A/N: Eclipse belongs to GeekyCookie1. Mara and Zane belongs to MariChat3.

Here we are! Season three!

Enjoy!

"So, you're probably wondering what happened for us next since the Kraang defeated us, losing New York City, and... Master Splinter. Well, we made it upstate to April's family farmhouse and the first thing we all did was take care of Leo where we placed him in the bathtub-- Donnie says that it'll keep him hydrated so he can heal faster but... it's been three months since we got to the farmhouse and Leo hasn't been doing too good. None of us had said the words yet but... we're all losing hope that Leo might wake up-- even I am. Raph, Henry, and Clips each take a shift to watch over Leo-- though, Henry mainly takes the night shift to watch over Leo so Raph and Clips can get some sleep. Mikey's been helping out a lot and does a ton of chores around the house... while he goofs around. Sometimes he'll talk about cartoons with Piper, Kyle, and Chloe. Donnie built a lab in the barn to try to make a mutagenic medicine to heal Leo. April, Kaz, and Zane do some journaling, Mara and Casey pretty much do whatever they feel like from day to day, and Kyle, Piper, and Chloe kinda stick together while they try to find something to keep them busy. When you're staying at a farmhouse in the middle of the woods, it's not easy to keep three preteens busy but we all try our best. In the mornings, we still do training to stay in shape and keep our skills sharp and then, the rest of the day is for whatever we feel like doing. Now, you're probably wondering what it is that I do? Asides from helping out from time to time, I think about New York... a lot."

HENRY HAS NEVER felt like a failure anymore than he currently did right there in that moment. Everything that happened— their loss was all his fault. Yes, Leonardo was the leader but he was the second-in-command. How stupid could he have been to let Leonardo go face Shredder, Jake, and their forces? To let his anger and hatred for their two enemies blind him in that moment? He never should've agreed to it! He should've just dragged Leonardo to April's apartment the moment the idea popped into the turtle's head but no, Henry had been so angry that he went through with it and now, this was the result of his own failure.

Henry kept his eyes on the limp figure of the blue masked mutant turtle that just laid in the bathtub, eyes closed. "I'm so sorry, Leo." He whispered to himself as a small sigh left his lips.

"Henry?"

Henry looked over his shoulder to see his younger sister standing in the doorway. For the first time, he couldn't help but notice how nervous she looked, as if she was worried that was bothering him at that very moment.

"Hey, Pipes," Henry said, using his nickname for her. "You can come in."

Piper nodded and as she stepped into the bathroom, moving to stand by her brother's side, who had gone back to watching over the mutant turtle in the bathtub. She played with her fingers nervously for a good while at the silence that filled the room.

"I'm sorry."

Henry raised an eyebrow as he looked over at her. "What are you apologizing for?"

"For a lot of things," Piper answered honestly. "For what happened to your friend here, for mom lying to you about who your real--" she paused for a second as if the news was still settling in before she continued. "Your real dad is, and for... acting like a brat our whole lives."

"When were you like acting a brat? I mean, okay, yeah, maybe there were a few times where you annoyed me but," Henry said. "But I never thought you were a brat."

"I acted like one though," Piper told him, a frown on her face. "I was always yelling and screaming, getting mad over the littlest of things, and throwing temper tantrums. I always gave you a hard time and you never even complained about it and just kept taking care of me."

"You were a kid, Piper," Henry told her. "Besides, it was my job to take care of you."

Ever since the invasion, Piper was starting to see her big brother in a whole new light. As a kid, there were times where the two got along but most of the times, she knew she was a totally brat to him, always yelling and screaming all the time if something didn't go wrong or yelling and fighting with their parents just because they didn't know how she liked something when the whole time, the reason why her parents never knew how she liked something or any of her hobbies was because they were never even around.

It was always just her and Henry-- just the two of them in a house that didn't have the parental love or two parents at home, raising their children.

At the end of the day, it was just a house where two children were neglected by their own parents, who were too busy with their work schedules and hobbies to give them the attention they longed for so badly.

That was why Piper was always having anger outbursts back then. She still did, of course, but because it was the only way she got the attention she craved for from her parents. She used her anger outbursts to seek the attention she craved for but her search for attention also continued on social media, which led to her phone addiction. But every time that Piper thought back to those days, not once did Henry ever search for the attention he secretly craved for.

At least, that's what she thought, until she found out about her brother's secret friends.

Ever since she found out about her brother's secret friends, Piper couldn't help but notice how close they were with her big brother as they practically treated him as a member of their family and how in return, her brother did the same with them. She also noticed that them treating Henry as family fueled her brother's determination to keep them safe and to protect them. It got her thinking that maybe her brother did secretly craved for attention that he was deprived of from their parents-- he just got it from his secret friends that he called family and that only fueled him to protect them and keep them safe.

"You were a kid too," Piper argued. She didn't understand how Henry didn't see that their parents took away his childhood and made him grow up too fast. "At least, you deserved to be a kid but you didn't get too because you were too busy, taking care of me. I just never realized how long you spent cleaning up after mom and dad-- that's why I'm apologizing. I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize, Piper. You can if you want too and I'll accept it if it makes you feel better," Henry told her. "But it's not necessary. I'm always gonna look after you because that's my job."

Piper stared at him for a good second before suddenly, she leapt at her brother, throwing her arms around his neck for a hug as she squeezed her eyes shut. Henry, on the other hand, just froze at the unexpected hug, knowing that Piper wasn't one for hugs. In fact, he didn't think that he and Piper had ever given the other a hug before. Yes, they cared about each other but never had they shown it to the other through hugs or even through words. But he wouldn't lie that it didn't feel good, because it did.

It felt really good.

If it wasn't one of the others, Henry didn't think he ever gotten a hug before so, the fact that Piper was giving him a hug right now, it felt good-- and nice too.

"You're... a really good big brother." Piper whispered.

And Henry found himself wrapping his arms around his little sister to return the hug. Neither one of them thought about pulling away just yet as the two Hart siblings just stood there, enjoying the hug that the two desperately needed.

👑👑👑

EVERYONE WAS OUTSIDE of the farmhouse, training. Kyle, Piper, and Chloe were sitting on the front steps, watching the group train like they always do. Donatello and Michelangelo were sparring, Briana and Eclipse were sparring, Henry and Zane were having a sparring match of their own as were Kaz and Mara, and Raphael and April were having their match.

Casey was leaning against a tree, a stalk of wheat between his teeth as he watches the others spar. Donatello blocks Michelangelo's nunchucks and stumbles back, adjusting his footing easily. Casey smirks, grabbing his hockey stick and spitting the stalk of wheat out.

"Goongala!" He hollers, leaping into the action.

Donatello spins around, stick clashing with his staff. The turtle grits his teeth and pushes forward, the two dodging and fighting with each other. Raphael and April continue to face each other, her swinging her tessen while the turtle dodges her attempted blows. He ducks and sweeps his leg, tripping her up and causing her to land hard on her back.

He laughs. "Sorry, April."

April only narrowed her blue eyes and lunges upwards with a grunt, catching him in the jaw with a well-aimed punch. Raphael drops to the ground, his eyes spiraling as he groans.

"I'm almost a full-on kunoichi," she challenges, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Aw, yeah! Gotta be quick if you wanna be hanging with the ninjas, dog!" Michelangelo whoops, teasing his brother.

Casey takes another swing at Donatello, but the turtle jerks himself to the side and avoids it. "Sweet moves, Donnie," he says, whipping out a slingshot. "Eat this!" He releases the pouch and sends a barrage of pebbles into the turtle's face.

