Thank you all so much for being so patient with me. I've been going through a lot recently, but I've told you all before that no matter how long it takes, I will absolutely be finishing this story. Some things are starting to look up for me, and I am taking steps to help myself grow, so I am hoping that it will really help move things along. I received a lot of really wonderful reviews last chapter, so thank you all for being so wonderful to me and giving me your support. It makes me really happy, and rest assured that while there is a lot of fluff going on, this story will most definitely still be carrying on, and the point of rescuing Noelle's mom and saving Earth has not been forgotten. This story is all about growing, and that means good and bad things do happen, but life must go on, just like my own personal life in the real world.

Chapter 27: Welcoming in the New Year

Noelle and Mikey ambled back to the lair, hand-in-hand and all smiles. Mikey boasted to the air about how he had an awesome girlfriend, while Noelle walked next to him and modestly giggled. They were a sickly tender sight that seemed to formed out of a fairy tale, and Noelle supposed that maybe she was existing in her own little fantasy story. After all, there had never been a romance written about a speaking terrapin and human, at least as far as she was familiar with. She speculated how her parents would react to the notion of their daughter dating a mutant reptile. A part of her really wanted their approval of the wonderful, goofy, caring ninja, but the rest of her selfishly didn't really care what people thought. She had never been so happy before, and in her mind there was nothing wrong with that.

"Man, my bros are gonna be soo jealous!" Mikey elatedly stated with a grin on his face and a meager bounce in his step. He lifted Noelle's arm up and twirled her around as if they were dancing, prompting the blonde to laugh. "Now we can play video games together and paint more stuff and have our own secret hangout that nobody else'll know about. It's gonna be sah-weet,yo!"

"Mikey, we did that before we started dating," Noelle pointed out as she chuckled over his excited behavior, her heart slightly accelerating at the word "dating". "We can definitely do all that though. It would be nice to have a spot just for us, but we should make sure it isn't part of a Kraang hideout this time."

The freckled terrapin frowned. "Yeah, that was so lame! I thought it was a super cool place, but noooo, the Kraang had to be dumb and take it."

"Our next spot will be even better," Noelle encouraged with a smile. "It can be a place only we can go to."

Mikey bumped his hip against hers and slung an arm over her shoulders. "See, this is why you're my girl! You're totally pretty and smart!"

The young artist blushed. "Well, I don't know about that."

They both stopped in front of the lair and accessed through the turnstiles, hands and arms disconnected as they stepped into the den. Leo was in his usual spot in front of the TV while Raph did push ups near the punching dummy. Mikey was more than eager to announce the big news that he had a girlfriend, but decided that maybe it would just eventually come out in some way anyways. Besides, Noelle probably would get embarrassed, and he definitely didn't want to put her in an awkward position, even though he would love to see the look on Raph's face when he rubbed it in that he got a girlfriend first.

"April said bye and that she'd see you guys later," Leo announced from his spot in front of the television without turning his eyes away from the screen. "She also said to say hi to your family for her."

Noelle was instantly filled with guilt over not having contacted her grandma and letting her know that she was safe. She decided that was the next thing she would do, though she once again needed another phone from Donnie in order to make the call. She didn't want to just suddenly show up at her uncle's house without warning.

"Yeah, your grandma was totally worried about you, yo," Mikey added on as he gently patted Noelle on the arm. "You can use my phone if you want to call her."

"Thank you, Mikey," Noelle gratuitously voiced as she took the offered phone away from him. "I'm going to go call her in my room, okay?"

"Sure thing, girl." Mikey nodded and smiled before he headed over to the lab and Noelle walked over to her room. She shut the door silently behind her and dialed her grandma's number, unsure of how she would even begin to explain her absence from Christmas dinner.

Noelle bit her lower lip anxiously as the phone rang twice before Melanie's voice answered. "Hello?"

"Aunt Melanie, it's me Noelle. I-"

"Oh thank goodness! I was worried sick about you! Your friend came over and didn't really tell me anything, and your grandma seems to have lost it because she just said that there were talking turtles speaking to her and-"

"Hunny, calm down," Nick suddenly spoke up from the grandma. "Is that Noelle?"

"Yes. She's safe." The amount of relief in Melanie's voice made Noelle's shoulders sag in guilt. "We were so so worried about you!"

"I know, and I'm sorry," Noelle sincerely apologized. Her brows furrowed over her aunt mentioning the turtles, and suddenly wondered how her grandma knew about them. Did April tell her everything? "Is grandma there? I would like to speak with her, please."

