Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT.

A/N: I'm rating this T because I don't want to freak out little kids. The guys are seven here. This one-shot kinda got away from me. It came out a lot longer than I intended…

"What are you looking at, Mikey?" Leo wandered over to where his youngest brother was squatted down looking at something on the tunnel floor.

Mikey looked up at him as his brother came close. "I don't know."

Leo frowned as he crouched beside him. "It looks like some kind of doll or something." He picked it up off the tunnel floor and turned it over in his small hands. The doll was oddly clean from sitting in the sewers. It was wooden, painted with bright colors and dressed in bright clothes. A string dangled from each wrist and each ankle. It wore a broad smile and red cheeks. The doll's eyes were glassy round black orbs.

Mikey snatched it from his hand. "I found it! It's mine!"

Leo frowned. "I think it's broken."

"Master Splinter or Donnie can fix it." Mikey defended, before promptly jumping up and running back into the lair, which was only a few yards away.

"Hey, wait!" Leo's frown intensified. There was something about that doll that felt off. He brushed the thought away and instead wondered why Mikey would even want the thing as he headed back inside himself. By the time he caught up with Mikey, he'd already found Splinter.

"Leo says he's broken. Can you fix him, Sensei?" Mikey held the doll out to their father.

Splinter took the toy with a frown, examining it much as Leo had done. Raph and Donnie came to see what their brother had found. Raphael looked on curiously. "What is it? A doll?"

"Actually, it was once a puppet."

Don eyed the strings. "A puppet?"

"Yes, a marionette to be precise." Splinter picked up one of the strings. "These strings were once attached to a piece of wood and can make the arms and legs move like this." He used the string to move the arm up and down.

"So, all you have to do is tie it to another piece of wood to make it work?" Mikey asked hopefully.

Splinter nodded and Donnie's eyes lit up. "I know where a small piece is!" He turned and darted across the lair to return a few moments later. "Here you go, Sensei!"

The old rat took the slip of wood from his son. "Yes, this will do nicely." He stood to retrieve a hammer and nail to put four holes in the thin board. Then he slipped the strings through, tying them off in the appropriate spot. "That should do."

The four turtles watched eagerly. "How does it work?" Raph asked.

"Like this." Splinter knelt down so his small sons could watch as he twisted his wrist to make the puppet walk. It's small feet made a tapping noise as they pranced along.

"Cool! I wanna play with it!" Don announced, reaching for it.

Mikey shoved his hand away. "No! I found it! It's mine!"

Don frowned. "But I helped fix it!"

Splinter frowned as well. "If you squabble over it, I will take it away."

The brothers exchanged a look and Mikey sighed. "We'll share. But I get first turn!"

Splinter handed over the puppet and smiled as his youngest immediately ran off with it. "I will be mediating in the dojo, my sons. You will play quietly."

"Yes, Sensei." The four chimed.

When Splinter was gone, Raph walked over to where Mikey was trying to make the puppet walk and snatched it from his baby brother. "Hey!" Mikey protested angrily.

Leo had just settled on the couch with the remote. "Raphael, give it back to him. You heard what Splinter said. He'll take it away."

"I'll give it back once I'm done with it." Raph wiggled the board and frowned. Just moving it around seemed kind of boring. He spotted one of their toy trucks and began running it over with the vehicle.

Mikey's bottom lip began to tremble. "You're gonna break it again!"

Don sighed, seeing how upset Mikey was becoming. "Just give it back to him, Raph."

"No, I ain't done yet." Raph then took the puppet and wrapped the strings around a toy plane. He launched it across the space to crash on the floor several feet away.

"You see! You broke it!" Mikey was more than upset. He'd only gotten to play with it for a few minutes and now it was ruined. He turned around and ran off to his room.

"Oh, great." Leo glared at his brother. "Now you did it. Mikey'll probably pout all night."

Raph picked up the puppet and gave it a quick look. "So, what? It ain't broke or nothin'."

Don shook his head. "You should have just let him play with it."

They all fell quite as Splinter appeared from the dojo. "It is time for bed, my sons." He eyed them. "Where is Michelangelo?"

Leo stood from his place on the couch. "Uh, he went to bed already."

"As the rest of you should be doing."

