Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon.
Warnings: Possible spoilers (more like teasers rather than blatant spoilers) for story still to come in 'Aftermath'.
Summary: Raph stomped over with a scowl. "What the hell have you done with my flashdrive!" When important items disappear from the lair over the Christmas season, Mikey and his other-dimensional family question it. 2k12/2k3 crossover.
A/N: I have actually had this story written for a number of years, since soon after writing 'Far From Home', in fact. It was meant to be posted the following Christmas, however, I did not post at the time for a couple of reasons. Mainly that I hadn't written enough of 'Aftermath' to make me feel comfortable posting this since (2k3)Mikey had had 3 months of healing yet only a few days had passed in the main story, leaving certain events unmentioned, like April bringing him the art supplies or his cat, Leahpar (who still isn't brought up yet *coughcough*). Another problem, as time went on, was this story was split between 2 exercise books. I started it in one with only a few pages left within the book and finished it in a new book but... I could not find the first book by the time I wanted to start typing it up. I'm fairly certain it's in my AOtGO book 3 and yet, even now, I cannot find book 3... Luckily, I was going through my computer files a few months ago and found a file named 'Far From Home Epilogue 2' but I didn't remember there being an epilogue 2. As it happens, I'd typed up the first part of the story written in that missing book. I thought I was still missing a chunk between the typed and handwritten but looking at it again, I don't think I am so now, it's finally finished.
It may still be too soon ('Aftermath' story-wise) to post this but hey, what the heck, it's been waiting long enough so read at your own risk! Late Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
AOtGO – Far From Home
Epilogue 2 – The Other Side
Dec 29th
As he searched frantically through his bedroom, Mikey couldn't understand where the shell it had gone. The painting he'd spent much of the last three months pouring his heart and soul into had simply vanished, yet it should have been covered up and leaning against the wall where he'd left it just a few days earlier. A couple of other canvases were there but not his almost finished masterpiece.
He stood, gazing around in frustration and, if he had to admit, more than a little desperation. It was all he had... he had nothing to remind him of the family whom he hadn't seen in almost a year now. Thanks to his past attempts to reach them on the Astral Plane, Mikey knew they thought him dead and therefore had never even been looking for him and that just made losing his painting all the worse. The only other things he had left were the broken remains of the weapons his father had given him long ago but he wasn't allowed to carry them here given that they were too damaged to use so when April had brought him some art supplies not long after he'd arrived here, he'd started working on a family portrait, one he'd planned on painting a few weeks before his abduction so long ago.
Finally convinced it wasn't going to just jump out and yell 'Surprise! I was hiding over here all along,' Mikey pushed the bedroom door the rest of the way open and went in search of the others, hoping they could help.
"Raph? Leo?" Mikey ventured anxiously, quickly finding them sparring in the dojo. "Do either of you know where my painting is?"
"Busy, Mike! Later!" Raph grunted, quickly dodging a swift sword strike aimed for his neck.
"But..."
"We're in the middle of sparring right now, Mike," Leo pointed out without bothering to turn to look. He ducked and then swept out at Raph with a lightning-fast turning kick. "Something you could really stand to do a little more often yourself."
Mikey bit his lip, ignoring the thinly veiled barb from someone who really had no idea how much he actually did. This was important to him! It was all he had and he needed to put the finishing touches on it. Only then would he feel right in showing it off and hanging it on the wall. He hoped one day to be able to take it home with him and present it to his true family if he ever made it back.
No, not if, when! Because he definitely would find a way home sooner or later, even if it took him years!
"Guys, I really..."
"When we're finished!"
Mikey stared helplessly a moment longer, then slunk out miserably. That painting had been a way to help him cope with everything he'd been through and be close to his family again but now it was just gone and he couldn't understand how or why. Since he'd moved into that room the others, respecting his need for privacy, rarely entered, certainly never without him being there, and anyway, they all knew not to touch that canvas; he'd made it clear he didn't want anyone seeing it until it was finally finished.