"Yes, yes, just hold on a second." Melanie clearly wasn't thrilled about once again being brushed off to the side, but at the moment she seemed to relieved to even care or argue about it. There was a pause over the phone, followed by the sound of a door opening and Sandra's name being mentioned before a cry of joy was heard.

"Noelle? Sweetheart, is that you?"

Noelle almost burst into tears at the joy in her grandma's voice. "Grandma, I'm so sorry about everything that happened. I didn't mean to make you worry."

"Oh hunny, I know about everything that happened."

Noelle swallowe nervously. "Everything?"

"Yes. I met the turtles and talked to that young one...Mikey, right? Oh he was so worried about you! He was such a mess."

Tears finally slid down her cheeks. "You-you met the turtles? You talked to them?" She was in full disbelief that Sandra knew her secret, and it once again hurt her to know that Mikey had been so sad because of her. She hoped that she never had to put him through something like that again.

"I did, and they seemed to care about you a lot. There was a young man with them as well, and of course April was the one who came inside. You are so loved by her and those boys."

"I do know, grandma. They have been so kind to me, and we are still working together to find mom. I promise you that we are doing everything we can to find her."

"I know you are. I'm just glad you're safe. Just please be careful, okay?"

They talked for a few more minutes before Noelle hung up and sank her back against her pillow in relief. She then called her father and apologized for not reaching out to him on Christmas. She informed him that she'd been unwell, which wasn't a complete lie since she had been exhausted and scared while being held by the Kraang. He seemed to buy the story, and was glad that she was doing better.

About a minute after getting off the phone with Felix, there was a knock on her door. Mikey flung it open and cheerfully beamed at her as he held out a new phone for her to take. "Here! D made you another one!"

Remembering how her grandma spoke about Mikey being really upset, Noelle nearly jumped off the bed and pulled him in for a tight hug, her head resting on his shoulder as he wrapped his arms securely around her.

"Are you okay?" he asked with concern in his voice.

She nodded but didn't step away from him. "I just talked to grandma. She told me how sad you were when you talked to her. You guys risked your safety for me, and I am so sorry once again for hurting you."

"Aww, it's not your fault. Quit apologizing," he soothed her in a gentle voice. "Besides, your grandma seemed pretty sweet. She loves you a lot, and didn't flip out when she saw me. She's actually really rad."

Noelle laughed at his wording before she shyly pecked him on the cheek and stepped back, secretly loving the way his cheeks adorably pinkened at the contact. "Thank you Mikey. You've always been so good to me."

"Anything for you, girl." He beamed at her happily before his eyes trailed over to the easel that was still turned around, reminding him of the beautiful painting she'd done of him and how happy it had made him. "By the way, I'm sorry, but April showed me the picture you did. She, uh, wanted to me to see how much you really liked me."

Noelle was confused for a minute before she remembered the painting, her eyes turning away bashfully. "O-oh? Did you like it? I was planning to give it to you as a gift on Christmas. I'm sorry I was unable to."

"It's so awesome!" His face lit up as he bounded over to the easel and turned it around proudly. "Look how sweet this is! I look so cool!" The way his eyes shone made her heart skip a beat, and a smile brightened up her face.

"It's all yours. Merry Christmas Mikey." She giggled as he skipped over to her, picked her up and spun her around, their noses nuzzling together. She had never been so happy.

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"You are very foolish for returning," Shredder's voiced boomed within the dark walls of his lair. Karai stood in front of him with her chin tilted up defiantly. "I cannot say I'm surprised though. Nobody else in this city would take you in and raise you the way I have."

"I don't regret running away," the young Kunoich stated in an unwavering voice, not intimated by the man in front of her. "I did what needed to be done, and now that's it over I came back. If you want me to leave, I'll go, but I refuse to be kept a prisoner in my own home."

"You ruined our plans!" Shredder snarled at her, uncaring if he frightened her. "The turtles and Hamato Yoshi would have been destroyed and my revenge finally completed. You bring me great shame, and I will not forgive you for your choice. Now get out of my sight."

Karai complied without another word, her teeth clamped together as she struggled to not snap back. She'd truthfully only returned because of her loyalty to him, but that didn't mean she couldn't feel anger and mistrust towards the man she'd called father for so long. She didn't entirely believe that the one referred to as Splinter was her father, but that didn't mean she could just trust him. One way, or another, she'd discover the truth, and she at last would seek he revenge over the one who had killed her mother so long ago.