"Yes, Master Splinter." The three agreed far too quickly and hurried off towards their bedrooms. Raph tossed the little marionette on the couch before taking off to his own room.

Mikey laid on his bed, his shell towards the door. He swiped at his eyes where angry tears escaped every once in a while. Raph was just being mean for taking his toy. He didn't want to even play with it right. At some point he drifted off to sleep, only to be woken by a movement beside him. He turned over and found the puppet sitting against the pillow beside him. "Huh? Where'd you come from?" He glanced at the door, which was closed. He didn't recall hearing it open. But someone must have brought the doll in. "Raph must have felt guilty." Then he saw where the strings had been pulled loose from the board. "Or maybe he just didn't want you because he broke you again."

He sighed. "But I don't care if you are broke. I still like ya!" He wiggled one of the arms with one string. "Maybe Donnie can fix you again." The little puppet just smiled up at him with his carved lips. Mikey shifted him off the bed to the floor and rolled back over to sleep.

When he woke the next morning, he found the puppet on the bed beside him again. Mikey scratched his head. "I'm sure I put this on the floor last night." He pondered this as he carried the puppet back into the living room, where his other brothers were already gathered. "Thanks for giving the puppet back, Raph, but you didn't have to break it." Mikey held out the injured toy.

Raph's brow furrowed. "I didn't give it back to you and I didn't break it. I left it on the couch and it wasn't broken at all."

"Well, it is." Mikey shook the puppet making the strings swish to and fro.

Leo frowned. "You shouldn't have done that, Raph. Master Splinter worked hard to fix it."

"But I didn't do nothin' to it!" Raph protested again.

"It's okay. I can fix it now." Don left and returned with two pencils. He tied the strings to them and show Mikey that it could work. "See? Now you can still play with it."

Mikey grinned. "Wow! Thanks, Donnie!" He looked from the toy to his brother. "You fixed it. You can play with it for now."

It was Don's turn to grin. "Yeah?"

Mikey nodded. "Uh huh. Just don't let Raph play with it. He'll break it again."

"I did not break it!" Raph growled. But he was being completely ignored by this point. He folded his arms. "Pfft, puppets are stupid anyway."

When it was time for training, Mikey took the puppet back to his room where he'd be safe from his hot-headed brother. Leo was rather relieved when the thing was put away. He didn't like it. It felt like the marionette was watching him with his beady eyes.

It was late afternoon when there was a bellow from the bedrooms. "What happened to my room!"

Leo, Don and Mikey exchanged blank looks. They had no idea what was going on. Raph suddenly appeared steaming with anger. "Why you little snot! I know you did that!" Mikey tried to scramble away as Raph tackled him.

"What'd I do!" Mikey covered his head.

"You know what you did! You wrecked my room!"

"What! No, I didn't!" Mikey tried to crawl away, but Raph wasn't letting him get away.

Leo and Don finally pried him off their youngest brother. Don shook his head. "Mikey couldn't have done that!"

"He tore my room up, just because I took his stupid doll!" Raph tried to push his way through his brothers but they blocked his path.

"He's been with us all day. He hasn't had time to trash your room." Leo pointed out.

"He had to've! I didn't wreck my own room!" Raph growled.

"I didn't! I swear!" Mikey looked up at his brothers, genuine confusion in his gaze. The three knew that normally if Mikey was pulling a prank, he'd fess to making a mess pretty quick. His continual denial was unusual.

Leo glanced between his brothers, one furious and the other protesting innocence. "What is going on here?" Splinter tapped his cane on the floor loudly, gaining their attention immediately.

Raph pointed an accusing finger at his brother on the floor. "Mikey destroyed my room, Master! He wrecked it cause I wanted to play with the puppet!"

"Master Splinter, I promise I didn't!" Mikey was on his feet now, giving their father a pleading look.

Instead of engaging either of his sons in the continuation of the argument, Splinter went to inspect the damage himself. Stepping into Raphael's doorway, he was stunned. The room was indeed "wrecked" as his son had said. Toys, papers, comic books, and many other things were scattered all over the floor and bed. And there appeared to be some kind of substance rubbed on the walls. He turned to face his sons, who had followed him to the door. Leo, Don, and Mikey stood with mouths agape.

"Michelangelo?" Splinter questioned.