"Ow! Cheap shot!" Donatello exclaims, chucking his staff at the teen.

It hits Casey right in the gut, earning a grunt of pain. The mutant turtle tackles the teenaged boy, sending them both to the ground as they start to roll around and growl at each other, tugging and pulling at whatever they can grab. It made for the other sparring matches to come to a stop as everyone paid attention to the two boys tussle.

"Okay, you two, enough!" April exclaims, halting them instantly as the two boys froze with thumbs pinched on cheeks and fists raised. "You guys are acting like a bunch of caged animals."

"We're just blowing off a little steam, Red," Casey explains as the two get back onto their feet.

"Yeah, things are just kind of tense lately," Donatello adds, placing a hand on Casey's shoulder and making the boy grimace. "Right, old friend?"

Casey wraps an arm around him, nudging him towards his plastron. "You got that right, old pal." Casey returns with an elbow to the gut.

"We're all just a little frustrated, April," Raphael cuts in. "No offense, but we're turtles," he motions over to Henry. "... and a half-wolf mutant. We don't belong in a farmhouse. We belong in the sewers."

"Okay, not entirely accurate but, uh, apropos." Donatello said with a shrug.

"Yeah, that's all good," Michelangelo says with a smile and a stretch. "But like Master Splinter would say, 'we must accept the hand that the universe has dealt us.'"

"Wow, that's deep." Mara says.

"Master Splinter's gone, Mikey, and Leo may never wake up," Raphael said, his shoulders and head dropping with his words. Instantly, at those words, the fun and the adrenaline vanishes within the group. "The universe dealt us a terrible hand."

Raphael heads towards the house, slipping his sais into his belt while the others share a glance before watching him go. None of them were in the mood to keep training after those words.

👑👑👑

THIS TIME HENRY found himself on his shift again to watch over Leonardo. When the blue masked mutant turtle didn't make any signs of movement, he couldn't help but sigh while a frown grew on his face as the guilt continued to eat him up inside. "I... I don't know if you can hear me or not, but... we really need you to pull through, Leo." Henry said.

As expected, there was no response and Henry gave another sigh.

"You know, when we were kids... me, you, Raph, Donnie, Mikey, and Clips couldn't have been more than ten and Briana couldn't have been more than nine, and you just started asking questions. How come Master Splinter wouldn't let you guys go topside with him when he went to get supplies? What was it like up there? How I'd think the people would react if they ever saw you guys? I remember I begged you, "Quit asking, Leo. Man, you... you don't want to know how they'd react or... or what they'd call you guys." I just wanted you to be a kid... just for a little while longer." Henry said, his voice cracking a bit.

Henry took a second to bit the bottom half of his lip and squeezed his eyes shut at the memory that played in his head. He remembers how curious Leonardo was as he asked him those questions but Henry, who didn't want him to know all of the terrible things that he'd get called if the city's citizens ever saw what he looked like, had begged him to stop asking for fear that he'd get hurt by knowing.

He took a deep breath and continued. "I was always trying to protect you guys... keep you safe... Master Splinter didn't even have to tell me to watch out for you guys. It was just always my responsibility, you know? I guess I just got so used to having that responsibility weighing on my shoulders for my entire life that it just became an instinct. It was like I had one job... I had one job... and I screwed it up. I blew it and because of me, you're paying the price. And for that, I'm so sorry, Leo."

Then, Henry took another few seconds to try to blink away the tears that threatened to fall before he gave a small scoff and continued. "But I guess that's what I do, huh? I let down the people I love. I let my parents down. I let Piper down. I let our friends down. I let Master Splinter down. I let Raph down. I let Donnie down. I let Mikey down. I let Clips down. I let Bri down. And now I guess I'm just supposed to let you down too." His voice cracked as tears filled up his eyes. "How can I? How am I supposed to live with that? What am I supposed to do? I'm just the second-in-command, you're the one that's the leader. I can't lead them without you, Leo. What am I supposed to do?"

Although he kept his tears from falling, it didn't stop his eyes from getting watery as he grabbed his head and lowered it, looking right at the ground as this time, he yelled at himself. "What am I supposed to do!?"

Desperately to get some fresh air, Henry found himself quickly getting to his feet as he ran out of the bathroom, down the stairs, and out of the house where he headed right for the woods.

👑👑👑

HE HAD NO idea how far he walked until he found himself stopping, finally letting himself fall onto his knees as he pressed his forehead against the cold grass while he took in deep breaths. After a while, he pushed himself up onto his knees before starting getting into a meditation position. Although for a while, he didn't meditate-- he just sat there while letting the soft chirping of crickets reached his ears, which made them twitch at every soft chirp he heard.

After a few minutes, Henry finally let himself closed his eyes and took deep breaths as he started meditating. He didn't know how long he spent meditating and by the time that he opened his eyes, he couldn't help but noticed that although he was still within the woods, there was no sound at all-- no soft chirping from the crickets.

Nothing.

It was complete silence.

"Well, look who it is," a familiar voice said. A voice that had Henry's blood boiling as he jumped to his feet and spun around to face Jake. "Little Henry Hart." He smirked at him, clearly enjoying taunting him. "Aw, what's the matter? Did you went and got one of your brothers killed?"

"How the hell are you here?"

"Oh, relax, I'm not really here," Jake said. "Well, not physically. We're in the spiritual plane-- me and you. In reality, I have no idea where you are so, you can tell that wolf of yours inside of you to calm down."

Henry clenched his fists, staring at him with such a hateful look in his eyes-- one that had Jake smirking at the sight of it while seeing Jake's smirk only made Henry more upset.

"The next time I see you, I should kill you."

"Oh, you should and I know you would," Jake taunted, walking around him with his evil smirk plastered on his face before he stopped in front of the teenaged boy. "But you won't, and I know why."

Henry scoffed. "Oh, yeah? Why? After everything you and Shredder have done, give me one good reason why I won't kill you the next time I face you."

"Because deep down, you know I can use my magic to give you what you want," Jake answered. "Bring poor little Leonardo back from the dead and let me guess, you're willing to take his place instead."

Henry remained silent as he stared at him with so much hate and anger burning in his eyes that if looks could kill, Jake would be die right there on the spot. But as much as Henry didn't like it or as much as his blood boiled with rage from the sight of Jake, he knew that if he wanted to save Leonardo-- to stop one of his little brothers from dying, Jake could do just that.

"You're forgetting one thing," Henry said. "I don't trust you. How do I know that you won't screw me over and do something even worse to my brother?"

"Well, you are right about that-- you can't trust me, and you shouldn't," Jake said with a shrug. "But in this case-- and the only case, you can because you know what it is that I want."

"Me."

"Ladies and gentlemen, we got a winner!" Jake said with a menacingly laugh. "Well, technically, it's you and my cousin that I want but, since you're all so stubborn and determined in protecting her, I'll settle for you-- for now."

Henry glared at him. "You can stay the hell away from my sister," then he narrowed his eyes at him. "What makes you so sure that I'll make a deal with you anyways?"

"Because that's the thing about you, Henry. You can tell yourself that you're saving Leo for the others-- hell, you can tell yourself that you're saving Leo so he won't have to die so young, but we both know the real answer," Jake replied, staring straight at him. "You can't lose him. You can't lose any of them and that right there is your weakness."

Henry didn't said anything, but he didn't have too because deep down, he knew that Jake was right. He couldn't lose Leonardo, one of his baby brothers-- he couldn't lose any of them all because he didn't know what he'd do if he lost them. Hell, he didn't know who he'd be without them because with all those years, they spent together laughing, playing, training, or just being with each other, he knew that deep down, they were a part of him and without them, he had no idea who he was.

