We've got a lot going on here, but all good things. This chapter is chapters 7-9 in "For Good." If you'd like to get Wilbur's and more of Karena's perspective, please head on over to that story. If you've read "For Good" before, then you'll notice I have changed quite a bit of things here to include more of the Turtles and their family. Enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything related to "TMNT," "Meet the Robinsons," nor "Beauty and the Beast." I only own Karena, Lilianna, Ryan, Venus, Athena, & Mrs. White.
November 16, 2040 – Todayland, North Montana, USA
KARENA'S POV
It was ten o'clock at night when I returned to the Robinson House from a much-needed girls' night out with Franny, Billie, and Tallulah. We enjoyed ourselves over peppermint mochas, never afraid to start having the Christmas spirit early. We had discussed children. I had been scared about being a mother, considering how mine had died when I was only seven. I was afraid I would share the same fate. But the talk I had with the women of the family put me at ease. But I still had questions.
I walked into Wilbur's room and relaxed on the orange cushions. Wilbur would be off from his job at Futureburgers any minute now. If fate is kind to me and Wilbur would indeed propose marriage, I would be happy. I'm very content with my life. My dreams of being a music teacher are coming true, as I'll be graduating college in a month. I would marry into one of the richest families in the world, but I would also marry into one of the kindest ones. I had learned from Mr. Samuels that he was retiring at the end of the year and that he would recommend me to replace him as the music teacher at Todayland High. I felt at ease just from hearing that because Wilbur would be a college student when my career would take off. I do know that if fate would give me the chance to be a mother, I'd want to wait a few years.
My next train of thought went to Wilbur. He was undecided on what to do after college. Lily and Donnie had both encouraged him to become a teacher for his storytelling. From the stories that Wilbur had told me, he was amazing with kids and would not only be a terrific teacher, but also a terrific father one day. He had also dreamed of being a secret agent in the past, specifically with time travel.
Then I remembered Renet, who works at the TIME agency in New York. I could ask her to give Wilbur some advice, should he go down that road. April is an investigative reporter for Channel 6 News, and Raphael is a detective with the New York Police Department. Just as I thought about suggesting Wilbur talk to these people, I heard the travel tube going off. My boyfriend was home.
"Karena! Hi!"
Wilbur had a smile on his face, which either meant he had a good day at work or he was excited to see me.
"Hey, Wilbur. How was work?"
"Busy tonight," Wilbur answered. "But hey, it's Friday, which means I get the weekend off. Just in time for training with Leo."
"Nice!"
Wilbur set his backpack down on the ground, walked over to the cushions, sat on one, and then kissed me. Then he had a strange look on his face.
"Are you okay?" I asked.
"Eh, I'm not feeling this," Wilbur answered. "Could we go up to my bed?"
"Sure!"
I followed Wilbur onto the levitation platform, and it took us up to his bed.
"So what did you do today?" Wilbur asked me.
"I had the day off today, so I ate dinner with your family and had coffee with the women."
"That sounds like fun," he replied with a smile.
"Yeah, we had a talk about children."
Wilbur's smile quickly disappeared.
"What about children did you talk about?" he asked nervously. "You weren't talking about me by any chance, did you?"
"We did, and don't worry, your mom said all good things about you."
Wilbur blew a big sigh of relief.
"In fact, your mom told me you always went to bed with a smile on your face and that you were a fast learner, learning faster than most babies on average."
Wilbur chuckled.
"That's actually a huge relief to hear. I was expecting my mom to call me a troublemaker because, trust me, I was not the most well-behaved child."
"Trust me, I know," I replied with a wink. "You were learning quite a bit about morals when I met you."
"You mean about my lying to Lewis and not obeying my dad? Yeah, I remember. If it wasn't for you, I probably wouldn't have learned. I guess I needed encouragement that, for once, I was doing the right thing."
"You did, and that's all you've done since. We're all proud of you, Wilbur."
Wilbur gave me a genuine smile.
"Thanks, Karr. May I offer you a drink?"
"You've never offered me anything to drink the entire time we've known each other!" I playfully teased him.
"Well, I'm graduating high school. I figured now would be the best time to learn to show hospitality for myself."
"In that case, I will take a water, please."
"I'll be right back."
Wilbur winked at me. He took the levitation platform down to the lower level and then took the travel tube to the kitchen.
"So Wilbur's involved with music and coordination, but he needs to open himself up more," I thought out loud.
Then I remembered something. Athena had tried out for the school play on her first day of school. I clapped my hands excitedly, knowing that Wilbur was a terrific actor. Before I knew it, he reappeared in the bedroom and up the platform, holding two glasses of water.
"What's with that grin on your face?" Wilbur asked, handing me my water.
