I don't own TMNT

Donny opened his eyes and glanced beyond the ceiling he saw. What had happened, who was that by him in that cell? Where was he? Needing answers he hopped from the bed he was laying in and made his way to the door. The place seemed familiar but why couldn't he remember exactly where he was? He shook the thoughts away and made his way down the dark hallway until he saw a light downstairs. He took a few steps down the stairs and then froze.

His family and friends were there and he finally realized he was at the farm house. April was on the couch reading a book and Casey was just walking in the door, shaking snow from his coat. Mikey was sitting on the floor in front of a roaring fire, gazing intently at an empty bowl. Raph was talking to someone but for a moment Donny couldn't hear what he was saying or see who he was talking to. Then reality hit him and he heard and saw everything. Raph was talking to…LEO!

He was…alive.

Then Donny heard the conversation between them.

"I'm sorry Leo, I didn't mean it I was-" Raph trailed off as he dipped his head forward so a shadow hid his eyes.

Leo reached out and raised Raph's head to look him in the eyes, "Mikey told me everything Raph. Don't worry, I know, always knew that you were simply blowing off steam that night."

"Leo I-" Raph started to say but got cut off as Leo placed his hand over his mouth.

"I never blamed you but if it helps I forgive you and I love you little brother."

Raph shut his eyes quickly and said, his voice a bit shaky, "I-I don't hate you. I couldn't."

Leo sighed and then smiled while pulling Raph into a hug as he continued mumbling, "I-I didn't mean to say that I-"

Raph took a deep breath and turned to stare Leo in the eyes, "I love you big brother."

Leo smiled wider and mumbled back, "I love you too little brother. Nothing's going to change that."

"Aw," Mikey said, "Hugs all around!" he shouted as he shot to his feet and ran to his older brothers to join in the hug.

He succeeded in knocking them all over and they all laughed as Raph wiped away the few tears that had managed to escape during his apology. Donny watched all of this with an envy. Was this another dream that dared sink its poisonous fangs into his mind? Was it a simply an illusion created by his mind, telling him to return? Well, it had to be a dream or illusion because if it was real Leo wouldn't be alive. He sighed and suddenly everyone's attention shot to the stairs.

"Donatello, is that you?" Leo asked, getting up from the floor and walking over to the stairs.

A few more creaky steps and Donny was but a few feet in front of Leo. Raph and Mikey glanced at one another uneasily before getting to their feet. They dared not move to join their brothers.

"Are you ok?" Leo asked, noticing Donny seemed to be glancing at the world with an envious flare of hopelessness.

"Leo," he said, his eyes gazing right through the turtle, "Stupid dream you needs to get out of my head."

He started walking forward and Leo stepped to the side, "Dream?" he looked to Raph and Mikey.

Mikey shot forward and yanked on Donny's arm, "Dude, Leo really is here!"

"Right, and Casey's blonde," he mumbled as April and Raph held back their laughter.

"Would you just look at him and get out of your doubt clouded mind?" Mikey said forcing him to turn back to Leo.

Donny closed his eyes and took a step back, "No, too painful. All my fault anyways."

Leo narrowed his eyes in determination and stepped forward, raising a hand out towards Donny, "Don, this is not a dream and I'm real."

Donny opened his eyes and just stared, the same hand, the same skin color, the same voice. He tentatively reached out and began shaking as his own hand neared Leo's. Could this actually be reality? Truly, physically real? Then, his breath caught in his throat as he discovered tangibility. Tangible, he could feel the texture of the reptilian skin but yet he grew confused if the sudden beating he felt was his own heart or possibly, Leo's. Donny stepped closer to Leo, letting his hand run down Leo's arm. That part of this being was real, but was he whole? Donny received his answer once his hand landed on Leo's plastron, the thumping of a strong, beating, living heart echoing in his ears.

"Leo," he gasped.

Leo smiled and stepped forward, enveloping his genius brother in a tight hug, "I'm glad you're ok little brother. I was so worried when I heard the Foot had you all."

"What?" Donny mumbled still staring at the open air.

