Disclaimer: I am not a crook. (Gives double peace signs) I did not steal TMNT. Plus I would like to take this time to thank everyone for you encouraging reviews.
Warning: Do to the disturbed mind of this writer, things may not be exactly as one would think or want. Also this chapter is longer than others are. Suggestions: Low expectations, open minds, and plenty of time…maybe something to snack on and/or drink would be a good idea too. (You have been advised.)
It Always Starts With a Dream
For the longest time, Michelangelo was caught in Delta sleep. (The phase where you are asleep, but you think you are awake.) While in that phase, he started to get annoyed with the paper on his face. But for some strange reason, he was having trouble knocking it off. Course he did get to the point where he dreamt of being able to move an arm and removes the poster. After taking the same paper off his face for the tenth time, Mike finally hit REM sleep with a drifting thought on his mind. 'Shellington is a runt. Please handle him with care cause he tends to get sick.'
Dream SequenceMichelangelo was standing in front of a rich looking house that couldn't have more than maybe half a dozen rooms. He feels something on the back of his shell, ushering him into the house and pushing him towards a door with a wooden sign. The words, 'Jeffery's Room' was burnt onto it; along its boarder was a train. The black engine was at the top middle, multiple color cars wrap around, and at the end was a red caboose that was in front the engine.
The door opens to reveal a familiar looking room; opposite the door was a large walk-in closet. To the right of the door was a large window revealing a spacious backyard. Below the window was a bed with a cream color comforter; a well loved bear in a faded blue coat and crumpled yellow rain hat rest against the lumps where the pillows are. Across from the bed was a large bookshelf full of every comic, educational, fiction, non-fiction, and fantasy book an eleven-year-old could have. Posters of famous sports players, movie stars, and music bands of ever kind line the free spaces of walls and all over the ceiling. Any wall space that could be seen between the posters or objects reveals that they were off-white.
As Michelangelo gazes about the room, recognizing every piece of it, a boy of eleven years enters. Somewhat tall for his age, he was dress in a private school uniform. The jacket was blue with silver cufflinks, the tie was a black clip on, the gray shorts come to just above his knees, the socks that come up to his calves and shirt were white. His skin was a fair light color and his body lean, not too much fat or too much muscle. The boy's head was a little more oval than round. The eyes were hazel, lips pink, small pug like nose, his hair light brown and bowel cut.
Michelangelo looked at the young boy, blinked a couple of times, and crossed his arms. He cocked his head to one side while continuing to look at the human who stood in the doorway. "Jeffery…" The young turtle breathed.
Cradled with care in the arms of Jeffery was a shoebox for men's boots. He rushed over to the side of the bed, slowly lowers to his knees, and gently sets the box down on the floor. After taking the lid off, he peered into the box. "Oh-no." The boy sighed. "He was on top of all of you, how did he get on the bottom between here and Henry's place?" He asked whatever was in the box.
"Eh?" Michelangelo walked up behind the young boy and looks over his shoulder. In the shoebox were three baby turtles. 'Three?'
"Don't worry, I'll get you out." Jeffery reached into the box with two hands and pulls out a turtle (holding them upside down) in each one. "I guess I should give you all names while I'm at it, huh?" He asked, looking from one turtle to the other. The young boy brought both hands up to eye level and twists them around to have a good look at them.
When he stopped, the turtle in his right hand moves its head around like it was observe things before focusing on Jeffery and twists it in order to study the young boy with great interest. "I think I'll call you…Shellock, cause you like to observe things like a detective." He placed both turtles on the bed, reached into the draw of a nightstand he had next to his bed and pulled out a little detective hat with an elastic band. Carefully he put the hat on Shellock. "I really don't know what happen to the action figure that use to have this, but you can have it." The young baby turtle shook his head, trying to get it off.
"Now you…" Jeffery looked at the baby turtle on his left. That turtle stood tall with the look of 'do your worse, I can take it'. "You look kind of regal, so I'll name you Shellot." He explained as he reached into the open drawer of the nightstand. "Seeing as you and Shellock are twins, you should really have similar names." The boy pulled out a mini plastic sword and a rubber band. "I knight you, Sir Shellot." He laughed as he touched one shoulder of the baby turtle with the sword and then the other. Afterwards, he strapped the sword to the shell of Shellot.
