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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
- 4
- 5
- 6
The End Justifies

part 5
            Although Don wanted to avoid his family for the rest of the day, that wouldn’t have been prudent.
            Don could not afford to add an air of mystery to his behavior, so when lunch time rolled around he showed up fashionably late. To his brothers, his tardiness was perfectly normal.
            Lunch was set out buffet style in the center of the kitchen table. As the family gathered around to make their choices, Don carefully avoided being anywhere near his Father.
            Don’s personal interlude with his hand had eased his agitation and he had taken care to clean himself so that there would be no new scent to assail his Father’s keen nose. None of that made him any more comfortable with the idea of being close to Master Splinter, but it did relax Don enough so that he believed he could behave normally around his family.
            Unfortunately, he didn’t completely understand how strong his attraction to his brother truly was. Just sitting near the red banded turtle and watching Raph devour a sandwich was enough to set off a string of daydreams that were entirely X-rated.
            Don could feel a mild headache coming on. Constant vigilance against making mistakes was beginning to take its toll.
            At that moment Raph shifted in his chair as he reached for the mustard and his knee brushed against Don’s thigh.
            That touch was like a static charge shocking his system. Don inhaled sharply as his toes curled into the floor and his body suddenly felt very warm.
            Leo was seated on the other side of Donatello and heard his gasp.
            “Don? Is something wrong?” Leo asked.
            “Snap out of it Donatello,” Don thought to himself angrily, pulling his eyes away from Raph.
            “No,” Don said. “I bit my tongue is all.”
            “Dude, I hate when that happens,” Mikey said. “I do that all the time.”
            “That’s ‘cause you talk with your mouth full,” Raph told him.
            Don smiled at their exchange, pretending to be amused. Inside, his heart was thudding rapidly as he struggled to push down the desire that was coursing through his veins.
            Master Splinter’s head lifted just as he was about to take a bite of his sandwich. Wearing a puzzled expression, their Father looked around the table and then his eyes swept the kitchen as his nostrils widened.
            Short of jumping up from the table and fleeing the kitchen, there wasn’t anything Don could do to prevent his Father from smelling the change in his pheromones. Unless he disguised the scent.
            Don reached over and grabbed the jar of pickles from the center of the table. Arms still outstretched, he tilted the jar and made a show of trying to get it open.
            With a loud pop the cap flew off of the jar; pickles and most of the brine shooting out behind it. The liquid splattered the table and Master Splinter at the same time.
            “Sensei!” Don cried out. “I’m so sorry!”
            Master Splinter stood up, pickle juice darkening the front of his robe. Mikey handed his Father a towel so that he could blot the liquid off of his face and hands.
            Don was hurriedly capturing the escaped pickles while Raph pulled the rest of the food off the table. As Mikey wiped up the liquid from the table, Leo cleaned the floor .
            Master Splinter removed his robe and wrinkled his nose as the pickle brine assaulted his delicate sense of smell. Don was still muttering apologies as he helped his brothers set everything to rights.
            “It was an accident, Donatello,” Master Splinter told him reassuringly. “This is nothing that soap and water cannot repair. Please, sit down and finish your meal while I rinse off and change into a clean robe.”
            “Leave your robe in the bathroom and I’ll take care of it Father,” Don said meekly. “I really am sorry; I’m all thumbs this afternoon.”
            “Trust me my son, you boys have gotten worse things on me as you were growing up,” Master Splinter replied with a chuckle as he left the kitchen.
            Don felt his entire body relax as he watched Master Splinter’s retreating back. When he turned towards the table, he saw his brothers looking at him.
            “Are you sure you’re all right Donny?” Leo asked.
            Taking a deep breath, Don decided it was time for a little righteous indignation.
            “I would be if everyone would stop asking me that,” he answered, his tone sharp. “I sincerely do not appreciate being treated like the frail flower of this family; in fact, it’s really getting on my nerves. I spilled some pickles. Yesterday Mikey smashed one of the small television consoles and the day before that Leo, you accidently sliced one of the cutting boards in half. I don’t remember darting over to ask if you were all right, because accidents do happen. Apparently I’m the only one not allowed to have them.”
            When he finished speaking he turned and left the kitchen without a backward glance. Don was very happy to have an excuse to be alone.
            It didn’t last long. He’d been in his lab for about five minutes when Leo tapped on his door and then entered without waiting for an invitation.
            “Five minutes is not enough time for me to cool off, Leo,” Don warned him before turning his attention back to his computer.
