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The End Justifies	By : hummerhouse Category: +S through Z > Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Views: 4468 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: The TMNT are not mine. No money being made.

Chapter List
- 1-The End Justifies
- 2-Part 2
- 3-Part 3
- 4-Part 4
- 5-Part 5
- 6-Part 6
- 7-Part 7
- 8-Part 8
- 9-Part 9
- 10-Part 10
- 11-Part 11
- 12-Part 12
- 13-Part 13
- 14-Part 14
- 15-Part 15
- 16-Part 16
- 17-Part 17
- 18-Part 18
- 19-Part 19
- 20-Part 20
- 21-Part 21
- 22-Part 22
- 23-Part 23 Final
- 21
- 22
- 23
The End Justifies

Part 22
            Leo was just about to exit the lair when Raph came striding up to him.
            “I’m going with ya’,” Raph said purposefully.
            Eyeing his brother, Leo said, “Maybe that’s not such a great idea.”
            “Ya’ ain’t going alone,” Raph told him. “You’re the one who is always blasting us about goin’ out by ourselves so I don’t need ta tell ya’ why someone needs ta watch your back. It ain’t gonna be Mikey ‘cause he’s pissed off at ya’ and Don’s still sleeping. So ya’ got me or ya’ don’t go.”
            “You need that medication tonight,” Leo reminded him.
            “Right. So stop arguing and let’s get out of here,” Raph said. “If it’ll make ya’ feel better, ya’ can order me ta stay put and then after ya’ leave I’ll disobey ya’ and follow. That the way ya’ wanna do this?”
            “Not particularly,” Leo answered.
            Without another word he opened the door and moved out into the sewers with Raph on his heels. They ran in silence for some time before Raph decided he’d had enough of that.
            “Where are we going?” Raph asked.
            Leo glanced over at him. “The drugstore on Fairmont. We haven’t hit that one in a while and the last time I checked, they hadn’t upgraded their security.”
            “Makes sense,” Raph acknowledged.
            Another mile passed beneath their feet before Leo spoke again. “Don said some things that made me think I should apologize to you.”
            Raph grunted; his eyes focused straight ahead. “Nah, I’m used ta ya’. Maybe ya’ should save it for Donny. We both been underestimating him and he’s been feeling it. Nobody wants ta be pigeonholed the way we did ta him and a smart guy like Donny don’t want anybody thinking he can’t hold his own with the rest of us.”
            “You’ve become enlightened,” Leo said mildly.
            “Let’s just say I’m more awake ta things than I’ve ever been before,” Raph told him. “Don havin’ ta work so hard just ta get us ta acknowledge him made me kinda open my eyes.”
            There was another interval of silence. The pair had settled into a slow run, both just happy to be out and moving.
            It was Raph who once more opened the conversation. “What are ya’ gonna do about Mikey?”
            Leo’s mouth pressed down into a firm line. “Donny told you?”
            “After that show ya’ put on this morning I got curious,” Raph said. “If it’ll make ya’ feel better, he told me the bare minimum.”
            “Mikey’s going through a phase,” Leo said. “If he wanted something reasonable I’d humor him until it passed, but this is too far outside the bounds of propriety.”
            “So you’re just going ta wait him out? I don’t think treating this like the common cold is gonna work, bro’,” Raph said.
            “What would you suggest I do? Have sex with my brother?” Leo asked sarcastically.
            “No wonder he’s pissed at ya’,” Raph said. “Ya’ can’t even hold an intelligent conversation without taking it ta the extreme. What’d ya’ do, give him some long ass lecture about how you’re the all mighty Leonardo and ya’ gotta be above that sort of thing?”
            “I did him the courtesy of giving him a logical reason for why it wasn’t a good idea for us to be involved in that way,” Leo said hotly.
            “Smooth move,” Raph snapped. “Ya’ wanna know what Mikey actually heard, since ya’ obviously don’t know how his mind works? He heard, ‘I can’t be with ya’ because of my position in the family’.”
            Leo looked over at him, not understanding his point. “So? That’s what I was trying to tell him.”
            “And then he translated it ta Mikey speak,” Raph continued. “In his head it came out ‘I might be open ta that kind of relationship if I wasn’t worried about letting sensei down. Being the leader is more important ta me than ya’ are.’”
            “I did not say anything like that,” Leo protested.