'So if that's Leo, that's Donnie…' Michelangelo thinks, 'and Raph is in the box, where am I?" He went to look in the box once more, but the back of the young boy blocks the view as he reached into the box with his right hand.
"Ow!" Jeffery suddenly yanked his hand back with a baby turtle attached to the piece of skin between the index finger and thumb. "Get off, get off, get off." The young boy cried as he shook his hand. "Let go now!" Jeffery grunted while he pulled the baby turtle off his hand. He held the little biter at a distance away in his left hand and studies the turtle for the proper name. With all its strength, the little aggressor first tried to reach his neck out as far as he could in the attempts to try and bite Jeffery's nose. When that proved to be impossible, the little biter tried to twist his neck around to bite the hand that held him. "Unrelenting aren't you?" The young boy asked. "Then I'll name you Shellinator." He placed the little turtle on the bed next to his brothers and Shellinator began to take snips a Shellot.
At first Shellot just turn his head up in order to waddle away, but when Shellinator managed to bite him on little tail he turned around and snaps at his attacker. From that point the two baby turtles threw attempted bites at each other.
Michelangelo shook his head. "Even as babies, Raph and Leo never got along."
Jeffery carefully picked up Shellinator, making sure none of his fingers was in reach of the little turtle's mouth. "Ok you two, that's enough." He placed the aggressive turtle on the nightstand. "That ought to keep you out of trouble." Jeffery scolded as he reaches into the draw once more and pulls out a little wrestling mask. "This should keep you from biting me and your brothers." He said as he puts the mask on Shellinator.
"Oh that's really going to piss him off." Michelangelo laughed as he watched Shellinator use both his front feet to try and pull the mask off.
Jeffery reached into the drawer once more and pulls out a pair of white silk dress gloves. "Are you alright?" He asked while reaching into the box and lifts out a rather small, shaking, sickly looking baby turtle in the palms of his hands. The young boy twisted his hands about to look the small turtle over. "I don't see any injury." He gave a sigh of relief.
'So there bwere/b four turtles in that box.' Michelangelo thought as he got down on his knees next to Jeffery. "And that's me." He put his hands on his knees and leans forward to look down over the young boy's shoulder at the fragile turtle. "But I'm small."
"Got to be careful." Jeffery told himself as he rose slowly to his feet. "Careful."
Michelangelo watched as the young boy went to the end of his bed and climbs onto it. Slowly Jeffery laid himself out on the bed, careful not to drop the turtle carries in his hands or knock over the ones already on the bed. Cautiously, the young boy gently cradled the small turtle in the arms of the teddy bear in front of him.
"I'll name you Shellington." Jeffery said as he slowly withdrew his hands. "After my favorite bear. It's a little childish to still have it, I know. But I love my bear and I'm going to love you guys just as much." The young boy explained while looking from one turtle to another before placing his elbows on the bed; he put his head in his hands to admire the one in front of him.
The small turtle seem to stop shaking once it nestled down into the arms of the bear. "I don't care what the pet shop owner says, you are going to live and be as strong as your brothers…maybe even stronger. I'll see to that, I promise." Jeffery pledged.
"Jeffery?" A woman's voice faintly called out. "Jeffery are you in your room?" Footsteps were heard coming towards the door.
"Yes mother." Jeffery yelled. "Oh man…" He whispered as he quickly, yet carefully, scurries off the bed. "If she finds you guys before…"
For some reason, Michelangelo jumped back as the young boy rushed to the side of the bed and picks up the shoebox from the floor. "Sorry guys, but I gotta put you back." He scooped the two turtles from the bed and places them into the box. "But don't worry. I'll let you back out when mom leaves." Jeffery told them while he grabbed Shellinator (who had finally chewed his way through the mask) and places him in the box. "Don't you fight with Shellot, you hear me?" The young boy ordered before going to collect Shellington, but stops in mid reach when the little turtle began to shake again. "I can't put you back in the box." He said half to himself and half to Shellington. "You're brothers will just climb all over you again. Or worse, Shellinator will…" Using his teeth, Jeffery pulled the silk glove off his right hand and then takes it from his mouth. Lightly the young boy put the glove over Shellington; the young turtle either did not care that the glove is on him or was too tired and weak to do anything about it. "That should work." He said as he tuck the shoebox under his bed.