"Wilbur, is the high school doing a play or musical anytime soon?"
"Well, you missed the fall play. But auditions for the spring musical are coming up soon."
"How do you feel about auditioning for the musical?" I asked.
Wilbur spit his water out with shock.
"Absolutely not!" he answered.
"Why not?" I asked with a pout. "You'd be terrific!"
"Terrific at being someone I'm not? Karena, I'm one of the most honest people I know. How am I supposed to act like someone else?"
I belted out laughing.
"What's so funny?" Wilbur asked angrily.
"You seriously don't remember solving your own attempted murder dressed up as Izzy Sparks?" I asked, still laughing loudly. "And you don't remember carrying a badge that said you were an agent of the TCTF?"
Wilbur gave me a silent glare.
"Wilbur, you can be yourself, but you have talent as an actor! I've seen it with my own eyes. You can totally pull it off as a character in the musical, especially because you have the voice for it. And don't deny that you can sing, because I've totally heard you sing before, and you're good at it! Do you know what the musical is called?"
"Beauty and the Beast," Wilbur answered.
I laughed even more.
"Oh my gosh! You're Lumiere!"
"Karr, please stop. I don't have time for this! I'm part of the pep band. I'm part the color guard. Heck, I'm the captain of the color guard this year! And we'll both have jobs. I may not have time for you, Karr."
"Wilbur, look at Lily."
"Lily? What does she have to do with this?"
I chuckled.
"Lilianna Hamato is the captain of the cheerleading squad, the vice-president of her class, the leader of her ninja clan, and she still makes time for family! If she can do it, so can you."
Wilbur chuckled along with me.
"I wonder if I can convince Lily to try out with me. With her voice, I have no doubt she'd land a lead part."
"Maybe! Just… think about it, okay? If you make it, great! If not, then at least you tried something new."
November 19, 2040 – Todayland, North Montana, USA
LILIANNA'S POV
I sat with Athena at our usual spot doing the last of our homework while waiting for Wilbur to finish his color guard practice. At around seven-forty-five, Wilbur showed up with a worried look on his face.
"Wilbur, are you alright?" I asked with a concerned voice.
"I'm nervous."
"How come?" Athena asked.
"I just signed up to try out for the musical."
"That's audition, Wilbur," Athena corrected him.
She turned to me and whispered in my ear.
"Now I understand the satisfaction of correcting someone."
We both laughed.
"Thanks, Athena," Wilbur replied sarcastically. "Lily, could you try out with me?"
"Sure, Wilbur, I will audition with you," I answered while correcting him.
"What's the flipping difference?" Wilbur asked angrily. "It's the same thing!"
"An audition is a performance," I explained. "A tryout is a test. Obviously, if you fail a test, you don't make the sports team. And if your performance is not good, then you don't get the part in a play."
"I still think they're the same thing," Wilbur replied. "You're trying to do your best in both situations, right?"
"That is true," Athena replied. "But why the sudden interest in auditioning for the musical?"
"Karena thinks I need to branch myself more and try out for the musical," Wilbur answered.
"Audition," Athena and I both corrected him with laughter.
"Stop it!" Wilbur angrily shouted at us. "But anyway, Lily, I don't want to try out by myself. And besides, with your voice, you may actually land a part."
I rolled my eyes, deciding to no longer correct him.
"When are tryouts?" I asked, but then clasped my hand over my mouth. "I mean, auditions."
It was Wilbur's turn to roll his eyes.
"Wednesday after school."
"We have cheer practice after school," Athena replied.
"I wonder if maybe we can be squeezed in for five minutes," I suggested.
"By we, do you mean you and Wilbur, or you and me?" Athena asked.
"Athena, you may not have made the fall play, but maybe you can get a part this time. This is Beauty and the Beast we're talking about."
"Alright, you got me," she replied. "Let's talk to our cheerleading coach after school, see if she'll let us be late by a few minutes."
"Sounds like a plan," I replied.
November 21, 2040
ATHENA'S POV
Wilbur, Lily, and I waited in the auditorium for auditions to begin. We only had two days to learn all the lines. Thankfully, Lily had spent her entire childhood watching Disney princess movies, so she had the part of Belle learned by heart. This time, I would be thankful for just any part. Wilbur was auditioning to be Lumiere, the butler candelabra.
"Welcome, everyone, to the Beauty and the Beast auditions!" Mrs. White greeted everyone happily. "We are thrilled to have you here and we wish you luck on achieving the part of your dreams. First we will test you on your vocal chords. The song of choice is Something There. Then, we will audition you on your acting. The scene we will be acting on is the dinner scene before we would sing Be Our Guest. Everyone, good luck!"
We clapped.
