"I still don't understand why we couldn't just stay at the lair", Michelangelo complained, fixing his grip on Leo's hand. "It's so cold."

"You know why", Donatello said calmly, his eyes fixated on the screen of his shell cell. "This storm is going to be like nothing before – we have no idea how long it'll last and how much snow it'll bring. If we stayed at the lair we could be stuck for a long time. And when the snow finally melts there will be floods, and then we'd definitely be trapped, and…"

"I get it, I get it."

For the past few days the winter storm had been steadily covering the city in a white blanket, and the piles of snow were already twice as big as they usually were. The snow rarely got into the sewers, mostly just melting into icy water before trickling down underground, but now the cold was everywhere. The wind was howling above them, and as they passed a storm drain, the wind blew powder-like snow down on the turtles. Both Mikey and Raph groaned at the cold, and Don stopped for a moment to look up at the drain, shielding his eyes from the powder still falling on them. Leo…

Leo didn't seem to even notice. He was walking – at least trying to – between Mikey and Raph, both of his arms around their necks in order to help them support him. His head hung low and he had to concentrate on every step in order to keep his legs moving. He had caught a cold just a few days earlier, and it hadn't been worse than a normal cold up until this morning. It had been difficult for the leader to even get out of bed due to the ache in his muscles – and despite his room being warmer than it usually was due to the extra heating Don had set up he had been so cold. And if he had been cold then, now he was freezing.

They were all wearing their winter-clothing, and even though they were kind of oversized, they still kept the cold away. At least usually they did; this winter was cruel, the icy temperature forcing itself through the layers of clothing, trying to steal all the warmth they had left. Even if there hadn't been so much snow they would've still had to leave the lair; this winter would've been too cold for them. They had a fully functioning heating system, thanks to Don, but the lair was too big to be kept warm enough in these conditions. They were cold-blooded; they couldn't stay in the chilly lair or they'd end up freezing to death.

"Winter sucks", Mikey groaned.

"You were so excited just a few weeks ago", Raph scoffed.

"Yeah, well, I like snow, not the cold. It wasn't supposed to get this cold!" Mikey pouted, adjusting his grip on Leo. "Imagine warm snow. Don, is it possible to have warm snow?"

"Some of the alleyways aren't covered in snow", Don pointed out, sounding surprised as he completely ignored Mikey. "I thought they'd all be covered in it. That certainly makes things easier for us."

"For once", Raph growled. Their attention was drawn to Leo when he coughed, first weakly, then harder until they had to stop in order to let him catch his breath. Mikey rubbed the back of his shell, attempting to comfort him as his coughing slowly subsided.

"We're already close, Leo", Don said, watching his brother with worried eyes. Leo nodded without lifting his head.

"Sorry", he groaned, his voice weak. They all knew Leo was blaming himself for getting sick at a time like this, and they all kind of wanted to slap him for that. It's not like Leo had decided to be sick. Raph would've gladly smacked some sense into him, had he not looked so miserable.

Although, they had to admit that the timing could've been better.

Don sighed, closing his shell cell. Raph looked over Leo at Don, asking him a question with just his eyes. Don shook his head. "Still not answering. I just hope they're safe."

"Hey, you just spoke with them this morning. You think a little snow is going to stop them?" Mikey asked, and Don smiled a little to hide his worry.

"I hope I'm just overreacting", he sighed. He had indeed talked with April this morning, asking her if it would be alright for them to stay in her – or their apartment, April and Casey lived together these days – until the storm had passed. The two of them had decided to take some time for themselves and had headed north to the farmhouse. Nobody had thought that the winter could take a turn like this; had they known, they definitely wouldn't have left. Don was worried because the farmhouse was north, and the storm would probably be even harsher there. What worried him more was that they hadn't heard of them since this morning.

"Well, I'm glad April's place isn't that far. It's always so much warmer there!"

"Keep up that positive attitude, Mikey", Don said, looking up to the storm drain once more. "We don't know how bad the storm's going to get."

"Shouldn't we go up from here?" Raphael asked after a while, stopping under a manhole they often used.

"No", Donatello said, continuing forward. He was looking at his cell again, running a program which tracked the movements of the storm. "There's probably gonna be a lot of snow here, we have to find a narrower alley with less snow."

