Raph woke up and found an empty bed and a note on the pillow. the room was empty too except for him and grabbed the folded note, it was from Leo.

Hey Raph.

If you find me gone from the lab it's okay because I have my shell cell and I won't be out long for my run, I intend to only make it to the Casey's place and back since he lives so close...April lives a bit further away so it would take much longer.

If you want to come with me or look for me then I won't stop you, feel free to join me but at least let me have a few minuets to my self and some fresh air.

~Leo

*He must have been close to go insane if he puts it that way* Raph thought and got up from his chair and stepped out of the lab just as Donnie was gonna open it "If you're going to check Leo don't bother" Raph said and gave to note to his little brother before grabbing some breakfast that Mikey had prepared "Dude! You look like a zombie" Mikey giggled and only got a light ruff on his head as if Raph tried to ruffle his hair (A/N: like they have hair xD) and sat down.

"Is Leo still sleeping?" "He out on his run, but he's only going to Casey's and back...What time he left...Don't ask coz I just woke up" "Ya, I can tell!" Raph didn't bother reply that and kept eating while Splinter greeted them and got his morning tea. "Is Leonardo still home or is he out?"

"Training run" Was his answer from both turtles just as a pissed Donnie came in and they all sworn they could see the steam coming out of his ears and knew that something had angered him. Unlike Raph who could blown up at almost everything you needed a certain event or a thing to make Donnie that pissed and sometimes it worked, but other wise you would end up hurt. Splinter sighed and waited till donnie was sitting down at the table. "Is something troubling you my son?"

"Leo is not in the lair and it's freezing cold outside! It's for God sake January and the temperature is dropping and rising...right now it's dropping and he can't stay out there for long!" Raph slammed his fist in the table and made his whole family jump in surprise "Let Leo have to time and air to him self with out you hovering over him, didn't you read the note? I would go crazy to if I had several people constantly worrying and checking me every 5th minuet. Leo will come when he does...unless I drag him back right now" He said and got up. Mikey didn't bother to say anything and happily devoured his breakfast along with Splinter reading the news paper and Donnie finishing his coffee before leaving.

...

"Leo is out and it's snowing! I am going to murder him!" Raph breathed once he had closed the man hole and went on searching for his big brother where he was holding up. He went to Casey's place first and found that he hadn't seen Leo or even seen him get there in the first place so Raph knew Leo used it as a alibi so he had to be around...The search went no where and Raph was starting to get more scared that Leo might have had a pain episode and was laying somewhere in the cold in major pain or that the episodes could have killed him already. Raph felt his knees give up and he fell on all four as the tears fell.

"Please Leo...P-Please where are you?" Raph begged for a while before he got up and kept looking, his heart was hurting but he tried to ignore it. Leo wouldn't give up that easily and he wouldn't be that dumb as to stay out here for long, another two hours passed and the day light slowly made it self know and Raph had no choice but to return home...

without his big brother.

...

April placed a cup of tea in front of Leo and took a seat in front of him and studied his different body signs. He hadn't lost much weight but his energy still drained from him so once he had his tea April would send him to the guest room without argument so that he could have some rest, she knew that Leo wanted some time alone but she felt bad for his family not knowing where he was and Leo had begged her not to tell them. She Knew Raph would go insane with fear and would tear half the city before coming to her demanding to know if his big brother was there.

"Are you sure you're not going to at least tell one of them?" April asked and looked at Leo "Maybe Splinter...But tell him I need some time alone for now, I need this calm and quiet place to think! It's like a bomb at home with all the guys hanging on me worrying about the cancer...I'm fine as long as I don't overdo things..." "I got some morphine here in case you get a episode or want to have a peaceful rest without the pain" April said and picked up the phone while leaving the room, Leo reaching for a small photo in his belt and looked at it. It was all of them together and Mikey held a strangling grip around his brothers and Splinter looked at them sideways with an amused smile and Leo standing on the other side of his brothers with his arms crossed a had his left eye ridge in the air looking like he was wondering what the heck his brothers were doing.

Leo smiled sadly and sighed as he took another sip of his tea and listened to April talking to master Splinter but one part caught his attention.

"Raph spent the whole dawn looking for him?"

...

"Wasn't he seen by people"

...

"Oh, so he never found Leo?"

...

