TMNT Shell Shots

Fractured Trust

*Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise.

*'TMNT Shell Shots' Summary: This is a collection of random TMNT one-shots.

*'Fractured Trust' Summary: After Leonardo's decision to secretly help Karai puts his brothers' lives in danger, he must deal with the consequences of his actions. **Note: this is a 'Broken Foot' one-shot about what transpired during the turtles' trip back to the lair after the chemical plant explosion.

*Author's Notes: I'm back and I'm excited to share another 'Shell Shot' with all of you. This short story takes place during the episode 'Broken Foot.' It starts right after the turtles escape the overturned Party Wagon and leads up to their return to the lair. I wanted to write a little something to convey what Leo was feeling inside after the incident at the chemical factory. I also wanted to explain why Raph was such a wreck by the time they reached the lair. I really hope you like it. ;) CJ

-------------------------- 

Fractured Trust

The full moon was radiating particularly bright over the streets of New York City. So bright, the two oldest turtles could easily see the rage smoldering in Tiger Claw's yellow eye while he visually scanned the alley in search of them. The mutant Bengal tiger stood in all of his immensity atop the turtles' upended vehicle with his huge, powerful front paws clenched into tight fists at his sides. His chest was heaving with untamed fury and each breath came out as a gravely sounding growl.

Leonardo and Raphael were currently crouched over the ledge of a roof overlooking the beast, their eyes glowing stark white as they silently watched their enemy from above, but only for a few fleeting seconds. A moment later, they receded into the shadows, out of sight, knowing that it was only a matter of time before Tiger Claw would veer his gaze upwards. They could not chance being seen right now. Not with one brother already down for the count.

It was actually a bit of a miracle that they hadn't been spotted when they had clumsily scaled up to the rooftop just after their enemies had rolled the Party Wagon up onto its side, putting a rather unpleasant end to the brief high-speed chase that they had been the unwilling participants of.

The turtle brothers' souped-up former hippy van had tipped over and skidded to an abrupt halt in a darkened alleyway not long after Rocksteady and Bebop had used a claw-like attachment on the front end of their very own souped-up van to rip one of the Party Wagon's back wheels off.

Luckily, the four brothers had all managed to escape the 'accident' virtually unscathed, but the Party Wagon had not fared nearly as well as they had. Donatello was going to pitch a fit when he woke up and saw the damage that Shredder's goons had done to their vehicle.

If he woke up . . . Leonardo thought with the heaviest of hearts. He then let out a tremulous sigh as he turned and looked down at his second youngest brother, whose limp body was presently cradled in Michelangelo's protective arms. If the expression on Mikey's face was any indicator, their injured brother had still not shown any signs of improvement. The smile that Mikey normally wore was missing and Leo could see that his youngest sibling's bright blue eyes were glossy with tears.

Tears started to sting Leo's own eyes as he knelt down next to his unconscious brother and gently brushed a hand against the side of his face. Donnie's mouth was slightly ajar and his eyes were sealed shut. He still had not made any attempts to move, which was starting to make dread fester in the pit of Leo's already uneasy stomach. The oldest turtle wasn't sure just how extensive Donatello's injuries were at this point. As much as he had desperately wanted to check on his incapacitated brother's condition, they had been too busy trying to save their shells from Shredder's cronies for Leo to stop and assess his purple-clad brother's wounds. The only information that Leo had gotten on Donnie's status so far had come out of Raph's angry mouth.