Hi, Aqua here! :) So, I was randomly struck with inspiration for a Christmas story in October. It's a little early...but whatever! Who doesn't love a good, fluffy Christmas story? :3 If you hadn't already guessed, this takes place between the Season 2 Finale and the first episode of Season 3. Using my amazing deduction skills, I came to the conclusion that if Leo had been out for three months, and if it was snowing in the season finale, then Leo must have missed the most important holiday of the year; Christmas! Well, once I had came to that conclusion, I had to write about it!

I do not own TMNT.

The cabin was silent, as per usual. It was hard to believe they had been here for a month already. Hard to believe Leo hadn't woken up for a month. Each of the teens had fallen into a routine now, making this place their home.

April looked up from her book, the one she had already read at least three times, and glanced around the small living room. Mikey was humming from the kitchen, currently making something for supper. April marveled at how he had fallen right back into his place when they had arrived, his smile never faltering...and yet something seemed different. The playful sparkle in his eyes had began to fade, being replaced with something more adultlike. It made her sad. She glanced over at Casey, who had given up tinkering on the truck in the barn for the time being and was now lounging on the couch and staring blankly at the television.

Donnie and Raph were nowhere in sight, which was typical. One of them was always sitting beside Leo. They literally took turns watching over their oldest brother, desperately hoping against hope that he would wake up. When Donnie was watching over him, Raph was out chopping wood for the fireplace. They had quickly discovered upon arriving that the cabin had no heater, only a few fireplaces to keep them warm. They could never have too much wood in the house. When Raphael was sitting at his older brother's side, Donnie secluded himself out in the barn, which he had quickly turned into his own lab. April worried about him, out in the freezing cold barn by himself.

"Hey, April!" Mikey poked his head out from the kitchen. "You guys alright with ramen tonight? We're kinda low on the foodstuffs."

"Yeah, sure Mikey," April said somewhat absentmindedly, staring at the fire in the fireplace. How had things gotten to the point where they all seemed distant from each other? The days blurred into each other, each one exactly like the previous.

April was jolted out of her thoughts as the front door opened, sending in a blast of chilly air and revealing a frost-bitten Donatello. He was wrapped up in a coat, a scarf tied around his mouth and a hat resting atop his head. Hurriedly, he closed the door behind him, but not before some snowflakes had already drifted inside and settled on the carpet.

"Donnie, you look like an icicle, dude!" Casey exclaimed, tearing his gaze away from the television. "How long have you been out there?"

"Doesn't matter," Donnie said, flashing him one of the typical glares that he seemed to reserve just for the hockey-masked vigilante. He quickly took off his winter gear, tossing it in a pile by the door, before he brushed past them all, a distant look in his eyes. April swallowed a lump in her throat. She knew exactly where the purple-masked turtle was headed, and she hated the guilty look in his eyes as he went up the stairs.

"He's acting like an icicle too," Casey muttered under his breath, rolling his eyes and turning back to the television. April wanted to snap at him, tell him to leave poor, guilt-ridden Donnie alone, but she lacked the motivation. All she wanted to do was sleep, or cry, or both.

"Ramen ramen ramen!" Mikey's sing-song voice rang out from the kitchen, quickly followed by a high pitched meow from the freezer. The mutant ice cream cat had been less than willing to leave her post in the freezer back at home, but April was relieved when Ice Cream Kitty had quickly adjusted to her new spot in the old cabin. They didn't need more to worry about, especially when the subject in question was a cat with an attitude.

April's eyes flitted to the staircase as Raphael came down, his eyes tired and his shoulders hunched over in defeat. April bit her lip as she watched the red-masked teen snatch the coat that Donnie had been previously wearing off the rack. Obviously Leo's condition wasn't improving. April shifted her eyes over to Casey. She gave him a look and made a quick motion at Raph with her head. Casey quickly got the message.

"Goin' out to get some more wood?" Casey asked, standing up. Raphael simply responded with a grunt.

"I'm getting bored of that old truck in the barn, and there's nothing to do in here," Casey said with a shrug. "Mind if I tag along?"

"Whatever," Raph's word came out clipped and gruff-sounding, as if he had forced himself to speak. Casey grinned for a second, then quickly grabbed his own jacket and followed Raph out the door. April let out a breath of relief as she watched the two boys leave the house. At least Raph wasn't going out alone. Ever since they had came, the hot-headed turtle had hardly spoken a word, and she seemed to only catch glimpses of him throughout the day. April worried about him, about Donnie, about all of them.

"Hey April!" April nearly jumped out of her seat as Mikey suddenly materialized next to her on the couch. "Where'd everyone go?"