There was no Henry Hart without Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, Michelangelo, Eclipse, and Briana.

And although Henry didn't know it, but they felt the same about him as they were more than just a team or friends-- they were family.

And that meant that there would be no Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, Michelangelo, Eclipse, and Briana without Henry Hart.

"But since you don't trust me and you don't want to make a deal then, I'll just be on my way," Jake said as he turned around, starting to walk away from Henry. "Piece of advice: make sure you guys bury poor Leonardo before he starts to stink up the place."

Henry felt his body tensed at those words and found himself speaking up quickly. "Wait."

Jake stopped walking as a smirk grew onto his face. "And just like that, I hit the nerves." He whispered to himself before turning around to face Henry.

"What do I have to do?"

"First, quit whining or else, this deal is really off," Jake said as he walked closer, stopping just a few feet in front of him. "You know, considering that we're enemies, I should just be disappearing and let Leonardo rot but what can I say? Right now, you're like a kicked puppy, which is ironic since you are half-wolf but, I can't help it. You're just too fun to play with, but... I'll do it."

"You'll bring him back? No games or anything? Just..." Henry asked. "Just Leo."

"I will," Jake confirmed. "It'll just be Leonardo, no games or anything. But what I want you to do? Well, when the time's right, I want you to be my apprentice. And don't worry, it's not for anytime soon. It's for the future because well, let's just said that I'm invested in who you'd become in the future."

"You've gotta be kidding me," Henry said with a frown. "You want me to join the Foot Clan? To be your apprentice-- your little minion? Hell no, I'm not betraying my family."

"Then, it looks like you and everyone else have a funeral to get ready for." Jake said with a shrug. He was about to turn around to walk but stopped when once again, Henry stopped him.

"Okay, fine! Deal!" Henry shouted, his tone desperate. "I'll... I'll do it. Just... just bring my little brother back."

"So, it's a deal then. But, here's the thing," Jake said as he faced Henry, his tone now growing deadly serious. "If you try to weasel your way out or if anyone from your little family tries to save you then, the deal is off. Leonardo drops dead and he's back to being nothing more than a rotting corpse. So, just to make sure you're still in, do we have a deal or not? What do you say, Henry?"

Henry stared at him, the thoughts running through his head. He knows that he shouldn't make the deal-- that he should just walk away from this, but it was his only way at saving his brother because without it, Leonardo wouldn't make it.

It's been three months and he still hasn't show any signs of waking up.

This was his only shot at getting his brother back.

"Deal." Henry answered.

Jake smirked. "Alright then, now all you have to do is wake up and go back. Leonardo will be waking up by the time you get back."

And with that, Henry opened his eyes as he stopped meditating and the moment, the soft chirping of crickets reached his ears that continued to twitch at every chirp. He didn't hesitate to jump onto his feet and dashed in the direction of the farmhouse, just to see if Jake really did hold up his end of the deal.

👑👑👑

DARKNESS WAS THE only thing that Leonardo could see at the moment and there was also the fact that he didn't feel any pain-- hell, he didn't feel anything. Was this what death felt like? No pain? It was just this darkness? This feeling that made him feel weightless, like there was nothing weighing on his shoulders? The last thing he remembered was facing Shredder's and Jake's forces with Henry before...

Then, everything came running back to him.

The invasion, fleeing from the lair, leading the kraang away with Henry so the rest of the others can escape to April's apartment, the Foot Bots leading him and Henry into a trap, and then... Shredder striking him down.

After that, everything went black.

He was dead, wasn't he?

He was dead, and all he could hope is that Henry managed to make it out-- that his big brother made it out and got the rest of their family to safety.

And so, Leonardo just waited for the darkness to fully take him away-- waiting to be gone from the world for good.

Then, he heard voices.

"Henry?"

He recognized the voice immediately. It was Henry's younger sister, Piper. He remembered what her voice sounded like when she and her two friends had followed April and Irma to the lair.

"Hey, Pipes. You can come in."

"I'm sorry."

"What are you apologizing for?"

"For a lot of things. For what happened to your friend here, for mom lying to you about who your real-- your real dad is, and for... acting like a brat our whole lives."

"When were you like acting a brat? I mean, okay, yeah, maybe there were a few times where you annoyed me but, I never thought you were a brat."

"I acted like one though. I was always yelling and screaming, getting mad over the littlest of things, and throwing temper tantrums. I always gave you a hard time and you never even complained about it and just kept taking care of me."

"You were a kid, Piper. Besides, it was my job to take care of you."

It was my job... Leonardo has always known how seriously his brother was when it came to protecting them and keeping them safe-- how he always made sure to be there by their sides whenever they needed him.

And he couldn't be anymore grateful for his big brother-- to have him by his side through everything.

"You were a kid too. At least, you deserved to be a kid but you didn't get too because you were too busy, taking care of me. I just never realized how long you spent cleaning up after mom and dad-- that's why I'm apologizing. I'm sorry."

Henry... Leonardo had never wanted to open his eyes just to tell him that Piper was right-- that he deserved to be a kid back then too-- not just when he was with them at the lair, but back at his own house too.

"You don't have to apologize, Piper. You can if you want too and I'll accept it if it makes you feel better, but it's not necessary. I'm always gonna look after you because that's my job."

"You're... a really good big brother."

He's the best... is what Leonardo had wanted to said but his unmoving body wouldn't wake up to give him the chance too.

Then after that, it was silence for a while and all he could do was wait while nothing but darkness surrounded him. He couldn't do anything but let himself think to the conversation he heard, letting Henry's responses replay in his head over and over.

Then, he heard a voice again-- Henry's voice.

"I... I don't know if you can hear me or not, but... we really need you to pull through, Leo."

I want too, but I don't think I can this time.

"You know, when we were kids... me, you, Raph, Donnie, Mikey, and Clips couldn't have been more than ten, which means that Briana couldn't have been more than nine, and you just started asking questions. How come Master Splinter wouldn't let you guys go topside with him when he went to get supplies? What was it like up there? How I'd think the people would react if they ever saw you guys? I remember I begged you, "Quit asking, Leo. Man, you... you don't want to know how they'd react or... or what they'd call you guys." I just wanted you to be a kid... just for a little while longer."

I do know, Henry. I saw the look on your face, even if you didn't notice. I saw how scared and worried you looked. That's why I stopped asking those questions, because I knew you were trying to protect us-- to keep us safe. You always do.

"I was always trying to protect you guys... keep you safe... Master Splinter didn't even have to tell me to watch out for you guys. It was just always my responsibility, you know? I guess I just got so used to having that responsibility weighing on my shoulders for my entire life that it just became an instinct. It was like I had one job... I had one job... and I screwed it up. I blew it and because of me, you're paying the price. And for that, I'm so sorry, Leo."

No, no, don't blame yourself, Henry. It wasn't your fault-- it never was. It was my own fault. You were right, we should've just gone to April's apartment and get everybody else out of the city, but I was so angry that I lead us into their trap.

"But I guess that's what I do, huh? I let down the people I love. I let my parents. I let Piper down. I let our friends down. I let Master Splinter down. I let Raph down. I let Donnie down. I let Mikey down. I let Clips down. I let Bri down. And now I guess I'm just supposed to let you down too. How can I? How am I supposed to live with that? What am I supposed to do? I'm just the second-in-command, you're the one that's the leader. I can't lead them without you, Leo. What am I supposed to do?"

