I own nothing, so I am paid nothing! So, please enjoy for free!

Leo cleared his throat again and then began, still standing and looking at his notes. "Father, I would like say, 'Thank you.' We don't do that enough. You were alone and without responsibility when you found us. You didn't have to take us home, (I'm sure we didn't look too impressive then) …"

Mikey interrupted, "I bet we were cute, though!"

Leo gave a little bit of a scowl but went on. "But you did. Then, when we mutated and so did you, you could have tried to get rid of us, but you didn't. You went up topside and found food for us. You also found us a home three times now! You gave us a family, and training, and never gave up on us, or ran out on us, or …" Leo stopped and let his papers fall to his side along with his arm.

His head bowed. The others looked up and blinked. April clenched her hands together in nervousness for him under the table.

Leo then looked up trying to meet his father's gaze. Splinter was staring back at him. Leo released his breath in a sigh. "I just … hope that someday I can be half the ninja, half the leader, half the Hamato you are, Sensei. I might not be able to be a father like you, but I'd like to lead, ninja, and be as good a brother to my brothers as you have been a father to all of us someday ..."

Leo then gave a slight bow at the waist. His sensei gave him a slighter bow, somewhat more than a deep nod of his head. Donnie mumbled across the table. "Well, I think Leo's presentation beat mine …"

April looked over at the turtle in purple. "It's not like it's a competition, Donnie."

Every male at the table, "but" Splinter just stared at her uncomprehendingly. April rolled her eyes. "And 'this' is what I missed growing up with a sister." Her eyes then narrowed slightly. "Although … there 'was' that one time we both liked the same guy in high school."

Casey's blue eyes widened as he stared at her. Raph cleared his throat. Everyone looked to him. However, he didn't look back at them. Instead, he gave a deep sigh and said, "Mikey …"

His brother in orange sat up straight. His eyes focused in on Raph's face like lasers. "Yeah, Bro?"

Raph mumbled without looking at him. "You can go next …"

Mikey leapt to his feet as his chair fell backwards. "Wahooooooo!"

The others at the table flinched. Splinter covered his face with one hand. Leonardo sat down next to his father with a slight frown. April looked toward the door into her apartment complex's hallway, "Well … I think my only other renter told me she was going on a super-cheap holiday week vacation anyway …"

Mikey snapped his arm backward fist-clenched and said, "Yes! That means I can read as loudly as I want to …" He held up yet another comic of crayon and printing paper, "The Adventures of the Amazing Splinter: Mutated Ninja Rat of the Sewers 'and' His four Turtle Sons!"

Sure enough, on the cover was a picture of a rat standing up yet stooped over a cane he had one hand resting upon. He was also wearing a brown kimono. The others stared at it. Casey grimaced and leaned back in his chair. He threaded his fingers together behind his head before resting it in them. "We're gonna be miss the kick-off … I guess it ain't hockey."

April gave her fellow human a glare. "Oh, hush!"

What do you think?

God Bless

ScribeofHeroes