"Yes I know where he is but please don't tell them, if the cancer doesn't kill him they will...I think Leo needs some time to him self to clear his mind"

...

"Sure I'll tell him, bye Master Splinter"

Leo sighed as he heard that Raph had been looking for him and looked up when April came in "You heard? Raph had been spending the few morning hours he had looking for you in this...Oh my god! It's turned into a storm!" April looked out the window and could barely see the street ahead and Leo was glad he was indoors, but not with his brothers. "what did he say? Does he want me to call him?" "AFTER you've had some rest, if your done with you tea go to the guest room...and don't make ask twice please?"

The blue masked turtle chuckled as he got up "And the guys call me a mother...We got you for that roll" "Leonardo!" "GAH! I'm going!" Leo yelped and bolted for the guest room and slammed the door shut while April covered her mouth to calm the laugh attack but soon she had to stop as her shell cell rang like crazy that she wondered if it was all three turtles calling at the same time "Hello? Oh hey Raph what..."

"Save it! I asked Casey where Leo was but I never got the time to get to you nad this blizzard is keeping me from going up...Please tell me you know where Leo is!"

April bit her bottom lip and took a deep breath "You mean Leo isn't in the lair?"

"You mean...He not with you?! Oh shell then he is still out there he could...what Mikey?!...Angel hasn't heard from him?! Gotta run April! have to see if he's with Leatherhead!"

Raph ended the call and April looked a bit sad, she had made Raph more worried...Maybe she could have told him Leo was here since the blizzard was keeping him from coming. Now his worry had gone to max level "I'm sorry guys...But Leo needs some quiet rest then he can have at home" April said and went to check on Leo.

"Leatherhead! Please tell me Leo is here!" Raph shouted and waited for the crocodile to put down the things he was holding and his face had pure worry. "What do you mean my friend? Your brother should be in the lair..." "He isn't! He left me this and has been gone since! What if he's still out there in this storm"

Raph sat down as his nerves finally gave up and Leatherhead could see that he was going to brake any second out of worry "I am sorry Raphael, I haven't seen your brother since I last checked him" Leatherhead said and placed a hand on Raph shoulder as he saw them shake, he had reached his final point and was now losing both his mind and his fear. He wanted his brother so badly and he never thought he would think that, he had been wrong all these years:

He did need his big brother.

"I-I can't take it...I can't think of him out there! What if he had a episode or worse! What if his heart stopped" Raph almost screamed and covered his face as the tears broke free.

Raph was scared to death.

...

In the lair Mikey tried to think of something beside his missing cancer dying brother but nothing worked, all he saw when he closed his eyes were Leo laying on the bed in the lab looking pale and thin since the cancer slowly made him weaker.

"Donnie, I'm scared! What if Leo is out there somewhere and got a pain episode...Or worse died from one!"

"DON'T SAY THAT MIKEY! HE ISN'T DEAD!...He can't be...He just can't" Donnie cried and tried to dry his tears that fell like waterfalls. He was just as worried over Leo as he grabbed the phone and called April again "April, It's Donnie. I know Leo is at your place...Please let me talk to him!"

"I can ask him to call you when he wakes up. He needed some time alone and came over to me...It be better if he stays here til the storm has passed! I got things for him in case he has a episode"

"Please April...I need to hear him, I want to make sure he isn't..."

"I'll see if he's awake"

Donnie wait and asked Mikey to call Raph and update him when he heard voices hit he back ground...Or a panicked voice and what sounded like attempts to hold back a cry of pain. Leo was going through one of the pain episodes right now, but a few minuets later the line was picked up again.

Hey Donnie, sorry to make you all worried like that...Is Raph okay?"

"He'll be alot better knowing you're still alive...Please don't do that again!" Donnie said and made a thumbs up to Mikey which was the signal that Leo was okay and Mikey told Raph about it, the look on his face told that Raph was less worried now.

"Get back to rest, we'll come pick you up when the storm is over...And I love you big brother..."

"Love you too, tell Mikey that...Raph knows already but you better update him"

the call ended and Mikey passed the message further, Raph felt like he was going to pass out as he bolted for the door and left before Leatherhead could blink but the said mutant had a big smile on his face *So he isn't as tough as he make people think...I can't blame him thou*

Leo woke up by the sound of knocking on the window and got up to see what caused it, he got there just in time to see red mask tails disappear and knew it was Raph but he opened the window and go to the roof top where Raph attacked him in a death hug and buried his face in Leo's neck, the smell of the meditation candles was another proof that his big brother was there.

