NOTE_- I wrote this YEARS ago, after "Revenge of the Sith" came out, and a conversation with Greenwillow about a different story I'd written called "Father's Day gave me the idea. I totally forgot about it until now. It's rather dated I guess, but I thought I'd post it here, as evidently I'd never done so.

TMNT belong to Viacom and Nickelodeon, but I will defend my right to write about them to the death!


Father's Day Gift

The movie let out to the sound of cheers, whistles, and whoops, on top of which could be heard the chattering of children and the reprimands of parents.

The costumed (and there were many) made their unsure ways out of the crowd, trying to hook up with the same storm troopers and Wookies and Darth Vaders that they had come in with.

A Yoda, two Alien Jedis, a Storm Trooper and a very small Darth Vader slowly made their way away from the theater and down the increasingly deserted streets.

"That movie was the greatest!" The Storm Trooper was saying over and over. "I mean, the passion! The action! The special effects! That battle between Yoda and the Emperor-Wow! I wonder how long it took to get it to look so real and not computer-generated?"

"Aw, come… it was lame when the Jedi were getting wasted by the robo-clones," complained one of the alien Jedi Knights. " Those guys were supposed ta be the greatest, and they get wiped out like ants with a can of bug spray. They didn't even look like they put up a fight. It was the low point of the film."

"I don't know," the other Jedi mused. "I still can't understand why Skywalker would be so consumed with power that he could convince himself that he was doing the right thing. Did he really believe that he was on the right side?"

"Not that honor stuff again! Look," the first Jedi sighed in exasperation. "There are good guys and bad guys, and sometimes good guys become bad guys. Accept it. Besides, he turned back in the third film."

"You mean the sixth film," said the Trooper. "According to the canon, this is the third film. 'Return of the Jedi' was the sixth, even though it was the third one made."

Both of the Jedi looked at the Trooper, then each other.

"What?" the trooper asked.

"I must have missed some stuff," the Yoda figure finally said, finishing the last of his candy and soda. "When did he turn back? I thought he'd just turned evil. When did he turn back?"

Now three sets of eyes turned to the speaker.

"How many times were you at the concession stand?" asked the Trooper.

"Hey, Popcorn I wanted. Soda I needed, yes!" the Yoda one said in a perfect imitation of that character.

All the time the small Darth Vader silently walked with the other four, offering no opinions whatsoever.

"Anyway, it was a great film," the Yoda one went on, "and it was a great way to spend Father's day, right Dad?"

Now the Darth Vader figure nodded in assertion.

The five figures, winding their way through deserted, darkened alleys and streets, finally reached their destination.

They knocked on the back door of the building, and after a few minutes, a woman let them all inside.

"Here are the costumes, April," Don said, removing his storm trooper helmet. Though we'll have to give you some extra money, Mike spilled an extra-large cherry soda all over his Yoda robe."

"Hey, it wasn't my fault," Mike protested. "That big Wookie dude pushed past me just as I was about to take a drink."

Leo and Raph removed their own masks and then helped Splinter out of the Darth Vader helmet.

"It was great, April!" Leo said. "You should have come with us."

"No, Father's day should be just you guys," she smiled, and invited them to sit down and have some tea. As the guys finished taking off the costumes, she turned to Master Splinter.

"Did you have a good time? Did you enjoy the film?"

Splinter stole a look at his happy, chattering sons- sons who were rehashing the movie even as they disrobed.

"To tell you the truth, my daughter, I could not see or hear anything in that helmet," he said quietly. "But that will be our secret. I do not want to spoil their day. They put a lot of effort into this."

April smiled, and gave Splinter a hug and kiss.

"You are a great father," she said. "Happy Father's Day."