Toddler Tales

Disclaimer: I own only Ramiela, and that is more then enough.

Chapter Eight - Daddy's Angel.

The day had started almost in the usual way for Mike, with a young two and a half year old, clambering up into the bed beside him, and bouncing eagerly around and about his sleeping form. Mike pried one eye half way open, to see his daughter jumping here and there, rumpling the blankets.

Rama was dressed against the winter colds, being as she was a turtle humanoid, she was prone to getting many small viruses, so Mike had felt it wouldn't hurt to dress her warmly to fight off such things, at the present moment the toddler was wearing green pajamas, and a diaper.

" Daddy!" She yelled, as she bounced down to a sitting position , right on top of his plastron knocking the wind out of him. She then laughed with delight as she saw the funny faces that her father made.

" Very funny Rama" Mike finally managed to gasp, as he fought for air.

Rama gave a wide grin, made even larger - or so it seemed - by her turtle like head, she was very much like her father and Uncles a turtle, the only thing that seemed to speak of her human heritage being the five digits found on each hand and foot , as well as, the hair upon her head. " Ama ath? Ubble?" She asked quickly while she moved off the bed and hurried out the door.

" One sec Rama, I'll be right with you." Mike moaned while palming his face, he slowly swung to a sitting position while silently vowing to talk to Raph about watching wrestling matches with Rama. He gained his feet, yawning and stretching and headed after his daughter, only after collecting new clothes for her from her bedroom.

He had hardly entered the bathroom when his foot slipped on something on the floor, his eyes suddenly catching the sight of his child holing the bottle of baby shampoo upside down and a trickle of liquid coming from the bottle. His arms pin wheeled as he struggled to maintain his balance, and only the fact he had been trained as a ninja, probably saved him from ending up sprawled on the floor.

Rama squealed in delight as she saw her dad's attempts to stay upright, she dropped the bottle and clapped her hands while cheering. " Yeah!"

" Rama!" Mike snapped quickly, " Sssh, don't wake the others up. You know better then to play with the shampoo bottle. Look at the mess you made." He scolded.

Ramiela recognized that firm tone, even when it was given in a very low voice, she pouted, sticking out her lip.

" This is suppose to go in your hair silly girl, now lets get this cleaned up." Mike said a bit more gently.

" No," Rama shook her head.

Mike ignored her reply, he knew at the moment no was a favourite word of hers. He unlocked the latch on the cupboard under the sink and withdrew some rags to mop up the shampoo. He decided to start running the bath water, remembering to put in a squirt of bubble bath. Then he turned to the mess.

Michaelangelo was a ninja, and he'd always been very quick, having pretty good speed that only seemed more impressive when he used his ninja skills to further enhance that attribute, but Mike had learned long ago that sometimes, no matter how quick he was. Rama happened to be much quicker.

This happened to be one of those times, seeing the bubbles and her father preoccupied Rama managed to swing up and over the ledge of the tub and drop into the water with a splash. Rama laughed with joy. "Ubbles" Her legs and arms kicked about causing more of the water to go in every direction at once.

Mike whirled around and stared at his still clothed daughter in the tub having the time of her life. He rolled his eyes an gave a heavy sigh, even as Rama tossed some white foam his way. " Oh, good! Just what I need more of a mess to clean up. Your starting the day off wonderfully Rama." He muttered. He shook his head, " Oh well, at least your pajamas are going be washed."

He managed to get her out of her soaking clothes and diaper. For awhile he could relax as he helped her bathe and watched her play. He finally, pulled her from the tub, and wrapped her in a towel drying her off and then dressing her.

Dressing Rama wasn't easy, she struggled trying to get away and fought the process, she got even more fussy when Mike brushed her hair and put it into two tiny ponytails, one on the left side and the other on the right, before he released her to once again clean up.

Rama headed for the kitchen and got onto a chair, her eyes came to light on the sugar bowl, someone had left in the centre of the table. This was far too good to be true, and she managed to climb onto the table to help herself to a spoonful of sugar. She decided she liked it and continued to eat, and even dip her fingers into the sugar bowl.

Mike entered the kitchen and stared in shock, " RAMIELA!" He snapped sharply, " Sugar is not for eating, and you don't need it." He removed the bowl looking at the clumped up grains of sodden sugar in the bowl. " You are being a bad girl and into everything!" Mike scolded.

True, Rama was often a bundle of wild energy, she was almost impossible to keep up with at the best of times. But normally she was a little better behaved. Obviously, it was going be one of those days where Rama was going be testing the very limits of his patience.

