*Yes, friends, this is it for my little Christmas "Oneshot". It's been a joy to share it with you, and I'll have to make a point to write another holiday Oneshot sometime, sans "complications". Redemption is looming on the horizon...closer than you think. If you need medicine for your nerves, you should probably get your prescription filled.

Thanks again to my betas, Mikell and Jadedolphin, who only continue to help me fine-tune and get better.

I hope you have a wonderful holiday season, as well as a chance to take time out to rest. These days, it feels like we never get enough. Thanks so much for taking this short journey with me. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

It could have been Donatello's imagination, but it really felt like the night-time hours were lasting about twice as long as they should have. The celebratory atmosphere had carried over into a meal that had been set-up inside another room in the building, which seemed to be never-ending. There was plenty of eating taking place, but it was at an incredibly leisurely pace, as everyone enjoyed one another's company.

Brandon had even warmed up a little to Sarah, and was currently seated across from her at the same table with Donatello.

"Were you serious about what you said before, Brandon?" Sarah asked him.

"Which part?" he asked dryly. "I said a lot of things."

"Do you want me to leave you out of my storylines? You don't have to play along y'know; I won't force you."

Brandon gave her what appeared to be a probing look. "I don't want to be left out," he said slowly. "But you could be a little nicer to me."

Sarah nodded vigorously. "I'm glad you feel that way. I really wanted you to be able to stand alongside the guys in the next fic."

"Right, January," he said cautiously. "I heard we're not done with the Akiudo."

Sarah shook her head, and glanced at Greg beside him. "You're not done with the plane either."

"Awesome, I love flying that thing. Maybe we could sneak in some more practice, Donny," Greg suggested.

As appealing as that sounded, Donatello still had to force a smile. "What else, Sarah? Any more hints? I know how much you love your plotting and everything. It would just be nice to be prepared."

"You've dealt with the Akiudo once already, so you have a taste of what it's going to be like," she answered maddeningly.

"You shared our home with us. Can't we get anything more than that?"

Sarah gave him what seemed like a guilty look. "Make sure you take it easy the rest of this month, because I wasn't kidding. January will start with a bang."

"Why do you have to look at me like that?"

"Um...I don't think I should get into that right now."

"Why not, Author?" Raphael cast an arm across her chair from behind.

From her startled expression, it was clear she hadn't heard him coming. "This is a happy night; I want the focus to be on that."

"You're not planning on giving Genius here a hard time, are you?" The edge in Raphael's voice increased.

"There's a reason for everything I write," she said swiftly.

"Aw shell, really?" Donatello was more annoyed than anything. "I'm not even leading it."

"You know who's leading it?" Raphael sounded confused.

"Raph, it's in her profile. You don't keep up with it?" Donatello asked obviously.

"That's what I keep you around for, Donny."

"It's been awhile for you, Raph - I haven't featured you since Buried," Sarah mentioned.

The red-masked turtle's arm instantly left the chair as he backed up a pace. "No way. Not interested."

She turned around in the chair to face him. "You know me by now. Trust me; everything is going to be okay."

"I'm not gonna be your guinea pig again, Sarah!"

"It won't be like before. What do you expect me to do, bring Stolle back from the dead?"

Raphael threw a pointed glance at their Sensei, who was seated nearby with Mike, Rebecca, and Hannah.

"This was a special case, Raph! You don't really believe I'd bring a villain back from the dead."

"I don't know what to think with you. But if you hurt Kari in some serious way, you and me are gonna have problems."

Raphael stalked away from the table, as Sarah slowly got her feet.

"I think my welcome is just about worn out. You and I should hit the road, Erin."

"Do we have to go already? Mike really wanted that rematch!" Erin stated hopefully.

"Trust me, Erin, it's time," Sarah insisted.

Donatello pursued the women as they started to leave. "Sarah, hold on. I'm not looking forward to whatever you've got planned, but thanks for this. All we wanted was a nice quiet holiday, and you gave us something extraordinary. None of us will ever forget it."

"You deserve it...and it's nice to do for someone else, what I can't do for myself. Have a good time tonight, Donny, and don't worry about being discovered. No one's going to catch you here."

She started to take a couple more steps, but the turtle caught up with her in half a stride, and hugged her.

"Guess we'll be hearing from you soon," he said ruefully, and Sarah nodded.

"Just remember there's a method to my madness. I don't get kicks out of torturing anyone."

"Your use of that word really scares me."

"It's an expression. Enjoy your Christmas, and I'll catch up with you later. Thanks for letting us crash."

"Thanks for helping Mikey, it was really great of you. You helped make this special for him and Becky."

"It wasn't any trouble; it was fun having a part in it."

"Sarah?" he called after her one more time, and she looked back at him once more. "Please don't do anything permanent."

She raised her eyebrows at him. "Trust me, okay?"

"Did you fix my computers yet?" he asked while he had the chance.

She laughed out loud. "Give it a few more hours, and they'll be fine. Goodbye, Donny."

The purple-masked turtle shook his head as she made her rounds to say a few more goodbyes. Jenna sidled up to him from behind, and he wrapped both arms around her waist. "I like her better when I can see her, Jen." He nodded toward Sarah. "She's got something serious up her sleeve."

"Should have let me talk to her," Jenna said matter-of-factly.

"Threatening an author never turns out well. I think I should just sleep for the next two weeks straight. God only knows how many chances I'll get after that."

"She's still here, Donny; I could stop her."

Donatello shook his head. "Nah, it's too risky to kidnap her. We'll be all right. We'll get through it together, like we always do."