"So, for Something There, we will have a male and a female come up and sing all parts of the song. I will fill in as Chip. Without further ado, may I have Wilbur Robinson and Lilianna Hamato come on up to the stage, please?"
I watched Wilbur and Lily climbing up the stairs to the stage.
"Ma'am?" Wilbur asked. "Which version are we singing to? The 1992 version or the 2017?"
"You'll find out," Mrs. White answered.
She started the music. The 1992 version played over the speakers and Mrs. White handed the microphone to Lily. It didn't take Lily long to start singing with her sweet voice.
"There's something sweet and almost kind. But he was mean and he was coarse and unrefined. But now he's dear and so unsure. I wonder why I didn't see it there before."
I wanted to clap, but I knew that it would disturb the audition, so I waited. Eventually, it was Wilbur's turn to sing.
"She glanced this way, I thought I saw. And when we touched she didn't shutter at my paw. No it can't be, I'll just ignore. But then she's never looked at me that way before."
Lily then continued singing, belting out her voice.
"New and a bit alarming. Who'd have ever thought that this could be? True, that he's no Prince Charming. But there's something in him that I simply didn't see."
Wilbur and Lily then interchanged lines.
"Well, who'd have thought?" Wilbur asked in song.
"Well, bless my soul," Lily sang sweetly.
"Well, who'd have known?"
"Well, who indeed?"
"And who'd have guessed they'd come together on their own?"
"It's so peculiar."
"We'll wait and see," Lily and Wilbur sang together. "A few days more. There may be something there that wasn't there before."
There was a short pause before Wilbur sang again.
"You know, perhaps there's something there that wasn't there before."
"What?" Mrs. White asked from the chairs as Chip.
"There may be something there that wasn't there before," Lily sang sweetly.
"What's there, Mama?" Mrs. White asked, and Lily shushed sweetly.
"I'll tell you when you're older," Lily answered, blowing a kiss our way.
"Beautiful, Wilbur and Lily."
I agreed. They sang beautifully together at the end. Lily belted out a little too much in her Belle part.
"Alright, now let's have you read over the scene," Mrs. White suggested. "Athena, would you like to volunteer to be a fill-in? We have both Lumiere and Cogsworth in this scene."
"Sure!" I answered, climbing up to the stage.
"Wait, Mrs. White, we have Belle and Mrs. Potts, too," Lily replied.
"Oh! You're right. Hmm… let's do a different scene then. We'll do the scene where Lumiere and Mrs. Potts gives the Beast tips on how to be a gentleman, and we'll continue that to where the Beast tries to ask Belle out to dinner. Athena, you may remain seated. I will portray the Beast in this scene, and then I'll portray Lumiere and Mrs. Potts in the next. Does that sound good?"
"Yeah!" Wilbur and Lily replied at the same time.
"Alright, here we go. Wilbur as Lumiere and Lily as Mrs. Potts. What's taking her so long? I told her to come down. Why isn't she here yet?"
"Try to be patient, sir," Lily assured 'the Beast.' "The girl has lost her father and her freedom all in one day."
"Master, have you thought that perhaps this girl could be the one to break the spell?" Wilbur asked.
"Of course I have!" Mrs. White snapped. "I'm not a fool."
"Good!" Wilbur exclaimed enthusiastically. "So, you fall in love with her, she falls in love with you, and poof! The spell is broken. We'll be human again by midnight."
"It's not that easy, Lumiere," Lily replied softly. "These things take time."
"But the rose has already begun to wilt," Wilbur said with sadness.
"Oh, it's no use," Mrs. White replied. "She's so beautiful, and I'm… well look at me!"
Wilbur and Lily glanced at each other.
"Oh, you must help her to see past all that," Lily said with a smile on her face.
"I don't know how," Mrs. White replied stubbornly.
Lily's smile faded away, and she started to talk sternly.
"Well, you can start by making yourself more presentable. Straighten up. Try to act like a gentleman."
"Ah, yes," Wilbur replied nonchalantly. "When she comes in, give her a dashing, debonair smile. Come, come, show me the smile!"
"The Beast smiles frighteningly," Mrs. White said from the chairs.
"But don't frighten the poor girl," Lily said with worry in her voice.
"Impress her with your rapier wit," Wilbur advised the Beast.
"But be gentle."
"Shower her with compliments."
"But be sincere."
"And above all…"
"You must control your temper!" Wilbur and Lily yelled at the same time.
"Here she is!" Wilbur exclaimed.
"Very good, Wilbur and Lily," Mrs. White complimented them. "Now let's have Wilbur be the Beast and Lily be Belle. Good evening."
"Well, where is she?" Wilbur asked, this time as the Beast.
"Who? Oh, the girl, yes. The girl. Well, actually, she's in the process of… Uh, circumstances being what they are… she's not coming."