[][][]

The days leading up to the New Year's Eve were filled with training and downtime. Mikey was excited for the holiday, and both April and Noelle were curious as to how the turtles celebrated it. It seemed since this was the first New Year's eve that the turtles could actually venture up the surface, they went all out, specifically Mikey. Little decorations were put up around the lair. Something that Splinter called Kagami Mochi was hung up throughout the den and placed on shelves in the dojo. Donnie explained that it was made of mochi, which were rice cakes, and an orange, or daidai, with an attached leaf at the top. Usually, they were placed on sheets or little altars in Japan, but Splinter stated that not doing so in New York was acceptable, and it was the thought and symbolism that mattered.

Straw rope was also hung up at the entrance of the lair to keep away the evil demons. Mikey managed to convince his brothers to make paper lobsters with him to also put up. They turned out decently, although Raph eventually lost patience and found the process to be childish. Still, the brothers stuck around to make Mikey happy, and even Noelle joined in. She enjoyed the process, and of course hers and Mikey's turned out to be better than everybody else's. She blushed fiercely when Mikey positioned their lobsters into a kissing position, which made her elated and a little embarrassed. Fortunately, none of the brothers made fun of her and Mikey for it, something which she was secretly grateful for.

Noelle and April decided to research the holiday a little more, and were given an idea that involved April's aunt. Of course, they had to hurry since the big day was drawing closer and closer, and the idea was kept secret from the boys, who were too busy doing their own thing to even suspect that the girls were up to something.

Mikey and Noelle were even more happy than usual, which Splinter immediately noticed. He kept silent, however, pretending not to see the little arm touches, lingering hugs, or smiles that the two constantly flashed at each other. He was very grateful that his youngest son had found happiness with such a kind-hearted girl, although he suspected he would eventually talk to Mikey about it. Until that day arrived, which it probably would very shortly, he kept his mouth closed and enjoyed the time he spent with all his children.

[][][]

The night of New Years Eve finally arrived, and Mikey was absolutely ecstatic. Thanks to Donnie's wiring, their TV was able to get Japanese television programs that usually weren't available in standard American cable. Kohaku Utagasen was turned on at exactly 7:30 p.m. by the excited ninja, who was so distracted by it that he nearly didn't notice April and Noelle arriving back at around 8. He cheered as his team finished singing another song, unaware of the girls standing right behind him and giggling over his enthusiastic behavior.

"Hey, we're back!" April cheerfully announced, a smirk on her face when she saw Mikey turn around and stare at Noelle with wide eyes.

The blonde blushed as she felt him staring at her, though she supposed she couldn't blame him since she looked quite different. Her hair had been pulled up into a bun with a braid wrapped around it, and two strands of curled hair hung down the sides of her face. The kimono she wore was a bright blue with orange and white flowers beautifully decorated around the cloth, and wrapped around her middle was a light orange fabric. She even wore white socks and wooden sandals to complete the look, giving her the appearance of someone in Japan about to leave for a festival. She shyly glanced into his eyes, her cheeks burning as she saw Mikey beam at her before he stood up and grabbed her hand.

"Woah! You're totally super pretty! You're even wearing my favorite color!" Mikey gushed with a wide grin as he tightened his hold on her hand and spun her around. "Let me look at you!" Noelle giggled as she turned back around to face him again. "That's what I'm talkin' about! You go girl!"

April patted her female friend on the arm and smiled. "Told you he'd like it! You look so good!"

"Well, your aunt did a wonderful job. You're so lucky to have her," Noelle complimented, both pleased and taken back by all the compliments.

Donatello had come out of his lab at all the commotion, a knot climbing in his throat when he saw April turn around and smile at him. Her hair hung down in waves across her shoulders, and she donned a black kimono with yellow and gold flowers. When she smiled at him, his cheeks felt like they were on fire. "W-wow April. You look...amazing."

"Thanks Donnie! My aunt made them for us. We wanted to be part of the Japanese tradition," April explained, pleased with his positive comment. She turned towards the TV and stared at the show Mikey had been watching. "What program is that? Can you understand them?"

Mikey sat down with his legs crossed and leaned forward eagerly. "Okay, okay. It's called Kohaku Utagasen. So there are two teams, right? The red and white team. The red team is all girls and the white team is all dudes, and they have, like, this singing contest, and then at the end these famous people pick the winner. I can understand some of it 'cause Sensei taught us a little Japanese, but I mostly like to watch because the songs are pretty sweet."

"That does sound like fun to watch," Noelle admitted as she took a seat next to him. "Who do you usually want to win?"

"I like to switch it up every year. Last year I went for the red team, so this time I'll go for the white team."

"Then I will cheer on the red team," Noelle challenged with a smile.

"Girl, you're on!" Mikey held out a hand and she shook it, prompting them both to exchange grins before returning their attention back to the screen.

