Hello! Finally got around to that happy oneshot I promised Leo.

You can thank alanleonard8 for this two-part oneshot. He PMed asking for a oneshot of this nature, and caused the plot bunnies to start stampeding. This was originally a oneshot, but it worked so much better as a two-part oneshot that I made it so. So you can move on to the next half of the story immediately.

Enjoy!

Safe and Sound - Part 1

April reached a pale hand out slowly, hesitantly. Her finger tips brushed smooth, leathery soft skin, and after a brief moment of indecision, she committed and placed her entire hand down. The feeling of the skin was nothing new to her; she had felt it countless times over the past year. But this was different in three ways. One, the skin was brown and blue instead of the usual green. In other words, the skin was bruised, and heavily. Two, the skin wasn't on an arm, or a shoulder, or even a hand. This skin was cheek skin. And three, it wasn't Donnie she was touching this time. This time, it was Leo underneath her fingers.

Not that Leo was aware of this. Leo was unconscious, just like he had been for several hours. Leo had come out of a fight with Shredder and his minions battered, cut, and bruised as shell. He had arrived to them via April's window, and hadn't moved so much as an inch since. They had gotten him to her dad's old van, and they had done the best they could to get him comfortable in the back as they evacuated New York. There wasn't much else they could have done. There were no medical supplies in the van, and they couldn't risk stopping for any during the long drive to April's old family home.

When they had arrived at their destination, they wasted no time in getting him inside. Late fall was already upon them, and with Leo weak as he was, the cold could be fatal. The turtles carried their fallen leader inside, and had gotten him settled on the couch in the huge living room.

The home was just as April had remembered it. An old farmhouse with plenty of room for the 6 teens, and plenty of isolation to keep the secret of the turtles existence. The farmhouse had also come with a fireplace, and soon a cozy fire was blazing, and Leo had been moved as close to the fire as possible. They needed to keep him warm if Leo was going to recover.

Thankfully, there was first aid equipment in the farmhouse. This far out in the middle of nowhere, it was important to keep a surplus of medical supplies so if anything should happen, the inhabitants could treat a wound long enough to get the victim to a hospital. As she had gathered up the stuff, April had thanked her grandmother and father for being so prepared. It was thanks to their caution that Leo had a chance at recovery in this place.

Donnie treated Leo's wounds as best he could, using superglue and bandages to set the crack in Leo's shell; something they didn't have access to when Raph had cracked his when they were kids. After that, Donnie had sighed and said that all they could do know was wait. The brothers hadn't wanted to leave their brothers side. Neither had April, guilt eating away at the insides of her stomach, and Casey didn't want to leave April, so the five ended up sitting around the fire in silence, each lost in their own thoughts, April wrapping herself in guilt.

This was all her fault. The invasion, her father mutating, Master Splinter. Leo getting hurt . . .

Casey had been the first to break, claiming exhaustion and going upstairs to stake a claim for his room. No one followed him, continuing their vigil over Leo and the dancing flames of the warm fire.

Then Mikey, try as he might, had faded off. It had been a long, trying day for everyone. Even the incarnation of the Energizer Bunny was exhausted. Raph convinced him to head up to bed, and followed Mikey to make sure he actually got there. He hadn't come back down, and Donnie went up and confirmed that Raph had fallen asleep sitting on Mikey's chosen bed.

So it was just Donnie, April, and, of course, Leo.

The sky outside grew darker, the fire grew brighter as more fire wood was added, and bodies scooted closer to the fire as the temperature dropped (blankets piled on in Leo's case). The hours slipped by, until finally, Donnie yawned. After a long debate and a promise to wake him if Leo's condition changed, April convinced Donnie to head to bed. He needed the rest. While in fairly good shape, the farmhouse would most likely need repairs, and Donnie was the most capable person, er, turtle, for the job. Yawning a goodnight, Donnie had trudged up the stairs and disappeared for the night.

Alone at last.

The minute Donnie was upstairs, April stole a blanket from the closet and draped it over herself, attempting to keep warm. She then pulled up a chair from a corner, and sat it at Leo's side, crisscrossing her legs beneath her.

She had never seen him so beat up. Even the time when Shredder had attacked the four, Leo hadn't been this bad. Now, bruises made up 75% of his skin. Cuts slashed across his arms and legs, and scratches had been carved into his shell, evidence of sword strikes that had been deflected by Leo's natural armor. A huge bruise had formed on the side of Leo's head, and, worst of all, Leo's shell had cracked at his left shoulder, like Raph's. Donnie had mended it, but odds were he would live with that scar for the rest of his life.

April reached her hand out slowly, hesitantly. Her finger tips brushed smooth, leathery soft skin, and after a brief moment of indecision, she committed and placed her entire hand down, cupping Leo's cheek. A shiver ran up April's arm, and her heart buzzed in delight. April bit her lip and shook it off. It was nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Absent-mindedly, April began rubbing circles on Leo's cheek. She didn't know why, she just felt like doing it. Her hand traveled as she did, moving from his cheek to his scalp.

As she did, Leo let out a low moan. April froze. "Leo?" She whispered.

Leo didn't answer, but instead shifted, face tensing with pain, and a gasp whistling through his lips.

"Leo?" This time, April was awarded with another moan. Eyelids fluttered, and weary sapphire blue eyes peered out through narrow slits.

"Ah'rl?" He groaned, eyes moving slowly through a haze of pain.

"Yeah, Leo. It's me."

"Wa'er." He gasped. His throat. His throat was burning, and it was dry as a desert. He needed water.

