Hello, Everyone! This was supposed to be out for you guys before Christmas. (Sorry) I hope you haven't lost the Christmas spirit yet! This chapter has two different POVs because they were both pretty short, so sit back and enjoy :)

A Ninja's Christmas Pt 1

April

April looked up from where she was typing on a beanbag in the sudden realization that it was almost Christmas. She glanced around the room and noticed that there were no decorations whatsoever. Huh. "Hey, Leo?" she called.

"Mm-hm?" Leo replied, not taking his eyes from the air hockey game he was waging with Raph.

"When are you guys gonna start getting ready for Christmas?"

"Christmas? Oh, yeah… um, well, I guess we can string up a few lights this year if you really want to. And maybe we can even… Ha! Point for Leonardo the Great!...go get a tree. We did that once a long time ago, I think."

April blinked in surprise. "You guys don't do Christmas?"

"Not really… uggh! I almost had you! " Leo scowled at the now-triumphant Raph and stalked off to sit on the couch.

Ara looked up from her book and joined the conversation. "Why not?"

Leo shrugged. "It's not like we don't want to, but do you know how hard it is to get a tree and stuff? Heck, before this year we couldn't even go up to the surface."

"Well, now you have me," April stated confidently, "and you guys are going to have the best Christmas ever." She pulled up a document on her computer and typed CHRISTMAS LIST in big letters across the top. She keyed down and typed a number one. "What are some things we're going to need?"

Ara started counting things off on her fingertips. "A tree, lights, cookies, Christmas carols…"

"And presents!" Mikey chimed in, jumping off of his tire swing.

April rolled her eyes. "And presents." She jumped up, grabbed an old map, and flipped it to the blank side. She then proceeded to write down names and tear them apart. She dumped them all into a bowl and walked to the middle of the room, clearing her throat to get everyone's attention. "How about we do a Secret Santa thing? Everyone draws a name and they have to give that person a present for Christmas."

Everyone agreed, and Raph raced up to grab a sheet. His eyes widened in horror as he read the name, and he quickly stuck it back in. "Maybe Leo should go first; he's the leader."

Leo rolled his eyes and walked up, plucking a piece from the pile. After reading the name, he smiled and folded it neatly in half, then retreated from the room.

"Aw, he didn't even tell us who it was," Mikey pouted.

"You're not supposed to. It's called 'Secret' Santa for a reason," Ara pointed out.

Everyone drew names until there was only one left. April picked it up and read the name: Donnie. Not a bad draw, she decided. Donnie had always had a special place in her heart out of all the ninjas; he was sweet, smart, and kind. She knew that he had a huge crush on her, and it made things a little uncomfortable at times, but it wasn't anything that she couldn't deal with. April stared at the scrawled name in her hand and tapped her chin thoughtfully. What would he like?

"A next-generation Cavium processor with quantum encryption." April's head snapped around to find Leo peering over her shoulder.

"I thought you left! Stop sneaking up on me!"

Leo grinned sheepishly. "It's a ninja thing; sorry."

April shook her head and turned back to stare at her piece of paper. "You really think he'd like a Cavium processor?"

Leo snorted. "Its all he talks about."

"How much would it cost?"

Leo winced. "You… don't want to know. "

"That's what I thought," April sighed with a shake of her head. "I'll think of something." When pigs fly, she finished in her head.

The next few days were turmoil. Everyone seemed anxious, and April was willing to bet that the cause was fretting over gifts. Leo seemed to be the only one truly happy with his person. He was constantly humming, disappearing, and reappearing, obviously working on his present for whoever it was he had gotten. He acted so… un-Leo-like. Less demanding and pushy, and more good-natured and easygoing. Weird.

"Hey, Leo! If you need any help with building something, I'm your man," Donnie called out one day, curious as to what his brother was making.

"Thanks, but no thanks," Leo chirped, jumping down from the chair he had been standing on to reach something in a cupboard and leaving the room. "I think I got this one."

April finally gave up and admitted that she simply couldn't afford the processor. Maybe she could think of an equally good gift that was cheaper, but somehow, she doubted it.