Yes, you can lead them without me, Henry. I know you can because I believe you can-- and I believe you can because I love you. I trust you.

"What am I supposed to do!?"

You lead the rest of our family and fight on without me.

Leonardo was met with nothing but silence in the darkness after that while once again, all he could do was wait to be fully gone for good. But then, after a few seconds of waiting, he saw a sudden bright light waiting for him on the other side and he hesitated at first but then, he slowly reached out towards the light.

That was when the bright light grew bigger as he closed his eyes, letting the bright light take him away for good.

Goodbye, everyone...

But rather than leaving for good, Leonardo found himself waking up instead.

👑👑👑

THE MOMENT THAT Henry came back into the house was the very moment where everyone heard Raphael shout, "GUYS! GUYS! GET UP HERE!"

Without hesitating, Henry found himself running up the stairs followed by Donatello, Michelangelo, Eclipse, and Briana as fast as their feet would carried them. The five of them burst through the bathroom door and came to stop beside Raphael near the bathtub.

"Leo?" Donatello asked.

Leonardo smiled up at them. "Hey, guys." His voice sounded different than before. It was definitely deeper than from how it used to be.

"LEO! YOU'RE BACK! DUDE!" Both Michelangelo and Briana launched themselves at him, hugging him a bit forcefully, holding him tightly.

"Ah! Ow, it's okay, guys. Ow, that hurts..." He patted their hands reassuringly as his brother and sister held him close. It did hurt, but Leonardo just couldn't help but smile softly.

"Hey, guys, take it easy." Eclipse said, patting their shoulders with her hands. Each and every one of them were smiling though.

"Let's get you outta here." Henry said as they all reached down and helped Leonardo out of the bathtub.

👑👑👑

APRIL, KAZ, CASEY, Mara, and Zane were just as relieved and glad to see that Leonardo was officially awoke and up on his feet again-- even Piper, Kyle, and Chloe welcomed him back. The next thing that happened was that everyone was settled in the living room with Leonardo sitting on the couch as Donatello checked his vitals while they filled him in on everything.

"So, we've been here for three months?" Leonardo asked, still coming to terms with everything. "I've been out that long?"

Zane laid his hand softly on his shoulder, nodding. "You had us worried sick, Leo." He gestured to Raphael, Eclipse, and Henry with his other hand. "Henry, Raph, and Clips barely slept."

"Ah, it was nothing." Raphael, Henry, and Eclipse waved it off.

But the three of them and Leonardo knew that wasn't the case as they each shared a quick glance with Leonardo. Though, Leonardo and Henry held the glance a bit longer... as if they both knew something about the other.

"So, like, why does he sound different?" Casey asked.

Mara nodded in agreement. "Yeah, his voice is deeper now."

Taking the stethoscope off Leonardo's chest, Donatello answered. "He sustained damage to his throat, and pretty much everywhere else, for that matter."

As if it was on cue, Leonardo felt a surge of pain that had him hiss and groan in pain, pitching forward a bit. It also had everyone else looking worry too. Donatello quickly took out a glowing vial of green liquid and a spoon from the first-aid box, taking off the cork as he poured the stuff into the spoon.

"Here, have some of my special patented mutagen medicine," he held the spoon out to him, smiling reassuringly. "You'll be healed in no time."

And so, Leonardo took the medicine and swallowed it, but it tasted awful that he felt like throwing it up. "Ugh! It tastes like it's supposed to come out of me, not go into me."

Raphael was suddenly beside him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and pulling him into a half-hug. "First thing tomorrow, we're gonna start training again, you and me," he thumped him in the chest with his fist lightly. "I'll have you on your feet in no time."

With those words, Leonardo couldn't help but smile at him and Raphael returned the smile at his brother. Raphael wasn't only one that was determined to help get Leonardo back on his feet, everyone was.

Henry could feel a pair of eyes on him and looked over, only to end up making eye contact with Donatello while everyone else was giving Leonardo their full support along with their relief that he was back. With how both Donatello and Henry were looking at each other, Henry already knew what was coming and slightly motioned towards the front door, earning a slight nod from his brother. As the others were tending to Leonardo, both Henry and Donatello snuck out of the room and left the house through the front door in silence, the two of them entering the barn that was being used as a makeshift lab for Donatello.

"I know what you're thinking, Donnie," Henry spoke up as he faced him. "Go ahead, say it."

"Nothing, just..." Donatello started before he trailed off, as if he was debating if he wanted to ask since he was really glad his brother was back. He sighed as he forced himself to keep going. "Three months, Henry. That's how long it's been and suddenly, Leo wakes up without giving us any signs of him doing so anytime soon?"

"I mean, miracles exist."

"Yeah, but in this case? After three months of no response or signs?"

"You think I did something to bring Leo back?" Henry questioned.

"Did you?" Donatello questioned.

Henry didn't answer and looked away from him a little, giving the purple masked mutant turtle the answer that he needed.

"You did, didn't you?" Donatello asked. "When you left the house before Leo woke up?"

"I just went to get some fresh air-- clear my head," Henry told him. "I didn't even realize how far I went till I finally stopped and just sat down. Then, I decided to meditate a little to help clear my head and the next thing I know is that I'm in the spiritual plane with... someone."

Donatello raised a brow, looking confused now. "Someone? Who?"

Henry looked away again before he sighed. "Jake."

"Jake? You mean you...?" Donatello started before he trailed off for a second. "Did you... did you make a deal... with Jake? He's the one that brought Leo back? What, did he want something?" He realized what he said. "What am I saying, it's Jake, of course he wanted something!"

"Donnie--"

"What did he want?"

"He... he wants me to be his apprentice."

"His apprentice? As in... he wants you to join the Foot Clan," Donatello said as realization washed over him. "When is he expecting that to happen? What, when Leo recovers and we go back to the city?"

"I don't know, Donnie. That's all he say--that, and that it's not till the future because apparently, he's 'invested' in who I'd be in the future whatever the hell that means," Henry said before his face grew serious. "Which is why the moment that Leo makes a full recovery and after we save New York, the next time we face Jake, I'm gonna kill him myself."

"How come you made that deal, anyways?"

"What was I supposed to do, Donnie? Let Leo die?" Henry said. "Like you say, it's been three months and Leo wasn't going to wake up anytime soon. None of us wanted to said it but we all knew it: he wasn't waking up because he wasn't going too." His face softened while a small frown came on his face. "I couldn't let him die, Donnie. I couldn't. He's my brother, and I would've made the same decision if it was you or one of the others."

"How are you gonna tell Leo or the others about this?" Donatello asked.

"I don't know yet, Donnie. I didn't figure that part out yet," Henry said with a sigh while he ran his hands through his hair before grabbing his head. "All I know is that I couldn't let him die when it was my fault in the first place."

Donatello frowned slightly at those words, staring at him as he could see his tensed body language or the guilt that rests in his eyes. "Hen," he said gently. "What happened to Leo isn't your fault."

Henry scoffed softly, letting go of his head as he lowered his heads. "You sure about that? I was the one that agreed with Leo to go after Shredder, Jake, and their forces. I should've just dragged him to the April's instead of going after them."

"Leo would've snuck out to go after them on his own still, Henry," Donatello told him. "You couldn't have stopped him even if you tried."

"That's not the point, Donnie. I could've done something, but I didn't! And now, all I can see in my head when I close my eyes is Shredder standing behind Leo before he strikes him down and—"

He was cut off when Donatello had suddenly pulled him in for an unexpected hug. Henry wasn't expecting the hug-- okay, maybe he wasn't expecting the hug but at the same time, he wasn't used to getting hugs in the first place with his parents never being around to give him one or any sort of any physical affection. Although Henry wouldn't admit that out loud... yet, it felt really good to be getting a hug-- even if it wasn't from one of his parents.