            “Ya’ really are self-involved ain’t ya’, Leo? All of the time Mikey spends with ya’ and I still understand him better than ya’ do,” Raph laughed shortly. “Shall I tell ya’ the different stages he passed through? First he was hurt and upset at bein’ rejected, then mad as hell, and then . . . shell, what’s that word . . . aloof. The way he was acting this morning; sorta like ya’ didn’t exist anymore.”
            “He was talking to me again after lunch,” Leo pointed out.
            “Of course he was,” Raph said with exasperation. “That’s the teaser stage, the one where he makes sure ya’ understand how much ya’ like having him around. He’ll start pointing that fact out ta ya’ too, ‘cause all ya’ did was give him some obstacles ta overcome. Did ya’ ever say ‘Mikey, I ain’t interested in having sex with ya’ ‘cause the idea turns me off’? Or better, ‘I’m into women’?”
            “No,” Leo admitted thoughtfully.
            “Ri~ght,” Raph said. “All ya’ managed ta do is hurt his feelings for a little while and then make him start thinking of ways ta prove you’re wrong about the whole leader thing.”
            “I thought I was letting him down easy,” Leo said.
            “Ha!” Raph’s bark of laughter startled Leo. “Ya’ didn’t let him down at all with that open ended piece of shit explanation. Ya’ usually do a better job of thinking things through. What’s the deal Leo, ya’ wanting ta leave your options open? Maybe ya’ got a secret thing for Mikey after all?”
            “You should know me better,” Leo said with disdain.
            “Maybe it ain’t Mikey,” Raph went on as though Leo hadn’t spoken. “That it, ya’ leaving yourself a way out ‘cause you’re hot for a different brother? Ya’ got a thing for Donny?”
            Leo didn’t even slow down. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
            “Must be me then,” Raph taunted. “That explains a lot of things; why ya’ always dog me, all of them arguments ya’ start, ya’ sitting up waiting for me at night . . . .”
            Leo ground to a halt, grabbing Raph’s arm and pulling him to a stop as well.
            “Shut your mouth,” Leo snapped ferociously. “You are turning a serious situation into a complete farce.”
            “It is a fucking joke,” Raph retorted. “No wonder Mikey still has his hopes up. Ya’ can’t answer a single question with a straight answer. Ya’ didn’t start acting all weird until I took Don away from your control. So ya’ tell me right now Leo, do ya’ have the hots for Donatello?”
            Leo’s eyes narrowed. “Is this why you volunteered to watch my back tonight, so you’d get the chance to ask me that?”
            “Actually, I needed ta get out ‘cause I was feeling claustrophobic,” Raph said. “This just turned out ta be a good opportunity ta ask the question. By the way, you’re doing a damn fine job of dodging it, but I don’t give up so easy.”
            “Tell me this Raph, since you’re so determined to play twenty questions,” Leo said. “Have you been spending so much time with Don because you’re trying to keep him away from me?”
            Now that Raph had started this line of questioning he had to follow through, even if some of those questions hit close to home.
            “No,” Raph answered flatly. “That first night when he wanted ta go with me and Casey had nothing ta do with me; that was all Don. Granted, the way ya’ took it got me fired up and I wouldn’t have let him back out ‘cause I wanted ta rub your face in it. That’s being honest; let’s see ya’ do the same for my question.”
            Raph waited, watching as Leo debated on answering him. The delay might be because Leo felt like as leader he shouldn’t have to account for his actions, or just because he resented anyone questioning his motivations.
            The third possibility was that Leo really did have a thing for Don, maybe as strong as the one Raph had come to acknowledge. Raph wasn’t sure how he’d react to an admission of that sort, but he was pretty sure it wouldn’t be pretty. He could already feel the heat in his blood from just the anticipation of Leo’s answer.
            Raph was also pretty sure that if he let loose he’d give away his secret and he really didn’t want to do that.
            Leo’s head lifted as he fixed Raph with a haughty stare. “I have no sexual feelings or desires towards any of you. Does that satisfy your curiosity? Was that answer straight forward enough?”
            “Yeah,” Raph said, thinking to himself, “I didn’t have those feelings a week ago either. Shit happens.”
            “Can we get this task done now?” Leo asked. “Breaking and entering may be necessary but it’s not my favorite thing to do.”
            Raph waved a hand towards the tunnel. “Lead on,” he said, his voice lightly mocking.
            Another couple of miles took them to the ladder that led to an alley between the drugstore and a dry cleaner’s. To ensure a quick escape, Raph left the manhole cover slightly ajar after he climbed up through the opening.
