I know its one day late for a Christmas fanfic but I didn't come up with this idea till about 10 o'clock last night, and I wasn't going to run home and type this up. Merry Belated Christmas, Tara! And an Early Happy New Year! :)
"Someone help me set up the tree! It's gonna tip over any second now!"
"Raph, give me my plant donut thing back! Leo told me to put it over there!"
"Who has the poinsettia plant April sent us? It's supposed to be over there!"
"It's called a wreath, you idiot. Go help Leo with the tree; I can handle hanging a wreath."
"Give him the wreath, Raph."
"Hello? Tree tipping over! Little help here!"
Splinter watched, annoyed and amused, as his sons fought over the holiday that supposedly brought families together: Christmas. As little turtles they had loved whenever commercials came on showing sparkly trees, inflatable lawn decorations, and other Christmassy things. Things had not changed much since then. They still watched Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman repeatedly. They still wore their white-tipped Santa caps, although the lair remained the same temperature it always was. They still woke up at 5 o'clock in the morning on Christmas day, running about and screaming like banshees. At least, Michelangelo did.
Happy reminiscences were broken when Christmas ornaments started flying across the room. Michelangelo was being chased around with his wreath around his neck, and multicolored orbs were being thrown at him by Raphael. Donatello was still searching for the poinsettia, and poor Leonardo had been captured beneath the tree he had been trying so hard to set up.
"It seems Christmas has fallen into chaos." Splinter thought with a chuckle, "It isn't as if it hasn't happened before."
With that thought, he wandered out, narrowly avoid concussion by ornament. He returned with a large burgundy book in his hands, barely even missed.
"Ooh, what'cha got, Master Splinter?" Mikey chirped.
"Come and see, Michelangelo." he answered, "Bring your brothers, too."
After removing the wreath from Michelangelo's neck and the tree off Leonardo's back, the five gathered on a couch in the lair. Splinter held the book on his lap. His five-pointed clan crest was emblazoned on it.
"What is it, Master Splinter?! Tell us! PLEASE?!" Mikey exclaimed hyperactively.
"See for yourself." Splinter replied, opening the book. Pictures of a young boy in kimono and yukata decorated the pages.
"It's a photo album!" Leo stated.
"Really? I thought it was a dictionary." Raph retorted. Leonardo snorted angrily.
Mikey peered confusedly at the photographs and asked, "Is that you, Master Splinter?"
"Yes, Michelangelo." Splinter decreed.
"Then…shouldn't they be in black and white?" Mikey asked, earning him a dirty look from Splinter.
"No way! You see, the first permanent color photograph was printed in 1861 by…" Donnie rambled.
Raph interrupted him with a very loud and very fake yawn. "Why are you showing us these, Sensei?" he asked.
"I thought you might like to see these particular pictures." He answered, turning a small cluster of pages. The upturned pages displayed four small turtles in pointed red hats with embroidery that read, "I believe in Santa Claus."
"I remember those!" Leo declared, "They drifted down the sewers."
"Yeah, and it took us forever to wash the stink out of them." Raph said, "They were rank."
"Oh! Remember when Mikey used his as a punch bowl?!" Donnie snickered, "That thing smelled like fruit till the day Leo chopped it in half!"
"That was so mean!" Mikey shouted, his laughter betraying him.
"Remember that?" Raph asked, pointing to a picture of the our turtles, each no more than three feet high, standing one atop another to place a star on a tree.
"Oh yes." Leo answered, laughing.
Suddenly they weren't sitting on a couch anymore, but stacked in a Leaning Tower of Turtles, wobbling back and forth on little six-year-old legs.
"Left! Left!" Donnie shrieked, attempting to balance Mikey on his shoulders while standing on Raph's.
"I'm trying!" Leo shouted, staggering under the weight of three tiny turtles.
"Donnie, you're digging your fingers into my leg!" Mikey exclaimed, flailing about atop the tower.
"Whatever you do, do NOT drop that star!" Raph cried.
"I won't!" Mikey replied, "Move forward, Leo!"
