A/N Wow this was hard to write. I loved the idea, but it kept coming out wrong = soooo many rewrites… Fingers crossed that it's decent and you guys enjoy it! It does technically take place in the "Strength" 'verse, but all you really need to know is Raph can now shape-shift and only Leo knows about it. Please R&R and let me know what you think!

As usual, I do not own TMNT but I am still eternally grateful for their existence!

Starry Night

Ping. Donatello shifted his attention from the toaster and screwdriver in his hands to glance at his computer monitor. A quick swipe from his mouse revealed it to be yet another reminder of the solar storm that would reach Earth that night. The turtle could not retain an audible sigh as he closed the pop up window. Normally, he was thrilled when he received any notifications on any new astronomical phenomena. Donatello would be the first to admit he loved learning about the universe and all its mysteries, but what he didn't love were observable events. More specifically: he did not love meteor showers, comets, or anything that New York City's extensive light pollution would easily overpower. Rare aurorae formed by mass coronal ejections were no exception.

It wasn't that Donatello was not fascinated by the nature or beauty of these events. No, his dislike stemmed from disappointment. He and his brothers rarely left the city and when they did it was usually for brief periods at the old farmhouse in North Hampton. On one of these outings the purple-clad turtle did catch a glimpse of the last few meteors from the Lyrid Meteor Shower. That was enough for him to realize how much he had been missing all these years, but worse it struck him how much more he would continue to miss.

It was one thing to roam the familiar city scape alone, even then the brothers more often than not moved in pairs, but outside the city? In a patch of woods probably frequented by hunters and who knows what else? Donatello knew that was out of the question. The obvious solution was to convince his brothers or at least one of them to go on a star gazing expedition. Donatello had given up on that years ago. Michelangelo lacked the patience and silence, Leonardo didn't think it was worth the risk, and Raphael… Well Donatello wouldn't even bother with him. That ship had sailed and sunk long ago.

But this wasn't just any star gazing outing! It was a huge coronal mass ejection that had not been rivaled in years! Despite his previous failures, when Donatello first heard about the upcoming solar storm on the News three nights ago, he knew he had to try convince his brothers this time. His brothers' responses were now the source of his current foul mood. Michelangelo flat out refused. Leonardo again argued against taking the risk. This time adding strength to his perceived reason by claiming they would be going upstate in a few weeks and he could star-gaze to his heart's desire then. He wouldn't even listen when his younger brother tried to tell him the storm would be well over by then. Out of sheer desperation he even tried his volatile older brother. Raphael had been present for the News broadcast and so Donatello prayed that he would understand the significance of the event. When he approached his sai-wielding brother at breakfast the following morning, he didn't even get to say a word, "Not now Don. Got stuff to do."

The tiny flutter of hope that had crept into Donatello's heart when he had entered the kitchen began to smoke. It then burst into flames as Raphael shoved past him and went to the elevator. It was outright vaporized when he heard his brother take off on his shell cycle – in broad daylight! When Raphael consistently avoided the lair for the next few days, Donatello knew without a doubt that there was no way this brother would go with him.

Donatello went back to the toaster, which Michelangelo had broken yet again, practically attacking it with the screwdriver in frustration. He was always fixing things and building things to make his brothers more comfortable! Why couldn't they accompany him for the one thing he couldn't do alone? Why was Raphael allowed to drive around on his motor cycle in the middle of the day when Donatello couldn't even go see one measly astronomical event at night? Leonardo seriously needed to re-evaluate what he considered dangerous! Donatello was so lost in thought he hadn't heard his brother approach, "Hey Egghead, stop torturing the toaster and let's go!"

Donatello turned in surprise to see the brother he hadn't seen in days, "Huh? Go where?"

Raphael rolled his eyes, "And they say I'm a few bricks short of a load. Patrol. What else?" He thumbed behind him, "Come on before Leo lays an egg."

He placed the toaster aside and sullenly followed his elder brother. A few minutes later he found himself on the rooftops. Leonardo and Michelangelo were already there and Donatello couldn't help but notice the mischievous grin on his younger brother's face. Raphael crossed his arms as Leonardo jumped into leader mode, "All right guys, let's get this done. Raphael, Donatello: you take North Side. Michelangelo and I will take the South."

