Chapter 41

"I can't believe him. To think so low about you like that. That you would be forcing me to do anything!" Lillian groaned, tears streaming from her eyes as she picked up the duffel bag she packed on Raphael's bed and threw it towards the door. She began to pace, "How could he? He knows you! His own brother. I just-" she let out a childlike groan.

Raphael watched her in silence, plopped right at the edge of his bed. Lillian adored Mikey, to see her do yell at him the way she did and him yelling at her in return... As angry as he might have been in the moment, it truly pained him that all this happened. Not only that, to hear that his own brother thinks Raphael would force Lillian to do anything, or that he'd take advantage of her in any way… Why would he think that way?

"Why would he think that? What could have possibly given him that idea that you would just…" she covered her face with her hands to hide any more tears, letting out a small whine.

Raphael got up from his seat and went to her. His arms gathered her and pressed her close to him as she struggle to maintain her breathing. He rested his chin on her head and just held her for a moment. After a while, Lillian pulled away from the hug and sniffed, wiping her tears.

"Raph, we can't leave like this." She stated.

He nodded, "I know."

"You have to talk to him."

He rolled his eyes, "I know."

"So do I…"

He raised his eye ridges and chuckled, "Yeah, you do."

"Are you mad at me?" She asked, her eyes big with worry.

Raphael sighed, "No, I'm just mad it happened. You love him, he loves you. I don't want to ruin that relationship because of me."

She reached up to hold his face, "I'll talk to him too." She was still angry and she just wanted to leave and be alone with Raphael for a while before it was too late. So much had happened that she barely had any time to actually focus on a relationship with him and it terrified her. Now that they were together, made a commitment to each other for life, it terrified her to think they wouldn't make it because of the lack of attention.

She brought his face down so she could rest her forehead on his. He simply held her wrists and sighed deeply.

Michelangelo had been gone for hours, who knows where he ran off to. Lillian had finished setting her things aside for the next day and told Raphael she'd stay up until Michelangelo had gotten back but she was so exhausted that she ended up dozing off instead.

Raphael was waiting in the kitchen at around 3 in the morning, growing angrier and angrier with each passing moment Michelangelo had not shown up. From watching sports highlights for about an hour to throwing a few punches at his dummy, to pacing to and from the kitchen, he did anything to occupy his time and mind. Some may say he was nervous, but he was just trying to figure out why his own brother would think of him so low. He's not one to care about other people's opinions, but when it comes from family and it's as sick as taking advantage of Lillian…there has to be a reason.

Pressing his knuckles into his palm until he heard a satisfying crack, he set his jaw at the thought that plagued his mind. What if his little brother was in fact jealous? Was he also in love with Lillian? Was that what he was angry about? Raphael had to admit, it wasn't hard to fall in love with Lillian. It was so easy when he was younger and now…he didn't have to think twice to know that being with Lilly was a goal he'd never give up on, regardless of how long it was going to take. If Michelangelo was in love with Lillian it would explain the attitude, the anger, why he was so reluctant to approve of the relationship in the first place.

It's not like he couldn't control his feelings so was it really his fault?

Raphael shook his head, walking to the fridge and taking out a bottle of water to possibly drown the thought from his mind. If he told Lillian what he felt she'd only tell him he was being paranoid. If he was being honest with himself, he probably was.

The sound of the turnstiles caught his attention. He turned his head and saw Michelangelo stumbling into the lair, rubbing the back of his head and mumbling softly to himself. Raphael knew all too well why he was stumbling and mumbling and late… Taking a deep breath and preparing for the absolute worst, he forced his feet to head towards his brother just in time to catch him when he tripped over the couch, bouncing into his arms.

Mikey looked up and blinked to focus his vision on the unmovable force that was his brother. "Oh…" he sighed, pushing him away. "Not you."

Raph could smell the booze on his breath, but that wasn't the only smell that lingered. There was a subtle, underlying floral smell on his skin. Raphael couldn't help but smirk. "You stink like booze and perfume? Who are you messing with?"

Mikey burped, "No idea what you're talking about. I don't drink or make out with anyone. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna pass out." He said before letting himself fall backward.