"What happened to Leo stinks but it's not on you, Henry," Donatello said, tightening the hug a little as he hoped that his big brother would get the message. "It's not your fault so don't blame yourself for it."

Staying silent as he didn't trust himself to said anything, Henry stood there as he took the embrace in before he slowly lifted his own arms and returned the hug by wrapping his arms around his brother. They stayed like that for a while until the two pulled away from the hug.

"Nobody here blames you for what happened and neither does Leo," Donatello told him gently. "So, you shouldn't blame yourself either."

Henry nodded slowly, as if he was still having a little bit of trouble taking his words. It was so easy for him to put the blame on him whenever something went wrong because of how he grew up.

"Do you know if you're gonna tell them now or later?" Donatello asked gently.

"Later," Henry responded. "I'm still... trying to figure out how to tell them."

Donatello nodded before he placed a hand on his shoulder reassuringly. "I'm here for you, Hen, you know that. We all are."

Henry nodded.

"I know."

👑👑👑

LATER THAT NIGHT, after everyone had helped Leonardo to the spare bedroom so it'd be easier for him to rest, everyone else had gone to sleep as well-- almost everyone. Leonardo found himself laying in bed as he stared up at the ceiling, his mind on Splinter as he was wondering what had happened to their father and teacher. After a few seconds of staring at the ceiling, Leonardo was just about to close his eyes and fall asleep when he heard the door slowly creaking open before the door closed behind the person entering the room and quietly approached the bed.

"Leo...? Are you asleep?"

Leonardo couldn't help but smile softly. "No." He whispered back to her.

Briana giggled softly at that and he watched as she sat down at the foot of his bed while she stared at him with her sapphire blue eyes studying him as if she was afraid that if she looked away, he'd fall right back to being unconscious again-- that she wasn't going to lose him again.

"Can't sleep?" Leonardo asked, watching as his youngest sister shook her head. He smiled softly at her. "Come here."

With that, he carefully shuffled over, making more room for her as Briana willingly crawled next to her brother and covered them both with the blanket before she threw her arms around her him again for another hug, as if to remind herself that he was really here.

"I was scared that I was gonna lose you, Leo..." Briana mumbled, not releasing him from the hug.

"I know, but I'm here now," Leonardo whispered as he hugged her back. "And I'm not going anywhere."

Briana nodded drowsily and as the brother and sister laid down in bed, still keeping an arm wrapped around the other as neither one of them wanted the hug to be over just yet, sleep had finally washed over them as the two drifted off to the land of dreams.

👑👑👑

THE NEXT MORNING, everyone had gotten up for the day and had breakfast, just like they've always done since they got there. The only difference is that the mood was a lot more lighter now that Leonardo was awoke after spending three whole months of being unconscious. Speaking of the morning, Leonardo had awoke up to a surprise as Briana wasn't the only one that had snuck into his room to keep watch; when he woke up, he found Raphael, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Eclipse had very carefully angled themselves on the bed to join the two while making sure that none of them would hurt Leonardo. However, the surprise didn't stop there as Leonardo had found that Henry was sleeping on the floor at the end of the bed while his head rested against the bed frame, despite that there had been a bit of space left on the bed but he guessed that Henry willingly chose the floor as he hadn't want to make any of them uncomfortable.

After breakfast, Raphael and Leonardo had gone for training, just as the red masked mutant turtle had said last night. "Come on, Leo! You gotta build up those muscles! You've gotten super weak!" Raphael called as he walked ahead of him, reaching the edge of the creek.

Leonardo looked a bit annoyed at his words. "Don't... rub it in." He muttered. He was also using a hand-made crutch that Donatello had made for him to help him walk.

Leonardo continued to follow after his brother but his foot slipped against the grass with a cry, causing him to fall onto the ground as he landed on his backside while his right leg began throbbing with pain. He hissed in pain as he clutched his knee and looked up to find Raphael staring down at him with a look that he didn't like.

Pity.

"I don't think I'm..." he began, looking down at the grass. "I don't think I'm ever gonna be the same again."

"Don't talk like that!" Raphael yelled. "That's not the Leo I know! Now, come on! Let's cross this creek!" He encouraged, trying his best to lift his brother's spirits.

Leonardo ended up giving a small groan of pain when he put too much pressure on his leg, lurching forward a bit. He dug into his belt pocket and took out the medicine that Donatello had given him, which he labeled as 'Leo's Elixir,' unscrewed the cork, and took a long sip of it, still not liking the taste of it as he resealed it. Suddenly, his vision began to a bit blurry as he could barely make out his brother's voice calling out to him.

"Oh, man," Leonardo said as the vial slipped from his grip and landed on the grass, forgetting about the vial as he stumbled backwards. "I-- I'm gonna--" he turned and threw up both the medicine and what they had for breakfast as he fell onto his knees.

By the time that he wiped his mouth, Raphael was already by his side and putting an arm around his shoulders. "You okay, Leo?" He asked worriedly.

"I think it's that medicine Donnie gave me," Leonardo admitted, clutching his aching stomach. "I-- I'm not feeling too good..."

Raphael tightened his hold around his shoulders as he helped him stand up before he led her away from the creek. "Come on, let's get you back to the farmhouse," he said. "You need some rest."

👑👑👑

LATER THAT EVENING, Leonardo was sitting in the armchair next to the fireplace, his crutch resting against the side of the chair while his head was deep within his thoughts about Splinter. The others were all sitting around the tv as they were all getting ready to watch not just Michelangelo's new favorite show, but the new favorite show of Kyle, Piper, and Chloe. Nobody said a word as everybody's mood was down after having told the blue masked mutant turtle about what happened to Splinter.

April had sat a cup of tea on the table in front of Leonardo, who admitted. "I just can't stop thinking about Master Splinter. Maybe he's not really gone."

Donatello frowned. "We saw it happen, Shredder threw him down a drainpipe..."

"Maybe Leo's right," April said with a uncertain shrug. "I mean, Splinter was a great ninja master."

"The greatest in the century," Raphael said lowly, not turning around or looking away from the bright screen of the tv.

"Hey, dudes, dudettes! The show's starting!" Michelangelo called out excitedly before anyone else could give their own thoughts on it, turning back to the screen that he, Piper, Chloe, and Kyle were sitting way too close to it.

Right when it seemed that Henry, Casey, and Kaz were about to remind their respective younger siblings not to sit too close to the tv, there was no need to it when the tv, along with the lights in the house, suddenly went out in an blink of an eye. Immediately, the sound of whining and complaining came from Michelangelo and the three preteens.

"Aw, man, you've gotta be kidding me!" Casey cried over the whines and complains.

Briana stood up from her seat as she started to make her way out. "It's probably just a blown fuse, I'll be back."

Just as those words left her mouth, the fire suddenly went out as well, leaving only a half-burnt pile of smoking wood left. Everyone went over to the fireplace with confused expressions since there was no windows open for there to be a gust of wind and Eclipse took out a flashlight for them to check the smoking logs.

"Great, looks like we need more firewood." Raphael grumbled.

To make the matters more confusing, Eclipse's flashlight flicked off. She tried to turn it back on but it wouldn't. "Are you kidding me?" She questioned.

