Four days later
Raph carried a vast pine tree and placed it inside a small stand that fit perfectly. The turtles are in the living room, opening boxes with Christmas lights and ornaments. Christmas is just ten days away, and the turtles are setting things up since this will be the new turtle's first Christmas with them.
Mikey carried the ornaments in his hands. "Yeah, baby! It's almost Christmas time!!"
"Phew!" Raph huffed out, securing the tree in place in the corner of the living room. The tree was massive enough to reach past the projector screen. He looks up and sees Donnie using his jet pack to put up the lights around the lair. "D, you got the lights ready?"
"Almost," Donnie replied back, placing one last light on the ceiling. "And…voila!" With one press on his wrist, the lights all lift and feel the lair with lights of white. "Thank you. Hold your applause." He grinned, setting himself down, and deactivated his jet pack.
Judi pulls out a tangled mess of Christmas lights. She gasped at this and let out a groan. She set it down and worked on untangling them, yet she only made another tangled-up mess.
On the other hand, Nina managed to get another set of lights untangled.
"How did you do that?" Judi asked her, amazed at how she did it without stress.
"The key is not to push far," Nina answered. "Just got to unlink them." She showed her her little trick. She pulls them away, getting them separate from the lights.
"Ooo. I got you." Judi nodded, following her movement, and got them untangled. It worked, Judi let out a smile. She continued untangling the lights till she got a line of neat rows.
While Raph and Donnie started putting the lights around their tree, Ginny watched them from the shadows. She saw how happy they looked and how much fun they were having. Her face showed a sad expression, opposite from what they were feeling. Most of her Christmas was only getting one present each and working two jobs to save more money to buy a roast and dessert, but giving her little siblings a happy Christmas was worth it. This year will be a Christmas that she won't spend with her family. She sniffed as tears fell from her eyes.
Leo pulled out a string of ribbons from the box. He looked to his left and saw Ginny alone in the shadow. As soon he saw the tears running down her cheek, he knew something was wrong. And it worried him badly.
He set the ribbons down back inside the box. "Hey, Nina. Can you help put the ornaments on the tree?" He asked her.
Nina stopped untangling the lights and looked up at him with surprise. "What? But what if I dropped them?" She asked, nervous.
"They're unbreakable." He informed her. "You got this; I'll be back." he left the living room and headed to Ginny's location. He tapped her shoulder, getting her attention and making her look at him with teary eyes. "Hey, are you okay?" He asked her.
She looked away. "I'm fine," she responded.
"You're not fine. You're crying." He can clearly see she is not okay, judging by her position. He took her hand gently and led her to the kitchen, sitting on the high seats as he helped her up and sat with her. Once settled, he looked at her eyes. "Come on, Ginny. What's wrong?"
Ginny let out a sigh, clearly she had no way out of his attempt to talk to her. "Christmas is coming and…I can't go to my family for the holiday with.." she gestures to herself. "This whole situation." she frowned sadly. "I guess I'm feeling a little homesick."
Leo can see what she is saying. "Oh... I'm really sorry, Ginny." Since this is her first Christmas with them, it would mean her last Christmas with her family.
"Hey, you're not the one who mutated me like this." She breathed. She looked down on her hands linked together and set gently on her lap. "I know I should be happy they are fine now, but I really want to meet them again. Ethan, Owen, Grace, Grandma…and Jacob.." Her eyes formed new tears, and she began to cry.
Leo then hugs Ginny, setting her on his lap while comforting her. He felt her tears on his chest while she was crying. The more he hears her crying, the more his heart can't take it. The tears in her eyes were too painful for him to bear; he needed to see her smile and brighten her eyes.
Julian peaks his head out, seeing the two. He cleared his throat, catching their attention. "Hey Leo, Donnie is gonna play the holiday special of Lou Jistu," he told them.
"I'm on my way," Leo informed him, watching Julian leave. He looked down on Ginny. "Wanna come watch with us?" he asked her.
Instead of answering him, Ginny pulls herself off his lap and walks away from him and out of the kitchen. Most likely going to her room.
