'Ow...' was the first thing Leo thought as his consciousness rose from his mind. Everything in his body hurts. He knows he's covered in bruises without even looking. Probably fractures too. After a beating he took from Kraang, it's no wonder he felt so hurt.

"Ya think?" April snickered but the tears in her eyes were still fresh as Leon just stuck his tongue out at her playfully.

Still, from the way he could feel something solid on his shell and the soft warm weight on top of his body, it's safe to say that he was back home.

Back home to his family.

Raph just held Leon close with his family as Leon just sighed softly in content in the arms of his big brother. He felt at home and protected from everything.

'Waking up.' A voice sounded in his head.

'Good. Maybe we'll get some answers.' another said.

That made the two other blue masked turtles look at the screen in surprise. Was that... them?

'Strange,' Leo thought.

He groaned when he attempted to open his eyes only for throbbing pain to shoot through his skull. He probably has a concussion. Being hammered to the ground by Kraang isn't fun. He could still hear Kraang's enraged yell as he slammed Leo to the ground.

Miguel held Leon by his hand for comfort. He couldn't shake the feeling and it made him whimper softly in fear.

He shudders at the memory, which sent more pain through him. A small groan escaped him despite trying to hold it back.

"'Nardo?"

Leon sent Donald a smile who just laid beside him. He doesn't want to be apart from his twin.

Donnie.

Leo grimaces as he forces himself to open his eyes. It's a bit too bright in the room for him so he squinted. He could see blurry shapes of green and purple.

A relieved smile pulls at his mouth.

"Heh... what's shaking?" He said weakly.

"Leo!"

A solid mass slammed into him. He gasped in pain when his body throbbed.

Miguel giggles softly as Leon brings him in for a noogie.

Leonardo just smiled in amusement at the sight of Michelangelo's counterpart hugging him. It reminded him of when he woke up from his coma.

Still, he chuckled and weakly raised a hand to pat his brother's shell.

"Mikey, I'm fine." He assures softly. Still, his brother began sobbing into his plastron

"You were almost not fine 'Nardo," Donnie's voice is a nice sound to hear, despite the irritated tone to it.

Leon sent his twin a knowing look who just rolled his eyes but a smile was on his face.

"Heh, well I'm fine now." Leo lifts his head to stare at his twin in all but biology. He smiles. "All thanks to you all."

"Scoff. You were lucky." Donnie looked away, arms crossed and shoulders hunched. Leo watches the way he gripped his arms a bit too tightly. "We were very lucky."

"You're very lucky that your brothers saved you, Leon." Leo told his younger self who looked at him in surprise but agreed.

"Yeah, very lucky." Leon said with a smile.

Mikey clung to his brother desperately like letting go meant that his brother would suddenly disappear. Leo could feel the shaking that wracked his younger brother's frame.

Splinter patted Miguel's head who chirped softly in gratitude.

'They're scared,' a voice in his head spoke. It sounded warm but distant, in a way that felt like the person was far from him. On the other side of a door.

Leonardo instantly recognized the voice. That was his voice!

'They're too young to face this.' Another replied. This one sounded old and worn down. Like they have gone through a lot in their life.

Leo blinked in surprise. That was him! But how?

But that doesn't make sense. He doesn't usually have different voices in his head, imagination or not. His thoughts are all him and him alone.

Leo shook it off. The concussion must be worse if he's hearing voices. He had gone through a lot.

"Hey, hey..." He said softly, reaching a hand down to cradle Mikey's head. Mikey stares up at him through tear-filled eyes.

His little brother looked haggard and beaten. Leo could see the bandages wrapped around his arms from his wrist up to his elbows and concern rose inside him.

Leon became alarmed at that and quickly checked on Miguel's arms and became distraught to see scars on them.

"Oh Miguel..." Leon shakily put his hand gingerly on the injury as Miguel winced a little.

"I... I had to, Leo... I couldn't just let you die there..." Miguel whimpered as Leon pulled him in a hug.

"What happened here?" He asked as he gently touched Mikey's bandaged arms.