Raphael's eyes widened, he reached out to grab his arms and pull him back up to stand. His hands hovered around him for a minute in case he went limp again, then once he felt confident he sighed. The fact that he was drunk didn't bother him, it amused him actually, but he wasn't going to lie… The fact that he smells like he a girl made Raphael want to smack the green of him. "How am I supposed to talk to you when you're fucking plastered?"

"With your mouth, stupid." Mikey slurred.

He really didn't want to play den mother. As amusing as this was, he was not in the mood to take care of him. Hell, he probably wasn't going to remember anything in the morning anyway? "Let's get you some water, Mike. See if that helps."

"No, 'cause then I'll be sober and I can not look at your face sober. I'll throw up." Mikey looked behind himself to make sure the couch didn't move before he threw himself onto it.

Raphael sighed, "Can't drink every time there's a problem."

"Not every time, just this time. I'm not you." He hiccuped, a smug smile plaguing his mouth when he looked up at him.

Raphael scoffed. "Whatever," he turned towards his room. At least he tried. "Don't choke on your vomit." He muttered.

"Do you know how lucky you are?" Mikey asked, letting his head fall back against the couch. Raphael stopped in his tracks. "You got the girl. The one that everyone wants. Even after you broke her heart. No matter how much you fuck up, you always get your way. Now," Mikey let out a sigh before lifting his heavy head to look at his brother. "History repeats itself."

Raph clenched and unclenched just fists, doing everything he could to calm down. "Mike, you've been a real dick ever since me and Lilly got back together. You wanna convince me you're not in love with her? This ain't the way to do that." He knew the alcohol was acting as some sort of truth serum. It was easier to say what you really felt and do things you'd be too afraid to do when you were sober.

"Lilly is the best person I know." He muttered slowly. "You hurt her. And I don't like people who hurt people like her."

Raphael rolled his eyes at how annoying it was to wait for Mikey to finish a sentence in between hiccups and burps. "So, you don't like me."

"Of course I like you! You're my brother." He pressed a hand to his mouth before burping. "Oh, that tastes horrible."

Raphael pressed two fingers into his eyes, "Jesus, look Mikey, Lilly and I are going to be together for a long time, and tomorrow we're leaving for a while. You don't like that, suck it up. Got it?"

Mikey held his hands up in surrender, "You do whatever you want. It's what you've been doing anyway, right?"

There he went again. "You don't know what you're talking about," Raphael growled.

"No? Maybe I don't. Maybe I do. You're an asshole who isn't afraid to get what he wants and-"

Raphael's chest heaving rapidly as he panted to manage his anger, "You keep insinuating shit and you'll find out real quick what it gets you, Mike. What I want is Lilly, end of story. Nothing more, nothing less."

Mikey stood up, "Nothing more? Nothing more…" he walked over to Raphael until he was toe to toe with him. "Are you sure about that?"

"Get out of my face, Mike. You reek." He growled.

"Lilly deserves better."

"You don't think I know that?

"I think you think for yourself."

"Not this time."

"Hmm, leaving sounds like something you would do. Last time Lilly didn't want to see us, it was because of you."

"She's not leaving because of you or me. She's leaving because she won't survive if she stays, Mikey. And if she wants me to stay by her side, then I will gladly stay there." None of this had anything to do with Michelangelo or anybody for that matter. The fact that he was making it seem like Lilly didn't care about leaving everyone. She couldn't stay! If he paid any attention he would see that in her eyes. "She wants me there. Keep that in mind. Me, not you." He growled.

His jaw and hands were clenched, his green eyes were burning with intensity his stance was wide and ready. Overall, his demeanor was intimidating, to say the least, but still felt so sincere. Even though he was drunk and couldn't see straight, Mikey could see there was no faltering of his love for Lillian, no cracks of doubt. When Lillian fought with him, he could see that very same stare in her eyes. It was this passion that made Mikey realize there was no way Lilly could be driven into the arms of another. That same passion in Raphael's eye made Michelangelo realize there would be no excuse for another break-up, he was at Lillian's side for good. He placed a heavy hand on his brother's shoulder, "She had to fall for the ugly one, huh?"

Blinking his eyes rapidly to process what Mikey had just said. Did that mean he was over everything? Was the talk over? After a while, Raphael chuckled softly, rolling Mikey's hand off his shoulder. "I'm the ugly one? You're not gonna look so good in a couple of minutes with your head buried in a toilet."

