Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT or anything else I mention in this fic. Except Giraffy. He's real.
Ann: I'm six years old in this one. This is another deleted chapter from Four Fathers: Revised. PLEASE REVIEW!
Toddler Turtle Stories
"Donny? Mikey? Leo? Raph?" I called from my room. It was 11:00 PM and I couldn't sleep again tonight so I didn't care who came into my room. I usually wanted Mikey. "Anyone?" I called again. Still, no one came. Could they not hear me or were they ignoring me? That only sounds like something Raph would do. I slowly crawled out of my bed thinking something was about to jump out at me through my closet. I took Giraffy, my stuffed animal giraffe, and opened my door and peeked out into the hall. "Mikey? Donny? Anyone?" I whispered. It was dark in the hall. I didn't like it. I shut my door and started sneaking down towards Mikey's room. Suddenly, the light turned on and I jumped.
"What are you doing?"
I was about to scream but I turned around and there was Leo standing above me, rubbing sleep from his eyes. "I can't sleep," I explained. "I tried to call for someone, but no one came."
Leo yawned. "That's because you have to learn how to fall asleep on your own. Your getting too old for this."
I turned around. "I think I'll go get Mikey now..."
"No, I don't think so," Leo grabbed me. "Come on, I'll tuck you in. Then you have to go to sleep on your own." Leo led me back into my room and tucked me in.
"But Giraffy's scared." I held up my giraffe.
Leo was still half asleep. "He has you to protect him."
"Then who's going to protect me?" I became even more scared.
"You'll watch each other's backs, okay? Now go to sleep..." Leo was in the doorway and turned off the light.
"Leo?" I whispered.
"Yes?" Leo sounded annoyed. He really wanted to go back to bed.
"Can you stay with me for a little while?" I asked.
"No. You have to sleep on your own," he yawned again. "Your six years old. Your a big girl now."
"What are you guys doing?" I heard Donny's voice.
"Yeah, I thought you told us that we couldn't help Sapphire sleep because she has to learn to sleep on her own?" Mikey was there too.
"I wasn't trying to help her fall asleep. I heard her calling our names so I waited for her to stop and instead of stopping, she came out into the hall looking for Mikey." Leo explained shutting the door. He was probably hoping that I would think they all went back to bed but I could hear them talking on the other side of my door.
Donny nodded. "Alright, let's go back to sleep."
I pouted. No! I started calling their names more loudly now. "Mikey! Donny! Leo! Raph!"
I heard Donny sigh out in the hall. "Look, Leo, it's 11:30 and she's six years old. If she's not asleep yet, let's just get her to sleep. She usually gets herself to sleep earlier than this anyway.
Leo yawned again. "I guess...Okay."
I smiled. That's more like it.
"Why is everyone loud?" I heard Raph coming out of his room.
"We're going to help Sapphire fall asleep." Mikey stated.
"But I thought we agreed to let her fall asleep on her own from now on." Raph reminded them.
"We were, but she usually gets herself to sleep earlier than this. Tonight, she just keeps calling our names." Donny shrugged.
Raph shook his head. "Alright, but this better be quick. I'm tired and she's been keeping me up all night!"
"She's been keeping us all up tonight!" Leo glared at him. "Don't be a baby about it."
"Hey, Leo! You said that--" Raph was about to yell at him but Donny stopped him.
"Guys!" Donny yelled. "Come on, we're all tired and--"
I called again. "Leo! Raph! Donny! Mikey!"
"--And yelling isn't going to help Sapphire or us get some sleep tonight." Donny finished.
Raph sighed and opened my door. He came over to me. "Alright, Kid, why are you still awake?"
Leo shook is head. "We're going to be up all night."
"I'm scared." I replied to Raph.
"Scared of what?" Raph asked.
"It's dark in here." I said.
Raph rolled his eyes. "There's nothing to be afraid of in the dark! The dark is nothing!"
"Says the scardy cat himself..." Donny muttered.
"What?" Raph glared at him.
"Remember when you used to be afraid of the dark at Sapphire's age, Raphy?" Donny teased.
"I wasn't afraid of anything when I was her age." Raph pointed to me.
Leo started laughing and sat in my rocking chair. "Right...Let's think back to when we were six years old..."
(Flashback--Leo's narrator)
"Come on, boys," Master Splinter walked into the living room. "It is time for bed now."