"Casey was right about 'mystic hands'," Donnie replied while leaning against his desk with crossed arms, carefully watching his brother for any signs of injury. Well, more than what's already clear. "He didn't give up on you. He brought you back."

Leon sent CJ a thankful look as Donnie and Raph stayed close with them.

"That took guts, I'll admit that." Raphael nodded. That kid earned his respect.

'The portal.' The voice said, sounding a mix of awe and understanding.

Leo just sighed softly. The aftereffects of creating a portal on Mikey from his time took its toll. The time gateway was the last straw.

"Ah, I always knew my baby brother was amazing." Leo gently rubs Mikey's head, conveying affection. His brother leans into the touch with a shaky smile.

"Yes but that gave him nasty burns," Donnie told them factually. "We fixed him up as best we could but medic is your thing."

"Wait, you're the medic of the team?" Donatello asked curiously. He thought his counterpart was the medic.

"Yup. I learnt to be a medic before our adventure started." Leon said as Jones whistled in amazement.

"Damn, never thought I'd see a counterpart of Leo being the medic." Jones said only to get a piece of popcorn bounced off his head.

"Language." Raph told him.

Leo hums slowly. "I'll take a look at it."

"But you're hurt." Mikey protested, looking at his brother up and down to emphasize his point.

"Miguel, if there's one thing I care about is that your well being before mine." Leon told him as Miguel pouted.

Well, he does feel a little messed up. "You're the one who needs to be looked at. Are you okay?"

Leo gave him a wide smile despite knowing how painful it must look. "Hey, your amazing awesome bro here can handle a lot. A little bit of rest and I'm right as rain."

"For your information, Nardo. You are not right as rain!" Donald snapped at him with a hiss.

"No. You aren't 'right as rain'. You were seriously injured!" The soft shell yelled while throwing his arms up.

"Donnie, relax..." Leo attempted to assure his twin.

But that only set him off.

"No!" Donnie snapped, his hands moving around to emphasize his words. "You had multiple fractured bones, lacerations on your body, your shell was cracked and you were in a coma for three days! You are not okay!"

"I was out for that long?!" Leon gaped in shock.

"Well, from how your injuries looked, I'd say it did take three days for it all to heal." Donatello pointed out.

"Oh man... I'm sorry for worrying you guys..." Leon said as he looked at his family.

"Hey, no sweat, little brother." Raph smiled at him.

"Three days? I've been out for that long?" Leo asked.

"Yes! 'Nardo, we thought you-" Donnie cut himself off. He grimaced and turned away from his brother. Leo watches him with worry as he hunches into himself, arms wrapped around his body in a self-hug.

Leon didn't hesitate to give Donald a one side hug who sighed and leaned against his warmth. He couldn't help but worry sometimes.

'He's worried.'

'It's been a rough few days...'

'I hope they heal from this...' Leo mournfully thought. Traumas against the Kraang will take time to heal but even then, the trauma and scars will remain no matter how long they healed.

The voices chimed in. Leo could see what he meant. Donnie has his head tilted down, nearly hiding in his shell. It's like something is weighing down on him and Leo knows what it is.

"We..." Donnie's voice cracked slightly and a stab of guilt shot through Leo. "We almost lost you. I thought- I thought I lost you."

Leo reached a hand out to him. "Donnie..."

His purple-clad brother began pacing.

"If Mikey hadn't unlocked his mystic powers- if Raph hadn't reached in to pull you out- if I hadn't pushed the Kraang back-" Donnie's breathing turned ragged and he stopped. He shudders and turns to Leo. "We could have lost you."

Mikey clung harder, his breathing hitching with contained sobs. Leo held back a wince of pain at the pressure against his sore body.

"We thought we lost you." Mikey's voice cracked as he held back another sob. "Don't do that again. Never do that again Leo. Never!"

"Okay. Just so you know, I won't do that again unless it's to save your shells. Plus I might not be the only one who had to sacrifice himself for his family." Leon said.

"He's right. I almost drowned at the sea when I had to keep... Our Kraang and technodrome under water." Leonardo said.

'...' Words can't be said to voice out what he's feeling. But the presence of it is there, unspoken.

Leo pressed his lips together and patted his brother's shell.

