Chapter 22 - Celebration

The mood the next morning was quiet, to say the least. Painfully silent, would be the better term to use. No one seemed willing to speak about the day before, or the day that lay ahead of them yet.

It was only after Don got up and emptied his plate into the trash, and put it in the sink that anyone said anything.

"I'd, uh, like to be back by about one." Mike said, speaking up, albeit softly, even for him. "I'd like to get to work on the cake by then." He said, then sat up more. "April's gonna teach me to write and stuff with the frosting." He added brightly.

"And I'm looking forward to that." April grumbled jokingly. Everyone laughed at that, and Don looked over at April. He was glad to see her looking and acting better; more normal. She caught his eye and gave him a small smile, which he returned.

That all seemed to break the mood a bit, and everyone visibly relaxed. That lasted until the last occupant of the house entered the kitchen.

"Morning, guys." Casey yawned, scratching his t-shirt clad chest. He walked up to the table, turned a chair around, and sat, straddling it.

At his entrance, both Don and Leo visibly stiffened. April suddenly turned very interested in her oatmeal.

Raph grunted a 'hello', but after no one else answered him, another uncomfortable silence filled the room.

"Morning Casey." April said suddenly. Everyone looked at her in surprise, even Casey. She looked over at Leo and mouthed 'civil' at him. Leo nodded. She raised her eyebrows and went back to her meal.

Don kept his position by the sink, fiddling with the newspaper.

"So, Casey." Raph began, looking oddly at his brothers. "What's on your agenda today? Not like you to be getting up so long before noon."

"Ah, I figured I'd, uh, walk up with you guys today." Casey looked around. "That is, if none of you guys mind."

Don's head had snapped up from the paper, and even Mike looked over in shock.

Raph caught Leo's eye and held it for a moment before turning to look back at Casey. "Sure, man. But we're leaving here pretty soon." He grinned. "Get yer hikin' boots ready."

"No prob." Casey grinned. He stood, and gulped down the last of the orange juice, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. "I'll be back in a bit." He said, then left the kitchen.

Leo and April shared another look. Don noticed, narrowing his eyes in thought. Mike looked slowly from Don to Leo and April. "Anything you two would like to tell us?" He joked, winking at Leo.

"Just a carry-over from a… discussion last night." April said briskly, looking back down.

"Mike…" Leo sighed.

April looked back up, catching Don's eye. He raised an eye ridge at her questioningly. She shrugged and mouthed 'Later' to him. He nodded and turned, setting the paper down.

Raph sighed. "This talkin' without really talkin' is getting really annoying."

"Sorry, Raph.' April said, placing a hand on his arm.

He grunted in response, standing up. "I'm gonna go… get ready. See you guys in a few."

They all watched him go.

"What's he got to get ready?" Mike asked suddenly, breaking the silence that had descended on the room.

Don sighed, looking down.

"I think we should all take a few moments… to prepare." Leo said, then stood.

April stood then, also. "I'm gonna get ready then, too." She said, then stopped. "But, you know, if you guys don't want me to come, I'll understand. I don't want to intrude."

Leo put a hand on her shoulder, smiling slightly. "You're not intruding." He said. "You're welcome to come, you know that."

She nodded, smiling and obviously pleased. "Well," she began, "I guess I'll get my stuff ready. From what I recall, it's a bit of a walk…"

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Bit of a walk. That's an understatement. Leo thought to himself awhile later. The walk was turning out to be anything but small. They'd gotten started late, and with everyone's nerves already on edge, the tension had begun to come to a head. Every little thing was used as ammunition to blow off a little steam. Even Mike had gotten a few jabs in.

Leo sighed again. He had placed himself in-between Mike and Raph, who had been on uncommonly thin ice. He looked back at the rest of them. His eyes fell on Donatello, who, despite the weather, was sweating. His eyes filled with concern.

"Donnie?" he asked, walking back to his brother. "Don, you ok?"

Don looked back up at Leo. "I'm fine." He said, but his brother's face became even more concerned.

Leo frowned, looking at his brother closely. He was breathing heavily, and beginning to limp more.

