*Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise, 'It's a Wonderful Life', or 'The Greatest Gift.'

*Author's Notes: Well, I promised everyone that I would get the remainder of this story posted before Santa arrives, so here's the final chapter of 'Because You Weren't There,' just in the 'Nick' of time. Aw, Santa puns . . . They're ho-larious! XD

Thank you all very, very much for reading this story and providing me with such amazing feedback. Oh my gosh! I'm so incredibly grateful to each and every one of you. You are all spectacular! *hugs*

Okay, I'm sure everyone's anxious to find out how this is going to end, so let's jump right into it.

I really hope you enjoy the conclusion of this story. Thank you for reading. ;) CJ

Chapter 5 – All I Want for Christmas

There's a familiar voice cutting through the darkness, trying to pull me out of whatever stupor I'm in. At first, the words drifting over me are quiet and impossible to understand, but they soon start to make sense, syllable by syllable. While I struggle to pick apart the vocabulary, I recognize the soft voice as my hotheaded older brother's, although he sounds strange. The usual gruffness in his tone is missing.

"Please, Donnie. I don't know how much more of this we can take. You need to wake up, little brother. Please . . . Just open your eyes." The heartfelt pleading is accompanied by faint sniffling sounds.

Is Raph . . . crying?!

I feel a callused hand wrap around my own, and just out of instinct, I give it a squeeze. My grip is embarrassingly weak, but it's strong enough to get an excited reaction.

"D – Donnie? Donnie, can you hear me?"

Since Raph's voice is the only one I'm able to detect, I think I can safely assume the hand holding my own belongs to him. I give it another squeeze as I attempt to pry my eyelids apart. After much squinting and blinking, I can finally see that I'm lying on my bed. Raphael is sitting next to me with an uncharacteristic smile etched across his face. He's definitely a sight for sore eyes.

"R – Raph." Barely any sound comes out of me, but the croaky noise is enough to make my older brother's already broad smile somehow widen even more.

"Guys! Guys! He's awake! Get in here!"

My brother's thunderous shouting causes my head to immediately start pounding like a bass drum. I clamp my eyes back shut and let out a low hiss of pain.

Raph's response to this is to squeeze my hand with a surprisingly gentle grip.

While I try to force my eyes open again, I hear the shuffling of multiple pairs of feet approaching.

As to be expected, Mikey is the first to spring into action.

"Donnie!"

Before I'm able to fully get my bearings straight or even try to sit up, I'm enveloped in a crushing hug from my youngest sibling, which I eagerly return. I've never been so thrilled to see my baby brother in all my life.

"I'm super happy you're okay, D! I thought we'd lost you, bro!" Mikey tightens his grip around me and nuzzles his face into my neck, softly sniffling just like Raph had been earlier.

"I thought I'd lost you, too. I – I can't believe you're all h – here." My voice noticeably hitches as I say this and I'm finding it hard not to break down. Choking back a sob, I lean further into Mikey's embrace and pull him as close as I can without suffocating him.

"I'm really, really sorry for breaking your goggles, Donnie." The heavy remorse in Mikey's apology makes my heart shatter like glass.

"No, Mikey. I'm the one who should be sorry. I should've never gotten angry at you like that. I'm so sorry, little brother."

Mikey sniffles a few more times, and then, lets out a contented sigh. That's when the rest of my family suddenly joins in on the hug, including April.

Wait! April's here?!

I peer up at my family and see that everyone looks as though they've been run through the wringer, which instantly makes my mind flash back to something Mikey had said just seconds ago . . .

"I'm super happy you're okay, D! I thought we'd lost you, bro!"

They thought that they'd lost me?

Though I hate to be the one to break up the group hug, my insatiable need for answers takes precedence. I wriggle my way out of the embrace and notice that each movement is making my head pound even worse than before. Curious as to why this is, I stretch the fingertips of my right hand towards my forehead and wince at what I discover.

Bandages?

"Wh – What happened to my head?"

My eyes volley back and forth between my family members, waiting for someone to answer my question. They all exchange nervous glances until Leo finally speaks up.

"Well, when you didn't return any of our calls or come home after about an hour, we asked April if you'd stopped by her place. When she said no, we tracked you down using the GPS in your T-phone. We found you lying unconscious on a rooftop in Chinatown. You must have slipped and fallen and cracked your head."

As soon as Leo pauses for breath, Raph adds his two cents.

"Yeah, and by the time we got to you, you were practically a freaking turtlesicle. Scared us all half to death, brainiac."

Hearing this, I look down and see that I'm covered with what I assume is every blanket in the lair. It seems a bit excessive, but hey, it's the thought that counts, right?

"As Raphael was saying, in his own rather unique way, you were suffering from severe hypothermia when we found you, Donatello. If we had not gotten to you when we did, we may not have been able to save you. You are very fortunate, my son. As are we." Master Splinter rests a paw on my shoulder and the corners of his mouth curl up into a warm smile.

Then, April takes her turn at contributing to the story.

"We rushed you back to the lair as fast as we could and patched you up, but you've been out cold for nearly twenty-four hours now. We've all been so worried about you, D." April leans down and gives me another quick hug, which makes me giggle like a hopeless dork, as always.

Way to impress her, Donatello . . .

Once I pull myself back together, I decide another apology is in order.

"I'm sorry for making all of you worry . . . And for acting like a selfish jerk."

"It's all good, bro. Oh, and look! I totally fixed your goggles for you! See? Good as new!"

