Chapter 2: All I Want For Christmas is You

While the journey to their new lair was not a difficult one, it was quite long. After Donnie had to stop for the third time, his box filled to the brim with books simply too heavy for him, Raph gruffly switched with him, much to his brother's relief.

The rest of their trip went uninterrupted. As they rounded the last turn, Splinter came to a halt and instructed them to put down their cargo. Doing as they were told, they rested and waited for their father's next orders. Mikey bounced in anticipation, trying his best to stay put and remain silent.

"Donatello," the rat spoke at last, the son in question perking up, "Why don't you give your brothers a tour?"

The young turtle beamed. "Hai, Sensei!" Turning to his brothers, he could barely control his excitement. "Come on, guys! This way!"

The four turtles took off, a shout of joy escaping from Michelangelo before they'd even reached the entrance. As they came upon some turnstiles, Donnie slowed and turned to face his brothers. When he knew he had their attention, he stood up as tall as he could, his chest full of pride.

"I present to you our new home!" he said as he pushed his way through the nearest turnstile. Following suit, the others entered the large room and gaped.

Mikey let out a gasp. "Wow..."

The room they were standing in was huge, larger than all three rooms of their previous home combined. There were tunnels leading off in front of them and to both sides, one of which was elevated above a shallow pool of water. In the center was a recessed area with a continuous bench all around it, a TV - along with their VCR - and rug in the center. Next to them stood a lone arcade machine, bright colors flashing across the screen. And in one corner stood a somewhat sparse but thoroughly decorated Christmas tree.

"Woah," said Raph at a loss for words. He turned to inspect the nearby arcade cabinet, instantly wanting to play the first round of Atomic Robo-X. He jumped on the step stool placed in front of it, mesmerized by the aliens floating across the screen.

As Splinter quietly entered with the table, Mikey was darting around the room. He ran up to the brightly decorated tree, skipping around it while giggling, before taking off for the sitting area in the middle. After briefly trying out the bench, he bolted for the water.

"Master Splinter!" he said as his sensei calmly began walking up the stairs leading above the pool. "Can we put a tire swing here? Please? This would be an awesome place for a tire swing!" He pointed directly above the water.

The young turtle's father cocked an eyebrow, but smiled gently. "We shall see," he said simply. Mikey of course took this as a yes, practically dancing on the spot.

"This place is amazing!" said Leo as he slowly took everything in. Noticing Splinter disappearing up the short flight of stairs, he turned to Donatello. "How many other rooms are there?"

"Well, four that I know of for sure," admitted Donnie, "Sensei wouldn't let me go down that tunnel just yet." He pointed to the wall across from the entrance before turning to his left. "Over there is being used for storage right now, but Sensei said I could use it as a work area. And then there's the kitchen and of course the bathroom. Last is the dojo; would you like to see it?"

"Yes!" cried Mikey who had finally settled next to Raph at the arcade machine.

Leonardo grinned and nodded enthusiastically, echoing his brother's sentiment.

Following the path their father had just taken, Donnie led Leo up the stairs. Raph left his game somewhat reluctantly, Mikey dragging him away, practically pulling his arm out of it's socket. Soon all four entered the dojo.

As all of their training up to now had been in a sewer tunnel, the turtles were in awe of the large, well lit space. Rugs lined the floor, and directly in front of them was a tree - a real, live tree growing under ground. The opposite wall had a small shrine for their father's dead wife and daughter as well as an array of weapons. To the far right, Splinter emerged from a closed off area, having deposited the small table.

"I see you are all impressed with our new dojo," he said.

Leo was clearly the most taken with the space. He nodded dumbly as his blue eyes soaked in every detail.

"What's in there, Sensei?" asked Mikey, instantly wanting to explore the hidden portion his father had just come from.

"That, my son, is my room," he said.

Mikey blinked. "Your room?" he repeated, confused. The five of them had always slept together in one bedroom. The idea of having a private space was foreign to the young turtle whose only experience with being alone involved being lost in the dark sewers. Needless to say, he couldn't see why anyone would have any desire to hide away in a room by themselves.

Splinter chuckled. "Yes, but do not worry. I will show you where you four will be sleeping after Donatello has shown you everything else."

"Oh. Ok," said the youngest as Splinter made his way back downstairs. He frowned, not sure if he liked the idea of their father sleeping in another room. Knowing he was next to them made him feel safe.

Noticing his brother's distress, Raphael rolled his eyes. "Oh, grow up, Mikey. We don't all have to share a room. We're not babies anymore." He paused, smirking. "Well, most of us aren't."

Michelangelo glared at his big brother. "I'm not a baby!" he pouted.

"Only a baby would put out snacks for Santa every year even though he never comes 'cause he's not real," retorted Raph smugly.

"Come on, guys," Donnie said before the youngest turtle had a chance to protest, "I'll show you the kitchen!"

