Ummm.........I can't say how sorry I was for not updating. My main computer shut down on me and I had to use my laptop. It let me on and review for stories, just not update any. (angrily shakes laptop) anyway, I want to thank TheIncredibleDancingBetty and Raph's No. 1 Girl for helping me with this chapter. Raph's No. 1 Girl helped me with grammer, ext... and TheIncredibleDancingBetty reviewed it for anything else. You both rock!

Also, big thanks to all my patient readers and a bigger thanks to the reviewers. You all made make my day with every review.

I'll try and update reguraly now.

BIG THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Mikey closed the lab door behind him as he knelt by his brother and wept..

He wept for what had happened and what shouldn't have.

He wept for the bruises his brother now bore because of them.

He wept for the countless times Raph felt alone, now and when he was younger.

He wept for the good times they had.

He wept for the days gone now.

He wept because he wanted his brother to try and understand.

He wept because he was sorry.

So sorry.

"Raph, I don't know if you can hear me." Mikey whispered as he dried his eyes with his forearm. "Splinter says you can and if you can, I just wanted you to know that we need you bro. I need you. Remember the time we were alone in the sewers…"


(FLASHBACK)

"Come on Mikey!" Raph shouted at his youngest brother as they ran through the empty sewer tunnels. The only sounds were the occasional drip and the sound of small splashes of water as the two small turtle tots ran through.

Raph was in front, holding a small toy in front of the orange-banded turtle..

"Come on Mikey," he taunted. He waved the toy just out of his reach. Even when they were young, Raph was still the biggest and by far the strongest. "Babies aren't allowed to play with the big kids."

"Give it back Raph!" Mikey cried as he tried to jump up. He hand sailed nearly three inches under the toy. He gathered all his strength and jumped, only to end up slipping as he landed.

"Oomph!" he grunted as he landed in the dirty sewer water. He tried to stand, but his foot slipped and he once again ended up the water.

"Baby." Raph narrowed his eyes. "Only babies cry."

Mikey sniffed. He didn't want to by a baby and he didn't want to cry. Why was Raph always so mean to him?

He tried once more to stand, but pain shot through his foot and he cried out as he hit the water.

Raph rolled his eyes. "Babies can't walk either." He looked at his brother, and felt no pity for him. He was such a baby. Father always treated him special just 'cause he was youngest. He cried every time things didn't go his way.

"Just stay there, baby." Raph said as he began to walk away.

"Wait Raphie!" Mikey shouted as he weakly tried to put weight on his foot. The ache hit again he fell again, this time face first.

Flailing, by the time his face came up from the water, Raph was gone.

"Raphie?" Mikey called out feebly.

Nothing.

"Raphie?" Mikey started to whimper. He was alone and he didn't know how to get back home. He had followed Raphie since they weren't
allowed to go this far into the sewers without Splinter. And he was hurt.

With a sniffle, he started to crawl the way he knew Raphie had gone. Maybe if he went fast enough, he could catch up and Raphie could help him home or get Splinter.

He started crying at the mention of Splinter. He wanted to go home and see Leo and Donny and Splinter. He didn't want to be stuck here.

Faint voices started echoing off the tunnels and Mikey felt a glimmer of hope. It was his daddy and brothers.

"Leo! Donny! I'm over here!" he shouted, hoping they heard him.

The voices stopped and Mikey was afraid they hadn't heard him.

"Daddy?" he called out again.

Shadows reached around the corners towards him and Mikey started to call out again when something hit him. Those weren't his brothers or his daddy. Those were humans.

"I swore I heard a voice over here." a gruff male voice insisted as he and his partner rounded the corner.

His partner rolled his eyes. "Whatever Tim. Let's find the 'kid' and get out of here. It's almost supper time."

Mikey started shaking as the voices got closer. Daddy had always said they shouldn't go near humans and to run and hide.

But there was nowhere to run or hide and he couldn't walk.

Tears started rolling down his face as the humans walked around the corner. He scrambled back as one of them pointed at him.

"What is that?" Tim gaped at the small, yet large turtle before him.