"As if I would do that again." He said with a smile. Mikey lifts his head to stare at him with teary eyes.

His voice turns a little more playful, arms moving around despite the pain of movement.

"Oh boy. Here it comes." April snickered as she wiped her tears.

"Honestly, the martyr shtick isn't for me. I think I'll leave that for the real heroes! A bit too stressful for me. Which is bad for the face guy! I thrive off of my handsome face and all that stress would mess it up! I might get a Raph chasm if I keep that up!"

This sent both Michelangelo into giggling fits as Leo chuckled at that. Raphael coughed behind his hand but he couldn't stop the small snickers from coming out as Raph snickered. Donatello covered his mouth but he couldn't stop the laughter. Leonardo looked a bit embarrassed but he couldn't stop the smile and laughs from escaping. Both April giggled at the sense of humor while Jones was wheezing. CJ laughed softly at his sense of humor.

Always depend on Leon to lighten up the mood.

He had a hand to his forehead when he said that and paused.

"Hey, Where's Raph?"

"Outside with dad. I shall call them in." Donnie pressed a few buttons on his wrist device.

"Thanks." Leo smiles.

That smile fell when the image of Raph covered in pink Kraang flesh popped into his mind like a bad jump scare.

Raph rubbed his arm uncomfortably. It was still unsettling about what happened.

"How... How is he?"

"He's fine," Mikey said while wiping away tears.

"Raph?" Leon looked at his big brother who signed shakily.

"I'm sorry, little brother... If only I had tried harder, I..." Raph sniffed as he wiped his eyes.

Donnie answered him while turning away to face his screen.

"He's healing if that's what you're asking. His right eye needs a bit more time to heal but he won't lose his vision at least. Bruises and scratches but that's expected. His shell is a bit cracked and a chunk of it is broken off around his left shoulder. But he's walking and talking."

'That's still a lot.'

Leon gave his big brother a hug before a plushie landed in Raph's lap. It was a care bear plush and Raph instantly hugged it for comfort as his brothers smiled. Raph and his love for teddy bears.

Leo agreed with the voice in his head. Guilt wormed its way inside his chest, tearing him on the inside.

He had caused Raph to have a broken shell. If he hadn't tried to grab the key-

If he had run away before Kraang tried to stab him-

If he hadn't been so reckless then Raph wouldn't be hurt. He wouldn't have been taken. He wouldn't have been-

The image of Raph transforming into a Kraang monster flashed before his eyes.

"Hey, kid, it's not your fault." Raphael said as Leon looked at him.

"I mean, Fearless here sometimes blames himself for a couple of things but he never sulks. Well sometimes." Raphael said as Leonardo just rolled his eyes.

"What he meant is that, you shouldn't blame yourself for something that was out of your control." He said as Leon blinked but nodded.

Leo gripped the sheets around him tightly.

He remembered how it felt to watch that. Horror, watching his brother transform into a monster. Fear and terror as Raph became a mindless beast under Kraang's control. Guilt, knowing that he was the one who let it happen.

All of those feelings swam inside his chest like a churning whirlpool of darkness. It clawed and gripped his heart, tugging and pulling on it while filling the gaps it made with its dark ooze.

He looks away, eyes flicking down to the sheets around him.

It's soft under his hands, or what he could feel while covered in bandages. He took in his injuries.

Bruises littered his body like a bad painting of purple, yellow and green. Well, a darker green than his skin. He has bandages wrapped around him in various places as well as colorful band-aids. Must be Mikey's doing.

'It doesn't look as bad as before. Should be healed in no time.' The voice said.

Leo could agree to that. They've always had some form of accelerated healing abilities. Must be a side effect of being engineered by Draxum.

"Wait, you were created?" Donatello asked in confusion.

"Long story short, Draxum, our other dad, created us to be weapons via using DNA of dear Papa here but he took us away from the lab and raised us as his sons. Which begs the question; how were you mutated?" Donald asked as he looked at his counterpart.

"It's a long story but to make it short, we were ordinary pet turtles that Hamato Yoshi bought from the pet store. He followed a suspicious looking man into an alley, stepped on a rat, fought off the strange men and a canister of Mutagen fell on him and thus mutated us into what we are." Donatello explained.

