"Lana, go to Splinter's study," Donatello ordered. "I'll be in there to talk to you in a minute."

Lana nodded meekly, and headed for Master Splinter's study. She knew she was in loads of trouble, as never before had all four of them been mad at her at once. She reached the study, then went in and sat down on the bed.

Meanwhile, Donatello was trying to figure out what to do, when his mind flashed back to the one time he got caught lying.

Flashback.....

"You lied to me!" Leo said to his brother angrily. Don looked to his brother, caught completely off-guard by the accusation.

"What?" Don said nervously. "N-no I didn't."

"You said that you had told Master Splinter about the dog attack. He said you didn't!" Leo's face grew red with anger. How could his brother lie to him-to Master Splinter?! He couldn't believe he had tried to deceive him. Splinter needed to know this.

Donatello's face, however, grew red from embarrassment. He was caught! Now their father was going to find out! Raphael and Michaelangelo heard the squabble and entered the conversation.

"Don, you lied to Splinter about me too! What was with that?" Raphael quipped. Donatello could feel the uneasy feeling in his stomach get worse, and he had to think of what to say-fast.

"You lied before?!" Mike said in astonishment. Leo looked ready to pounce on his brother and drag him to their Master. He wasn't going to let his brother get away with something like this.

Don had to think of an excuse.something reasonable and believable. So he blurted out an answer with out thinking.

"I didn't want to say anything....until you got better!"

"As I recall," a voice suddenly said. "You had said on Several occasions that you could not remember."

Donatello cringed as he turned to see Splinter standing in the doorway, with his arms folded. His face was a mixture of anger and disappointment. He had heard everything!

"Master Splinter, Donatello lied to me, and about Raph, and---"

"Yes, I know," Splinter replied.

Donatello felt a sudden dread wash over him. He wished that he were anywhere but in that room right now.. He knew there would be no way to escape the fact that he had been caught lying, and he knew that what was eventually coming to him was going to be well-deserved.

~~~~

"Now....we will talk about the lying." Donnie kept his gaze downward, too frightened to see the look on his Master's face. The silence in the room was deafening, until Splinter spoke.

"Donatello, is it true that you lied about not knowing the events of the attack," Splinter said, sounding more as a statement than a question. As Donatello had just demonstrated, he knew everything that had happened. Sadly, Don nodded.

"Hai, Sensei." At that answer, Splinter asked another question.

"Is it true that you lied about Raphael stealing your blanket last night, to avoid the penalties for fighting?"

"Hai, Sensei," he replied slowly. The shock on his brother's faces increased as the questioning continued. Splinter frowned slightly and pressed on.

"Is it true that you lied to your brother about telling me the truth?"

Donnie wouldn't-he couldn't...but he had to tell the truth. He hated the audience of his brothers, but he knew there was no escaping it. After an infinite second, he slowly nodded his head, and answered:

"Hai, Sensei."

"Why did you lie to me about what happened? Out of the four of you, you are the one I would least expect to do such a thing as to lie," Splinter scolded, looking at his son in disappointment. Donnie tried to look up, but his eyes wouldn't let him.

~~~~

"Donatello, I am not pleased with you for what you have done. You know what you did was wrong, and so you must be punished for that," Splinter told him. Donatello nodded his head slowly and sighed sadly.

~~~~

"No my son. I myself am not free of fault or mistakes. I just choose to look at them as a new opportunity to learn. That is how life is: you take it one step at a time and learn what you can from your mistakes. 'Possess the right thinking. Only then can you receive the gifts of strength, knowledge.and peace'. Do you understand, Donatello?"

~~~~

"The reason I did punish you was because you let your lying go much too far," Splinter eyed his son. " You should have told the truth. I would have understood."

Donatello nodded and fidgeted a little. " I was too scared of what you would think. I thought you would be disappointed with me," He explained.

"I am more disappointed in the fact that rather than coming forward and telling me what was going on, you decided either to say nothing or to lie. You can always come and talk to me if something is troubling you. That is what a parent is for, my son," Splinter said softly, " to guide you in life and to make sure you choose the right path-and learn from your mistakes. Understand?"

End of flashback....

Donatello sighed, then headed to the study where Lana was waiting for him, knowing what he had to do. Whoever said there was a first time for everything was right. He entered the room, and saw her shrink back on the bed.

"I know that feeling," he thought. "I now also know how Sensei felt that night."

He sat down in Splinter's rocking chair, and eyed her warily.

"Well, what do you have to say for yourself?" He asked.

Lana said nothing, as she hung her head even more.

"I'm going to ask you questions, that you will answer honestly, you hear?"

She nodded slightly.

"You lied to me about sleeping over at Drew's?"

"Hai, Donnie."

"You lied to Leo, and told him you were staying at Jeff's?"

"Hai."

"You had Jeff lie to his Mom, so you'd have company?"

"Hai."

"You took a cab by yourself to another part of New York without permission?"

"Hai."

"You took some of Michaelangelo's money so you could pay for everything?"

She paused, now ashamed. "...Hai."

"You went to a concert you were forbidden to go to?"

"Hai."