"You're alive...You're alive!" Raph whispered over and over again as the snow fell on them both but Leo ignored it and hugged his little brother, Raph was crying and didn't seem to calm down as Leo placed a hand on Raph shoulder and one on the back on his head as the tears fell from his eyes as well "I'm sorry Raph...I didn't mean to do that to you" Leo whispered and kissed Raph on his head as he leaned his head against Leo's chest, the sound of his heart calmed him down more and knew that he wasn't dreaming.

"I-I was so...God Leo! Don't ever do that again! You got cancer and this cold could make it worse!" Raph whispered and Leo wanted to slap him self "Sorry little brother...Next time I'll tell you in person and maybe let one of you come with me..." His only answer was a tighter hug which told him that he was going to be alone for some time...Again. "Come home Leo...Please come home" Raph begged and looked at his brother whom smiled sadly.

"Donnie said you guys were going to get here tomorrow...Or later TODAY actually but knowing you it seems like you couldn't wait"

"'Cause I grab my chance now then letting Mikey and Donnie get their hands on you"

Leo chuckled and was about to say something when he cried out in pain and pressed his right hand over his chest while the left one was being held by Raph who was now in a state of fear "Oh no...Leo don't tell me it the..."

"The...P-Pain i-is w-worse...The shot on the night stand...Get it!" Leo gasped and released Raph's hand but the younger refused to leave him like that and dialed Casey number.

"Casey where are you?!"

"April's place...why? Hang on I'm gonna check Leo"

"We're above you, bonehead! Get the shot and more! Leo's got a episode"

"SAY WHAT?!"

Leo and Raph both jumped as the roar came from both the phone and from the open window and Leo had a small smile on his face as Casey NINJA JUMPED to them and gave Leo the shot while Raph looked at him in shock and wondered when his human friend had learned that without his knowledge, but then he figured it was Splinter who had trained the human in secret. "It's okay Leo...Just rest, I won't leave you" Raph whispered with tears in his eyes. Tears that was Leo's last sight before falling to a painless sleep.

Casey helped Raph carry Leo back in and got some extra blankets and pillows for Raph before he got back to the couch. Raph laid down beside Leo and pressed his face in Leo's neck and cried him self to sleep, he didn't want to think about how it would have been if he wasn't with Leo when the episode hit Leo. He could have died and no one was around to help him if he was to weak to get the shot him self and that only made Raph's tears fall faster until he felt a hand being placed on the back of his head and looked at Leo, who's eyes were slightly open and smiled before placing a light kiss on Raph's forehead. The red masked turtle smiled and finally fell asleep beside his big brother.

"...And if Raph hadn't got here then Leo would have died during the night or something" Casey finished after Splinter had yelled at Raph for leaving the lair and not coming home at all until they arrived this morning and found Raph and Leo in the guest room and Casey took it upon him self to explains as April was to surprised to talk, he had forgot to warn her about last night.

"Very well, Raphael, you are not being punished this time. Leonardo, how do you feel?"

Raph sighed and looked at Leo and held his hand harder "He's been fading in and unconscious all morning and we have given him smaller doses then the ones provided at night, the pain is worse now and he is also running a fever AGAIN! The first one broke around 4 in the morning and then we decided to stay awake. Don't know if it's the same fever or another one" Raph informed. Splinter nodded sadly and the small family took their leave and returned home where Leatherhead waited for them all.

"I heard the cancer made it self reminded again" He said and helped them place Leo in the infirmary but he then asked them all to leave as he was going to try something. Raph refused to leave and Leatherhead didn't argue with him, wisely enough, and started.

"Is there anything that seemed different from the pain episode?" Leatherhead asked and Raph tried to remember...He knew that he had seen something that was odd and then it hit him "Leo did place his hand over his chest when the pain began...somewhere over his heart" Leatherhead carefully examined Leo plastorn and then he felt a bump near the heart area. The crocodile smiled and looked at his red masked friend.

"You found the tumour my friend! We can save him now"

Raph felt the tears gather and bolted out of the room and pulled his family in a big hug, confusing them all.

"Raph? Wha..."

"We found the tumour guys! We can save Leo!"