Mikey suddenly smacked Raph's face playfully, though still a little too hard for Raphael's liking. His hand then moved to the nape of Raph's neck, his thumb firmly placed right at the base. He smiled, but for some reason, Raphael didn't feel Mikey's normally friendly presence. "Don't you ever put yourself first. I don't care what Leo says, her happiness is first."

For a moment, they just stared at each other as the tension between them seemingly dissipated. "You need to go to bed." Raphael snickered after enough silence had passed and there was no longer this hostility towards each other.

"No, I'm going to sleep in the bathroom." Mikey hiccuped before giving his brother a clap on the shoulder. "You're still an ass." He muttered as he walked away.

As he was walking to the bathroom, Lillian was exiting Raphael's room after giving up on trying to fall asleep without Raph's steady breathing next to her. She was yawning and rubbing her eye with her fingers, still dressed in the sweater she wore that day but now wearing pajama shorts, her hair disheveled as Michelangelo passed her. They both immediately noticed each other.

"Lil'…" Mikey whispered.

Lillian took a deep breath before crossing her arms over her chest and dropping a hip. "Mmhm…" she hummed, her eyes slowly moved to Raphael as he followed his brother. "Did you two talk?"

"No, I'm too drunk but I get it. It's okay." He scratched the back of his head. "Are you mad at me?"

Lilly looked at Mikey, her brows raised in shock, stupefied at the question. She scoffed at him, "Yes. I don't care if you're drunk and I don't care if you hate it, I'm leaving with Raph tomorrow. Also, I think you should apologize to your brother for your cruel assumptions and get over whatever it is that is bothering you about the both of us being together."

Mikey looked behind him just to see how far away from his brother he was. "I-I guess…" He scratched the back of his head before clearing his throat. "Sorry, I'll mind my business from now on."

Lillian nodded, "Good."

"But I wanted to do something before you go. Just to see something…" he muttered slowly. If he didn't do it now, before Raphael got closer then he'd regret it.

"What?" Lillian side-eyed him for a moment at his shyness. She was trying hard not to give in so easily to his innocent eyes, but when he placed both hands on her shoulders and his stare when from shy to intense, Lilly suddenly felt uneasy. Then suddenly Mikey closed the distance between them and slammed his mouth onto hers, capturing her lips in a deep sloppy kiss. Lilly's gold eyes widened in horror, her hands frozen at her side just for a moment in utter disbelief before she lifted them to his shoulders to push him off.

Mikey pulled away as soon as he felt her hands resist underneath him. He slowly opened his eyes, revealing her shocked and almost frantic expression. "Nope, can't say I like you like that." He suddenly laughed.

Raphael's jaw hit the floor at the sight of his little brother kissing his girl. The shock rapidly morphed into fury with him clenching his fist at his side and emitting an animalistic growl. Within a moment he was at both of their sides, pushing Michelangelo away from Lillian. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Mikey shook his head, "It's okay! I didn't like it either!"

When Raph pulled back his fist, Lillian wrapped her frail arms around his and stopped him from throwing a punch. "No, Raph, don't. He's just…drunk."

"Yeah, Raphie…" Mikey slurred, pressing a hand to his mouth when he burped. "Now I'm gonna be sick, be right back!" He said cheerfully before turning on his heel and high-tailing it to the bathroom. Moments later, the couple was pleasantly met with the sounds of gagging and vomit hitting the toilet water.

"I hope his hangover is horrible tomorrow." Raphael snarled, pulling his arm away from Lillian before cracking his knuckles.

"I'm sure it will be." Lilly sighed, wiping the corners of her mouth with her fingertips. Why on earth would Michelangelo do that? She was caught off guard, that must have been a horrible kiss for him. She shook her head, "Your family is weird." She sighed.

Raphael turned his attention to her at her small joke. Her cheeks were flushed with embarrassment for a split second until her eyes locked with his. She was truly amazing sometimes, going through so much, especially that day, and still finding some spark of soul to make a joke. "Let's go to bed." He said softly.

"Thanks for coming to such a weird place on such short notice you guys. I know it's a lot," Lillian told her mother while Raphael and Leonardo help her father load the cute little 'hippie van', as she called it, with cases of water, paper towels, and toilet paper—necessary items. In her hands, she was carrying her brother, who had rushed to her side and hadn't left it since he arrived.