"Raph and Casey are out getting wood, and Donnie…." April trailed off, frowning, "well, you know where he is." Mikey's smile faltered for a brief second, but before April could even fully process it the grin had returned in full strength.

"Oh well, that works out just fine!" Mikey piped up, "because you and me have got some planning to do!"

"Planning?" April asked, turning to look at the youngest of the turtles in confusion. "Planning for what?"

"Don't tell me you don't remember?" Mikey said, his smile disappearing fully this time. "You couldn't have forgotten, right? How could you forget?" April felt a twinge of panic at the disappointment apparent on Mikey's face. What was she forgetting, and if it was so important how could she have forgotten it? Think April, think! But her mind was drawing up a blank.

"I guess if you don't remember, maybe it's not that important after all…" Mikey said, his eyes flickering downward and his lips curled in an uncharacteristic frown. "Maybe it was a stupid idea. You guys probably don't want to celebrate, what with Leo being injured and stuff…" April was growing more frantic by the second. She hated to see Mikey so sad, so...un-Mikeyish.

"Yeah, it was stupid," Mikey said, sighing in defeat. "Never mind." April let out a small noise of desperation as Mikey slipped back into the kitchen. But no matter how hard she tried, she simply couldn't figure out what Michelangelo had possibly been thinking about. Moaning, she dropped her book onto the floor carelessly and curled herself into a tight ball. Your one chance at bringing everyone back together, and you ruined it!

As she rocked back and forth, feeling extremely sorry for herself, the house was totally silent. Mikey's humming had ceased and now she was just left with emptiness that seemed to choke her it was so thick.

My room. She could always retreat there. Quickly, she stumbled to her feet and hurried up the stairs, skipping steps and nearly tripping to pay for it. Rushing down the hallway, she flung open the old oak door, running into the room and collapsing on the large king size bed and breaking into sobs.

The smell of the pillow reminded her of her father; this had been his room when they had came up here in the summer. She recalled the precious few moments before he had been turned into a kraang-person. His wide, goofy smile. His two fingers held up in a peace sign. His eyes, for once bright with happiness instead of terror. It had been a good way to go at least. He hadn't gone knowing what was happening to him, knowing he'd never see his daughter again. He had left with a grin and peace sign. If only everyone had the pleasure of knowing that they'd leave in such a happy manner.

"I'm lucky," April told herself through tears. "I'm lucky to have escaped, I'm lucky to have even had him for a short while." But her words were empty and she relapsed into sobs. He had been clinging to the van as they had fled, trying to attack them or begging them for help, even April didn't know. She had watched him slip out of her fingers. Again.

"April?"

April looked up, tensing as Mikey's voice rang out from the door. She quickly wiped off her eyes, swallowing down the rest of her tears as she looked up at the orange-masked mutant. His blue eyes darted across her face nervously.

"I'm sorry...did I make you cry?" Mikey asked, his eyes begging for forgiveness.

April stared at him, dumbfounded. The sheer amount of kindness he displayed was incredible. He was more kind, more gentle, more caring than any human she had met. He was what they should all be trying to live up to, and yet he lived his life in hiding, keeping that love and that kindness hidden from the world because they wouldn't accept it.

"It's just so stupid!" April cried out, not being able to stop the tears from rolling down her cheeks. "Everything is so messed up-"

"I know," Mikey said, his eyes turning sympathetic, "It wasn't exactly 'happily ever after', was it?"

"And it's not just the Kraang and the Foot, it's the world-" April hiccuped through her tears, "-the world is messed up. You guys, forced to hide like this, and yet you still protect us-us-us stupid people! Us stupid, selfish, blind people!"

"I know, but like Splinter always said-" Mikey paused, his voice catching for moment, "you don't stop helping people just because they don't appreciate it."

"Oh my gosh," April said, laughing through her tears. "You'd think I'd be used to this kind of stuff happening, but I'm still an emotional wreck."

"Hey, we all are, April" Mikey said. "Guess we just gotta pick up the pieces and try to start over again." April stood up and quickly hugged the youngest turtle, a smile flickering on her lips before she pulled away.

"Ramen...ramen sounds really good right now," April breathed out, calming herself.

"Ramen it is!" Mikey said, a grin quickly filling his face as the mood of the entire room lightened. "Tell Casey and Raph to get their sorry butts in here, cause I'm making the best freaking ramen this world has ever seen!" Mikey bounced out of the room, leaving April a little more clear-headed than before and in control of her emotions. Something had changed. She felt...more alive. Like someone had taken a match and lit a small candle in the darkness.

Small...but hopeful.