The other man shrugged, but his eyes sparkled dollar signs. "I'm thinking it's our ticket to the big game."

Tim nodded as eagerly. He started forward, hands outstretched as he prepared to grab the small turtle. Just as he was inches from the shell, another green blob hit him in the stomach.

"Leave my bro alone!" Raph hissed angrily as he stood protectively in front of Mikey, his fists clenched at his sides.

"Raphie!" Mikey hadn't heard the angry hiss from his older brother or the water splashes of his running.

Tim rubbed his stomach as he starred at the other turtle. This one was larger and definitely more vicious. Wait… did it just…talk?

Tim's partner ran forward, prepared to grab the other turtle. The weight-lifter of the two, he had no doubt he could handle the small turtle, no matter how fierce it seemed.

As he reached for the shell, the turtle did some kind of kick that hit the man right in that area. With a groan, he fell to the sewer floor, clutching the tender spot.

"Oooh." He moaned as he writhed in pain.

Tim had recovered long enough to grab the smaller of the two turtles.

"Raphie!" Mikey screamed as he was lifted up.

Raph turned to help when the man behind him had a sudden recovery and grabbed the turtle. The two men stood, holding the small, kicking and screaming turtles, in their hands.

"Let's go." Tim started walking when he heard a deep, low growl that couldn't be from anything small. With a gulp he turned.

"Daddy!" Mikey squealed at the sight of his father.

Splinter stood poised to leap, his muscles bunched beneath him. His tail was curved and his whiskers twitched. His ears were pinned to his neck fur and he exposed his fangs, growling. His neck fur was raised.

"Put my sons down." He hissed.

"Whoa!" Tim hurriedly dropped Mikey and began to back up, his hands held up. "Okay I dropped him." His eyes were as big as saucers.

Raph was dropped to the ground beside his brother a second later with a growl. Splinter started advancing on the humans, growling louder as he got closer. With each step he took forward, the humans took three back.

With a final snarl, the two men took off into the sewers, pushing and shoving to be first and away from the demons.

"Daddy." Mikey sniffed as he reached his arms out to be picked up.

Splinter obliged, snuggling his son in his warm fur. Mikey grabbed tightly, the fur curling between his tiny fingers. He closed his eyes and breathed in his fathers scent. He was safe.

"My son." Splinter cooed as he gently rocked the trembling child. "Can you tell me what happened?"

Blue eyes blinked at his father. Mikey didn't want to get Raphie in trouble, but Daddy asked. And when Daddy asked you told him the truth - the whole truth - or be ready to meet his walking stick.

"Raphie stole my toy," Mikey began softly, cringing when he head his brother growl softly. A look from Splinter quickly shut him up. "He told me only babies played with it and he was going to hide it in the sewer so a 'gator would come and swallow it up!"

His voice rose and panic clutched him at the thought of losing his precious toy.

"I tried to get it back but he ran away and I followed." He started crying again. "Then I fell and hurt my foot and Raphie left. Then those two bad men came and tried to take me and…" he didn't finish, just bawled into his father's robe.

"Shh, my little one." Splinter soothed as he held him tighter. "The bad men won't return and your toy is safe at home. When we get back to the lair, I will examine your foot." He gave his smallest one more hug before turning his gaze over to the red clad turtle.

Raph looked down under his father's stern stare. He nervously kicked at the water before looking back up. "Uh…sorry?"

'I'm afraid its going to take a little more than sorry for this one, my son." Splinter told him calmly. Raph wasn't dumb; he was dead.

Splinter rarely yelled at his sons, even when he was angry. When he was mad though, he got all calm and his eyes had a chilling, icy look to them. Raph got that look more than the others.

"Mikey!" Donny yelled out as soon as they entered the lair. He rushed to his brother and father, sliding to a stop when he saw tears. "Mikey, are you okay?" he asked worriedly.

Mikey bit his lip with a nod. By now his small foot was swollen very painfully to the small turtle.

"Leonardo," Splinter called to his eldest. "Please fetch me an icepack."

With a nod, the blue clad turtle sped out of the room. Splinter set Michelangelo on his chair before turning to the nervous hotheaded turtle.