"But… that means more walking topside", Mikey whined, but didn't get to complain more as his whine turned into a startled yelp. Leo had collapsed against him, his legs unable to hold his own weight anymore. Raphael groaned, angry at himself for not noticing, pulling Leo closer to himself before carefully helping him sit down.

Leo moaned at the contact with the cold sewer floor, keeping his eyes tightly shut. It was a clear sign that he was in pain, Leo was never very vocal about his pains. Don and Mikey were instantly kneeling in front of him.

"Leo, how are you feeling?" Don asked, removing his other glove to touch Leo's forehead before cupping his cheek. Leo leaned against the touch, letting out a shaky breath. Even though Don's fingers weren't as warm as usually, they were still warmer than Leo's skin.

"Cold", he murmured, blinking up at Don. Keeping his eyes open made his headache worse, so he shut them again and lowered his head.

Don eyed the screen of his phone with a frown. He knew they had to move faster or it'd be impossible to exit the sewers through a manhole, and taking an alternate exit would take a long time. Leo was in no condition to travel more than what was necessary. He felt bad for making Leo hurry, but he knew that the more they waited, the slower Leo would become. They'd have to continue.

As if reading his thoughts, Raph kneeled as well, placing his other hand under Leo's knees and the other under his shell, lifting him up bridal-style. Leo opened his eyes with alert, ready to protest, but Raph silenced him with his harsh gaze.

"Should've done this from the start", Raph mumbled. Leo wasn't very easy to carry, none of them were, thanks to their shells, but this would be faster anyways.

Leo still felt like struggling, hating to be such a burden. Besides, being carried by Raph… it was embarrassing. He knew he'd hear from this when he was better, how poor sick Leo got carried by Raph. Being carried eased some of his pains, though; his vision was still swimming, but he didn't need to struggle with walking. He was also able to feel some of Raphael's warmth radiating from him while being pressed against him. He was still cold and felt sicker than ever, but after a while he let himself close his eyes and press his head against Raph. The headache forced him to swallow his pride.

"...So, what's the site say?" Mikey asked after a moment of silence, peeking over Don's shoulder as they walked. Different numbers were flashing on the screen again, and Mikey didn't bother looking for long since he had no idea what they meant.

"It's going to start snowing harder soon", Don said. He bit his lip absentmindedly. "There's still something I need to get from the lair… I just thought we'd have more time…"

"Wait – you're saying we don't have time to go back? I didn't get my comics! And snacks! And-"

"How much time do we have?" Raph asked, ignoring Mikey, who continued to panic over his DVD's and games.

"I need to see the surface first", Don scratched his head, glancing at the duffel bags he was carrying. Mikey and Raph were only carrying a little, since their job was to help Leo. Don had really counted on that going back would've been possible, that the three of them would be able to carry more on their second trip. His bags contained some medicine, food and things from his lab, but not much else.

He closed the cell again, placing it on his belt. But in order to reach his belt he had to lift the bottom of his jacket and reach inside his pants, making Mikey snicker.

"Oh, Donnie, contain yourself, we're in public", Mikey teased, receiving a dry look from Don. None of them was used to clothes, feeling like they only got on the way. But going out in this weather without them would be a death-wish.

"You know you have pockets now, you don't have to put it on your belt", Raph pointed out, and Don didn't even bother facepalming himself, only closed his eyes in defeat while Mikey snickered.

They arrived under the manhole they were going to use, and Mikey climbed up first. It took him time to push the cover aside; quite a lot of snow was already covering the alley. As soon as the cover was moved, the wind threw snow on Mikey's face, the surprise of cold almost making him fall back down the ladders.

"Well", Mike coughed, wiping snow off of his face, "at least we could have heck of a snow-fight up here."

It was still daytime, so they had to be careful on the surface. People would most likely be inside their homes or trying to get home away from the storm, but you never knew who'd be wandering outside. The sky was filled with grey clouds, so it was pretty dark already, making things a bit easier for them. The alley was empty, so Mikey climbed up the rest of the way. As he went he accidently kicked snow down the manhole, and it was Don's turn to get a faceful of snow.