"I'll explain everything later, I promise, but right now there's a few things I believe need to be said."

Donny blinked, and his eyes began shining. This was…REAL!

The purple banded turtle hugged Leo and clung as tightly as he could. Leo smiled and pulled Donny over to the fireplace. As soon as Leo sat down Donny broke out in sobs. Leo pulled Donny to him and started whispering comforting words as Donny curled into Leo even closer. Raph and Mikey shared a smile and joined them, each wrapping their arms around Donny.

Donny cried all the harder, he was here. He was with his family and friends, Leo was alive, they were all ok and he was being comforted by all his brothers. The brothers that still loved him. He still had a family. It took two hours to calm Donny down but no one complained. After those few hours he opened his eyes to find himself in Leo's lap with his head against Leo's left shoulder. Mikey was behind him massaging his shoulders while Raph was in front of him, resting a hand on Donny's plastron. Leo had his left arm around his shell and his right hand wiping tears away from his face.

Donny's sobs had quieted to a quaint hiccupping and a few tears still trailed down his face. April and Casey released sighs of relief and then headed upstairs to go to bed, leaving the brothers to talk.

"Mikey," Leo asked, "Could you go get a cup of coffee for Don?"

Mikey nodded and motioned for Raph to take his place. Raph got up and continued massaging Donny's shoulders while Mikey quickly darted into the kitchen. It was a few minutes later Mikey darted back into the room.

"Here bro," Mikey said to Donny.

The purple banded turtle slowly took the warm cup, his hands shaking a bit. Raph got up and gave Mikey his spot back before sitting back in front of Donny and running a hand over his plastron.

"Easy bro," Raph said, "You've had a rough time."

Donny slightly sipped the coffee and was relieved when the hiccups vanished minutes later.

With a clearer head he finally asked, "What happened? Leo, how are you alive I saw the body? What happened when I left? What was that about the Foot having all of us?"

"After you left," Raph said, "A Foot army found the lair. I tried to fight my way to Mikey but I couldn't find him."

"Eventually we were both knocked out and taken to Foot headquarters," Mikey continued, "They locked us into these concrete rooms, we saw them throw you into one as well."

Raph cut in, "After we were in there for a few minutes they started filling them with poisonous gas. Just as we passed out the metal doors were blown in by who we discovered were Leo, April and Casey."

They all looked to Leo and he sighed, "Ok, I'll tell you all everything. Well, after the fight with Raph I just went for a run around the sewers. That's when I saw a band of Foot ninja a little too close to our home for comfort so I knocked them all out and then that's when I was hit with some kind of dart. I blacked out in seconds."

Donny shivered before narrowing his eyes, "Idiots they have no idea how certain drugs will affect us."

Leo sighed, he knew Donny would say that, "When I woke back up I was chained to a wall and Karai was there. She wanted to know where our home was but of course I didn't say a word. They of course tried everything that night. Physical torture, toxins, threats towards all of you, penalty of death. After awhile, which I later discovered was simply a few months, Bishop showed up."

A growl came from Raph and Leo frowned, he would be out for Bishop's blood now.

"Anyways, he started talking about cloning and said he was working on an experiment. He said by cloning me it would be able to get into our home. Every test ended in failure though and he was about to give up when Karai showed up and said all they really needed was an empty skin and a lot of blood."

Mikey gulped, "The clone had blood right?"

Leo shook his head, "No, the blood Raph and Donny saw on that skin was my own. They figured it would upset you all more. I couldn't really focus from all the blood loss for the next few days but eventually I did overhear a shout of a band of Foot ninja celebrating that they had captured you all. Once I could focus again I immediately started planning. Using pity I was able to find out where you all were from some scientists."

"Scientists!?" Donny shouted and dropped his cup of coffee.

Thankfully it was empty and simply rolled across the floor instead of breaking.

"They…they didn't cut you open did they?"

"No," Leo said with an amused smile, "They were mostly working for Bishop in the cloning area, they had to keep me alive for that."

Donny breathed out and deflated like a balloon, "Thank goodness."