            “Would it help if I told you I was here to apologize?” Leo asked.
            Don lowered his hands from the keyboard and turned in his chair. “If you’re doing it simply to mollify me, no.”
            “I’m not. The apology is sincere and it’s from all of us,” Leo told him. “You made us realize that we do tend to hold you to a different standard.” He smiled slightly. “I think it’s because it’s difficult for us to relate to your genius.”
            “You don’t have to relate to me intellectually, Leo,” Don said, exasperated. “None of you do. I don’t try to relate to the berserker part of Raph’s personality, or to your desire for leadership. I accept those parts of you and relate to the things we have in common.”
            “But you’re going out tonight with Raph and Casey to fight Purple Dragons, Don. That isn’t something you would normally choose to do,” Leo said.
            “I’m going out tonight to show you guys that I am as skilled a fighter as the rest of you,” Don said. “That’s one of the things we have in common and all of you have forgotten about me.”
            “I told you before you don’t have to prove that to me,” Leo said.
            “Maybe not, but I do need to prove it to Raph and Mikey. Raph said he doesn’t think I’m a pussy, but he does. I can tell by the way he treats me when we practice. I count on you guys to watch my back when we’re doing a job that requires my other skills, but when we are in a dogfight, I need for all of you to trust that I have your backs too. You might pay lip service to saying you trust me Leo, but the others key off of what you do in battle, and if you continue to coddle me then I’ll lose everyone’s respect.”
            Leo looked abashed. “I honestly didn’t know you felt like this, Don. I don’t think you’re a pus . . . wimp.” Leo flushed a little as he amended his phrasing.
            Don almost laughed. His oldest brother did not consider it dignified to curse and also thought that doing so showed a certain lack of self-control.
            Continuing, Leo said, “Maybe we have begun to stereotype your role and for that I apologize. It isn’t necessary for you to run with Raph and Casey to gain their respect; we can find ways to do that during our regular patrols.”
            Don leaned forward and fixed Leo with a hard look. “During our regular patrols when I’m under your watchful eye, right Leo?”
            “Why must you twist everything I say, Donatello?” Leo asked. “I don’t mean to make you feel defensive and I would be the last to undermine your confidence. You do have to admit that going out with Raph in order to pick a fight is rather like jumping off into the deep end before you’ve checked the water for sharks.”
            Don laughed. “I’ll tell you what, if I manage to get hurt you can say I told you so and I’ll take it like a man.”
            Leo was frowning. “And what if you get dead?” he asked in all seriousness.
            “Then you can assuage any feelings of guilt with the knowledge that you were right,” Don said, lightly amused.
            “That isn’t funny,” Leo said, eyes narrowing.
            “Neither is this imbalance in the treatment of your team,” Don snapped. “I require a leader, not another Father.”
            “Fine.” Leo lifted his hands in exasperation. “I can’t talk you out of this and I can’t talk Raph out of it either. I could order the both of you to stay put, but you’d both resent the shell out of me if I did, so I’m not going to say another word on the subject. But understand this Don, if any of the three of you is injured tonight, there will be repercussions. I really hope you understand that whatever Raph may say, he’s going to be dividing his attention in order to keep an eye on you. Will you be able to live with the guilt if he gets himself killed doing that?”
            “Ever the tactician, right Leo?” Don asked. “The first volley doesn’t move me from my stance; you choose another position to fight from. No one is going to die tonight and none of us will be seriously injured either. I have enough nervous excitement in my system right now to power the backup generator and I’d like a few hours to myself.”
            Leo understood the dismissal, both the words and the tone.
            “I’m leaving,” Leo said as he walked to the door. “I’d like for you to do one thing for me Don, please? Just think about this while you’re waiting for it to get dark out. I’m more than willing to go out on a patrol with you tonight, just us two.”
            Don rocked back in his chair as he favored Leo with a disdainful look. “Ri~ght. Just the two of us running the rooftops with you leading us away from any remote chance of engaging in a fight. No thank you.”
            Leo opened the door but didn’t exit. Holding the handle, he faced Don and asked, “Donny, do you feel as though we’re trying to emasculate you?”
            Don inhaled deeply and stood up. “I could turn that question around and ask why the three of you feel the need to do just that. Let it alone Leo. Raph will try to protect me and I’ll do the same for him. While I’m at it, I’ll try to change his opinion about me and if I’m successful then I won’t need to prove anything further.”
