A/N: Thanks for all of the reviews, guys! Glad you like it! Here's Raph's POV... enjoy!

Disclaimer: Blah, blah, blah - it still hasn't changed...

Raphael

Sometimes, I just wanna kill that kid.

Honestly, deep down I love my little brother and all that, but on nights like tonight, that love is way deep down - to the point where I wouldn't feel to bad if I killed him. It's around three in the morning, and he and Don have literally dragged me out of my nice warm bed (well, hammock, actually) to listen to some crazy story of Mikey's.

And let me tell ya, this one's a doozie. I kinda started turning him out the moment he mentioned a giant croc. I know there's always the possibility - I mean, I'm a giant teenage mutant ninja turtle, for shell's sake - but c'mon… this is Mikey we're talking about here.

Something's obviously gotten him riled up, though. He's talking about 5 times faster than he normally does - I'm surprised he hasn't passed out yet. Has he even breathed since he started this story? Maybe the lack of oxygen got to him. I saw the severed air hose - something sliced through it, no doubt. But… it could've just been a - a piece of metal… or something…

… Right?

I throw Don a glance as Mikey continues to ramble on, making weird sound effects to go along with his story. Don cocks an eye ridge at me, and I finally have to say something. "Cuckoo!" I declare, making a hand motion

"Crazy!" Don agrees, making the same hand motion.

"Hold up, guys," Leo says seriously. I have to work at keeping my jaw from dropping a little, trying my best to keep my face expressionless - Splinter, Jr. is actually buying this story? "Raph, remember that albino croc we tangled with years ago? Mike's croc could actually exist," he adds thoughtfully. I feel my mouth turn down slightly… Leo has a point…

"It does exist!" Mikey exclaims. "And it's all…" he once again starts up with the weird sound effects.

I just can't take it any more. "We shoulda seen it comin', bro," I announce, walking over to him. "You're one rib shortuva barbecue."

Anger and frustration flash in his eyes - you don't normally see that on Mikey's face. "Look, I know what I saw!" he exclaims, poking me in the chest. I can't help but smirk at him - it's my nature. "There's a huge, ugly reptile in the sewers!"

Then his mouth twists in a smirk - a smirk that I should've patented, by the way. And… oh, crud. I know what's coming…

"And for once it's not you, Raph," he adds. Then his face becomes serious again - well, pretty much as serious as Mikey gets. "And I'll prove it to you!" he exclaims, whirling around to face the pool. I shout in surprise as the towel that was around his neck flies into my face. Gross.

I yank the towel off my face as Mikey proclaims, "I'm going back down there an' find that thing!"

"If you're serious, take this porpoise device," Don cuts in, walking over to a board he has covered. He yanks the blanket off to reveal a scuba tank and mask hanging on it. "I made it to explore some of the underwater passageways. It's got a built-in camera and a transmitter. And I put a two-way radio in the mask," he explains as he heads over to his homemade laptop. I can't help but smile. Donny is a frickin' genius, I swear - gotta be smarter than Einstein. "We'll be able to see and hear your mystery croc on here - if it exists," he adds skeptically, flashing a smirk at me.

"Stay tuned, guys, as Mikey TV takes you on a croc hunt!" Mikey says in a very fake Australian accent. I roll my eyes as he dives gracefully into the pool, and within seconds he's gone without a trace.

"What a knucklehead," I mutter, folding my arms and standing behind Don. Yet a vague uneasiness settles over me, and I cant help but think that something horrible is about to happen. Mikey would call it my "turtle sense." I would call it more of a "Mikey's about to screw it up sense" or something… although… honestly? At the moment, it's like a "I'm letting my little brother do something stupid and I'm going to really regret it" sense. I try to shake it off as best as I can, but the uneasiness still lingers. I don't like this - not one bit.

I lean back against the wall as we all watch what Mikey sees. It's kinda choppy as he swims through the water, looking right and left. We can hear his light breathing over the radio. Suddenly he jerks around really fast, then swims into a side tunnel. "Wonder what he's doin'," Leo says softly. I can feel his tension from here, and it only adds to mine.

"He'll be fine, Leo," I reply just as quietly. He glances at me for a moment, then quickly shifts his attention back to Don's laptop. I can tell that he is as convinced by my words as I am - which isn't all that much.

The screen gets blocked by the sewer wall as Mikey peers around the corner. I can hear a faint metallic screech, followed by Mikey sucking in a breath. "The chase is on," he mutters, swimming out again. We can see the metal grate sinking towards the bottom.

For several minutes, the lair is completely silent. I'm surprised to find myself holding my breath as I watch the screen. Every now and then, we see a glimpse of a large figure in the water. Finally Mikey pokes his head out over the water. "I don't believe it!" Don exclaims softly as Leo and I lean in closer to stare at the croc. "It's walking upright!"

"You guys seein' this?" Mikey asks.

I lean forward and press a button so I can reply. "I take it back, Mikey, you're not insane," I declare. "Well, not completely." Mikey snorts as he pulls himself out of the pool. Be careful, I add silently. I sense Leo tense beside me.

