Master Splinter arrived home to find his sons crowded around the television watching April O'Neil give her evening news report. The elderly rat retired to his rooms to put his bags away, waiting to announce his presence until the news went to a commercial break.

He returned to find them arguing over where to order pizza from, what toppings to get and whose turn it was to place the call. Master Splinter was on the verge of giving a sharp whistle to silence them, but paused when Donatello shouted for everyone to shut up.

"Guys, now that we have an Internet cable running down here, we can order our food online. Nobody has to call," he said when he had the others' attention. Michaelangelo elbowed his brother in the ribs playfully.

"Mr. Technology to the rescue again."

It was peaceful.

Until they started a debate on who should get to use the computer. They all wanted a turn.

Master Splinter whistled then, and followed the sound with a sharp clap. "Do proper ninjas fight amongst themselves over something as trivial as pizza?" he scolded gently.

The turtles' eyes widened with delight to find their sensei before them. They knelt down and bowed their heads. "Welcome home, Master Splinter," they said in unison. "We missed you," Leonardo added and smacked Raphael in the head when he heard the red ninja whisper "suck-up" under his breath.

"I have missed you, my sons," the rat replied and gave them a fond smile. "I see that you survived without me. Everything seems to be in order."

The brothers exchanged glances. Donatello had been the first to confess that he had been to see April during his absence and the others had quickly followed suit. They had agreed not to tell Master Splinter about their troubles.

"Yeah, we were just fine," Michaelangelo said. "Um, is there anything in particular that you want on your pizza, Master?"

Their sensei sighed and shook his head. Some things never changed. "Olives."

The turtles gathered around their 'dining room' table, awaiting the gifts their Master had promised they could open after dinner.

"You didn't have to get us anything," Raphael said as soon as the rat entered the room with four bags in his hands. "I mean, this vacation was supposed to be for you, not us."

"Do not protest, just enjoy," Master Splinter replied and handed out the bags. "It was difficult enough to figure out what to get for all of you without hearing such protestations." The turtles shrugged and pulled their presents from the bags.

Raphael received an umbrella, the handle designed to look like a Samurai sword. It came complete with a nylon "scabbard" and a strap so that he could wear it across his back. He smiled his appreciation. It would come in handy on the nights he went out to find it raining. He clasped his hands before him and bowed his head. "Thank you, sensei."

Leonardo reached into his bag and pulled out a model kit for a 1968 Pontiac GTO. His eyes widened in surprise as he flipped the box over to read the specs. "Master, I don't know what to say. How did you know?"

"There is more, my son."

The blue-wearing ninja reached in again to find model paint, glue and brushes. "I don't know what to say. Thank you."

Donatello's bag yielded a boxset of Mystery Science Theater 3000 DVDs. He couldn't keep the laughter in. "I had no idea such a thing existed," he exclaimed. "I can hardly wait to watch them. Thank you, Master Splinter." He bowed his head to show his appreciation.

Michaelangelo had received an unlikely gift: books. He could hardly keep the disappointment off of his face as he read one of the titles; Pride and Prejudice. "Master, you made me read this stupid story before and it was so boring!"

"You did not read the entire title, my child. You are too impatient to criticize," the rat replied. The teenage turtle reread the title and his eyes widened.

"Pride and Prejudice and Zombies." He looked up. "Zombies? Awesome! Maybe it won't be so bad after all!"

"The main characters are ninjas. Do not forget about the others."

Michaelangelo looked through the other two. The first was the sequel to the first, Dawn of the Dreadfuls. The second was even better – a graphic novel based on Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. "Thank you so much! I love zombies. It would probably be good if I read something other than comic books, I guess," he admitted and grinned.

"I am glad that you all like what I picked for you. I was not sure that you would," the rat told his turtle sons. Just then they heard footsteps approaching. The turtles drew their weapons and stood before their Master to shield him from the potential threat.

"Whoa, guys, it's just me," April announced as she entered. "Calm down. I tried to call, but you guys don't get the best reception down here sometimes."

They sheathed their weapons and gave a collective sigh. "We could have killed you," Donatello scolded and she laughed.

"Hello to you, too." She turned to Master Splinter. "Welcome back, sensei. I was hoping that I could speak with you in private."

"Of course, Miss O'Neil, but first I believe that the boys would like to show you their new presents," he replied and gestured to the teenage mutant ninja turtles that were gawking at them.

April laughed again. "By all means, show and tell may commence. Could I get some pizza though? I'm starving."

Master Splinter led the reporter to his private room and settled himself on the floor, waving his hand at the cushions before him. She nodded her thanks and sat, crossing her legs. "I'm sorry if I've come too soon," she began, but he silenced her with a look.

"I asked you to come and you have. There is no need to apologize for indulging an old rat," he replied. "Your suggestions for their gifts were well-made. I must admit that I was tempted to go with my first instinct and buy them some new weapons to train with, but when I arrived here I knew that it would not have gone over as well as I hoped."

April shrugged, blushing. "I just figured that they train and fight so much that it might be nice for them to receive something intended for leisure." She covered her mouth with a hand. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to make it sound like I'm criticizing."