"It's fine but…" Lillian's mother placed a hand on her shoulder. "…are you sure about this? I mean with all that happened yesterday and-"

"I'm sure, mom. I need to close this chapter quickly before it ruins a good thing." Lilly explained. "I don't think we'll be okay if I stay here. And I'm—"

"Why do you have to go, Mimi?" Tony interrupted, his gold eyes big and bright with fresh tears.

Lilly smiled sadly at his tears, "It won't be forever, my love." She gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I'll come back when I'm better."

"Are you sick?"

Lillian closed an eye and bobbed her head side to side. "Kind of."

"But last time you left I didn't see you again in a long time."

Lilly ran her fingers through his soft hair, shifting him upwards when she felt him slowly slipping from her arm. She pressed his head to her shoulder and sighed, "I'm not going to be gone forever. I'll come back. And who knows maybe you can come to visit me and Raphael to sleepover."

The little boy nervously looked back at Raphael, who was having a heart-to-heart with Barry. Everyone was so comfortable with him but to Tony, he was still taking his sister away. "Is he my tío now?"

Lilly shrugged, not feeling the need to explain to him what a brother-in-law was, "Only if you want him to be. Go ask him." The boy whined softly at the idea. "Go, he's not going to hurt you. He loves you a ton. I promise." Lilly squatted slowly and gently place him down before giving his tushy a little push.

Tony looked back at her, his hand nervously playing with the hem of his shirt as he slowly made his way towards Raphael.

"He's really going to miss you." Her mother stated softly. "We all are." She grabbed ahold of Lilly's freshly bandaged hand. "You sure about leaving your phone with us?"

Lilly nodded, "I don't want that phone. Luis could get that number and I couldn't bear the thought of him calling me." At the mention of his name or just the mere thought of him, her throat tightened painfully. She touched her mouth when her bottom lip trembled. "Damnit…" she swore, turning away from her mother in shame.

Lilly's mother smiled, pulling her in for a hug before she got emotional again. She had been fighting tears and changing subjects all day to stray away from her emotions. It was a suffocating feeling but Lillian would much rather push them down than deal with them in front of her mother or anyone for that matter. Her mother's heart broke. "Lillian, are you going to tell him what you told me?"

"Mom," she warned quickly, pulling away from her mother and pressing her palm into her forehead, hissing at the pain between her eyes. Everyone has seen enough of her being emotional. She was embarrassed that her mental breakdown could not have taken place in private. Showing emotion to Raphael was so easy but after the memories of the day before, she had to fight the urge to apologize to everyone. She hasn't begun to process the child she lost or even scratched the surface of her abuse. There were feelings that were so complicated and ugly sitting on her conscience. How was she going to deal with everything? How were the both of them going to deal with everything? She felt the bubble of guilt turn her stomach. "I will, mom. I will."

"You'll have my number if you need anything. Money, a visit, advice? Just give me a call." Barry said with a sad smile on his lips. "Take care of my daughter."

Raphael swallowed an annoyed growl. "Of course." He stated.

Barry rested a fatherly hand on Raphael's broad shoulder, "You know, Lilly is sorta closed off sometimes. I've learned that if you just keep asking, she'll tell you. I also want you to take care of yourself. Leonardo told me you've been sober for a while now and that's a battle that you'll never stop fighting, but it will get easier."

His face fell. Now he was fighting the urge to roll his eyes. Why couldn't Leo keep his damned mouth shut sometimes?

"You don't need to be alone to help yourself. Help each other but most of all, enjoy each other. This is probably the closest thing to a honeymoon you'll get." He joked.

Raphael chuckled awkwardly, enjoy each other… "Uh, yeah probably."

Raphael felt a small tug on his hand, when he looked down, his heart stopped at the small child standing below him. His demeanor made him seem smaller than normal, almost like he was trying to hide in plain sight. Raphael crouched to be face to face with him. "Hey, Tony,"

"Mimi said you're gonna be my tío now." He said softly.

"Uh…she did?" He turned around to see if Barry knew what he was talking about.

Barry crossed his arms over his chest and smiled, "That means uncle."

Raph nodded, "Oh, right…tio. Well, I don't know about uncle but maybe a big brother. If you want that though." He said hopefully, giving the kid a poke in the side to ease the tension.

