I do not own any of the characters. This is what I think might be a missing scene from the 2003 TMNT show episode "The Christmas Aliens."

Please enjoy, and remember, I make no money from this.

After a meal of strange but delicious food, Usagi found himself with a fuller stomach than usual. He worried such a large meal must slow him down somewhat. Katsuichi would not be pleased. However, it was a celebration. Michelangelo and the warrior Casey Jones had particularly assured him with spirit that over-eating was a well-known tradition when it came to Christmas and other holidays in their nation on third-earth, and most of the other guests had openly agreed. So he'd eaten "rolls," vegetables both steamed and baked, cookies, and more. In fact, he'd eaten like a bear, or like Gennosuke. No, actually, he'd seen Gennosuke eat during the same meal, and he himself had not quite been "that" glutenous.

Now, he was being led toward a pair of large doors. They were referred to by April O'Neil as "the elevator" as she went on ahead of everyone else. Only Gennosuke had raised an eyebrow with him at the mention of this "elevator." Everyone else seemed to know what it meant. He hoped the word meant a very large room, because every member of his friend's family and all their guests including him were on their way to it.

Even in the midst of their confusion, Gennosuke was wearing a grin that made Usagi concerned. Having tasted so many new, delicious foods, and seen so many new, decorations and helpful devices in Leonardo's home, the bounty hunter was feeling much better about all the things this new world might offer. He was eager to see more of it. He'd whispered so much in his ear before they'd been directed toward this elevator along with everyone else.

The doors slid open. Usagi cocked his head and narrowed his eyes. The room beyond looked rather small. He didn't think a third of them would fit together in it. April turned toward the others after the doors slid aside to reveal the room inside. "Why don't Donnie and I go up first and get the Battle-shell warmed up for the rest of you?"

The professor nodded. "An excellent idea!"

Casey raised a hand, "I can go with you April!"

April raised an eyebrow at the warrior, but redirected her attention to the, hero, Silver Sentry as he spoke next, "I can fly ahead and prepare the kids and staff for some more, unusual looking visitors."

Mikey began to hop in place. "Oh, oh, can I go with him?! Since 'I've' already been their hero tonight, and it was 'my' idea!"

Splinter opened his mouth to answer, but the Silver Sentry did so first, "Sure, Turtle Titan!"

Splinter closed his mouth. Usagi looked to the tall human in white. He had a feeling this hero was usually in charge, wherever he was, but Splinter was not used to being with someone of greater authority in his own home. Though, he "had" treated the Daimyo with great respect the whole while, and showed the Silver Sentry respect now.

Raphael put a hand over his eyes. "Oh, Mikey, please … don't wear the costume."

The Battle Nexus Champion put his hands on his shelled hips. "Of course not, Raph. I'm an 'elf' tonight. You know, one of Santa's helpers!"

Raphael muttered under his breath. "'That' explains a lot."

April broke in. "Alright, looks like we've got our first group then."

The professor replied. "We will gladly stay down here in the warmth of this home and wait to go next."

April nodded, and stepped into the tiny chamber. Casey followed to stand next to her. Donnie entered and stepped to the right to stand on April's other side. The Silver Sentry stood in front of, but also somewhat between April and Casey. Mikey followed and stood next to him. Donnie seemed to reach up and touch something. Then the doors slid closed.

Usagi raised an eyebrow but remained silent. He heard strange sounds coming from beyond the closed doors. His eyes widened. The sounds stopped after growing farther away. There was a pause. Then the sounds returned growing closer again, but were slightly different this time. The doors slid open. The room was empty.

He was apparently not the only one surprised. Gennosuke huffed behind him and Usagi felt him lean back from the sight. Usagi himself looked up to Leonardo "My friend, is this a portal?"

Leonardo looked down on him without any surprise on his face at all. "Hmm? Oh! Sorry, Usagi. This is an elevator."

Leonardo's brother in red broke in. "If Don was still here, he'd give ya a really long explanation. Since he's not, I'll just tell ya. The elevator goes up and down. It stops places. It moves people and stuff between floors. You press buttons to decide where you'll go. That's it."

Usagi blinked. "Is it magical?"

Leo gave him a gentle smile. Usagi had that same, uncomfortable feeling like he was child asking his father innocent, stupid questions. He'd had this same feeling with Katsuichi when he took him to the Battle Nexus. Leonardo answered him far more gently than his sensei ever had. "No, it's just an invention someone made a while ago in this dimension … on this planet …"

Raphael broke in again. "Don would know more. He'd take forever telling us how the elevator got made, when, by whom. Where they got the idea. How it spread everywhere else. Let's not give him the opportunity, kay?"

