I do not own any of these characters or places.

Leo thought back to last Christmas. He'd been flat on his carapace on an old couch in an older farmhouse with a howling, cold wilderness outside while everyone else was trying to survive while keeping him alive too. As the team leader and older brother, used to being provider and protector, it was infuriating at first and then depressing. It had nearly made celebrating impossible. And now, here he was again, on a couch, incapable of doing anything helpful. Merry Christmas.

Mikey's voice came from behind the back of the couch, where he couldn't see him. "Hey April, would you mind feeding a poor, injured, starving turtle some of those great munchies you brought?"

Splinter's voice came next. "Michelangelo … you can always tell 'me,' when you are hungry."

"Hee-hee …"

Leo smiled. Mikey just wanted April to bring him junk-food. Master Splinter would probably bring him something healthier. April smiled, straightened, where she sat, and yelled over at the orange-clad turtle. "Be right there Mikey!"

She glanced back down at him with a more pitying expression before saying "Leo, whatever happens, have a Merry Christmas. You deserve it." She bent down and gave him a light peck on the brow. Her lips were always so red, Leo wondered if he now had lip-stick marks on his head. Raph would probably make fun of him if he did.

Last Christmas, not only she, but Master Splinter, and even Casey, had insisted on telling him the same thing, over and over. "It wasn't your fault." "You did your best." "None of us saw it coming." "No one could have done better." "They attacked you because they knew you were so strong." "You'll be back on your feet in no time and kicking …"

He hadn't been. It had taken months. What if it took months this time too?

Leo sighed. He reached out and picked up his notebook. Then he leaned back in the cushions and began writing.

. . .

Usagi lay flat on the bench the Daimyo of the Battle Nexus had bid him take his rest on. He was staring at the ceiling almost without blinking. He had been shown windows into his friend Leonardo's world and was trying to make sense of all he saw.

Firstly, those he'd seen there, whole crowds, had looked not much like Leonardo and his family at all. Indeed, the one the people of Leonardo's world most reminded him of from his own was … Hikiji something he'd been very glad to learn of before he'd entered their world. That alone had taken some time to get used to. His host had given him some time to himself to come to grips with it. Then he'd returned to observe more about this celebration his friends had invited him to join them in.

Now, he was trying to go back through the fields of sights and sounds he'd observed to pluck out some blades to weave together into a semblance of sense and rules he might follow while in his friend's home. Gennosuke had, with his usual sense of priorities asked their current host, "So this 'Christmas' is celebrated mainly by gathering, eating, and the receiving of gifts?" The rhino had then rubbed his hands together while grinning. "I could get used to this."

Usagi had given him a soft glare. Despite his greed, his friend had given him three focal points of reference to guide him through these "Christmas" festivities. Presents can be handed to the one you wish to give it to by your own hands, placed in a stocking (or sock), or placed under "the" Christmas tree of the receiver's house.

He had seen many Christmas trees in the windows into Leonardo san's world both in homes and outdoors. One very large one indeed, had stood in his friend's city. That glimpse of Leo's city had been the most startling sight of all.

From far away, there seemed to be no people, but only lights and darkness. There were lights on the tree, also a near constant for Christmas trees he'd seen. It had stood tall in a town square at night, but the buildings around it had been taller. At first, he hadn't understood their true size, nor the tree's, till he'd caught sight of the movement of tiny somethings near the tree's base.

He'd asked if the Daimyo could give him a closer look, and then he'd seen people. There had been people walking around a ginormous tree, surrounded by buildings the like of which he'd never seen, and built and placed there for these people? How had they done it?

Then the Daimyo had tried to explain cars, and he'd almost given up listening. The Daimyo had decided to give him another break to ponder it all alone for a while. He was almost wishing a difficult, dangerous, but important task he might be able to help with would come up and rescue him from making a fool of himself in this alien, incredible, unfathomable land Leonardo lived in. Gen, though, had decided to go with or without him. He wasn't surprised. One thing he'd taken note of in the Daimyo's descriptions of the scenes they'd seen was the humans this time of year, especially during the celebrations themselves, never seemed to stop eating. Usagi greatly wondered if any gift either of them could receive there, however, could possible be used by them in their own world, however. Their two worlds seemed so different.

. . .

Leo slowly tried to stand up. It was December 23rd. And as Leader he had to …

He stood firm. It didn't hurt. He raised his fists in celebration toward the ceiling. Yes!

What do you think?

God Bless

ScribeofHeroes