Mikey shook his head with wide eyes. "But-but-but I didn't do it!"

"Nevertheless, if your argument was over the toy, you will both clean this room. Now." Splinter tapped his cane again and the two young turtles rushed to start cleaning.

Leo and Don exchanged looks as their father began to walk off. Leo hurried after him down the hall. "But Sensei, Mikey couldn't have done that. He's been with us all day."

"It matters not. Cleaning will stop the argument before it escalates further. I am going to prepare dinner." And with that he disappeared into the kitchen.

Leo and Don exchanged another look and returned to Raph's room. "We'll help you guys."

Raph looked up from where he was stacking papers. He sighed. "Thanks."

Don looked at the wall. "What is this stuff anyway?" He ran a finger through the mess and sniffed it. "Jelly?"

"See! That proves it wasn't me!" Mikey said triumphantly.

The three stared at him. Leo sighed, reluctantly taking the bait. "How does that prove it wasn't you?"

"Cause I would have used pizza sauce!"

Don rolled his eyes. "I'll get something to clean it with." He headed for the bathroom, where he found a small bucket and started filling it with water from the sink. Then added some soap and gathered a sponge. Turning off the tap, he glanced into the mirror. He gasped as he thought he saw something. The lights flickered and he spun around to find - nothing. Chalking it up to his imagination, he turned back to pick up the bucket only to see movement again. This time he got a better look – a flash of bright colors. "Ah!" He stumbled towards the door, dropping the bucket of water. "No way!"

"Don!" Leo followed by Raph and Mikey appeared beside him. "What happened?"

"I saw something in the mirror! There was something in the bathtub!"

His brothers looked at him like he'd lost his mind. Raph moved past them into the bathroom. He pushed aside the shower curtain to look in the tub. "There's nothin' here."

"But I saw something! I know I did!" His brothers continued to stare at him and he scratched his chin. "At least, I think I did."

"It's okay, Donnie." Leo helped him to his feet. "Let's clean this up and then we can finish cleaning Raph's room." Don gave a small nod, uncertain if he should believe his own eyes. Because what he thought he'd seen was impossible. So, the logical conclusion was that it had just been a trick of the eye. He frowned and went about cleaning up the spilt water.

It took over an hour to clean Raph's room, even between the four of them. It had already been late when they'd started and now all four were tired. After Splinter inspected the room and gave an approving nod, they ate and then he sent them off to bed.

When Mikey entered his room, he found the door ajar and a few paces in the marionette laying on the floor. He frowned as he picked it up. "I left this on the bed." Scratching his head, he shrugged and set it on a shelf beside his bed. "Maybe it fell off. There. You'll be safer up here." In short time, Mikey fell fast asleep.

A few doors down though Leo tossed and turned. Sleep was evading him. With a heavy sigh, he sat up and tossed the covers off. Maybe he needed a drink. Releasing another heavy sigh, he made his way out into the silent lair. As he turned to make his way to the kitchen, the sound of a door creaking made him turn towards his brothers' rooms instead. The hall was dim and he strained his eyes to see any movement.

I'm sure I heard something. He took a few steps down the hall. A shadow moved. Leo rushed forward to catch what he assumed was a sewer rat that had somehow gotten into the lair. But when he came to the spot he'd seen the small shadow there was nothing. Leo spun around as a new sound hit his ears.

Tap-tap, tap-tap. Tap-tap, tap-tap.

It was small and rhythmic. And it was a noise Leo was certain he'd heard before. Listening intently, he followed it. The faster he walked, the faster the tapping became. Rounding the corner into the living area, he scanned it for any sign of movement. Nothing.

Frowning, he let his shoulder's sag. It was late. He was tired. His mind was likely playing tricks on him. Yawning, he headed for the kitchen once more. By the time he'd drank his cup of water, he'd all but convinced himself he'd dreamed up the whole thing. The sudden sound of the television turning on made him jump and he ran back into the other room. But no one was in there.

How did the TV come on by itself?

Moving slowly across the room, he checked to make sure none of his brothers were awake. He found the remote on the couch beside Mikey's stupid marionette doll. Frowning at the puppet which stared back at him with huge glassy eyes, he took up the remote and proceeded to turn off the TV.

