A/N: Thank you very much to minlee1 and artykidd for the reviews, they really do make my week!

Many thanks for the great beta work done by artykidd and CPQ as well. You help me out way more than you know by doing this for me, I'm sure chicas. -grin-

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the TMNT, or any related characters (much to their relief, I'm sure!) If there is anything else in this story you recognise from somewhere else, then I don't own that either.

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It was a relatively lazy Christmas morning; a rare chance to sleep in, no training, Caseys' 'patented' fry-up for breakfast. Most of the greasy plates were still sitting around the living room, at risk of being buried under rumpled, discarded wrapping-paper. Mike was the only one that wasn't settled somewhere, busy making trips between the Christmas Tree and whomever was the recipient of the next parcel he picked up. He only paused to bounce happily when he found one of his own; tearing the paper off with glee, it often fluttering down to land on Raphs' head, to rave about whatever he had received.

Raph and Leo were sat on the floorboards, either side of the hearth; occasionally feeding the paper their gifts had been wrapped in to the small fire they were trying to encourage to grow. Splinters' feet and tail dangled from where he was seated in the wooden rocking chair, just behind Leo. Some of his gifts were yet to be opened, piled neatly on his lap; he was content, watching the happy reactions of his family and friends.

April was curled in one of the two well-worn, yet stout mock-leather armchairs set beside the staircase that ran up the side of the room. She was still in her robe and pink slippers, a steaming mug in one hand and one of her new books open in the other. Casey was sat, legs splayed, on the thick rug that covered the majority of the floor. Most of his wrappings made it over his shoulder to pile up haphazardly behind him.

Under the windows that looked out onto the front porch, was the old, red vinyl couch. Don and Tau were sat shoulder to shoulder upon it, as he explained all the functions of her new Shell-cell to her. Catching part of their conversation every now and then, Leo thought some of her questions were a bit simple, stuff she surely could have figured out on her own. But then it did seem to distract his brother from glancing nervously about the room quite so often, especially whenever Mike had passed another gift to April.

"Aww." moaned Mike lightly, almost catching his bandanna tails on a low branch as he backed out from where he'd crawled under the tree "These are the last ones!" he straightened with a small package in each hand. Leo kept a surreptitious eye on Don as his brother tensed, his eyes fixed on Mike as he crossed the room.
"Here Sensei, this one's for you."
"Thank you Michelangelo."
"Heh, guess we'd better have a bit of a tidy, huh?"

"Mike?" Leo half-asked, half-exclaimed, not sure what unsettled him more; Mike actually suggesting they clean up, or the way Dons' knuckles were turning white where he gripped the wooden arm of the couch. "Who is that last gift for?" he prompted, getting to his feet.
"Huh? Oh, Wha… this?" Mike lifted the gift slightly, his eyes darting to the small card dangling from it, now obscured in his other hand. "Uh, Raphie-boy!"
"It is?" peeped Don in shock, his voice cracking slightly. April looked up from her book.
"Are you ok Donnie, you look a little pale?" she asked in concern, quickly putting her mug and book aside to walk over to him.
"Uh, yeah! I'm fine, April. Fine! Just, ah, might be getting a bit of a cold, maybe, heh." he faked a couple of light coughs to back up his story.

April eyed him with a slightly sceptical appraisal, unperturbed by the way he shuffled back against the cushions to rest the back of her fingers on his fore head.
"You do feel a little clammy. I think there's some cough medicine upstairs, I'll see if I can go find it, okay?" she smiled warmly. Don gave a weak little nod.
"Thanks, April." he murmured diffidently, giving a little sigh as she disappeared up the stair-case.

Under the pretence of gathering the mess off the floor, Leo had made his way over to the side of the couch before April had left. Crouching to Dons' eye-level he gently gripped his brothers' arm.
"Are you alright? I'm here if you need me."
"Thanks Leo." Donnie gave a crooked little half-smile; then started as Casey reached over from where he was seated on the floor to give his lower leg a rough rub.
"Buck-up dude! Christmas is no time to be getting sick!" he grinned encouragingly.