            Leo stood back and ran a practiced eye over the building.
            “Well?” Raph whispered.
            “Looks the same,” Leo answered, pointing towards the second floor. “I’m going in through the third window from the left. Ten minutes to get in, disable the drugstore’s alarm and then get back behind the pharmacy counter. After that maybe another ten, give or take, to find what I’m looking for. Don added a couple of other things to his wish list.”
            “Ya’ got any idea how much this stuff costs?” Raph asked.
            “Don looked it up,” Leo said. “I’ve got enough. I’ll put the money under the cash register like last time.”
            “We’re probably the only burglars in New York who actually pay for what we take,” Raph said.
            Leo started up the side of the building. “Our honor shouldn’t suffer because we are forced to do things in an unconventional way.”
            “Tight ass,” Raph muttered under his breath.
            “What was that?” Leo asked, reaching the window.
            “I said don’t forget ta call me if ya’ run into trouble,” Raph told him. “I might take a little stroll.”
            “Watching my back means you stay put,” Leo said.
            As Leo slipped through the window, Raph called, “Make sure ya’ don’t grab poison by mistake.”
            Leo’s glare made Raph chuckle, so he added, “I bet ya’ wish ya’ knew more about drugs so ya’ could find something in there that’d make me obey your commands without question.”
            Raph wasn’t sure Leo even heard that last sentence since he was already gone from view.
            After Leo disappeared, Raph walked to the end of the alley and pressed himself into the shadows as he surveyed the street. His conversation with Leo was enlightening but it didn’t get him any closer to solving his problem on what to do about Don.
            There was one other person out tonight, a man who was leaning against a wall on the street corner. After a couple of minutes, the man was joined by a couple of guys wearing baggy jeans and hoodies. A short conversation ensued, after which the man handed over a small packet in exchange for some cash.
            The man grinned into the dim streetlight as his customers left and Raph recognized him. It was a small time drug dealer named Benny, no last name.
            On any other night Raph would have hassled him enough to make Benny pick up stakes for the evening. As far as drug dealers went, Benny was one of the more honest types. He didn’t deal to kids, he charged a fair rate, and his stuff was good quality.
            The Turtles didn’t bother him overly much because if he was gone, the really bad ones would take his place. It was the rule of the street; supply and demand. Until the demand was gone, the most Raph’s family could do was exert some control over the supply.
            It wasn’t the best possible world, but compromise was something that Raph had learned to live with.
            As he watched, Raph saw another man sidle up to Benny. This one was covered head to toe in what looked like rags and old blankets. One of the many homeless who wandered the streets, this man had succumbed to the lure of drugs over alcohol so that he could blot out the reality of his existence.
            Benny barely glanced at him. The customer knew what he wanted and his money was out so that there would be no delay in getting his fix.
            Raph didn’t understand the allure but then he’d been taught to fight ever since he was small. Resorting to drugs as a way to fast track life was just an unnatural concept to him.
            Sure, he had enjoyed the occasional buzz that came with drinking a few beers with Casey, but Raph could live without it. Laughing to himself, he realized he didn’t have a choice.
            One of the reasons he never drank overly much was that he didn’t like to lose sight of what was going on around him. In his world, that was a good way to die.
            And as much as Raph hated the idea of having to take any type of medication, especially on a regular basis, the concept of having episodes of lost time didn’t appeal to him. In fact, that would be the worst possible thing that could happen to him because he’d never be allowed to go out into the world again.
            He sure as shell wouldn’t trust himself to protect his brothers in a fight.
            Shifting, Raph moved his eyes to other sections of the street and also checked the rooftops. The night was quiet and the area deserted other than Benny and his occasional customer.
            If it weren’t for Donny, Raph might never have known he was afflicted with such a strange illness. Don was damn special and Raph couldn’t think why he hadn’t seen that before now.
            Hearing a noise, Raph looked up and saw that it was only a pair of pigeons settling in for the night. At least, one of them was trying to; the other seemed to have something else in mind as it continuously stroked its beak across the first one’s feathers.
            “Kinda like me and Don,” Raph thought morosely.
            Only he hadn’t made any kind of move toward Don because his brother’s words to Mikey had stopped Raph cold. That, after all, was the main reason he’d tagged along with Leo tonight, Raph needed to think of a way through Don’s barriers.
            All Raph wanted was one chance. He wouldn’t use words; words were Don’s ammunition of choice. Raph preferred to put his passions into motion and he was sure that if he could just hold Don in his arms and kiss him that Don would forget all of his antiquated arguments about how brother’s shouldn’t be lovers.