Jeffery straightened up just as a woman in her mid thirties appeared at the door. She had lightly tanned skin, was tall and slender. The woman had reddish brown hair that went down to the middle of her back. Her head was oval, eyes were brown, lips wore dark red lipstick, and she had a long slender nose. She wore a light blue silk blouse, black dress pants, and white socks. "Who are you talking to?" His mother asked while looking around the room.
"Nobody." Jeffery said innocently. "Um…what do you want?"
The woman walked into the room and goes in his closet. "I came to help you pick out what to wear to your father's business dinner tonight."
"Not another one." Jeffery groaned. "I'm so sick of those."
"Now don't be like that." His mother said while she shifted through his clothes. "This dinner is very important to him."
"When isn't a business dinner important?" Jeffery asked rhetorically. "Merger dinners, stock holder dinners, political dinners..." His voice trailed off when his mother popped her head out from his closet to give him an extremely stern look. "size9Not fair./size" He mumbled under his breath.
Know exactly what he said, his mother replied, "I don't care if it's fair or not, we are obligated to be there and display what the model family is. It's what brings in good business." She pulled her head back into the closet. "A dysfunctional family will cause people to question trust and trust is what needed to build good business relations."
"You mean pretend to be what the model family is." Jeffery snorted.
"And just what is that suppose to mean young man?" His mother asked sternly.
"We are so far from being the 'model family'." Jeffery replied sarcastically. "Dad works all the time, making you sad most of the time, and on top of all that I can't seem to live up to you guys want from me."
His mother came out of the closet carrying a navy blue suit, off-white shirt, and red tie. "Must you exaggerate on everything Jeffery?" She asked rhetorically as she handed the clothes to him and ushers him out the door.
"Where are we going?" Jeffery questioned while trying to look behind him at his mother. "You picked my clothes."
"Because I don't know if they still fit or not." His mother told him as she continued to push him out of the room. "So I need you to put it on and have our tailor look at it for any adjustments."
"But…but…" Jeffery protested as he is rounding the door jam. His voice became faint while he is being move further and further away from his room. Suddenly there was a loud shout, "Wait!"
"Now what?" The quiet voice of his mother asked in annoyance.
"I have to…put something away." There is the sound of running feet coming to and past the bedroom door. After a few minutes, the sound of running feet and something dragging are heard as Jeffery comes rushing into his room. A large Lego castle on a piece of cardboard was being pulled behind him by a long piece of yarn.
"Weren't you supposed to have take that to school for some school project?" His mother yelled. "You made a big deal about having to stay up so late to build that thing?"
"That's later mother." Jeffery yelled back. He pull the castle up to the bed, gets down on his knees and brings the shoe box back out. "This ought to be better than the shoe box. At least till I get you guys something better." The young boy emptied the baby turtles into Lego building. "I'll have to get you food and water later, when mom isn't making me so busy." Jeffery got back to his feet and lifts the silk glove to check on Shellington. "I think you'll stay put, won't you?" He tucked the glove around the small little turtle. "See you guys later." The young boy said closing the door and leaving his room again.
Michelangelo waits a couple of minutes to see if anyone else would enter the room. Why he did this, knowing it was just a dream, he did not know. When he thinks the coast is clear, he moves his way over to the bed to have another look a his former self. '…' Mike reaches a cautious hand out and touches the fragile baby turtle. A tingling sensation is felt all over his body, causing him to close his eyes. When he opens them he found he was no longer seeing his past self, but he did see the bear; in fact he was laying on it.
'I am me again.' He thought as he realized that his body felt weak and tired. 'I mean I am what I was before the ooze…but why?' Too tired to really think any further, Mike closes his eyes again and goes to sleep.
When he opens his eyes, Michelangelo finds himself in the silk glove hands of Jeffery and they seem to be move slowly down a hallway.
"I really hate to do this." Jeffery told him. "But I'd don't know what else to do. I've read all the books on how to care for turtles." They came to two large oak wood doors. Jeffery held Mike to his chest in his right hand so that he could open one of the doors with his left.
