Donnie stared at the pile of huge cement pieces that used to be a building. His eyes were wide and he couldn't seem to wrap his mind around what had happened. Shredder had been expecting them, obviously. Raph and Mikey were on the other side of New York, checking out a second lead, but it seems that Donnie and Leo had been the one to find Shredder's warehouse.

Donnie looked around the rubble, checking for any signs of life. Leo couldn't be gone, he was Leo! Leo always bounced back. Donnie stayed as long as he could, until the approaching sirens forced him to flee to the rooftops. He watched the cops section off the area around the collapsed building.

He sunk to his knees, unable to hold the tears back any longer. If only he had gone first instead of Leo, his brother would still be here. He let the tears drip silently off his face. How was he supposed to tell Sensei and the others? How do you tell your family that your eldest brother was dead because you had been too slow to catch up?

"Donnie?" He felt his breath hitch and he turned around slowly, afraid of what he might find. There stood Leo, covered in dust and small cuts but otherwise unhurt. He looked at Donnie's tear-stained face, then at the destroyed warehouse behind them and his eyes widened. "Donnie, you didn't think…"

He got his answer when Donnie flung himself into his brother's arms, sobbing into his shoulder and hugging him tight. Leo held him just as tight, whispering comforting words to Donnie. The tears eventually stopped and Donnie looked at Leo with wide, scared eyes.

"I t-thought you were d-dead," he stuttered out. "And I c-couldn't save you."

"Donnie, it's okay. I got out in time, I'm fine. I won't leave you, I promise." Donnie held onto his brother tight, waiting for a few minutes until he calmed down. He rubbed his eyes and took a deep breath trying to calm his racing heart.

"Okay, I'm good," he said. Leo gave him a smile, which Donnie returned. The two turtles took one last look at the warehouse before heading back to the lair. And neither of them said anything about the older turtle staying a little closer to his brother than usual, silently reassuring him through his presence alone.