He giggled, relaxing a bit. "A big brother?" He smiled. "I like big brother better."

"You do?" Big ol' tough, mean and green, hothead Raphael could feel his heart melt at the words come out of the little boy's mouth. It made him giddy to see the little baby he cared about when he was a young teenager warm up to him again. "That's great." He chuckled, perfectly hiding the fact that he was screaming on the inside.

Tony opened his arms and Raphael didn't hesitate to scoop him up in a comforting embrace. It was the first time that he'd let Raphael even near him without looking scared. It took Raph everything in his power not to crush him in his arms.

"Tony! Little dude! You're breaking my heart!"

Tony turned to see Michelangelo coming out of the lair. Raphael almost immediately put him down and watched him run to Mikey, laughing enthusiastically and ending the moment they just had. He couldn't help but feel a little jealous but…he smiled anyway.

"I thought he was so ugly he scared you?" Mikey asked, easily picking up the boy.

Tony shook his head, "No, not anymore he-"

"Not anymore?" Mikey laughed at the boy's innocence.

Tony jumped slightly at Mikey's outburst before laughing nervously. He pointed at Raph, "He said he'd be my big brother."

"Big brother? What about me?" Mikey asked. "I thought I was."

"I can have two." He said softly.

"What about three?" Donatello came up from behind Michelangelo and ruffled the little boy's hair.

"Or four?" Leonardo added, carrying a box of supplies and making his way to the van.

Tony was so overwhelmed, but still, he smiled. "Okay, I guess." He giggled shyly.

Michelangelo cradled the boy's head and brought it close to place a soft kiss on his forehead.

April followed Donnie out of the lair and went over to wrap her arms around Lillian's frame, "Take as much time as you need to heal." She kissed her temple. "Maybe I'll come to visit. Of course, I'll call first."

Lillian reluctantly hugged her back, "It's your house. Come anytime,"

April sighed, pulling away from the hug to cup Lilly's face. "It's yours now." She grabbed her hands and just held them. "Take care of yourself."

Lillian forced a smile, her eyes stinging with tears. Before they could fall, however, she looked away at Raphael who was now talking to Leonardo about whatever was in the box he was carrying.

"You guys are going to be okay," April said softly.

Lillian squeezed her hands in response. "I hope so."

April frowned, she wanted to say they've been through worse but...they haven't. They basically just got back together, got 'married', and then suffered a tremendous loss. "You guys will be okay." She reassured once more. Truly, honestly…April has no idea if she was right.

Lillian took one deep breath before cupping April's face, "I haven't told you this yet but I've been thinking about what you did for me." She looked over once more at Raphael. "If he would've killed him…" she looked down at her stomach, feeling suddenly hollow. "…Nothing about how I feel right now would've changed."

April grabbed a hold of her wrists. "Although I think he should've, I was only thinking about you."

Lillian smiled sadly, "You've always been there for me. I can't love you enough." Lillian suddenly felt overwhelmed with emotion at the tears forming in April's eyes. Without a second thought and out of pure instinct, Lilly pulled her in and placed a soft kiss on her lips. April returned the kiss seemingly feeling the same. It was a quick, gentle expression of the love and admiration they both had for each other. After the small expression of deep affection, Lillian wrapped her arms around April and held her as close as she possibly could. "I love you so much…" Lillian said softly.

April held her tight, "I love you too," When Lillian came back into everyone's life, April never would've guessed just how strong their bond would be. Now, it was impossible to see her life without Lilly in it. It wasn't hard to forget the past and hurt Lilly had caused her by completely cutting her off when they were younger, it wasn't hard to forgive her when she apologized, and it wasn't hard to take her in, catch up, and continue life with her in it. But for some reason, though she wouldn't be too far and she'd be coming back, letting her go was one of the hardest things April had to do in a long time.

When she felt Lilly's grip loosen, however, she let go.

Donatello was watching the both of them, his chest warming at the sight of their affection for each other.

Mikey leaned in to whisper to his brother, "I know this is a sweet moment but that's kinda-"

Donnie stopped him by slowly turning his head to face him, smiling angrily which immediately shut Mikey up. "You're ruining it."

Leonardo handed Raphael the box of supplies. "Here, some snacks for the road since it's gonna be a long one and I put in a few other things." He explained with a cheeky smile.

