Don yawned and sat up, rubbing his eyes. His room was pitch black. He jerked up, not wanting to be dreaming again. Franticly, he looked around. Finally, he saw a dim light from under his door and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hey Don? You awake?" Mikey asked, peeking his head in. Don pulled his feet over the side of his bed.

"Almost." Don said. Mikey opened the door and walked in, sitting next to Don. The orange mask was wrapped around his teddy bear, "What do you need?"

"Did Leo mean it when he said that Daddy might come back." Mikey asked, staring at the ground. Don put a hand on his little brother's shell.

"Well, anything can happen." Don said. Mikey snifled, a single tear falling to the ground, "Why were you thinking about that?" Don asked, looking at his digital clock he repaired. It was almost three in the morning.

"I-I couldn't sleep. Not after seeing you have your nightmare." Mikey said, fluffing his teddy's fur. Don looked at his brother, "I can't sleep after seeing any of my big brothers cry."

"You shouldn't be thinking about that." Don said. Mikey looked up at Don.

"What else is there to think about?" Mikey asked, standing. His eyes go teary again, "I mean, we don't have a dad anymore! We- we're only ten! We don't know how to cook, or clean, or do anything else Splinter did for us! I don't want to grow up!" Mikey fell to his knees, "Not yet!" His shoulders shook as he cried. Don snifled. He stood, grabbing a sobbing Mikey on the way.

"Where are we going?" Mikey asked as Don let go of him.

"Leo's room." Don answered, wiping his eyes on his arm. As they passed Raph's room, Raph came out.

"What are you doing out?" Mikey asked Raph. Raph stopped.

"Uh. Er. Well," He said, looking for a tough answer. He sighed, "I couldn't sleep. I was going to Leo's room." Raph finally said, his head low. Don and Mikey stared at him in disbelief.

"Well, let's go then." Don said, leading the way again. The three little brothers peeked their head inside their big brother's room.

"L-leo?" Mikey asked softly. Leo sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"Yeah Mikey?" He asked. Then, he saw Don and Raph, "And Don and Raph."

"None of us could sleep." Raph said. Leo looked at all his little brothers. They all stared at him with wide eyes.

"Come on then," Leo said, patting his bed. They came int he bed and piled in. It was a good thing that Leo had a big bed.

"Thanks Leo." Don said, snuggling under the covers.

"Thank you!" Mikey said, hugging his bear.

"Yeah. Uh thanks." Raph quickly said, turning over to face the wall.

"You're welcome." Leo said, shutting his eyes.

There was a sudden bang. Leo snapped awake, jerking up. His brothers were gone.

"Mikey? Don? Raph?" He asked, tying his mask on and walking out of his room. There was another bang. Leo strarted to run to the sound. It came from the kitchen. He rushed in,, hoping that none of his brothers were hurt.

"Oh, hi Leo." Mikey said, sitting on the floor with flour all over him. He sneezed, blowing flour everywhere and making a cloud of dust. Leo looked around the room. Eggs were broken on the counter. Flour covered most of the floor and all of the counter. Pots and pans were scattered everywhere and some of the cabnits were open. The stove was on, a pan on top of it.

"Mikey!" Leo yelled looking around, "What. Happened in here?" Mikey looked around and stood up.

"Uh, well, me and Don woke up early and couldn't go back to sleep so we came in here to make breakfast.

"Where's Don then?" Leo asked, looking at the mess. Mikey shrugged.

"Look!" Mikey said, holding up a black crumbly pancake, "I made it myself!" He smiled, proud of his pancake. Leo held his nose and weakly smiled.

"Good job Mikey." Leo said, trying to sound proud. Mikey sat the pancake down and stared at it, wiping flour from his face.

"You don't like it do you?" He asked, a smile still stuck on his face. Leo slowly shook his head, "Good, 'cause I don't either." Mikey picked up the plate and dumped the pancake in the trash.

