Homeward Bound/Home

A/N: Hey, I've decided to start writing more stories again. This story was inspired by the latest Glee soundtrack and the song of the same name as the title of this story. It's basically going to be a two-part one-shot meaning that the story will be a one-shot in two parts. It'll take place after the episode "The Gauntlet" which I just watched a little bit ago. I hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: TMNT and all related characters are property of Nickelodeon. I own only the plot.

Summary: The Turtles have been defeated by Shredder and must face the fact that they're not ready to face him, but they realize that as long as they have each other, nothing can bring them down.

Part One: Homeward Bound

Their steps were slow as they made their way back to the Lair. Each step was riddled with pain, and Leonardo feared they'd never make it back. He tried to go on for the sake of his brothers, but it was really hard. He realized that they never should have taken on Shredder on their own. What had they been thinking?

"Leo, maybe we should stop a minute," Donatello suggested.

"If we stop now, we may not make it back," Leo replied.

"But, Leo, we need to stop," Michelangelo complained. "I don't think I can go on like this."

"We have to," Leo said determinedly. "We can't give up." As he said this, a spasm of pain tore through him, and he winced, despite his best efforts to hide it.

"Leo, we can't do this," Raphael told him. "Let's just rest a minute and then go on. You aren't in the best shape."

"Speak for yourself," Leo retorted. "You just got your shell kicked, too." Then he sighed. "I'm sorry, Raph. I shouldn't have said that."

"It's okay," Raph said gently. "Let's just sit down a minute."

The four of them settled next to one another and tried to regroup. It felt good to be together like this even though they were coming back from a hard battle. After a few minutes, they stood up and continued their trek to their home. They weren't sure what Splinter would say to them, but they knew this was something they couldn't hide. As they entered the Lair, April hurried over to them, a shocked look on her face.

"Guys, are you okay?" she asked. "What happened?"

"Shredder happened," Raph answered.

Leo headed to his father's quarters to tell him what had happened. He knew Splinter would be disappointed in him for letting them get defeated, but he had to face the music. He took a deep breath and got ready for whatever awaited him.

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Part Two: Home

The ice pack felt good against his bruises though he had too many of them. He sat on the couch trying to watch his favorite show as usual, but even "Space Heroes" wasn't catching his attention today. He still couldn't get over what had happened with Shredder. How could they have lost like that?

"Hey, Chief, what's bugging you?" Raph asked him. "I haven't heard you spout some of those stupid lines."

Leo sighed. "I'm just thinking about how we lost against Shredder," he answered. "I just can't understand how it happened like that. Maybe we aren't as good as we thought we were."

"Leo, we're great ninjas," Raph said. "Shredder just got the jump on us that's all. We can take him next time."

"Somehow, I doubt that," Leo replied. "We just aren't good enough."

"You are skilled ninjas, my sons," Splinter said as he came out of his room. "You will defeat Shredder, but you must be prepared. You were not prepared to face him this first time, but that does not mean that you are not skilled. You have all done well in everything I have taught you."

"But that wasn't good enough, Sensei!" Leo protested. "Shredder was still stronger. He still beat us even with all of the training we had."

Splinter put a paw on his son's shoulder. "Leonardo, that may be so, but he has only won if you let him. By dwelling on the battle as you are, you are letting him defeat you. You must move on and think about what you do have. You may have lost, but at least you are still alive to talk about it. Your family is here to support you, my son. You are home, and you should focus on healing before you focus on seeking revenge."

"You're right, Sensei," Leo replied. "I'm sorry."

"It is all right," Splinter reassured him. "I can understand why you feel the way you do. It is not easy to lose. I have felt this way myself."

"Yeah, at least we have each other," Mikey added as he carried in some leftover pizza. "And we'll beat Shredder together. That's the main thing, right?"

"Besides, we also have April to think about and getting her dad back," Donnie added. "We can't just forget about that."

"Guys, it's okay," April reassured them. "I know you'll do that and beat Shredder. As long as you have each other, you can do anything. And I'll be there in any way I can to help out, even if I can't do much. You guys aren't alone in this."

"April is right," Splinter said. "We are all battling these foes together, and we must band together in order to defeat them."

"Yeah, and if anyone wants to stand in our way, we'll show them who's boss," Raph growled. "Right, Leo?"

Leo smiled. "You're right, Raph," he said. "By the rings of Nebulon, we can't lose."

"Oh, great, here we go again," Raph groaned, but he smiled a little as he said it. It was good to have Leo back to himself again.

"Then there is nothing left for you to do but to heal," Splinter said. "And speaking of that, it is time for your medicine."

"Awww, Sensei, do we have to?" Mikey whined. "That stuff's nasty."

"If you want to get better, then yes," he replied.

"Just wash it down with some pizza," April said. "When I had to take pills, sometimes my dad would hide them in food, so I wouldn't taste what I was eating, but I usually did anyway."

"But this stuff is liquid," Don said. "I don't think you can hide it in pizza."

"And it doesn't have a good taste either," Raph added.

"Guys, come on," Leo said. "It's not that bad. Just drink it fast, and it won't be so horrible." He took a cup of medicine from Splinter and drank it down. Then he cringed at the awful taste. "Ugh, I stand corrected," he said. "It tastes worse when you drink it fast."

Raph sighed. "Baby," he muttered. He took his own cup and drank it down. "Man, you weren't kidding," he said. "That does taste bad."

Don and Mikey took their own cups and sighed as they drank them. Mikey kept making retching noises until Splinter silenced him with a look.

"There, that wasn't so bad, was it?" he asked them.

All four boys groaned.

April giggled. "Wow, and I thought that four ninjas who took on the Kraang couldn't possibly be taken down by a simple thing as medicine," she teased. "I guess I was wrong."

"Are you mocking us, April?" Leo asked her.

"Hey, someone's gotta motivate you, right?" she asked him.

"Motivate this," Raph said as he threw a pillow at her, hitting her in the face.

"Pillow fight!" Mikey shouted, and soon the room was full of four laughing brothers, one teenage girl, and a lot of pillows being hurled about.

Splinter chuckled as he watched his sons at play. "Yes, it is true what they say," he said. "Home is where the heart is." He knew that his sons still needed time to heal, but as long as they had the support of each other and their friend, they would overcome anything that was thrown at them.

The End

A/N: Well, that isn't what I originally pictured as I plotted this out, but I'm pretty satisfied with what I have here. I hope you guys enjoyed this. Please feel free to leave a review, and have a shelltastic day.