            Only Raph knew that Don was no pushover. He’d known that before Don had made the effort to prove himself to his brothers. Raph hadn’t ever meant to treat Don like he couldn’t take care of himself; it was just that the purple banded Turtle wasn’t as aggressive as his three siblings.
            If Raph had recognized his desire for Donny that night they’d fought the Purple Dragons, Raph wouldn’t have consumed any beer at Casey’s, he would have worked towards getting Don drunk and loosened up a bit.
            That made Raph smile. How cliché of him to think about getting Don drunk and then taking advantage of him.
            Just like his teasing Leo about using drugs to make Raph obedient. Mister high-and-mighty morals wouldn’t do that even if old Fearless knew what to get.
            Leo wasn’t like Raph; he didn’t know people like Benny by name. He didn’t spend as much time in the streets listening to the pushers, pimps, and addicts. Raph knew things about certain drugs that even Don probably didn’t know.
            Raph’s eyes stopped moving and became fixed as an idea started to form. Certain drugs that took away inhibitions; drugs powerful enough to overcome someone’s personal willpower.
            Drugs that would allow Raph to settle Don onto his carapace and willingly accept Raph’s overtures. Even accept it when Raph played out his deepest desires.
            Looking up again, Raph spotted the laundry hanging from a line across the street. Leo had been gone for less than fifteen minutes and if Raph moved quickly enough, his brother would never know he’d left his post.
            Borrowing the shadows, Raph darted across the street and shimmied silently up a fire escape. He grabbed a couple of sheets from the clothesline and then wrapped himself in them once he was on the street again. Digging into his belt, he came up with the cash he usually carried for emergencies. Knowing that Benny wouldn’t look at anything other than the money, Raph bent over and adjusted his stance so that he’d appear to be just another homeless junkie.
            Fifteen minutes later Leo deftly swung out of the window he’d entered the drugstore through. He took the time to close everything behind him so no one would find his entry point and then glanced around before descending. Not spotting Raph didn’t worry him; Raph’s job was to stay invisible.
            When his feet touched down in the alley, Leo expected to see his brother, but there was still no sign of him. Frowning, Leo started towards the street.
            “Hey, ya’ done shopping now?” Raph asked, stepping out from behind a trash container.
            “Yes,” Leo said, hiding his momentary concern. “Let’s go home.”
            Since Raph didn’t seem inclined to talk, Leo kept his thoughts to himself. Raph had already expressed his point of view towards the way Leo had handled the recent difficulties with both Don and Mikey. Raph’s words and his tone might have carried a touch of derision, but they still gave Leo plenty to think about.
            When they got back to the lair, Raph said, “I’m going a couple of rounds with my punching bag.”
            “It’s after midnight,” Leo pointed out.
            “Wonder of wonders; ya’ can tell time,” Raph said. “I ain’t an invalid just ‘cause I’ve got a sleeping disorder. This is early for me and I ain’t going ta bed until I’m tired.”
            “Don will probably want to give you this medication right away,” Leo told him, digging into his belt and holding up a bottle full of pills.
            “He can come get me when he’s ready,” Raph said. “It ain’t like I’m going all that far.”
            Striding towards the dojo, he didn’t bother to look back to see if Leo was going to push the issue by pursuing him. Apparently his brother had other things on his mind; when Raph reached his punching bag, Leo was nowhere to be seen.
            That was good because Raph was feeling jittery and edgy. Curling his hand into a fist, he threw a hard right into the bag, momentarily visualizing Leo’s smug face.
            Following that with a left banished Leo’s obnoxious voice from his head and let him focus on what he had done earlier. The idea was only half congealed when Raph acted on it, partly because the opportunity would have slipped through his fingers once Leo finished his task in the drugstore.
            For a moment he teetered on the edge of giving up on his plan and running to the bathroom to flush his purchase. Surely what he wanted to do was pure insanity; it totally broke the trust that Raph and his brothers had sworn an oath to uphold.
            “Do ya’ want ta be alone forever?” Raph whispered as he grunted through another hard hit. “Do ya’ want ta dream about Donny for the rest of your life until you’re so old the only thing keeping ya’ company is regret?”
            Don would forgive him, Raph was sure of it. Don would forgive him because Raph would show him how right it was for them to be together.
            By whatever means necessary.
TBC……………
- 21
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- 23
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The End Justifies