinic, I handed my burden to Mike while I quickly picked the lock. Stealing a glance at my brother, I saw that his breathing was more labored and there was hardly any blood coming out of the wound. Not a good sign, for sure.

Once the clinic doors swung open I led them to an exam room, throwing down chux pads for easy clean up before indicating that Leo should be put down. Going through the cabinets, I searched for tools. There was only paltry things. Grunting, I headed for the door. Raph blocked my way. I glared at him. Could I take him in a fight? Probably. He was weak, relying so much on family. But I didn't have time right now. "I need more tools. Supply closet." I snarled.

"I'll go with you." He said, looking at me in a way that said he didn't trust me one iota.

I didn't give a shit. Pushing past him, I easily found it. The tools in the clinic were not as nice as what I was used to, but that's something that happened with free clinics a lot. They got the cheap stuff. Finding what I needed, I headed back to the room.

Looking down at Leo, my face was expressionless as he looked back, his eyes wide, slightly bloodshot. Something about the image of him like that was unnerving. How often did I see a similar look on those of my targets? Before I went in for the kill? But this isn't a target, Don. This is your brother. Strange, though, it didn't quite feel the same, either way. "They don't have anything to put you out."

He understood and nodded. We had been through this before in the past, before I became more skilled at stealing medical supplies.

Was I always the sneakiest one in the family?

Mike, his face grim, handed Leo his nuchuku to put between his teeth as I grabbed a pair of ring forceps wrapped in their packaging. Not what I would have preferred but beggers couldn't be choosers. In the nearby sink I quickly scrubbed my hands halfway up my arms, using the surgical soap. Grabbing the betadine, I splashed it over Leo's chest, making sure to get into the puncture hole. Then, opening the paper sterile packaging, I grabbed the handle of the forceps and, without pausing a heartbeat, shoved them into the hole.

Leo grunted, his muscles twitching slightly with the exertion of staying still, teeth sinking into the wood.

Surprisingly, I wasn't really bothered by his pain. Had I become immune to it? My eyes roved over his face as it tensed, pupils dilating. Things I've seen before. When was the last time that I healed instead of kill? Pushing the information aside, I quickly found the bullet. It wasn't very deep at all. The low caliber, the distance and his plastron had all combined to make sure that it didn't penetrate deep.

Taking it out, I used some sterile gauze to soak up some of the blood to quickly inspect the wound. The interior wound was miniscule, it looked like a tiny tear in the pleural lining, a wall of tissue enveloping each lung. The little tear was allowing blood to get in, thus squeezing the lung, inhibiting expansion. A pneumothorax.

The tear was tiny enough that it would heal on its own now that the bullet was out. But that blood had to go otherwise his breathing would remain compromised.

I came prepared.

Taking out the syringe, I placed a catheter with a special pleural needle at the end. This was going to hurt. A lot. I looked at Leo's face. It was beaded with sweat, his eyes were closed and he was digging his teeth into the nunchuku for all he was worth. Yes. Really, really going to hurt. Yet I didn't feel any compunction about it whatsoever.

Wiping his side with betadine, the softer portion between his plastron and shell, I quickly stuck the needle in, between the ribs, continuing until I felt the pop that told me I punctured the pleural lining. Then I quickly withdrew the needle, leaving the catheter.

As soon as I did it, Leo arched his back as much as his shell would allow, screaming into the wood. A flash of annoyance went through me as I pushed him back down to make him stay still, using one hand to fill the plunger of the syringe with blood.

Raph was having a fit beside me. "What the FUCK Don! You coulda warned him? WHAT THE FUCK!" He was barely restraining himself from striking me as I worked silently, not even sparing him a glance.

Mike was on Leo's other side, his face a sea of torment. In fact, he even looked near fucking tears. Ugh.

I filled up one plunger of blood. Dumping it into a kidney basin, I went back again, withdrawing another plunger. There wasn't a lot more, the third plunger full only filled halfway.

By now Leo was quivering slightly. I was surprised that he didn't pass out by now, but then again he was always inwardly strong.

Next I set to the wound. Leo peeked open his eyes enough to see me get the curved needle in the forceps with the line of suture. Eyes widening slightly at the sight he closed them and turned his head away. For the first time I noticed that he was holding Mike's hand.

Huh.