"At least you tried." Leo said, patting Mikey on the shell. Don began to enter. He saw Leo and started to back away, "Don?"

"Darn it." Don said, entering. He held a giant cook book in front of him.

"How much trouble are we in?" Don asked plainly.

"You aren't in any trouble. Just help me clean." Leo said, going to bet a mop.

"That's worse!" Mikey said.

"Mikey, go shower. You smell and look like a burt ghost." Leo noted. Don hed his nose and stepped away. Mikey sighed and started to leave.

"No, THIS is worse!" He said, disapearing to the shower. Don smiled. Leo anded Don a mop and they got to work.

"How does he do that?" Don asked Leo. Leo looked at him.

"What?" Leo asked, not understanding.

"Make you smile in times of doubt." Don answered with a toothy smile.

"You look weird without a front tooth." Leo pointed out. Don ran his tounge along the space.

"Yeah. I don't think that I'll ever get used to this." Don said. Leo dumped his mop in the dirty water. Raph entered the room.

"Raph?" Leo asked, seeing something in his hands, "What's in your hands?" Raph stared at him with wide eyes.

"N-nothing." Raph said, stepping away from the doorway.

"Raphael." Leo ordered, giving Raph 'the stare'. Raph sighed and pulled what was behind him in fron to him.

"First of all, don't call me that. Second of all, I made pancakes." Raph said, holding a plate of around ten pancakes on it. He sat it on the table.

"Wow Raph. They're actually pancakes. That are golden, not black." Leo said, inspecting them. Don pulled two on a plate of his own and poked them with his fork.

"What did you do to them?" Don asked, glaring at Raph.

"I didn't do nothin' to them!" Raph said, crossing his arms, "I make something and you guys assume that I did somthing to them?" He asked. Don looked at him with a raised eyebrow ridge. Raph sighed, "Fine. Don't eat. That's okay with me." He said, throwing his hands in the air. Don slowly cut a peice off and ate it.

"It's actually pretty good." Don said, smiling. Raph sat down.

"Do NOT tell Mikey that I made this. Okay?" Raph said.

"Why?" Both Leo and Don asked.

"He'll make fun of me for it. He always does." Raph said, rubbing his head. Leo rose his eyebrow ridges.

"He makes fun of you? I thought it was just joking around." Leo said, taking another bite of his pancakes.

"Yeah. I thought you guys knew." Raph said.

"I thought it was just a joke." Don said, Leo nodded.

"Well, since you guys are clueless and we don't have Splinter no more, I might as well be straight. Late at night, when you guys were alseep, I had talks with Dad. Mikey really hurt my feelings. I-I, I, well cried about it. Dad was my only safe haven. He told me it was okay, and it was. I don't know what I'll do now since he's gone." Raph said, staring at the still flour-covered table. Don and Leo exchanged glances.

"Wait. What?" Don asked, very confused right now.

"Go ahead. Make fun of me. The tough guy gone soft." Raph said, putting his head down.

"We'd never-" Leo began.

"Raph." Mikey said, standing in the doorway, "I had no clue." Raph looked over his shoulder at Mikey.

"Great. Everything is just so great." Raph said sarcasticly, his head in his hands.

"I'm sorry." Mikey said, water dripping off him. Raph looked at his brother.

"Th-thanks Mikey." Raph slowly said. Mikey ran over and hugged his brother, "Okay Mikey. I get it, you're sorry. Okay Mikey, I can't breath!" Raph said, trying to squeez out of his little brother's hug. Leo and Don smiled.

"Hey Mikey and Raph," Don said, standing up with Leo.

"What?" They both asked. Leo and don smiled.

"We had to clean the floor, you do everything else!" Leo yelled, running away. Don salutted them.

"Good luck." He said, catching up with Leo.

"Wait!" Mikey said.

"Come on Mikey. Let's get to work." Raph said . Mikey sighed and picked up a washcloth.

I hope you liked this chapter. It was more focused on brotherly bonding. Please review.

Peace.