Mikey picks up a crumpled-looking cardboard box from my nightstand and presents it to me with a grin that spans from ear slit to ear slit. I graciously grin back at him and open the lid of the box to check out my younger brother's handiwork.

Okay, just so we're clear, I'm reasonably certain that wrapping a nearly full roll of duct tape around something broken doesn't actually qualify as good as new, but somehow, it just doesn't matter. To me, they look perfect.

"Thanks, Mikey."

"No problem, bro. Merry Christmas, D!"

Oh my gosh! It's Christmas! I can't believe it! I made my entire family waste their holiday waiting around for me to wake up!

"I am so sorry. I totally ruined Christmas for everyone."

"Awww, no you didn't, bro. We're all just happy that you're finally awake. And we've still got lots of time to celebrate!" Never short on enthusiasm, Mikey thrusts both of his fists high up into the air.

My father's response that follows is much less animated, but just as affectionate. "Yes, and now that you are awake, we have even more reason to celebrate, my son." Upon hearing this, my eyes start to well up with tears, but a rather delicate noogie from Raph temporarily saves me from getting too sentimental.

"Plus, you spared us from having to listen to Mikey ask if we can open presents all day long. It's been kind of nice."

Mikey lets out a 'hmphh' and starts to pout, which only serves to amuse Raph all the more.

"Speaking of presents, I found this sitting in the hallway when we got back to the lair after finding you, Donnie. I'm not sure who it's from, but the gift tag is addressed to you." Leo steps around the bed and picks up a neatly wrapped package that apparently has been sitting on the floor this whole time. He then sets it down next to me.

With a bit of help from my brothers, I lift myself up into a sitting position and wait for the consequent dizzy spell to subside. When it finally does, I take hold of the box and study it closely. I don't recognize the handwriting on the gift tag, which definitely has me curious as to who could have delivered it.

Could it be?

Mind racing, I impatiently peel the wrapping paper away and my eyes grow wide with wonder.

Is it possible that what I saw wasn't just a figment of my imagination?

Did it really happen?

The logical part of my brain tells me no, but how else can I explain what I'm now holding in my hands?

"Dude! It's a movie! But it looks super old . . . and lame." The obvious disappointment in Mikey's voice makes me softly chuckle. My baby brother is always quick to judge a book – or in this case, a movie by its cover. I guess we're all a little guilty of that sometimes, aren't we?

"Actually, I've been told it's the greatest Christmas movie of all time."

Mikey snorts at this and shakes his head in denial.

Once again, I can't help but chuckle.

"So, who's it from, Donnie?" Though Leo tries to make his question sound like simple small talk, I can hear the underlying hint of concern in his voice. I'm not the least bit surprised. A mysterious package turns up in our secret lair while we were out. Of course Leo's going to be concerned.

The problem is, I don't know how to answer the question. If I tell them the truth, they're all going to think I have brain damage or slap a straightjacket on me. Or, worse yet, Leo's going put the whole lair on lockdown until he can find the 'intruder.'

Though I don't generally endorse lying to one's family, I believe a little Christmas fib is necessary here.

"I, uh, ordered it online. I must have accidentally clicked the gift-wrap feature, and when I didn't specify a name, they probably just automatically addressed it to me."

I can see that my oldest brother still looks rather skeptical. To be honest, I can't blame him. It wasn't a very convincing answer.

"So how did it wind up in the hallway?"

You know the old saying 'one lie leads to another?' Well, it definitely applies here.

"I'm guessing it fell out of the box when I was bringing it to my room yesterday. Obviously, I should've been paying more attention. Heh, heh. Lucky no one stepped on it."

Man, I really hope he buys that.

"Yeah. Lucky." There's still a suspicious look on Leo's face, but much to my relief, Mikey unknowingly comes to my rescue by providing the perfect distraction.

"So, can we open presents now? Please, please, please, please, pleeeeeeeeeease?" Pressing the palms of his hands flat together, my baby brother shamelessly demonstrates that he has no qualms with begging.

"Only if Donatello is feeling up to it, my son. We must not push him too soon. Perhaps it would be best if he got more rest."

"No, no. I – I'm okay, Sensei. I think I've made you guys wait long enough." My timid response is all the approval Mikey needs.

"Aw, yeah! Merry Christmas, everyone! Yule-akasha!"

A chorus of cheers and holiday well-wishes ring out, causing another layer of tears to cloud my vision as I lovingly peer up at my family.

I now realize that they are the greatest gift I could ever receive.

I may never know for sure if Herman was actually real or if everything I saw was just a result of a traumatic head injury, but I do know without a single doubt that I will never forget the valuable lesson I have learned this holiday season.

Looking back down at the cover of the VHS tape still clutched in my hands, I smile at the movie title.

It is wonderful. It truly, truly is.

The End

*Author's Notes: Of course the story has a happy ending. 'Tis the season to be merry, after all.

I really hope that you enjoyed your special Christmas gift, Captain Vegeta. And I hope that everyone else enjoyed this story as well. Please take a moment to favorite, follow, like, reblog, review, and/or comment on this story if you did. I would love to know.

I want to wish everyone the happiest of holiday seasons and a fabulous new year. Thank you all so much for your overwhelming kindness and for the amazing support you continue to give me, week after week. You are all such wonderful gifts. I truly am blessed to have so many extraordinary friends and readers. I adore all of you. *hugs* 8} CJ