"You were walking half away across New York alone after dark so you wouldn't get caught?"

"Hai."

"You forgot to tell Drew the whole plan?"

"Hai," she answered, feeling stupid suddenly.

"You did all this just so you could see the Backstreet Boys perform live?"

"Hai, Donatello," she sighed.

Now it was his turn to sigh, and sigh he did, as he leaned back in the chair to think. Once he'd gathered his thoughts, he sat on the edge of the seat again.

"Lana, what you did tonight was by far the stupidest thing you've ever done," Donatello told her. "Not only did you lie numerous times, but just about got both yourself and Jeff killed on the way home.

"I - "

Donatello held his hand up, silencing her. "I'm not through."

She closed her mouth and kept quiet.

"Plus, you stole from Michaelangelo, and went somewhere you knew you weren't allowed to go, as I'd already told you no."

"But - "

"Lana Marie," Donatello stated. "Don't say a word until I'm through and have given you permission to speak, you hear me? You're already in enough trouble as it is, and I don't want to add interrupting to the list."

"Yes," she mumbled.

"Other than delivering your punishment, all I can think of, is to ask you why you did what you've gone and done." He paused a moment or two, so that uncomffortable silence would set in.

"Why did you lie, sneak out, and steal?" Donatello demanded, seeing her start to squirm.

Lana glanced at him, feeling sick to her stomach when she saw how upset and disappointed he looked, then glanced at her feet.

"I wanted to see the Backstreet Boys perform," she admitted softly. "I had to see Brian smile in person. I was mad 'cause you wouldn't let me go see them."

"And may I ask, just where did you manage to get tickets?"

"Jacqueline," she replied, looking away from him. "She couldn't go 'cause her family was going away, so she gave 'em to me for five dollars."

"And where did you get the five dollars?"

She couldn't look at him, even if she had wanted to right then.

"Mikey's wallet," she whispered.

"Lana Marie! How could you steal from Michaelangelo of all people?"

"I dunno," she mumbled. "His wallet was just...there. I didn't...think...I just...reacted."

Donatello shook his head. "I'm going to have to punish you more severely than I'd like."

She looked at him confused. "Why?"

"Lana, not only did you lie to me, but you lied to Leo and Jeff's Mom. You also technically snuck out, and stole from Mikey. You pretty much did everything you've ever been forbidden to do, all in one night."

"Oh." She looked down again.

Donatello picked her up, and set her in his lap, and rocked for a bit as he thought.

"Donnie?"

"Mm?"

"Do you hate me?"

Donatello looked down at her, and realized why she was so upset. It wasn't just because she'd gotten caught doing numerous things wrong, it was because she was afraid he was mad enough to hate her.

"Lana, I could never hate you, no matter how mad you make me, or how harsh your punishment may be."

"You sure?"

"I'm positive."

They rocked a little longer, before Donatello spoke.

"Lana, I'm very disappointed with you. I am not one bit pleased that you lied, stole, and disobeyed orders. I never thought you would break all these rules, more or less, all at once."

"I'm in BIG trouble," she thought.

"I'm going to do to you what Master Splinter did to us anytime we were caught lying," Donatello told her, looking kind of grim. "I will also add my own stuff at the end."

Lana looked at him somewhat curiously. Her eyes went wide when he leaned her forward so she was leaning over his other knee.

"What the..." She started to wonder, but was abruptly interrupted when she felt Donatello's hand strike her bottom. Her eyes were huge from shock, but after two more encounters with his hand, she began to cry hot, ashamed, and embarrassed tears. After a few more painful swats on the butt, Donatello set her back on the knee she'd originally been sitting on.

"Now that that part is done and over with, I will tell you the rest," Donatello began. "You are grounded for a month, no questions asked. You are to remain in your room the first week, and are only allowed out for meals and school. You follow me so far?"

Lana nodded meekly.

"Plus," he went on. "You will not be going to the Backstreet Boys concert I got tickets for next month."

He watched as her eyes went huge and just about popped out of her head.

"But - " she tried.

"Nuh-uh," Donatello shook his head. "The front row tickets and backstage passes are going to be given to some other fan who deserves to see them perform live and to meet them afterwards."

Lana's eyes welled up with tears. "But - But you said..."

"I said you couldn't go to the concert today. I never said you couldn't go to any of their concerts," Donatello stated gently. "You just assumed I meant you weren't allowed to go to any of them."

Her tears began to fall again then, and Donatello sympathetically brushed them away.

"I hope this ordeal also taught you not to assume things."

She nodded slightly, as unwanted sobs racked through her body.

Donatello sighed, but pulled her into a hug anyway. He'd known she'd probably react like this. In a way he felt as though this whole ordeal was his fault for not telling her abut the concert tickets he'd gotten. But he also knew he could have never known what she was thinking, when he told her she couldn't see them in Amsterdam.

She cried into his chest for awhile. He grew worried when the room suddenly became quiet, but was relieved when he looked down only to realize she'd cried herself to sleep. He carefully stood up, then carried her into her room and put her to bed. Once she was in bed he tucked her in, kissed her head, and left to go find his sensei, as he needed advice.