TMNT DO NOT BELONG TO SPLINTER OR CYNLEE! We weep nightly over this sad but true fact.

The two boys shivered, but not just from the cold. Their near miss at the park a few months ago gave them reason to tremble with fear as well. Those humans had tried to grab them. They had gotten hold of Mike. The only thing that saved them was that the two men were nearly fallen down drunk; well that and a well placed kick by Raph.

Mike hadn't slept well for a week afterwards. He always ended up in either Leo's or Raph's bed. That was how Leo found out about his little brothers' venture into the human world alone. He had cornered Raph in the dojo while Father was gone. In all his eight years of life, Raphael had never seen Leo so angry.

"I won't tell," Leo said finally. "IF you promise never to go there again. You've got to give me your word."

And Raphael had promised. Then Leonardo had made Mike promise. Well, they hadn't lied. They weren't going to the park. However, the cold and darkness caused Mike to remember the near mishap.

"I don't know, Raph," he whispered. "That pole is kinda far from here. And…I mean…"

Raphael glanced at his brother. He was nervous too. He wasn't scared, just nervous. "Yeh well…I..." His face brightened. "We have to get back before Splinter anyway, right?"

Mike grinned. "Right. We can do this another time."

He started to head back to the sewer but Raph caught his arm. "Uh uh, Mikey. You can't go back now." He looked around the small alley and smiled. "The dumpster."

Mike blinked. "Huh? I ain't stickin my tongue to some smelly old dumpster!"

Raph's eyes widened, looking around frantically. He covered Mike's mouth. "Quiet." He pulled Mike back against the wall. They stood in silence for a few minutes just to make sure no one heard the younger turtle's yell.

When Raph was sure they were safe, he whispered, "C'mon Mike. I dare ya." He smirked. Mike was never one to let a dare go. It was, after all, a matter of honor.

Mike frowned. "I am not putting my tongue on a dumpster."

"That's cuz you know it'll stick," Raph chuckled.

"No. Because it's a dirty old thing that has germs on it." Mike folded his arms and pouted. He'd stick his tongue to a pole, but a turtle had to draw the line somewhere.

"I'll give you my ice cream at dessert to take the taste away. I double dare you."

A thin layer of sweat broke out on Mike's forehead despite the cold. If he didn't accept the dare, Raph would never let him live it down. Even still, it was a dumpster. One time when he was out with sensei, they saw a human go to the bathroom on one! Mike gagged at the thought. "No. It might make me sick."

His brother laughed at him. "That's gotta be the most wussy excuse I ever heard for not taking a dare. I triple DOG dare you."

Mike's eyes narrowed. "You can't do that," he protested. Any eight-year old with a television knew the right order of daring.

"Fine." Raph started for the manhole. "I knew you'd chicken out. Let's go home." He turned, but Mike wasn't with him. He gasped quietly searching for him and then smiled. His little brother was standing in front of the dumpster.

"You gonna do it?" Raph asked coming up beside him.

"I got to," Mike said. "My honor is at stake." He licked his lips and swallowed hard. His tongue poked out of his mouth and he leaned forward trying not to think of what might be on the dumpster. His only consolation was that it had snowed and rained recently. Maybe it got washed off. He felt the cold metal touch his tongue, and he could hear the triumphant music in his mind.

He smiled. "I di' it." He tried to pull back and his eyes immediately filled with tears. "Noooooo!"

"Oh, shit, it really did work!"

Raph immediately covered his mouth with both hands, looking around to see if anyone had noticed his outburst! Then he was standing next to Mikey, patting him as the frantic turtle tried unsuccessfully to get his tongue off the dumpster.

"Waff- Waff- I can'th ge' ofth!" Mike was panicking. Tears ran down his face, and a steady whine was building somewhere in his little chest, building and growing and threatening to burst forth as a full-fledged scream of fear.

He kept jerking himself, but at the same time, it hurt! In his desperation, he managed to stick more of his tongue to the nasty dumpster- was that frozen pee he was seeing out of the corner of his eye? Oh MAN! This WAS someone's bathroom after all! The powerful stench of urine, combined with the noticeable smell of rotting garbage and that unmistakable scent of something dead, now assailed his nostrils, and caused even more tears to flow even as he felt himself gagging.

The whine was increasing in volume.

"Mikey, calm down, calm down!" Raph kept hissing, alternately patting his brother and scanning the entrance to the dark alley. In the gloom he could see the busy street. Many people were passing by, mostly concerned with their own business. Cars and trucks added to the noise. It was doubtful that anyone would have heard them, but then one never knew! "Hold on- lemme help ya!"