Henry didn't know what it is but something didn't sit right in his gut with what was happening right now. Then, Raphael had left to go get more firewood while Briana left to go check the fuse box with Donatello, but Henry still couldn't get rid of the feeling that he had and it only got worse as eventually, Henry found himself tapping his foot impatiently while looking out the window for any signs of the red masked mutant turtle coming back.

"Still nothing?" Eclipse asked.

"Nothing," Henry confirmed as he stared out the window, looking around. "I don't like this. Something's not right."

👑👑👑

"RAAAAPH!" Michelangelo hollered at the top of his lungs and Henry tried to ignore how his ears hurt due to his sensitive hearing. "He's been gone for hours! RAAAAPH!"

Henry was only panicking even more now on the inside as none of them had any idea where the red masked mutant turtle had gone off too. Two hours had passed since Raphael had left and still hadn't returned, making everyone worry as it shouldn't be taking this long for him to come back with the firewood.

"Raph! Can you hear us!?" Casey shouted, his hood was up as well as all of his vigilante gear.

"Don't you think he'd answer if he did?" Kaz deadpanned, but he was worry as well.

"Can you hear anything?" Leonardo asked Henry, who only shook his head.

Henry has had his ears all pricked the moment that they stepped outside, trying to pick up anything that could tell them where Raphael had gone, but there was nothing but silence-- nothing that was helpful in giving him a clue on where Raphael was, which only made him and everyone else panic even more.

"Alright, we split up," Leonardo ordered as everyone gathered around. "April and Mara, you take that way--" he pointed down the road to the left. "Casey, Zane, Kaz, and Bri, take that way--" he pointed toward the road that went straight. "And Donnie, Mikey, Clips, and Hen, take that way." He pointed to the road on the right.

"Split up!? Are you loco, homie!?" Michelangelo cried.

"April and Mara go off alone!? Together!?" Donatello panicked.

"Donnie, Mikey, Clips, and Hen, you take that way." Leonardo told him again, only a bit more firmly.

"What about us?" Kyle asked, motioning to himself, Piper, and Chloe.

Everyone turned to the three preteens and in unison, they all spoke up as they all seemed in agreement with this one. "Go back to the house and stay there."

Piper, Kyle, and Chloe instantly groaned at those words. "Oh, come on! Why can't we help too?" Chloe complained.

But nobody budged from their decision, none of them seemed eager about letting three twelve-year-olds head into the woods late at night. With annoyed groans, Piper, Kyle, and Chloe turned and headed back towards the house.

"What about you?" Briana asked her brother.

Leonardo only turned halfway to face her. "I'll wait at the farmhouse with them in case Raph comes back... I won't be much help out there anyway." He turned and hobbled back to the house while feeling eyes on him, but he didn't dare look back.

He knew that they were only worried, but he was already upset that he couldn't help look since his leg-- and himself would only hold them back.

And so, while he went inside the house, everyone else had already vanished down their paths. But then, seconds turned into minutes and minutes turned into hours as this time, nobody had gotten back to the farmhouse. Leonardo cried out in pain as he fell onto his knees again, breathing heavily as he struggled to walk.

"Get on your feet, Leo," he mumbled to himself, struggling to stand but he pushed himself up despite his legs shaking from it. "Stop whining and get up."

He gripped his left arm that was aching with pain as he groaned and hissed through gritted teeth. But then, he heard footsteps and he looked out towards the woods to see April limping into the open as she panted heavily.

"April?" Leonardo called, confused and worried all at once. If she was here, where was the rest of his family? Were they okay? Were they hurt? In trouble? Or... worse?

Then, he could've swore that he saw living vines slithering out from the bushes and grabbed onto April's right ankle, tripping her as she fell. Her eyes were wide with panic as she looked up, a hand outstretched towards him. "LEO!" She yelled.

In an instant, Leonardo was moving as fast as he could limp. April was trying as hard as she could to get away but then, a hard tug pulled her helplessly back towards the woods and into the darkness as she screamed.

"APRIL!" Leonardo yelled, tripping as he fell to his knees, panting. He stared at the woods where April had vanished into before he clenched his fists angrily.

His family was taken by some creature that dragged them into the darkness of the woods. 

As he clenched his fists while remaining on his knees, he felt like a failure-- like he was a child that wasn't able to do anything right, but at the same time, his family needed him. 

They needed him to stand up and fight again because at this very moment, he was their only chance left. 

After all, he was the leader-- he was Hamato Leonardo, and the creature that had dragged his family into the darkness would fear him.

He was going to get his family back.

👑👑👑 

"HELP!" THE BLUE masked mutant turtle hid behind a large, thick, tree trunk as he yelled. "HELP!" He yelled louder this time, waiting and making sure to stay hidden. He peeked around the tree and watched as the door of the shack opened, his eyes widening at the sight of the Creep, with his massive body made out of vines and dead flowers that stuck out of the blue overalls he wore, and the creature was also wearing Casey's hockey mask.

The Creep didn't wander off into the woods and glanced around, looking for him. Leonardo held his breath as he took out a ninja star from his belt and releasing his breath, he threw the ninja star at him as he stepped out. The ninja star flew through the air and hit itself directly in the back of the Creep's head, who immediately spun around with his pitchfork in hand.

"Give me back my family, freak." Leonardo threatened, glaring at the mutant in front of him with a look of anger. 

Then, the Creep slowly started to make its way towards him. Leonardo quickly took out his katana blades and got into a position-- he hesitated at the position he was in and quickly changed his position into a different one. He pushed his fear of what happened the last fight he was in and directed all of his focus and attention into doing what he wanted to do the most.

To saving his family.

The Creep made the first move as he swung his pitchfork at him. Leonardo rolled out of the way as it stabbed into the ground instead. He stumbled backwards unsteadily, feeling a wave of pain go through his leg but he ignored it as he charged at the mutant, moving to slice the Creep in the arm. But his swing was weak and it gave the Creep time to block the attack with ease with his pitchfork before swinging it at the turtle's chest, knocking him back. Leonardo groaned in pain as he fell to one knee.

The Creep loomed over him with his pitchfork raised above his head, and he had only seconds to leap back to his feet again and duck out of the way of his attack. But he wasn't ready for when the Creep knocked one of his swords from his hand, sending it flying through the air and out of reach. Using his distraction as his chance, the Creep threw his pitchfork like a spar and Leonardo let out a startled yell, before falling onto the ground while the pitchfork hit the tree behind him instead.

He leapt up from the ground and used his other katana blade to slice across his face, knocking Casey's mask clean off as he staggered backward and covered his face with his oversized hands in pain. Leonardo stood there for a minute to catch his breath before he got his katana blade ready and charged at the mutant, ready for the final blow.

But the Creep grabbed his arm, holding it in a crushing grip as the vines twined around her hand. Then, he reached out to grab his face, muffling his cry as his eyes widened and he yelped. His screams were muffled as the Creep lifted him off the ground with ease despite his struggles and then, the Creep began slamming his body to the ground over and over without mercy. Then, he threw him away, sending him spiraling through the air before he landed face first in the dirt with a hard thud. He lay there, panting and breathing heavily, feeling like he was back in the city and facing off against Shredder, Jake, and their forces all over again.

The Creep was standing a few feet behind him and was bending down to pick up the sword he had dropped. Then, the creature turned his gaze to her as he looked over. Leonardo felt his blood turn cold, realizing what the creature wanted to do before looking ahead of him, spotting his other katana blade. Desperately, he tried to crawl over to it but was making slow progress with it while the Creep was only walking closer and closer with his katana blade in his hand. Leonardo tried to get onto his hands and knees but immediately fell back onto the ground with a cry of pain, clutching his knee as he gritted his teeth because of the pain. 

