Here is another epilogue to another episode. I hope you enjoy, please read and review.

Usually Splinter is the one to dish out the lectures. But this time, the two middle brothers of the team decide to lecture Mikey and their fearless leader for sneaking into Shredder's lair. Stranger things have happened.

Mikey's POV

"..It was a good day after all" Leo said, turning towards me. It was so good to see him smile. I felt like him and I accomplished something today, together. We made a pretty good team in my opinion, even though I did get eaten by a Mega-Shredder.

"Let's go home" I said to him as I turned towards the Turtle Mech, looking at Donnie and then Raph. Both had a look on their face that said "we're going to have a long talk when we get home". I wasn't looking forward to it since I know that Splinter was going to probably ground us for all of eternity. I didn't want to hear a lecture from my two middle brothers. I sighed as the Turtle Mech turned around and headed back towards the sewers. At least the expression on Raph's face wasn't his famous, "I'm gonna kill you" look.

April and Casey started to head out after we were able to get the Turtle Mech back in to Donnie's lab. Casey waved to us as he went through the turn stiles while April gave both Leo and I a hug before she too left.

When the red head wrapped her arms around my shell and pulled me close, April whispered in my ear. "Glad you are okay, good luck Mikey" and then she was over the turnstiles, chasing after Casey.

I was suddenly face to face with not one but two angry brothers. Leo was on my right side and looked just as nervous as I did. Donatello was glaring daggers our way while Raphael had his arms crossed and I knew he was fuming.

I tried to break the awkward stares by cutting through the silence. Chuckling I finally said, "So, who's up for some…" but I was cut short by Raph.

"What was the big idea going after the brain worms by yourselves?" He said before grabbing my arm and pulling me towards him. I didn't try to get out of his grip as he came face to face with me.

"Ease up, Raph" I heard Leo say from behind us. "If you want to blame someone, blame me". I was surprised that he didn't say something smart back to him. All Leo got was a snort as he continued to stare into my eyes. I tried to look down so I didn't have to face him but he lifted the hand that wasn't holding my arm and grabbed my chin, locking our eyes once again.

"You could have been killed, Mikey. We almost lost you" Suddenly, anger filled his green eyes again and he pushed me off to the side, knocking me into Donnie. "And it would have been your fault, Leo.". Donnie pushed me off of him and joined in the conversation.

"And do you know how many people would have gotten killed thanks to you guys letting that three headed monster run lose on the streets" Donnie said.

"Mega Shredder" I mumbled as I looked at the floor.

"What did you say?" Donnie asked me, spitting venom in his words. I knew he was mad at Leo and I.

"The monster…I named him Mega Shredder" I said, raising my head to look up at him.

Raph snorted and snarled again. Donnie spoke again. "Yeah well, we knew that Leo was going to go after the brain worm but then you disappeared Mikey. Do you know how worried we were about you two?"

"We're sorry guys," Leo said. "Its my fault. I was the one who caused Bebop and Rocksteady to make that mutant monster. I was the one who put Mikey and the city at risk".

"Some leader you are," Raph spat. "What made you think that it was a good idea to let Mikey tag-a-long? The monster almost killed my baby brother"

"He's my baby brother too, Raph" Leo said becoming defensive. "Don't you think I wasn't feeling guilty when he…."

"All you were worried about was getting that stupid worm so we could rescue your precious girlfriend. Once again Lameonardo, you put your family on the back burner" Raph moved across the room and got up in Leo's face. He puffed his chest out a little bit and I could see his breathing becoming heavier. He was mad.

"I hate to say it, but Raph's right Leo" oh no, Donnie agrees. This could get ugly.

"You're wrong Raph. I did everything that I could to try and protect Mikey. I would never put him in harm's way on purpose" Leo said, surprisingly calm.

"Yeah well, after seeing Mikey fly out of that monster shows how well you did with that job. Congratulations Leo, you get the worst brother of the year award" Raph inched closer to Leo's face and I was starting to feel uneasy about the situation. I had to get in the middle of this or Raph was going to kick Leo's butt.