It wasn't the first time she had done such a thing, and in spite of the fact, he was fairly easy going and was incredibly patient with her most the time, it surprised him how often Rama could have him at wits end, and wanting to do nothing more then strangle her.

There had been times when she'd been exceptionally fussy, like teething and other moments. True, there were also times she got into things she shouldn't . But the morning was promising to be a record day for such feats for her. In fact at the moment, Mike was quite willing to compare this whirling dervish of a daughter to a tornado, causing destruction and mayhem in equal proportions as she set out on a path through the lair.

He was quite considering knocking the child out with his nunchucks, in spite of the damage that he knew he might do by such an act.

In spite of the visions of punishing his daughter through some violent act, Mike scooped her into his arms, and took her kicking and screaming to her bedroom. Ignoring her protests and cries to be put down. He plunked her down by her bed, and left the room shutting the door firmly behind him.

A loud wail came from the other side, and something thumped up against the door. For a moment the toddler lashed out at the door in all of her fury. Finally, when kicking and her banshee yells along with her struggles to open the door to no avail ended, she slumped to the floor. She sat there for a bit sniffing dejectedly but then her eyes came to light on the book shelf.

Mike listening on the other side of the door nodded his head, and headed for the kitchen. He could sense the rest of the family were starting to stir and he needed to get breakfast ready, once it was done he would permit Rama to come join them.

When Splinter arrived in the kitchen for his morning tea, he glanced around the room, " Where is Ramiela?"

" She is in solitary confinement for numerous misdeeds." Mike answered honestly enough, before launching into a more elaborate explanation of her behaviour.

Splinter chuckled, " Ah, I see. It is another day when she wishes to have more fun then she should be allowed," he quipped raising an eyebrow. He recalled, times when Mike and or Raph would go through days of misbehaviour. " She is testing her limits."

" I thought she was testing my limits." He confessed.

" That too," Splinter agreed with a nod of his head, as if to say that was only to be expected.

When Mike was finished with his task he went to retrieve his daughter. He listened at the door and heard nothing so he opened it up to find Rama busy colouring on the walls and a few story books on the floor clearly scribbled in with crayon.

Rama looked over with a wide toothy grin. " Ama make pity."

" Rama didn't make any pretties, she made another mess." Mike growled.

Rama dropped the red crayon in her hand and glanced away.

" No, more crayons for you young lady." Mike declared as he picked up the crayons, " Now come on, it is breakfast time." He said taking the crayons with him.

Rama only messed with her breakfast refusing to eat, and then when she was told to eat she grabbed a handful of the scrambled eggs and tossed them. "NO!" She yelled, glaring at her father, with a very stubborn go ahead and make me look on her face.

Mike's jaw tightened as he once again packed off a screaming Rama, this time to sit in a corner of the dojo.

As he expected the day, really didn't get much better. He found he was counting numerous times, and while some of those times were the countdown for Rama, other times was more counting for himself, as he tried to hold onto what little sanity or patience he still had. Both of these items seemed to be growing thinner by the minute.

XXX

Rama yawned, she had eaten most of her lunch, but it was clear she was tired and was fighting sleep. It looked as if she would be going down for her nap very shortly, and Mike at this stage of the game was more then willing to put her down for a nap, if only so they could both prepare for what might follow.

Rama sat up and blinked a little in exhaustion she crawled, instead of walked over to her father and climbed up on to his lap.

" What do you want trouble?" Mike demanded.

Rama nestled into his arms, laid her head on his plastron, and popped a thumb into her mouth sucking it as if seeking some form of familiar comfort from the action.

Mike smiled tenderly, as he cuddled her close stroking her hair and carapace. " You just wore your self out today with all your mischief didn't you?" He murmured quietly, so as not to disturb her, " Maybe when you wake up you will be ready to be a good girl for daddy."

Rama's head nodded ever so slightly as if in subtle agreement. In moments, her drooping eyelids shut entirely, and her breathing feel into an easy rhythm of sleep.

Mike couldn't help it when she was sleeping like this, seeming totally at peace with the world it was all too easy to forget the trouble and hassles she had caused. Earlier she had been a demon, now she seemed no more, and no less then an angel.

Mike very carefully got to his feet to carry his sleeping child to her bedroom, he laid her down covering her with the blankets and kissed her forehead. " Sleep well, little Angel, and please wake up an angel too." He remembered to ask before he slipped out of the room.

TBC