But he refused to give up.

The Creep was getting closer and just when the creature reached him, it raised his sword above his head. But Leonardo had snatched his other sword that laid on the ground in front of him, spun around, and stabbed the Creep in the face. The creature screeched in pain, stumbling back as it covered its face in pain, wailing helplessly on the ground.

Taking the chance he got, Leonardo limped over to the shack where he knew his family was, not bothering to look back at the Creep wailing in pain. Upon reaching the shack, he leaned against the doorway and saw a wooden table against the wall on his right with lit wax candles encircling a glass vial in the center-- his Elixir. 

"Leo!"

Leonardo saw that everyone was up against the wall on his left while Donatello and Michelangelo were hanging off the floor on his right-- Michelangelo was upside down. Then, his eyes landed on the mass of grass and moss at the back of the shack where a red mask lay atop a lone flower. "What the heck is that?" He questioned.

"It's Raph," Donatello explained. "Long story. Quick! Get us outta here!"

Immediately, Leonardo sliced through the vines that held his family, being careful not to hit any of them. Once everyone was free, he slumped down to his knees, breathing heavily. But then, the sound of a loud, rumbling growl gained everyone's attention as they all turned to the doorway to find the Creep standing upright, glaring at them with a look of anger while walking towards them.

Everyone screamed in terror as they all began grabbing anything they could from the wall to use to barricade the door. Just as Michelangelo hammered a nail into a plank of wood to seal the door shut, everyone had backed up with their weapons at ready, waiting in silence for the creature. There was a crash of wood from their right as April and Michelangelo screamed when a giant, plant-like hand burst through the wall, followed by the rest of the Creep's upper half. They all screamed again as at this point, they knew that they were doomed. 

Casey was the first to attack, hammering the Creep across its face with his hockey stick. But the Creep grabbed the stick and snapped it in half with ease. "Ah, dude!" He cursed in annoyance, stepping back.

"BOOYAKASHAAAA!" Michelangelo hollered, running around Casey and whacking his nunchucks across the creature's face, following up with a skilled flip and kick to the head.

With the Creep distracted by all of the attacks being thrown at him, Leonardo was still on his knees while everyone else panted heavily, as they had all hoped that the creature was finally done. For the first few seconds, the Creep didn't move, his form hanging from the hole he'd created in the wall. But then, his eyes began to glow again.

The Creep ripped his way through the wall, tearing away the shoves that had been stabbed into his shoulders before stomping towards them. He had brutally pushed the seven humans  against the wall and made a grab for Donatello, Eclipse, and Michelangelo where he then threw them straight through the roof of the shack and sent them flying outside.

Leonardo gave a tired, frustrated sigh before the Creep lifted his right hand without a warning and swatted him into the wall behind him. His back hit the table, jolting the shrine and nearly tipping the mutagen medicine over.

The Creep suddenly looked panicked as the bottle wobbled on the table. Leonardo noticed his reaction right away and grabbed the bottle, holding it out to the creature while moving it side-to-side in a taunting gesture. The Creep moved along with it, desperate to grab it.

Then, Leonardo turned to April and tossed the bottle to her, who caught it with ease. Then, April bolted out the door of the shack with Creep close on her heels as they ran out into the woods.

Using every bit of strength he could muster, Leonardo hobbled from the shack as fast as he could just in time to see April tossed the bottle to Donatello before running back inside to get Casey, Mara, Zane, Henry, Kaz, and Briana. Donatello, Eclipse, and Michelangelo then played 'keep away' with Creep, who was helplessly trying to take back the bottle.

Eclipse threw the bottle to Michelangelo, but before he could make a run for it, thick vines from the trees overhead wound themselves around his wrists, holding him in place as he struggled and cried out in fear. Then, the Creep grabbed him by the head and snatched the bottle back while his body began to glow.

Eclipse laced her fingers together just as Leonardo jumped, she threw him up into the air. The Creep turned around at his yell, sailing straight into him, the pitchfork in Leonardo's hands smashing right through the bottle. The mutagen spilled all over him as Leonardo pinned him to the tree with his own pitchfork and the vines released Michelangelo, who fell onto his shell. 

Leonardo backed away and fell onto his knees as April, Casey, Henry, Kaz, Briana, Mara, and Zane reappeared from the shack with chains, quickly wrapping it around the Creep, securing the creature tightly to the tree.

"That's what you get for messing with my mask, freak." Casey growled as Henry finished tying the Creep to the tree.

"That should hold him. Now, come on! We've gotta get him back to the lab!" Donatello said.

"You really think you can save Raph?"

"Honestly... I don't know, Leo. I just don't know..."

👑👑👑 

ONCE AGAIN, IT felt like hours had passed and this time, everyone was waiting for Raphael to wake up once Donatello was able to save him. "YES!" Donatello called out, as the others to join to find Raphael finally waking up.

Michelangelo peeked, gazing at his brother's mask-less face. "Oh, no! Raph! Look at him! It's terrible!"

"What are you talking about? He's perfectly normal." Eclipse questioned.

April had grabbed the red mask from Kaz after he handed it to her and she tied it back to its place on Raphael's face. "How about now, Mikey?" She asked.

Michelangelo bent over and pretended to inspect his brother. "Whew! Yeah, waaaay better!" He grinned.

Raphael then pushed his face away from his, sitting up with a tired groan. "What... the heck... is going on?" He mumbled in a daze.

Casey was quick to explain before anyone else could. "A quick swamp monster sucked out your mutagen and turned you into a plant, dude! It was awesome!" He laughed, beaming down at his best friend.

"But I used this IV tube to drain all of the mutagen out of the Creep and back into your body," Donatello added, fiddling with the IV tube as he began to pack up some of the equipment. "Cool, right? Killed off the infection like a bad case of Shell-acne!"

"Cool, thanks, Don." Raphael said, still sounding tired. "So, what happened to the monster?"

Everyone turned to a jar that was labeled 'The Creep' as it was filled with nothing but the disgusting, green slime. "It got turned back into swamp goo. Pretty cool, right?" Mara said, a small snicker leaving her lips.

"Donnie worked all night to save you," Kaz added. "Leo, Henry, and Clips never left your side."

At those words, Raphael slowly turned to face them but they just gave him a small smile. "That's what family's for," Leonardo said, using his clutch to get back on his feet again as he limped over to him. "We've gotta heal up, Raph." He held out his hand and Raphael took it, letting his brother pull him onto his feet. "We've got a city to take back."

Raphael gave a small grin as they did one of their handshakes. Then, Michelangelo leapt up onto the haystack and struck a dramatic pose. "I give that a big, fat, sloppy, wet... BOOYAKASHAAA!" 

👑👑👑 

AFTER THE WHOLE situation with the Creep was finally over, they had gone back to the house and once Briana was able to fix the blown fuse, the power in the house came back on and everyone was relaxing in their own chill time as they were all up for forgetting about the incident with the Creep. Henry was the only one that was still outside, sitting on the porch swing with his head leaned back while he stared up at the stars in the night sky.

"Hey."

Henry looked over to see Leonardo hobbling over with his crutch. "Hey," he said, letting the mutant turtle take a seat next to him to rest his leg.

It was a peaceful silence between the two for a while as they just stared at the stars while the crickets chirped in the background. Then, Leonardo looked away from the sky and he spoke up. "You know, when I woke up, you guys didn't just look relieved. You look surprised too."

