Rapheal grimaced when a spark of pain pulsed throughout his aching body, groaning. He shifted and tied to succumb deeper into his mind, the darkness tickling at his fingertips, just out of reach. The black flickered, as if teasing him for his inability to do such a simple task. He shuddered again when the pain reached him, his head pounded from the strain of keeping his eyes closed tightly. His lip bleed profusely, yet his brain refused to respond to even the simplest of commands. He floated in his sub conscious mind, feeling everything that happened to him yet his scenes were dead. He could feel the presence of others around him but couldn't do a single thing to prove it.

The pounding pressure on his head made it's presence known again, stabbing his brain with increased agony. He struggled, trying to relieve the pressure yet all it achieved was an ache through his whole body. He groaned, willing it to all go to hell and rot, so long as it left him alone and let him be. He felt a strange sensation run along his hand, but it was fleeting and left sooner then it was there. He reached out, willing for the strange thing to come back, to share his pain. Nothing came.

He willed himself to open his eyes but was meet with resistance. He needed someone, something to just be there for him, to help him through the pain. He was never this weak and never relied on anyone but the pain was horrible and he just wanted it to leave him. His eyes were clenched tightly and his temples ached with the constant strain of his aching head, pounding like a time bomb.

He finally succeed in opening his eyes, eyes prickling with tears as the harsh lights drilled into his skull. His vision was blurred considerably, everything was smudged and mushed together and he couldn't separate one thing from another. He caught bright flashes of colours and tried to differentiate between them but couldn't concentrate long enough. Finally, he gave up his fight and closed his again, the pounding in his head easing instantly. His energy had been sapped from even the simplest of actions, what had happened had obviously been big. He tried to remember what exactly what had happened, but all he drew was a giant blank in his memory banks.

He simply laid there for a while, drifting between the world of the awake and the land of sleep, never fully touching the edges of ether. His energy slowly returned and with it his will to wake. He needed to figure out what had happened and to make sure that his brothers were all ok. He mentally prepared himself, even going as far as to meditate slightly, wanting to stay awake for the longest possible time.

As soon as he opened his eyes, he instantly regretted it. The brings lights shocked his eyes, causing his pounding headache to return into full force. He screwed his face up, skin bunching up and wrinkling. He groaned loudly, moving away from the light only get a face full of cotton. He sounded in confusion, muffled by the pillow over his face. He arched his back to sit up, only to almost black out with the agony it caused him.

He screamed, loudly. Everything completely disappeared, replaced with the single of the pain coursing through his body. He willed himself to breathe through the pain, to take deep, uneven shuddering breathes. He felt a presence behind and lashed out, not wanting to be taken advantage of. His fist connecting with another's jaw, crunching loudly. His knuckles ached after, clearly they weren't wrapped.

"Damm! Raph calm down! It's me, Leo! You're safe, your fine!" Leo yelled loudly, trying to get a hold on his younger brother. His grip slipped multiple time but eventually he kept hold, Raph calming to an eventual stop.

"Leo?" His voice was quiet, sounded exhausted after those events.

"Yeah, it's me Raph, your safe and fine," Leo replied, loosening his grip on Raph. He crawled in beside Raph, flipping him onto his back and sliding underneath him. He placed all of Raph's weight onto himself, before stuffing every pillow behind Raph's shattered shell. Raph relaxed into Leo, feeling fatigued behind anything.

"Wha? What happened?" Raph rasped out, throat crocking loudly. Donatello then appeared into his line of sight, a glass of water grasped in his hand. Rapheal reached out and took it, taking long careful sips till he finished. He handed the glass back, casting a grateful smile towards his younger brother.

"You...you," Don started to mutter, eyes quickly flicking over Raph's head to catch Leo's glance, who gave a small nod and sighed quietly.

"You tried to kill yourself," Leo stated, plain and simple. Leo felt Raph's heart rate sky rocket and his breathing become harsher. Leo began to rub calming circles over his brothers shoulders but was rudely shrugged off by an angry Raph.

"And you stopped me? Why the fuck did you do that? I wanted to die, you have no idea the shit I got through! Do you have any idea how hard it is to constantly live in your shadow, to never be good enough because your always better? To be cast aside into the shadows whilst everyone praises you for your hard work, never even glancing at me? You don't, because you are always to busy in your own big head to care about those around you!" I'll never be good enough, not to you, not to Mikey, not to Don, not to anyone!" Raph screamed, tears sparkling in his hazel eyes.

Leo felt his heart shatter into a million tiny microscopic pieces, never to be reassembled. His heart ached to relieve his brothers pain and to see him happy, but he knew that would take time and a lot of patience. He ran a hand over his eyes, hastily wiping away the tears dripping down his face. He gripped Raph's shoulder and forcibly turned him towards him, catching his fierce gaze. Raph's eyes were bloodshot and red, forcibly holding back the tears that threatened to spill.

Leo took one look at his brother and threw his arms around Raph, letting his tears fall freely. Raph melted right into his embrace, screaming and crying. His tears ran down Leo's shell as he let everything out, every last bent up emotion. Leo began rocking back and forth, calming his hysterical brother, and whispered gently in his ear, letting him know he was safe.

Don moved and sat on the other side of the bed, wrapping his arms around both his brothers. He hated seeing Raph so weak, so tortured and in pain. He wished for nothing more then for all his pain to disappear and for him to be the big rough tough brother he was. He felt tears prickle at his eyes, wishing he could do more to help his brother. He knew that this was Raph's battle, one with his mind and his inner demons.

Mikey came pounding in, followed closely by Casey. One glance at Raph was all he needed to make a move, he quickly scrambled up the bed and joined the group hug. His tears and sobs mingled amongst his brothers, happy to have a whole family of 4 and not 3. He gripped Raph's arm, the only part of him he could reach through Don and Leo. He glanced up and say Casey standing at the door, unsure what to do. He left his place on the bed, willing to leave Raph in more then capable hands of Leo and Don.

Casey snapped out of it when a felt a strong grip planted on his shoulder and glance over to see Mikey's bright eyes, brimmed with tears. However, there was a smile on his face and his eyes shone with joy. Casey felt himself being pulled and allowed it, not trusting his legs to make the journey themselves. He gracefully plonked down on the bed, followed by Mikey who eagerly climbed over and rejoined the group hug. Casey, in a unlikely show of affection joined them. He felt tears roll down his check but did nothing to stop them, not at all the least bit embarrassed by them.

Splinter stood silently by the door, wiping a tear from his fur. Time healed most wounds, he just hoped that his sons would help each other. With a final breath to compose himself, he stepped into the room and joined the hug.

His family was whole again.

A/N: And that folks is the end of Crimson Roses! I'm so sorry for the wait, I just totally lost all inspiration for this story but made myself a promise that I would finish it for you guys. So yeah, here it is and I hope you enjoyed. Leave a review if you did and I will see you next time :D