An old flame of anger rises inside his chest at the thought. No matter what Mikey said, he would never treat Draxum as a friend or a father. No, that goat can fuck off after what he did to them.

"Leo, what did I say about language?" Raph chided.

"Oh come on, Raphie! It's not my fault that he threw me off the roof!" Leon pouted.

"Wait what?!" That made their counterparts look at him in shock.

All of the pain and injuries, all of the schemes and the battles they had fought. The whole thing with their existence, while a blessing now, leaves a bad taste in his mouth at how he and his brothers were just an experiment to him. Engineered to be warriors. As if they're nothing more than that. Just powerful warriors created by someone with the intent to fight like pawns. It's a messed up thing, especially when it relates to your entire existence.

Leo holds a grudge; sue him.

"Do you really hate Draxum, Leo?" Miguel asked sadly as Leon sighed.

"I don't, Miguel, but he hasn't apologized for throwing me off the roof." Leon said as he rubbed Miguel's head.

The ground shakes slightly with heavy steps and Leo smiles when he recognizes those steps. He turns to the entrance of the lab just in time to see Raph nearly rip it open in his haste.

"He's awake?!" Raph yells loudly which makes Leo wince at how it rattles his head. Headaches are not fun.

"Never thought I'd see a version of Raph to be this big." Michelangelo whistled.

"Reminds me of Slash." Raphael said.

"See for yourself," Donnie gestures to him.

Leo raises his hand to wave. "Hey, big guy."

He's engulfed in a firm hug within moments. Leo still winced at how it aggravated his injuries but he hugged back, burying his face into Raph's shoulder.

Michelangelo looked longingly and looked at his red masked brother with puppy eyes.

Raphael tried to resist it but Michelangelo, being the youngest, just made him crack.

"Fine, just this once." He grumbled and was immediately tackled into a hug by the orange clad turtle.

He enjoys Raph's hugs. His large body made him feel protected and warm. There's a feeling of safety within Raph's arms. He knows that his big brother will keep him safe. It's always a comforting feeling whenever Raph hugs him. A shelter. A shield. A home within someone's arms.

"You're awake. You're safe. Thank pizza you're safe." Raph mutters next to his ear, his tone full of relief.

Raphael sighed but Leonardo put an arm around his shoulders. He knows what Raphael is thinking and that maybe a hug might help him feel better.

Raphael smiled thankfully since he remembered when Leonardo was in a coma for 3 whole months when New York was invaded and that he was hurt when they had to flee for safety.

'Still can't get over how big he is.'

'Raph... he's still the same.'

'Shut up voices,' Leo scolded mentally. He's trying to enjoy a Raph hug here.

Leon, Miguel and Donald all turtles piled on Raph who laughed tearfully and hugged his brothers.

"Blue?"

Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, Michelangelo, O'Neil and Jones tear up at the sight of Splinter. They know it's not their Splinter but the loss was still too deep.

Raphael and O'Neil looked at each other as they still remembered it. They were there when Super Shredder stabbed Splinter severely and threw him off the roof while they watched helplessly in horror.

Donatello and Michelangelo looked down sadly. They remember the feeling of losing their Splinter and it was a deep wound that fed fire into the dying embers that drove them to defeat Super Shredder once and for all.

Leonardo was trying so hard to stop the sobs from escaping. He remembered holding his father's lifeless body when Super Shredder threw him off the roof. The loss was too great for him and even though they defeated their inner demon, the loss was just too painful to heal from.

Feeling a hand on his arm, he looked down to see the Splinter of the other dimension looking at him with a warm and familiar smile.

"You may not be my son, but you are still my son no matter the dimension." He said and it was enough for Leonardo to start crying.

Splinter held him even though he's shorter than this Leonardo. Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo soon joined in the hug with O'Neil and Jones joining.

"You wanna sit with your counterparts?" Sophia softly asked. She paused the movie for the moment as she looked at the TMNT 2012 family with a soft and understanding smile.

"That would be great." Leonardo smiled tearfully.

They moved to where their counterparts were sitting as Sophia looked at CJ and Leo.

