I decided to to write a tag to the 2003 Ninja Turtles TV Series because I thought it would be interesting to see it from different turtles and Splinter's point of views as the episode basically centers around Leo. So I'm planning on doing a chapter frome each turtle's perspective, if you like it let me know and I'll write the next chapter.

Tag to Tales of Leo

Chapter 1: Donatello

I could feel the shock slowly setting in, although I was not oblivious to what had happened. How could anyone be oblivious to how abruptly things could change. The orange flames curled up and out of the windows of what remained of April's home, the black smoke billowing thickly and clogging up the air. I shifted my weight a little, readjusting my position so I could hold onto my brother better.

Leo's limp arm was drapped over my shoulders, his other arm drapped over Mikey's shoulders. His body suspended between the two of us he held none of his own weight. His head had dropped so low his chin was practically touching his plastron and his eyes were closed, his breathing shallow.

Behind us April sobbed softly, then lifted her hands up to her face as the tears came faster. Casey placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and she turned towards him automatically, burying her face against his chest and cried harder. In an automatic gesture of care Casey wrapped his arms around her back, bringing her closer to his body. His face for once serious and somber.

"Forgive me, Ms. O'Neil," Splinter said softly, although I'm not sure if April could hear him over the scream of the sirens, the roar of the fire, or her own sobs. "But we must leave the past behind for now, if we are to have a future."

I looked at my brother who was so still beside me, and I felt anxiety creep up inside of me. Leo was never just still, Leo was always moving. Save for those hours he spent in meditation, but even then Leo had more life in him then he did now. This bruised, battered, and broken turtle I held against me had no resemblence to my brother. To the one who always knew what to do, who always had a plan. On the other side of my I could see my own anxiety mirrored on Mikey's face. It seemed incredulous that just a few hours ago Mikey had been his bubbly happy go lucky self and now he looked so devestated and worried. He was looking at Leo too, and he shifted his own body a little so he could take more of Leo's weight off of me. "

Leonardo is badly injured," Splinter continued his voice still as calm, although I'm sure my brothers could make out the worried tone that was hidden under the calm ficade, because I could. "And needs a safe place to heal."

"What about the lair?" Mikey suggested as he looked up from Leo's bruised and battered face. His eyes shifted anxiously from Splinter to Leo again. I wanted to shake my head, but resisted the urge.

"Shredder has a whole ninja army down in the sewers, remember?" I pointed out. We couldn't hope to be so lucky that Shredder had called off his army down in the sewers to join in the fight at April's. No doubt they'd still be combing the sewers for us. Although they wouldn't find anything, that at least I was sure of. "And we're in no shape to fight." I added on as a second thought.

My body was so heavy and exhausted at this point I doubt I could have fought off a fly, let alone a foot ninja. I could already feel some of the bruises where I'd taken the worst hits, and I'm sure my brothers were feeling the same. Besides that we were one brother down, and despite what Raph might think sometimes, we were stronger as a team. We needed Leo to be with us when we faced the Shredder again.

"Hey, we don't run from nobody," Raph barked as he punched his palm with his fist. I repressed an eyeroll. Much like Leo Raph was rarely still. You'd be more likely to find him practicing with his wooden dummy and punching bag then anywhere else in the lair. But unlike Leo, who trained so hard because he was dedicated to ninjitsu, Raph fought just because he loved to fight. His hot headedness was always getting him into trouble, usually taking us along with him. This time seemed no different. Despite that we'd just had our shells handed to us he was ready to go again. He wouldn't take this defeat lightly.

"And yet we must," Splinter intervined as he placed a hand on Raph's fist. Raph looked down at him and dropped his hands, his eyes softening and I could see the worry that had lingered behind the anger.

April turned then, more tears spilling down her cheeks. "But where?"

Casey looked up from April's red hair, his blue eyes calculating as he looked at Splinter then back to the remains of April's home as the flames started to die down and the billows of smoke began to clear out. "Fellas I know just the place."

Raph paced the length of the alley while we waited for Casey to get back with transportation. Mikey and I had taken Leo to the most protected spot we could find and had laid him down, hovering over him anxiously while keeping an eye out for any returning foot soilders, anxiety making the minutes drag on. April was sitting on an empty orange crate while Splinter leaned against the far alley wall, his eyes on Leo's perfectly still form. I was getting edgy Casey had been gone for almost half an hour now, and he'd promised to be back in twenty. What if there were more foot soilders out there and they found Casey alone? My stomach twisted at the thought.

"How's Leo doing?" April asked from her orange crate her voice sounding somewhat dead.

