Epilogue: Reflections

After they got home, there was a lightness in the air that made the family feel better, that what had happened wouldn't happen again.

Don was glad that he hadn't done what Leo and Raph had done, but he knew that his brothers had had to teach those scumbags their lessons. Mikey was happy he hadn't seen them do it either. It would have given him horrific nightmares.

April and Casey had gone home for the night, but Casey had had a great time helping fight Leo's tormentors. He had left the lair with a grin on his face and he was telling April about some of the highlights of the evening.

Leo would often feel regret for doing some certain things that he couldn't change, but this time, he hadn't. Those men had deserved everything they got because of what they had done to him. And it is a possibility that they had even done it to other humans as well. He felt the score had been settled with them and even more so with the Shredder. The Shredder had tortured hundreds of poor souls throughout his years. It had been time for his tyranny to end.

Raph knew he felt no regret for what he had done. His hatred for those men had been fueled by not only thoughts of what Leo went through, but also his love for his brother. And what could have possibly happened to any of his other brothers too.

Master Splinter had only been on standby this time, but he saw that his sons were not hurt very badly. They were fine for the most part. But he really hoped that his eldest didn't feel like he had tainted his soul for what he had done. Killing was never easy to do, but with enemies like the Foot, sometimes for them, it was necessary.

Splinter walked into the living room to see Leonardo staring at the blank TV screen and said, "My son, what troubles you?"

Looking up, Leonardo replied, "Do you think Raph and I did the right thing? I mean we tortured those scum bags just like they did me. The only difference is we killed them in the end."

Splinter sat down with his eldest son and said, "My son, it is never easy to take another's life, but Raphael wanted so badly to make things right for you. I know allowing your younger brother to do what he did was hard on you, but remember I am proud of you for not allowing Donatello and Michelangelo to see what you had done, though they could probably hear it."

Leonardo looked sideways at his father and asked truthfully, "Are you ashamed of us for doing what we did?"

Splinter put a hand on his shoulder and told him, "Though it wasn't an honorable act, I purposely allowed the four of you to do this mission. I could see it out at the farmhouse that was the only way your spirit was going to heal. Honor played a part of this, my son. Shredder had none, but you do. I know, to act that way, goes against everything I have ever taught you about honor but... if it means I get my sons back... then well, I was willing to ignore our family's honor for one evening."

Raphael came up behind them and said, "I wasn't thinkin bout honor when I shoved that rod where the sun don't shine. I just wanted my older brother back, and if that meant doing something rash, then I was all for it. I am just glad that dis is all ova now."

Donatello came from the kitchen hearing the conversation, Mikey close on his heels.

Donatello spoke up.

"I know I am not one for violence, but it felt good to take out the Shredder as well as hearing what was happening from behind that door. I felt some sort of pride for Leo when he took those jerks' lives. I can sleep better knowing that those idiots are gone for good and can't hurt anyone ever again."

Mikey remained silent while his older brothers talked; he had mixed feelings about what had taken place.

Splinter looked over at his youngest son and asked, "Are you alright, my son?"

They all turned to Michelangelo and waited for him to speak.

Mikey looked away for a moment, but then said, "It's all good, at least those asses won't be around anymore to torture anyone else."

Splinter told his sons, "Very true. It is all over now. We can rest and be grateful that it won't happen again."
…...

That night Leo laid awake in bed. He just couldn't shut his mind off. He kept going over what he had done. The screams of those men echoed in his head and try as he might, he couldn't shut them out.

Rolling over onto his plastron, Leo covered his head with his pillow. Questions started to roll around in his head. Was he justified in his actions?

The sound of his door opening pulled Leo from his thoughts. Pulling his head out from under his pillow, Leo looked up to see who it was. Mikey stood in the doorway, looking down at Leo. "You okay?"

"I don't know," Leo said truthfully. "I'm starting to have doubts."

Mikey stepped into the room and shut the door behind him. He made his way across the cold floor and crawled into bed with Leo. It was something Mikey used to do when they were younger and he had had a nightmare.

The brothers shifted until they were able to comfortably squeeze together on the bed. "This was a lot easier when we were younger," Mikey quipped.

"It's your fault," Leo teased. "You've gotten fat."

Mikey chuckled and curled up against Leo. They lay in silence for a while before Mikey said, "You are the most honorable person I know. Even after what happened today. Do I like what you did? No. Do I think there was another way? Yes. But what's done is done and I don't think less of you for doing it. What happened to you was horrible and you did what you thought you had to do."

"Thank you, Mikey," Leo whispered.

"Killing someone shouldn't be easy," Mikey continued. "The fact that you feel guilt and are questioning it means that you are still a good person. If you were completely okay with everything then that would mean that you were completely lost to us forever. I know that I will get my brother back. You might not be exactly the same but you will still be you."

Pulling Mikey closer, Leo cried silently as he took comfort in his brother's words. "It's okay," Mikey soothed. "Everything is going to be okay. The world has one less bad guy to worry about. That makes all of this worth it."

...

Raph beat his fists on the punching bag. His stomach was in knots and he didn't like the way it made him feel. He kept telling himself that he had done the right thing, but it didn't make the fact that he took a man's life any easier. He wondered if he had taken it too far; that maybe he just should have simply killed them without stooping to their level. But in that moment he had been fueled by anger and it all seemed right at the time.

He thought about what his father had said and wondered if he had covered up his disappointment in them. Raph hated to have his father disappointed in him.

As he continued to pound on the bag, Donatello entered the room. He watched Raph work himself into exhaustion before approaching him. "Take this," he said, holding out two pills and a bottle of water.

"What is it?" Raph asked, taking the pills.

"Melatonin," Don answered. "It should calm you down enough so you can sleep." Before Raph could say anything, Don cut him off. "You killed people. I know you felt justified in doing it, but that still doesn't make it easy to accept. Your mind is still processing what you have done. I just want you to know that I'm here for you. Okay?"

"Thank you, Don," Raph mumbled, keeping his eyes on the floor. "It means a lot."

"Come on," Don held out his hand for Raph to take. "Mikey is spending the night comforting Leo. The least I can do is do the same for you."

Raph scoffed, "That's gay."

"Shut up," Don chuckled. "Come on."

Donatello led the way up to Raph's room and they both managed to squeeze into the hammock. Raph did his best to keep from crying, but Don encouraged him to let it out.

Knowing what he knew now and if given the chance to do it again, Raph would have done it all the same. They deserved it for what they had done. He just hated the fact that it was something that he had had to do. He did find comfort in knowing that they would never hurt anyone else and that it was a guilt that he had to live with, not his brothers.

...

The turtles and Splinter went on about their daily lives and were all healing from what had happened to Leonardo. They knew that they were all safe from the Shredder now, but there would always be enemies out there that could make appearances anytime. They just had to watch out for them, and be ready the best they could.

It wasn't a perfect world and never would be, but they would always have each other to see and support their family through the hard times and the good times. But most of all, they all felt they had restored their family's honor, especially Leo's, for taking out their worst enemies.

The End

Worked on with Turtlefanforlife1982 and Applepye.

This has been fun being written and the long writer's block was a pain, but this story has made it to its happy ending. Love to hear from ya'll.