Mikey

"Donnie! Guess who I got for Secret Santa!" Wanna know? Waaaanna know?"

"Shut up, Mikey!" Donnie groaned. Mikey had been asking him the same series of questions for the past hour. "I'll know on Christmas, which is only in two days."

Mikey smiled sweetly. "I bet you want to know NOW! Oh, by the way, sorry you didn't get April!"

Donnie looked up from his computer with a sharp intake of breath. "How'd you know that?"

"Because it would be impossible to get her. I g..." Mikey cut himself off just in time and clasped his hand over his mouth.

Donnie put his computer aside. "Who. Did. You. Get?"

Mikey broke into a triumphant grin. "I KNEW you'd want to know!"

"Mikey! You didn't answer my question!" Mikey noticed that Donnie had his fists clenched and looked really mad. This was soo much fun! He never got Donnie this angry, not even with water balloons! Raph was easy, but Donnie….

"Hate to leave you hanging, bro!" Mikey grinned, "but I gotta go!"

He turned to leave, only to find Donnie right in front of him. "Tell me!"

"You're gonna have to catch me first!" Mikey turned and raced from the room at full speed, Donnie at his heels. Mikey had almost made it to his a room when he felt Donnie's staff whap at his ankle. He lost his footing and fell to the floor. In another moment, Donnie had twisted his arm behind his back. Mikey's shoulder erupted in pain. "Hey! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Mikey squealed. "I got April, alright?"

The pressure on his arm weakened, then stopped. Mikey rolled over and sat up, rubbing his arm. "Who did you get?"

"Leo," Donnie stated glumly. "Wanna trade?"

"There will be no trading!" Splinter had entered the room, and he fixed his sons with a stern look.

Donnie sighed. "Fine." He turned to Mikey with a sulky look on his face. "What are you going to get April?"

Mikey grinned proudly. He had thought and thought over that one, but now he had the perfect idea. "At first I was going to give her a pizza. Even though that's a great idea, she'll just eat it and then it'll be gone. So I decided to give her… drum roll, please…. a skateboard and some ninja smoke bombs!"

Donnie slapped his forehead with a groan. "You can't give April THAT!"

Mikey's face fell in disappointment. He had thought of the perfect gift ideas, and Donnie didn't even like them?! "Why not?" he demanded.

"Because she'll hate them, that's why!"

Mikey's lip quivered. "Well… well... I'm gonna give them to her anyway! You're wrong; she'll love them."

Donnie opened his mouth to speak, but he was cut off because April walked into the room with a bowl and spoon. "Who here knows how to make cookies? I would, but I have to work on a big paper that's due tomorrow."

Ara looked up from where she sat mending a tear in one of her elbow pads. "I do!"

Mikey leaped up. "So do I!"

Ara bounded across the room and took the bowl from April. "Yeah, right."

"I really do," Mikey protested, grabbing the bowl from Ara. "I used to do all the cooking around here before we discovered pizza."

Ara crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow. "What did you cook?"

"Algae and... worms?" Mikey replied with a gulp. He'd just realized that that didn't exactly sound scrumptious.

Ara snatched back the bowl. "That settles it! I'm cooking!"

"Fine, but I'm going to help."

Ara sighed. "Okay, if it makes you happy." She made her way into the kitchen with Mikey at her heels.

Mikey helped Ara get all the ingredients they needed and stir them together. Towards the end, Ara's eyes widened with dismay. "Where's the vanilla?"

Mikey scanned the contents of all the cupboards. "I don't see anything…would this work?" he asked as he held up a bottle of vinegar. "The spellings are practically the same."

Ara snatched it out of his hand. "No way!" She buried the vinegar in the back of the cupboard. "Stay here; I'll go ask Splinter if we have any."

Mikey nodded and sat obediently on a stool. Ara crossed the room, only to turn back at the last moment. "Don't touch ANYTHING while I'm gone, okay?"

Mikey nodded vigorously. "No problemo!"

Ara looked at him uncertainly for a few more moments, shrugged her shoulders, and left. The second she was gone, Mikey cracked his knuckles with satisfaction. "Let's find something to spice these babies up a little."