"Not good," I answered from my crouched position at Leo's side. His pulse was there and he was breathing on his own but neither one of them was comforting. His breathing was shallow and his pulse thready and erratic. Neither one a good sign, I bit my lip as I turned towards the head of the alley, hoping to see Casey arrive. I wasn't disappointed. A long light red, almost pink, colored car arrived just outside the alley and it was pulling a large trailer with no windows. Clearly our mode of transportation. It wasn't the Battleshell but at times like these we couldn't afford to be picky.

Mikey reached under Leo's right arm while I reached under the left and together we pulled him to his feet. Leo made no noise nor did he help us. He was too far gone and that worried me further. Casey hurried around the car and pulled open the passenger seat for April. She sat inside the warm car and wrapped her arms tightly around herself, frowning at the dashboard as Casey shut her door and hurried around to the back of the trailer. He unlocked the door and pulled open both doors for us, making it easier for us to manuever Leo inside.

Raph and Splinter climbed in first, then turned quickly and each grabbed one of Leo's arms, pulling him in with them. Mikey and I lifted Leo's legs so they wouldn't bump against the edge of the trailer then climbed in after them. It was cold inside the trailer and I frowned as I wrapped my arms around myself while sitting down next to Splinter, trying not to think of the long ride we had ahead of us in this thing.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Casey said as he quickly disappeared again. I could hear his shoes hit the asphalt as he hurried up to the car again.

A door opened then slammed shut almost immediately, then Casey was back with a bundle of blankets in his arms. He handed one to each of us then with an apologetic smile closed the doors and we heard the slight click of the lock before Casey's feet were once again walking past the trailer. I took my own purple blanket and wrapped it around my shoulders, crossing it across my plastron and hoped that I would be able to keep it warm enough on my own. Being cold blooded sucks sometimes. Splinter draped one blanket over Leo, then to my surprise added his own blanket to the first and pulled both up tight around Leo's shoulders. Then Splinter sat on his knees with Leo's head on his lap, one hand on Leo's forehead. He was frowning at something, although I wasn't sure what.

Raph and Mikey sat on the oppoiste side of Leo's prone body, both of them had their blankets wrapped tightly around them as well. We heard the engine of the older car start, smelt the bitter fumes of the exhaust, and then the lurch of the trailer as we started out of the city.

It was anything but comfortable, we could feel every bump in the road, every imperfection and every break that Casey made as he drove. Leo's body rocked gently, but his face remained empty and still, and Splinter would occasionally lift his hand and place it on Leo's forehead, his frown deepening every time he did. We were all silent, none of us had anything to say. We were all worried. Worried about the future, about Shredder, but mostly about Leo. After what seemed like a really long time Mikey finally broke the silence.

"Man, it sucks being cold-blooded." He was shivering despite the blanket and his teeth were chattering. Raph sat silently beside him, his eyes focused on Leo. He wasn't shivering, but he wasn't comfortable either.

I felt like shivering myself I was so cold. But I didn't, I simply wrapped the blanket tighter around myself and felt my stomach tighten with anxiety at what I was about to ask, knowing I didn't want to ask but needing to know the answer. Just like I knew my brothers were waiting for the same answer. "Is he gonna make it, Sensei?" My voice was just short of cracking as I stared down at Leo's unresponsive body.

Splinter, who had had his hand on Leo's forehead again looked worried as he pulled the blankets tighter around Leo's shoulders. "Only time will tell."

That wasn't the answer I wanted, and it definitely wasn't the answer my brothers were looking for. A creased formed on Mikey's forehead and he frowned, Raph scowled at the trailer wall behind Splinter's head, his shoulders trembling under his blanket. I dropped my gaze back to Leo and pleaded silently with my brother that he wouldn't give up.

I don't remember how long it was after that but suddenly the trailer shifted as Casey turned, and then we were in for a few very uncomfortable minutes as we bounced along an uneven and snow covered road. Then abruptly we came to a stop and Casey's old car died at once. Two car doors opened and slammed almost at the same time, and my family and I waited while Casey came around to the trailer to let us out.

Raph was already in motion, standing up and releasing his hold on the blanket. He was glaring at the trailer doors, his hands balled into fists and his jaw clenched tight. After a few seconds we heard the unmistakable sound of a key in a lock and then the doors swung open, bringing with them a draft of icy cold air that made me wish I had a fur coat like Splinter's. Splinter pulled the blankets tighter around Leo again and reached for the blanket Raph had discarded, adding that to the pile covering Leo. Raph jumped out of the trailer at once and glared around at our new temporary home, his eyes scanning the far distant trees and then he turned back to face us, his stance still tense.