"I'm trying!" Leo repeated, "You're heavy!"
"Closer…closer…almost there…" Donnie muttered.
Mikey shoved the star on the top branches. "Got it!" he declared.
That very instant, Raph slipped, and the whole group fell on top of Leo.
Giggles erupted from the group, past and present. "Trees, turtles, things seem to like to fall on you, Leo!" Donnie declared.
"Shut up." Leo stated, shoving Donnie.
"Look at that one." Donnie said, eager to distract the soon-to-be bloodthirsty Leo.
A young Raph held up a small tortoise to the camera. "That was the year I found Spike." Raph murmured, staring at the floor.
"Aww, you look so CUTE!" Mikey exclaimed.
Raph growled threateningly and nearly tackled Mikey. Leo, always the peacemaker, asked, "Hey, didn't you find Spike on Christmas Eve?"
"Yeah…" Raph replied. The memory flooded his mind like Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans.
Seven-year-old Raph wandered through the sewers, Donnie trailing behind him. "Leo, Mikey, come out come out wherever you are!" he cried.
"I think I saw Mikey head that way." Donnie squeaked, pointing down a tunnel.
"Thanks, Don." Raph replied, "You wait here while I go get him." Donnie nodded and crouched against a wall.
Raph walked down the tunnel. "Mikey?" he called, "I know you're in here!" No one answered. Raph continued deeper. The light got dimmer as he moved on. "Mikey?" he asked. A pair of yellowed eyes stared at him from a corner. Raph backed away from them. An orange bandanna dangled from the sky. "Mikey, get down from there!" Raph exclaimed.
"Alright, alright, you found me." Mikey grumbled, clambering down, "Let's get out of here. This place gives me the creeps."
"Oh? Is someone scared of the dark?" Raph taunted.
"No!" Mikey defended. They emerged from the side tunnel. "Did you rat me out?" Mikey asked Donnie.
Donnie shook his head, then sighed and nodded.
"I knew it!" Mikey shouted, "Hey Raph…what's that behind you?"
Raph turned around. The yellow-eyed creature, a little tortoise, stared up at him.
"It's a tortoise. He must've followed me." He declared. He picked up the little creature and instantly fell in love with it. "I think I'll ask Master Splinter if I can keep it." He declared.
"I found Leo while you were gone. We can go back now." Donnie declared.
As they returned to the lair, Leo asked Raph, "If Splinter lets you keep him, what do you think you'll name him?"
Raph studied the little guy, searching for the perfect name. The tortoise squinted and snapped at his nose. Raph giggled and said, "I think I'll name him Spike. A vicious name for a vicious creature."
Raph smiled as he recounted the event in his head. "It's too bad Spike got turned into a giant evil monster dude." Mikey stated, "I kinda liked him as a cute little thing."
Raph found enough time to stop smiling and glare at Mikey. "Why did you have to bring that up?" he spat.
"Hey guys! No fighting!" Leo shouted.
"Yeah, or Santa's gonna bring you all coal!" Mikey added.
"And not you?" Donnie asked.
"Of course not! I'm a little angel." He replied.
"O-kay." Leo said, "Hey, why don't we put a new picture in there? The T-phones have cameras, don't they?"
"I have better." Splinter said, making everyone jump, He had been forgotten. "Wait here." Splinter left again. The sound of rifling through boxes could be heard. "Catch, Leonardo." He stated. Quickly, Leo caught a large black camera.
"All of those pictures were taken with this." Splinter stated, "It was my father's."
"Okay." Leo said, "How do you work it?"
After explaining to Leo how to work the old-fashioned camera, they all took pictures, which the camera instantaneously printed. They laughed and stuck their tongue out at the camera, dancing around in their red felt hats.
Splinter smiled reluctantly for a few picture before vanishing like mutant rats are wont to do. "My work here has been done." He thought.
I know it's not a cute Apritello fanfic but it's sweet and adorable and you will like it…or else. I hope you had a merry Christmas, missylynn. Now forgive me, but the nerd in me makes me say this. MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT! :D