The room they enter was a rather large office; the walls lined with shelves that reached the ceiling. The shelves on the right side of the wall going left are all full of books. In the shelf area to the immediate right of the door was a stereo with a record player on top; two shelves from the floor. On the lower two shelves, the rest of the open shelf space going up to the ceiling, and the shelf to the immediate left of the door were full of records. There was every piece of classical music made by every kind of composer known and music from the fifties, sixties, and seventies. Opposite the door was a large desk with many piles of papers.
A man in his late thirties was shifting through those papers sitting behind the desk. He had pale white skin and was tall, but a bit on the chunky side. It wasn't that he was fat, more like he didn't get out to exercise much. The man had blonde hair that was cut real short. His head was round, eyes were green, lips were almost as white as his skin, and he had a small pudgy nose. He wore a yellow colored polo shirt, coffee colored slacks, and black sock in leather slip-on slippers.
Timidly Jeffery went into the room and quietly closes the door. The man must not have notices the young boy entrance, because he made no movement of acknowledgement. "Dad…" The young boy whispered.
"What is it?" His father grunted.
"I need your help." Jeffery answered.
"I'm a busy man, I can't be bother unless it is necessary." His father told him.
"It's a life or death situation." Jeffery replied.
The man dropped the papers he held. "What is it?" He asked while jumping up from his chair.
"It's…" Jeffery held the little turtle he had up for his father to see. Michelangelo could see an angry glare come on to the man's face.
"What is this?" Jeffery's fathers growled. "You come in and interrupt my important work over nothing."
"It isn't nothing." Jeffery shouted. "He and his brothers are my new best friends."
"Does your mother know you have this creatures in the house?" The father asked.
Jeffery gulped. "N…no."
"So you thought that you would come and ask me if you could keep them, knowing full well how your mother feels about animals." His father said heatedly. "Do you like pitting us against each other? Do you like watching us fight over the most trivial matter?" He yelled in a rhetorical way.
"Henry was going to kill them." Jeffery cried; tears started to run down his face. "One…one of his two turtles got pregnant. She laid so many eggs that Henry couldn't keep them all and so his parents told him that he had to find homes for them all within a week or they would get rid of all his turtles." A little snot started to come out of his nose, so Jeffery inhaled deeply to bring it back in. "Hen…Henry managed to give some away and the rest he took down to the pet store. But the storekeeper said that turtles' aren't really big seller this year and that he didn't have enough room or food to feed them all. So the store guy took all but four turtles and Henry couldn't take them back home cause his week was almost up, so he was going to throw them in the trash. But I couldn't let him do that, cause it's not their fault they were born in such a large group. So I took them from Henry and kept them in my room." The more upset Jeffery got, the harder he began to breathe. "So…so I've been caring for them all week, but Shellington isn't getting any better and I don't know what to do. And I thought that if I came to you, you might know what to do." He held the little turtle up even higher for his father to see. "You got to help me dad. I promised Shellington I wasn't going to let him die, he's my favorite."
His father was stunned and so was Mike. From the way his brothers talked about Jeffery, he figured the young boy to be this horrible person who tormented and mistreated them. Instead he turned out to be some kid with a big heart and very little knowledge on how to treat turtles.
At first, Jeffery's father didn't know what to say. "…" It was obvious his child cared deeply for the turtle. But did he really want to waste precious business time on such an insignificant creature, especially one that looked like was only matter of time before it would die. Course if he did not help his son, it would lead to having to deal with him at later time when the creature finally did die.
"Alright." The father said soothingly. "We'll just have to take him to vet and see what they can do for it."
"Ok." Jeffery sniffed. "I'll go get his brothers." Mike felt himself being lowered back to chest level and watched as things went by in a blur when the young boy ran for his room. "I knew dad would have the answer." He almost seemed to laugh. "Just you wait, you'll get better real soon." Breathless Jeffery went into his room, puts Mike on the bed, and reaches under his bed for the shoebox. Then he went over to his Lego castle and collects the other turtles into the box. "Come on guys, time for a check up." After closing the lid of the box he came back to Mike and places the little turtle carefully in the side pocket of his coat. "That ought to keep you safe." Jeffery said as he gave the pocket a pat. The rocking motion of the young boy running back to his father's office put Mike to sleep.