"Thanks, Mikey", he mumbled, shaking his head to get rid of the cold substance.

"I can shove snow inside his jacket for you", Raph offered with a grin. Don gave him half a smile, then looked at Leo.

"Leo? Think you can climb up?" Don asked as he touched his arm gently. "Leo?"

Slowly Leo's head turned towards him, but he wasn't getting an answer. It was a struggle for the sick brother to open his eyes and locate Don's face. Leo had probably been slipping in and out of consciousness, but he wasn't shivering so much anymore. When Don felt his face again he figured out why; his skin was starting to feel warm instead of cold. He cursed inside his head; if the fever could've just waited a bit longer…

"Leo, Raph is going to put you down. Can you stand?"

Raph lowered Leo down so he could place his feet on the ground, and Don took Leo's other arm to help him keep his balance. He stood on his own, leaning a bit against Donatello, but seemed to be able to carry his own weight. Don guided Leo's hands on the ladder, still holding his arm.

"Doesn't look like he can", Raph mumbled, distrusting Leo's ability to climb. The last thing they needed was Leo to fall down the ladders. But Leo placed his legs on the ladder, stubbornly pushing himself up. He grit his teeth together as nausea washed over him, but he'd be damned if he couldn't do something as simple as this, especially after being carried.

He managed to climb, but could feel Raphael climb right after him, afraid of him falling. As soon as he got close to the surface he could feel Mikey's hands grabbing him and helping him up. He expected the cold breeze to make him shiver, but instead it felt kind of good against his suddenly flushed skin. He didn't notice he was leaning against Mikey until his brother had to hold him up with both hands.

Leo balanced himself, feeling embarrassed once again. He felt Raphael grab his other arm.

"I'm fine now, Raph", he said weakly, tired of someone constantly holding him up. But his weak voice didn't sound convincing even to himself; Raph only snorted dryly.

They got to April's place without seeing any humans, and by then the wind had really picked up. Snow had started to fall harder, and they were all glad to get inside.

After making sure the house was alright and there weren't any unwelcome guests in the shop – which wasn't that rare, the gang activity wasn't as high as it had once been, but April still sometimes had some unwelcome guests trying to break into her shop – they moved to the second floor, setting a bed for Leo on the sofa. Mikey and Raph helped Leo out of his winter clothing while Don meddled with the heating system, and after Leo was comfortably on the sofa Raph and Mikey checked the kitchen.

"They didn't leave much of anything here", Raph informed Don, snatching a bag of chips Mikey had found away from him. They didn't want to take April's stuff without her permission, but right now they didn't really have a choice. They'd replace all they used after the storm passed.

"That's to be expected", Don said. "They weren't planning on coming back for at least a few weeks."

"We're not gonna last with… cans of tuna and soup for very long", Raph mumbled. "We gotta go back to the lair."

Don sighed, walking to Leo now that the heating system was working. Leo was sweating and gritting his teeth together, so Don dragged his duffel closer, searching for the first-aid kit he had brought with him.

As he opened a bottle of painkillers Mikey brought him a glass of water, and Don carefully placed a hand under Leo's head. "You're going to feel better after you take these", Don urged Leo to take the medicine.

Leo fell asleep soon after that, and the three of them looked outside with grim faces.

"So, we going or not?" Raph urged, tapping the floor with his foot.

"…We have to. And the sooner the better", Don said after some hesitation, turning to face Mikey. "Keep an eye on Leo, Mikey. We won't take long."

Mikey seemed surprised, and lifted his hands up in protest. "What? I'm not coming with you? But Leo's just sleeping! I know you don't know which comics to pick!"

"Mikey", Raph warned. Raph hated the cold and wanted to get this over and done with. He wasn't in the mood for this, and Mikey sighed. "Alright… at least take some, please?"

"We will", Don promised, giving Mikey a pat on his shoulder before they headed back to the cold.

Donatello had his eyes glued to the screen once again, even as they half jogged, half ran to the lair.

"Oh no", he suddenly said, coming to a halt.

"What is it?" Raph asked, stopping as well to look at his brother.

"The batteries died", Don said, sounding shocked; like it was something that couldn't possibly happen.

"Not surprised", Raph said, crossing his arms over his chest. "You've been staring at those numbers the whole day."