"WHAT?!" Wilbur yelled.
"Oh, dear. Your Grace! Your Eminence! Let's not be hasty! The Beast bangs loudly on the door, and go, Wilbur."
"I thought I told you to come down for dinner!" Wilbur yelled.
"I'm not hungry!" Lily shot back as Belle.
"You come out, or I'll… I'll… I'll break down the door!"
"Master, I could be wrong," Mrs. White read as the servants. "But that may not be the best way to win the girl's affections. Please attempt to be a gentleman."
"But she is being so difficult," Wilbur replied stubbornly.
"Gently, gently."
"Will you come down to dinner?" Wilbur asked in a softer voice.
"No!" Lily answered stubbornly.
"Suave, genteel," Mrs. White read.
"It would give me great pleasure if you would join me for dinner," Wilbur said as sternly as possible.
"We say please."
"Please."
"No, thank you!" Lily yelled.
"You can't stay in there forever!" Wilbur yelled back.
"Yes, I can!"
"Fine! Then go ahead and starve! If she doesn't eat with me, she doesn't eat at all."
"And that's all we'll do today," Mrs. White said. "Thank you, Wilbur and Lily. Next up, we have Athena Hamato and Luke Rodgers."
"You got this, Athena," Lily whispered to me.
Something There started playing again, and this time, it was me singing as Belle.
"There's something sweet and almost kind," I sang as close as I could to Lily's sweetness. "But he was mean and he was coarse and unrefined. But now he's dear and so unsure. I wonder why I didn't see it there before."
November 26, 2040
After a successful Thanksgiving weekend with the Robinson and Hamato families, we were back in school. Lily and I sat at our usual spot eating our breakfast.
"Guys!" Wilbur yelled running into the cafeteria and running into his seat.
"Goodness!" Lily exclaimed. "Are you alright?"
"The cast list's been posted," Wilbur explained while panting. "I'm Lumiere."
"You got cast as Lumiere?" Lily asked with a big smile. "That's amazing!"
"You should see what you both got cast as."
Lily and I turned toward each other.
"Lily, I'm not surprised at all that you got a part," I told her. "But me getting a part, and after not getting one in the fall?"
"Now I gotta know who I am!" Lily replied enthusiastically.
She grabbed me by the wrist and dragged me out of the cafeteria and to the auditorium doors where the cast list was posted. Wilbur was right. We both were cast. I was even more surprised when I discovered who I would be portraying.
"I'm Belle?" I asked with astonishment. "Holy crap! I was thinking you were going to be Belle, Lily."
"I thought so too, honestly," Lily replied before skimming the list. "I'm cast as Mrs. Potts."
"Hey, you get a solo!" I said with a lot of enthusiasm. "You get to sing the title song. Maybe Mrs. White held this part out for you."
"I didn't think of it that way," Lily replied with her gap-toothed grin.
"And I'll guarantee you that you will blow us out of the park with your own flair."
"That's true, too. Thanks, Athena."
"Any time!"
We both returned to the cafeteria and saw Wilbur smiling in his seat. We joined him again.
"What do you think?" Wilbur asked.
"I'm really surprised I got a part, let alone Belle."
"You both should go talk to Karena before the bell rings."
"Why?" we asked at the same time.
"She may have told me a few things that I probably shouldn't have heard when helping Mrs. White decide the cast list," Wilbur explained with a wink.
"Where would she be?" I asked.
"Check the band room. Band is the first class of the day for us."
"Thanks, Wilbur," Lily replied.
We both stood up and walked to the band room. We knocked on the door and a kind man looked up at us and smiled.
"Good morning, ladies. How may I help you?"
"We're looking for Kar—I mean, Miss Edwards," Lily explained.
"Are you two a part of her classes?" the man asked with a raised eyebrow.
"We have questions about the casting for the musical," I explained further.
"Ah, gotcha. Hold on, girls. Karena! You have visitors!"
Before we knew it, Karena, dressed in a green dress with green shoes and a green headband, appeared out of a nearby door and greeted us with a smile on her face.
"Lily, Athena, what a pleasant surprise! Did you come here just to visit before classes?"
"We actually had some questions about the casting for the musical," I explained.
"Ask away," Karena encouraged us.
"I was kind of expecting Lily to get the part of Belle, not me. Why did I, a freshman, get the part?"
Karena chuckled before replying.
"The decision for Belle was actually easy. Lily has the most beautiful voice in the high school. Because of that, and also because of the way her chemistry is with Wilbur, she was cast as Mrs. Potts."
"I think I understand," Lily replied. "So, I was cast because Wilbur and I work well together?"
