"Yeah, you better run, Michaelangelo! But you gotta come home

sometime!" Michaelangelo chuckled, listening to Raphael's threats as he dashed through

the sewer with his prize; Raph's sai. "Not if I can help it, Bro," he yelled

back.

He ran a few more steps and, realizing that Raphael was no longer running

after him, stopped. Mike looked around briefly. Raph had been chasing him

for about twenty minutes and he really had no clue where he was.

Better go topside and find out where the hell I am, he thought climbing up a

nearby ladder. As he climbed on to the street, Mike realized that he was in

a rather upscale part of town. He hid in the shadows of a nearby apartment

building. The question was, now where should he go? Can't go home, at

least not yet. Hmmm... Leo was visiting April.

Mike smiled. He'd join Leo at April's and then go home with him. Leo

would back him up; he was always ready to take on Raphael. Mike turned to

head back down to the sewers, when shouting caught his attention.

"You are such a stupid bitch! How many times have I told you to write

down what you take from the account so this shit doesn't happen?!"

Mike peeked around the corner and saw a man and a woman heading

toward the front door of the building.

The woman seemed to be trying to calm the man down. "Douglas please

stop shouting. The neighbors will hear you."

"And just where was Steven while you were out?" the man demanded not

even attempting to lower his voice.

Whatever the woman said, Mike couldn't hear because they had entered the

apartment and without quite knowing why he was doing it, Michaelangelo

followed them quietly to the building. By the time he reached the door, the

couple had already made it to the elevator so he waited until the elevator

doors closed behind them, before entering. He watched the numbers slowly

rise and stop on the eighth floor. Mike headed for the stairs and sprinted up

all eight flights before pausing at the top hoping to hear where they headed.

Minutes passed and Michaelangelo was just about to leave when he heard

the door to the apartment across the hallway open.. A teenage girl came out

followed closely by the woman from downstairs.

"I hope Steven didn't give you any problems, Carla," the woman said

smiling.

The girl laughed. "Oh he never does, Mrs. Tyler. I'll see you later."

"Ok, thanks. Bye Carla."

The woman closed the door. Mike tensed as the girl walked past the

stairwell.

Hope this chick doesn't like stairs, he thought. He heard her whistling as

she headed for the elevator. Carla wasn't out of sight for very long when

Mike heard yelling once again from behind the door. He strained to hear, but

couldn't make out the argument.

What am I doing, he wondered suddenly. This is none of my business. Of

course, that never stopped me before, but....He shook his head and turned to

go back down the stairs.

CRASH! The sound of something breaking was immediately followed by a

woman's scream and then shouting began all over again; the voices louder

and angrier.

Indecision froze Michaelangelo for a split second. This really wasn't his

business. It was a simple marital fight. The shouting got louder. Mike

sighed and headed for the door to the apartment.

If it's unlocked, I'll take a look. If it's locked than I go home.

He turned the knob and the door opened. Damn, just my luck.

He eased open the door. The shouting seemed to be coming from a different

room. Silently he ventured in, past the living room and kitchen until he came

to the entranceway of a dining room. He ducked back quickly behind the

wall, because there stood the man and woman.

The woman was kneeling in front of what use to be a vase; now it was in a

million pieces which she was desperately trying to pick off the floor. Her

husband paced in front of her reminding Mike of a caged tiger.

"Do you know how much that vase was worth, Josi?" Douglas asked

angrily.

Josi looked up at him. "You're the one who threw it Douglas."

He reached down and grabbed her shirt and hauled her to her feet. "If I

didn't have a fuckin' idiot for a wife, I wouldn't have to throw things!"

Mike frowned and was about ready to jump in when a small voice came

from the other side of the room.

"Mommy, what's wrong?" Standing in the doorway rubbing his eyes was a

little boy wearing a pair of blue pajamas.

Douglas let go of his wife's shirt and turned away as Josi hurried over to her

son. She knelt down beside him and kissed his cheek. "Nothing, Sweetie.

Just go back to bed."

"Can I have a drink of water?" the little boy asked sleepily.

"I'll bring it to you Steven," Josi said. "Now, go back to your room."

How can they fight like that with a kid in the house, Mike wondered feeling

sorry for the little guy.

"But Mommy..."Steven began..

Douglas turned to him furiously and yelled. "Get the hell back to bed."

Bastard, Mike thought and reached for his nunchucks. But as he did, his

hand brushed against Raph's sai.

Josi stood and confronted her husband as Steven started to cry. "Don't you

ever talk to him like that!"

Fire lit up Douglas's eyes and he grabbed Josi and hurled her into the wall.

"Mommy!" Steven cried running over to her.

Douglas turned and backhanded the little boy who fell to the ground blood

running from his mouth.

Suddenly Douglas found himself flying through the air and landing hard

against the dining room table. A green face appeared in his line of vision. A

hand rose punching him across the face and then stomach. Douglas doubled

over and stared at the ground and the feet of his attacker. Two feet with two

green toes. That was all he saw because his assailant tossed him head-first

into the nearest wall. He slumped to the ground gasping for air and fumbling

for something in his pocket.

Michaelangelo turned away from Douglas and approached Josi who was

laying half-conscious on the floor. He brushed back the hair from her face

and took note of the bruise on her head already beginning to form.

"Steven," she whispered faintly.

Mike turned to the little boy. Couldn't be more than four or five years old,

Mike thought kneeling next to him. He was very still, but breathing, so Mike

figured he must be unconscious. Blood ran from Steven's mouth and nose.

Mike found some napkins on the table and tried to clean up the boy as best he

could.

Movement from behind him caught Mike's attention. He spun just in time

to block a switchblade that Douglas had stabbed at him with.

"Who the hell are you, you fuckin' psycho?!" Douglas growled taking

another swipe at Michaelangelo.

Mike's blood boiled with rage. How dare this bastard call him a psycho

when he was the one who had been beating up his wife and kid?

"Your worst nightmare," Mike said drawing Raph's sai and ramming it into

the guy's stomach.

Michaelangelo stepped back as Douglas fell against him. He yanked the sai

free and let the guy fall to the floor. Mike could feel his heart pounding in his

ears as he realized what he had done. He heard screaming and saw Josi

crawling over to where her husband lay.

"My God!" she gasped. "What are you?! What have you done?!" She

rolled her husband over and saw the fatal wound to his stomach. Josi

screamed and screamed.

Mike covered his ears and ran from the apartment before someone called the

cops. He swore he still heard Josi's screaming as he stumbled through the

sewers. Somehow he reached the lair and practically fell to the floor upon

entering. Gasping he looked up and saw Splinter and his brother's standing

over him.

"Michaelangelo," Splinter said. "What have you done?"

Michaelangelo sat up in bed a scream catching in his throat. He fell back

onto the pillow, trying to catch his breath. Man, what a dream, he thought.

His gaze fell on the sai that he had snagged from Raphael earlier on. He

made a mental note to give it back to Raph first thing in the morning.