Luckily it hadn't woken Master Splinter. He tossed the remote back onto the couch and started for his room. But he stopped cold a few paces away, when the TV came back on louder than the last time. He spun around to stare at the television and the remote once again beside the doll. He hadn't paid much attention where it had landed, but he was pretty certain it wasn't that close to the creepy thing.

The marionette stared straight ahead at the television almost as though it was watching it. Leo stared at it, his heart racing. The TV coming on once might be a glitch, but twice – not likely.

"Leonardo!"

The small turtle jumped and let out a small peep at his father's sudden stern voice. Pressing a hand against his plastron, where he thought his heart might jump through, he looked up at his father with wide eyes. "Master Splinter?"

"What are you doing up?"

"I was just getting a drink of water."

Splinter moved towards the couch and retrieved the remote. "And watching television it appears."

Leo shook his head. "No, it wasn't me. The TV came on by itself."

Splinter gave him a sidelong look. Leonardo wasn't prone to fanciful tales. He'd just been caught red-handed, so why would he outright lie? "You know the rules, Leonardo. No television after bedtime." Switching the TV off, he strolled to the television and set the remote on top.

The young turtle's eyes grew large. "But it wasn't me! It came on and I turned it off! Then it came on again!"

This time the old rat's gaze sharpened. "You have lied to me twice now. I expected better from you, Leonardo. For this you will clean the dojo tomorrow."

Leo's mouth hung open. What was happening? How was he being punished for something he didn't do? "But-"

"Do you wish for more chores?" Splinter watched his son clamp his mouth close and drop his head. "Good. Now back to bed."

Leo didn't bother to look up as he turned and hurried back to his room afraid he might be further punished. Once inside, he climbed despondently into his bed with a pout. What was going on? How had the TV come on and how had he been blamed for it? Finally, he laid down and closed his eyes. He was even more tired than before. Just before he fell asleep, he swore he heard the strange tapping sound again as it passed his door. Then there was a distant snicker and the creak of another door.

By the time Leo crawled out of bed the next morning his brothers were awake. He rubbed his eyes as he made his way into the living room. Mikey and Donnie were arguing about something.

"Mikey, I'm not going to keep fixing it for you. You shouldn't have broken it."

"But I didn't! It was just like this when I woke up!" Mikey looked down at the marionette in his hand. The pencils were gone and the strings were even shorter than before. This time it wouldn't be an easy fix.

"You said it was in your room. How else could it have been broken, if you didn't do it?" Don was annoyed. They had already fixed the stupid puppet twice. And this time the strings were so short they'd have to be replaced before it could even be used.

"But It wasn't me!" Mikey stomped his foot and angry tears welled in his eyes.

Something Mikey had said suddenly caught Leo's attention. He hurried forward to catch his brother's arm. "Mikey that doll was in your room last night? When?"

Mikey blinked at him for a second, then frowned. "It was in there when I went to bed and when I woke up."

Leo's brow furrowed. "But that's impossible."

Raph turned to them from where he'd been sitting on the couch listening. "No, it's not. I saw that creepy thing layin' on Mikey's floor not long before we went to bed."

Mikey nodded. "I picked it up and put it on my shelf. It was there when I woke up. But the pencils were gone and the strings were like this." He lifted a string attached to an arm to demonstrate just how short they were.

"But it was on the couch last night."

Don frowned at him. "What are you talking about, Leo?"

"It was in here last night. I came to get a glass of water and it was on the couch." Leo said emphatically.

"You really must be losin' it." Raph told him. "I was the first one in here and there was nothin' on the couch."

"I'm telling you, it was in here! The TV came on and woke Splinter up and that thing was sitting on the couch with the remote!"

His three brothers exchanged looks. Raph's expression turned hard as he stepped around to the others. "So, that's what this is about you. You got in trouble with Splinter for watching TV."

Don frowned. "And you're trying to blame it on Mikey's marionette?"

"Then you got mad and took it out on my puppet?" Mikey stared at him with betrayal in his eyes.

"What! No!" Leo shook his head. "I'm telling the truth!"

Raph shook his head as well. "That's just wrong, bro." He put an arm around Mikey's shoulders and steered him off towards the kitchen. Breakfast would help his little brother get over the toy.