"Exactly that," Karena answered. "I always had faith that Wilbur would make a fantastic Lumiere. But when I heard the way you sing, Lily, I thought, hmm, Lily's just a tad too strong to be Belle. She's more of an Ariel in that regard. Then I saw you and Wilbur act together. It hit me. You would be perfect as Mrs. Potts. Now, Athena, you must have taken voice lessons from Lily because your voice was absolutely perfect. And the sass you have in your voice is absolutely perfect for Belle. Don't put yourself down because you're a freshman. Mrs. White told me you auditioned for the fall play and didn't get a part. It's the fact that you decided to give this another try that stood out to her. Belle would have done the same thing, and that's another reason why you were cast. You are resilient, brave, and strong, just like your cousin."
My heart melted. I placed both my hands on my chest, and then I hugged Karena, who hugged me back.
"Thank you, Karena," I told her, but then I realized where I was and what I said. "I mean, Miss Edwards."
"Karena's fine, Athena," she replied with laughter. "And Lily, I know you are going to do absolutely amazing with Mrs. Potts. You have a solo, which you are going to knock out of the park."
"Thank you, Karena," Lily replied while blushing. "That means so much for me to hear that."
Then the first bell rang.
"You girls should get going," Karena suggested. "I'd hate for you to be late to class."
"Karena, I know you aren't our teacher this semester," Lily told her. "But I already know you are an amazing teacher. Thank you for encouraging us both."
"You're very welcome, Lily."
Lily and I walked out of the band room with excitement in our voices.
"I felt like I just had a comforting talk with my dad!" Lily told me. "Karena encouraged me exactly the same way my dad would. And my dad's a biology professor!"
"Your dad does have that effect on people," I replied. "And Wilbur told Karena she looks up to your dad a lot. Maybe your dad gave her some teaching tips over the years."
"That's possible. We should go our own ways if we don't want to be late. I'll see you at lunch!"
"See ya!"
I continued on towards the travel tube to get to my locker, for it was on the fourth floor and I wasn't in the mood to take the stairs. Thankfully, I was able to get to my first class just before the final bell rang.
December 31, 2040 - North Hampton, New York, USA
DONATELLO'S POV
Today was a very unique New Year's Day. The Robinsons had invited the entire family over for the holiday. From what Karena had told me, she had some exciting news to share. My mind could only wonder about what it could be.
Only ten days ago, I had attended Karena's college graduation in person, donning myself in the graduation robes Cornelius had bought for me when I earned my doctorate degrees. I personally handed Karena her diploma, which decreed that she completed the requirements needed to earn her bachelor's degree in education with her minor in music. When that happened, Karena and I shared a hug, and I had whispered how proud I was of her in her ear.
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were spent in the lair with the entire family. This year was Raphael and Mona Lisa's twentieth wedding anniversary, and Raphael himself had the surprise: he had a promotion at work for all of his hard work. He had become a senior detective, and his job was now to help overlook the new recruits of the police department as well as guide new detectives in how to solve a crime, should there be one.
I, too, had a promotion at work, to my pleasant surprise, and I gave all the credit to my students and my family. Starting next fall, I was going to be the head professor of the science, technology, electronics, and mathematics department. Transitioning into that role is going to be interesting, as I am normally a remote professor. Like Lily and Athena, I would have to start using the interdimensional portal to get to Todayland University every day. I would have my own office, which would be bigger than the office I used when Lily and I temporary lived in the city. It would also be an interesting transition because Lily had considered attending Todayland University. There was a possibility that she would not only be my daughter, but my student as well, just like in the good old days.
"Are we ready, Donnie?" April asked me.
I turned toward the door and smiled. April was wearing a yellow dress with yellow heels. It was her go-to dress for a social outing with the Robinsons that had fit her for years.
"You are forever going to be gorgeous in that dress," I complimented her.
"Thank you, kind sir," April replied with a big smile. "But you should see our daughter. Lily!"
As if it was on cue, Lily walked into the room, twirling around with her favorite outfit: a sparkly black tank top, a black skirt with a black belt, and black boots.
"Lily, it's going to be cold in Todayland," I warned her.
"I have a leather jacket, Dad," Lily replied with assurance. "Please relax. I'll go put it on."
April and I both chuckled as Lily left to put on her coat.
"Since when does Lily have a leather coat?" I asked.
"She bought it with her birthday money," April explained. "It looks amazing on her!"
"Okay, I'm ready to go!" Lily yelled from her bedroom.
Once Lily entered our bedroom again, I pushed the button for the portal to open up.
Todayland, North Montana, USA
We were the last ones at the Robinson Mansion. Cornelius and Franny excitedly greeted us and then led us to the dining room to greet everyone else there.
"Dinner is served!" Carl announced.