Raphael raised an eye ridge in suspicion, "Why are you smiling?"

"I'm not."

"You look more stupid than usual. What did you do?" Raphael asked before tossing the box into the van.

Leonardo's eyes widened, "Hey, don't throw that. There's a picture of Sensei in there."

Raphael looked back at the box and shrugged, "I didn't hear any glass breaking."

Leonardo sighed, frowning deeply at Raphael's indifference in being careful. He leaned forward, balancing on his toes as he scoped out the van which was full of items that would probably last them a month or so. "How long are you gonna be?"

Barry placed a hand on Leonardo's shoulders, "Lillian can always get more supplies, I'm helping her financially. They can stay as long as they want."

To this, he pushed his brows together, his smile faltered as his eyes moved from Barry to Raphael.

Raphael chuckled, reading his mind. "I'll be fine, fearless. Just 'cause I'm gone doesn't mean you can't worry about those two over there. Lilly is leaving her phone but I got mine and I'll call you when we get there."

It wasn't much of a relief, the thought of something happening to either one of these two and he couldn't immediately be there to come up with a plan or help made him feel helpless. He had to remind himself that his brother was just that, his brother, not his son. He was not his father, he couldn't watch over him all the time like some helicopter parent. "You call me every day." He said, poking at his chest plate. "That's an order."

Raph shook his head, "Try like once a week."

He pressed his lips together in a tight frown, let out a long breath through his nose. Instead of saying anything else, he held out his hand.

Chuckling softly, Raph clasped his hand around Leonardo's and quickly pulled him in for an embrace.

"Take it easy, Raph," Leonardo mumbled. "It's going to be weird not having someone yell at Mikey all the time now."

Raphael gave an airy laugh, "You guys will be fine." He pulled away from his brother. "Besides, you got a pretty little thing to take care of you now."

Leo placed his hand on Raphael's face and pushed him away, "Goodbye, Raphael."

Raphael turned to close the back doors of the van, then looked at Lillian who was holding onto Donatello's neck.

"Try not to kill the big guy while you're out there, okay?" Donnie joked, wiping Lillian's tears away with his thumb. "Please, take care of yourself, Lillian."

Lilly nodded, trying her best not to sob in his face. She pressed a finger to his chest. "You take care of April, or I'll come back and take her away from you."

Donnie smiled before pressing a soft kiss to her forehead.

Michelangelo set down Tony when he and Lillian locked eyes, even through all the pain and sadness there was still a glimmer of anger behind her irises. He swallowed hard and his heart pounded in his chest as she made her way to him. He opened his mouth to immediately apologize, having not talked to her all day since most of it was spent with him trying not to throw up. "Lil I-"

"You have always been like a brother to me, Mikey," Lilly said quickly, being mindful of Tony when she reached up to hug Mikey. "Even when you piss me off, I will never stop loving you."

His arms didn't hesitate to hold her close to him, sighing in her hair at how she felt against him, at how tight her arms were wrapped around his neck. "You know I'll always love you, Lil'…" he whispered to her.

"I know," She placed a hand on his cheek to hold his face in place before she turned her head to little kisses on his cheek. "I'm gonna miss you." She told him.

"Not as much as me." He also gave her cheek a kiss. "And sorry for that weird stuff last night. I was just-"

"Next time you kiss me, do it sober. Okay?" She whispered playfully, giving his cheek a tap.

"Like…now?" He asked with a sly smile.

"No." She said flatly, hugging him once again.

"Take care, babe." He told her, refusing to let her go. "Next time I see you, the smiles better be real."

She tensed for a moment at his comment. There was no way she could hide from Michelangelo, there was no point in pretending with him. He could read her like a book.

"I think you're all set, Raph," Casey said, giving the side of the van a smack. "If she suddenly breaks down on you, let me know and I'll drive up there to fix it."

Raph gave a shrug, "I think I got it. Donnie is lending me some tools and I'm pretty sure there's more at the farmhouse."

Casey nodded, "Sure, sure…" he said slowly. Digging into his pocket, he pulled out an old hand towel and began to wipe the grease and oil off his hands. Casey, still dressed in his coveralls, was busy working at his dad's car shop when he got the call from April letting him know Raphael and Lillian were leaving that day. Before his father could ask him where he was off to, Casey had already sped off. He let out a heavy sigh, not knowing what the hell he was going to do without his best friend there to kick ass with. His last resort was to hope that the van would need fixing while they were gone so he could potentially visit and fix it but…that plan seem to fail before it started.