Leo frowned sadly. He promised Ginny he would make sure her family never be in the streets and keep them safe for her, and that was a promise he would never break. But how can he help her when she wants nothing more than to return to them and be with them? He needs to tell this to anyone. He pulled out his phone, hit a dial, and listened to it ring before he got an answer.
"Hey Leo, what's up?" April's voice was heard on the other line.
"Can you come here? I need help." Leo asked her.
"Sure thing! On my way!" April answered.
Leo hung up on her. If there was anyone he could trust more than his family, it was April.
A few minutes later, April arrived in the lair and looked for Leo. To her luck, she found him in his room reading his Jupiter Jim comic with a sad expression while lying on his bed. "Hey, little brother." She greeted him with a caring voice.
Leo looks up from his comic and sees her standing over his bed. He pulled himself up and sat up straight. "Glad you made it."
April nodded, crossing her arms. "So, what's going on?" she asked him; whatever he called her for was troubling.
Leo sighed and began. "It's Ginny. She is very sad now." he stated. "She's getting homesick with the holiday coming. I know she really wanted to see them again, especially her little brother, but.."
"But not with 'this whole situation?" April hinted at their mutation form.
Leo nodded. "Yeah. If they see her like this and don't recognize her, they could get the police involved and send her back to TCRI." he shared his fear. He looked down, frowning with a fearful expression. "They could hurt her and …I might lose her.." he mumbled. The thought of her being taken away scared him more than fighting the Krang. He can't let her go; it would be like dying all over again.
April blinks, seeing the look of fear and worry in his eyes. She knows that look; it's the look of a man fearing the thought of losing the woman he loves. Leo is slowly falling for Ginny. He wants her to be happy without putting her in grave danger. April is happy that her surrogate brothers are finding love with the new turtles; they are lovely and have made them so much more comfortable. But she knew that love comes with great sacrifices, and Leo's fear of Ginny getting caught seems to show how much he really loves her.
Ginny lay in her bed, holding a pillow as she cried in it. She is so homesick. A knock was heard from her door. She sighed. "Leo, I just want to be alone." she frowned.
"Aww, and I came here for nothing." April's voice was heard behind the door as she opened and walked inside.
"Huh?" Ginny looked up from her pillow, seeing her coming in. "April!" she smiled, happy to see her.
"Hey there, water girl." April greeted her and sat on her bed by her side. "I heard you are down in the dumps."
Ginny frowned sadly. "Sorry, it's just a stupid feeling."
"Hey now, don't say that." April shocked her head. "Getting homesick is not stupid."
Ginny's eyes widen, facing April. "Leo told you?" April nodded. She groaned; sometimes, he can't learn to stay out of her business. "Okay, fine. Yes, I am homesick. It's the holidays, and I won't be with my family this year." she told her. "I mean, look at me!" she gestures to herself. "I'm a freak of nature, and they could send me away if they see my face!! And..and my baby brother will never get a happy Christmas without me, even after I promised myself to get that Jupiter Jim comic for him this year.." she looked down, facing her pillow.
April frowned, seeing how upset Ginny was and how stressful this was getting to her. She would feel the same way if she was in Ginny's shell. She wants to help her, but how can she without Leo knowing? She thought back on the day Leo went to her and asked for a paper with an envelope and a pen to write a fake letter to her family, telling them she was in another state with a good job. But, he didn't put enough detail into what her job does. It gave her an idea of how this 'whole situation' can be handled.
"Say, do you know any of your family's numbers?" April asked her.
"I do." Ginny nodded, giving her brother's phone number. "Why?" she questioned her, curious as to why she asked.
April pulled out her phone and then dialed a number.
Seeing her dialing a number, she panicked. "What are you doing!?"
"Wait for it," April told her, awaiting an answer. She held her phone high to avoid Ginny grabbing her phone and ending the call.
About ten seconds later, someone picked up the call. "Hello? Who's this?" Owen's voice spoke through the phone.
Ginny stopped reaching and froze. Her eyes widened, and tears formed, hearing her brother's voice. "Owen.." she gasped.
"Wait.." April lowered her hand down and put the phone on speaker for him to hear Ginny. "Ginny? Is that you?" He was waiting for an answer on the other line.