"Those are important numbers."

"They're just numbers, Don. What happens just happens, we just gotta deal."

"They help us to deal, Raph. With them I can predict how much time we have, and how soon it's going to get worse and- just give me yours."

"Could've just asked", Raph mumbled, digging out his shell-cell. Expect that it wasn't on his belt. Nor in any of the many pockets he now had. "…Oops. I guess I left it with the stuff we already took to April's…"

Don took a deep breath. It usually took a lot to get on his nerves, but the pressure of the situation was getting to him and he felt angry at how careless Raphael was being – it was as if he wasn't taking the situation seriously. He probably didn't realize just how bad the storm was going to get, thinking this wouldn't be a big deal. How did Leo ever get him to listen?

"Oops? Raph, how could you just leave it, especially now that we're separated from Mikey and Leo? You're supposed to have it with you at all times – what if we got separated in this weather and couldn't track you-"

"We were in a hurry!" Raph tried to defend himself, a bit surprised at how snappy Don was being. But then again, Don never took their safety lightly. None of them did, but Don wasn't usually this harsh about it. The genius looked like he was about to continue, but Raph placed a hand on his shoulder.

"And we still are. Ya can yell later."

They ran in silence, and Don's frustration only grew. Only this time he felt mad at himself, for he feared that every second they wasted would somehow cost them. And here he was, losing time by getting lost in a stupid fight with Raph… wasn't that Leo's job? At least Leo would've been the one to realize that there was no time to fight, but now it had been Raph, which only made him feel more stupid. Thinking about Leo led him to worry about him; the common cold never put him out like this, he was always stubborn about being up and doing something. Only when he had a fever he stayed in bed, and sometimes he had to be forced to stay. They definitely didn't usually run around in the sewers in the middle of the winter if one of them was sick. That was beyond stupid, but it wasn't like they had had a choice this time.

And what if it wasn't just a fever, what if he was coming down with something worse? The walk through the sewers could've easily made his condition worse. Don should've been the one with Leo; if he was getting worse they had no way of knowing now that neither one of them had their shell cells, they had no way of telling Mikey how to treat him if things got worse and- Don stopped his thoughts. They wouldn't be gone for long, Leo's condition wouldn't change that fast. He needed to focus on the task at hand.

The lair was quiet, the howling of the wind left far behind them. Raph went for the kitchen whereas Don emptied his lab of the things he thought he'd need. Half the stuff he touched was dropped on the floor in his hurry, and he paused for a second to calm himself down. If he hurried like this, he'd most likely forget something important, and he couldn't afford to do that now. There was no knowing when they'd come back the next time. Would the rest of the winter be just as cold, or would things calm down? How harsh would the floods be? Would they reach the lair? Would the lair withstand them, would it keep the water from getting inside? They unplugged all the electronics and tried to shield them in case the flood got to them. They'd have to mentally prepare Mikey if they'd lose all their TV's and game consoles if they didn't want to listen to him wail for weeks.

"Don't forget the comics. Mikey will be impossible to live with if he doesn't get them", Don joked, just to break the heavy silence. Raph smirked.

"You'll be worse if we forget your coffee", Raph grinned back. He had made sure to pick some for Don. It wasn't like Don would be spending his nights with his inventions anytime soon, but still.

"Nobody is worse than Mikey without his comics", Don argued.

They finished their packing, taking one last look around. Don had explained that the lair should be able to withstand the floods, but anything could happen, so they tried to grab everything they didn't want to get destroyed. Of course they could only carry so much, so some things had to be left behind.

"Oh, one more thing", Don suddenly said, hurrying back to his lab. Just as he disappeared inside the room there was an electric hiss and the lair went dark.

Both of them stood in a shocked silence for a few seconds, until Raphael's cursing could be heard.

"Where are the freaking flashlights?"

"Didn't you and Mikey use them just last week?"

Raph slapped his face. They had, and they had used them to look for something in the garage. That's where they had probably left them.

"…Don't we have more than two of them?" Raph asked carefully, clumsily making his way to Don's lab. He knew the lair, could walk around backwards with his eyes closed, but now things had been left on the floor in their haste, so Raph had to be more careful.