Raphael sighed, finding the silence between them a bit awkward. "Uh…did you come in from work?" He asked, pointing at the coveralls.

Casey blinked, before looking down at his outfit. "Oh, uh…no. I was about to go in." He cleared his throat. "I was eating breakfast when April called me and said you guys were leaving soon." He lied. "Thanks for the heads up."

Raphael chuckled, "It was a last-minute thing." He scratched the back of his head.

Casey nodded, stuffing the towel back into his pocket. "How long are you gonna stay there?"

"I don't really know. Until Lilly wants to come back." Why was this so awkward?

Casey sighed, "Well," he held out his hand. "See you later?"

Raphael smiled, not thinking twice to slap his hand with Casey's and pull him in for a one-arm embrace. "See you later, Case."

"You text me if you need anything?" He told his best friend, smacking him upside the head.

Raphael nodded, "I'll call you if the van breaks down." He comforted.

Casey chuckled, feeling his chest tighten with emotion. Quickly, Casey let go of Raphael's hand and wrapped both arms around his friend, pulling away just as quickly before it got too weird. They didn't express themselves like this with each other, but every now and then a hug was warranted.

Lillian's mother turned around, "Are you going to say goodbye or just be a giant baby?" She asked.

Lillian pulled away from Mikey at this to see who she was talking to, her gut knew before her mind did.

Ian had joined her family but had not said a word to anyone. Instead, he just stood off to the side, fiddling with his phone, looming in the dark. He was ashamed and couldn't look Lillian in the eyes. After his little outburst and hearing about the court date, the more he thought about what Lillian was going through the more he realized how horrible he was behaving. Throughout all the strife, Raphael was there for Lilly, willingly. They both obviously loved each other still after so long, who was he to say no? In fact, after all these years of knowing Lillian had never truly gotten over Raphael, after encouraging her to pursue something again with him, how could he all of a sudden change his mind? He was simply adding on to her problems!

Lillian crossed her arms over her chest and sighed, "Leave him alone, mom. If he wants to behave like a child then let him."

Ian set his jaw at her tone, how was he going to apologize in front of everyone? Taking in a deep breath and filling his body with enough courage, he walked over to her quickly. A little too quickly for Raphael, who prepared himself for anything, taking a step towards the both of them.

Lillian stared up at him with relaxed eyes, seemingly unfazed by his sudden movements up until he grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her into his chest, holding her close to him. To this, her eyes widened, arms dropping to her side in utter shock.

"I'm so sorry, Mija…" he whispered. "I've done nothing but break the promise I made to your father on his death bed. I haven't been supportive. I haven't been there for you." He pulled away. "Seeing you go through so much-"

"Ian, I'm not a child anymore," Lilly stated softly.

Ian sighed, "You're not. You're right. I just…I want you to be okay. I want you to be safe and happy and you haven't been. Now, you're leaving and it feels like I just got you back after so long..." He let out a shaky breath, shutting his eyes to prevent her from seeing any potential tears. Lillian would never be anything but a child he cared for in his eyes. But as he opened them to look at her, he watched her grow right before him and was forced to view her as what she was.

An independent, headstrong, woman who needed to make her own decisions and live her life.

"I've been such a fool." He let his head drop in shame.

Lillian nodded in agreement, "Yeah you have." She lowered herself to find his eyes, "If I am making a mistake, I'll find out. But I'm going to do it. I'm going to be with him."

"Yes, I know."

"Then deal with it." She spat. "Because I've lost some much already. Losing you is something I'd never recover from." Her voice was so soft and broken. This man raised her. Her cousin, her brother, a father… When he wasn't in her life because of Luis, not a day went by where she had to fight the urge to call him and recant the events of the day. She wouldn't be able to heal if he wasn't in her life.

Ian reached out once more for her and held her, this time she embraced him.

It was a tender moment no one wanted to end, but Leonardo lifted the small piece of cloth that hid the child 'Space Heroes' watch wrapped on his wrist. He leaned over to Raphael, "You're going to hit heavy traffic if you don't leave."