Everyone had appropriate portions of chicken wings and French fries. It looked like everyone had different sauces to go with their wings.
"To the Hamato family, I am sorry that I did not know what you liked on your wings," Carl announced again. "Could the youngest please announce their preferred sauce?"
"Taco sauce, please?" Athena requested.
"That is a very interesting choice," Lucille complimented her.
"Alright, who's next?" Carl asked.
"Me," Venus answered. "I'll have buffalo sauce, please."
"Would anyone else like buffalo?"
"I'll take the buffalo, please," Raph requested.
"Me too?" Mikey asked.
"Alright," Carl mumbled, writing the list down. "Who's the next youngest?"
"Me," Ryan answered. "I'll have teriyaki sauce, please."
"So will Karai and me," Leo chimed in.
"Okay... I take it Lily is next?" Carl asked.
"Yes, I'll take ranch please," she answered.
"April and I will also take some ranch, please," I chimed in.
"Who am I missing?" Carl asked.
"I'll have some barbecue sauce, please," Renet requested.
"And I'll take honey mustard," Mona Lisa chimed in.
"Wilbur Robinson likes buffalo wings?" Karena, dressed in a very colorful dress, asked with surprise in her voice.
"Yes! Is there a problem with that?"
"I never took you as the type to like buffalo," Karena explained coyly. "But then again, you are hot."
Raph, Mona Lisa, Venus, Mikey, Renet, and Athena all drummed on the table along with Franny's frog on the drums. When we heard my family clapping and the cymbal crashing, we all laughed. Wilbur's face had turned red and Karena kissed him on the cheek. Wilbur then cleared his throat and tapped his glass with his spoon.
"Excuse me, everyone. May I have your attention, please?"
The room fell silent and the music died down.
"Karena and I have an announcement to make," Wilbur continued as he and his girlfriend stood up next to each other. "First, I want to thank my family for welcoming Karena into your lives and for loving her for who she is. She is very precious to me, and meeting her was the best thing that happened in my life. I also want to thank the Hamato family for joining us and supporting her the past few years. Therefore, we are happy to announce-"
"That Wilbur asked me to marry him," Karena finished his sentence with a big smile on her face. "And I said yes."
Karena showed off her engagement ring, and every single person in the room gasped and then cheered. Leo then tapped on his glass, stood up, and raised his glass.
"To Karena and Wilbur, a happy congratulations on their engagement and upcoming marriage," Leo announced with a proud smile on his face. "You both are amazing people, and we are looking forward to watching you grow in each other."
"Amen," April and I said at the same time.
"Amen!" the rest of the Robinson family replied happily.
"Alright, everyone, let's quiet down," Franny announced with a big smile on her face. "We will all have an opportunity to celebrate Wilbur and Karena later. But right now, let's enjoy our last dinner of 2040."
"Leonardo, that was a fantastic toast," Cornelius complimented my brother. "Well done, and thank you."
"Thank you, Cornelius," Leo replied.
"These wings are absolutely amazing!" April said with excitement. "Probably better than the chicken wings I make."
"Thank you very much, April," Lucille replied sweetly.
"The ranch is just as good," I chimed in. "Lucille, did you make this?"
"I did! And every other sauce we are tasting tonight. Just wait for dessert! I am especially proud of this one!"
We all enjoyed our wings, and then Carl brought out the desserts.
"Excuse me, Carl," Leo raised his hand. "Do you have any sake in the house?"
"Actually, we do," Cornelius answered with a smile. "We weren't going to break out the wine and root beer floats until later though."
"Actually, Neil, this is a better idea," Franny replied. "I can get the kids their root beer floats and then you gather everyone else's beverage request. Karena, you are twenty-one this time, so you have your choice of alcoholic beverage."
"Could I try a little of everything?" Karena requested.
"Sure! That's possible. I'll be back with the root beer floats."
"Fran, may I have a root beer float too, please?" Cornelius asked.
"Are you sure?" Franny asked with a concerned look.
"I want to celebrate with my son and future daughter-in-law tonight," he replied with a smile.
"Hamato family, what all do you prefer?" Carl asked us.
"Beer, please," Raph asked. "Budweiser if you've got it."
"I'll take one too, please," Mikey requested.
"Donatello?" Carl asked me.
"I know April likes a good rosé wine," I explained. "But do you have any fruit wines? I'll enjoy a cherry wine once in a while."
"We just happen to have cherry wine," Cornelius answered. "We have a peach wine also. I remember Lily telling us how fond you all are of peach tea."
"I know I can't drink," Lily chimed in. "But I know my dad will drink peach wine as a second option. Is it possible to mix the wines together?"
"Cherry and peach?" April asked. "That actually sounds really good!"