"April's fixin' up a place on the couch for Leo," Casey said as Mikey jumped out of the trailer next to Raph, but unlike Raph Mikey looked excited about his new surroundings, a little bit of his perky personality coming back, something he couldn't suppress.

"Michelangelo," Splinter said in a tone that instantly drew Mikey's attention. We all knew that tone well, the no-nonsense tone that Splinter used when something needed to be done quickly and for a reason. We hadn't heard that tone for a long time. "Go help Mr. Jones get wood for a fire."

"Right, Sensei," Mikey said without question. Casey looked at him, then Leo and he frowned, worried creases appeared around his eyes and mouth. "Wood shed is this way," Casey said quickly. Then he led the way with Mikey right beside him.

"Raphael, Donatello, help me get your brother into the house." Splinter spoke to us in the same tone. I nodded quickly then dropped my blanket and joined Raph outside the trailer. Splinter grunted as he lifted Leo's head and shoulders off the trailer floor, but he never wavered as he pulled Leo to where Raph and I stood. Raph and I were easily able to balance Leo's weight between the two of us, each of us grabbing one of his shoulders and holding onto him while Splinter gently manuvered Leo out of the trailer. Then the three of us carried Leo inside.

April was at the fireplace, crouched down on the dirty floor and trying to open the floo. There was a large moth-eaten looking couch against one wall, and it had a thick blanket already waiting for us. Raph, Splinter and I carefully settled Leo down onto the couch and covered him up with the blanket. Leo still didn't react, his face was calm, almost peaceful. And I'd believe it if it weren't for all the bruises and cuts that decorated his face. I bit my lip and grabbed Leo's hand and my eyes widened in surprise when I felt how icy cold Leo was, even compared to my skin. I had been very cold in the trailer on the ride up, but this was different. Leo's hand was limp beneath mine, and his fingers were freezing. I looked up at Splinter terrified, and saw the same fear reflected in his eyes. So this was what Splinter had been so worried about earlier. Why the worried creases had deepened every time he'd rested his hand on Leo's forehead. Leo's body temperature had been dropping. A normal reaction when a cold-blooded creature encountered a cold enviornment, but Leo's body temperature was dropping below what was even normal for that. It was worrying, if Leo's temperature was dropping it could mean serious internal damage, internal bleeding even, and so his heart wasn't pumping enough blood to keep his body warm. Or it could simply mean that his body was shutting down. The body can only take so much abuse before it begins to shut down, and who knew what had really happened to Leo out there.

He'd been alone facing who knows how many foot soldiers. The fact that he was covered with bruises and cuts, all over his body told us that Leo had not just run away from the foot. He'd fought as hard as he could, and I'm sure he'd been trying his best to get back to us at the same time. I knew that Leo took long runs every morning, he'd been doing it for years, adding it to our regular training schedule. One time I'd accompanied him and had quickly found out that Leo didn't just go for a run around the block before calling it quits he went for miles. Always increasing the distance little by little each morning. So who knows how far away he'd been when he'd been attacked. If he'd had a shell cell on him he would've called, so obviously he'd been alone, alone and outnumbered, outmatched even, but he never gave up. That just wasn't Leo. Leo would fight until he dropped, which this time he obviously had. Or rather had been pushed. I had no doubt in my mind that it hadn't been Leo's idea to fly through that window.

At that moment Mikey and Casey returned, both of them carrying an arm full of firewood.

"So the place could use a little fixn' up, the place got a little run down after Grandma passed away," Casey was saying.

April succeeded in opening up the floo and a cascade of dirt and soot fell into the room. April got a face full of it and leaned back a little in shock, Casey and Mikey who had been standing closer to the fireplace than the rest of us started in shock for a minute before Mikey coughed.

"When was that? In the late Jurassic?"

"Dude, you live in a sewer," Casey snapped back irritably. Mikey narrowed his eyes and clutched the firewood a little closer to his plastron.

I sighed quietly to myself and tightened my hold on Leo's hand, squeezing his limp fingers. And much to my surprised Leo groaned quietly, at once the room fell silent as everyone turned to the couch to look at Leo, all of their eyes open in surprise and concern and all of them holding their breath, waiting to see if Leo would wake. But it was a false hope. Leo fell silent again and was still.

Splinter didn't want Leo to be left alone while we got the house set up a little to make our stay more comfortable. Casey managed to start a fire and the room began to warm, April took the bag of groceries Casey had picked up into the kitchen and had started to make something for us to eat. But even the smell of Italian sauce and melting cheese didn't make me feel remotely hungry. Raph was standing a few feet away, glowering at the couch, his hands crossed over his chest. He blinked slowly and matched his breathing to Leo's. I knew what he was waiting for but I didn't think he'd get it. Leo was too far gone at the moment.