Raphael looked over at Lillian's mother who was softly admiring the two in front of her, but when she locked eyes with Raphael and he gave her a nod, she knew she had to end it. He wasn't about how Ian felt about him.

"Okay, Ian, Lilly has to go." Lilly's mother spoke softly.

Ian pulled away from Lillian, sniffing softly. "I know. I'm just saying goodbye." He kissed her cheek, gathering her up one last time. "Bye, mi vida."

"Bye, Ian." She grabbed ahold of one of his hands and brought it to her forehead. "Padre," she said softly.

Raphael went up to Michelangelo, who had been avoiding him all day just in case Raphael decided to kill him. "Don't give Leo such a hard time, numbskull."

"Are you still mad at me?" Mikey asked slowly.

Raphael narrowed his eyes at him, "Of course I am. You kissed my girl."

"He did what!" Leonardo, Donatello, and April all yelled.

Mikey winced at everyone's voice, "I was drunk!"

Raphael poked his chest hard, "Not an excuse. You're lucky Lilly stopped me from beating you."

Donatello went over to Michelangelo just to smack him on the back of his head. "You idiot. How could you?"

Leonardo followed him, smacking Mikey's arm. "You should be ashamed!"

"Ow! I get it! Dick move!"

Raphael chuckled, thankful all his brothers got his back. He was still immensely bothered that any of his brothers, especially Mikey who has such a close connection with Lillian, would be so comfortable to touch her in such an intimate way and do it in front of him no less! Lilly explained to him before they both went to sleep that kisses coming from anybody but himself meant absolutely nothing to her and that Mikey would've never done that to her sober and that because he was drunk, Raphael should just let it go. She was the only reason Mikey could still walk. "Find yourself a girl while I'm gone."

Mikey snorted at his remark. Raphael held out his hand, "Seeya, Mike."

Michelangelo swatted his hand away, "What the hell is that? We hug in this household." He growled playfully, pulling Raphael by the shoulders in for a very tight hug. Raphael stood there, incredibly uncomfortable but still giving Mikey's side small pats. Pulling away just so he could see his brother eye to eye, Mikey's hands rested firmly on Raphael's shoulders. "Take care of her."

Raphael nodded in response. "See you soon."

"I fixed the automatic tint on the van. You should be good all the way to April's vacation home." Donatello explained when Raphael turned to him next. "She's ready when you are."

Raphael nodded. "Thanks, D."

Donnie smiled softly, "You two help each other. Be good to each other."

Raphael rolled his eyes, "You settle down with April before she comes to her senses." He teased.

Lillian crouched down to pick up her little brother and say goodbye to him, one last time. "Be good, my love." She whispered to him, kissing his temple when he wrapped his arms around her neck and began to cry. She felt her heartache at the noise of his whimpers, physical paining her chest every time he whined. "I'll be back soon."

Raphael went over to the two, gathering both in his arms. "I'll take good care of her, little man. I promise." Tony noticed another set of arms and turned to see who it was. He then reached out for him. Raphael didn't expect him to reach for him, nor did he expect his mind to flashback to when Tony was a newborn, and every time he'd come in the room, he'd immediately reach for him. The feel of the little boy holding onto him and letting go of his sister, the sound of his cries that echoed as he buried his face into Raphael's neck, it all made his throat tighten painfully.

Lillian let out a quiet sob, covering her mother with her fingers to stifle it so Tony wouldn't hear. The sight of the two just reminded her of the loss of the child that Raphael never had. It did not make her happy in the slightest and instead of continuing the farewells and tearful goodbyes, she quickly made her way to the passenger side of the van and entered it as quickly as she could so she was able to cry.

Lillian's mother grabbed a hold of Tony, "Come on, baby. Raphael and Lilly have to go."

Raphael reluctantly let go of the child, gave everyone a quick wave before going over to the driver's side door. Only when he was out of everyone's sight did he wipe any evidence of tears in his eyes.

When they were out of sight, out of the lair, and onto the long highway, Lillian finally manage to calm herself down as if the longer the distance the easier it was to look ahead. Along the way, Raphael noticed how she would watch the scenery out of her window, how occasionally she would wipe away silent tears, and how her legs were clenched together and turned away from him. The trip was going to feel longer than its usual 6 or 7 hours, but more than that, they had so much healing to do.

God knows how they were going to do it.