Hey guys, it's been a long time. I've had a lot of trouble getting back in the swing of things this semester, but I think I'm finally getting back on top of things. I published the final chapter of Sleeping Death today and I was determined to get a chapter of this out too. I really hope you enjoy it!

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"Hey Raph, it's me, bro. Look we were supposed to meet on top of Antonio's Pizza like thirty minutes ago, dude. What's the deal? Call me back." Casey hung up.

Raph was, like, never this late. What the shell was he doing? Didn't the guy realize that Casey would be bored out of his mind waiting all this time? Not cool man. Not cool.

Whoosh. Something landed softly on the rooftop behind him. He didn't need to turn around to know what it was.

"Well, it's about time you showed—up." Casey's voice broke when he turned around. His eyebrows furrowed. "Leo?"

The blue-masked turtle leader crossed his arms. He did not look happy.

"What are you doing here? Where's Raph?"

"The lair, in bed." Leo said dryly.

Anger began clouding Casey's face. What? Raph just ditched him? Gee, thanks Raph.

Seeing these thoughts cross Casey's mind and recognizing the anger for what it was, Leo further elaborated, "With a one-hundred degree fever."

Casey blinked, all the anger evaporating and leaving his body. His eyes scanned Leo carefully. The blue-masked turtle looked weary and worried. And from the way Leo was bouncing from one foot to the other, Casey Jones deduced that the turtle was really anxious.

"Ya could've just called and told me that, man. Ya didn't have to come all the way out here."

Annoyance flickered across Leo's face. "Raph insisted I come out here. He said someone has to make sure you go straight home and don't get into any fights without backup."

"Home? No way I'm going home. The night is young, Leo. And Casey Jones doesn't need any backup."

Leo rubbed his face and groaned. "Casey, please, just make this easier for both of us and go home. Raph was insistent. I have to make sure 'you aren't senselessly endangering your life without one of us to back you up.' I don't know why I had to do it," he grumbled crabbily. "I told him Donnie or Mikey would be a better choice. Heck, April could have done it, but Raph wouldn't listen. He said he wouldn't get any rest at all unless I went to do it. Who knows why."

Understanding dawned on the human. Leo wasn't the sharpest when it came to the difference between what Raph said and what Raph meant, and in his current state, Leo wasn't very likely to realize the truth behind the statement. Many a cold night patrol had Casey Jones spent listening to Raphael unburden himself of his grievances with his brothers. More frequent than not, much time was spent talking about Leonardo 'the mother hen.'

So, Raph sent Leo out here so he could get some rest, huh? Well, who was Casey Jones to deny a friend in need? Mission: Rescue Raph from Big Brother Leo. Besides, Leo looked like he could use a little action.

"Sorry, Blue Leader, but I'm not going. I'm pumped. I need to sweep some scum off the streets, let out some stress, you know what I'm sayin?"

Leo sighed again. "Casey, Raph said not to let you do anything without back up."

"Ah-ah-ah." Casey waggled a finger. "I believe earlier you said 'without one of you guys to back me up' and the way I see it, I've got one."

"Casey, I don't have time for this. I need to get back. Raph needs—"

"Don't worry 'bout it. Donnie and Mikey are there, right? And Splinter?"

Leo's eye-ridges furrowed and his eyes widened. "Well...yeah, but—" he rubbed the back of his neck uncertainly.

"Loosen up, Leo." Casey swung an arm around Leo's shoulders. "We're gonna have a night on the town, Casey Jones style!"

"I'm not sure I like the sound of that."

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"Wait, seriously? You've never pied anybody before? You've gotta be kidding me!"

"Isn't pieing illegal? And what about the cost?"

"Aww, lighten up, Leo. That's why you don't waste money on actual pies. You just use whipped cream. Come on." Casey disappeared through a hole in the side of a large warehouse.

Leo crept slowly after him. He looked around. The inside of the place seemed decently stable. Casey was leaning against an open freezer looking like the cat that ate the cream...or in this case, the cat that stashed the cream. There were tubs and tubs of cheap, frozen whipped topping.

"Where did you get the money for all of that?"

"It was a super sale, bro, four for a dollar. Each one makes two extra creamy pie-tin surprises!"

