Jake watched with a twinkle in his eye as his girlfriend, Carla, talked to the people around her, blue eyes wide with excitement and childish wonder.
For Carla, this was her first time spending Christmas around someone she loved. When she was younger, living in Puerto Rico, her parents were always so busy, despite the holiday never really ending until January, and with her being the only child, it kind of got lonesome, til her parents brought her a dog. Since then, that was the only person Carla had spent Christmas with.
Jake hummed in the back of his throat, hand tapping to the beat of the music.
When Carla was done talking, she ran towards him, blue eyes still wide with excitement. Seeing her cheerfulness made him made and be happy too.
"Having fun?" He asked, to which she nodded her head.
"Yes, this party is amazing!" She said, her accent thick and heavy, but Jake didn't mind. In fact, her accent was one of the reasons he loved about Carla.
"I'm glad," He said, taking a sip of his hot chocolate. "Listen, I have something to attend to. Mind staying here for a bit?"
Carla nodded as Jake placed a kiss on her cheek.
"Thanks, I'll be back soon."
With that, Jake began to leave the party, Carla watching him as he went.
"Are you going to tell him?" Katie asked, watching as Carla started to rub her stomach. So far, Carla hasn't shown the signs of anything abnormal, but she knew what was about to happen was going to change Jake and hers life, so she wanted to keep it a surprise.
"Yes, I will. But, right now, Jake is busy with something so when he comes back, I'll tell then." She said. Katie smiled.
"I am happy for you, Carla. I know Jake's going to be a great dad." She said, making Carla smile.
"I know too."
An hour has passed since Jake left, and Carla was starting to get worried. She decided to go talk to Ryder, in hopes he would soothe her mind.
"Don't worry, Carla. If Jake is ever in trouble, he'll call for help." He said. Carla sighed, nibbling on her bottom lip.
"Yes, I know, but still...he's been gone for a while, maybe I should go check up on him?" She wondered, making Ryder smile. He didn't say anything as Carla started to walk away, mind lost as she headed in the direction she last saw Jake heading.
Ryder just smiled.
When Carla reached the cabin, she took note of how dark it was. Concerned, Carla crept towards her and Jake's cabin, apprehensive and cautious.
"Jake?" She called out, but got no answer. "Jake!"
Still, no answer.
Fear gripping her heart, Carla continued her search, until she felt arms wrapping themselves around her waist, making her jump and scream as she was turned around.
"Woah, hey, hey, it's just me!" Jake said, looking at Carla with slight amusement in his eyes. Carla breathed a sigh, before slapping him on his shoulder.
"Don't do that! I was worried about you!" She said, giving him a glare, which melted when Jake gave her a apologetic look.
"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. But, the surprise I have is ready, and I was just about leave when I heard you call for me." He said. Carla blushed lightly, even when Jake brushed away her curls and then grabbed her hand. "Come on."
Without protest, Carla followed him. It was a bit quiet during the walk, and while Carla was thinking of ways to tell Jake the good news, she didn't realize they had came to a full stop until she softly bumped into him, making her look up at him. Jake merely raised an eyebrow, before pointing towards the gift and she couldn't help but stare at it in awe and love.
It was an ice statue of her dog, Joe.
Tears swelled in her eyes.
"It rarely ever melts here in this part of the forest," He whispered into her ear. "That way, whenever you need to visit him again, he's right here. With you."
"Jake...thank you, I love it!" Carla whispered, giving him a hug and a kiss. The two held each other in silence for a few minutes before Carla broke out of the hug and looked at him. "Jake, I have something to tell you."
"Hmm?" He hummed, nuzzling her cheek.
"I'm pregnant." She said. Jake froze, the hand he was using to stroke her cheek stopped, and he looked at her with shock and happiness.
"You...you are?" He whispered. Carla nodded, tears falling down her face as she and Jake shared a smile.
"You're going to be a dad." She whispered back, which caused Jake to hug her almost immediately. Carla couldn't help but giggle as Jake shared his enthusiasm with the world.
"I'm going to be a dad! I'm going to have a family! Does Everest and Bruno know?" He asked and Carla smiled.
"I want that to be a surprise to them too. Merry Christmas Jake." She said, planting a kiss on his lips. Jake couldn't help but smile, kissing back, as he wrapped his arms around his girl.
A/n: Responding to Halena: I paired up Humdinger and Goodway because I like that pairing. It's one of my favorite couples in the show, and I don't really care if others support it or not. Also, regardless of their rivalry, take note how in almost every show you watch, there's always a bad guy. Always. In the case of Humdinger, I don't consider him as such,because he has a few nasty characteristic about himself that just about anyone in real life has. Shredder, the villain in TMNT, would put Humdinger down in shame because he's a TRUE villain, not Humdinger. And really, rivalries don't mean a thing to me. I have plenty of rivals in my life that I still care about to this day and age.