Don had booted up one of his laptops, making the light of the screen light the room.

"We do", he answered as Raph entered the room. He started to type on the laptop, and the familiar numbers appeared on the screen. "They should be somewhere around here. Search."

"Great", Raph mumbled.

Mikey was pacing around. He could sit down and watch TV, but that would just make him feel even more useless. He stopped in front of one of the windows, staring at the white sight. Snow was coming down even harder, and the wind was getting louder, howling in the corners of the building. As he looked up to the grey sky he wasn't even sure if it was snow or ice that was coming down.

He glanced nervously at the clock; Don and Raph had stayed for over an hour now. It shouldn't take this long. Normally he wouldn't worry, but Don had said there wasn't much time left before the storm would get worse. Of course they'd be safe underground, but if they'd get stuck down there...

Mikey took his shell cell from his belt, pressing the button which connected him to Don. No answer, only a short beeping and the call cut off. Mikey swallowed nervously. They never turned their cells off, so the short beeping meant Don's must've run out of batteries. Or that it was broken. Mikey hurried to call Raph next, not wanting to think about the possibility that Don had gotten hurt, and almost jumped right out of his skin when the quiet apartment was filled with Raph's ringtone.

Mikey hurried to end the call, and it was silent again. Expect that the sound had woken up Leo, who was groaning under the blankets they had buried him under. Mikey dug out Raph's cell from the bags before kneeling next to Leo, placing a hand on his plastron to let him know he was there. Leo's breathing was too fast, and opening his eyes still seemed to be difficult for him.

"Morning, sunshine", Mikey smiled, but couldn't erase the worry from his voice. Since he couldn't contact Don and Raph, he had no idea if they were alright. They should've been back by now, right? The way to the lair didn't take this long. But they were just going to the lair, what could've possibly happened?

'With our luck, pretty much anything…' he thought grimly before moving his attention back to Leo, who was looking around with hazy eyes while trying to push himself up.

"You'd better just lay still, Leo", Mikey said, gently pressing him back down. Leo grabbed his arm, opening his mouth to speak, but no words came. Instead he started to cough, and Mikey had to grab the edge of his shell and help him lay onto his side in order to make the coughing easier.

"There there", Mikey tried to soothe him as the coughing died down. It was painful to listen as Leo tried to hack his lungs out, and after it was over, it was quiet again. Mikey continued rubbing Leo's arm, really wishing Don was here. Don wasn't a doctor, either, but he'd know what to do if Leo's condition got worse. And by the looks of it, it was getting worse.

"You need anything, bro? Water? More painkillers? Just nod if you do", Mikey asked, carefully touching Leo's face. He was burning!

"Don, Raph", Leo croaked finally, moving his head to look at Mikey. "Where…?"

"They went to get the rest of our stuff from the lair, don't worry", Mikey said. 'I'm already worrying enough for the both of us', he added in his mind, getting up to look for the thermometer.

When he got back Leo was sitting up, trying to get up from the couch again, but failing. Mikey hurried to still his movements, but didn't push him back down, letting him sit and sat down next to him. At least he was as stubborn as usual when it came to having a fever.

"Dude, just stay still, would you?" Mikey shook the thermometer a few times before offering it to Leo. "Just relax, I need to know how high your fever is."

"Doesn't matter", Leo spoke with a flat voice, turning his head away from the thermometer. "They shouldn't be out – the storm, Don said- that it'd- it'd get worse. We have to… get them…"

He didn't seem to have the energy to continue, so Mikey took advantage of that and gently grabbed Leo's chin, turning his head and pressing the thermometer against his lips. Leo opened his mouth, but by the looks of it, he probably wasn't even realizing what he was doing. His eyes were closed again and sitting up seemed to be too tiring, since he was already starting to lean on Mikey. Mikey sighed, draping the blanket over Leo and wrapping his arms around him as he waited for the thermometer to do its job.

"They're not outside, Leo, they're at the lair. They're fine", Mikey spoke softly, unsure which one of them needed to hear that more. He was still afraid that something had happened, but what could he do? He couldn't just leave Leo. Leo mumbled something against the thermometer, too tired to properly speak. Mikey wasn't sure if Leo had even been listening to what he had said. But that was good, the best thing for a sick person was to sleep it off, right?

