Well, this chapter ended up being way too long, so I've split it up, and once I do a few more things, I'll be able to put up the second part! Thanks to Splinter for her help! Thanks for reading. TMNT are not mine, whether slow past or fast forward.

Mikey stood in the dojo, waiting for parental justice.

He didn't know if he would survive, but he knew that he would never reveal his true reasons to his father.

He wasn't exactly going to lie to the Rat- just withhold some of the truth!

Leo's birthday is coming up!

Long ago Splinter had let them choose their own birthdays so they could have one day of the year that was their special own. It had taken a lot of discussion and patience to convince Mikey that he could not have "Saturday" as a birthday.

"July 7th," Splinter chose for him.

True- it was now September, and Leo's January birthday was still a few months away- but it would work! It HAD to work!

"Psst! Mikey!"

Speak of the turtle! There, sticking his head into the dojo, then glancing behind him in fear of being caught was Leo. Mike knew better than to walk over to the door- he was to stand in the spot that they were expected to be in when Splinter Sensei made his terrible appearance to begin the "trial"- but he waved just the same.

Leo, gulping, slunk into the room, quickly and quietly closing the door, and made his way to his youngest brother as swiftly as possible.

"Mikey, what the heck were you doing going out by yourself like that?" Leo began to half-lecture, half-worry at Mikey. "Are you outta your mind?"

"I had to do it, Leo!" Mikey earnestly replied. "I had to find some stuff for the baby so she can-"

"Mikey! There is no baby. Splinter can't have a baby! You gotta tell him the truth and stop all this nonsense!" Leo commanded, drawing himself up in big brother fashion.

"Leo, you're wrong, Don's wrong, and Raph is wrong," Mikey calmly replied. "Only Raph is always wrong about everything. I know what is gonna happen. I needed to get some stuff, and I got it, and now I can have the surprise party!"

Leo looked at Mikey, confused. Then he shook it off. He had little time.

"Mikey! If you don't tell Splinter the truth, I will! I do not want any brother of mine to lie to our father!"

"When Machi gets here-"

"Mikey! THERE IS NO BABY COMING!"

"Leonardo! Are you in the dojo?"

Splinter's voice, coming from the kitchen, sounded as if it were right behind them. Leo jumped in guilty surprise, and ran to the door, sticking his head out long enough to reply "No, Sensei!" before rushing back to Mikey.

"You just lied," Mikey pointed out.

But Leo would not be distracted by semantics.

"I'm gonna tell Splinter the whole story!"

"Don't you dare!" Mikey grew angry. "I'm having a surprise party for Splinter! You can't tell him! You'll ruin everything!"

"You can't lie to Splinter!"

"I ain't gonna lie!"

"Yes you are! I can tell!"

"No I'm not!"

"Yes you are!"

"Leonardo, are you looking for a spanking as well?"

This time both turtles jumped. There in the doorway was Splinter, chair in hand, ready to deal with Michelangelo, and looking as if he could spare a few swats for Leonardo as well.

"Umm... no, Sensei. Sorry, Sensei," Leo slowly backed out of the dojo, hands behind his back and protecting his tail. With a final pleading look at Mikey, he ducked out of the room, closing the door.

Mikey gulped and bowed to Splinter, mind racing furiously. Leo had distracted him from his cover story- perhaps it should be a surprise for Raph after all...

Splinter set the chair in the usual spot and sat down, facing his son.

"Well?"

"I- I- I can't say," he finally managed, shoulders sagging. Then he looked up at Splinter, and pleaded with his whole face. "I don't wanna lie to you, but I can't tell, I really can't! It's for a surprise and- and-"

"A surprise for whom?"

For Raph- no, for Don- I mean, for Leo-

"I- I can't say-" he struggled to keep from crying. "Please don't make me tell! Please? I know I did wrong! I know I'm in big trouble! I know I'm gonna get a spanking and a grounding and have to scrub the dojo floor for a whole month-"

"Two months."

Gulp.

"Two months," Mikey echoed.

"AND no television for two months as well."

"And no- no-" His face threatened to crumble before his father's eyes. He struggled mightily and held on. "- no television- two months."

"And- no treats of any kind for a month."

"NO! I mean, yes, no treats for a- a- month."

That last word wrenched from his soul. Splinter continued to look at this stubborn son thoughtfully.

"Tell me why you did such a dangerous thing, and some of those punishments will be lifted," Splinter said. He could not understand his son's need to keep this secret, and he was puzzled whether he should allow it. At the very least, he had to ensure that his son NEVER put foot above ground like that again.

"I can't," Mikey whispered, eyes lowering to the floor.

Splinter gazed at him for a few minutes more. It crossed his mind to mention that they were going to have cake for dessert tonight. Mrs. Sakai had sent one in gratitude for some small favor she imagined that Splinter had done, and he had planned on surprising them. But now...

"Very well," he said, and prepared to administer the spanking.

Later, in his room, a sniffling Mikey had managed to forgive Splinter in his heart.

After all, he doesn't know what's being planned, and he is probably still cranky from being pregnant. But it was mean to add the two thousand word essay on "Why it is in my best interest and the interest of my family to obey my father". I DO obey him! Oh well...