Usagi thought it might be an interesting story but decided he didn't want to irritate this more sullen of Leonardo's brothers. Meanwhile, Splinter, the professor, his friends, and Angel had gotten onto the elevator. The doors shut before them. The sounds beyond the doors began again. Leo smiled as the doors closed. "Guess we'll be the last group going up."

Usagi made a mild face. "My apologies, Leonardo san."

Raph broke in again. "Naw, don't sweat it, it'll be all nice and toasty in the Battle-shell once we get up there."

Gennosuke finally spoke up. "Won't we then be 'more' likely to sweat?"

Raphael made a face, "It's just a phrase."

Leonardo broke in. "Actually, Raph, since the Battle-shell will be really full, I thought we'd run along the rooftops."

Raph raised his hands and voice. "Ah, Leo!"

Usagi noticed his friend smirk at his brother. "Come on Raph, don't tell me you're afraid of the cold!"

"Of course, I ain't afraid of it! I just don't like it! And what about Gen and Usagi? Ain't they 'your' guests to stick with, entertain, and look out for while they're here?"

As Usagi was watching Leonardo to see any signal he was expected or not expected to add to their conversation, the elevator doors opened again. Despite having witnessed the phenomenon before, it gave him a slight chill to see the room empty. He'd been facing the only apparent doors to the small room the whole time. They had been closed the whole time. Now it was again without its former occupants. It 'seemed' like part of a magic show. However, he followed his friend inside, along with his friend's brother, Gennosuke and the Daimyo. The latter seemed to only fit by crouching slightly.

Usagi tried to brace himself for anything strange, but almost fell to his hands in a defensive crouch. His eyes widened. He had never felt the floor or ground move beneath him like that before!

He supposed with the explanation given by Raphael earlier, he should have known what would happen. By attempting very hard not to play the fool by asking for even more questions, he had now acted foolishly. He still didn't know what to expect in this "not-magic" invention.

Leonardo looked more worried than aggravated, or humored, as he reached down. The kame-warrior cupped Usagi's elbow in his three-fingered hand. Then he helped raise him back fully to his feet.

Usagi realized then he'd reached for Young Willow and gripped its hilt. He had for a long time now, when he was startled in tight spaces. Though Usagi felt ashamed, Leonardo almost sounded more so when he spoke. "Easy Usagi! Sorry. I guess we didn't explain things well enough to you."

The Daimyo of the Battle Nexus broke in. "Others have had far worse reactions to the travel bubbles I and my people use to transport ourselves and guests."

Raphael's face creased into a scowl. "Yeah? Which were we when your son showed up and started taking us and Leo all around the city in them!"

Leo turned an even more fierce face upon the other kame. "Raph! Enough!"

Raphael slumped against a wall of the moving room. Usagi felt a little better about his own reaction upon noticing Gennosuke was bracing himself against two of the moving walls with both his hands. The room stopped moving. Leonardo used the little space he had to bow to the Battle Nexus Daimyo, when it did. "I apologize for my brother's words, Daimyo."

The head in the painted mask seemed bowed for more reasons that the lowness of this room's ceiling. "Indeed, Leonardo, my son's foolish challenge to you and use of our unfamiliar ways against you and your family and allies was dishonorable to himself and I even then. I only wish he was more like you and your brothers. Then he might not have been dishonorable toward you or lost to me."

"We are very sorry for your loss." Leonardo looked next to Raphael.

The red-clad kame glanced up and then back down again before muttering. "I'm sorry for bringing it up."

"You are forgiven. I know he caused your family great fear that night. And fear and suffering for Leonardo during the tournament."

Usagi had not heard all the details of the Daimyo's Son's first interaction with Leonardo. He suspected strongly that encounter had caused the Ultimate Ninja to poison the kame who'd beaten him that night during the tournament later. He had heard from Donatello the Ultimate Ninja had challenged Leonardo to duel to the death. Usagi's desire to see, let alone participate, in such things had lessened greatly over the last few years. He had no brothers to understand what standing aside and seeing them participate in such a duel would be like. He knew he wouldn't want to see Gennosuke in such a position especially with one as skilled, well-armed, and dishonorable as the Daimyo's son.

Usagi watched Leonardo reach over and press a carving on the wall. The doors slid open. Usagi noted by the cold air that entered their elevator, and the dark emptiness of the space beyond its doors, the elevator had indeed taken them to a new place. This time, he put aside his pride and decided to observe from the elevator for a time before moving out of it.

. . .