The bullet had torn through the muscle. First I used some dissolvable suture to seal that, tying it off neatly. Then the 'skin' beneath the plastron. The plastron itself, well, that would just have to heal on its own. It was too tough for suturing. So quickly, with a healthy dose of bacitracin, I put on an occlusive dressing, covering it with gauze.

It was then that my phone beeped.

I froze at the sound.

A text.

And I knew who from.

I glanced at the clock. Had treating Leo seriously taken half an hour? Shit.

I looked over at Mike. He was absorbed, at the moment, with Leo. Raph was torn between Leo and me. How could I slip away?

As soon as I stepped away to wash my hands, Raph was at my side. I tensed.

He was resolute.

"This doesn't change anything. You're coming home with us."

I didn't say anything. Why did they even want my home? It didn't make any sense. They didn't really need me. At least not in the way that they wanted me to believe. They didn't really want me. At least not like Sophia does. She loves me.

Apparently my lack of answer wasn't what he was looking for. His fist slammed hard on the counter next to me. I didn't even flinch. "Fuck, Don! What's wrong with you? We're your fucking family! What about Splinter? You busted his nose last time, remember? What about him? He can hardly breathe!"

I blinked. Did I really forget about that? Yes, I did. I broke his nose! It would be best not to think about that. There was no way that I could go into the Lair, they would make it so that I never came out. Never came back to Sophia. Yet, despite myself, my medical mind calculated it. How badly had it been broken? If they didn't mess with it, then it would be fixable, surely. I gave him a sideways glance. I could see the hint of guilt written clearly on his face. Shit. They messed with it. Probably made it a lot worse. Probably made it unfixable. Such delicate bone structure, the nose. Especially for a creature like a rat. I would have to demolish his sense of smell to make it breathable, I'd have to-

What the fuck you thinking, Don?

You can't go back there.

And Sophia just sent you a text.

I had to get out of here.

Best just not to think about it.

Then I heard Mike sobbing quietly next to Leo. "Don, why can't you just come back? Please?"

It was all too much. Like it was coming from all directions. I couldn't take it, I felt the overwhelming need to escape. I should just find a way to go. Why the fuck did I even come here? It would've been so easy, just leave when Closing my eyes, I squeezed them shut. "No."

"The fuck you ain't."

I should have seen it coming. I was too conflicted. Too torn between al the craziness that had happened today. With the police station, the capture, the shot, being revealed, this shit. Way too much.

When Raph grabbed me from behind, I reacted instinctively. I twisted as his hands closed around my arms. Normally, before I had liberated myself, he would have overpowered me. But now I matched him, if not more. I found myself facing him, grappling him. We pushed against each other, like two sparring rhinos. His face twisted as he glared at me, a mix between anger and pain etched into the lines of it.

I didn't have time for this. Sophia was coming, if not here.

So I allowed myself to be pushed back, right into the light switch, shifting so that it clicked off, immediately enveloping the windowless room into total darkness. Allowing my knees to buckle, took a surprised Raph with me, pushing at his plastron with my feet as I rolled on my shell. With a grunt he flew off of me.

I wasted no time, yanking open the door.

I was seriously getting tired of this.

The thudding sound of feet on the floor told me that Raph was wasting no time in his pursuit.

I slowed when I saw the lights illuminating the side door. Somehow I knew it wasn't the police or anything like that. It was something much worse.

Slowing more, I stared at the door. Confused and cautious, even Raph slowed down behind me. "What the fuck is this Don? Some sort of fucking trick? I swear I'll-"

I shook my head. "No. You can't. Just…stay here. Please." Turning slightly, I looked him in the eye. "Please."

With that I opened the door.

There, leaning against her car, headlights on, was Sophia with a 12 gauge shotgun at her hip. Even now I found my breath catching in my throat at the sight of her. She looked fiery, wild, beautiful and free.

And really, really pissed off.

Ducking my head slightly, I looked at her, shame filling me. How I had deceived her tonight, coming here without telling her. Doing all of this underhanded. I should've told her from the beginning. Stupid, stupid me. Thinking that I could solve everything without her. I couldn't do anything without her.

She said nothing, she simply stepped to the side, opening the passenger door, pointing her finger. The message was clear. Come. Now.

Obediently, I obeyed.

"Just a fucking second, Don."

I started. Somehow, I had almost forgotten that my family was in the clinic behind me.