Tau despaired as her friends' smile became strained. Rising from the couch she grabbed Dons' hand and pulled him up after her.
"All you really need is a nice hot drink. C'mon, I'll make you one while you set my ring-tone for me. Ok?"
"O…ok." he agreed as he let her lead him into the kitchen, the door swinging shut behind them. Not wanting to draw too much attention to his brothers' plight, Leo made quick work of gathering a few more bits of discarded plastic packaging under one arm, and some of the dirty dishes in his free hand, before he backed his way through the kitchen door as well.

As Don and Tau had left, Raph had given his brothers' leg a light back-hand to get his attention.
"Earth to Mikey! You gonna hand me that or what?" Mike knelt beside him, to whisper in his ear as quiet as could be,
"It's for both of ya, really. Just don't let Leo see, 'k?" before he handed over the present. Raph treated him to a suspicious glance, however before he could comment Mike was back on his feet and helping to gather up the rest of the rubbish as Leo left for the kitchen.

He couldn't say why, but Raph felt an odd sense akin to dread as he gazed at the front of the small, home-made card. 'For Raphael, from Mikey' flowed in neat, red script diagonally across it. Inside was written;
'Merry Christmas
VERY Happy New Year!
One way or another…'
It did very little to dispel his unease.

"I think a fresh cup of tea is in order." said Splinter, to no-one in particular, as he slipped off the rocking chair; making a bee-line for the kitchen himself. Deciding to bite-the-bullet, Raph ripped the paper off his last gift, confused at what fell out. Looking up, he just caught sight of Mikes' feet vanishing at the top of the stairs before he scowled back down at the items in his lap. A small jar of Nutella hazelnut spread, with a little paint-brush taped to the side of it, had been nestled inside a roll of silver duct-tape.

He didn't get it. He picked up the card again, searching for clues. 'One way or another…' The dots seemed to be leading to something, and on a whim, he flicked the card over to look at the back. His chocking gasp caught Caseys' attention, making his friend leave off trying to assemble his new model plane to come peer over his shoulder.
"Huh? I don't get it?" Casey admitted, spotting the jar of chocolaty spread and the tape. Raph made sure the card was well out of sight, hidden in his hand.
"It's nothin', just one of Mikeys' pranks."
"Huh." grunted Casey, unimpressed. To Raphs' relief, he turned his back to return to building his Spitfire.

Cautiously Raph opened his hand to peer at the small, but meticulous images gracing the back of his card. One had he and Tau looking not hugely happy at being trussed face-to-face, mummified together from shoulders to hips in silver tape, their fists sticking out from the bottom of their confines. The other featured them both from the waist up only, sans clothes, and detailed a rather unorthodox way for him to consume the chocolate spread. With a grimace he figured it wasn't a useful image to have burned into his minds' eye right now, making to throw it into the flames dancing in front of him. At the last moment he paused, glanced at the card again, and then tucked it into a pocket on his belt with a low, resigned growl.

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(Meanwhile…)
Tau settled Don on one of the high-backed stools in the kitchen, giving him a little time to himself for a few moments as she fussed with the kettle and a couple of mugs. Soon there was nothing else she could waste time with until the water boiled, so she leaned back against the counter next to where he was seated and waited in vain for him to talk.
"Are you ok?" she prompted, once it was clear he wasn't going to look up from his inspection of the floor.
"Yeah." he sighed "I… I'm not really sick." he confessed.
"I know." Tau assured levelly "Have you ever considered telling her how you feel?"

Don didn't look up, but it was clear from the way he froze he hadn't anticipated that question. Leo came through the door shell first, nudging it closed with his foot as he turned to put the dishes in the sink, the rubbish in the bin. Quickly finishing his chore he glanced up at the two situated further along the kitchen bench, taken aback by the uncharacteristically evil glare Don was treating him to.
"What's wrong?" asked Leo.
"How could you tell? You promised!" accused his brother, sounding close to tears.
"I… I didn't 'tell' anything Donnie, I wouldn't!"
"He didn't have to Don." added Tau "I figured it out for myself. It wasn't that hard really…"

The utter mortification on his face as his head shot up at her admission made Tau wish she could take it back somehow.
"You did? It…it isn't? Does everyone know?" he whimpered. She shrugged, searching for the words to make it right.
"Honestly, I don't know. I haven't said anything to anyone but Leo." Tau rubbed his arm in consolation "I don't think she realises, and I'm damn sure Casey hasn't figured it out, if that's any help." Don tilted his head in consideration for a moment, before he gave a dejected nod.