"You two can join them too, ya know." She told them.

Leo smiled and nodded and moved to sit down with his past family with CJ joining. Satisfied, Sophia played the movie.

Leo looks over at the entrance and sees his father. Overall, he looks fine. Maybe a bandage here and there but he's the least injured so far that Leo has seen.

Raph moves away for their father to climb up on the bed and hug Leo. The slider leans into the familiar embrace.

If Raph's hugs have a sense of shelter and protection, dad's hugs feel like a blanket or a warm pillow. A sense of comfort in a way that feels softer. Hugging dad gives off a feeling that everything is finally over. That everything is fine. Whatever that's hurting him is now over and he's there to pick him up.

Tears dot Leo's eyes as the feelings wash over him. "Dad..."

"I'm here Blue. I'm here. You did so well. I'm proud of you." The words brought comfort to him and sent him into another wave of tears.

He clung harder. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry dad. I didn't- I mean I meant to but- I didn't want- I-"

Splinter hushed him softly, a warm hand cradling his head. "I know. I know Blue. It's okay. You're okay. It's over now. You're safe. You're home."

Raph put a hand on Leon's shoulder who smiled tearfully at him. Feeling another hand on his shoulder, he saw Leonardo smiling understandingly at him.

There's no stopping the tears now. He sobbed into his father as the ordeal he had faced came rushing through him.

The fear. The pain. The sorrow. The horror. Guilt. Agony. Grief.

All of it came rushing like a large wave against a cliff. It crashed into him with tremendous force and nearly shook him. Or that might be his own sobs.

Warmth covered him as his brothers joined in the hug. Even Donnie stayed as close as possible, not quite touching but enough to be present.

Leo sniffles, blinking away tears as a small smile forms on his face.

He's finally home. He's safe. He's not there anymore.

Leon smiled softly. Yeah, the invasion is over now.

It's over.

Leo smiled at them but for some reason he couldn't shake the feeling that something was about to happen.

'Casey...' Leo heard a voice say. It sounded painful.

He opens his eyes and sees the human boy by the entrance, watching them with a look that's a mix of relief, pain, and melancholy.

Right. The end of the ordeal meant having a new person with them.

"Hey kid," he greeted warmly.

"Master- I mean, Leonardo," Casey said, shuffling in place and playing with his hands. He refuses to look at Leo, probably feeling guilty over what he did.

"Did Jones call Leo Master?" Raphael asked in confusion and amusement.

Leo gently tugs his arm free and reaches out toward him. "Come on, join in."

Casey startled, staring at him with wide eyes and a slightly open mouth. "But- I don't want to intrude. It's okay. I'm just glad you're safe."

"Come here," Leo encourages warmly. "You deserve to be part of the hug too."

"But-" Casey's protests were cut off when Raph, the closest to him, reached out and tugged him into the hug.

The human looks so startled to be a part of this but soon leaned into the embrace. Leo smiles as he watches him.

"Group hug!" Miguel and Michelangelo declared and Raph obliged and scooped everyone into a big hug as they laughed.

They stayed like that for a while, just enjoying each other's presence.

It's been a lot. But it's over now. They're safe. A bit bruised and slightly broken, but they're okay. They'll be okay.

Leo grimaced when a headache throbbed. He groaned, lifting a hand to his forehead with his eyes clenched shut.

The happy feeling disappeared and they watched in worry.

"What's going on?" Leon asked in confusion and concern but nobody knows what.

He feels his family pull away from him. Which is great because his ears are beginning to ring.

"What's happening-"

"Leo? Leo?!"

He could barely hear them past the ringing and the voices began to sound muddled. Like he's underwater.

"Sensei!"

"-Donnie what's-"

"-concussion might be-"

"-Blue-"

Leo took a few deep breaths and tried to focus through the pain. It's a stabbing feeling through his skull. Like someone is taking an ice pick and just picking at his head.

"Ah..." He groaned with a grimace.

After what felt like a long time, it probably took minutes, the feeling started to fade away into something more manageable. He opens his eyes and sees the worried faces of his family.

He smiles weakly. "Heh... Still got a lot of healing to do."