Don came in to fetch something he needed, and eyed his brother lying on his bunk.

"Why don't you just tell Splinter the truth?"

"Because I want him to be surprised."

"Mikey, please- PLEASE do not do this! Splinter is not-"

Mikey covered his ears with his hands and began singing "The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round" as loudly as he could.

Don sighed, shook his head, and left the room.

Once Don left, Mikey jumped down from his bunk and went to his super secret his only hiding place, and opened the special "keep out Michelangelo only can look in here" box. Smiling, he looked at his preparations.

The pink sweater that Splinter had found that day was now wrapped and ready to be opened along with a very nice handmade card congratulating Splinter on the coming event. Mikey had worked hard to wash it and not ruin it, and now it looked brand-new.

The party hats were made from recycled cardboard and lots of coloring. Mikey had had a difficult time getting the cardboard to cone just right, but with much perseverance he had made five hats with yarn to tie them on with. Splinter's was decorated with many cutouts from some of the magazines he brought home for various educational reasons (though why "Good Housekeeping" was educational he had no idea). Lots of baby stuff decorated it, and on the top Mikey had put some blue and pink tassels made from white ribbon that he colored with markers.

Mikey pulled his secret list and checked off for a third time what he had.

Party favors- check! He once again held up the noisemakers, and marveled again, thinking of that lucky day when Splinter had taken him to the store run by the Sakais and he had managed to make this purchase right under Father's nose. Splinter had wondered at the time, but as each son was allowed to buy one item provided they had their own money, he had kept quiet.

It had been a hard choice. There were also party hats, really nice ones, but Mikey had only enough money for one item. But he knew it would be easier to make the hats than these things!

Party games- check! Mikey had managed, by reading some of those magazines as he was cutting out the pictures, to discover a few games that are played at baby showers. The best one sounded like the word game where each person tried to see how many words they could make from the baby's name. "Hamato Machi" would offer a challenge, since it had five vowels and six consonants, but it should still be fun, and besides, they could do the same with their own names as well!

Presents- check!

Prizes- check!

Luckily Mikey had saved all his jelly beans from Easter. They were a bit sticky and stale, and mostly the licorice ones, but they would do for treats. He'd found some small socks that Splinter had put away in the closet that had used to belong to him and his brothers. It was hard to realize that their feet had been so small then. Anyway, filled with jelly beans, they looked like baby booties and would be cute to hand out to the winners of the games. Too bad they were mismatched, and none of them were pink or blue (lots of brown, a few black, and one with little cartoon characters all over it- THAT one would be the grand prize!), but they would do.

Cake- no check.

He had still not figured out a way to bake a cake from scratch. On those rare occasions when Splinter made cake, he used box mixes that he was lucky enough to procure. Mikey had been looking through the cookbooks, but though he felt that he could do the job, a trip to the cupboard showed him that many of the ingredients were not available.

"Oh, well, perhaps we can use some of the cookies instead," he said aloud.

"Instead of what?" Raph, entering the room, asked him.

Mikey managed not to scream, but it was all he could do to stash his surprise party things back into hiding before Raph could see them.

"Nothing," he immediately said at the same time, quickly rising and returning to his bunk.

"You was goin' over your party stuff again," Raph smiled, kneeling down on the floor and bending so that he could look under his own bed. With a grunt he flattened out and reached under as far as he could. Mikey could hear a brief scuffling as if Raph were trying wrestling with the monster under the bed, then he sat up on his knees with a triumphant grin and his race car in hand.

"I thought that was broken," Mikey said, trying to keep the conversation from returning to the party.

"Yeah, it is broken. Thanks to you," Raph said, dusting it off with the corner of his blanket. "But Don's gonna fix it for me! So, when you gonna give up this whole baby sister thing? 'Cause you're gonna have a long wait. Splinter can't have a baby."

Mikey shrugged.

"Dunno 'bout that," he mumbled, turning his face to the wall and trying to ignore his older brother. He could feel Raph's eyes boring into his shell. When he looked back down again he found he was right. Raph, still on the floor, was gazing up at his youngest brother with an odd look on his face.

"Mikey," he said, and Mikey was shocked to notice that Raph's voice was missing something: ridicule. "I'm askin' ya to please tell Splinter why ya been actin' this way. Maybe you'll believe HIM, since you won't listen to us. We wouldn't kid you, bro. Splinter can't have babies."

Mikey ignored the hard lump forming in his throat, the stinging of tears in his eyes. They were wrong. They HAD to be wrong! Mikey wasn't dumb. Splinter was-

"Michelangelo!" Splinter called. "Come to the kitchen and begin your essay while prepare dinner."

Raph looked over his shoulder, then back to Mikey. His moment to talk his brother out of this crazy thought had been interrupted.

"Man, Splinter sure sounds cranky," Raph couldn't help but say- and then wished he hadn't. Mikey, with a relieved grin, bounded off the bed.

He had ALMOST listened to Raph- almost!

"Coming, Father!" he called, and with a gleeful smile he skipped off to the kitchen.

Raph looked at his race car.

"You think you're gonna do something helpful, and then you say the wrong word," he said to the car. Then he shrugged. "Well, you can't say I didn't try."