"Don, you have to find a way through this." urged Leo "You can't keep letting your emotions get the better of you."
"I know, I know." Don sniffled "I knew from the start I didn't have a chance, I just can't… help it. She's just a… an angel! And I'm…" a sob broke his voice. Tau grabbed a tea-towel off the side, offering it to him to pat his eyes dry.
"Thanks." he gave her a sad, little half-smile once he'd regained his composure.

"Why wouldn't you have had a chance?" Tau asked softly. Leo butt in before his brother could reply.
"None of us do. This is what I keep warning everyone about!"
"How can you think that?" she accused.
"Because we are turtles; whether we like it or not, whether you like it or not, we are different."
"That's totally unfair…!"
"Yes, it is!" both Leo and Tau turned from their confrontation in surprise at Splinters' sudden, stern input "This is not the time, nor the place, for such an argument. I am sure the last thing Donatello needs at the moment is for you two to be squabbling over the semantics of the situation."

Tau quickly copied Leo in giving the Master a brief bow and apology, though she turned to murmur "Sorry." to Don as well.
"'s ok." he replied softly, before furtively meeting his Fathers' eyes. "You know too?" he asked plaintively.
"I have…'suspected', for some time now." Splinter admitted, his tone now one of warm compassion. "However, I made the error of assuming that since you were aware of the impending development in April and Caseys' relationship, and still did not come to speak with me regarding your…'attachment', that you had come to terms with what was occurring." He stepped between Leo and Tau to place a consoling hand on his distressed sons' shoulder. "I am always here for you, my son. Why did you not wish to speak to me of this?"

Don gave a little shrug.
"Too…embarrassed, I guess." he explained, ashamed "And I thought I had 'dealt' with it. I was all prepared for her to…get the ring this morning. But when she didn't, it just kinda…threw me, heh." he attempted a crooked smile, his Father returning the gesture.
"You do know you can speak to me regarding anything?" Splinter stated more than asked in earnest.
"Yeah, I know. I just… I know. Sorry." sighed Don.
"There is nothing to forgive." he was assured as Splinter held out his arms. With a grateful smile Don slipped off his chair to take the offered hug.

Sensing this was a bit of a 'family' moment, Tau stepped away to tend to the hot drinks, as Leo gave his brothers' shoulder a consoling rub.
"You'll be okay Don." he murmured, the words sounding hollow even to his own ears.

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Lunch was simple fare, warm ham sandwiches with fruit-mince cakes to follow, so as not to 'spoil' their appetites for the feast Mike had already started preparing for Christmas Dinner. Not that anyone was disappointed in the light meal; everyone had been snacking on various festive treats already. However, it was the first time they had all gathered together again after opening their gifts that morning; around the large, rectangular dining table that sat at the far end of the living room, just outside the kitchen door.

Most of the boys had spent the morning outside, trying to master the remote control for Caseys' plane. Splinter and Don had merely watched the antics from the porch swing, hung in front of the kitchen window. Mike had spent a short time joining in with saving the plane from its frequent dives into the thin covering of snow on the ground, before heading inside to start on his turkey roast and other goodies.

April had gotten a copy of 'Love Actually' on DVD from her sister for Christmas, and since no-one else had accepted her invitation to watch it on her lap top – most rejecting it quite strenuously – Tau had yielded. The two girls had spent the morning lying on the living room rug, their bare feet warmed by the fire, as they watched the movie on the small screen set up in front of them on the floor. And they were both now regretting eating quite so many rum balls and candy canes during the course of the film.

Tau had wondered if she should tell April about the earlier events in the kitchen, but a good moment to bring it up never seemed to present itself. So, in the end, she decided to let it go. Besides, she figured it was probably more appropriate that Don talk to the red-head about it, though she despaired he ever would.

Raph shot her an odd look as she quick-stepped over to sit beside him at the table, the floor boards feeling very chill to her warmed bare feet.
"Hey." he dead-panned in greeting.
"Hey!" she beamed in reply, tipping her head back to flick her loose hair behind her shoulders with her hands.