"You definitely do." Donald said with a roll of his eyes.

Collective sighs of relief.

"Right. Right. You need to rest." Raph nodded to himself.

"I'll monitor him to make sure his condition doesn't worsen."

"Thanks, Donnie."

"I'll grab some more blankets and pillows!"

"Good idea Mikey."

"Blue," Splinter gently places a hand on Leo's leg. "Get some rest. You need it."

"I will," Leo said with a smile. More of an attempt to be reassuring to his worried family.

Splinter smiles back and patted him before leaving. One by one they all left, except for Donnie and Casey.

The human boy shuffled in place, looking very awkward. Leo waited patiently for him to say something.

"I'm sorry," Casey finally burst out. "For what I did."

"Casey, it was never your fault." Leon reassured him.

'Oh Casey...' The voice sounded sad. 'It's not your fault. You did what you had to do..'

Leo agrees with the voice.

"Hey..." He calls out softly. "It's nothing to be sorry about. I asked you- no. I told you to do it. If anyone has to harbor the blame, it's me. M'kay?"

Casey stares at him with a pained expression, eyes glistening with unshed tears. "But I- I pulled the key. I locked you in there with the Kraang. I- I-"

"Under my orders," Leo interjected gently. "I knew what I was doing. What I asked you to do. So please don't blame yourself. It's on me. You just did what I told you to."

Casey was still for a moment, looking at him but not seeing him truly. Leo wondered if he looked like Future Leo to Casey. It was probably something future he had told Casey. The boy sniffled and wiped a hand over his eyes.

Leo smiles slightly. "And hey, I meant what I said. Future me would be proud of you. I am proud of you."

'I am proud. So proud of you Casey. You did a wonderful job.' The voice sounded tearful. Maybe that's what future Leo would be thinking if he saw this.

CJ started to cry and Leo gave him a hug as the teen cried on the older slider's plastron.

Leo reached a hand out to tug him into a brief hug. The boy was still for a moment, probably out of surprise, before he leaned into it.

'Things will be okay.' the other voice said.

Leo agreed with it. He turns to mutter quietly into Casey's hair. "You did amazingly. You did it. You stopped the invasion. You saved the world."

Casey's breath hitched. Leo couldn't see it but he felt him smile shakily into his plastron.

Leo knew what his words did for the boy. He doesn't completely understand what he means to Casey, or what Future Leo is to him, but he knows Casey held him in high regard. The guilt of locking him in the Prison Dimension with the Kraang must be eating him these past few days. But the blame isn't on him. Casey is just a kid who's trying his best with a responsibility too heavy on his shoulders.

He's so young to have to deal with the weight of an apocalypse. Too young to have to deal with the responsibility of stopping the Kraang.

Future Leo must have tried his best to protect this kid from the worst of it. Sending Casey here must have been a last resort. But still, it wasn't a great situation. To send a kid, to put this much weight on his shoulders...

Leo vows to never put Casey into this kind of situation again. Neither of his brothers.

He's the new leader now, isn't he? He failed to become a good one before but now he has a chance to be better.

He has a chance...

Leo promised into the void of that dimension and he will make do with his promise.

Starting today, he would be a better leader. This kind of thing will never happen again.

Healing from the whole Kraang ordeal took a while.

"How long were you leader exactly?" Donatello asked as the Rise family looked at each other.

"Um, Raph here was the leader before Pops handed the role to me. So I've been a leader for 2 years." Leon answered as Leonardo gave him an incredulous look.

The city cleaned, fixed, and rebuilt what damage Kraang had done. The buildings were back to what it was, standing tall and grand. The people moved on, slightly shaken and hurt from the ordeal, but healing. The city had gone through a big scare but overall, assured that it had been over. That, someone, had stopped the invasion.

As for the turtles, they did their own fixing and healing. The lair had more security and an upgrade, courtesy of Donnie- it was easier to grab supplies while the city was recovering from the damage.

They cleaned up their space and covered up whatever the Kraang did, so much so that you wouldn't tell that they had been invaded. Their home is back to feeling like home.