"Hey, big brother." Ginny smiled through tears. Her heart swelled in joy, happy to hear him after so many months.
"Ginny!! I thought we might never get to speak to you!!" Owen exclaimed happily. "How are things going with your new job?" he asked her.
Ginny wiped her tears off. "Going fine. I'm getting paid well and met some good people as well." she lied to him, but not about meeting some good people. She got along great with the turtles. "What about you? How are the twins and grandma?"
"Me and Ethan are still working. The twins are doing fine and have good grades, and Jacob is behaving well." Owen answered. "Grandma is alive, still."
Ginny chuckled at the last part. He always jokes about how their grandma is still here and not dying yet. At least she knows he means well after the death of their parents. "Good to hear. I missed you guys so much." she smiled.
"We missed you too, little sis," Owen responded in a happy tone. "Hey, think you can come for the holiday?" he requested. "I know you are busy with work, but we want you to be here."
"oh…Owen, I..I..I-" Before Ginny can tell him she can't come, she catches sight of April nodding her head at her. She sees an expression that means she has a plan and needs to go with it. "-I'll be there and will bring a friend with me as well." she answered.
"That's great!!" Owen beamed. "See you soon, little sis! Love you!"
"Love you too, Owen." Ginny hung up. Once she set the phone down, she yelled at April, standing up. "The heck, April!!? Why make me do this!!?" she panicked. "They'll freak out if they see me like this!!"
April rolled her eyes with a smirk. "Relax," she assured her. "They won't know you are a real mutant," she added.
Ginny sat back on her bed." What do you mean?" she tilted her head in question.
"I see the guys do this way more often," April mentioned. She mentioned the times she watched the guys pretend they were only wearing costumes to humans to avoid panic. "Now follow me; we're getting you out of this depressing dump." She got up from the bed.
"To where?" Ginny asked. Instead of getting an answer, she got grabbed by the hand and dragged out of her room.
Inside the supermarket, Ginny follows April, who is grabbing a box of stuffing, green beans, and gravy sauce. Ginny wore her teal hoodie to hide her mutant side. She looks at April, confused by what she is trying to do. She doesn't mind helping April, but she isn't allowed up to the surface without either one of the boys. The last thing Ginny wants is for April to get into trouble.
"Are you sure we can afford this?" Ginny asked April, looking at the food she picked.
"Yeah, girl." April nodded. "My job at the New York Animal Daycare pays good checks. So go crazy and get your family all the good stuff!" She pushed the cart.
Ginny was unsure of this, not wanting to spend too much on April's money. She doesn't want to use anyone's money since she didn't earn it. But she is offering, and she is willing to help Ginny. So she did as she was told. She grabbed a new tool kit for Ethan, a new watch for Owen, a comfy shawl for her grandmother, a makeup starter kit for Grace, and a space mobile kit for Jacob.
Once she is sure she got their gift, she catches up with April. She was passing the book aisle, only for her to stop and walk back and check on one of the shelves. There was the same comic she promised to get, unmoved and waiting. She looks at her gifts; they always get one yearly present to save money. Ginny thought over it; she really wanted to give Jacob that comic with his favorite hero.
With a soft sigh, she grabbed it and ran to the checkout lines. She can imagine the look on Jacob's face when he sees he got the comic; she can just tell him Santa brought it for him for being a good boy in her absence.
Back in the lair, Leo knocked on Ginny's door. He wanted to check on her, see if she was ready to talk more, and hope to spend some time with them. "Ginny? It's me, Leo." He announced. "Can I come in?" He heard no answer. He sighed. "Look, I know you are upset that you can't see your family, but it's for a good reason." He didn't hear a reply back; it started to worry him. "Gin?"
He pushed the door open and looked inside. Ginny isn't in her room. He gasped, quickly leaving her room and looking at each room in the lair, looking at the cameras of the sewer for any sight of her and checking the sewer pipes for Ginny, but she was not in any. She was gone.
Leo can feel his heart beating in fear, afraid that she has run away and got lost. "Ginevra!!!" He shouted her name loudly.