The thermometer beeped and Mikey was dragged back from his thoughts. When he checked the tiny screen he almost dropped the damn thing.

"104?" Mikey gasped, pushing Leo away in order to look at his face properly. His cheeks were flushed and he moaned quietly as he was moved. He blinked tiredly up at his younger brother.

'Alright… just gotta stay calm. But what the heck do I do?!'

"Leo, uh- how- how're you feeling?" Mikey asked nervously, but got no answer as Leo's head drooped and he moaned again. The sound wasn't loud, more like a small whimper, meaning that Leo was in pain again. Mikey noticed he was shivering again, too – he had no idea what to do. Should he make a cold bath? Would that bring down the fever? Or would it be too much? Panic began to fill him again, and Mikey helped Leo back down as he hurried to the window. Still no sign of anyone.

"Think, think", Mikey murmured to himself, biting his finger. He helped Leo take some painkillers – he had no idea how many he had already taken today – and dipped a cloth in cold water, placing it over Leo's forehead. As he was petting Leo's cheek a thought struck him – maybe the manhole was too heavy with snow and ice and Don and Raph just weren't able to lift the cover of the manhole, and were stuck inside the sewers, waiting for him to come help them. Mikey slapped himself for not realizing this sooner – and hurried to put on some clothing.

"Leo", Mikey stopped next to the couch before heading out. "I'll be back in a sec with Don, he can help – just hang on and stay still, alright?"

Leonardo looked like he didn't quite understand, his gaze so unfocused, and Mikey gave his shoulder one last pat before turning away. Before he could go any further he felt a tug on his neck, having to turn back to Leo, surprised to see him gripping the end of his scarf. Leo had grabbed a good handful of the cloth, and managed to drag Mikey back to the couch, pulling him all the way down to his knees. Just a moment ago he hadn't been able to speak, and now he had the strength to drag Mikey around.

When he was down on his knees and face to face with Leo, Leo let go of the scarf and grabbed the front of his jacket to keep Mikey in place.

"No", Leo ordered firmly, which didn't sound very firm considering his condition.

"What?" Mikey was caught off guard, not having expected Leo to try to stop him. Not having expected Leo to be able to stop him – well, not like he really was; his grip hadn't been that strong, Mikey could've easily struggled free of it, and he could feel how Leo's grip was slowly weakening on him. Seemed like even the fever couldn't defeat the big brother instinct. It was funny in some way, Mikey just didn't know in what way.

"They need my help, Leo – I'll be back in a sec. You won't even notice I was ever gone!"

"No, if you go- the snow will- it's cold, too cold, it's…" Leo spoke in broken sentences, pausing to think about what he was talking about, until his confusion was clear on his face. "Is it cold? It's- kind of warm- hot, even- it feels warm, I…"

Leo was lost to his delirium, his eyes unfocused again. Mikey realized he was wasting time listening to him, Leo had no idea what was going around him, didn't know that there wasn't time to be wasted if Don and Raph were out there in the cold.

"Geez!" Mikey huffed, easily removing Leo's clingy hands from the front of his jacket and standing up. He knew that even in his feverish state Leo was still trying to care for him, but right now he'd be helping by just staying down. Mikey just hoped that Leo wouldn't try to get up again after he'd left. Not like he'd get far, but it was still better for the leader to stay still and rest.

He covered Leo with the blanket once again, and it looked like Leo had passed out. He had no idea if that was good or bad, but at least he wouldn't be getting up soon. The sooner he'd get Don, the sooner he could help Leonardo.

It was colder down in the shop since it wasn't in use now, and all the heating was focused on the second floor. The dark shop was also kind of creepy; the wind was howling outside, trying to come in from every corner and crack. Nobody in their right mind would want to go outside in this weather.

As soon as he opened the door the wind almost smacked it back closed. And as he had expected, it was raining icy snow. It tingled his skin, almost hurting if he faced it right on. He turned his back to the wind, closing the door of the shop.

He didn't even get to turn away from the door; a huge chunk of hard, iced snow hanged from the edge of the roof, and the bang of the closed door made it fall down. Mikey had no idea what hit him; he was out cold before falling into the snow.