April and Donnie sat on the couch talking most of the time. Eventually Mikey made popcorn for him and Noelle, and Casey ended up coming over around eight thirty to spar with Raph while Leo ended up watching Kohaku Utagasen with Mikey and Noelle. Splinter occasionally walked out of the dojo to check on his children, feeling pleased when he saw everybody getting along. Soon enough, even he joined fixated his attention on the TV, which was what everybody ended up doing by eleven that night.

"Why don't we go watch the ball drop?" April suggested. "We should be able to find a place to watch it, not to mention I know that a ton of people set off fireworks at exactly midnight. It'll be fun."

"Fireworks?" Mikey eagerly asked. "We can see fireworks?"

"I don't know about that," Leo commented. "There will be a ton of people around."

"Well, yeah, but there's always a lot of people in New York and we always manage to sneak by them," Donnie countered. "Should be no problem if we just stick to the shadows."

"Perhaps Master Splinter could join us?" Noelle quietly brought up, turning all eyes towards her before focusing on their Sensei. The rat seemed to be in deep thought at he considered the proposal, trying not to allow the past few negative experiences he'd had on the surface to put a dent in his decision. He reflected on all the past New Years that he and his sons had watched the ball drop on the TV, and remembered the wistful looks on their faces as they would verbally express their desire to be on the surface and be a part of the crowd. Even now, so many years later, he could see the same desire in all his children's eyes, not just the ones he'd raised.

He let out a sigh in defeat, and smiled. "I suppose I can leave the lair with you all for one night."

There was a little cheer in the group as everybody turned to prepare to leave. Even Leo and Raph grinned over the excitement at being able to spend New Year's Eve on the surface, something they'd secretly wanted to do since they were little. Leo had just wanted to take his family's safety into account first, but was relieved when Master Splinter seemed to think things would be alright. Casey merely shrugged his shoulders and stuffed his hands in his pocket, claiming he had nothing better to do while Donnie turned the TV off.

"I'm going to bring Ice Cream Kitty!" Mikey excitedly announced as he dashed towards the kitchen, leaving behind a smiling April and Noelle.

"This is going to be pretty awesome, huh? Have you ever been to Times Square on New Years Eve?"

Noelle shook her head. "No. Have you?"

"My dad took me once, but I remember there were just so many people there that dad and I nearly got separated several times. We both ended up not really get into it because neither of us are a "people person", but this time will be awesome since we'll be above everybody."

"So, who you gonna kiss at midnight, Red?" Casey suggestively asked with a brow wiggle as he leaned in closely to April, earning an angry glare from Donnie.

"You kiss people at midnight?" Mikey inquired as he returned from the kitchen with a mini cooler that had the dairy cat inside of it. The little cave offered a cheerful wave before pulling the cover over himself. "Is that true?" He smiled and winked at Noelle, who smiled back with a blush before gazing down at her feet. The gesture was noticed by Raph, who wasn't sure whether to be happy for them or throw up.

"Don't you remember seeing it on TV every year?" Leo pointed out. "Did you not pay attention?"

Mikey shrugged. "I thought it was just a thing couples did because the cameras were on them or something."

Donnie cleared his throat. "People do it for good luck, to scare off evil spirits, and because to not do it could mean a year of loneliness."

"Guess you're gonna be lonely then, 'cause Red and I are gonna be locking lips tonight!" Casey declared as he wrapped an arm around April's shoulders. She rolled her eyes and shoved his arm off.

"In your dreams, Jones."

Donnie snorted and began heading out to the tunnels; everybody else following behind. Noelle was personally really elated to watch the ball drop not only with her new family, but especially with Mikey. She ended up walking behind everybody else, as did Mikey, who grabbed onto her hand and grinned gleefully at her. she squeezed his hand, hoping they had many more New Years together.

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Donnie led the group to a cover that would give them access to an alley near Times Square. As was the usual routine, he climbed up first and checked to make sure nobody was nearby before he slid the cover off and crawled out so the others could climb out as well. When it was April's turn to step out, he offered her his hand, which she took with a smile as he pulled her out, leaving behind Mikey, Noelle, and Ice Cream Kitty.

"I'll head up first," Mikey offered. "I'll help you up when I make it." Once Noelle nodded her agreement, he swiftly escalated up the ladder with the cooler in between his teeth and reached the surface before he set the cooler down and reached a hand down to help Noelle up. Noelle took his hand, and he easily pulled her up like she weighed nothing. Noelle wasn't one of those girls who admired people for their muscular bodies, but from an artistic perspective she was very impressed by how Mikey's bicep stretched his skin. She wondered if perhaps he'd allow her to study his muscle structure some time, and tried to ignore the way her face was turning red.