April brought out a hot pizza less than half an hour later, I wasn't really in the mood for food, and I could tell from my brothers' expressions that they weren't either. But a sharp look from Splinter had us all reluctantly reaching for a slice. It tasted like ash and slid down my throat grudgingly. I managed half of it before I couldn't eat anymore. Even Mikey, who normally ate more than any of us, was barely touching his slice. Splinter said nothing as most of the pizza went untouched, he himself hadn't had anything.

Casey took the remains of the pizza and the garbage back into the kitchen and then we all gathered around Leo to wait. As the day wore on I could see Raph getting more tense. His muscles began to bunch and the skin around his mouth pinched as he scowled. A vein on his neck bulged and his hands curled and uncurled into fists. I could understand how helpless he felt, and how frustrating it was to sit around and wait.

Splinter was at Leo's head again, every once in a while placing a hand on Leo's brow to check his temperature. Leo never stirred, never showed the slightest sign that he knew we were there. So it was understandable when long after night fall Raph lost his patience. I heard the crack of bone against drywall as Raph punched the wall to release some bottled up frustration. I looked up from Leo's relaxed face to stare at my overly-taxed and very stressed out brother.

"Why won't he wake up?" Raph growled through clenched teeth. He was glaring at Leo as though expecting Leo to react to those words and wake up just because Raph was willing him to.

"Healing takes time," Splinter said calmly as he placed his hand on Leo's forehead yet again. I'd lost track of how many times he'd done that today. "And Leonardo is recovering from more than just physical wounds, his spirit has also been greviously injured."

His spirit? I was surprised at that. But as I looked down at my unconscious brother I realized that Splinter was probably right. Leo was not one who usually struggled with anything, but loosing a fight as bad as he did today, that would be enough to break anyone. And Leo was broken.

"Do you think he can hear us?" I wondered, remembering something I'd read about comatose people being able to hear their loved ones.

"Perhaps," Splinter said doubtfully, but he lifted his hand from Leo's head and stepped aside, allowing me to drop on my knees next to the couch.

"Hey, Leo. It's me Don," I said being very aware of almost everyone's eyes on me. It made me a little self conscious but I ignored that. "Listen, you're going to pull through this. I know you are."

He had to pull through this, there was no way we'd survive without our big brother. Sure all of my brothers could be pains in the shell sometimes. But we were a family, a team, if we lost just one member of that team we wouldn't make it. Especially not without Leo. His level-headedness and leadership skills kept us working well as a unit in combat. I felt my insides tighten at the thought that I could be watching my brother die right now. I swallowed and continued.

"You have to," I said forcing my voice not to crack as I put emotion behind those simple words. "You know what kind of trouble we'd get into without you." Did I really even need to tell my brother this? Surely he knew how many times he'd saved our shells. Leo was always there for us, always had our backs. But even as I looked at him now I could see that my words had no impact on him. I wracked my brain quickly, trying to think of something that would back up my words. But where to start? And then it hit me. "Like, remember the time I built that remote control car?" I asked him remembering all too clearly just how close I'd come to death that day, even back when we were toddlers Leo was looking out for us.

"You really came through for me that day, Leo," I said finishing my story. Leo's face remained unchanged and that worried me. Although his breathing didn't seem quite so labored now. I felt a little relief, maybe he had heard my story and would know we needed him to keep fighting.

"You always do," I continued putting faith behind those words. "And I know you will again."

"Huh," Raph said sarcastically from behind me. Surprised I turned around to stare at him. "Looks like you've got him hanging on your every word, Don."

I glared at him, but then turned surprised when Leo groaned and turned his head on his pillow. He seemed to be fighting to wake up, but then he relaxed again. I could feel the surprise on my face, and I'm sure it was mirrored on everyone else's faces as well.

"Hey, I think he heard ya, Raphie," Casey said in stunned surprise.

"Maybe talking to him does help," April said her voice full of hope.

"It is said that the voice of a loved one can help guide a lost spirit back to it's home." Splinter said calmly.

"You mind if I take a crack at it?" Mikey asked almost hesitantly. I immediately jumped up and moved out of the way to give Mikey space next to Leo. I watched biting my lip while Raph glared at the floor and Mikey stared intently at Leo.

"Listen, bro, just like concentrate on my voice. Come on, Leo, you know how focused you get when you set your mind on something." Mikey said firmly. I watched Leo and waited while Mikey began his story.