Disclaimer: Same as before.

AN: A special thanks to TheBirthdayMassacre and BubblyShell22 for reviewing this story!

Chapter 3: Coming Home

A wise old rat sat in a recliner chair. His mind reflecting on what to do about Shredder and the foot clan, when he heard his youngest son try to sneak in.

"Back so soon, Michealanglo?" Splinter asked upon opening his eyes. Mikey froze in his tracks. Darn it! I should've known, I'd never get past Splinter.

"I, uh, thought you could use some food, Master," Mikey quickly replied.

"Ah I see. So you think I need three boxes of pizza?" Splinter questioned. He knew Mikey's stomach had gotten the better of him. Splinter wished Mikey would learn to control his stomach. Someday, Mikey could be needed and alas he wouldn't be there because he'd be too busy feeding his hungry stomach. It was time for his son to learn to live without.

"Oh well, I thought the guys would be hungry when they got back,"

"I am very disappointed in you, my son,"

"Huh? For what?" Mikey asked. Uh-oh! I think he sees right through my excuses! Oh, I'm in for it now! Mikey thought.

"A true ninja is able to forget his bodily urges and focus solely on his mission at hand. Your mission was to patrol the city with your brothers. You chose to ignore this important mission and fulfilled a bodily urge,"

"But I patrolled on the way to and back from the pizza shop,"

"Even so, to be a true ninja, you must learn to overcome your stomach," Splinter stated.

"So what's my punishment?" Mikey sighed, giving in. He'd lost this time, there was no way he was going to be able to convince Splinter that he done something good.

"Tomorrow I want you to spend the day with me, meditating. I will allow you a piece of bread and a glass of water, every four hours,"

"Ah man---" Mikey started to complain but was interrupted by Donatello coming in.

"Welcome back, Donatello. I trust the junkyard was in your route?" Splinter asked upon seeing Donnie walk in with various scrap metal in his arms.

"Yes, Master Splinter. I defeated a couple street punks attemping to rob a store, then I headed to the junkyard," Donnie said.

"Very well. You did not give up your patrol entirely did you?"

"No, Master. I watched for any signs of something amiss on my way, but there were none," Donnie answered. Splinter nodded his head and Donnie went to his room. He returned a few minutes later to find Mikey dishing out the pizza in the kitchen.

"Got hungry again, Mikey?" Donnie asked.

"Yea," Mikey replied.

"Splinter give it to you this time?"

"Uh yea. I gotta meditate all day tomorrow and all I get to eat is bread,"

"Yesh. That's rough," The two brothers continued jabbering away until they heard their angry hot-head brother storm in.

"Something the matter, Raphael?" Splinter asked. Raph who had been busy hanging (or more like throwing, in this case) up his coat and hat, turned to look at his mentor.

"It was awfully quiet tonight," Raph answered. Maybe a little too quiet. I wonder what Shred-Head's up to.

"And this worries you?"

"Well, yea, Sensei. I mean, usually, there's always something goin' down in that part of town. It's like the foot's favorite hangout or something. But tonight. Tonight, there wasn't anythin'! Just makes me wonder what they were doin' instead. I bet it's real bad, whatever it is!"

"I also feel, they are up to something. But we must wait until we know more," Splinter advised. Fortunately they didn't have to wait long to find out.

"Look, I appreciate you wanting to help me, but I think I'd rather leave now," A young female voice said. From the sound of it, she was probably no more than a few feet from the entrance of the lair.

"Like I already told you, I can't let you leave," A male's voice said. Raph and Splinter recognized the voice instantly. So did Donnie and Mikey who had just come into the living room. The voice belonged to none other than, Leonardo!

"You can't let me! Just watch me!" The girl shouted and tried to run back the way they had came, but Leo was too quick for her. He picked her up and carried her into the lair where he found his brothers and mentor waiting for him.

"So I brought the food, Donnie brought some junk, Leo brought the girl. Geez Raph, what did you bring home?" Mikey joked. Raph grunted and smacked Mikey on the head, causing him to yelp.

"Michaelangelo! Raphael! That is enough! I want to hear what Leonardo has to say," Splinter repimanded.

"So you were telling the truth?" The girl asked Leo when she noticed that there were three other mutant turtles plus a mutant rat in the room.

"Yes," He answered. There was an awkard moment of silence until Splinter suggested that perhaps Leo put the young lady on the couch and explain what was going on. Once everyone had sat down, Leo, Mikey, and Megan on the couch, Splinter on the recliner, Donnie on the floor between the recliner and the couch, and Raph on a kitchen chair he'd brought into the living room, Leo started to explain. He recanted how he had been about his patrol when he overhead the foot attacking Megan over some disks. He also told them how he had brought her down here since he figured if Shredder wanted her dead over some disks, she was not safe anywhere topside. Upon hearing the story, Splinter had to agree with his oldest son. Megan had to stay with them until the threat to her life was over.

"What do you think was on those disks?" Donnie asked.

"Maybe it's something that will bring down Shredder and the foot clan for good," Raph suggested.

"Or maybe it's evidence that Shredder had a steamy love affair!" Mikey jokingly suggested.

"No, I think Raph is right," Leo said.

"He is?" Mikey asked.

"Well, think about it, Mikey. Why would the foot clan be pretty quiet tonight except for goin' after Megan here? We need to find those disks 'fore they do, that's for sure!" Raph said. Megan had remained silent during this whole time. She felt like maybe these were the good guys, these are people who she could trust with the disks. But she also knew she couldn't break her promise. She promised her father right before he had died that she would make sure the disks got to the DA, and that's exactly what she was going to do.

"Megan, do you have any idea what could have been on the disks?" Splinter asked the young girl.

"No idea," She replied. Which was true. She knew it was something big. Something big enough that her parents had to die for. But what exactly it was, she didn't know.

"Do you know maybe where they're at?" Donnie asked. Megan looked guilty as she answered, "Nope,"

"You're lyin'!" Raph sneered as he stood up. Megan leaned back further into the couch and shouted back at Raph that she wasn't. Before Raph could get close to the girl, Leo stood in between them.

"Leo! She knows something!" Raph insisted.

"Even if that's true, you won't get anywhere acting like that," Leo replied. Raph grumbled and sat back down in defeat. He vowed to himself that he would find out exactly what this Megan girl knew.

"I'm pretty exhausted. Is there a place I can rest?" Megan asked. She was tired of being questioned by these mutants. All she wanted to do was to go home. Go back to her normal life. But nothing would ever be the same again for her.

"Totally, dudette! You can sleep on my bed!" Mikey said in exictement as he led Megan to where she would be sleeping for the night.