Epilogue

Toothbrushes and Mistletoe

"I come with food!" Mikey announced cheerfully as he walked into the lair holding up plastic bags. He was wrapped in an orange and white coat, cheeks and nose red from the cold winter wind.

Razor lugged in behind him in a black and red snow coat with a collar that covered his mouth, large rubber snow boots, a black ski hat with flaps that covered his ears, bright red cheeks that contrasted horribly with his grey skin, a runny nose and a glare that could freeze fire. He was also carrying a few bags in black mittens.

Don looked up from decorating the tree with the decorations from their childhood Christmases, including a line of origami cranes that had originally replaced the seasonal string of lights. "You okay Razor?"

The boy stomped his feet to get any snow that hadn't fallen off in the sewers already, and practically stomped to the kitchen with the big, clumsy boots. He put the bags on the table and hopped up and down on one foot so he could take the boots off after uncovering his ears. "I- hate- snow!" he said on each hop.

"Its only partially frozen water," Don said matter-of-factly.

"He's just sore because it's cold," Alex said walking up to the tree with a small pile of colorfully wrapped boxes that she slid underneath the tree's bristly branches.

"Next you can be the one to go out there and fall on your ass on ice and walk with Mr. Must-Step-In-Slush," Razor said crossly as he kicked the boots off and started to unzip the coat.

"Oh but didn't you hear? We were taking you along to Central Park for a snowball fight later tonight."

"Not funny Leo," the frozen shark snapped, throwing his coat on the couch and dug through the bags for the box of instant hot chocolate. "I like liquid water, li-quid. Gas is okay too, but not solid. Water is not meant to be solid!" He found the box and tore it open with his teeth to extract one of the packets and started making the drink. "Not even partially solid."

Leo rolled his eyes with a smile as he helped Mikey put the food away, while Raph was doing the aggravating task of untangling the Christmas lights before they could put them up, which – for some reason – involved silently cursing and muttering crossly to the knotted wires.

When they were done putting the food away Mikey looked at the tree that stood in the middle of the room. There was already a small collection of presents underneath the branches and he wished Don had invented X-ray goggles. He had already quietly made plans to himself to sneak a few peeks that night when everyone was asleep. Surely Santa wouldn't think much of it for just a little look.

Razor sat at the table, a blanket stolen from Alex's bed wrapped around his shoulders, hands cupped around a steaming mug, hat still on his head. "I liked Halloween better," he sniffed.

"I still wonder why you two went in costumes," Don said.

"Yeah, you could have gone as yourselves," Mikey said. "No one would have suspected a thing."

"Just wanted the experience," Razor said, taking a gulp from his mug. He felt the hot liquid flow down his throat and spread through his chest and smiled at the heat. "Was our first holiday after all," he added.

"I'll tell ya what," Alex said as she walked over to help Raph who was about to break something with frustration at the lights. "We'll go as our plain selves next year, see what kind of reaction we get."

While Alex and Raph worked on the lights Leo and Don finished the tree and Razor helped Mikey with the rest of the decorations around the lair. When everyone was done with their self given jobs the lair didn't look half bad. Once Razor warmed up from his frozen trek across town with Mikey the place started to grow a cheerful feeling, and Razor finished the decorations by grabbing the red glowing orb he had taken from the giant robot the night he had escaped the labs, and tied it to the top of the tree in place of the usual angel.

Not much had happened since all the experiments had claimed their freedom. They were sure that everyone was doing okay in the world, though they hadn't heard a word from anyone except Gorf who seemed to pop up at the most unexpected times. The frog-boy was a little annoying at times, but Don liked having another technical brain around when Gorf was helping him with an invention. Now as they hung around as a family watching Christmas specials, Mikey practically pushing Alex, Razor, and Gorf (who had seemed to just walk out of thin air) into the couch when they told him they had never seen Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, or Frosty the Snowman, or The Santa Clause.

...--... ...--... ...--... ...--... ...--... ...--... ...--...

That night, with everyone dressed up for the snow, they dragged Razor back outside for the promised snowball fight. It hadn't taken long for the fight to progress into a full scale war complete with sneak attacks, bombing, tackles, double crossing, snow down the shirts, plots for revenge, and hiding for your life behind a tree.

They didn't call it quits until Razor was coughing and sneezing, Mikey couldn't feel his legs, Don could barely stay standing, Alex couldn't stand, Leo's hands were numb, Raph was shivering with all the snow that made its way down his shell, and Gorf got his tongue stuck to a streetlight.

"Don' 'eave me 'ere!" the boy cried in his sudden lisp.

"We'll be right back," Don promised. "We're just going to go get some hot water so you don't have to rip your tongue off."

"We could just cut it off and be done with it."

"No' funneh Raph," Gorf said and grabbed Razor's arm before he could walk out of reach. "Stah wit' me, pwease?"

Razor grabbed Mikey and pushed him into the pole. "You stay out here."

Mikey started to walk away from the pole and stopped when he tugged on his tongue. "Ah mah…"

Gorf started laughing at his companion as the others walked away. They stood shivering in the snow with their tongues frozen to the cold metal for what felt like hours until Don, Leo, and Alex appeared with steaming cups.