Unsure what else to do, Mikey drifted slowly into the pit, trying not to shake and to get a hold of himself. He distinctly remembered putting it aside at the end of the night five days ago but just hadn't had a chance to come back to put the final finishing touches on until now. It had been a busy few days, what with Splinter actually making brief contact with their own lost Mikey spiritually, and with the preparations for Christmas. Then there was that whole fiasco two days ago involving Raph, a rubber ducky and a pair of pantyhose; a fiasco Mikey adamantly denied having anything to do with. Not to mention that the Purple Dragons had also had a recent recruitment drive, causing problems for the city topside over the holiday period and them for having to deal with it.
Mikey sunk miserably into the beanbag and stared at the television, not really seeing it as he tried to think of what could have happened.
Suddenly, a plaintive "Meow" sounded, followed by Leahpar jumping into his lap and purring insistently as she nuzzled at his face with her insanely soft fur. Mikey smiled sadly, reminded briefly of Klunk. He wrapped his arms gently around the tabby, drawing her close into a hug she happily snuggled into.
"Are you alright, Michelangelo?"
Mikey drew back slightly, blinking down at the cat in confusion, "Huh, you know, Leahpar, I woulda thought your voice would be a little less masculine," he stated loudly in surprise, "and the accent's definitely a surprise."
Splinter chuckled and stepped delicately down into the pit, sitting down nearby the dimensionally displaced turtle.
Mikey jumped slightly and turned his head to look up at the ninja master. "Oh, hey Grandpa-sensei. I didn't know you were there."
"I am sure," Splinter said dryly. "You know, Michelangelo, if you are unhappy, you do not need to cover it up or keep it to yourself. My door is always open to you no matter time of day or night."
"I know," Mikey replied simply, scratching his cat gently under her furred chin and avoiding looking at the ninja master.
"So why did you not come?" Splinter asked quietly. "I know you tried to approach Leonardo and Raphael."
Shrugging dismissively, Mikey said, "I guess it's just not that important so I didn't want to put anyone out."
"I am guessing it is important to you, though, or you would not have sounded so distressed."
Mikey stared up wide-eyed at Splinter.
Splinter chuckled again, "I know you have seen my ears."
"They are such tall, proud ears with rich colours and thick fur," Mikey observed solemnly before half-heartedly laughing and sighing. "It's just... I can't find my painting anywhere. You know, the one I've been working on all this time..." he explained quietly.
"The painting of your family that you have yet to show anyone," Splinter observed patiently.
"Yeah," Mikey nodded. "I know it's just a painting but..."
"But it means a lot to you."
"Yeah, I don't have any pictures besides the ones I sketched so..." Mikey trailed off, staring straight ahead and through the TV. Unconsciously, he stopped petting his cat and she resumed rubbing tenaciously against his fingers, desperately enticing him to start up again.
"Where did you leave it last?"
"Same place as always, propped against the wall in my room!" Mikey insisted in frustration. He always emptied his easel after finishing with it so he could use it for other things in the spur of the moment if he felt like it. Things like his sketch pad or another painting like the one he'd been working on of the sun setting over the river or the portrait commission April had helped him get recently. The money from that had been helpful for Christmas presents and the lavish dinner he'd cooked for them all on Christmas Day.
"I know you often misplace things," Splinter suggested gently.
Shaking his head wildly, Mikey cried out, "Not that though! I'd never misplace that or my old 'chucks!" Those he continued to keep close on the shelf beside the head of his bed. Besides, he'd never lost anything truly important. Mikey clenched his fists tightly, trying to calm down and rein in his surging emotions. He hated anyone seeing when he was truly upset, especially since his long captivity where he did everything he could to avoid giving his merciless captors the satisfaction of seeing just how much what they did hurt him. Of course, since regaining his freedom, that had been harder and he'd lost control more times than he could count but he was trying because he owed this family (and himself) that much.
Splinter gracefully rose to his feet. "I shall call my sons and they can help you to search."
Mikey shot upright, heart beating wildly. "No!" he squeaked desperately as Leahpar pelted away after being summarily dislodged so. "Don't... please don't disturb them. I-I'll just ask them later."
Splinter canted his head slightly as he regarded him, "Are you certain, Michelangelo?"