"Don…"

"Leo, I'm OK." Don said, looking at him again. Raph and April looked back at them from where they were walking a little further ahead.

"Everything OK back there?" Raph called back.

Leo looked to Don again. Don looked towards Raph. "We're OK back here." He called up to Raph, who shrugged, but threw Leo a look before turning back to look ahead.

"If you're sure…" Leo looked back to Don. "But if you begin to feel any worse…"

"I'll take a rest." Don finished for him, smiling slightly.

Leo nodded, and they walked a bit farther in silence. There was almost no talking during the walk; they all seemed to be lost in their own thoughts.

So caught up in their thoughts were they, that most of them were surprised when Raph called back to the rest of them. "We're comin' up on it, guys."

As soon as the words hit his ears, Leo could feel his heart begin to pound harder. He took a few deep breaths, trying to remain calm. He'd never dreamed he'd be so nervous.

They made their way into the clearing, stretching their arms and backs from the long walk.

Don walked over to a large rock, and lowered himself onto it slowly, letting out a small groan.

Casey plopped onto the ground, pulling off his boots. "You guys weren't kidding when you said to get the hiking stuff ready."

Mike smiled at that. "Yeah, it's a nice little walk…"

"You're kidding, right Mikey?" Don groaned again from his seat.

Mike shook his head. "And I'm even carrying extra weight." He said, trying to undo the strap that held Lindy in the carrier he wore on his back.

"No more extra weight than usual." Raph joked from where he stood.

"Funny…" Mike groaned.

"Guys…" Leo reprimanded softly, then walked up to Mike and lifted Lindy out of the device, then unhooked it for his brother. Lindy awoke, and began to sleepily rub her eyes. She looked around wide-eyed, as she took in the new surroundings.

"Sorry, Leo." Mike said softly, rubbing his shoulder where the strap had been resting.

Leo nodded tersely and looked around. Lindy began to fidget and he held on to her, maybe a little tighter than he needed to. Lindy finally gave up, knowing she wouldn't get free, and laid her head back down on his shoulder.

"I want to say something." Don said suddenly, and they all looked at him. He rose slowly, then walked over to the marker they'd placed for their fallen sensei. He kneeled, with a little difficulty, then turned, and looked over to Leo.

"Bring her to me." He said, and Leo complied. Then Don turned back to the marker. "Sensei." He breathed. "I want you to meet someone." He shifted Lindy over. "This is… your granddaughter." He said, then swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. "I know," He said softly. "Never thought you'd hear me say that." He cleared his throat and held her forward a bit. "Her name is Lindy… Well, Rosalind Imogene, actually, but Lindy for short."

He looked down for a moment before looking back up again. "She's a good baby. Bit of a handful sometimes, but still a good baby. It makes me wonder how you did it; there were four of us! And… it makes me appreciate what you did for us all the more." He looked back at the rest of them. "We all do…" He said softly, then turned back again. "There's lots of stuff I want to ask you; talk to you about." He looked down again, tears burning his eyes. "I miss you so much." He began. "I can only hope, that I can be half as good a father to Lindy, as you were with us." He set Lindy down, and she crawled forward, touching the stone. "I wish you could see her." He whispered. "She is beautiful…" He moved forward, gently touching the stone marker. "I'll make you proud, master. I'll try…" He cut off. "I miss you, father." He said, his voice breaking.

Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Leonardo looking down at him. Don smiled slightly, and wiped his eyes, then accepted Leo's hand as he reached down to help him get back up.

Don walked slowly over to the rock he'd sat on before, and lowered himself to it again.

He felt another hand on his shoulder, and he looked up to see Raphael smiling slightly at him. He grinned back, and Raph squeezed his shoulder gently before moving away again.

Mike began walking towards the marker then. "Don't let Donnie fool ya, master…" He said, turning back to look at his brother. "Lindy's hardly a handful… Not if you've grown up with Raph, at least." He grinned, though tears were evident in his eyes, then turned back and sat crossed legged in front of the small stone, and began talking quietly.