The crowds were too busy focusing on the music taking place center stage and on the large screen to pay any attention to turtles, humans, and a rat climbing up the side of a nearby large building. The noise was absolutely deafening, but Noelle found herself basking in it. Thankfully, Mikey, offered her his back, and though she attempted to be polite and protest, he insisted, so she took his offer and allowed him to carry her up. In return, she held onto to Ice Cream Kitty for him, making it a lot easier for him to climb up, and definitely saving her the trouble of having her to scale up the wall in wooden shoes and a kimono.

Once everybody reached the top, they were completely stunned by what they saw.

Thousands of people were gathered together in time square, wearing neon glasses and flashing hats while blowing whistles and waving little noisemakers around. Cheers and excited screams were hear every other second by somebody in the crowd as music was blasted and random colors of confetti seemingly dropped down from the sky. Noelle and Mikey both looked at each other and grinned excitedly before Mikey set down the cooler and opened it so Ice Cream Kitty could get a look as well. The dairy cat seemed just as impressed, for he let out an enthusiastic meow and waved his arms around.

"This is sweet, yo!" Mikey declared with his arms spread out before he placed them on his hips, like a satisfied explorer who had discovered something great.

April began dancing in the background to the song that was currently playing and grabbed Noelle's hands, rocking her back and forth gently. The blonde wasn't as shy as she had been at the Halloween dance, so she allowed the redhead to pull her arms as she smoothly rocked her hips and giggled, allowing the song to captivate her. Soon enough, Casey joined in, followed by Mikey, Donnie, Leo, and at last a reluctant Raph. Mikey bumped hips against Noelle's, both of them laughing as the others clapped and did their own little moves to the upbeat song playing with Splinter watched from the side. He smiled and moved his head to the music, unfamiliar with the song but finding it catchy nonetheless.

[Tangled-Waiting for the Lights]

When the song ended and everybody cheered, the teenagers took a break, laughing and smiling as the exhilarating atmosphere enshrouded them all. Noelle wiped the little droplets of sweat off her forehead and smiled as she attempted to catch her breath and tried to ignore the ache in her feet. Dancing in wooden shoes definitely wasn't easy, which was why she was relieved when she saw April remove hers. Noelle wasted no time in removing her own soon after.

"Man, watching it on TV won't be the same after this," Leo stated, earning agreeing nods from around the group. Splinter smiled at his oldest son and kept his mouth shut. He didn't want to mention that it may not be possible to return to the surface for the holiday in the following years, but he didn't want to ruin the moment or any sort of hope his children had. He had no idea what the future held, and he wouldn't be the one to take away the light shining in his students' eyes.

Soon enough, the countdown to midnight began, and both the human and terrapin teenagers prepped themselves excitedly for the ten-second mark.

"Ten!"

"Nine!"

"Eight!"

"Seven!"

"Six!"

April happily grabbed Noelle's right arm.

"Five!"

"Four!"

"Three!

Mikey gripped Noelle's left hand.

"Two!"

"One!"

"Happy New Year!"

A fluster of activity took place at once. April pulled Noelle in for a hug, which the blonde tightly reciprocated, as April had been one of the first people to be kind to her. Then, Mikey pulled everybody in for a big group hug. Raph struggled to get away but only ended up rolling his eyes as he motionlessly stood with his little brother rubbing his face against his bicep. April stood on her tiptoes and pecked Donnie on the cheek, forcing the lanky turtle to turn red as the group separated and Mikey grabbed Noelles hand to pull her behind a smoke stack so they were away from everybody. Splinter watched his two children disappear, and felt both happy and sad. He remembered being young with Tang Shen and at the temple on New Years Eve a long time ago, his arms wrapped around her as they prayed with everybody else and bowed their heads, hoping for one more year together. He hadn't known that the year before her death would be their last.

Mikey wrapped his arms around Noelle as they stepped around the smoke stack, and gave her a warm hug."Happy New Year Noelle," Mikey whispered in her ear with a smile. "Thanks for being my best friend."

Noelle smiled back at him. "Happy New Year Mikey. I really, really adore you. Thanks for making me so happy and being my best friend too." Then they linked hands, and Mikey leaned forward and kissed her gently as fireworks blasted from behind them, lighting up the night sky. Even though it wasn't their first kiss, their faces were still pink, and their heartbeats still raced, but the moment just felt so perfect and serene to them. In the background their family and friends cheered and celebrated, the city they loved was safe thanks to teamwork, and the sky was beautiful.

Surely things couldn't go wrong.