"Yeah..." Some instinct told him it was useless to keep searching but he didn't know what or why. "If worst comes to worst, I'll just paint another," he insisted, trying and failing not to sound as glum as he felt.
"Alright, then," Splinter agreed. Then he looked over to the clock. "Are you still able to cook dinner tonight?"
Mikey glanced at the clock also, paling as he noticed how late it was. "Yeah, I'm okay. I'll go start on it now."
-:-
Shortly after dinner, a slap-dash yet wholesome affair, Raph excused himself and headed for his bedroom. A few minutes later, he emerged in a distinct mood.
"Dammit, Mike!" Raph stomped over with a scowl. "What the hell have you done with my flash drive!"
"Huh?" Mikey asked eloquently in confusion.
"You said you'd put it back after recording us the other night," Raph snapped in annoyance, "but it's not there!"
"Don't look at me, dude! I haven't been in your room since!" Mikey protested anxiously. "I promise!"
"Then where is it?"
"You sure you didn't throw it around somewhere two nights back when you were totally pi..."
"I don't throw my stuff around!" Raph yelled. "You're the damn prankster and you know how important that flash drive is!" he snarled, his shoulders heaving with barely contained fury. "Is this some kinda stupid payback for Leo and me blowing you off when we were sparring earlier?"
Interested, Donnie perked up, wondering not for the first time just why Raph even had a flash drive in the first place, not to mention when he had a chance or need to use it. Mike was the only one in the lair that even borrowed his laptop regularly. So often, in fact, that he'd collected the parts to build the other-dimensional turtle one of his own for his gaming and art needs for Christmas. "Did you look everywhere in your room, Raph?"
Raph turned to glare fiercely at his brother.
"It might be worth looking again," he suggested.
"Yeah," Mikey piped up. "Maybe you accidentally knocked it. Could've fallen under your bed or something and be hidden among the dust bunnies and cobwebs."
"I don't have dust bunnies or cobwebs," Raph retorted with a shudder.
"Sure you don't, Raph," Leo said dryly. "Just like you also don't have the habit of sweeping them under your bed where you can't see them."
Raph whipped his head around to snap at him but Mikey, knowing just how important the memory stick was to the hothead interrupted. "Would you like me to help search?" he asked quietly, all signs of joking suddenly absent.
Snapping his mouth shut again, Raph gave a sharp shake of his head and stormed back to his room.
"What's on that flash drive that's so important anyway?" Leo asked, turning to Mikey curiously.
"Your Christmas videos to your bro," Mikey answered softly. Leo and Donnie stared at him agape. "I transferred the recording onto it after editing them together. That's why I borrowed your laptop on Christmas Eve," he added with a small smile at Donnie.
"Wait! You know how to do that?" Donnie asked in shock. "Edit them, I mean."
His smile turning mischievous, Mikey shrugged, "I'm not just a pretty face, ya know, dude," he joked.
"Yeah... but!" Donnie spluttered in disbelief. He knew by now that Mike had some skills with the computer but the other turtle still managed to surprise him and often.
"Dude! I told you before that I've been modding my own games and stuff for years! I've also recorded playthroughs for stuff heaps of times," Mikey snickered by way of explanation. "I'm a kick-arse gamer, so something like that is easy as!"
"That... actually makes sense," Donnie muttered incredulously. "So why does Raph have a flash drive anyway when he almost never touches a computer and why use his?"
"Did you have any spare?" Mikey countered.
"No."
"Well, that's why," Mikey drawled. "As for why Raph has one, sorry but that's his business. He'll tell you if he wants to."
"I'm surprised you aren't gleefully telling us or holding it over him as blackmail in that case," Leo said dryly with a disbelieving look at Mike that suddenly turned sharp. "Or are you?"
Mikey shot Leo a hurt look. "Do I really look like that kind of turtle?"
"Yes!" Leo and Donnie echoed in unison.
"Well, you got me," Mikey laughed lightly with a shrug before sobering. "Honestly, in the past, I probably would've done just that but... but after... well, let's just say I know how valuable privacy is and I'm not going to deny Raph his."
