Toddler Tales.

Disclaimer: I deny any ownership of any transformed shadow warrior chelonians of any age.

Chapter Six: Her Hero

Mike groaned as he rolled his left shoulder, he all ready felt the dull ache of the stiffening muscle and the start of the bruise from Don's staff starting. He was just starting to get back into practice sessions after recuperating from his recent capture by the Foot and he was a little slow it seemed in some areas, either that or a combination of that and being so tired.

Splinter scowled, "Michaleangelo, you were losing focus near the end." he chided.

"Focus, sleep and I don't know what else" Mike agreed, not even trying to dispute his father.

Leo chuckled "Perhaps you are just slowing down Mike."

"Fine Leo, you want to take care of a three year old for the night?" Mike shot back calling Leo's bluff with an arched eye ridge, "Rama hasn't been sleeping well since I was captured" he explained.

All of the family knew what he meant, it hadn't been that long ago that all of them had gone out for the night only to run into the Foot and Mike had been captured, the others had returned home, exhausted and injured and wondering what to do with Rama when she realized her father wasn't there. The entire clan had kept the three year old occupied until it was bed time, and Splinter had insisted to keep her up from her nap, so she would be more likely to sleep that night. Yet all the clan wondered how would they break it to their youngest member if for whatever reason Mike could not be found and brought home. How did you tell a three year old that daddy wasn't going come home to her?

Luckily, Mike had come home and it was hard to say who was happier when father and daughter were reunited.

Mike shrugged and grinned "Course she does seem to be sleeping in pretty good this morning" he allowed then grumbled a little "Wish I could have done the same."

Splinter smiled at his young son "A father very rarely gets to have such a pleasure as that, he stays up late and must get up even earlier." Splinter's smile and the gleam in the rat's eye, said very clearly he was enjoying this pay back.

XXX

Rama wasn't sleeping at the moment, though she had slept in, she had woken awhile ago and had nattered to her favourite toy for a bit. Just before deciding to leave her room and go in search of the family she saw IT. There IT was between her bed and the door, and it moved very quickly.

Rama whimpered as her eyes locked on it and she tucked her body further up onto the bed, to get out of it's range. She wasn't sure what it was, but she didn't like it and for some reason maybe just due to it's looks she longed to stay well away from it.

"Monser?" She asked as she watched it head toward the bed. "Go way!"

It didn't listen only moved closer towards her bed.

"Dad-ddddddY!" the turtle tot bellowed loudly.

When daddy didn't come she wondered if he was gone again and she would have to wait for him to come back like she had before. She sniffed and shook her head, then dived under the rumpled blankets and sheets. Maybe if she hid, it would go away. She lowered the blankets after a long time, at least for her, and glanced to the floor to see it was even closer to the bed. Now afraid to move she could only sit on her bed and watch as it drew closer to her.

XXX

"She must be exhausted Michaelangelo, for she has slept for a long time," Splinter agreed.

A scowl suddenly crossed the ninja Master's face as he recalled some of the things his sons had done when younger and they were acting unusually quiet. There was the time Leonardo had dusted the furniture with peanut butter, or the time a young Michaelangelo had nicked into the food cupboard and managed to eat a bunch of food stored there and then became ill, or the time Raphael had somehow got into some cough medicine and drank it all, even though it should have been well out of his reach or...well there was numerous other things, and if it is one thing a single parent learns, is that long periods of unnatural silence was not always a good thing.

Splinter scowled "Perhaps she is not feeling well, or there may be something wrong. You best check on her my son" Splinter urged.

Mike who had yet to learn how much mischief a child could get into when a parent's back is turned only for a few seconds shrugged and amiably replied "Sure Sensei."

XXX

It was black. It was huge. It was coming towards her as if honing in on the small turtle child crouched on her bed.

Rama gave a sobbing cry and tossed a different toy towards it, as she clutched her favourite Franklin turtle even closer. The toy fell short of the target causing it to pause then clamber over the toy as if it was no real threat.

It was at that moment that Mike opened the door, he took one look at his small daughter huddled against the back wall, fear in her face, her eyes large with absolute terror and glued on something, hardly even glancing up to see him.

"Rama what is it? What's wrong honey?" Mike asked he saw the toy on the floor but nothing out of place, he wondered if perhaps she may have woken from a nightmare and was still suffering from the last little bit of the dream.

Rama sniffed and pointed to it, the very thing that had kept her confined to her room. She trembled and sobbed tears rolling from her eyes.

Mike glanced again and noticed it for the first time, "That's just a spider it won't hurt you Rama" Mike soothed dismissing the arachnid as he went toward Rama's bed.

Rama whimpered and shook her head, cringing further back to the wall possibly hoping to melt into it.

Mike paused as he reconsidered, it might be a little harmless spider to him, and he knew they did get the occasional spider down there, though most of them drowned in the sewer water. Yet there was no doubt Rama was terrified of the creature, perhaps all the legs and the quick movement was the cause of her fear. Whatever the cause he knew he had to do something more then just shrug it off as if it was nothing. For Rama it was something, and a very BIG something too.

"Don't worry Rama I won' let it get you. I'll chuck that thing right out of here, " Mike vowed drawing his weapons, he advanced on the spider. "He won't hurt you, not as long as I'm here. When I'm done he will tell all his spider friends to stay away." Mike bowed down and struck one wooden end of his nunchuku on the floor causing the spider to scuttle away from Rama's bed, where it was probably going go under to hide anyways.

"There is no escape for you, spider. I've got you now my beauty. You won't hurt my Rama." Mike challenged the spider as it frantically tried to escape the turtle and the weapons.

Rama sniffed, as she gave a trembling smile. Her daddy was putting the run on it, her daddy was bigger then it and she couldn't help but smile because it was sort of funny to see it running from her daddy and her daddy flinging his weapons at the floor as he chased after it.

Mike was careful, to scoop the spider into his hands with ninja reflexes while faking yet another missed strike at the poor arachnid. He stood up and winked at a smiling Rama, "That took care of him. I'll be right back honey." He vowed.

Rama sat on her bed waiting she saw no sign of it not now. Her daddy had made it go away.

Mike returned into the room and Rama was ready for him, she jumped off the bed into her father's arms and kissed him "Ank you daddy" she said as she wrapped small arms about his neck. "Luvssss you."

Mike chuckled a bit as he drew his daughter closer and gave her a peck on her tear stained cheek "I love you too babe. Come on want some breakfast? How bout pancakes?" He offered.

Rama nodded "I hungy daddy."

Mike tousled her short hair, as he made a mental note to talk to Don about inventing or getting some sort of bug spray to keep the spiders out of her room, after all he had promised her the spider would tell all his friends to stay away. " Yep when your daddy chucks something it is chucked for good." he assured her, "And you best behave missy, or one day I might chuck you out of your shell" he teased as he tickled her causing Rama to give her merry little laugh that he loved to hear.

TBC?