"I'll tell you what," I replied with a smile. "I'll try both wines separately and then the two wines mixed together. Let's make it interesting!"
"I'm trying everything because I've never had alcohol before," Karena explained.
"Hey, you've earned it!" April replied. "After all, you don't often celebrate an engagement and New Year's on the same day."
"What was it like for you both when you first tried it?" Karena asked.
"It was my 21st birthday," April explained. "And my birthday happened to be St. Patrick's Day. Casey, being the same age as I am, decided to try beer for the first time. I decided to join him. I took one sip of beer and I was so disgusted by the taste that I spit it out on Casey."
"I would have loved to see that," I replied with a smirk.
"So I told Karai and Shinigami about my experience. Karai encouraged me to try sake. I knew the last memory I had with Master Splinter was him teaching us a lesson about intuition while drunk from sake, so I decided to give it a try."
"And that's why you suggested Leo and Karai include that in their wedding instead of ours!" I replied loudly.
"Yep. I hated that too," April continued. "So Shinigami found a night cruise that included a wine tasting near the Hudson River by the Brooklyn Bridge. It was our way of having an engagement party and bachelorette party in one, and Karai came with us. Once I tried the rosé wine, I was hooked."
"So trying alcohol is pretty much the alcohol finding you?" Karena asked.
"In a way."
After Carl left to grab the alcoholic beverages, we dug into our desserts, which were small molten lava cakes.
"These are amazing!" I yelled excitedly.
"Thank you very much, Donnie," Lucille replied with a big smile on her face.
We continued to socialize throughout the evening, taking our desserts with us from the table. Franny's frogs had provided amazing jazz music to celebrate the end of another year. Carl played butler for the rest of the evening, as Lefty had already gone to bed. I watched in amazement as Carl, with a smile on his face, walked up to each of us and handed us our drinks. Karena was the most social as she was trying everything, and April had guided her, sharing her knowledge of the world of alcohol. I enjoyed people-watching very much, and the peach and cherry wines, separate and together, had complimented my joy very much.
Karena and April finally walked up to me with smiles on their faces.
"Hi, Donnie," Karena greeted me.
"Good evening, Karena," I greeted in return with a smile. "Which drink has been your favorite so far?"
"April and I have quite a bit in common, and the rose wine is just another thing we have in common."
"Would you like to try mine?" I offered, holding up my peach wine. "This one is a peach wine and the other is a cherry wine. I do enjoy the rose wine, but it's just a tad too strong. The fruit balances it out very nicely."
Karena tried a sip of each wine. I watched her facial expressions when trying both wines. She seemed to enjoy both of them.
"Sorry April, but your husband has better taste," Karena told my wife. "Carl! Get me a cherry wine, please!"
"Yes!"
I pumped my fist in the air, and everyone else clapped.
"We found a wine she likes!" Franny exclaimed happily.
"Way to go, Donnie," Leo encouraged me.
"How did you find your love for the fruit wines, Donnie?" Franny asked, walking over to the three of us.
"April and I have gone on a few wine tours," I explained. "We decided to go to a winery in downtown Oklahoma City to try to relax after not being able to find Lily. They had fruit wines there, and I fell in love with all of them. When we came back, while still praying that Lily would find her way back to us, we went on quite a few winery tours in New York to try to find the fruit wines I really like."
"Donnie seemed to enjoy the peach flavor the best," April continued. "So along with our tours in New York, I did research of my own and found a delicious peach wine from southern Tennessee. The cherry wine, on the other hand, I had ordered from Michigan."
"That's where we got ours from!" Franny replied enthusiastically. "Black Star Farms?"
"Yep! That's where we ordered ours."
"No wonder this cherry wine is amazing!" I replied with enthusiasm. "It's the same cherry wine."
"Which do you like better, Donnie?" Franny asked. "The cherry or the peach?"
"I'm glad Lily gave me the suggestion to try both wines together, because that is truly the best of the three. Peaches and cherries together? April, you need to try to make some kind of cobbler with that combination."
"Challenge accepted, Dr. Hamato," April replied with a wink.
"Hey, while I have you too over here," Karena started and then paused, turning towards our daughter. "Lily, come over here!"
Lily ran over to us with her root beer float.
"What's up, Karena?" she asked, sharing her gap-toothed grin with us.
I grinned with her.
"Like father, like daughter," Franny complimented us. "You two are quite a pair."
"Thanks!" I replied.
"Anyway, I wanted to ask you in front of your parents so that they can have a say if they wish," Karena explained. "I have already asked Tallulah to be my maid of honor. Would you, Lily, like to be one of my bridesmaids?"
Lily squealed, jumping up and down in excitement.
"Nante kotoda! Honto?"
"Uh..."
Karena paused, biting her lip.