Sophia's eyes swung up to my brother, a smile broadening her face. I knew the face. Knew the look. For a long second, I was torn. Then I stepped forward, closer to her. Distract her. "I'm sorry, Sophia, they found evidence, about you, I had to take care of it. To protect you. Please. I just-"

"You expect me to believe that load of shit, when I find you with this piece of shit? You're fucking former family?" She hissed. That smile was still on her face.

Raph's face was downright murderous. "This is the fucking bitch who's caused all this?" He snarled. His hands flexed. Likely he was imagining her throat between them. He didn't step forward though, having healthy respect for a shotgun. The shot would spray wide enough that it didn't matter which way he went, he would be sprayed with it.

Her smile broadened as she cocked the shotgun. The unmistakable sound resounded in the air. "And you're the useless idiot hotheaded jackass.

Tension welled within me as I looked from one to the other. "Sophia, please, let's go home."

"Yes. Don, you're fucking coming home with us. Not this fucking whore."

I winced at the words, anger within me yet fear at the same time. What was I afraid of?

Then things just got worse. Of course they got worse. Coming up behind Raph, filling the doorway, was Leo, his arm slung around Mike for support. Sophia's eyes flitted to both of them, taking in Leo's injured state.

I seized the opportunity. Perfect excuse. "I was just taking care of him, he was injured. I wasn't going back. I promise."

"Come here. Now." Sophia's voice was crisp and sharp in the night air. I started towards her.

"No, Don, come back home. Come back to your family." Leo managed to wheeze out.

"Yes. You don't belong to her. Please." Mike begged.

For some reason I stood rooted to the spot, between my family and my love. What kind of fucked up situation was this? It was all supposed to be so simple!

"Fuck you don't." Sophia barked. Her crisp, wild cat eyes laid on me. "They don't love you, Donatello. I do. You know I do. That means that you belong to me, just as I belong to you. Together." Even as she said it, she maneuvered the barrel of the shotgun to point to Leo's chest. The one who for sure wouldn't be able to get away in time. He paused, stilling at the sight of it pointing to him, all too aware of his weakness. The other two hesitated as well.

Yes. Everything she was saying was true. She was always right. Why did I not realize this? How could I even think otherwise? This whole thing was my fault anyway. If only I had done things differently, then none of this would have even happened. This whole situation was because of me.

But I was tired of the violence tonight. "Don't shoot, Sophia."

Her eyes sharpened. I bowed my head. "You're right, just…don't shoot. I'm tired." With that, I walked towards her, head hung in shame.

"What the fuck are you doing, Don?"

"Why are you letting her do this? You don't belong to her!"

"Please, Don, come back to us. Please."

My eyes squeezed shut. Why did their words hurt like that? Yet they did. It made no sense. I didn't belong to them. I belonged to Sophia. She was right. She was always right. I eyed her slightly as I passed her to get into the car. Some part of me expected her to fire anyway. Yet, as I slowly sat down into the car seat, she slammed the door behind me without firing. Slowly she walked around the front of the car, the shotgun still pointed at Leo.

My family stood oddly still as they watched the entire thing, just staring, each brother broadcasting a different emotion about it all.

I didn't even know what to think, my brain was oddly blank.

It wasn't going to end like this, I knew. Sophia was downright calm right now. I would be punished when we got home. Rightly so. This was all my fault.

Yet something disturbed me, the way that they stared at us as the car started and slowly pulled away.

It was then that I knew that they weren't through yet either.

Whatever they had planned, I couldn't even guess. My plans tended to turn to shit anyway.

I looked at Sophia sitting beside me, her beautiful face a torrent emotion. She wasn't even looking at me. I could hardly stand it. Why didn't she just get it over with? Yet, at the same time, she came for me. She loved me so much that she came for me, risking my brothers to do so.

No, I would feel the pain for my mistakes. As I should. I could only hope that she loved me enough to forgive me.

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A/N: I struggled a little bit with this one, for some reason. Hope that you guys like it anyway. Please leave a review and let me know what you think!

P.S. I do have a new fic out, featuring Mike called My Camouflage is Orange. If you like, please check it out!

P.P.S. Stealthystories is now hosting a horror fic competition, hosted by The NerdFighter. If your interested, please let her or me know and we can answer any questions you may have! We'd like to get it done by Halloween! :D