            Leo continued to stand in the doorway, his eyes boring into Don’s. Don kept his expression bland; bordering on boredom.
            “You two don’t leave without talking to me first,” Leo instructed and marched off.
            Since he didn’t wait for a reply, Don didn’t bother to give him one. Walking to the door that Leo had left open, he peered into the lair.
            Mikey was sitting on the back of the couch with a game controller clutched tightly in his hands. Raph was standing in front of the couch holding the other controller and yelling at the television.
            Staring at his volatile, emerald skinned sibling, Don felt the hot thread of desire wind its way through his system. Leo was turning into a problem. Was he sensing something, or was his concern exactly what he said it was?
            Stepping back slowly, Don closed his lab door. The more he thought about his conversation with Leo, the more aggravated he became. Don’s offer to accompany Raph had been nothing more than a ploy to get away from the lair with his red banded brother, but when Leo continued to press him about not having to prove himself, Don began to think that maybe he did.
            Infuriating to think his brothers considered him to be no better than a lightweight when it came to a fight. Especially Raph.
            Big, brawny, tough as nails Raphael who struggled and fought against everything. That was what Don wanted; what he was coveting with every fiber of his being. He knew the desire wasn’t rational and he no longer cared. Don’s body needed Raphael’s.
            There were no further interruptions, for which Don was thankful. He knew that Leo had told the rest of the family to stay away from him and this time Don was glad for his oldest brother’s protectiveness.
            Don did wonder if Leo had gone so far as to speak to their Father about the current situation. He rather thought not; their sensei had been turning more of the leadership responsibilities over to the eldest and Leo didn’t want to appear as though he couldn’t handle problems.
            With a grin, Don knew he could turn that in his favor. A few well-chosen words, couched in an appropriately concerned manner, would direct Master Splinter’s attention towards Leo. The ensuing conversation might even culminate in a directive from their Father that Raph spend more of his evenings at home.
            That arrangement suited Donatello just fine. If he had to, he’d find a way to wrap his entire family in the arms of Morpheus just so he could have an open field to Raphael.
            At the appointed time, Don grabbed his duffel and his bo staff and exited his lab. As he headed for the door to the lair, he saw Leo and Raph already waiting there; their body language speaking clearly of a heated discussion.
            “Leo trying to change your mind about letting me tag along?” Don asked as he joined them.
            “Mister doom and gloom here is making predictions that’d put Nostradamus ta shame,” Raph answered with a smirk.
            Leo’s scowl deepened. “Joke all you like,” he said, “but I have a bad feeling about tonight.”
            “Ya’ better not follow us, Leo,” Raph warned sharply.
            Don’s head jerked around to Leo. He had not foreseen that possibility.
            “He won’t,” Don said, thinking quickly. “As he asked earlier, we’ll call him at random intervals. That way he’ll know we’re safe and we’ll know exactly where he is because of the tracking device in his shell cell.”
            Raph’s nod and grin were both smug. “Ya’ know genius, maybe ya’ should come out with me and Casey more often,” he said before his eyes returned to the eldest. “If ya’ don’t answer your phone, the Purple Dragons ain’t gonna be the only ones gettin’ their asses kicked tonight.”
            Without further argument, Raph glanced at Don and jerked his head towards the door. They set out together at a lope, neither bothering to look back at Leo.
            Leo rubbed a shaking hand over his face. He wasn’t sure why he was so nervous; so overly concerned about Raph and Don going out tonight. Something had been plaguing him for a few days, something he couldn’t put his finger on.
            All he knew for sure was that things felt skewed; off center. His meditation didn’t provide answers and the conversations he’d had with both Raph and Don hadn’t led to any solutions as to why Leo felt there was some dark undercurrent flowing within the lair.
            It certainly didn’t offer him an explanation as to why he’d begun to feel so overly protective of Donatello of late. He knew that his sheltering attitude was putting Don on the defensive, but Leo couldn’t seem to pull back and let the genius alone.
            Walking towards the television array where his youngest brother was waiting for him, Leo again questioned his own motivations. Perhaps the problem wasn’t with his siblings, but within himself.
            He admitted to himself that he was starting to feel very jealous of the time Donatello spent with anyone else. Not exactly sure why that should matter after all these years, or why he should feel that way about one brother in particular was setting Leo’s nerves slightly on edge.
            Leo also wasn’t sure if there was a shell of a lot he could do about it.
TBC…….
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- 6
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The End Justifies