Leo and Donnie looked at each other, unsure what to say to what was clearly a sensitive topic for their other-dimensional brother. However, before either could speak again, Raph emerged from the hallway, pale and obviously in shock. He fixed his gaze on Mikey, betrayal clear on his face and waving a slightly stained envelope in his hand.
"Mike..." he pleaded hollowly. "Tell me you didn't..."
"Didn't what, bro?" Mikey asked, staring at the contents of Raph's hand in confusion.
"Write this!" Raph blurted, pain oozing from his voice with his distress. "Plant this under my bed!"
Mikey shook his head wildly. His pranks were meant to amuse, not to hurt and right now, Raph was clearly hurting. "I promise, I dunno what you're on about, sorry, dude."
"This card!" Raph suddenly snapped. "It was under my bed and had hardly any dust on it so it couldn't have been there more than a few days max!" He then turned aggressively to Leo. "And for your information, I actually vacuumed under my bed two days before Christmas and it wasn't there then!"
Despite the danger of his lashing out physically, Mikey, Leo and Donnie crowded around Raph to look at the paper in his hand, the latter two paling as they finally saw the handwriting.
"That's... That's..." Donnie spluttered.
"That's not my handwriting, dude," Mikey said gently, shaking his head. "I'm left-handed, remember? And that's clearly written by a right-handed person."
Unnoticed by the four turtles, Splinter stepped into the family room, drawn by the commotion.
Leo took the card gently from Raph and began reading aloud.
Dear Raph,
I've been stuck in this other dimension for just over 4 months now and it's going to be Christmas the day after tomorrow. I can't believe it's gone so fast, bro but it has! It's been so hard away from all of you but I'm doing ok. I had to survive the first 8 days on my own but after that, this world's version of us found me and took me in. They know a way to get me home again but it'll be almost another half a year before it's possible. Something about the way being closed for renovations or something? I dunno. Anyway, running out of room so Merry Christmas!
Oh! And even though this card can't reach you, I hope my thoughts will and it's the thought that counts, right? So send me back thoughts filled with pizza gyoza 'cause I'm starving! (and they don't have that here! The horror, bro!)
Love Mikey
Leo closed the card, looking at the simply drawn and coloured Christmas tree on the front as Splinter walked closer. He reached out with trembling fingers to take the card from Leo's tight grasp and brought it close to his snout, breathing deeply.
"Michelangelo..." he whispered reverently. Splinter slowly met the gazes of his three remaining sons and gave a nod. "His scent is perhaps four, maybe five days old."
Swallowing, Mikey stared, wondering just how the card arrived and when. His thoughts raced as the memory of a vaguely familiar, spiritually magical feeling from Christmas Day floated to the surface of his mind. Then he thought about the video letters on the flash drive, remembering just how much his adoptive family wished their lost brother could actually receive it, and then he considered his missing almost-but-not-quite-perfect painting. How he'd wished so badly he could have given it to his family for Christmas rather than waiting until he finally found his way home.
"Sensei?" Mikey asked slowly, "Did you sense anything unusual on Christmas Day?"
Splinter frowned thoughtfully as he cast his mind back. The other three turtles stared between Mikey and Splinter, unsure as to what was going on. "Come to think of it, yes. There was an odd energy in the air," the ninja master finally admitted. "It did not feel dangerous though, so I thought little of it."
Then, Mikey smiled. "Raph?" he asked almost shyly, "Where exactly was the card?"
"Under my bed. I already said that!"
"Yeah but where under it?"
"On the floor under where my pillow is!" Raph replied in exasperation, rolling his eyes. "What does it even matter?"
"Sensei? Leo, Donnie?" Mikey ventured carefully. He didn't want to get their hopes up in case he was wrong and yet, he was sure he was right. "You guys should check in the same spot under your beds too." He could see Donnie was prepared to argue but both Splinter and Leo automatically turned, heading for their own rooms. With a slight huff of annoyance and disbelief, Donnie soon followed suit.
"What do you know?" Raph hissed suspiciously as Mikey shook his head adamantly.