The next time Michelangelo opens his eyes, he discovers that he was in the top pocket of a suit jacket. Strangely enough, he was feeling a shell of a lot better than before. Jeffery's mother, dressed in a black evening dress, rushing towards him and the young boy. "Must you bring that thing everywhere you going?" She asked intensely.
"The vet said to give Shellington his medicine every four hours and to make sure he eats vitamin rich turtle food every two if I want him to grow up big and strong." Jeffery explained.
"But this is a business dinner." His mother sternly told him. "I cannot have you carting that creature around. What if that thing was to get away from you? There are many people that are faint of heart and you know it."
"He won't get a way from me." Jeffery promised. "Besides, you wanted me here. If Shellington isn't welcome, than neither am I." He said sternly and adds a justify nod.
The woman threw her hands up into the air in defeat and asks him rhetorically, "What am I going to do with you young man?" With an angry huff she says, "Fine. But so help me, if I find that turtle is anywhere other than your pocket…." She waved an index finger at him.
"You won't." Jeffery grunted as he knocked the finger away from him.
The woman's face looked like it was slowly coming to a boiling point; steam seem to come out of her nose as she let out a frustrated snort. "You're lucky your father talked me into letting you keep those disgusting creatures. But if you don't watch your mouth…" She snaps her fingers, "Turtle soup, just like that." With that, the woman did an about face and marched away.
"I really wished she'd make up her mind." Jeffery told Mike while rubbing the turtle's head. "One minute I'm her little boy who makes everything better, the next I'm this brat who's just out to ruin either her chances to stay in the circle of high society or father's business." He looked down at the watch on his right wrist. "Well I made my mandatory hourly appearance." The young boy muttered. "Now I can go back to my room and play with your brothers until the next hour."
Jeffery leaves the nosy dinning room that he was in for the quiet hallways that would lead to his room. 'I wonder how big this place really is.' Michelangelo pondered until the young boy went into his room.
Next to his nightstand sat a large table with the terrarium Mike's brothers now lived in. On the nightstand was a small gift box filled with cotton and a small blanket lay on top of it. Jeffery rushes over the nightstand, places Mike careful in the box, and covers him with the small blanket before plastering his face against the glass of the terrarium.
"Hey guys, how's it going?" Jeffery asked as he tapped on the glass. "Wanna come out and play?" He reached into the nightstand, pulls out a baby food bottle filled with mushy turtle food, and an eyedropper. "Just after I give Shellington his food." The young boy unscrewed the baby jar, sticks the eyedropper in to the mush, and fills it. He picked up Mike to put the eyedropper into his mouth. "Eat up."
'Aaaa. Not so fast.' Michelangelo gagged as the food rush into his mouth. 'I can't swallow that fast.' When the eyedropper was empty, Jeffery put Mike on his bed so he could put away the stuff he had brought out.
"Ok, time to bring out your brothers." Jeffery said while reaching into the terrarium with two hands and pulls out a turtle in each one. "Hopefully things will go a lot better than last time."
'Last time?' Michelangelo panicked. 'What happen last time?' He watched as Jeffery brings over the two turtles he carried. They did not have the accessories given before. 'How does he tell whose who now?' Mike could see the bellies of the turtles before the young boy puts them on the bed, one on the either side of him.
The turtle on the right had a blue 'S' and the one on the left had a red one. Jeffery turns to the terrarium to bring out the last turtle. While his back was turned, Shellinator (who was the one on the left) head-butts Mike and causes the little turtle to roll over onto his shell.
'What as that for?' Michelangelo wondered as he tried to roll back over. He looks at his belly to see an orange 'S'. 'So I got one to, eh?' Mike smirked, but he is interrupted by the fact that Shellinator was continuously head-butting him. 'What did I do to deserve this?'
Shellot crawls around Mike and over to Shellinator. Once there, he starts pushing the aggressive turtle away from the defenseless one.
Jeffery turned around in time to see Shellot and Shellinator snapping at each other. "Not again." He sighed as he put the turtle he held down on the bed next to Mike. The shell of this turtle had a light shade of purple.
