AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story takes place in December of 1998.

        On a cool December evening in the city, Bebop and Rocksteady were helping the Ninja Turtles decorate Michaelangelo's Cowabunga Pizza for the holidays.
Zach and Buffy were in the kitchen baking Ninja Turtle shaped gingerbread cookies. "I can't wait to spring the surprise party for the guys!" Buffy said with glee.
    "I know. They're going to be so stoked! I kinda want to check in with April and make sure all of the guests are still coming." Zach mentioned as he went over a long list of the Turtles' friends. "Lets see here. Casey Jones, the Punk Frogs, Billy Jim Bob McJames."
  "Who's Billy Jim Bob?"
  "Some farmer Leonardo befriended in a small town upstate. It's really funny story. I'm sure they'll talk about it tonight!"
  "Talk about what tonight?" Michaelangelo asked as he came into the kitchen, having only heard that last sentence Zach spoke.
  "Oh uh, we'll be talking about... our favorite holiday songs!" Zach said.
  "Yea, we want to put on the best Christmas tunes for the season!" Buffy said.
  "We're way ahead of you there, dudes! Anyway, those cookies look mondo tasty! You mind if I have one now?"
  "Oh sure." Buffy said as she handed Mikey a nice warm one. "Fresh out of the oven!"
  "I dunno who designed these cookie cutters shaped like me, but they did a real awesome job!"
  "Wait until you see the cake pan!" Zach commented.
  "There's gonna be cake too?" Mikey asked.
  "Well, it is the holidays and we are a restaurant. Besides, people aren't just gonna come here for the pizzas!" Buffy replied.
    "You make a good point. I just hope nobody comes here wanting a salad or something!" Michaelangelo remarked as he headed back to the dining area where Donatello and Bebop were decorating a big plastic tree.
  "I'm getting nothing for Christmas." Donatello began to sing.
  "Mommy and Daddy are mad!" Bebop followed.
  "I'm getting nothing for Christmas!" the two of them sang together. "Cause I ain't been nothing, but bad!"
  "Wow, I wonder what the kid who originally sang that song would think of you two butchering it!" Raphael joked as he proceeded to put snowman and reindeer placemats on all of the tables.
  Meanwhile Rocksteady was struggling to keep a ladder steady for Leonardo who was hanging up mistletoe. "Are you almost done up there? My arms are getting awful tired!"
  "Just a few more minutes, Rocksteady. I want to make sure this hook stays securely bolted to the ceiling."
  "You can take five, Rocksteady. I'll take it from here!" Michaelangelo said as he finished eating his cookie and held onto the ladder.
  Rocksteady signed in relief as he let go, and rubbed his sore shoulders. "Oh man, what a relief!" The tired rhino went to sit down on a bench.
  "Hey, no sitting down on the job, horn-head!" Raphael ordered.
  "Aw, would ya give me a break?! I was just helping your brother with that ladder there! My shoulders are killing me here!"
  "Well, I'm still upset over that one time you let Shredder try to kill Michaelangelo... on his birthday!" Raphael said as he crossed his arms.
  "Oh come on, we've been over this already. The past is the past, right?"
  "Well, if you manage to bring peace on Earth and goodwill to all mankind by the end of the year, I may let you off the hook!"
  Leonardo finally got down from the ladder. "Okay, that mistletoe should be safe up there. Nothing short of an earth shaking explosion will jostle it lose!"
  "Righteous notion, dude! I think that leaves the Santa Clause hat we have to put on my statue."
  "I'm just glad they only made it six feet tall!"
  "Well, we were originally gonna go with a 10 foot tall me, but then we worried it might scare people."
  "Michaelangelo, you could be 20 feet tall, and nobody would be frightened by you!" Leonardo said with a chuckle. "Now a 20 foot likeness of Raphael on the other hand would be pretty intense!"
  "Thanks a lump, fearless leader!" Raphael remarked as he and Leonardo stepped outside, leaving behind a forlorn looking Rocksteady
  "Hey are you okay, dude?" Michaelangelo asked.
  "Yea, your moody brother was just telling me how he's still ticked about some of the bad things me and Bebop did to you guys back in the day."
  "Oh, don't worry about it. He's still holding a grudge against me for the time I let my parrot Ditto eat his belongings! Let's go see how Donatello and Bebop are doing with the tree!"
    "Raphael, I really wish you would stop being so tough on Rocksteady and Bebop!" Leonardo said as he placed the large Santa hat on the marble statue of Michaelangelo. "They're paying their debt to us as best they can, so cut em a little slack."
  Raphael sighed. "Okay, fine. I'll go easy on em. I just... I can't help but think about all of the close calls we had no thanks to them."
  "They're not those guys anymore. I hate to tell you this, but you're starting to remind me of Burne Thompson!"
  "Okay, that's a low blow, buddy! Burne Thompson was jackass, and he constantly accused us of being up to no good, when we were just protecting the world! Heck, we even saved his sorry butt a few times, and did he ever thank us?!"