Donnie rolled his eyes. "Really? You couldn't come up with a better story than that?" Leo just stared at him slack-jawed as his brother went to join the others.

Later that evening, Mikey was playing in his room with his action figures and the puppet, which he was now pretending was a giant attacking his city of random objects while his superheroes fought with it. The superheroes had just defeated the evil giant clown, when Splinter called them to dinner. Never one to be late for a meal, the young turtle took off leaving his toys scattered on the floor.

Leonardo was already seated at the table, looking exhausted and dejected. Mikey frowned at him as he slid into his chair. He sighed. They'd been giving their older brother the cold shoulder all day. "It's okay, Leo. I forgive you."

Leo lifted his head. "But I didn't…" He let out a heavy sigh. "Okay, sure." There was no use in arguing with him.

Splinter had just set several bowls of soup on the table when there was a crash. Donatello's cry of pain sent all three rushing from the room. They found him on the floor of the lab with a crate of parts lying next to him.

"Donnie!" Leo and Mikey rushed to their brother's side.

"Donatello!" Splinter knelt beside him and pried his son's hand from his head. A small gash marred the top of his green head.

Raph was suddenly beside them as well. "What happened?"

Don whimpered. "That crate fell on me." He looked up at his father with damp eyes. "Sensei, there was no reason for it to fall! I put it up there and shoved it all the way back. It shouldn't have been able to fall at all!"

Splinter's ears dropped. "It is alright, my son. It was an accident. But we must clean the wound." Donnie frowned as he was gathered into his father's arms and carried from the room.

Leo stared at the hard plastic egg-crate with its sharp corners and drops of his brother's blood on the floor. "Something weird is going on."

Raph looked from the crate to the shelf in front of them. "Maybe he didn't push it back far enough. It coulda just been an accident."

"Nuh uh, Donnie's really good about making sure stuff can't fall on him," Mikey blushed a little, "or me."

"Mikey's right. Don would have made sure it was far enough back that it couldn't be knocked off easily." Leo pointed out.

As Raph looked up at Leo, something caught his eye across the room. A shadow – a weird shaped shadow – ran under Don's desk. "Maybe it wasn't an accident after all." Growling, he pushed past Leo and ran towards the desk. Leo glanced at Mikey, who just shrugged. They followed their brother, albeit slower. Raphael hurried around the side of the desk, certain he was going to find something there. "Got ya!" He blinked in surprise and bewilderment. There was nothing there. "Huh?"

"What is it?" Mikey tried to see over the top of the desk.

"Did you see something?" Leo stepped around his brother to look under the desk as well.

"I coulda swore I did." Raph scratched his head.

Leo frowned, glancing around. "Maybe you did." He turned to face his brothers. "Last night I saw something when I came out to get a drink. It was just a shadow and it moved really fast. I thought it was a sewer rat at first but then there was this strange tapping noise. And-"

Mikey glared. "Are you seriously trying to blame this on the puppet again!"

Leo frowned. "Not exactly. But I did hear and see something last night."

Raph folded his arms, considering his older brother. Leo seemed to be convinced of what he was saying. "I don't know, but I'm pretty sure I just saw something."

Mikey blanched. "If it is a sewer rat, it would have to be huge to knock that crate off!"

Leo lifted a finger in the air. "Well, there is one way to find out. Master Splinter will know if there is a strange rat running around the lair." Raph and Mikey both eagerly agreed and followed Leo out of the lab. They found Splinter in the kitchen with Donnie.

The young turtle had a small bandage taped on his head. With one hand he held an ice pack against the growing knot and with the other spooned soup into his mouth. Mikey squeezed his shoulder as he sat beside him. "You okay, bro?"

Don gave a slight nod. "Yeah."

"Master Splinter, I saw something running around the lair last night and Raph saw something in Donnie's lab just now." Leo sat across from Donnie.

Raph sat down as well. "Yeah, we think it could be a sewer rat that got in. A really big one. That'd be the only way it coulda knocked that crate off the shelf."

Splinter frowned. "I have not picked up the scent of any of my wayward "cousins." But I will make certain of this after dinner."