The first light of day was barely breaking on the eastern horizon as the orange-masked turtle wandered through the sanctuary of the church. The evening had been more than he could have hoped for, but the coming of dawn would surely signal the end of the festivities. No one seemed to have tired out through the hours, with the exception of Reina.

Everybody's gotta be ready to get going by now. She said nobody would catch us, but we probably shouldn't push our luck.

In the back of his mind he knew that he should be rejoining the others, but the sudden sense of finality catching up with Mike made him hold back.

It'll all be ending soon. Shell, it was too good to be true to begin with. We knew from the beginning Sensei wasn't back to stay. I just wish...

"Mike?"

A soft voice interrupted the rambling thought. He was actually a little relieved for it.

"Hey, Beck."

The young woman had eventually changed out of her dress into more comfortable clothes, but something about the way she looked in the first light of day that found it's way through stained glass was too beautiful for words. Rebecca gazed at him without speaking for several seconds, before gently resting a hand on his arm.

"Are you all right?" she asked.

He nodded emphatically, and she only peered at him harder.

Yeah, that probably felt too exaggerated.

"I'm okay - just thinking. You know how dangerous that is for me to do."

Rebecca's eyes shifted from him to the window, and then she lightly pulled him down onto one of the hard pews.

"I know it's hard to see this end," she said in a low voice.

The turtle swallowed hard before he made any attempt at a response. "We were prepared. We knew all along..."

"But that doesn't mean you have to be happy it's almost over. I'm not either, Mikey. Having them in our heart isn't the same as having them with us."

A surge of sorrow for the reminder of her loss overtook him, and Michelangelo instantly turned to draw her face toward him.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I wish you could have seen your parents. I wish they could have been here."

"Mike, I don't feel deprived. I'm grateful for everything I have...and everyone that's here."

"I didn't mean to do this right now. I feel really selfish."

"Grief is one of those things that can sneak up on you. Sometimes it's just in hearing a phrase, or seeing some random thing that reminds you of someone you lost. The people we love leave impressions on us. It's natural to feel a sense of loss, whether they've been gone two years or twenty-five."

"Beck, how did you do it by yourself?" he asked seriously. "Your parents and sister being gone...and then having to deal with your Mom's family."

The young woman shook her head slowly. "I lived through it, Mike, but it wasn't much of a life. In some ways it was easier after I separated from my Mom's side of the family, and escaped the poison they were pumping into me day in and day out. At the same time, it meant I was truly alone. My choice was to let my family kill me slowly, or risk their outright rejection by going against their wishes."

"If you ask me, you made the right choice."

Rebecca sat back further against the pew, a far away look coming over her eyes. "The decision was harder to make than you'd think. The temptation was there to shut my mouth, blend in, and get on with living a new life. They could have given me so many things. My grandparents were ready to send me to college. They could have provided everything I ever needed - the things they'd wanted to give my Mom. Part of me felt obligated to give them a chance, to try to get to know them. They're my family after all, and I'd barely spent any real time with them because of growing up in the Congo."

Michelangelo nodded. "That makes sense. They were all you had left."

She nodded. "But as much as I wanted to make it work, it just wasn't worth what it did to me. It wasn't worth compromising what I knew was right, just to make them happy."

"I think it takes a really brave person to do what you did, Beck."

"I didn't feel brave at the time, believe me. It felt like I was running away. All I wanted was to get back to the Congo, back to where I could do something that made me feel like me again. I was blocked at every turn. I only took the translating position for the United Nations when about every other door had been slammed in my face."

The somber expression she'd borne up to that point suddenly brightened somewhat. "It's easy to get frustrated when it feels like everything is against you. But I've come to understand that those closed doors are partially to thank for bringing me to you."

Michelangelo chuckled. "So the next time somebody gets in your way, you're gonna thank them?"

Rebecca smiled at him as she leaned against his shoulder. "Maybe not. But I'm going to try and remember that I don't know everything...and that many times, things do happen for a reason, even if we can't always see it."

Michelangelo tugged on a hanging curl slightly, before brushing it back with the rest of her hair. "They do have a way of working out somehow, don't they? I don't always understand how."

Rebecca pressed in to kiss him for a couple of seconds, and fixed him with a smile. "Because we're not the ones in charge, Mike. Could you imagine the mess we'd be in if we got to decide everything?"

Mike gave her a half grin as he held her close. "You wouldn't want me choosing the fate of the free world?"

She giggled. "I doubt anyone would be bored. I know I never will be at least."

The orange-masked turtle's smile grew. "You've got that if nothing else."

Rebecca gave him a wistful look. "We may not be able to hold onto everything we wish we could...but I'm glad I get to hold onto you. You did not disappoint me, Mike. This Christmas is like none I've ever had."

"Well, that wasn't all me."

She smiled at him in an unexpected way. "I'm going to make sure you have a good Christmas too."

"Yeah? Have you got something in mind?"

"We'd have to go home first."

"I can go warm up the van."

Her laughter pealed like a bell that time, and she impulsively kissed him again. "It's probably a good idea for us to enjoy what we have left of the holiday. Things will be picking up again before we know it."

"A little birdie told me it might start sooner than later."

Rebecca folded her arms suddenly. "Where'd you hear that?"

Michelangelo shrugged. "When you're nice to the author, they tell you stuff."

The young woman shook her head. "Nothing can stay a secret for very long around you, can it?"

Michelangelo opened his mouth, but before he could reply, Raphael's call from the hallway cut him off.

"Hey, lovebirds, we're packing it in! This train's gonna be leaving the station."

The orange-masked turtle nuzzled Rebecca's forehead, and then darted to his feet as if he'd slept for ten hours. "C'mon, Beck. Let's go home."