He grabbed Mike's shell through the coat, his mittens hindering his grip at first, but soon he had a good hold on him. Then, he pulled.

"AaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

"Shut up! We don't wanna be heard!" Raph's yell was louder than Mike's scream. Heart racing with fear, he peered up towards the alley entrance again- OH, MAN! Someone had stopped for a moment, and was staring into the dark!

Both turtles, despite the situation, froze (no pun intended), trying to blend in with the shadows. The person seemed to shake his or her head, then moved on with the rest of the crowd.

"Waff! I can' ge' ofth, and now it'th worth!" Mike sobbed. His entire body was shaking now. The cold was intensifying, and a few flakes of snow were beginning to sift down from the cloud-covered night sky.

Snow? Awwwww, man! Now his overactive imagination was filled with the image of his snow-coated skeleton hanging by its tongue being photographed by news crews and tourists.

Raph was close to tears himself. Why had he dared his brother? Frankly, he, too, had thought it wouldn't work- after all, nothing on TV was real, Peter Pan had shown him that! But NO! He had just HAD to take the opposite side of Mikey's view!

"I'll be doin' flips for weeks when Splinter finds out," Raph muttered, continuously yanking and yanking on his ever resisting little brother.

"You'rw sthwetching outh my tongue!" Mike whispered as fiercely as he could, shrugging his shoulders out of his "helpful" brother's grasp. Then the whine was back. "Wha' awe we gonna do?"

Raph frantically looked around for anything.

"Mebbe if we pour water over it!" he said, searching the trash for any old left over soda or liquid or anything that he could find- nothing! What little liquid he could locate was yellow and frozen.

"Aw, man, aw MAN!" Raph was beginning to panic. He needed help, and he needed it now!

Then he started digging through the rubbish as fast and as quietly as he could.

"Waff! Wha' are 'ou doin'?" Mike whispered desperately, winking in pain. The cold was freezing his tongue and where it touched the side of the dumpster it burned like fire!

"I'm gonna hafta go home for help!" Raph hurriedly explained, balanced precariously on his plastron as he leaned into the dumpster, his feet waving in counterbalance to keep him from falling in. "Ah HA!"

With a successful struggle, he yanked out a huge cardboard box and some soiled newspapers. Immediately he set to work, putting the box next to Mike.

"Grab the top of the dumpster, and get inside the box!" he ordered.

Mikey, stunned, did as he was told, but it was hard, and his poor tongue sent sharp pains into him as a reminder that it was firmly stuck and could not be freed. Raph wrapped his arms around his struggling brother, lifted- "damn, you're heavy!"- and then Mike was standing in the box, tongue still stuck.

Raph didn't even wait for Mike to get settled. He began to cover him with the newspapers- with poor results. They kept falling off.

"Mike, ya gotta help me!"

"Bu' why do I godda be covewed in twath?"

"Because I gotta go home for help, and you gotta HIDE!"

Mike processed this.

"You gonna leave me? Nooooo! I don' wanna be lef'!"

"Shhhh!" Raph once more glanced around. No one had heard, but now Raph noticed all the windows that faced down on this particular spot. Many had lights on now. Raph pointed them out. "Please, Mike! Ya gotta get covered! It's so's no one can see ya! And 'sides, it'll help keep ya warm! I gotta go get help!"

Raph's pleas got through to the frightened turtle. With a shuddering sob, Mike did his best to cover himself with the papers while Raph searched for more garbage.

Soon there was an oddly moving pile of trash huddled next to the dumpster. Raph surveyed his handiwork with a critical eye. Perhaps some more...

A siren startled him, and a passing police car reminded him that this was an emergency.

"You'we gonna bwing Spwinteh, huh?" Mike's quavering voice, tiny and frightened, emerged from the pile of trash.

Raph drew a deep breath, let it out.

"Yes. I gotta."

Sniffle-sniffle.

" 'kay," he cried. "Bye, Waff... I love 'ou."

Raph's throat suddenly choked as he tried to respond.

"Awwwww, don't be mushy! I'll be back soon! Here!" and diving into his pocket, he pulled the precious timepiece that Splinter had given to him, and thrust it into the midst of the garbage. He felt Mikey's hand take it. Suddenly he smiled, remembering the movie they'd seen. The man was going to fix a flat tire and had looked at his watch.

"Four minutes," Raph said with a false note of cheeriness in his voice. "Time me!"

And he was gone.