Satisfied that their sensei was listening to them, they ate their meal quietly. After which Splinter did a thorough search of nearly the entire lair. But he found no evidence of the vermin. "I am not certain what it is you two believe you saw, but I have not found any sign of a mischievous rodent. Perhaps it was merely your imaginations."

Both Leo and Raph felt chastised by their father's dismissal. Something odd was going on. They could both feel it now. As they all headed for bed, there was cry from Mikey's room. Worried, Leo and Raph rushed to his door.

"Mikey, are you okay?" Raph stepped in beside him.

"No! Look!" Mikey pointed at the floor where he'd left his action figures and the puppet earlier. The puppet was fine, but scattered around him were dismembered parts of the superheroes. Little plastic arms, legs, heads and torsos were everywhere.

Donnie came up behind them. He gasped. "Oh, no! What happened!" He knew the action figures were his little brother's favorite toys. There was no way he would have broken them. He glared at Raphael. "He didn't break your stuff, Raph."

Raph blinked. "I didn't do this! I know Mikey loves those stupid things!"

Leo shook his head. "Raph couldn't have done it, Donnie. He's been with us all night."

"No, he hasn't." Mikey turned to look at them. "Where were you right before that box fell on Donnie?"

Raph snorted. "I was in the bathroom!"

Leo waved his hands, trying to calm his brothers down. "Guys! This isn't helping anything. There is obviously something in the lair that is causing all this chaos." He glanced down at the marionette that seemed like it was watching them. "I have an idea." He pushed them out of the room and closed the door before pulling Mikey down the hall. The others followed him into his room. He glanced down the hall to be sure it was empty.

"What are we doin', Fearless?" Raph groused.

Certain they weren't being listened to, Leo spoke quietly. "Every time something happens we blame each other for it. I think we should sleep together tonight to prove it's not any of us doing this stuff."

"Like a stakeout?" Mikey asked.

"Yeah, like a stakeout." Leo ushered them towards his bed. "We'll try to stay up and catch whatever it is that's messing stuff up."

"Alright, but this better be worth listenin' to Mikey snore."

"I don't snore!" Mikey protested as he climbed up onto the bed.

"Donnie, you can lay down on the pillow." Leo eyed the bandage, making sure it wasn't bleeding. "How does your head feel?"

Donnie lifted an absent hand to his head. "A little better, but it's still pretty sore."

Raph frowned as Donnie laid down and Mikey snuggled against him. He didn't like the idea of something messing with his little brothers. Even if the two fell asleep, hopefully between him and Leo they could spot the intruder. Raph slid onto the bed and sat with his shell against the wall, eyes locked on the door. Leo turned off the light and sat on the end of the bed cross-legged. He wasn't planning on sleeping tonight.

The lair was very quiet for some time, Raph had just begun to drift off when an odd noise reached his ear. Tap-tap, tap-tap. Tap-tap, tap-tap. He opened his mouth but Leo's hand suddenly covered it. His older brother's eyes seemed to glow in the darkness. Raph understood. They didn't want to alert whatever it was that they were awake.

There was a soft cackle from somewhere outside the door, then the tapping again. A shadow moved outside. It was small and seemed to scurry back and forth for a moment as if debating whether to enter. Raph shifted, ready to spring on the thing when it came in. The movement disturbed Donnie and he opened his eyes. He too started to speak, but Raph quickly clamped a hand over his mouth and pointed at the door. The laughter outside the door became louder, then the door began to open very, very slowly.

Mikey heard it creak as it opened, but he wasn't facing it. From his position he could see his three older brothers staring with wide eyes as the light from outside crept into the room. Leo felt his pulse race as a small shadow stepped into the doorway. This time it moved slowly and he could actually make out its form. And its form was unmistakable. He reached back, grabbing onto Raph's arm.

Raphael stared, his mouth hanging open. It couldn't be! But there it was! Mikey's marionette stood in the doorway. And then it moved, stepping into the pitch dark room. It's wooden feet made a tapping noise as it walked.

Donnie covered his mouth to prevent a scream from crawling out his throat as he watched the puppet move by itself. Step-tap, step-tap, step-tap….

Mikey could see pure fear in his brothers' features. Part of him wanted to turn over and see what they were seeing. While another part wanted nothing to do with it. He trembled and Donnie glanced down at him. He was immediately wrapped in the older turtles arms, a hand holding his face against his plastron. Don clutched his younger brother against him. Mikey would totally freak! Not that Don wasn't freaking out himself!

