Author's Note: Thanks so much for the reviews on the last 2 chapters. Glad to know there are still some folks out there who haven't forgotten about this story!

Chapter 3 What Happened After: Leo part 2

Milky white swirls of snow flurries fill the sky as winter settles in to the city. I barely feel the cold as I jump from rooftop to rooftop in search of my brother. Glancing down at my t-phone, the blinking red circle directs me to the next building over. I narrow my gaze at the abandoned apartment complex. It's adorned with yellow tape in preparation for demolition. Was this their plan?...To hide Donnie in plain sight in the city? Seems a bit strange, but what else is new?

As I make my final leap onto the marked apartment, my foot breaks through the decrepit rooftop and I crash into the stairwell, my side hitting the spiral railing on my way down. I gingerly rub my side as I stand. I look up as snow trickles through the crude skylight I created with my fall. I check the tracker again and my heart sprints with excitement and hope. It looks like I'm right on top of where they've taken Donnie. Stealth mode forgotten, I rush down the steps. My mind races seconds behind my feet as I draw my katanas and ready myself for the EPF bashing I'm eager to dish out.

The light from the smashed roof grows dimmer as I continue my descent into the darkening stairwell. I half-stumble, half-leap over broken stairs with the sole thought of saving my brother. "Hang on, Donnie, I'm coming," I whisper into the air. Reaching the main floor, slices of light pry through the boarded windows as my trained eyes search my surroundings.

Where is he? According to this tracker, he should be right-

A small yelp at my feet makes me react quicker than necessary, nearly slashing at the non-threatening sound with my katana. Losing my balance, I stumble back to avoid giving a fatal blow to the whimpering sound coming from the small, haphazard stack of debris at my feet. Sheathing my swords, I slowly approach the small, quivering mass. I crouch down finding a puppy has made a small shelter out of the pile of trash. Its eyes are large and glossy as it shivers from fear, cold, or both from beneath the pile. There's a small crack in the boarded front door; I guess that's how it got in. Curiously, the dog sticks its head out to take a look at its current company. It's then that I notice the blinking light behind its ear. I press my lips together to keep from screaming in frustration.

They found the tracker. And to add insult to injury, they put it on a stray to throw us off their tracks. How am I supposed to find him now? Anger boils deep within me as I try desperately to think of something, anything to track my missing brother. When my brain comes up short, I take out my frustrations on the nearest wall as my fist punches the fragile brick, leaving cracks in its surface. My hand throbs from the impact but I'd rather feel this than the pain of letting down Donatello.

The puppy whimpers again at my physical outburst, ducking its head back. A reflected light around its neck catches my eyes. A name tag. I sigh. Slowly, I extend my open palm to the dog in hope of drawing it out. "Hey there, you look a little lost out here," I say awkwardly as if it can understand me. "Come on, I won't hurt you." Mikey's better at this kind of thing than I am, but before my patience can wane, I'm rewarded with a small snout sniffing my hand and a tongue licking at my fingers. I take this opportunity to scoop up the small canine. I pluck and pocket the tracking device from its ear and try to get a better look at its collar all while unsuccessfully evading the face-licking puppy.

"So, your name is Charlie, huh?" I give Charlie a once-over. Definitely a boy. There's an address on the back of the silver name tag. "You're a good ways from home, Charlie, how did you get so lost? You know, I was looking for my brother and found you instead. He's lost, too, and probably scared just like you are. I might as well take you back to your family since I won't be finding Donatello tonight."

Charlie seems to care less about my brother and is more concerned about finding warmth in the crook of my arm.

Taking to the rooftops once again, I keep my small cargo close to my plastron as I embark on an unexpected mission to take Charlie home. Along the way, I find myself telling Charlie about all of my brothers and the current trouble that Donatello is in. I tell him how I failed my brothers in so many ways as their keeper and leader. I tell him how Mikey nearly died because I hesitated to subdue Donnie; Raph had to make impossible decisions because I was incapacitated; and Donnie…. I failed my gentle and brilliant brother in the worst way possible.

"He didn't believe me. He didn't believe that I could save him, and he was right." He had every right to doubt my capabilities. I failed him for years as his big brother, why would now be any different? "I begged him to trust me, Charlie. I promised him I wouldn't let anything bad happen to him, that he wouldn't be alone, and now he's…"

Charlie looks up, confused by my choked sob as I jump down the side of a building to the landing of its fire escape. When Charlie tries to lick the tears from my face, I pull him away with one hand while rubbing my other arm roughly across my closed eyes. I take a moment to compose myself before looking down at Charlie.

"You're right. My tears aren't helping anyone. My family needs my strength, not my weakness. My weakness has caused my family enough pain." Charlie whines, becoming fidgety in my arms. I follow his line of sight to the brownstone apartments across the street. "Is this where you live, Charlie?" A small yelp is his answer. "Not so fast. No point in you getting hit by a taxi so close to home." My deadpan humor falls on deaf ears as Charlie becomes more active in my grasp. "Okay, okay. Just hold on a second."

Using the last shadows of night before dawn, a few smoke bombs, and my grappling hook, I discreetly lower Charlie on the front steps of the apartment. "Bye, Charlie." I grimace as he licks my face in response. "Okay, this is getting old." I complain before banging loudly on the door and ringing the doorbell. As lights turn on inside the home, I disappear below the streets before anyone is the wiser. Sounds of warm voices and excited barks waif through the tilted manhole as I allow myself to feel the tenderness of the moment despite the cold around me. With no brother, no trail, no clue, I head back to the lair.

Thanks for reading, more to come! Please R&R!

~Poetique