'Must have been when Jeffery tried to dye his shell.' Michelangelo thought. It could be assumed that the letter 'S' would be on his belly also and in purple.
While Jeffery set to work separating the two fighting turtles, Shellock put his head against Mike's shell and proceed to try to turn him back over.
"If you don't want Shellot to fight with you, you got to stop picking on Shellington." Jeffery scolded Shellinator, who he now held in his hand. "Dad says I shouldn't put human emotions with animals, but I have the feeling that you're jealous of your younger brother." He surmised. "It's not lot like he's getting all the attention just because he my favorite, but because he is sick and need to be taken care of." The young boy set the turtle back down on the bed, but at a distance away from the others and turns his attention back to Mike. Thanks to Shellock, the young turtle was almost back on his feet. Laughing at the sight, the young boy helps him the rest of the way.
Then Jeffery lets out a weary yawn while he turns his back to the bed, sits down on the floor and leans against the side of the bed. He reaches up behind him, feels around for Mike, and brings the turtle down to sit on his chest.
"I wished he would take care of you like your other brothers do." Jeffery stroked the turtle's shell as yawns and closes his eyes.
'This kid really ain't that bad.' Michelangelo thought. 'I really like him.'
A flash of light blinds Michelangelo for a moment before revealing the four of them in a small glass bowl half full of water and going down a street.
"You've been doing really well Shellington." Jeffery said while passing some kids playing with the water from a spraying fire hydrant. "You must have at least doubled you size and you don't shiver as much. I can't wait to hear what the vet has to say about you." There was a big smile on the young boy's face as he reached an intersection and stops at the red light in front of him.
There was a scraping sound coming up from behind them. The boy turned around to see a blind man come up and pass him. "Hey mister, it's a red light." Jeffery called out. But the man must not have heard him, because he did not stop. A truck came speeding down the street, heading for the blind man. "Mister look..." Jeffery yelling was interrupted when another man from nowhere comes running passes him and tackles the blind man, causing both of them to get out of the way of the truck. Even though they were out of the pathway of the truck the driver still panicked and slammed on is breaks while turning his wheel.
The truck goes sideways, causing the back to open up and a canister with the words TCRI come flying out of it. The canister with glowing green stuff bounces hard off the street into the glass bowl Jeffery has in his hands, shattering it. The baby turtles rain down into the rushing water that was coming from the fire hydrant and float down the street.
"Come back." Jeffery cried as he chased after them. "Don't leave me."
The flow of the water was too fast for the young boy to have kept up and soon the turtles were sucked down an open gutter. Jeffery jumped into the street and reached a frantic hand into the gutter in a vain attempt to get at Michelangelo and his brothers.
The last thing that the youngest turtle saw was Jeffery's tear stricken face and the last thing he heard was, "You guys are my only friends."
End Of Dream Sequence
"Jeffery!" Michelangelo cried when he shot up from his bed. He looked around to find he was back in his room and that he also had hands again.
With those hands, he wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. "Just a dream." Michelangelo muttered. "Course I already knew that." He reached for his clock to see what time it was and mused over whether it was too early to get up or late to go back to sleep. Being the lazy turtle that he was, he decided to lay back down and go back to sleep.
But when he closed his eyes he sees Jeffery's tear stricken face once more and the words "You guys are my only friends."
Michelangelo's eyes shoot open again and he sits up once more. He looked down at the poster that now sat in his lap. 'Maybe I should go find him.' The young turtle thought. 'If only to see just how he's doing…and to thank in for what he's done.'
A/N: Don't you just hate it when you have a story prefectly laid out in your head, but when you finally sit down to write it out it goes away? I also like to blame the long wait due to the long chapter. (I wanted it to come out just right) Though this chapter is somewhat vital to my story line, I hope it doesn't turn you off to it.
Also I've been getting a few Q's so I thought I'd proved some A's: 1. Don had the cup on hishead to open Mike's door. 2. I picked up calling Leonardo 'Leon' from the new cartoons and the daily stripes found on the TMNT fansite. Every once and awhile they call him that. 3. As for looking for the owner, soon...maybe next chapter.
Thanks for reading, until next time.