Donatello was not amused by this pairing, Great an evening spent with Mr. Moody. How could this evening get any better?

Out of desperation to switch partners, Donatello opened his mouth in protest only to be interrupted by Michelangelo's all-too-gleeful shrieks from the far side of the roof, "Hey Leo! Bet you can't catch me!"

Leonardo surprisingly did not reprimand the young turtle and instead gave chase, "In your dreams Mike!"

Donatello stared after his eldest brother's rare display of playfulness. Raphael lightly punched his gawking brother, "Wake up Don! Geez, your head's in the clouds today."

"Ow! Raphael what was that for?"

Raphael frowned and raced off in the opposite direction of his recently departed brothers and called, "You better not hold me back!"

The now lone turtle ground his teeth, hating the idea of being treated as some kind of liability. He charged after his brother adamant to not provide Raphael with any evidence that he was a hindrance. Between his ever-increasing frustration and the fact that Raphael was more suited to strength than speed, Donatello soon found himself on his brother's tail. Just as he was about to pass his jerk-of-a brother, Raphael jumped down to the alley below.

Donatello skidded to a stop. He listened, but heard nothing suspicious. He looked around the rooftops anxiously. There was no sign of The Foot or anyone following. Why had his brother left the safety of the skyline? Donatello looked down at the alley and saw no sign of Raphael. He frowned and silently crept down to the asphalt below. He strained his ears as he made his way and could have sworn he heard the sound of a pained exhalation. He was starting to really worry about his brother. Just as he began to inspect the alley he jumped at the rumble of a motor. He turned to see his elder brother on his shell-cycle driving toward him.

Raphael pulled up beside Donatello and tossed him a coat, "Get on the bike bro."

The younger turtle automatically pulled the black leather jacket on, but stopped before he did up the front as his logical brain processed the information it had been recently presented. At Pentium speed it began listing and analyzing details:

Observation one: why did Raphael just give him his favourite jacket? It was his trademark whenever he went riding!

Observation two: When did Raphael get a new jacket? That one looked fine and all, but Donatello had to admit his brother looked much bigger in it. However, this was Raphael and this brother never hesitated to boast about his muscular physique.

Observation three: Raphael wanted Donatello on his bike. Which probably meant Raphael wanted to play the mutant turtle equivalent of Grand Theft Auto on the ne'er-do-wells and miscreants of New York. This meant Donatello would probably lose his lunch before the end of the hour.

Final Conclusion: There was no way in shell Donatello was getting on that bike!

Raphael threw a purple helmet at Donatello, who promptly threw it back to his brother. "No way Raph! I'm not going to finish patrol with you driving that thing!"

The turtle on the bike glared and then cracked his knuckles in what could no doubt be interpreted as intimidation, "Listen Don, we can do this the hard way or the easy way. Just know whatever you choose will still finish with you on the bike."

"Forget it Raphael!"

Raphael flicked up his helmet's visor and growled, "You've got to the count of three."

Donatello considered his brother as he counted. "One…" Yes Raphael was strong, but Donatello was no pushover either. He had won a number of fights over Raphael in the past. "Two…" Not only would his elder brother need to overpower him, but he had to get Donatello on the bike too. "Three!" Donatello smirked, not even the almighty and powerful Raphael could win this time and he knew it, "Make me."

A flash of surprise crossed Raphael's face and he raised an eye ridge in disbelief, "You serious Don?"

Donatello crossed his arms over his plastron to further illustrate his defiance, "Yes I'm serious Raphael! Now let's just get this over with and finish patrol properly! I have a massacred toaster waiting for me."

Don felt more than a little pleased as his brother's look of surprise slid right off his face. He was a little shocked though when Raphael pinched the bridge of his nose and responded in a remarkably calm voice, "Please Don, just get on."

On any other night Donatello would have probably obliged his brother's request. He would not have enjoyed it, but he would have done it. That was Donatello the pushover, the one who always did what his brothers asked, but no more. His current mood had manifested as sheer unyielding stubbornness. Besides, Donatello knew he had won. There was no way in shell that Raphael could force him on that bike. Now all he needed was for Raphael to admit defeat. "You heard me Raph. You want me on that bike? Then make me!"