This immediately piqued Mikey's interest. "Oh! Yes! I wanna see the kitchen!" He trotted up behind Donnie as the older turtle walked out of the dojo, Raph and Leo close behind.

Upon entering their first ever actual kitchen, Michelangelo began running around excitedly again - "Wow! It has a stove and a fridge and a sink -" - the previous conversation already forgotten. His brothers watched, amused at his antics, though Raph secretly wished to return to the arcade machine while Leo kept glancing across the hall toward the dojo.

After Mikey had begun to calm down, Splinter appeared in the doorway.

"Do you all like your new home?" he asked simply.

"Hai, Sensei!" the four turtles yelled in almost perfect unison.

"I can't believe we have a real dojo!"

"Can I see what's down the other hall now?"

"Ooh! Is that where we're gonna sleep?"

"Do we get our own rooms too?"

Master Splinter smiled. "I am glad you all like it here. As for your sleeping arrangements, that is my own Christmas present to you all."

His sons looked at him curiously. "What do you mean?" asked Donnie, "Isn't the lair itself a present?"

"Indeed," he said as he began directing them out of the kitchen and back down into the common area, "Our new home is a fine gift. But this is a bit more... personal."

The four turtles followed their father through the large room and toward the back wall, Michelangelo bringing up the rear looking slightly nervous. Raphael, on the other hand, was beaming, almost skipping as he urged Splinter to walk faster. Scaling some stairs, they reached the tunnel they had seen upon first entering their new home. Beyond it were four open doorways, a cardboard box topped with a pillow just outside each one.

Leonardo was the first to speak, "We really do get our own rooms? All to ourselves?"

They all turned to look at Splinter, waiting expectantly for an answer, their expressions ranging from delight to worry. Finally he nodded. "You all deserve to have your own space, your own beds. Merry Christmas, my sons."

Raph was the first to run to the door with his box in front of it, peering in excitedly. Leo and Donnie followed suit, but Mikey stayed behind.

"We're not all together?" he asked, looking up at his father, his blue eyes wide.

Splinter knelt down and placed his hand on his son's shoulder. "My son," he began gently, "it may take some getting used to; the four of you have always been together up to now. But your brothers' rooms are right beside yours, and you will come to appreciate a space for you alone in time." He stood again as he led his youngest son to his new room. "Besides, it is your room. You can do with it as you please," the corners of his mouth curled up as he glanced down at Mikey, "including playing your Christmas music without fear of upsetting anyone."

At this, Michelangelo's face brightened. He grabbed his father's hand who in turn gave his a light squeeze of encouragement. They both smiled. Perhaps having his own room wouldn't be so bad after all.

"Oh yeah!" The young turtle stopped before turning suddenly, "Raph's got my radio!"

Letting go of Splinter's hand, Mikey ran over to his brother's room and peered in. It was fully furnished with lockers for storage as well as a full sized bed. Raphael was grinning to himself as he placed his drum on top of a nightstand made from some cement blocks and a wooden board.

"Raph? Can I have my radio?" asked Mikey as he walked through the doorway, studying his brother's new room.

The red banded turtle stopped what he was doing to focus on his sibling, hands on his hips. "Hey, who said you could come in here? This is my room, remember?" he said. With a smirk he added, "No babies allowed!"

He immediately regretted it, however, when Mikey's face fell, his lower lip beginning to tremble. His small shoulders slumped as he shuffled back into the hallway.

Raph sighed loudly. "Oh, come on, I was just messin' around," he said as he went to pick up the radio from his bed. Snapping it up, he walked over to his brother who was staring at the floor and held it out to him. "Here."

The older turtle thought he heard a mumbled thanks as his brother slowly took the device and turned to leave. Quickly glancing at the other bedrooms, Raph grabbed Mikey's shoulder. The orange banded turtle looked up at him with a face that rivaled that of a sad puppy.

"I didn't mean it, ok?" said Raphael, lowering his voice as he again scanned the surrounding area. Finally convinced no one would hear him, he continued, "Look, just because we're not in the same room anymore doesn't mean you can't come get us if you need us. Leo and Donnie and me are all gonna be right here if you get scared or somethin'."

Michelangelo searched his brother's eyes for any sign of insincerity. "Promise?"

"Yeah, promise." Raph's face softened as he saw hope return to Mikey's face, but he quickly covered it up with a smirk. Letting go of his shoulder, he gave the younger turtle a light shove in the direction of his own room. "Now go on and start unpacking. And stop frowning - it's Christmas, remember?"

Shooting his brother a tiny smile, the young turtle did as he was told and returned to his room where Master Splinter was waiting for him. He switched the radio back on, readjusting the volume as he passed through the doorway.

"Have a holly jolly Christmas, it's the best time of the year..."


A/N: As always, critics and grammar nazis appreciated!