Their physical wounds began to heal. It took a bit and a lot of scrutiny from each other to make sure no one was hiding their injuries. But eventually, all the bruises disappeared, all the scratches healed up and all the fractures of their bones and shells were fixed.

As for emotional wounds... those are taking longer to heal.

Raph gets flashbacks sometimes. The whole Kraang mind rape, transformation, attacking his brothers while being controlled, and losing Leo had been a hit to his mental and emotional well-being.

Raph rubbed his arm while fighting the urge to touch his eye uncomfortably.

Donnie has to deal with flashbacks as well as sensory overload. The Kraang ship hijack had been a lot for him. He rarely takes off his battle shell now, fearing the disgusting tentacles whenever he's alone. He doesn't leave his lab all that often anymore. At least without encouragement from his brothers.

Donald shivered as he held his legs close to his plastron. He is never taking his battle shell off. Ever.

Mikey's arms still shook whenever he did physical tasks and he would cling to Leo, fearing he failed to bring him back. The panic and grief of losing his brothers and being the one to bring Leo back had cemented itself into his brain. If he had failed, if he hadn't gotten his mystic magic to work, if he had lost hope then they would have lost Leo. That would be a hit to anyone.

Miguel opened and closed his hands. Would he heal after a few days?

April comes by more often to make sure they're truly okay. She carried more weapons with her, or whatever weapons she could get away with. Rocks and glitter are surprisingly good at being distractions.

April grilled her jacket for comfort as she leaned against Donald.

Dad checks up on them more often. There's a spark of fear whenever he doesn't know where any of them are. His reactions to their loss, as well as losing one of his sons- even for a brief moment- were a lot to take in. Donnie jokes about letting their papa have his tracking device and Splinter was sorely tempted to do that.

Donald got a few stares at that but Splinter just shook his head in fondness.

Casey, for the most part, is adjusting. The brothers are aware that he has a lot of trauma from his time in the apocalyptic future. He has his own little habits that show. Such as eating like he's starving/making sure everyone else has enough, taking small naps instead of proper deep sleep, being hyper-aware of every sound as if something would jump at him at any time, and all the little things.

The brothers are trying their best to assure him that everything is fine. It's a slow process. But they're healing and they're adjusting. Casey is part of their family now. A new brother, much to the boy's shock.

Miguel beamed and hugged Casey who returned it a little hesitant while Leo smiled down at his student/son.

As for Leo... well, he's adjusting as well. He doesn't sleep in full darkness anymore. He asked Donnie for a night light after his nightmares and flashbacks came by too often for his comfort. Music constantly plays whenever he's in his room now. The silence reminds him of the void. He's dealing with his emotions and trauma but he's handling it.

It's the migraines and his thoughts that are bothering him.

It's not a big thing. It's just a few voices in his head that aren't quite his thoughts but somewhat are. If that makes sense.

Observations he would notice but never "voice out" in his mind. Little thoughts that seem a bit out of place but not quite? More of his thoughts but a step to the left.

Leo brushed it off thinking of it as a side effect of a concussion. He took a harsh beating and his emotions are out of whack. But he knows what he's dealing with so he's handling it.

Leon jumped a little when a unicorn plushie landed on his lap. He almost squealed and just hugged it tightly until the stuffing threatened to pop out.

It took months before they were well enough to take Casey to "grab a slice". He confided that that was Future Leo's last request for him. Who is he to deny his future self's request? The boy deserved it. Living in that hellscape would not allow the luxury of pizza.

Casey had been confused but one bite was all it took to sell the kid on the great experience. It was nice to see his eyes light up and sparkle. They all enjoyed their slices of pizza and each other's presence. The air is filled with laughter and flying conversations.

Leo enjoyed the moment of peace. At the top of that bridge, sitting with his family eating pizza, and looking out at the rebuilt New York... It finally felt like the ordeal was over.

The sight of New York was a welcoming sight to them.

"You did it, little brother," Leo turned to see his older brother sitting next to him. Raph has a gentle smile on his face with a pizza in hand to join Leo by the edge of the structure. "I'm proud of you."

That made something in his chest bubble with warmth. Still, he pushed down the feeling to smile, a mix of melancholy and something else he can't quite place.