He couldn't say a word until he knew for certain but his body was vibrating with excited energy, even as he tried desperately to curb it and not raise his hopes more than they already had been. Luckily, he didn't have to wait long as within a couple of minutes, the other three returned with similar envelopes in hand.
'He did come!' Mikey thought gleefully. 'Always whenever we needed him the most!' Happiness suddenly overwhelmed him as he realised what that meant.
"How?" Splinter asked simply as if trying to curb his own pain. He looked at Michelangelo expectantly. "How did you know and how did these arrive?"
Mikey beamed brightly, happier than he could remember being since well before he'd been taken and ended up trapped in this world. "They know!" he cried, barely containing his jubilation.
"Who knows what?" Leo asked oddly. "And what does that have to do with these?" he added, waving his envelope sharply.
"Everything!" Mikey laughed, dancing joyfully on the spot.
"You're not making any sense, Mike!" Donnie snapped irritably.
"My family! They know I'm alive now!" Mikey exclaimed, his heart light and full of hope for the first time in almost a year. "There's no way they couldn't know now!"
"What are you blathering about?" Raph scowled. "You said they think you're dead. Hell, you've said it a few times!"
Mikey nodded vigorously. "They do! I mean, did! But now they have proof I'm actually alive and that means when they bring your bro home, they'll also come for me!" Mikey explained, his eyes sparkling with sheer joy and definitely no tears. No way, no how.
"Michelangelo, please calm down and explain what you are talking about," Splinter instructed sternly. "Clearly."
"Don't you see? They got my painting!" Mikey babbled excitedly, unable to keep still. "And I'm willing to be your bro is with them and got the flash drive with your Christmas letters on it! I mean, you got his cards and the flash drive and painting are missing so it all makes sense!" He whirled on Leonardo. "And Leo! You said you saw someone who looked a lot like me with your bro months ago! Well, my bros all look a lot like me, except for skin tones and the patterns on our shells!"
"But how?" Donnie repeated, snapping. "And if those... items could be exchanged, then why not you and Mikey?"
Mikey shrugged, sobering slightly at the thought. "I dunno. Maybe swapping us was just too big, even for his magic."
"Magic?" Donnie scoffed in disbelief. "Really? You're going with magic?"
"Hey, stranger things have happened and anyway, magic and the supernatural is real," Mikey nodded enthusiastically. "Even my Donnie admits that, even though he really doesn't like it."
Donnie scowled.
"So who... performed this 'magic'?" Raph asked, glaring in disbelief.
"You'd never believe me if I told you," Mikey singsonged and they wouldn't, he knew. While they celebrated the Christmas holiday as a family, they weren't believers like himself and his true family. Christmas traditions in Japan were very different to those in America and it wasn't in Splinter's upbringing but he taught his sons to celebrate the spirit of the holiday regardless and of course April, Casey and himself had had influence this year and April, last year.
"Try us," Leo commanded dryly.
Mikey smiled, shaking his head. Then, at the determined looks on the faces of the family around him, simply said, "Santa Claus."
-:-
Owari
While in the process of editing this a couple of weeks back, I got it into my head to actually write the Christmas story for the 2k12 side of the multiverse. I haven't posted that this year for 2 reasons, 1) it's not finished - it ended up a bit longer than intended and I got busy in the leadup to Christmas and then it got so HOT that I basically lost all energy to do anything! (Like seriously, we broke our record of hottest Christmas since records began... it was NASTY and still is even now and for the next couple of days) and 2) like the reason I originally held off on this epilogue, it is way too spoilerish for things I have yet to write/post. If all goes well, I will post it next Christmas, all polished and with most of the spoilerish parts finally revealed in the main story XD
This story itself, though, works better as the epilogue 2 of 'Far From Home' than it does in connection to the one I've just been working on.
If you'd like to read the story where Mikey actually met Father Christmas (the reason for knowing he is real) check out 'First Season's Greetings' https{:/}/www{.}fanfiction{.}net/s/10906087/1/First-Season-s-Greetings
Comments, thoughts and concrit is always welcome.