"Leo?" Judi's voice spoke softly behind him. He turned around and saw her staring at him with a concerned expression. "What's wrong?" She asked.
"It's Ginny, she's gone!" Leo panted. "I can't find her!"
"That's because she's with April; they're going to Ginny's old place," Judi informed him of Ginny and April's plans.
Leo's eyes widened in fear. "They're what?!!" He shouted.
A portal has opened in an alley, and jumped out is Leo. But with a furious expression on his face. He couldn't believe April had dragged Ginny out of the sewer and taken her back to her old apartment right when he told her he was scared he would lose Ginny. He growled. "When I find that puffy traitor!!!" He fumed angrily. He is going to have a long talk with the two when they get back.
He makes his way to Benci's apartment, grabs onto a fire escape letter, and climbs up till he makes it to their window. He looks inside and sees Jacob and Grace watching TV with their grandma, Ethan, and Owen in the kitchen, making dinner.
Suddenly, the door opened, and coming in were Ginny and April holding bags and boxes of gifts. Ginny stood still while April set the boxes and bags down and waited for their reaction.
Everyone turned their attention to the entrance after hearing the door open and finding the two standing before them. All eyes were on Ginny; all was silent. It was like seeing her for the first time in almost a year. Ethan and Owen stopped what they were working on; Jacob and Grace left their grandma's side and just stared at her.
After what felt like an hour, Ginny spoke with a nervous smile. "Hey guys.." she smiled. "I took an early leave.." she gulped, awaiting their answer.
Then, before she knew it, she was crowded with hugs from her siblings. All in a vast group hug while they cry happily and nuzzle against her. Ginny was perplexed about why they were treating her like they hadn't seen her in years and not screaming in fright.
"We missed you so much, big sis!!" Grace cried.
"Welcome back!!" Owen kissed her cheek, planting huge kisses on both sides of her face.
Ethan looks down on her. "And what's with this costume? Halloween is way over." He questioned her.
"My costume?" Ginny repeated. She spots April giving her a wink.
"You look just like the reptilian aliens from Jupiter Jim!!" Jacob happily grinned.
"I do?" Ginny blinked. Do they all think she is wearing a costume? Is that what April meant? She decided to go along with it. "Oh! It's part of my job. Everyone there had to wear a costume, part of the dress code." She lied. "And they said I can take inspiration from my little brother's most favorite thing." She smiled down at Jacob, who was clapping and jumping happily. She was sighing in relief silently. They all believed she was wearing a costume.
"Are you Gienvra's friend?" Sofia asked April, walking with a cane to steady herself.
"April O'Neil." She nodded. "Pleased to meet you." She shakes Sofia's hand, careful not to send her off her balance. She released her hand. "On the way, we did some shopping for you guys." She motioned the bags with food and the gift boxes.
Sofia smiled sweetly. "Oh, how kind of your young lady, lady. Thank you."
"I cooked dinner; it's not as good as yours, Gin," Ethan informed her, placing a tray of cooked chicken on the countertop.
Ginny cut a slice and took a bite. She tastes it at a suitable temperature, and the spice is good, flavoring it. She smiled at her older brother. "You might put the chef out of order with your good cooking." She complimented his cooking.
Ethan let out a sigh of relief. He may not be a good chef like Ginny, but at least he tries his best for everyone. He smiled down at her. "care to join us?" He asked.
"Sure thing." Ginny smiled back, hugging him, who hugged her back.
The two brought the dinner to the dining room, where everyone was seated. They served roasted chicken with mashed potatoes, gravy, carrots, zucchini, and rolls. April joined them, sitting next to Owen. Everyone enjoyed the meal as the brothers discussed how much had happened since she was gone.
Outside, Leo watched them eating together with a soft smile. He watched Ginny show the happiest smile on her face, being around her family that still knows her despite them not knowing she was a real mutant instead of wearing a costume. As he looks more at Ginny's smile, he can feel himself feeling lighter than air and his eyes half-lidded with a soft smile.
The expression of joy in her, the relief and deep closures she found within herself, has his heart swelling with a deep love for her. It was then he knew what was happening to him. Leo had fallen in love with Ginny
