A Single Penny

Disclaimer: I don't own them.

Rated K

Leo glanced at the calendar that hung on the wall, at seven, he was old enough to know what day they were on, to be able to read the months and all the important things that were necessary when reading a calendar. Splinter had found a few calendars that had been in the garbage, they were for the current year but they were a little torn or stained, one calendar he had put in the boys room, the other was in the kitchen.

"Guys look it," Leo pointed to a square on the calendar, " Fathers day is in about" Leo paused and counted the squares, " ten days away, " he finally announced in satisfaction.

"What's father's day?" Mikey asked.

"Idjit, its a day for father's" Raph declared thumping Mike on the head, in a playful fashion. "Somethin' maybe like that mother's day thing but we don't have a mom so we didn't do anything."

"But we do have a dad and we can do something for him." Leo declared.

"What should we do though Leo?" Mike wondered.

Leo sighed, and shook his head, " I dunno Mike." His face fell as he tried to think of something, they could all do for Splinter. "Maybe we can each do one special thing" He finally suggested, "or agree on one thing to work on."

Don smiled, "Lets each do our own thing then Splinter will get four gifts, he'll get more then and it will be better."

Mike and Raph quickly agreed to this plan.

"I've got the bestest idea of them all. Splinter will like my gift best" Mike crowed.

"Nuh-uh he'll like mine!" Raph insisted.

"No way bro" Mike taunted shaking his head.

Raph glowered as Mike began to dance around singing in a loud voice that "his gift was the best better then all the rest" over and over again.

"I know da best gift for Splinter will be tapin' yer mouth shut." Raph retorted.

Don laughed a little, "Why not, we show each other our gifts to Splinter before we give them to him."

"Good idea!" Leo agreed.

Raph had managed trip up Mike and was now sitting astride his brother trying to get Mike to swallow a pillow from off the bed.

XXX

The evening before father's day the four boys waited until they were sure Splinter had left for scavenging before they turned on the lights in the bedroom and got out from under their blankets.

Mike was bouncing on his bed, "Me first! me first! Oh -oh I gotta show ya."

"Okay Mike you first," Leo allowed.

Mike held up a picture he had painted, of Splinter and all four of them outside in a grassy field under the sunshine. " I did this for him, and I also not gonna play any tricks on him."

The other three turtles knew quite well how often Mikey played tricks, he always got into trouble for them but that never seemed to stop him from doing things like trading sugar for salt, or putting a rubber spider into Raph's bed or things like that.

Raph looked up, " I didn't know what ta do. So I'm going try real hard in lessons and not cause fights." He promised.

Leo smiled, "I've been working on the new kata Splinter showed us. I'm going do it for him."

The others all turned to Don wondering what he would do, Don pulled out a small piece of lined paper with some pennies taped to it. "Splinter says, it's not safe topside. But he often got to go there to get us stuff. Money buys stuff." He explained," Master Splinter can use this."

"Those are just pennies Don, you said yourself that they aren't much good, you need lots." Leo pointed out, "Even Master Splinter told us that," he reminded his brother kindly.

Often on the walks in the sewer where they lived one or another of them would find a penny or two that had been washed or tossed down the sewer pipes and then, managed to get further down. Leo remembered when they first found the pennies they thought they were rich, and could buy all the wonderful stuff they saw on TV, that was until Master Splinter had told them that it took a lot of pennies to buy anything.

However, Splinter had allowed them to keep whatever pennies they found on their walks, " A wise man once said that a penny saved is a penny earned my sons, so save your pennies."

Leo gave Don a perplexed look why would Don who was best at writing and reading and so many other things seem, not to recall the fact that a few pennies were nothing. He didn't want to hurt his brother's feelings but he thought that it was a rather small and meaningless gift to give to Splinter after everything, their father did for them.

"Yeah but I..." Don began.

"You think someone like you could think of somethin else brainiac." Raph scoffed.

Leo shot Raph a dirty look, and put an arm around Don's shoulder, "I'm sure Master Splinter will like it." He soothed.

Mike gave a small grin, "I can help you come up with a better idea if you like Donny" Mike offered.