Leo pulled Donny a bit closer and ran a hand over his forehead.

As silence fell over them again Leo continued, "After grabbing and hiding a disinfectant they had been using on me I was able to use it as a lubricant and slip out of my chains. They had left my shellcell on the other side of the room so I quickly called April, Casey and Leatherhead to help us out."

"So that's how you got the doors down," Raph said.

"Leatherhead's back in his home," Leo said anticipating the question, "He managed to find a way to hide his home from the Foot. After we got you all out of the cells we still needed to get out of the building though. Leatherhead kept most of the Foot back and I simply told April and Casey to get out through the vents."

"But if Leatherhead was fighting, you were so weak and April and Casey weren't there, how'd you get us all out?" Mikey asked.

"When I was with the Ancient One he taught me one important thing, a trick to unlocking stores of adrenaline. I carried you all out."

Donny nearly choked, "You what!? How in the world did you manage to do that!?"

Leo laughed, "Adrenaline Donatello. I unlocked as much as I could and carried you all to the nearest exit."

"But how?" Raph asked, his eye ridges both raised in question.

"Well, I carried Donny and Mikey in my arms and I was able to tie you to my back."

"Oh there was rope just lying around?" Mikey asked.

"No, I had to use our belts but they kept Raph tied on until we got outside and into the BattleShell. So, then we all headed up here and I put you all into the bedrooms upstairs until you all woke up. Well, that's the story."

"Leo?' Mikey asked.

"Yes?" Leo replied, turning his attention to his youngest brother.

Mikey smiled and threw his arms around Leo, "You are the most amazing best big brother ever!"

"I have to agree," Donny said while meeting Leo's eyes, "That was amazing. I wish I could've seen that."

"Leo once again doing the impossible," Raph said, laying his head on Leo's shoulder.

Mikey copied him, laying his head on Leo's other shoulder as Donny curled up to tuck his head under Leo's chin.

"We missed you big brother," They all said at once.

Leo sighed and laughed, "I missed you all too."

"Leo?" Donny asked a few minutes into the silence.

"Yes Don?" Leo said while he pulled a blanket from behind the couch and covered them all with it

"Well, that accident where Stockman-"

Donny was cut off as Leo's hand flew over his mouth, "Nothing to forgive little brother. I'll make sure to get you a new bo staff just don't keep that other one and don't think about revenge, it's a poison."

Donny shoved Leo's hand away, "But if my bo staff had been simply another centimeter closer you could've been paralyzed for life from the ne-"

He was cut off again as another hand flew over his mouth. This time it was Raph's though.

"Be quiet brainiac I want to sleep and don't worry, Leo's forgiven everyone."

"I didn't blame any of you," Leo stated sternly, "Stop carrying this guilt guys. I never blamed any of you and I love all of you."

"Love you too Leo," they all mumbled.

As the fire in the fireplace started dieing down Mikey looked up at Leo. His eyes were closed but Mikey knew he was still awake.

"Leo, do we still have to practice tomorrow?"

"Hmm, do you guys want to?"

"No," Donny mumbled, half asleep.

"Uh-uh," Raph said, clearly still awake and a long time from sleep.

"No way dude," Mikey said with a yawn.

"Ok, I think we can use a day without having to be ninja," Leo said.

Donny, Mikey and Raph all met each other's eyes as Leo closed his. They silently agreed and mentally counted down.

At three they all closed their eyes and spoke in unison, "Thanks sensei."

Leo's eyes shot open, they had never called him that. Yes, he had taken it on himself to teach them after the passing of their father but it almost set him in tears to actually hear that from them. Ducking his head and smiling a new smile he felt he had never smiled before he whispered back to them.

"Your welcome, my students."

As he drifted off to sleep with them he mentally reminded himself he had to talk with Raphael soon. He needed another Jonin around and the red banded turtle was nearly ready to finish his training.

Whew, finally its done. See Raph, Leo's alive and everyone's ok. Don't kill me! And stay out of my dreams! It's hard to write when you're breathing down my neck.

Reviews?

~Moonsetta