At times like these, I can really relate with Leo, because I'm feeling the same way. Actually, it's probably one of the few times I truly relate with my older brother. Leo may be the leader, but he knows as well as I do that I'm the protector. I hate it when I know my bros are in danger and I can't help. It makes me feel wimpy and helpless, and I hate that. It's double true when it's Mikey. I'm not sure why… I guess it's pro'ly 'cuz he's my best friend. Yeah, he gets on my nerves - a lot… but that's just kinda how our relationship is, ya know? I pick on him, he annoys me… it just works somehow. Plus, he's pretty much the only one that can talk to me when I'm really mad without getting maimed or killed - mainly because he has a good sense of when to duck… and he's fast. Really fast.

My uneasiness grows as Mikey follows the croc into a very familiar place. "Check it out guys!" Mikey exclaims softly. "Big, dark, and scaly is living in our old lair!"

"What the shell is he doing there?" I can't help but exclaim.

"Shh!" Don hisses. We pause to watch the croc put on some kind of lab coat and… are those glasses? Weird. He holds out some kind of mechanical looking doo-hickey, and soon we can pick up the faintest sound of the croc… talking? I dunno why I'm so surprised - like I said, I'm a mutant, talking turtle myself, so… yeah. Unfortunately, we can't make out any words. But Mikey can, and he moves in a little closer, trying to hear as the croc talk.

"Why can't we hear it?" Leo demands quietly.

"The radio's meant for short distances, like, oh, I dunno, the inside of a mask, maybe?" Don replies sarcastically. "It wasn't meant for eavesdropping." Apparently, even Don has his limits… not that he'd ever be expecting something like this.

We can kind of see the croc working on something. Suddenly Mikey mutters, "Well, whaddya know? It's just a big crocodile version of Don!"

He falls silent again, and I can't help but growl softly in frustration. The one time Mikey decides to go quiet is the time we need him to tell us what's going on! Honestly, that kid has some of the worst sense of timing-

"He's got an exo-skeleton," Mikey suddenly explains. Hmmm… maybe my silent tirades do work after all. Don starts pressing the button to talk to him, but he continues. "I can't really see, but I think… I think he's talking to an Utrom!"

"An Utrom?" we all exclaim.

There's a burst of feedback, and Mikey squeals. Don immediately pulls his finger off the button as if it was burning him, but it's too late. On the screen, we can see the croc tense and whirl around to look right at Mikey. "Oh, crud," I mutter as Don and Leo suck in a breath.

The croc shouts something, and we can faintly hear the word "Intruder." "Okay, time to go!" Mikey exclaims, turning and running back toward the pool.

"What do we do?" Leo asks, gripping Don's shell tightly.

"I - I don't know!" Don replies breathlessly. "I don't think there's anything we can do!"

I watch in horror as Mikey sprints back for the pool. The croc's growls are getting louder and louder, and suddenly Mike shouts in surprise as he goes flying through the air. "No!" Leo cries as Mikey lands in the water.

Mikey immediately begins swimming. "We're in my old turf now," he mutters. He's talking to himself, I realize. "And if I remember right, there should be an access cover just - about - here!" he exclaims triumphantly as he brushes the silt off of the old access cover. He grunts as he yanks it off. Then he whirls, and I can't help but gasp as we see the croc closing in - fast. Mikey thrusts the grate into the croc's snout, and manages to swim through the access way. He turns, revealing the croc sticking his head through the hole, but unable to fit. He quickly turns and swims off.

I sigh, trying to force myself and relax as Mikey swims through several tunnels. We can no longer hear the croc anymore. I hate this - I absolutely hate this! My little brother's in trouble, and all I'm doing is sitting here watching -

"Guys, are you there?" Mikey suddenly asks as he surfaces again.

Don starts typing frantically, pressing the button down as I exclaim, "Mikey! Where the shell are you? What's happenin'?"

"I'm in the 39th Street runoff," Mikey replies, standing up and looking around. Leo grunts in recognition - it's a familiar place to all of us. "It got a little hairy back there with my reptile pal," Mikey continues. I snort. A little more than hairy, is what I'm thinking - that was way too close for comfort. My heart's still going a mile a minute. "But I think I lost him," Mikey finishes.

Suddenly the water seems to explode around Mikey. He cries out in shock as he whirls around. My heart suddenly seems to stop as the croc launches himself at my little brother. The last thing we see before the screen goes black is the croc's gaping jaws, aimed straight for Mikey's head. Leo and Don gasp in horror as I cry, "Mikey! Mikey!"

Don practically tosses his laptop on the ground and screams, "We gotta go help him! It's not too far from here - we can still make it!"

Leo and I take off after him - he's heading for the Sewer Slider. Every step I take seems to pound the thought of He's dead into my brain. He's dead, he's dead, he's dead, he's dead, he's dead.

As we pull out, I do my best to keep my fear in. I'm going to save my little brother - or I'm going to kill that croc trying. No one hurts my baby bro without paying for it. No one.

A/N: There ya have it. I actually had a lot of fun with this one - I don't normally get into Raph's head too often. So, drop a review saying you read it, you liked it, you hated it, or even a simple hello... Leo's up next (although, I'll warn you, it could be a little while - I have a hard time writing Leo, for some reason...) Thanks for reading!

moogsthewriter