Raph blinked, wishing she hadn't done that. He'd been glad of the distracting cold and exertion of his mornings' activities. They had almost made him forget Mikes' damn drawing. But seeing her lean back like that for that split-moment, she couldn't have copied the pose his brother had drawn her in any closer if she had tried. Ok, so she was wearing clothes; more than usual in fact. She had on one of her long sleeve, grey skivvies and one of her baggy black shirts over the top of that. Though the front of the shirt wasn't buttoned up, leaving it hanging open like a jacket; the edges of the darker material seeming to highlight the course his mouth was taking in that infernal image…

"I got something on my shirt?" Taus' question shook him out of his reverie, a note of concern in her voice for his unusual expression. He didn't seem to realise the very tip of his tongue was poking out the corner of his lips.
"Huh? Uh, nuh! It's nothin'… yeah, nuthin'" he trailed off before flashing an ingratiating grin. Tau didn't look too convinced, eyeing him dubiously until she got distracted by Mike giggling as he took his seat on the opposite side of the table.

"What's going on?" she asked suspiciously, her gaze flicking between the brothers. Raph grimaced; at a muffled 'thump' from under the table Mike bent low over his plate, his mirth switching to a whispered monologue of "Ow ow ow!"
"Nothing." stated Raph definitively, his tone making it clear it was the end of the matter. Quirking an eyebrow, Tau mouthed 'O-kaaay', deciding it was best not to pursue an explanation, and reached for a sandwich instead.

Glancing around the table, she was relieved to see Donnie seemed pretty much back to his old self again. Once the meal was finished he even stood with a grin to announce;
"Well, now seems as good a time as any for the annual family portrait. Should I go fetch the equipment?" As the rest of the group agreed, he dashed upstairs, returning a few minutes later with a small digital camera and a large tripod.

With the fireplace and Christmas Tree in the background, Don directed his brothers into a line that spanned the view visible through the camera; Leo on the left, a gap for himself, then Raph and Mike on the right.
"Alright, you guys stay where you are. If everyone else just stands either in front or behind we should be set!" he invited. Splinter moved to stand roughly in the centre, in front of his boys, whilst April and Casey slipped into place, passing behind Leo to stand just to the left of centre.

"Which button should I press?" asked Tau softly, peering past Dons' shoulder. He gave her an incredulous look.
"It's not a problem, it has a timer. You should get over there." he tipped his head toward his family. With a sheepish little grin she stepped away, and Don turned his attention back to the camera.

"OK, we've got ten seconds before it goes off!" he instructed loudly, quickly heading over to take his place.
"C'mon Tau!" Mike waved her over as she remained stood by the couch. She shook her head.
"No, it's a family portrait. I'm just a friend; it should just be for you guys…"

Mike and Raph shared a brief glance.
"C'mere!" ordered Raph as quick-as-a-flash they both reached out to grab her, catching her before she had a chance to move, pulling her bodily into place. Since the two turtles tried to step back to their original spots to keep within the shot, there wasn't much room between them, and Tau found herself basically stood side-on in front of them, her right arm wedged between theirs. Raph had a strong grip on her trapped hand, and didn't seem inclined to let it go, so she just managed to turn to face the camera a little better and plaster a smile on her face before the flash went off.

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A/N: For those of you wondering what 'Nutella' is, it is a hazelnut based spread that originated in Italy. If you've ever had a 'Ferrero Rocher' Nutella is the gooey chocolaty stuff inside the outer crust in these sweets (they are both made by the same company). If not, I'll post a link to some info on it on my forum at SS, if only to help ya hunt it down to try some! Seriously, it's absolutely delicious.

Nutella is very popular here in Oz. Whilst it's not cheap, it isn't as expensive as proper 'edible body paint' and it is available in any supermarket here. Anywho, I didn't realise it wasn't widely available in the US (Beta to the rescue! Thanks chica.), but after having a dig about on-line, I couldn't find a US equivalent. So I've stuck with my original assumption that Nutella is as readily available in the US as it is here in Oz. If anyone does have any suggestions for a replacement that Mike could get his hands on easily please send 'em my way. I know it ultimately doesn't matter, but I do strive to base this series as much in 'the real world' as possible.