April stood off to the side, watching silently as Mike got up, and Raph went over to kneel before their master's… their father's grave. This was harder than she thought. Though she knew, that no matter how hard it was for her, it was infinitely harder for them. She sniffled and put her arms around herself.

"You OK?"

She looked up suddenly at the voice. Casey was standing next to her, looking off into the woods.

"What do you care?" She said harshly, and louder than she'd meant to. Mike looked over at them from where he stood, and she looked down again.

"As much as you hate to think so," Casey began softly. "I do still care." He paused for a moment. "Our breakup hurt me as much as it did you."

"Really?" She cocked an eyebrow at him. "It didn't seem like it…"

"Yeah, well, a lot of things weren't as they seemed, were they?" He muttered.

She looked over at him, narrowing her eyes. "Not here." She said lowly, her voice dangerous. "Not now."

He simply shrugged, and then moved away a few steps.

Tears burned her eyes, and she wiped them furiously. She looked up to see Don staring at Casey for a moment, before he turned to her.

She didn't want him to see she was upset; didn't want to deal with any more questions, so she simply looked down, away from his gaze. She felt bad as soon as she did it, but when she looked back up, Don was talking quietly to Leo.

"You OK, bro?" Don asked Leo, who stood next to him now.

Leo was staring at Raphael's back, as he silently sat in front of the stone marker.

"I'm alright." Leo answered. "I will be…" He moved over as Raph got up and walked to stand off to the side, trying to hide the tears from his brothers.

Leo walked slowly over to stand, then kneel before his master. "Sensei…" As soon as he said the words, he could feel a thousand emotions run through his body. He took a deep breath, then tried again. "Sensei, I…" His face crumpled. "I miss you."

It was all he could say. For weeks he'd been planning what he'd say when he got there; his apologies, his thanks… But they all summed up together in the three whispered words, and the tears that fell immediately after.

He gave himself a moment, gulping in air to try and calm himself. Then, he felt something touch his leg. He looked over to see Lindy, on her hands and knees, beside him. He grinned slightly, and reached over to pick her up. He hugged her to him, and she reached up, touching his face.

He wiped away his tears, then shifted himself closer to the stone. "We don't always get what we want…" He whispered. "But you told me, master, that things happen for a reason." He paused. "And I've learned that, somehow, no matter how unexpected, we get what we need."

After another moment of reverence, he stood, and slowly faced his brothers.

He caught Don's eye, who was smiling slightly, and smiled back. They all silently got their things together, and, after a few more goodbyes, began their trek back to the house.

Leo looked back, as they got further away, and watched for a bit as the clearing got farther and farther away. He did feel a bit better. Like a weight had been lifted a little. It was still gonna take time, but this had been a step. He looked back once more and grinned. Maybe he'd go back and visit again, soon… He knew that, each time, it would get easier.

They began talking in quiet tones, breaking the silence that had hovered over them all day. Soon, they were joking and laughing, and Leo didn't want to stop them. Master Splinter would want it this way. He thought. He'd want us to be happy. The thought came suddenly to him. His eyes welled again once more, and he swiped them quickly before turning his attentions to he conversations around him.

The walk home went quicker, and it wasn't long before they could hear Mike talking to April about their upcoming cooking project.

Leo smiled slightly, and stole a glance at Don, who also seemed to be listening to their happy chatter. Don looked back and caught Leo's eye, smiling back.

They continued on their way back to the house, to prepare for a different kind of celebration. Though, Leo thought, it wasn't that different. The whole day was a celebration of life: Splinter's and Lindy's. One ending and another just beginning.

The thought comforted him, and he smiled, looking up at the sky. He'd dreaded this day, for so long, that the thought never occurred to him that, after it was over and he'd faced his fears, that the sun would still shine, the day would move on… And they'd celebrate.

To be continued…

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A/N - I have to apologize about another delay. Sorry about that. As I was writing this, I kept getting ideas for the next chapter, so I wrote them both at about the same time. And, yeah, not a lot of Casey/ April in this one, but don't worry; we'll be getting into that more coming up soon! ;)

Next chapter: A birthday celebration.