"I encourage you to speak freely with me. I am their sensei and they are teenagers; they do not confide in me as they used to." He sighed and focused his gaze on her. "I worry about them. I am not growing any younger and I will not be here for much longer. I am an old rat. They are good students and they will be great masters if they continue their studies, but I cannot help wondering if they will survive without me. They do not know much of the world, though they insist that they want to be more a part of it. I need to know that they will be okay without me."

April spoke slowly as she gathered her thoughts. "It was difficult for them to be alone. However, I think it was a good experience for them. They learned a lot about themselves and each other. At least, that's what I believe. The only times you have not been with them before this were when you were in danger. It was important for you to leave and let them figure things out."

Master Splinter nodded, fighting back unexpected tears. "It is difficult for me to remember that they are teenagers and that they need growing space. Their existence is a miracle and I have wanted to keep them safe from as much as I could."

"Well, fighting crime doesn't exactly have a no-risk guarantee." The reporter shook her head slightly. "They all came to me, separately, to get a grip on their problems while you were gone. I didn't mind the company," she added hastily as the rat attempted to apologize. "I'm happy that they trust me when they're vulnerable. I don't know if I should share what I know with you. They didn't ask me to keep it a secret, but..."

"I will not ask you to reveal your knowledge to me if it makes you uncomfortable. I am glad that they have someone they can go to with their troubles. Will you still be here for them when I leave this mortal life?" Splinter took her hand and squeezed it. "I must know if they will be alone after I am gone."

"Sensei, if I am given the choice I will remain their friend for the rest of my years. Meeting all of you has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life." She smiled. "If I may make several suggestions?"

"Of course."

"Lighten up on them a bit. They need time to goof off. They're still just kids. Don't be too hard on Mikey when he cracks jokes unless he's doing it to be obnoxious. He truly believes that laughter is the best medicine, especially in times of stress. Don't put Leonardo in charge all of the time. He may be a born leader, but every leader needs someone to fall back on once in a while. I think letting the others try out being in command will teach them how difficult it is and lessen his burden." She paused and bit her lip. "As for Raphael, he needs reassurance from you. He is afraid of being alone and he just wants to know that people will be there for him when he needs them. When he becomes angry or irritable, just give him a hug or a pat on the back or something.

"Donatello...he wants to travel. Everyone here seems to assume that as long as he has a computer in front of him, he's happy. It isn't true. He just wants to get out in the fresh air. I've given him a spare key to my farmhouse and he knows what roads to take. There are several conditions, but the gist of the arrangement is that he can go there whenever he needs to get away. So if he says he's going, don't try to stop him. Just trust that he'll be safe."

"You know them better than I do after just a month," Master Splinter said. It was difficult to keep a tinge of disappointment out of his voice. "I feel as though I have failed them."

"Oh, please don't think that!" April pulled the rat into a hug, surprising them both. "You have done an amazing job with the boys and they are wonderful people for it. Teenagers just don't talk to their parents about everything. It's normal. They still need you, just in different ways now."

"You have opened my eyes, Miss O'Neil. How can I ever repay you?"

She grinned. "I'm sure we'll think of something."

Master Splinter looked at his young wards seated before him. "I will not be with you forever, my sons, not in the flesh. My spirit will remain inside each of you, but there will come a time when you won't have me here anymore." The turtles murmured to themselves and he silenced them. "Everything changes to a point where it stops and turns around. If not for change, we would not even exist. I am not going to die any time soon if I can help it. But I need to know that you will be able to survive without me." He paused and looked at each of them before beginning. "Miss O'Neil and I have talked and she will become your guardian if anything happens to me before you reach the age of men."

"Eighteen?" Michaelangelo asked hopefully. His brothers rolled their eyes and tried to keep from snickering.

"Twenty-one is the age I believe you will have reached your independence," the rat replied. "I do not mean to alarm you by having such a serious discussion."

"Master, why are you telling us this now?" Leonardo inquired. "Has something happened?"

"Nothing more serious than coming to terms with my mortality. I don't want you to give up on one another after I am gone. You fight amongst yourselves, as is natural for brothers to do, but I often worry that one day you will not make amends."

"We will always be there for each other," Raphael assured their master.

"Are you certain enough of this that you would take an oath to come to one another in times of need no matter what hardships fall on you or what disagreements come between you?"

One after another the turtles nodded their assent. Master Splinter nodded and had them swear before Gaia, their master, and themselves. "Thank you, my sons," he said as they stood and bowed before him. "You have given me the greatest gift I could have hoped for." They each hugged him before leaving. When he was alone, he said "Now I can die happy."

The four turtles sat atop the ledge of April's building's roof, watching the sun set. "Why do you suppose he made us take an oath to support each other no matter what? We would have done that anyway, right?" Michaelangelo asked and the others agreed that he was correct. He sighed and looked from Leonardo to Raphael to Donatello. "Do any of you feel as though there's something different now?"

"Yeah," Raphael replied. "We're growing up."

The End