"This wasn't about me," he said quietly. And it isn't. He realizes that now. There are more important things in this world than himself. It took a close call with an alien invasion and the possibility of an apocalypse to get him to understand that.

"It's about all of us. Doing what's right. Being heroes."

"Gasp! He said that word!" Donald dramatically gasped as Leon hit him with the plushie on the head.

"It's not about me this time, Dee!" Leon laughed when Donald started to hit him with a pillow.

Raph laughed but pulled the twins apart.

'That's right.'

'You've got that right.'

At least the voices agree with him.

"Heh," he hears Raph chuckle and looks over to see his older brother's smirk. "You said, heroes."

Five boxes of fresh pizza appeared and they all took a slice and ate it in delight. Nothing good than a delicious and freshly made pizza to celebrate.

The memory of his jibe at the top of that bridge came back and he smiles, eyes slightly wet. Nostalgia, amusement, and a little irony swirled inside his chest. Oh, how naive he was thinking he was too good to jab at Raph. Look where he is now, agreeing with his brother on something he joked about. Repeating the same word he had teased his brother for saying. He's come a long way.

He and Raph made a little toast with their pizza.

They joined together, staring at their city. Their home. The home they had saved.

Staring at the city he called home and how the buildings glimmered in the sunset, made his chest bubble with warmth. This victory feels right. A little flame burning inside of him which he embraces with open arms.

Things may be a little scarred and a little bruised, but they're healing. Everyone is healing. The bright New York, rising from the destruction of the invasion, is a testament to that.

Of course, things do get better.

Raph, in typical brother behavior, pushes Leo's head down and proclaims about beating Leo's record.

"Wha-" Leo sputtered, confused, a little startled and indignant watching as his family excitedly joins Raph. They just held a heartfelt moment and now Raph wants to do something silly? The thing he admonished Leo for doing?

What gall!

"You beating my record, Raphie?" Leon asked in a challenging tone which Raph returned.

"You bet I do." Raph grinned.

Leo watches them as they're gathering all the pizza boxes and stacking them. He wanted to protest but watching how excited they are, he relented with a roll of his eyes. "Oh okay, fine."

He joins in the fun, helping his family gather all the pizza boxes into one giant stack and throwing it on his older brother's head. Raph held his arms out for balance as he stepped onto the support beams of the bridge.

"Raph! Raph! Raph! Raph!" He cheers on his brother with his family. He laughs as warmth bubbles in his chest. Watching his family cheer so excitedly, his brother doing something silly, and just the whole scene...

It feels right. It feels like things are finally back to normal. This fun little moment, however ridiculous it is in hindsight, just feels like another indication that things would get better. It is getting better.

So Leo laughs with them, enjoying this warmth and joy as it happens. His cheeks would be sore from all of this smiling but it felt good. After everything; the invasion, the nightmares, and dealing with the aftermath of it all... This moment is just what they needed. Like the conclusion of a story. The closing act of a chapter of their lives.

He stops when he feels someone's presence behind him.

'I missed this.'

'I don't get it.'

'Let them have their fun.'

"Huh?" Leo turns behind him, thinking he would find two people watching them. Which is a ridiculous thing since they're on top of a bridge. It's almost impossible for normal people to get up here.

But there's no one.

This made everyone watch intensely. Leon was getting aware but they still don't know what the owner of the voices sounds like. Sure they belong to the two other turtles in the room but they wanna see what they look like since the movie is showing their future.

He stares for a little while longer, eyes narrowed. He's sure he felt someone's presence. It's not easy to sneak up on him. There was someone there.

But who...

"Leo!"

He jumps and turns back to his little brother.

Mikey smiles brightly at him, crouched on the edge of the platform. "Come on! Raph is doing well!"

Leo stares for a moment before smiling and running over. "Coming little bro!"

As he hops onto the bridge's support beams to join his brothers, he doesn't see two turtles appearing in a flicker where he once was. The tails of their blue masks flew in the wind.

Leonardo and Leo stare in surprise. Was that…?

The screen went black as Sophia appeared.

"Okay, we got a 5 minute break. So you can either hang out, use the bathrooms and eat snacks before we continue." Sophia told them.