We were all sitting on the couch watching a movie or something...No one wanted to go to bed. Could you blame us? We were in the middle of watching TV.
"Maybe we don't want to go to bed now, Master Splinter." Mikey pouted.
Master Splinter grabbed the remote and clicked off the TV. "I do not care if you want to go to bed now or not. You boys are going to bed. Now."
Raph rolled his eyes. "Thanks a lot, Mikey!" he pushed his little brother.
"We were going to bed now anyway, Raph!" Mikey pushed him back.
"I'm gonna...!" Raph started stalking Mikey with his fist in the air.
Mikey was backing away looking for someone to hide behind.
Master Splinter was leading Donny and me up the stairs thinking Raph and Mikey were right behind us. He turned around and saw Mikey running away from Raph, who was still holding his fist in the air. "Raphael! Michalangelo!" Master Splinter turned back to Donny and me. "Go ahead to your rooms. I will be there in a minute," Master Splinter walked down the stairs and grabbed Raph. "You have to learn to control your temper, Raphael!" Master Splinter started walking up the stairs turning to Mikey. "Come on, Michalangelo."
Master Splinter was carrying Raoh and he was trying to get down. "Come on! I can walk!"
"Really? By the looks of it, I thought you were running," Master Splinter replied. Master Splinter must have heard me laughing, because he looked right at me. "Leonardo! I thought I told you to go to your room?"
I stood up. "Uh, sorry, Master Splinter." I ran into my room. Raph's room was next door to mine so I could hear him and Master Splinter through the wall.
"Now, Raphael," Master Splinter began. "I--"
"I know! I know! I know! I won't fight Mikey anymore. Can I go to sleep now?" Raph rolled his eyes.
Master Splinter sighed. He was tired and didn't seem to be in a good mood for anything. "Go to sleep." he managed to say. Raph was in a bad mood all day, so Master Splinter probably wasn't in the mood to yell at him again.
"I was not in a bad mood!!!" Raph glared at Leo.
Leo sighed. "I'm telling a story, Raph. Be quiet!"
Anyway, I heard Master Splinter shut Raph's door and he went to go say goodnight to me. But I'm not the important one in this story. It's Raph.
Raph shook his head. "I'm ready to kill you, Leo..."
Leo glared at him. "Shush!"
I woke up in the middle of the night. I'm not sure what time it was, but everyone, including Master Splinter, was in bed and asleep. Everyone was asleep except Raph, Mikey, and me. I heard Raph on the other side of the wall and he was leaving his room. What is he getting himself into now? I thought.
Raph was about to blow his top. "You know--"
"QUIET!" Leo snapped.
I heard another person walking around other than just Raph. I figured it was Master Splinter. He probably heard Raph and came up to tuck him in his bed again. I lied back down in my bed and closed my eyes. Then I heard Raph.
"Hello?"
It was dark in my room so I thought he was in my room. "What are you doing?" I whispered.
"Mikey?" was the response. Mikey? If he was in my room, then why did he think I was Mikey. "Noo...This is Leo..."
"What?" I heard Mikey's voice. Wait a minute...Now I was confused.
"Don't worry," Raph was talking again. "I'll protect you."
"What are you talking about?" Mikey was just as confused as I was. "Why are you hugging me?"
I finally realized that neither of them were in my room. They were out in the hall next to my door. I climbed out of bed and opened it. "What are you guys doing?" I asked.
Mikey shrugged. "I was only going to the bathroom."
I turned to Raph. "Then what are you doing? Mikey doesn't need help."
Raph glared at me. "I know that!"
"Shh! You have to whisper! Do you want Master Splinter to hear us?" I shot back at him.
Raph pouted. "Fine."
"Can I go to the bathroom now?" Mikey asked.
"Yeah." I replied.
"I'll go with you." Raph started following Mikey.
Mikey stopped which caused Raph to bump into him. "What?"
I was still confused. "Raph, he's fine. You and I can go back to bed now."
"No, it's okay. I can go with him." Raph was about to start walking again but he bumped into Mikey again. "What are you waiting for?"
"Why do you like me all of the sudden?" Mikey asked in fear.
Raph sighed. "Just go to the bathroom!"
"I think Michalangelo can manage on his own, Raphael." I turned around and sure enough, there was Master Splinter. Arms crossed and eyes glaring.
