A/N: This idea was just kinda bouncing around in my brain, so I decided to release it. Dunno if I'll do a part two or not.

...of course...I might. There's a kinda big plot twist that I hinted at a little bit in here. ;)

Rescue

"Leo, where are you?!"

"...h-here..."

The single word was so faint it was barely audible. But it was enough. Mikey followed its echo until it lead him to a tiny, dark cell. And there, hanging in chains and covered in blood, was Leonardo.

The ninja raised his head slowly, offering the tiniest smile - yet that smile spoke volumes. "H-Hey," he whispered, coughing a little at even that amount of effort.

Mikey's heart squeezed in pain at the sight of his once-proud leader and brother. He grabbed his lockpick set and rushed to the cell door, nimble fingers quickly opening the old lock. He was at Leo's side in seconds. One hand gently supported his injured sibling as the other broke the cuffs on too-thin wrists.

It had been three months since they'd seen or heard from Leo. Three months since he vanished on a solo patrol. Donnie and Raph had given up hope - but not Mikey. Never Mikey.

No. Mikey believed in Leo the same way Leo believed in him. Each knew the other's strengths and weaknesses, faults and failures. Each knew what kept them going and what tore them down.

And each knew that the other would never give up.

So Mikey held out for those three long months, silently begging the universe to keep his brother alive until he could get there and help him. And when the orange-banded turtle heard a few Foot soldiers discussing the "mutant freak" that was being held in Shredder's dungeon, he knew that someone had heard his prayer.

Leo groaned in pain as the cuffs finally came free. He slid down the wall into Mikey's waiting arms, so weak he was barely able to move.

"Jeez...what did they do to you, bro?"

The only answer Leo gave was a whimper. He closed his eyes tightly, resting his head on his brother's shoulder. "...h-home..."

"Don't worry, Leo. I got you. I got you."

Ten minutes later, the two turtles were sitting in the shadows on an empty fire escape not far from the Lair - well, Mikey was sitting. Leo leaned against him, mostly asleep. Mikey bit his lip, glancing around them and then down to Leo's face.

His scarred, bloody face. The eyes that he hadn't opened since they were inside that horrible prison. The massive bruise on his jaw and neck.

The eldest stirred a bit, shifting his weight around to get more comfortable. A sad smile appeared on Mikey's lips. "It's okay, bro. I'm not going anywhere."

Mikey's phone buzzed in his pocket and he pulled it out, reading the new text from Donnie. Where are you? Raph is worried.

He sighed. Since Leo had gone missing, Raph had taken over as the worry-wart of the family. The brawler tried his best to keep them all safe - and he had done an okay job, truth be told - but Mikey would never forgive him. Any of them. They'd all given up on the one person that mattered the most.

But still...he wasn't trying to make it harder than it had to be. So he picked Leo up again, fully determined to carry him the rest of the way to the Lair. He winced at the ease with which he was able to lift his big brother. The master ninja used to be so toned and muscular that it was nearly impossible to even pick him up at all. But now it was no problem.

The trip home was over relatively quickly, though getting a nearly comatose Leonardo down the ladder into the sewers was an interesting process. But Mikey managed.

He staggered into the Lair two minutes later, calling out for the others. "Don, Raph! Get in here! It's an emergency!"

"What's the emergen-" Donnie's question was cut short as he realized exactly who his sibling was holding. Mahogany eyes filled up with tears and he rushed over. "Leo? Oh my Kraang...I thought- we thought-"

"I know," Mikey replied softly, once again looking down at the injured leader.

Raph came out into the main room, fired up and ready for a good bout of yelling...which immediately died on his lips.

"No freaking way," the hothead whispered. "He was...he was gone..."

"Not gone. Shredder had him. And he's still alive."

The weak moan that escaped Leo's mouth spurred Donnie into action. He gently took Leo from the youngest, carrying him into the lab. "This is gonna take a while, just going by the outward appearance. From the looks of it, Leo is severely dehydrated and malnourished. I wouldn't be surprised if he's got internal injuries."

"So what now?" Mikey asked, swaying on his feet suddenly. Raph reached out and caught him.

"Easy, Mike. Don is gonna take a good long look at him while you get some rest."

"But I don't need-"

"You can barely stand on your own two feet. You've probably been going nonstop for the past couple days. You need sleep."

"...alright. But can I sleep in here with Leo? I just...I don't want to lose him again."

"Sure," Raph said softly. Who was he to deny the poor kid? Leo's absence had been the hardest on him out of all of them - though that was probably due to the fact that Mikey still believed he was out there somewhere.

A pang of guilt and regret flashed through the de-facto leader but he buried it swiftly. No time for that now. Later, he could dwell on the fact that he'd abandoned his own flesh and blood. But not now.

There were four cots set up in the lab, but nobody said a word when Mikey laid down on the same one as Leo. The youngest curled up against Leo's side, closing those brilliant blue eyes and exhaling quietly. He was asleep in seconds.

Donnie and Raph shared a long look, neither one of them speaking for a few minutes. "...what do you think?" the red-banded turtle asked eventually.

"I honestly can't believe it," Don admitted. A semblance of pain appeared on his face for a brief moment and then it was gone. "I thought...I thought he was dead, Raph. I told myself to let him go because he was never coming back. I gave up on him and...and now he's here again. Now I have to face the consequences of my decisions. And that's terrifying for me. He was in that prison for three months because I decided he wasn't around anymore. If I had just searched a little longer, then maybe we wouldn't be here."

"It's not just your fault. We all took part in letting him go, so we all share that blame. Well, except for Mike. He always believed that Leo'd come back to us."

"We need to learn to trust his instincts more, I guess. Trust him more."

"Yeah..." Raph murmured in agreement, watching his siblings sleep. "At least we get a second chance. Maybe this time it'll be different."

A/N: Uncertain about that ending...what do you guys think of the one-shot as a whole? Is it good enough to become a two-shot? Would you be interested in reading more?

Please review.