  "All I'm saying is he was incredibly judgmental and hot tempered, and you're not much different than him in that regard!"
  "If you say I wonder whatever happened to him, I'm outta here!"
  Leonardo made a mischievous grin. "I don't have to. You just said it for me!"
  Raphael groaned as he and Leonardo headed back into the pizzeria. "Okay, the Santa hat's on stone Mikey's noggin, and it looks like you guys are almost done with the tree."
  "For sure! This place is turning out to look really great!"
  "Yea, I can't wait to see when the party guests get here!" Bebop commented. "Oops."
  "Aw, way to go, Bebop! You just ruined the surprise!" Rocksteady griped.
  "What surprise?" Donatello asked.
  "Rat King had an idea to throw you guys a big party, thanking you for helping us reform. We got April and Irma to help make all the arrangements and contact a bunch of your friends."
  "Aw, that's totally awesome, dude!" Michaelangelo said.
  "Yea, and don't feel bad about blowing the surprise." Leonardo said. "We kinda had some bad luck with surprise parties before."
  "Remember how upset I was with you dudes when I thought you forgot about my birthday?" Mikey mentioned.
  "Was that the same birthday you mentioned to me earlier?" Rocksteady asked Raphael.
  "Oh right, that was the same episode. Now that I think about it, causing him to run away like that is how he got captured by you guys in the first place."
  "That's why we say honesty is the best policy." Donatello stated.
  "Yea, especially after the time you lied to us about those hillbillies stealing the Turtle Van!" Michaelangelo teased.
  "Thanks for not rubbing that in my face up until now!"
  "You see? We're just as guilty of being dishonest as anybody else." Leonardo stated. "So we really shouldn't be so quick to judge others for their wrongdoings!"
  "Okay, we get the moral already! Hey, are Zach and Buffy still making cookies?" Raphael asked.
    "I'll go check on em." Michaelangelo said as he headed back into the kitchen. "Yo dudes, we were just wondering if- whoa!" the easygoing turtle was shocked to see Zach and Buffy in a passionate embrace, their lips locked onto one another. Mikey slowly backed away and exited the kitchen. He turned to his brothers and their former adversaries turned allies and said. "So yea, um, I think the cookies are finished."
  "So why aren't they bringing them out?!" Raphael asked.
  "Uh, you see all of that steam on the windows there? It isn't coming from the oven... if you catch my drift."
  Bebop couldn't help but giggle. "So the two lovebirds are going at it in there? Nice!"
  "Chill, dude. They're only making out! Atleast I hope that's all they're doing in there!"
  "I guess the spirit of the season finally cemented their relationship." Leonardo said with a sly grin.
  "We should probably give them a good 30 minutes or so of privacy to get it out of their system." Donatello replied.
  "How do you know how long they're gonna be hugging and kissing in there?" Raphael joked.
  "Like you're a love expert, dude!" Michaelangelo teased, just as he got an idea. "Hey, we could always ask Irma!"
  "Gotta admit, she's been on quite a fair amount of dates. I'm sure she has a good idea how long a make out session could last!" Raphael remarked.
  "Yea, this isn't going to be an awkward conversation." Donatello said sarcastically as he pulled out his turtle comm.
  That moment in April's apartment, Irma was getting out of the shower. "Thanks for letting me use your body wash, April."
  "No problem, Irma! I just hope you left enough for me to use later. Next weekend I'm covering a pork roast barbecue event in New Jersey, so I just know I'm going to wreak of-" April lost her train of thought as her turtle comment. "Hello, April here!"
  "Hi April, we're all at the pizza parlor, getting ready for the party." Donatello said.
  "That's- wait, you're not supposed to know about that!"
  "Oh it's okay. Bebop accidentally spilled the beans, but then we realized how keeping secrets like that often leads to some serious problems, so it's all good!"
  "Okay then. Well, tell Zach and Buffy we'll be down there shortly."
    "Actually they're kind of the reason we called. You see, Michaelangelo walked in on them making out, but they were so overcome with passion that they didn't even notice he was there. We really don't want to risk denying them such a tender moment so early in their relationship!"
  "Aw, how romantic!" Irma said as she accidentally dropped her towel.
  "Irma, get dressed!" April griped as she covered her eyes.
  "We were hoping Irma could give us an idea how long most young people tend to be in these kind of embraces."
  April couldn't help but giggle. "They've got you there."
  Still dripping wet and in her birthday suit, Irma picked her towel back up and wrapped it around herself. "It really depends on how in love they are. They could be going at it until the sun goes down!"
  "Good thing it's December!" April stated. "Oh darn, I gave Zach my copy of the guest list!"
  "Well, just take your time getting ready. Hopefully by the time you get here, they'll come back to their senses."
  About 25 minutes later Zach finally emerged from the kitchen, unaware that his hair was now disheveled. "Hey guys. Wow, you've done a really good job on the place!"
  "Thanks." Donatello said as he and the rest of the Turtles and their mutant companions struggled not to laugh.