The marionette's shadow moved across the room. As it drew closer, Leo could see it was holding something shiny.

Mikey suddenly pulled away from Donnie to turn over. The movement was enough, they'd been spotted. Four pairs of eyes stared at the puppet standing mere feet from the bed with what appeared to be a small knife in its hand. Glassy black eyes stared right back. The thing suddenly screeched and charged forward.

"Ahhhhh!" All four young turtles screamed in unison before jumping off the bed and through the door.

"Father!"

"Master Splinter!"

"Sensei!"

"Papa!"

The old rat came racing across the lair to nearly be tackled by his four sons. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"It's in my room!" Leo pointed at the closed door.

"It was walkin' by itself!" Raph all but shouted.

"It was going to hurt us!" Mikey whimpered.

"It was really scary!" Don chimed in. "You have to get rid of it!"

Splinter frowned down at his children. They were clearly frightened. He released them to move towards his eldest son's room. "Be careful, Sensei! It had a knife!" Leo called after him.

Splinter paused with his hand on the knob. It had a knife? What kind of creature was this? He threw open the door and flipped on the light, instantly reading for a fight. The room beyond was quiet and still. In the middle of the floor was the little puppet that Michelangelo had brought home. He frowned at it, before scanning the room again. There was no sign of any kind of weapon or knife. He bent to pick up the doll. It was limp and cold in his hand. He let out a frustrated sigh. His sons' imaginations were obviously on overdrive. There was nothing in this room, but this lump of wood.

He carried the toy back into the living room and held it out for his sons to see. The four clutched at each other, fear still prevalent in their features. "Is this what has frightened you?"

"Keep it away!" Donnie squealed, ducking behind Raph and Leo.

The two elder brothers nodded, though they did not want it any closer either.

"Michelangelo, this is your toy, is it not?" Splinter offered it to him.

Mikey wrapped his arms around Leo and half buried his face in his chest. "I don't want it anymore!"

Leo hugged Mikey tighter. "That thing's evil!"

"Please, get rid of it, Sensei!" Raphael begged.

Splinter was genuinely confused by their behavior. But he was not about to keep an item that was so completely upsetting his children. Seeing his sons huddled together, clearly frightened tore at his heart. "Very well. Do not worry, my sons. I will throw it away permanently. You will stay inside until I return."

Four heads bobbed in unison. There was not a chance in the universe that any of them was going outside the lair tonight.

Splinter carried the marionette deep into the sewer tunnels where he knew of a drain that went deep down into the lower levels of the sewer. Glancing down at the puppet, he almost swore the thing was watching him. Maybe his sons weren't imagining things after all. He tossed it into the swirling whirl pool and turned to leave. After only a few steps, a wicked laugh echoed in the chamber behind him, sending a chill down his spine. He couldn't say he was not happy to be rid of the creepy toy.

Once home, Splinter tucked each of his sons into their own beds and made sure they were comfortable, then headed back to his own room. Leo stared at his door, the memory of that puppet walking through it was still fresh in his mind. So fresh, he jumped when it was opened only a few minutes after Splinter left him.

Mikey stood in the open door, clutching an old teddy bear. "Leo, could I sleep in here tonight?"

Leo couldn't help the relieved chuckle. "Sure, Mikey." A few moments later, Donnie appeared in the still open door. He stood quietly for a moment, until Leo called to him. "Come on, Don. There's plenty of room."

A few minutes later, there was shuffling in the hall. Leo looked up to see Raph. "I was goin' to check on Mikey, but he wasn't there."

Leo smiled. "That's because he's here." He patted the bundle beside him.

Raph nodded. "Okay, well I…"

"Why don't you join us, Raph? I think Donnie and Mikey would feel better if you did."

Raph smirked. "Yeah?"

Leo smiled. "Yeah."

Raph closed the door and climbed onto the bed, half draping himself across all three of his brothers. If that thing came back and came after them, it would have him to deal with. He just hoped Mikey had learned his lesson not to bring home weird stuff from the sewers.

A/N: Which we know he doesn't! LOL!

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I hope it doesn't give you nightmares! ^_^