"Raphael," Splinter motioned his son forward with an angry flick of his tail. "I can not tell you how disappointed I am in you today. Not only were you disrespectful to your brother and his possessions, but you went out of the lair and into the part of the sewers where you are forbidden to go."

Raph stared at his feet.

"You hurt your brother; not just mentally but physically as well. There was a reason I forbade you from going there and Michelangelo," he waved his hand in the crying turtle's direction. "Is living proof of my words. You're lucky it was only a sprain and nothing more."

Leo returned with the ice, starring at his youngest brother with worried eyes. He ignored Raph completely, giving Michelangelo his undivided attention.

"And what's worse, I almost lost both of you to humans." Splinter pinned his ears at the word. "If you had obeyed me, then you never would have gone there and Michelangelo would never have hurt his ankle."

"But if I hadn't been there, they would've taken him." Raph protested. "I protected him!"

"If you hadn't been there at all, there would have been no need for you to protect him." Splinter went on smoothly. He sighed, rubbing a hand down his face. "Can you not see how your one wrong action led to another?"

"I see it." Raph muttered, kicking a pebble with his foot.

"Good." Splinter nodded. "You are grounded for one week. I forbid you from leaving the lair at all and, except for meals and training, you are to stay in your room."

Raph opened his mouth to protest, but a stick slapped the floor and his arm, making everyone jump. "Yes master." He grumbled as he held his now sore limb.

"Very well." Splinter stepped back. "You are free to leave."

Raph gave a small growl and stormed past Mikey and the others. Stomping up the stairs, he opened and slammed his room shut with a loud snap.

Mikey jumped a second time.

"Now, let us see to that foot." Splinter knelt beside Michelangelo, gently grasping his injured foot. "It is just a sprain, my son." Splinter packed on more ice.

Mikey barely heard his sensei. All he could think about were Raph's last words.

"But if I hadn't been there, they would've taken him." Raph protested. "I protected him!"

Raph had protected him. He could've watched or been too scared to get involved. If Raph hadn't shown up when he did, they would've taken him.

"Father?" Mikey asked as he father sat down beside him. "Why can't we go into those sewers?"

Splinter sighed. "My son, danger lurks beneath, never above."

Mikey just nodded his head, not understanding what it meant. He yawned, feeling his eyelids grow heavy on him. He blinked rapidly before he felt a gentle hand on his shell, rubbing it in soothing circles.

"Rest now my son." Splinter said softly as his youngest eyes closed. He grabbed a blanket that had been draped over his chair and rested it on his son's still form.

Later that night, after everyone had gone to bed, Mikey snuck/hopped to Raph's room. He never went to bed this early, even though it was past eleven.

"Raph?" Mikey gently rapped his fist against the wood.

"What do ya want?" A rough Brooklyn accent spat from the other side. Whenever Raph was mad or frustrated, his Brooklyn accent kicked in high gear, making it more obvious than usual.

Mikey hesitated. "Thank you."

Mikey heard the furious beating of a punching bag from the other side stop suddenly. He heard footsteps coming towards the door and the soft click of the door being unlocked. A second later a pair of amber eyes surrounded by red greeted him.

"Whatca mean by dat?" Raph crossed his arms.

Mikey stepped forward, wanting to give his brother a hug, but foot forgotten, a serious pain flashed in his foot. He let out a muffled yelp and started to fall when he felt hands wrap around him from behind, supporting him.

"I gotcha Mike." Raph's gruff voice whispered in his ear. "I gotcha."

Mikey wanted to cry again, but Raph was already helping him. He'd laugh.

"It's 'K Mikey, ya can cry."

Mikey let loose, bawling silently on his brother's shoulder - crying tears of thanks.

That's how Splinter found the two that morning - curled up in Raph's bed, arms around each other. The tears from the night before stained his cheeks, but he was happy. Raph's face was still gruff, but signs of a smile traced his face.


"See Raph?" Mikey whispered. "We still need ya bro. Even though you were in trouble, you still found a way to make me feel better. If you hadn't come along when you did, I might not be here." He waited, hoping for some movement from the red clad turtle.

Nothing.