Henry wouldn't look at him, biting the bottom half of his lip as he closed his eyes. He knew exactly where this was going. "You did scare us." He tried to play it off. 

"I know, but... it was more than that, wasn't it?" Leonardo asked, looking over at him. "I was dying, right?"

Henry shook his head-- a bit too quickly, not wanting to think back to how lifeless Leonardo had seemed. "No."

"Hen... tell me the truth."

"Leo..." Henry started before he trailed off with a sigh leaving his lips. 

Leonardo nodded softly, getting his answer. "What happened? How'd you bring me back?"

"You already know that you... you were like that for three months," Henry started to explain. "I was watching over you when I just... I just had to get some fresh air-- clear my head, so I went for a walk." He paused for a second before he continued. "I didn't even realize how far I went till I finally stopped and just sat down. Then, I decided to meditate a little to help clear my head and the next thing I know is that I'm in the spiritual plane with... Jake."

"Jake?" Leonardo asked, a soft frown on his face. "What did he want with you?"

"For me to be his apprentice, to join the Foot Clan, I guess," Henry confessed. "That was the only thing he said though-- that, and that it's gonna happen sometime in the future because apparently he's 'invested' in who I'll become-- whatever the hell that means."

Leonardo stayed silent for a while before he spoke up again. "You shouldn't have done that. Why would--"

"Don't," Henry interrupted, finally turning his head to look at him. "Don't even say that, Leo. I had to, right? You were dying and I had to look out for you. That's my job."

That's my job...

Leonardo was instantly reminded of everything he heard from before he woke up-- Henry's conversation with Piper or his conversation with him when he hadn't woken up yet. Once again, he was reminded of everything that he and Henry had in common-- how their brotherhood bond grew as the two relied and depended on each other and with how the two were so much alike to the other with just how much pressure they put on their own shoulders.

"What do you think my job is?"

"What?"

"You've saved my life over and over, just like you've done with the others too. I mean, I know for a fact that you'd sacrifice everything for us-- for me. Don't you think I'd do the same for you?" Henry doesn't respond and Leonardo continues. "You're my big brother, Henry. There's nothing I wouldn't do for you. And I don't care what it takes but I'm gonna get you of this." The blue masked mutant turtle gave him a jokingly smirk. "Guess I get to save you this time."

Henry couldn't help but chuckle at that last part, giving him a small nod. "Yeah, looks like you do."

"Henry?"

"Yeah?"

Henry didn't have time to react when Leonardo had suddenly hugged him, making him freeze in his spot at the unexpected move. "Don't blame yourself for what happened to me, okay? It wasn't your fault," Leonardo said.

"You know, that's what Donnie told me too."

"Well, he's right," Leonardo said, as he pulled away from the hug, giving him a soft smile. "You were right-- going after Shredder, Jake, and their forces was a bad idea."

"You were angry, and so was I," Henry said. "I knew it was a bad idea but... I've ended up going on my own if we had gone to April's apartment instead. But for now, let's just focus on you recovering and then, we'll go and take back our city."

"And then, we'll save you." Leonardo added. 

Henry wanted to disagree as he knew that there was no way that Jake would let that happen and that doing so would only put Leonardo in more jeopardy, but he knew how stubborn his brother, and the rest of their family, can be. He knew that they weren't gonna rest till they found a way to get Henry out of the deal, which Henry was already thinking of a way himself. 

All he had to do was kill Jake. 

At least, before Jake could come up with the time to cash in his end of the deal. He just hoped that he'd be able to do it in time.

"You think the others already know about it?" Henry asked curiously.

"I think a part of them might already know," Leonardo answered. "But we should probably still tell them, right?"

Henry nodded, a small sigh leaving his lips. "Yeah, I kinda hoped that I'd know what to said."

Leonardo placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, we'll do it together, Hen. I got your back."

Henry gave him a small smile. "I know you do."

👑👑👑 

AFTER THE LONGEST night that they'd ever had, everyone had gone to sleep after the discussion-- well, almost everyone. Henry had been the only one that hadn't been able to sleep and after he had been tossing and turning for a while, he eventually got out of bed and went to the kitchen to grab a glass of water. Just as he finished drinking his water, there was the slight creak in the floor that had Henry's ears pricked at before a soft, familiar voice reaches his ears.

"Can't sleep?"

Henry looks over and saw Eclipse standing in the doorway of the kitchen. "Nope." Henry answered, setting the glass cup inside of the sink for a moment. "What are you doing up?"

"I had a feeling that you wouldn't be able to fall asleep," Eclipse said as she walked over to him. "So, I thought I'd keep you company till you weren't blaming yourself anymore. It's pretty much written all over your face."

Henry wasn't surprised at those words or the fact that she was able to read into him so easily. Ever since they were kids, the two had always shared a connection that was different than the others-- it had always been so easy for Eclipse to read into Henry's expressions to see if something was bothering him or if he was blaming himself for something, just like he had always been able to read into her expressions as well. Not only that but the two of them had always been in sync with each other, only needing to send the other one look to know what they were thinking without saying the words out loud. 

"Henry, what happened to Leo isn't your fault." Eclipse told him. "It never was."

"It's not just what happened to Leo," Henry admitted. "It's... Master Splinter."

"What happened to..." she paused for a second before she kept going. "To Master Splinter isn't your fault. None of us were able to get through the bars but it's like April said, he's a master ninja. He's gotta be alive still."

"I know, but... I just feel like I should've done something to help him." Henry said.

"I know, we all wanted to help him but there wasn't anything that anyone could do," Eclipse said as she reached her hands out and grabbed his hands, holding them gently in her hold. "I know how you see yourself, Henry. You put all of your focus in making sure that we're safe and protected-- you think that you're not strong enough to do that but I'm telling you right now that you are, because you've been doing it our whole lives, and that's not the only way I can prove it because everything you've ever done-- the good or the bad, you've done for love. You raised Piper yourself for love. You protected me, my brothers, and my sister for love. You protected our friends for love. You've fought for the whole world for love. That is who you are, Henry. It's like I told you before: you are the most bravest, courageous, protective, smart, and loyal person I've ever known, and everybody who knows you sees it, and nothing is going to change that because it's why I fell in love with you."

As Henry stared at her while their hands remained intertwined with the other, their eyes met in a lovingly gaze. Henry could feel his heartbeat racing in his chest as in this one moment, it felt like time had slowed down, making it so it was just the two of them. 

The two of them against the world, together.

Her emerald green eyes stared into his brown-hazel eyes, Eclipse smiled softly at him while there was a light shade of pink forming on her cheeks. "I know who you are, Henry, and I love you."

Neither one of the two broke the eye-contact that they had going on as their hands remained together, having felt like their hands fit together so well as if they were made for each other and their faces were just inches apart from the other-- so close to the point that they could feel the other's breathe on the other. 

"I love you too," he told her softly, neither one of them moved from the spots they were standing in while both of their hearts were racing in their chests. "Can I...?"

Eclipse couldn't help but giggle, yet a small smirk came on her lips. "If you don't, I will."

Henry couldn't help but let a small chuckle leave his lips at her words, letting his eyes stare into hers. Slowly, the two leaned in and with just a few centimeters left, Henry closed the gap by letting his lips touch hers as he kissed her and he could feel the golden masked mutant turtle returning the kiss. 

In that one perfect moment, everything was alright because not only were they together, but they had each other-- just like they always will.

"Okay, so, you'd think that everything else went smoothly and was nice and easy during our time at the farmhouse for Leo's recovery. Yeah, not even close. Let's just say that the Creep isn't the only thing we had to deal with while we were there."