Raphael shook his head and released an exasperated sigh. When his older brother looked ahead Donatello thought that his brother was now going to drive off in defeat, but instead Raphael anchored the kickstand and raised himself from the seat. It was then when Raphael was standing in front of Donatello that the ready-to-fight-purple-clad turtle froze. It wasn't just the jacket. A very large Raphael now towered over Donatello. "What the – "

Before Donatello could force his thoughts into a coherent order his brother had grabbed him. The smaller turtle suddenly regained some composure and began to struggle against his brother's grip. He did about as much damage as he would fighting against a cement slab. Raphael unceremoniously lifted his brother, slid him under his left arm like a football, shoved the purple helmet onto his brother's head, and slung his massive right leg over the seat. Donatello tried to struggle again only to have the air squashed out of him as he was abruptly crushed against his brother's plastron. Raphael had crossed his arms in the process so that he could still steer while effectively trapping the dwarfed turtle. Donatello was almost grateful for the current view of his brother's leather-covered chest so he did not have to face the undoubtedly smug grin his brother now wore. Then, without further ado, Raphael accelerated the bike out of the alley and hit the streets.

Neither brother said a word as the bike weaved effortlessly through traffic. Donatello was desperately trying to figure out how the Raphael who had punched him on the rooftops earlier had suddenly turned into this behemoth. He also had no idea where they were going since his face was crushed up against his brother's plastron. After a prolonged period of time Donatello mumbled, "Where are we going?"

His brother grunted, "It's a surprise."

The trapped turtle couldn't help but snipe, "Great another surprise! This one involve turtle-snatching too? Or maybe another brother hopped up on steroids?"

Raphael growled in response, "Stop being a wiseass. You'll like it."

Donatello muttered darkly, "As if you have any clue what I like."

The trapped turtle felt his brother's chest rise and fall as Raphael inhaled and exhaled several short angry breaths. Donatello fully anticipated a classic Raphael explosion in his near future and so he was surprised when his brother said nothing. Although palpable anger continued to steam off Raphael, silence continued to stretch out ahead of them for miles. Donatello knew they were definitely out of the city due to the lack of noise and light. The bike veered right and crunched onto what felt like a dirt road. Now that they were far from the city the crisp smell of fall engulfed the brothers. They continued on for a bit until the bike moved onto soft earth, but the crunching of leaves indicated they were moving through a heavily wooded area. Donatello was dragged out of his own brooding when Raphael grumbled, "This wasn't what I planned you know."

It wasn't the anger but the subtle pain in his brother's voice that forced him to respond. Donatello was frankly pissed with the turtle he was still being crushed against, but he still didn't want to torture him. Snide comments were one thing, but the younger sibling wasn't angry enough to do something he would regret. Plus, curiosity was one of Donatello's biggest weaknesses. "What did you plan villain?"

Raphael snorted, "Right because a "villain" would shove a helmet on your fat head before doing you in."

Donatello thought that bit of levity would help improve his brother's mood until he felt him release a long sigh, "Doesn't matter. I'm still an ass."

Donatello opened his mouth to discuss this new development, when the bike finally rolled to a halt. In a blink of an eye the ignition was off and Raphael was gone.

The pressure trapping Donatello had thankfully been released and he took several long breaths as he scanned for Raphael. Years of training instantly had Donatello taking note of his surroundings. He was deep in a primarily deciduous forest. It was dark, but some light from the night sky managed to filter through the dying leaves. Much leafy detritus covered the forest floor and one good wind storm would undoubtedly send the remaining leaves above to a similar fate. The leaves also meant ambush would be unlikely as they were at that perfect crispness in which they crackled under one's feet.

Noise from above caught Donatello's attention. A faint gasp of pain, similar to that in the alley, came first and was followed by a faint rustling. A rope ladder fell in front of the turtle. He regarded it a moment and then used it to ascend to the treetops. The top of the ladder met him with a simple two by two metre wooden platform that had a fifty centimeter high wall running around the perimeter. The structure had been built in a giant oak tree whose branches had grown in a cup-like formation. The result was a platform that was surrounded by walls of branches, subtly hiding it from the world above and below. If you did not know it was there, it would be impossible to find. Yet despite the tree's protection, the branches had been pruned back so that the platform had a perfect view of the sky.