"Water? Okay, okay, give me a second." April jumped up and padded to the kitchen. Praying that the water was still on and she could find a cup, she scoured the cupboards and managed to find a not-too-dusty glass. She filled it with cold tap water and speed-walked back to Leo.

Now how to give it to him without Leo choking?

Setting the glass down on the floor, she gently lifted Leo's head, doing her best not to jostle him, and slipped underneath him so his head was in her lap. She grabbed the water and pressed the edge of the glass between his lips, then angled it so the water slowly slide into Leo's mouth. He drank it greedily, anxious to sooth the fire in his throat.

One glass of water later, Leo pulled back, and April sat the glass back down. With nowhere else to put her hands, she laid one on the arm of the couch, and one lightly on Leo's chest.

"Where - where are we?" Leo asked softly, his voice stronger already.

"My old family home. We - we had to leave New York." April told him, her throat beginning to tighten. It was her fault. She brought Irma to the Lair, she caused the invasion to begin.

"Where are the others?"

"Upstairs asleep." Mostly. April thought. She shifted, feeling guilty, and Leo sucked in a breath as a wave of pain flowed over him from that small action.

"Oh, Leo! I'm sorry!" April apologized, stiffening to avoid jostling him further.

" 'S'okay. I'm fine." Leo reassured through gritted teeth.

"No, you're not. Here, I'll get up." April offered.

"And move me even more?" Leo smiled wanly.

April paused. "Good point. But you can't lie on my lap forever."

"Why can't I? You're warm and comfortable" Leo complained in a sleepy voice.

April blushed, not really sure why, and retorted, "Because I'll eventually have to get up."

"But not now you don't." Leo yawned, clearly about to fall asleep at any second. Painfully slow, he brought his arms out from under the blankets and sat them on top of his chest, overlapping April's hand, wincing every second as fire blazed from his shoulder.

"Not good enough." April said.

"Please? Just - just let me stay for a couple more minutes?" Leo pleaded.

April sighed and rolled her eyes. "Fine."

Leo grinned sleepily. "Thanks April. You're the best." He shifted slightly, wincing, turned his head so his cheek layed against April's stomach, and shut his eyes.

April felt her face burn once again. She had never had any of the turtles get so close to her. She had never had anyone get so close to her, actually. It's just Leo, she reminded herself. Just an injured, sleepy Leo who probably doesn't know what he's saying or doing.

"What happened?" April almost jumped at the sound of Leo's voice again.

"What?"

"What happened after, you know, Shredder . . . " He trailed off, his eyes still closed.

"The Kraang - the Kraang invaded New York." April answered, unable to keep the raw pain out of her voice. "They - they mutated - they mutated everything. The people - animals - plants - my - my dad - " April's voice cracked.

Leo's eyes sprang open, and he looked up at April's face. "Oh, April. I'm - I'm sorry. You - I'm sorry." April felt one of Leo's hands wrap tightly around hers.

April shook her head. "It's not your fault. And - and you need to know - " She swallowed painfully.

"Know what?"

"We - we - we got separated from Master Splinter. We - your brothers saw him fighting Shredder and - and - they - " Tears began forming in her eyes.

Leo recoiled slightly, like he had been slapped. "He's - he's . . . gone?" Leo whispered the last word.

April shook her head. "We - we don't know."

Leo stared up at her with grief-stricken eyes. His master - his father was missing? Because - because of Shredder? No! Not again! Shredder was not going to take away his family again. Splinter was alive; he had to be!

Before he knew what he was doing, he felt hot tears run down his face. He gritted his teeth. He hated crying. Whenever he did, he felt weak and vulnerable, two feelings he hated. A big brother and a leader shouldn't be weak. They were supposed to be strong and comfort the others, not the other way around.

He tried to stop, but he couldn't. It was his fault. He should have beaten Shredder. If he had, Splinter would be with them, alive and safe. Or if he had just made Donnie see that they should have left the city, then the entire invasion wouldn't have happened. If he had been a better leader . . .

April had never seen Leo cry. She had seen him absolutely miserable before, upset and regretful, but never so sad and hurt that he actually cried. She didn't know what to do. Try to comfort him, futile as that may be, or let him keep his pride by pretending she didn't notice?

He was still holding her hand, she noticed. His grip had gotten tighter, and it was almost painful. April twisted her hand, and Leo let go of it quickly. But April grabbed it back, and used her thumb to run the back of Leo's hand in circles. She remembered reading that it had a calming effect on some people.

Leo felt something tracing patterns on his hand, and he looked up up at April in surprise. She looked back down at him, a blush ghosting across her cheeks, and smiled softly. In spite of himself, Leo smiled back, before letting it fall and blinking away the tears that just would not stop.

April continued rubbing his hand, and Leo felt himself grow calm. He couldn't stop his tears from falling, but he felt safe inside, lying there on April's lap. It was strange. He felt vulnerable, like always, but this time, it didn't feel bad. He felt . . . Protected, which was strange. Usually it was the other way around, Leo protecting April or his brothers or someone. Being protected for once . . . It felt good.

April never did get back up that night, and when Mikey came downstairs that morning, he found April asleep sitting up, Leo sleeping with his head in her lap. Mikey almost hated to wake them (they were so cute!), but he knew Donnie, Casey, or both would have a fit if they saw the two cozy on the couch. So Mikey shook April and Leo up, and they awkwardly moved so Leo was lying on some pillows. That's how everyone else found Leo that morning, and April and Leo didn't breathe a word otherwise.

Continue on! The second half is already posted!