Leo cast a sideways glance at the human. "Casey," he said, straining to keep his voice very level.

"Yeah, Leo?" Casey smiled.

"Promise me, by all that is sane and rational, that you will never, ever, show this place to Michelangelo."

Casey smirked. "On one condition."

Leo glared. "Name it."

The smirk widened.

Leo's face changed. His eyes widened and he vehemently shook his head. "No, no, no, no, no!"

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"Casey..." Leo whined, unhappily. "What are we doing here, this is the Dragon's place!"

"Shhhh!" Casey rolled his eyes. "Gee, I thought ninjas were supposed to be silent." He stuck his head into the alley and looked both ways. All clear. He turned to his 'sidekick'. "Pie me," he whispered.

Leo frowned, and handed Casey a pie from the gigantic, shelved box they'd crammed into Casey's sidecar. Casey crept up to the door of the Purple Dragon's place and knocked loudly. Confident that this wasn't going to end well, Leo stayed near the bike.

The door opened and Fong's narrow face peered out. Casey stood to one side, just out of sight. Fong looked around. "Hello?"

"Special Delivery!" Casey shouted, smashing the creamy pie in the Purple Dragon's face.

Fong spluttered, and finally yanked it off, wiping the cream from his eyes. "What the—why you little—It's that idiot Hockey-Mask friend of the turtles!"

Casey laughed long and loud. "It's Casey Jones to you!"

"Get him!"

Making faces, Casey retreated just as the door was thrown off its hinges. Casey's face fell. "Oh, man."

Rahzar and Hun burst through, in a fury. Leo jumped up and unsheathed his swords, but Casey stayed his hand.

"No way, dude. Why use weapons, when we could use sweet whipped goodness?"

Leo smirked and nodded. They each pulled two more pies from the box and rushed at their enemies.

"Hey Rahzar," Leo called.

Bradford turned and was blinded by whipped topping.

"How's that taste?"

Casey smiled and slammed a whipped pie into Hun's face. They turned to high-five—er—three each other. "Yeah! Sweet. Let's blow this popsicle stand!"

Leo hopped into Casey's sidecar and slipped on his helmet.

"More like whipped cream stand."

"Boy it's a good thing there aren't any of those around. If there were I'd probably gain twenty pounds!" Casey said, laughing.

Leo laughed with him. It was a real laugh, not a forced one, and it made Casey feel good. Really good. The blue-masked turtle had needed a break from all that responsibility and worry he'd been buried under. Raph was a smart guy, Casey mused, especially when it came to his brothers and what they needed. And when all was said and done, Leonardo wasn't half bad. In fact, he was one of the best pieing sidekicks he'd ever had—second only to Raph.

Raph was an evil pie-thrower. Not only was his aim spot on, but he wasn't afraid of pieing anyone. Anyone. They'd even pied ol' Shredhead once. Man, if Casey ever let word of that little adventure slip, Leo would go ape on them both. His glanced over at the turtle, who looked to be contented, occasionally still giggling from the dastardly deeds of the night.

Good thing he'll never know, Jones thought.

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By the time Leo got back to the lair, it was almost two o'clock in the morning. He was more relaxed than he had been in quite a while.

That relaxation was quickly lost when he saw Raphael lying on the couch in the main room. Annoyance flooded him. Dammit, Raph. He stomped over to the back of the couch and glared down, but the expression instantly melted off of his face. Raphael was curled up with plenty of blankets, fast asleep. On his forehead was a sticky-note that went up and down with each of his light, even snores. Leo peeled it off. It was in Donnie's distinct, crab-like printing.

'The hothead is no longer dangerously hotheaded. His fever broke a few hours ago. He ate a good dinner. I tried to get him to bed, but this meathead insisted on staying up to watch television. As you can probably tell, that didn't last long. Gave him plenty of blankets and left him to rest.'

He murmured mild admonitions, tugging the blankets up a little and tucking them in softly, summing them up with, "Goodnight, little brother. Get well soon."

Leo turned and headed back to his room, unaware of the little smile at the corner of Raph's mouth. Two three-fingered hands reached out of the blankets and typed a short message to Casey Jones:

Ey Casey...Thanks

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Man, it has been a long time since I've done one of these. How was it?