Donatello glanced around to see his brother standing on the opposite end of the platform. He was looking both smaller and sheepish. The abrupt change in his brother's appearance made Donatello wonder if he had imagined the whole scene in the alley. The ache in his crushed limbs from the ride claimed otherwise. Yet, Raphael now looked completely normal. "Raph, what the shell is going on?"

Raphael walked over to his brother, shoved a piece of paper at him and gruffly responded, "I got your letter."

Donatello had no idea what his brother was talking about. He looked at the paper for answers and unfolded the worn piece of paper. It had obviously been read many times. As Donatello's eyes scanned over the messy scrawl he felt his jaw drop. Raphael filled the silence, "Better late than never right?"

Donatello looked at his brother feeling his face twitch as he tried to figure out what to say. Raphael was obviously nervous about the expression on his brother's face, "Donnie I-"

Raphael's words were lost when the sky suddenly lit up by a dazzling curtain of light. The aurora in all its magnificent splendor now commanded both turtles' attention. Raphael slid down to sit with his shell to the wall facing the light and after a moment, Donatello joined his brother. For a while the brothers sat side-by-side in silence. The bright lights played before them and continually illuminated their shells in different shades of colour.

After a while, Donatello could finally manage to drag his eyes away from the scene, "Hey Raph?"

Raphael tensed at Donatello's voice, "Yeah?"

"You know Leo's probably going to blow a gasket when he finds out about this."

Raphael chuckled, "Who said Fearless doesn't know?"

Donatello's jaw dropped. This explained his eldest brother's strange behaviour from earlier. Raphael must have sold Leonardo his soul to agree to this outing. That or another distinct possibility that continually teased Donatello's mind. "So let me get this straight: not only did you turtle-nap me in the dead of the night to take me into the middle of nowhere," Raphael held his breath, "But you managed to convince Leonardo, our insanely overprotective brother, the ultimate king of worry warts, that this was a good idea?"

Donatello met his brother with a fiendish grin. The brothers' eyes met and they both erupted in laughter. Once he could speak again Raphael choked out, "I have my ways."

Donatello immediately became serious, but consciously ensured his voice held no judgment, "Is it the same way you managed to build this? The same way you got me on your bike earlier?"

Raphael pulled his knees up and leaned his head back, "Yeah."

When his brother didn't elaborate further the younger turtle prepared himself to try again. He opened his mouth and then abruptly closed it when Raphael penetrated him with his amber eyes. The amount of raw vulnerability in those eyes forced Donatello to swallow his tactical approach. This was not a topic to pursue with pure logic alone. Donatello sighed, "Who else knows?"

"Just you and Leo."

Donatello was not surprised by his answer. He had known for quite some time now that something was up between his two oldest siblings. The purple-masked turtle broke his brother's stare to lean back against the wall and return his eyes to the bright sky. "Do you want to talk about it?"

An audible sigh was released from Raphael as he mimicked Donatello's position, "Not really."

The brothers lost themselves in thought for a while. The aurora continued to dance, oblivious to the turtles' silence. Even with his many unanswered questions, Raphael had no idea how infinitely thankful Donatello was for this moment. He understood Raphael was never one to release his thoughts in a single cathartic confession. Raphael would tell Donatello slowly, trusting his little brother to put the pieces together on his own. The younger turtle shook his head and smiled, "Thanks for bringing me here Raph."

A grunt, which Donatello knew to be a sign of his brother's relief, responded.

All too soon it was time to return to the city. The brothers stretched and returned to Raphael's bike. Donatello could not help but drift in and out of sleep during the ride back. It was in one of those moments of fleeting consciousness that Donatello heard the voice of the brother whose shell he now held, "Thanks for not treating me like a freak Donnie."

Donatello wasn't sure if Raphael expected a response, but he still sleepily murmured, "You are a freak Raph… but don't worry, I am too…"

Raphael responded with unkind words but Donatello heard the smile in his brother's voice, "Whatever Egghead."

The turtles finished their journey in silence and with the rising sun the brothers found sanctuary in darkness.

A/N For those of you wondering this takes place after "Homecoming" and "Commission," and you can learn about the letter Raph gives Don in chapter 8 of "Fear." Just keep in mind "Fear" is part 2 of that arc so if you start at chapter 8 you might be kind of lost.

Anyways eventually I think I'll make another larger arc in this 'verse, but I have lots of ideas including a large Raphril arc rolling about so we shall see.