April woke to the sound of feet pounding down the stairs, and jerked upright with a start. Marcus reached out a hand to steady her.
"It's all right, April. Greg is harnessing his inner child."
"Didn't his mother teach him not to run in the house?" she asked impishly.
"No, I'm pretty sure she was too busy shooting cocaine to care."
April winced. "So maybe he can get away with acting like an overgrown child sometimes."
"At least on holidays." Marc laughed. "Are you hungry?"
"Sort of, but I don't want to each much," she replied. "I want to save room for later. I guess I should quit being lazy though."
Marcus made a scoffing sound. "Sleeping until 8:30 in the morning doesn't make you lazy, woman."
"It does for a reporter who used to have to cover every morning event known to mankind."
"That's the great part about seniority. Someone else gets to have all the fun now."
"You look like you've been up for a while. Why didn't you wake me?" April asked.
"I didn't want to bug you, and Raph didn't want a break today. You know I've been working with him in the mornings, trying to keep his strength building up."
"How do you think his legs are healing?"
"The right one is in good shape. The bones have mended, and he could use it if he needed to. It shouldn't be long before he can get around on crutches. The one we reconstructed is still a work in progress. The alignment appears to be holding, and that's the important thing."
April reached for a rubberband that was sitting on the bedside table, and quickly wrapped her hair up in a ponytail. She caught Marc gazing at her and smiled. "Happy Thanksgiving, hon."
He bent down to kiss her, and stood up straight. "Happy Thanksgiving."
April changed into some jeans and a comfortable shirt before accompanying Marcus downstairs. The red-head stood back for a few seconds at the bottom of the stairs, just to take everything in. The Great Room was already filled with activity; it appeared she was the only one who'd attempted to "sleep in" this morning.
A random bickering match over the remote was already taking place between Raphael and Michelangelo. Noah was tearing across the room with both Tiger and Reina on his heels. Olivia was squealing from Brandon's arms, longing to join in the game of chase the animals were playing, and the TV was blaring something about blowing bubbles filled with kittens in the background of it all. The purple-masked turtle was sitting silently on the other couch facing his brothers, scratching Molly's head as if nothing was going on around him.
April chuckled as she moved toward Donatello. "How do you sit here so calmly in the middle of this?"
"April, I grew up with three brothers. I'm used to bedlam." He grinned.
"How's your friend?" She pointed to the dog.
"Molly's fine. She's holding off from walking so she doesn't lose her couch privileges."
"You're an enabler, Donny," she teased. "So what's going on?"
"The girls are in the kitchen with Victoria, who's kind of taken the reigns for today. The others are just backing her up."
April cast a look at the orange-masked turtle. "Mike looks pretty good."
Don shrugged. "He loves holidays."
"He loves giving Raph a hard time over them."
"It's pretty easy to do." Donny laughed. "You want to sit down? There's room for more inside Camp Chaos."
April settled into the couch cushions, gazing at Donatello. It was nice to see the turtle so relaxed. There had been many reasons for stress over the last few weeks, but the holidays were a good reason to take a vacation from anxiety.
The woman raised her legs swiftly as Noah charged by her, and saw Donatello clutch his mug closer to his plastron.
"It's only going to get crazier you know," Donatello said dryly. "This is but a small glimpse of the future."
"At least we won't get bored." April smiled. "I think we should consider making a tradition out of spending the holidays here, no matter where we are in our lives. It's a nice escape from reality."
Donatello nodded soberly, and April could tell that there were still thoughts rolling around in his mind. After a moment the lines in his face faded, and he smiled again as he focused on Mike and Raph.
"We ain't watching the whole parade, Mikey," Raphael argued. "They shouldn't even be having it this year."
"People need something to look forward to, Raphy," Mike retorted. "The city wasn't destroyed, and that's as good a reason to celebrate as any."
"I'll turn on the last ten minutes so Liv can 'meet' Santa Clause, but I'm not sitting through hours of fake solos and dance numbers."
"What do you have against dance numbers?" Karina called from the kitchen door.
Raph sent a guilty look her direction. "I'm not talking about your dancing, Kari. It's all the stupid musical numbers you gotta sit through just to watch some dumb parade. It wouldn't be as bad if it was only the balloons."
"You used to like the cheerleaders too," Mike said in a stage whisper.
"Shut it, Mikey," Raphael hissed.
"Your daughter wants to watch it. Liv already told me," Mike insisted.
"How the shell did she tell you, Mike?"
"We know a secret language, which is only spoken by the coolest few."
"Then there's no way you understand it."
Donatello shook his head. "Do you think their kids will fight as badly as they do?"
April laughed as a genuinely glad feeling rose up inside her. She held onto it gratefully; she hadn't expected to feel anything of the kind today. "They won't be actual siblings, but it's safe to say they'll have rivalry."
"You know I'm gonna get my way, Raph," Mike continued. "There's no sense in fighting me. We watch this parade every year, and this one is no different, except that you can't chase me down."
Michelangelo made a grab for the remote, and Raphael pulled it another direction. Mike feigned as if he was about to try again, but followed Raphael's evasive maneuver this time, managing to snatch it from the red-masked turtle.