"And what if you guys got mutated back in Shredder's lair? I don't have enough retro-mutagen to turn you back. You never think about what I have to go through on the account of your actions" Donnie said. "This has to have been the stupidest thing that you guys have ever done. And that's saying something for Mikey"

Okay that's it. I'm tired of them blaming Leo for all of this. I am also tired of them taking stabs at my intelligence. Who does Donnie think he is? "ENOUGH!" I yelled as loud as I could. Suddenly all eyes were on me and I froze. I could feel Raph and Donnie glaring at me but I couldn't back down now. I wasn't going to let them gang up on Leo like that.

"It was my fault that I got eaten by that Mega Shredder. I wasn't fast enough, I was too distracted" I said quickly, trying to advert the attention away from Leo. "I also chose to follow Leo, because unlike you guys, I actually care about him. I didn't want him going alone." Whoa, did I just say that.

"Don't accuse us of not caring, Mikey" Donnie retaliated.

"Well, you have a weird way of showing it. You guys parked your lazy butts in front of the couch while I was out following Leo." And then I said something that I probably shouldn't have. I know that deep down, my brother's care for me but I was so upset that they were mad and taking this out on Leo. "You were probably happy that the monster ate me anyway. The way you treat me all the time, you were probably glad that I would be out of your hair"

"We don't have hair, doofus" Donnie replied.

I could hear Raph growling as he approached me. Once his large frame toward over my small one, I glared in his direction and said, "What are you going to do, hit me? Because that's what you do every single time I do something stupid".

I struck a nerve with him because Raph's eyes went wide and slowly he backed away from me.

"Hajime" I heard out from the corner of the workshop. I turned to see our father standing there with a disapproving look on his face. "Raphael, you will not hit your brother."

"Hai Sensei," I heard him say from behind me.

"Leonardo," he said as he approached my blue clad brother. "You deliberately disobeyed my orders to stay away from Shredder's hide-out"

"I'm sorry, Sensei" I don't think I have ever seen him look so defeated.

"You are grounded. Three sets of katas in the dojo. NOW" he raised his voice in order to get the point across. Leo headed towards the dojo without looking back.

"Michelangelo" uh oh, here it comes. I know that I will probably get the same punishment as my brother. "Even though your actions were noble, you disobeyed my orders as well. You also had your brothers and I worried when you disappeared suddenly."

"pfft, could have fooled me," I said glaring at Donnie.

"Come again?" Splinter asked.

"Nothing, Sensei. Just forget it." I sighed in defeat.

"You will sit up in your room and think about what your actions have caused."

"Hai, Sensei" I said pushing past Donnie and headed towards the door.

"Michelangelo" I heard Splinter call to me.

"Yes, sensei" I said without turning around.

"I'm glad that you are safe, my son" I never acknowledged him as I continued on towards my room. I shut the door and locked it behind me before bouncing onto my messy, unmade bed. I buried my face in my pillow as I felt tears leaking down my cheeks.

I sat up in my bed to look at the clock. When it flashed back that it was 10:18 pm, I groaned. I must have fallen asleep after Splinter sent me up here. I sat quietly for a second, trying to listen to see if there was movement coming from the opposite side of my door. My stomach was angry because we missed dinner and I didn't want to chance running into any of my brothers while raiding the fridge.

When there was no sounds of life coming from the other side, I got up and stretched out my sore muscles before unlocking the door. I cracked it open just slightly so I could peek out to make sure everyone was either in bed or far away from where I was traveling.

When the coast was clear, I scurried down to the kitchen to see if I could find any left overs from dinner. I opened up the freezer door first to check up on ICK. When the light in the ice box came on, she sat up and I swore she smiled at me as soon as she saw me. Kitty let out a small meow as I reached in to scratch her chin. Small purring coming from her "motor" as I like to call it, could be heard as I moved to scratch behind her ears.

"I messed up big today, Kitty" I told her. She continued to purr as I moved in to give her a lick just above her nose. The Neapolitan ice cream was cold as it slid down my throat and reached my stomach, reminding me why I came in the kitchen in the first place. I had to hurry up if I wanted to make sure I wasn't seen by anyone.