  "Um, I like where you placed the mistletoe there."
  "You certainly didn't need in there, did you?"
  "Raphael!" Leonardo said in a shocked tone.
  "I'm sorry, I couldn't resist. Zach, you look like Doc Brown's bastard child!"
  Zach then felt the hair on his head. "Oh wow. Wait, how did you guys know that-"
  "I walked on you and Buffy earlier." Michaelangelo replied.
  "Zach, sweety, you forgot the- oh, hey guys!" Buffy said as she came out with a huge plate full of gingerbread turtles. "Why are you all looking at us like that?"
  "Michaelangelo saw us making out." Zach said with a chuckle.
  "Well, even if he didn't, your hair would sure be a giveaway!" she added with a laugh.
  "You certainly enjoyed grabbing me by the back of my head a lot there!"
  "Yea well, you were really enjoying running your hand up and down my-"
  "Um, ahem!" Leonardo interrupted.
  "Oh sorry." Buffy said as she and Zach both blushed.
  Donatello took the cookie tray from Buffy and set on a nearby table. "Look, you two lovebirds get yourselves some water. We'll finish setting up for the party."
  "Oh thanks. We- How do you know about the party?!" Zach asked.
  "That was my fault. I accidentally blew the secret." Bebop said.
  "Aw that's okay. The whole thing was your idea anyway." Buffy replied.
  "Well, it was really more Rat King's idea. We just passed it along to April, and she really got the ball rolling." Rocksteady explained.
  "You know, you could still keep it a surprise by not telling us who's all coming." Michaelangelo said. "Oh, April and Irma also know that we know."
  "About Bebop spilling the beans or me and Buffy going to first base in the kitchen?"
  "Both." all four Turtles said in unison just as the front door opened.
  "Sorry we're running a little late. Irma took forever getting dressed because she wouldn't stop checking herself out in the mirror!"
  "Well, excuse me for wanting to make sure I looked good for our friends... or any hunky guys who might want to ask me out."
  "Who knows, maybe Casey Jones will be in the mood for a New Years date!" Raphael remarked. "Oh no, tell me you didn't invite him!"
  "You'll just have to wait and find out." April said. "Zach, do you have the guest list on you?"
  "Oh yea, it's right here in my pocket." a look of fear overcame Zach as he reached into his pocket. "Uh oh. I-I must've gotten really sweaty while Buffy and I were-"
  "Going at it like bunnies in heat?" Raphael chimed in.
  "Been there, done that!" Irma commented.
  April giggled. "Don't worry. I gave Master Splinter the original copy. He and Rat King should be here in little while."
  Sure enough, Splinter showed up accompanied not only by the Rat King, but Vernon Fenwick and his nephew Foster who was excited to greet his fellow scientist. "Hi, Donatello! It's so wonderful to see you again!"
  "Likewise, Foster! Boy, you sure have grown!"
  "Well, I am a bit of a late bloomer."
  "I'm actually surprised to see you here, Vernon." Raphael said.
  "Well, it took a little prodding from April and Irma, but they insisted I let them invite my nephew."
  "I gotta admit, seeing Vernon's next of kin again has me curious to see what the rest of the Fenwick family is like." Michaelangelo whispered to Leonardo who was distracted by another surprise guest.
  "Hey there, Leonardo!"
  "I don't believe this. Billy Jim Bob from High Falls?"
  "Yep. Miss O' Neil called me up and asked me if I wanted to come to catch up with you guys!"
  "Aw, that's so nice! I just hope you didn't bring along Scoop Oliver or any of his crazy mob who chased me around town!"
  "Nah, they're all busy getting ready for the Annual High Falls Yuletide Square Dancing Ho Down. Every year I end up guarding the coat closet, so I was more than happy to have excuse to ditch it this time around!"
  Leonardo chuckled. "Well, it is good to see you here!"
  "Same here!" Billy Jim Bob said as he shook hands with the turtle.
  A few minutes later, all four of the Punk Frogs showed up, shivering in their usual attire.
  "Boy, we sure weren't prepared for such cold temperature!" Napoleon remarked.
  "I told ya we should've stopped at that thrift shop for some sweaters!" Rasputin replied.
  "Howdy, Turtles!" Genghis said as all eight green skinned mutants reunited.
  "Hey, froggy amigos! It's great to see all four of you made it out here!" Michaelangelo said.
  "Yep, though come to think about it, you haven't visited us in ages." Attila mentioned.
  "Hey, where's that skateboarding lizard friend of yours who we met last time me and Genghis were up here?" Napoleon asked.
  "Mondo Gecko? He's out doing some pizza deliveries for Buffy." Donatello exclaimed.
  "I hope he gets back soon! I want us to start singing Christmas carols!" Mikey said in excitement.
  "Hang on, we haven't even passed out the egg nog yet!" April exclaimed.
  "You know, there really is nothing like spending the holidays with good friends!" Donatello said.
  "I second that emotion!" Raphael replied.

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