As he pressed the button to open the door, Leo kept his eyes on Usagi. He kinda wanted to get him and Gennosuke, but particularly the Daimyo of the Battle Nexus and Raph, back to his father. He'd been anxious to keep Usagi comfortable. He was his first real, invited guest in his home. It felt like his test as a host.

Bringing April to their, then, very new, home, after her faint at first sight of them, didn't really count partially because it was Mikey's idea. Casey coming over on his own didn't either, which was good. Sensei had jumped on and pinned him before they explained who he was. So that seemed on Casey, rather than any of them because he hadn't as Splinter explained "call(ed) first." Pretty much no one else who'd been in their home for one reason or another counted as his invited guest alone for similar reasons. They'd either been invited collectively by he and all his brothers, or dropped in on their own. He already felt like a failure in this solo mission as a host.

Usagi had gone hungry a long while along with their other guests. Now he and his friend had panicked in the elevator, "after" they'd tried explaining it. Finally, Raph had not picked at, but practically speared a fresh wound of their "father's" exalted and honored guest on his watch.

He was anxious not to be alone in keeping Raph in line or making their guests comfortable anymore. Sensei had three trips to the Battle Nexus under his belt to think back in reference to helping others feel welcome in a strange place.

He watched his friend, his friend's friend, and his father's friend as the doors slid open to reveal the warehouse they'd made their garage. Donnie loved to spend time here. The Daimyo gratefully stepped out and stood to his full height. The ceiling was high enough to make that and even more possible.

Perhaps to help his image after bracing himself against the elevator walls, Gennosuke stepped out second. He was followed on his heels by a still sulking Raph. Leo knew his brother was annoyed with him for not jumping to his side about their first contact with Battle Nexus bubbles. It had been an attempt to fight for "him" after all. But he didn't need defending.

What was done was done. It had actually been a good night for him in the end. Who else had won a duel with the Ultimate Ninja? Yeah, the lead-up to the win had been … interesting, in a terrifying way … But still, the other guy might be lost in a tear in space and time for eternity. And the Ultimate Ninja had been his father's only son. The Daimyo didn't seem to deserve losing a kid like that let alone his only one. It wasn't necessary to bring it up especially since the Daimyo himself had been so good to their family, particularly their father ...

Usagi, Leo noticed, took a moment to stand still gazing out of the elevator before exiting it. His nose moved as if sniffing. His ears moved a little too. Then he stepped out too, slowly. Leo stepped out and to Usagi's side at nearly the same time.

Usagi's eyes widened at the sight of the Battle-shell. It loomed over everything else in the building, so Leo could see why. Usagi's voice sounded a bit awed. "That is your mode of transportation, Leonardo-san?"

"Yeah, it's not a Battle-Nexus-Bubble, but we like it."

Usagi's nose wrinkled. His eyes narrowed and ears went back. "It smells …"

"So, does a horse," Gennosuke remarked. He began walking around the vehicle. "I like it. How much is it worth? You say that it moves on its own?"

Donnie poked his head around a corner of his "baby" to watch the Bounty Hunter studying it from all sides with a big, hungry grin. "Uh … should I be worried?"

Usagi looked after his friend wide-eyed. Then he turned, bowed slightly to Leonardo and replied. "Apologies for my rude remark, Leonardo. I will watch Gennosuke for now. Do not worry."

Leo looked to Donnie and grinned. "Did Mikey already go on with the Silver Sentry?"

His genius brother gave him mild grin with his reply, "Yeah. He's flying him there. Might be the best Christmas present he gets. They may already be there. That's probably a good thing. It could warm everybody up for the rest of us."

"Then I guess it will be just the three of us going over by rooftop then."

Donnie's eye-ridges rose. "Huh?"

Leo continued to grin back. "You, me, and Raphael on the rooftops. The Battle-shell will hardly be able to move otherwise."

Donnie folded his arms across his plastron showing he was not impressed with the joke at his invention's expense. His dry voice communicated the same. "Hardly, Leo …"

Leo's grin took on a touch of sheepishness. "Still … it will be awful crowded inside."

Donnie's face took on some tension, but the expression on it was wavering. Leo added with a warmer smile. "April will probably drive."

Donnie's mouth screwed up a bit. Then he turned his face toward the open doors. "April, will you drive if I run over with Raph and Leo?"

"Sure thing, Don!"

Donnie looked back, bowed his head, and sighed. "Okay, Leo …"

"May I come with the three of you, Leonardo san?"

Leo looked down at Usagi wide-eyed. "You want to?"

"Yes, Leonardo san. I want to see more of your world."

Leonardo gazed down into the wide-open eyes and smiling face of his friend. Then he smiled back. "Okay."

What do you think?

God bless

ScribeofHeroes