A/N: Yup, Christmas time for the turtles! There's one more Christmas chapter after this...the next chapter! xD Oh yes, and a very surprising thing about Sugar, Cassi's pet, will be revealed soon, probably within the next four-five chapters. Maybe sooner. Any guesses as to what it might be? ;D

There seemed to be magic in the air that brisk winter morning. Cassi grinned as she looked out her frost painted window. The falling snow danced and twirled gracefully in the wind. Christmas had always been her favourite day of the year. It even beat out her birthday.

Cassi hummed 'jingle bells' to herself as she got herself ready. She took the presents that she had wrapped the night before off her table. The trophies were already at the boy's home. Today was going to be great.

As she walked down the street to where her car was parked, Cassi was surrounded by the joyful sounds of children. They were all eager to play with their new toys. I remember when that was me. Every year she would sneak out to go sledding. That had been her tradition for as long as Cassi could remember. Of course, the first couple times had made Splinter worried as heck when he couldn't find her, but he soon got used to it.

Her first stop before she went to visit the others was at the university. Cassi rapped breathlessly on her friend's door. She hoped that Chris would like her present; it had taken her some time to make. A bleary-eyed Chris opened the door.

"Merry Christmas!" Cassi exclaimed. Chris smiled and let Cassi in.

"Sorry Cassi, I'm not really awake yet," The blond said with a yawn.

"You were out late again, I see. Maybe this will wake you up more," Cassi said holding out the present. Chris took the package and unwrapped the bright coloured paper. She lifted the lid and gasped. A brand new pair of nunchucks lay inside. "I know you've always wanted a pair."

A stunned look was frozen on Chris's face. Finally, she spoke. "Thanks Cassi! This is unbelievable! Did you make them, like we agreed to do for our presents?" She asked suspiciously.

Cassi nodded. "For the most part, I did. I had some help from a friend of mine," Mikey had helped Cassi a little. Chris gingerly picked one up and ran her fingers over the wood.

"Thanks again, Cassi. These are amazing. I'm afraid your gift isn't quite dry yet."

Cassi laughed. "I'll come by later. See you later!" She said as she left. Chris was about to put the box away when she noticed an envelope beneath the nunchucks. Inside it were three pieces of paper. One was a note from Cassi:

You know I don't like them, so I won't be the one to go with you. And no, I'm not breaking our agreement. I did make your present; I just decided to add to it. Merry Christmas!

Cassi.

Chris looked at the other papers and nearly fainted. They were two tickets to the sold out concert that Shell Shock was opening! Better yet, they were floor tickets. Outside at her car, Cassi (and the rest of the campus) heard Chris's shriek.

---

"Merry Christmas, guys!" Cassi called out as she entered the home. There was no answer. Hanging above the door, not to her surprise, was mistletoe. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out her necklace and fastened it around her neck.

Just as she suspected, Mikey came running out towards her. Cassi smirked, yet stood in the same spot. At the last possible moment, Cassi jumped out of the way. He smacked into the door.

"Nineteen and still so clueless," She said teasingly as he moaned. "You know I hate the tradition of mistletoe."

"Merry Christmas, Cassi!" April called.

"Hey April, Merry Christmas to you too! I didn't know you were here yet." Seeing April enter the room, Mikey groaned and handed her a five-dollar bill.

"I walked in on Mikey planning to kiss you no more than thirty seconds after you walked in the door. I told him that he wouldn't be able to because of how much you hate mistletoe. Our discussion ended in a bet -which Splinter and Raph joined in - and Splinter and I won." With that, April shot Mikey a triumphant look.

"A consolation prize," Cassi told him, grinning as she handed him one of the gifts she was carrying. The orange bearing turtle unwrapped a copy of their debut CD, which would be in stores the following week.

Their self titled album looked better than any of them had imagined. All that was on it was their name, Shell Shock, printed in bold letters with a dark pattern of a shell behind it. The fact that it was their first album was what made it so enchanting. All five were incredibly proud of it.

While Mikey and April were marvelling at the CD, Cassi took the opportunity to sneak away for a few minutes before the others discovered she had arrived. She went into Splinter's room. He was removing the mistletoe from the doorway leading to Cassi's part,

"Mike's covered every doorway in the house, hasn't he Sensei?"

Splinter nodded. "Indeed, I believe he has. I would be careful Cassiopeia."

Cassi grinned. "I will, Master Splinter. By the way, you April won the bet."

"I expected that we would."

"Am I that predictable?" She sighed. "Oh well. Merry Christmas Master Splinter," She handed him a small package wrapped in festive paper.

Splinter unwrapped a small circular, silver object. It was a holograph projector, like the ones the boys had. Cassi showed him how to use it, and he turned it on. When the Sensei looked in the mirror, a look of astonishment and recognition took over him. Splinter turned to Cassi and gave her a questioning look.

"A while ago, when I was browsing the internet, I found a picture of your master at a competition. I used part of him to design your projector. I thought it was only right, as he will always be a part of you," Cassi explained.

"Thank-you Cassiopeia. This means a lot to me. I am not sure how often I will use it as I do not go above ground as much as you."

"Don't worry, Master Splinter, you'll need it a lot sooner and more than you think," Cassi assured him with bit of a sly grin upon her face.