Raph slowly looked up at Master Splinter. "Aren't you supposed to be asleep?"
"So are you," Master Splinter replied. "Michalangelo, go to the bathroom. Raphael, go to your room. I'll be there in a minute," Master Splinter turned to me. "What do you have to do with this?"
"Nothing," I replied. "They woke me up."
"Well then, go back to bed." Master Splinter followed Raph into his room.
"Okay." I nodded and went back into my room. I leaned against the wall to hear Raph's explaination to Master Splinter.
Raph cracked his knuckles. "Why, you dirty little--"
Leo shrugged. "I was curious."
Raph gave out a sigh of anger.
"Let me continue." Leo ignored him.
"Now, why haven't you been sleeping for the past couple of nights?" Master Splinter asked. "And don't tell me that Michalangelo woke you up or anything along those lines. I want to know the truth."
"The truth?" Raph repeated.
"Yes," Master Splinter was waiting for an answer. "The truth."
"I was leading Mikey to the bathroom." Raph answered.
Lies. I thought to myself.
"Michalangelo has lived in this lair for his whole life. I think he knows where the bathroom is." I could tell Master Splinter thought it was a bunch of lies, too.
"No, that's it! That's the truth!" Raph defended himself. "Mikey's afraid of the dark!"
I smiled. Ohh! Mikey's afraid of the dark. That explained everything. Mikey was afraid of the dark. But why was Mikey confused when Raph came out into the hall? I figured it out. Mikey was probably scared that it was a stranger breaking into the lair or something.
The next morning, I came out of my room. I was on my way to the kitchen to get some breakfast when Donny stopped me in the hallway.
"Leo!" Donny ran over to me.
"Hi, Don." I smiled.
"Hi, what happened last night?" he asked.
"What do you mean?" I was tired and completly forgot about Raph and Mikey last night.
"I heard a lot of noise." Donny replied.
"Oh, that! Mikey's afraid of the dark." I responded and left to go to the kitchen.
"Oh..." I noticed Donny started running back to his room. It didn't matter to me what he was doing. I didn't care.
When I got down into the kitchen Mikey, Raph, and Master Splinter were already there. I sat down in my usual seat and Master Splinter handed me my eggs.
"Where is Donatello?" Master Splinter asked me.
"He went back into his room for some reason." I shrugged and took a bite.
Donny came into the kitchen. He held out a night light to Mikey. "Here you go." he smiled.
Mikey smiled. "Thanks, but what is it?"
"It's my night light," Donny was proud of himself for giving it up. "You can use it now. I don't think I need it anymore."
Mikey was still confused. "A night light? What do I need a night light for?"
Donny frowned. "Leo told me that you were afraid of the dark last night."
Mikey shrugged. "I'm not afraid of the dark." he turned to me.
Crud... "Why are you looking at me?" I pretended I knew nothing.
"Wait a minute," Master Splinter walked over to Raph, who was looking as innocent as ever. "Raphael?"
"Yes?" Raph smiled at Master Splinter.
"You lied to me, didn't you?" Master Splinter was not happy.
"What do you mean?" Raph was still putting on an act.
"Are you the one afraid of the dark?" Donny wondered asking Raph.
"No!" Raph became way too defensive. I could tell it was him.
"Oh, of course the Great Leo knew it all along!" Raph exclaimed sarcastically.
Leo sighed. "Shut up! I'm almost done with the story!"
Donny sat down and put his night light in the middle of the table. "Well, whoever's afraid of the dark can use this," he looked around and slowly grabbed the night light again holding it close to him. "Unless, no one's afraid of the dark and I can keep this..."
"Raphael..." Master Splinter urged.
Raph reached out and snatched the night light from Donny's hands. "Thank you." he said.
"Um, your welcome?" Donny blinked.
(End of flashback--Sapphire's narrator again)
"I didn't do that!" Raph defended himself.
Mikey and Donny defended Leo. "Yes you did!"
Raph shook his head. "Fine, fine!" he left the room and came back with Donny's night light and plugged it in next to my bed. "There! You happy?"
I smiled and nodded.
Raph stormed out of the room. "Goodnight!"
The End
Ann: I hope you liked this one! This was another deleted chapter from Four Fathers: Revised. Please review! It takes five seconds!