I closed the freezer door and opened up the fridge. By the looks of it, someone left me a plate of pizza and as my stomach churred and growled as if sensing food, I silently thanked them even though I was still upset over the situation.

I quickly devoured three slices of pepperoni goodness before heading back towards my room. There was no lights in the living room and no sounds coming from the dojo. I took my time going back up the steps since no one was up and moving around.

My door opened with a creaking sound and I slipped inside as quick as I could, afraid the sound would alert someone that I was awake. Closing the door behind me, I hit the lock again to protect me from any intruders.

As I made my way back over to my bed, I could faintly make out two very large shadows. I had a pretty good idea what they were and I decided to let them know that I knew they were there. Stupid ninjas.

"What do you guys want?" I said coldly, stopping any more advancement towards my bed.

"We just want to talk, Mikey" Donatello.

"Well I don't have much to say" I stated, "Now, please get out". My tone came off harsh even though I tried to sound some what polite.

"No, we're not leaving" Raphael. "Not until you listen to what we have to say"

"Mikey, we're sorry we got mad you and Leo. We didn't mean to come off the way we did. We just, were so scared and worried because that thing swallowed you up whole. If it wasn't for your quick thinking, we…um…" Donnie stopped briefly before continuing. "I don't even want to think about what would have happened…"

My gaze on them lessened even though I knew they couldn't really see my face at the moment. I know we care about one another and there was no doubt in my mind that they didn't care about me, but the apology just didn't make me feel any better.

"That's fine Donnie, I understand. Now can you guys leave now?" I said.

"We're not finished yet," Raph said as he got up off my bed. I could hear footsteps coming towards me. Suddenly, I felt hands grab ahold of my right arm and pull me towards the bed. I didn't fight it as I plopped down in between my two brothers. Obviously they weren't going to leave any time soon and I was just too emotionally tired to fight back. "Mikey, do you have any idea how I felt when we found out you disappeared? We didn't know where you were and when that monster went parading through the city, I was afraid I would never see you again."

"I didn't mean to scare you guys. To be honest, I was scared out of my shell when that thing ate me. It's stomach was made of mutagen and all I could think of was what kind of thing I was going to get mutated into."

"But you fought your way out, Mikey. And you defeated it when you cut off it's tongue. What you did was smart and tactful. I don't even think I could have made it out on my own like you did" I felt Donnie shift and put his arm around my shoulders. A thought struck me as he pulled me closer to him.

"You're trying to butter me up and avoid the real reason why we had a fight earlier" I said, shaking him off of me. "You were blaming Leo for everything that happened. It wasn't his fault, I was the one that chose to follow him. The guy blames himself enough anyway. You made him feel ten times worse when you really didn't need to"

I heard Raph sigh on the other side of me. "You're right Mikey, and we were wrong to blame Leo. I guess I was mad at myself"

"Huh?" I asked as I turned towards his direction.

"I was mad at myself for getting hurt. I couldn't go out with Leo to begin with and when I saw that thing on the t.v. I knew I couldn't just go out there and protect you. I could barely move three steps with out falling over because of my ankle."

"And that's why we took the Turtle Mech because I knew Raph wanted to come with us to save you but couldn't move because of his injury" Donnie chimed in.

"I was angry at myself and I took it out on you and Leo. I'm sorry, bro" Raph said.

"Besides, you should have seen Raph, he was so hell bent on protecting you guys that he was ready to crawl out on his hands and knees and take that thing on if he had to" Donnie half laughed at his own statement.

I sat for a minute taking in everything that they told me. If you knew me, you would know that I don't stay mad at anyone for long. The only time I ever held a grudge was when Bradford took advantage of our friendship to try and get to Master Splinter. I smiled as an image of Raphie crawling on his hands and knees, on a war path entered my mind.

I guess they couldn't see me smiling because the awkward silence eventually made them feel uncomfortable. I could tell by the way Raph shifted nervously on my left side while Donnie started to twiddle his thumbs, a habit he would do when he got nervous.