"Ha! I win!"
"You're gonna pay, I swear to God-"
"I'm so scared, Raph."
"You're gonna be when I finally get my hands on you!"
"Whoever said that the holidays are all about peace on Earth and goodwill toward men never spent one with you guys," April asserted.
The red-head felt completely satisfied. By some kind of magic, the day seemed to have lasted twice as long as normal, and the food had tasted better than ever. Their surroundings were the only part of the day that was such a departure from the usual celebration. The old sewer Den had felt cold and dark to April when she'd first been introduced to it, and the woman had wondered if she would ever feel comfortable there. Over months and years it had become a home away from homes, where the atmosphere was physically lifting because of the company the Den contained. As much as she enjoyed Lotus Salvus, she would have preferred to be at home, and for everything to be truly normal.
April looked across the room at Michelangelo with his arm resting lightly around Becky. He looked happy, but it was obvious that the turtle was exhausted. Mike was braced against the back of the couch as if he wouldn't have been able to sit up on his own. She swallowed as she forced down the tears that were threatening.
If I let myself go down this road, I'm not going to get it back.
April willfully looked away from Mike, casting all thought of his sickness out of her mind. Everyone else had been putting on a good face, and she wasn't going to be the one who fell apart. The holidays were usually a little emotional for her anyway, and it didn't take much to push her over the edge. She gripped the mug of hot cider that she hadn't tasted yet, and focused on the amber flames that were dancing a few feet away from her chair.
The front door opened, and a blast of cold air came with it. The blue-masked turtle came inside, with Greg immediately behind him. April nodded a greeting at the two of them, and Leo ambled her direction.
"You were gone for a while," she remarked.
"We made a sweep of the perimeter in addition to gathering some more wood," he replied. "Ever since we had the issue with the wolves, we've been a little jumpy."
"Did you see anything?"
He shook his head. "No. It's quiet." Leonardo glanced around the subdued room. "It's quiet here too. I'm surprised I can hear myself think this easily."
"Everyone's full." April laughed. "I'm sure that helps."
The smile he gave her was melancholy at best. April sent a meaningful glance to the kitchen, doing it slowly to be sure the turtle would see it.
"Can I get you something hot?" she offered.
"Yeah, sure," he agreed readily. "I'll go with you."
The woman led the way to the kitchen, and peered through the door at the empty room. "Why don't you sit down?" she suggested. "There's still cider on the stove."
April selected another mug from the cupboard and ladled out a portion of cider for Leonardo. He looked at her knowingly as she set the cup in front of him, and took a seat herself.
"Thanks," he said. "What are you thinking about, April?"
"I'm trying not to think," she said honestly. "Because if I really start to, all the fear comes rushing back."
After a beat of hesitation, he nodded. "I think everyone has done a great job of being positive today, but we don't need to try and fool ourselves either. We're not home. We don't know if we have a home. There are a lot of uncertainties with Mike. But life is going on. It always does somehow, even when people aren't there anymore." The turtle looked down at his mug without actually drinking it. "Something about the way all of these circumstances are adding up has me thinking of Sensei a lot today. I know it's been years, but sometimes...his death can still hit me like it just happened."
April nodded. "He was your father, Leo, but he was even more than that. He was your teacher, and the only authority figure you ever had. You were all exceptionally close to Splinter, more so than I bet a lot of humans are with their fathers. I don't think you ever get over losing a bond like that one."
The turtle didn't say anything. He drew his mug off the table and took a small sip of the hot liquid. "I've been fighting with this all day, and I don't know if I can keep it up."
"It's okay for you to miss Splinter, Leo."
"I know. I just feel like...if I get emotional, it'll be the one domino that knocks down the entire stack. You know what I mean?"
"Of course I do. Why do you think I invited you into the kitchen?"
Leonardo gave her a half grin and exhaled softly. "I'm glad you're here, April. I'm glad everyone is here. It's hard enough being away from home, but missing anyone at this point would only make it worse. What do you suppose it's like to be one of those people who'd rather avoid their families around the holidays?"
"I wouldn't know anything about that." She smiled, but it faded as the tension in Leonardo's shoulders became more pronounced. "You're still leading them, Leo," April offered suddenly.
"Hm?"
"You're still the guiding power behind this family, and you're doing well with holding it together."
"I don't always feel that way," he said tiredly. "Sometimes I'm afraid, especially over Mike. I don't think I've ever been so scared before."
"It's all right to be scared," she returned. "Everyone is."
The blue-masked turtle still avoided eye contact. "I want to be able to protect him, the way I've always tried to. I don't want Mike to see me scared or doubting. He shouldn't have to carry the knowledge that I'm more afraid than he is."
April shook her head. "At the end of the day, honesty works best, Leo. And according to Marc and the others, we have a reason to be optimistic. We've only taken one step, but it worked out well."
Leonardo nodded. "I feel like I'm borrowing trouble a little, but it's hard to shake."
"That's called being a concerned brother."
"I guess." Leo took another drink from the mug. "I think I'm okay. Are you okay?"
April squeezed his wrist. "Let's get back out into the thick of things."