Disclaimer: I do not own Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Spoilers for my fic "Let Me Save You".

Deleted Scene 02: Let Me Save You - Epilogue

Rating: K

Genre: FLUFF, Family

Characters: Mikey, Raph, Leo, Donnie, Splinter

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Over time, Leo and Donnie had learned to stop asking about the pizza. When Raph would always make sure to set aside a slice of triple cheese, jelly bean, and jalepeño during meals, heating it up if it was cold, they now silently pretended to not notice, unwilling to think about who they knew it was for.

But Raph wasn't about to break his promise, and when one day, over a year after Mikey had blasted off into space to single handedly destroy the Technodrome, the young turtle casually entered the lair and asked where his pizza was as if not a day had passed, the older turtle held up the slice and smiled.

"Sorry, bro. You're late. Woulda been warm if you'd shown up two hours ago."

Raph was certain that the happy, tearful laughter he received in return was the best sound he'd ever heard.

Upon hearing the commotion, Leo and Donnie had scrambled into the common area, their inner war of disbelief and hope clear on their faces. But both emotions were soon replaced with joy as they ran up to their long lost little brother to welcome him home with tears in their eyes. Leo was berating him for taking on such a dangerous plan alone and praising him for destroying the Kraang spaceship in the same breath while an endless flow of questions poured out of Donnie's mouth as he looked him over for any injuries.

Watching from his seat on the couch with a relaxed smile, Raph couldn't help but notice the changes in his baby brother. He'd grown taller - a fact the young turtle was particularly proud of as he teased Donnie for shrinking - but he'd also put on some muscle. All of his once rounded features had a sharper, more toned appearance, and he was also sporting some new scars as well. But the one thing that hadn't changed was his boyish face, his blue eyes as bright and youthful as ever above the happy grin that refused to fade.

It was then that Master Splinter slowly entered the room, his face unreadable. Mikey trotted over to him, but before he could bow before his sensei, his father wrapped him in a warm hug. It was quickly returned, and as tears fell from both of their eyes, Splinter spoke to him softly, repeating over and over how so very proud he was of his youngest son.

The rest of the day flew by in a blur. They all sat and listened as Mikey recounted the highlights of his harrowing journey through six different dimensions before finally finding his way back to earth. Donnie, of course, asked the most questions, completely fascinated by - and not so secretly jealous of - his little brother's travels. But while he was most interested in the terrain and technology, Leo was more intrigued by the stories of the strange, sometimes frightening, sometimes welcoming, creatures he'd met along the way. As Mikey happily answered their questions, Raph remained silent. He merely listened intently, his gaze never leaving the young turtle.

After calling April and Casey to inform them of Mikey's homecoming and invite them down to the lair the next day to celebrate, the ever energetic turtle declared that what he wanted most at this very second was to marathon a ton of cheesy B movies and scarf at least two pizzas all by himself. Despite the late hour, his brothers all agreed to one movie and two pizzas to split amongst the four of them. Splinter wished them a good night, informing them that tomorrow would be a rare day off, much to their delight, and left them huddled together on the floor of the pit in front of the TV.

As random monster noises and loud screams filled the room, the brothers sat still, each refusing to move and break the physical contact between them. But as the movie reached it's climax, soft snores could be heard coming from the older turtles, and Mikey couldn't help but smile, the sound a reassuring reminder of their presence. The youngest, however, still being used to the time difference from the last dimension he'd come from, was anything but tired, and as the credits finished rolling, he carefully stood and went to the TV with the intent of putting on another.

He wasn't the only one still awake, however, and as Raph got up and walked over to his little brother, Mikey turned in surprise. He started to ask if the older turtle wanted another monster movie or a more typical action flick, but Raph wasn't listening. He cut the little turtle off as he abruptly yanked him to his chest and engulfed him in a tight hug. Pretending to not notice the wetness on his shoulder or the trembling of his usually gruff older brother's body, Mikey returned the hug. The two stood in silence for a moment until at last Raph opened his mouth to speak, not caring that his voice cracked over four simple words he'd been holding in for more than a year.

"Welcome home, little brother."

A/N: By POPULAR demand, haha. See? Everyone's back together and happy - enjoy!