"Finaweh," Gorf said as Alex poured the hot water on his tongue while Mikey's brothers did the same for him. With a few tugs the boys became unstuck with only a few missing taste buds.

...--... ...--... ...--... ...--... ...--... ...--... ...--...

A few days later on the night before Christmas Eve, Mikey crept out of his room using all his ninja stealth as possible, being careful not to rouse Razor as he passed the couch and headed for the tree.

Slowly he got down onto his knees and scanned over the colorful boxes. The first one he found with his name on the tag was rectangular but not very thick. Looking around him he started to undo the tape, careful not to rip the paper. He flinched as it tore a little and quickly looked around. When no one seemed to have heard he continued with the wrapping, but before he could get a look a voice cut through the silent air.

"Mike, what are you doing?"

Mikey quickly dropped the present at the sight of a tired Razor looking over the top of the couch. "Uh- nothing!" he quietly exclaimed and pushed a box that was already underneath the tree farther in. "I was just- uh- putting a present with the others, that's all." Mike got to his feet. "Uh, just- go back to sleep," he said and hurried off to his room.

Razor shook his head and lay back down.

...--... ...--... ...--... ...--... ...--... ...--... ...--...

On Christmas Morning, after a good sleep on full stomachs from a chaotic dinner where everyone tried to help cook, Mikey and Gorf teamed up to be the alarm clock. As Mikey hopped up and down in his brothers' and father's rooms Gorf shook Alex and Razor until they were ready to kill him.

But the two had to wait another hour when they were told breakfast came first. Then there were the dishes and putting everything away. When they were finally done Mikey and Gorf ran for the tree and practically fell over as they sat down by it.

Not in quite the rush Raph and Alex turned the couch around and pushed it closer for a place to sit.

Presents were given to their owners until Razor got his first one, from Alex. It was small and rectangular. He tore the wrapping off and opened the box underneath. He gave Alex a look saying 'I can't believe you' and pulled out a toothbrush and a tube of toothpaste.

"I told you," Alex said with a wide smile.

"Like he'll use it though," Mikey said.

"But now he can't say he doesn't have one," Alex pointed out.

The next one to open his present was Mikey. He held a tiny white box with a red ribbon keeping the lid down. He pulled the ribbon, opened the box, and dropped a black lump into his hand.

"Is that coal?" Don asked.

"Hey there's somethin' else," Raph said and grabbed a slip of paper that had fallen to the floor. On one side it read simply:

Naughty

Impatience

Raph looked confusedly at it and showed everyone else.

When no one was looking Razor caught Mikey's eye and smiled like he held a secret.

After all the presents were opened there was the tedious task of picking up all the torn wrapping paper to throw in the trash, and then everyone put their new belongings away. When that was done the day was spent playing games and hanging around, Razor yet to try out his toothbrush.

Then it happened.

Alex was sitting on the couch watching TV when Razor sat down, grabbed the remote, and changed the channel.

"Hey I was watching that!" the girl exclaimed.

"And now I'm watching this," Razor said.

"Give me back the remote seaweed head," Alex said and reached for the control but Razor kept it out of reach.

"No," he said simply as they started fighting over it.

"Give it!"

"Make me!"

"Fish breath!"

"Air head!"

"Gr…"

In the struggling they fell off the couch. Razor got to his feet and ran with the remote still in his hand. Alex tackled him and they went rolling across the floor. When they stopped Razor still had the remote, just barely out of reach of Alex's outstretched fingers.

"Uh, guys…?" Gorf said walking out of the kitchen with a mug of hot chocolate.

"What?" they asked distractedly together.

"Look up," Mikey said holding back a small laugh.

Still fighting over the remote they moved their eyes to the ceiling and found a bundle of green leaves with white berries hanging over their heads – mistletoe. They looked at each other for a moment, then, forgetting about the remote, quickly got to their feet and ran in opposite directions. But before they could get too far away a smiling Raph and Mikey grabbed them and pushed them back under the plant.

"You cannot be serious," Razor said.

"I can't kiss this garbage disposal!" Alex exclaimed.

"Yeah, and I can't kiss Alex because… because it's Alex!" Razor said.

"Exact- hey wait a minute, what's that supposed to be mean?"

"Stop procrastinating," Gorf said.

The two looked at each other. Razor stuffed his hands down his pockets. Alex rubbed the back of her neck and crossed her arms. They each squeezed their eyes shut and slowly leaned forward.

To speed things up Raph and Mikey pushed on their backs, and the two's lips hit. They stood there for a few seconds before they pulled apart and dashed for the bathroom as Gorf started laughing.

"Well," Leo said after walking in with Don just in time to see Alex and Razor together. "At least Razor will finally use that toothbrush."

Okay, I decided to write the epilogue, I don't know why, its not even near Christmas time, but I've had this idea stuck in my head for a while so I just added it, and I felt bad for the ending of the story. I don't know, I dont think it sounded right, but that was all I could come up with for the actual ending. Most of my ideas went towards the middle and climax-area. And and as I said before, there will more than likely be a second one. But for now, this story is now complete, and it didnt even take a year to write.

and Im going to have to ask as always: REVIEW!!