"Hey, uh, Mikey" Raph said trying to break the silence. "You know I would be devastated, right?"

"What do you mean?" I asked curiously, not understanding what he was talking about.

"If something were to happen to you" oh, that! "I would be so hurt if we lost you, bro. You do know that, right?" I didn't answer him, not because I was trying to be mean but because I have never seen this side of Raph before.

"We get mad at you sometimes Mikey, but don't forget that we love you." Donnie said as he placed his arms around my shoulders again. This time I welcomed it as he pulled me in for a half hug.

"I love you too, Donnie" I said as I rested my head underneath his and nuzzled his neck.

A moment later, I could sense tension and uneasiness fill the room. I sat up, breaking Donnie's hold on me and looked towards Raph's direction. If the lights were on and I could see Raph, I would bet ICK and five pepperoni pizza's that he would look like a kicked puppy right now.

"I don't have to worry about anything happening to me," I said breaking the silence. "Because I know that no matter what, you'll always be there to protect me, Raphie. There is never a doubt in my mind that you wouldn't do what you could to make sure I'm safe".

I about knocked him over when I latched my arms around him and pulled him close into a hug. I felt his arms move around me to reciprocate as he buried his head in my shoulder. I felt Donnie wrap himself around the both of us as we just sat there enjoying the brotherly moment. A thought struck me as I held onto my two brothers.

"Did you guys talk to Leo. You know he is probably still brooding about what happened" I said softly.

"Raph talked to Leo earlier while you were sleeping and apologized. And don't worry, Raph didn't have to knock any sense into him to make him listen." Donnie said.

"Where is he now" I said as the hug let up and we all sat back up in the bed, still sitting side by side.

"He's sleeping, I guess fighting that monster took a lot out of him just like you" Donnie said as he got up and headed towards the door. Stretching out his muscles, he looked back towards us, announcing that he was headed to bed too. Some light snuck its way into my room as he opened the door, chasing away some of the darkness.

I took the opportunity to study Raph's face. His red mask looked damp and stained with tears. Was he crying? Why would he be crying?

"You okay, Raphie?" I said as Donnie left, leaving the door open slightly.

"I'm okay," he said, sniffling.

I smiled, not wanting to press the issue further. I know damn well why he was all upset. Master Splinter always said actions speak louder than words, and in a weird way, I knew at that moment that Raphie really did worry about me. I must have really scared him today to make him get all emotional.

"You know, that monster's stomach was really scary. I am afraid that I will have nightmares for weeks after that encounter. There was worms floating around in his mutagen stomach and one of them grabbed me" I stated out loud. "I can still feel his slimy body around me" I shivered slightly when the thought crossed my mind.

I felt arms wrap around me to stop me from shaking. I looked up to see Raph's smiling face. "Well if you're going to have a nightmare, I guess it would be wise for me to stay here for the night".

"Aw, you're going to protect me from bad dreams?" I said.

"That's not the reason at all" my grin fell from my face when he said that. "If you have a nightmare, that means that you will be coming into my room at weird hours of the night and I'm really tired. If I sleep here, then that means I will most likely get a full nights sleep". What a liar, he's just saying that because he doesn't want me to know that he's a big softie.

I moved to the head of the bed and laid down, scooting over for the big lug. He climbed in next to me, both of us laid on our backs staring up at the ceiling. I decided to move his left arm up and out of the way so I could scoot in closer to him. When I knew he wasn't going to pull away, I laid my head on his chest and closed my eyes.

"Raph?" I said

"hmmm?" he said sleepily as he moved his fingers up and down my shell in a circular motion.

"I am really sorry for scaring you today. Thank you for coming after us and thanks for being my brother"

I heard him snort a little and mutter the words "Dork" under his breath. I didn't think nothing of it because in reality, if he didn't react that way, I would have been convinced that a brain worm got ahold of him.

As I started to fall asleep I heard Raph say something so soft that I would have missed it had I not been laying on his chest. "I'll always protect you Mikey, and I will always love you".

I smiled knowing that I was going to have good dreams tonight.

AND DONE….thanks for reading!