Don stubbornly shook his head, "No. I'll give him this." Don replied in a soft voice.

Don had a hard time getting to sleep though he wondered if maybe he should change his mind, if his brother's couldn't see just how wonderful his gift was, then maybe Splinter wouldn't see it either. Long after the others had fallen asleep Don lay awake and finally he slipped from his bed and picked up a purple crayon and wrote a few things on the paper with the pennies, before slipping back into and a restless sleep.

XXX

The next morning at their morning lesson, Leo bowed to Master Splinter, " Master Splinter, today is fathers day and we all got you something, we'd like to give to you."

"Father's day?" Splinter asked his brow furrowing.

"On the calendar Splinter, it says" Mike chirped.

Splinter smiled, as he realized where his sons had got the idea, that and probably a few commercials from the TV as well. "You arranged a special surprise for me, I am honoured my sons and would love to see what you have for me" He admitted.

Mike went first making his promise not to pull any tricks today, and giving Splinter his pretty painting. Raph went next and at the age of seven he often didn't care to hug Splinter, especially in front of his brothers, but today he made an exception he went up and hugged his father tightly and then made his vow not to fight with the others and try extra hard. Then Leo showed off the kata he'd practiced in secret.

"I'm very impressed Leonardo, you have all given me such wonderful gifts each with it's own merits," then Splinter noticed Don standing looking at the dojo walls, " What of you Donatello, do you have a gift for me as well?"

Don nodded, and slowly he walked forward taking the lined paper with the pennies taped to it out of a belt pocket. " You say going above is dan..danger..dangerus and I wanted to help you so you wouldn't be in so much danger. I give you my pennies to help you." Don explained offering the paper.

Splinter accepted the paper, looking at the pennies on the paper, there was one penny by itself and words written beside it a penny for your taughts. another penny was taped down with the words, a penny safed is earned,beside it. Then under it was a single penny taped down followed by two pennies, then four pennies in a row, and then in the last row was five pennies and a drawing of three more pennies.

I don't have nuff pennies to give doubled every day. If i coud thy'd all be yours.

"Is this all the pennies you have saved Donatello?" Splinter asked.

The young purple masked child nodded, "I didn't have enough to do the eight." He explained.

"But pennies are no good, you need lots of them," Raph said quickly, "You said it."

"Yes, I did. But a penny can quickly add up, and even a single penny can be, a lot, of money if you have no penny at all." Splinter explained, "Donatello has given me all that he has and that is an exceptional gift, even more so in that he wants to give more, if he had to give he would." The rat hugged the turtle before him, "I thank you Donatello, you gave a generous gift from your heart."

Mike shook his head, " I told him he could give more I'd help him. He wanted to give that instead." He tattled.

Splinter glanced up, "My sons do you not understand, what your brother has done?"

Leo, Mike and Raph shook their heads.

"Ah," Splinter nodded now, in understanding, " See Donatello has doubled the penny three times and says he doesn't have enough to double every day, or he would."

"Eight pennies still isn't much" Raph insisted.

Splinter looked at Donatello, "But eight pennies is only what you get on the fourth day, by the tenth day you have over five dollars and much more as time goes on." Splinter explained, "I'm afraid even my mind doesn't understand all the numbers however I'm sure Donatello knows how much it would be."

Donatello smiled as he looked up at his father, "On the twentieth day it is five thousand two hundred forty two dollars and eighty eight cents. by the thirtieth day it is over five million."

Mike's eyes bulged "No way! It can't be that much!"

Splinter laughed, " You must have forgotten of the story I used to tell you about a ruler who wanted to know how much rice he had, as rice was a valuable item. A young man who was good at math came and counted it all up and it took him a long time to do so, and afterwards he told the ruler for payment he would take but one grain of rice, doubled every day for thirty days." Splinter spoke softly, "The ruler agreed to these terms, and paid the man it, but at the end of the month the ruler was broke and penniless for everything the grain and his kingdom ended up under new ownership."

Mike grinned, "Donny really did give the best gift of all."

Splinter gave a wise knowing nod, "That he did, one under estimate the value of a single penny."

The End