"Je ne parle pas japonais," she replied in French.
"You don't speak Japanese," Lily said, understanding the translation and laughing sheepishly. "Sorry, I got so excited at the thought of being a bridesmaid."
"I take it you want to do it, Lily?" I asked.
"Of course, I want to! That is, if it's okay."
"Of course, it's okay, Lily," April replied. "Being a bridesmaid means supporting the bride and giving her advice. I was the maid of honor and the bridesmaid at a few weddings myself. They're a lot of fun."
"That reminds me," Karena chimed in. "April, since Lily is a bridesmaid and Donnie's walking me down the aisle, is it possible to have two maids of honor? Or a maid of honor and a matron of honor?"
"Of course it's possible," April replied with a big smile. "And of course, I'll be your matron of honor. From all the good things you all have told me about Tallulah, we're going to knock this wedding out of the park!"
"How many bridesmaids do you think will be in your party, Karena?" I asked.
"Between the Hamato Clan and the Robinson family, I think I'm set!" Karena answered with a laugh. "Two maids of honor... and one bridesmaid."
Karena paused with an uneasy look on her face.
"What's wrong?" Lily asked.
"I'm not sure what Wilbur's plans are for his side of the bridal party, but I may have to ask at least one more bridesmaid."
"Get Wilbur over here," I replied. "I think I have an idea. And let's all gather in the living room so we can talk about this."
After Karena fetched her fiance and Tallulah, the six of us gathered in the living room sofas.
"Thanks for gathering with us," I started talking. "Karena, since you're the bride, would you like to start things off?"
"Sure!" Karena replied, sipping her cherry wine. "April, Tallulah, thank you both for being my matron and maid of honor. I know you two will help me pull off the most amazing wedding in Todayland. Donnie, thank you for helping me walk down the aisle and being the father I need. And Lily, thank you so much for being one of my bridesmaids. But now, Wilbur, I was wondering how many groomsmen you were planning on standing by you?"
"I've already asked Carl to be my best man," Wilbur answered.
"Why not have two best men?" Tallulah suggested. "You were going to ask Laszlo too, weren't you?"
"That's not a bad idea. And I've already thought of asking James to be a groomsman. But maybe we should have at least one more on each side?"
"I would suggest asking Athena," Lily replied. "But then there's an age gap between me and Tallulah. I'm sixteen."
"Now wait a minute," Wilbur chimed in. "That's a good idea. I want to ask Ryan to be a groomsman too."
"So a junior bridesmaid and a junior groomsman?" Karena replied with a smile. "That's not a bad idea. But Lily's right. Now we need take into account the age gap between Lily and Tallulah, as well as James and Laszlo. Tallulah and Laszlo are your age, April and Donnie."
"Did you have a best friend in college?" I asked. "I remember you were sitting next to Lindsey quite often."
"You remembered!" Karena answered enthusiastically. "And I'm sure Lindsey would love to be a bridesmaid!"
"I know James would qualify to be a regular groomsman," Wilbur replied. "He'll be in college by the time the wedding happens. But he'd be paired off with Lily, who will just be days away from graduating high school."
"Wait, have you two set a date already?" I asked with surprise in my voice.
"We're thinking around our anniversary in May," Karena answered. "But we don't have a firm date until we examine that with a closer look."
"But Wilbur, I know you have at least one friend in college that is Lindsey's age, right?" Lily asked.
"Keep in mind, Lily, that not every pair has to be the same age," April reminded her. "Look at you and James!"
"Wilbur, you remember Randy, right?" Karena asked. "He's Lindsey's boyfriend. I'll betcha he'd love to be in the wedding party!"
"I talk to Randy often, actually," Wilbur replied with a smile on his face. "We work at Futureburgers together. Of course I'll ask him!"
"Is that close enough?" Karena asked us.
"That should be fine," April answered. "So that's..."
"Five pairs," I finished counting for her. "Not a bad size for a bridal party."
"Donnie, weren't you going to give me any advice about all of this?" Karena asked me.
"Actually, you all beat me to it," I answered with a grin. "Having all of the bridal party together is a huge part in planning for your wedding, because you now have backup to help you. Have you thought about your flower girl and ringbearer?"
"Unfortunately, neither one of us knows any younger children," Wilbur answered.
"Do we really need a flower girl and ringbearer, Donnie?" Karena asked.
"If you can't find anything, I may have a suggestion," April chimed in. "Except for her own wedding, Renet played her part as the flower girl extremely well. She could fill the role. And Mona Lisa would make a fine ringbearer, even though she's female."
"We'll think about it," Wilbur replied. "If we can't find anyone, we'll let you both know."
"Now hold on a minute," Karena chimed in, taking another sip of cherry wine. "Leo, Raph, and Mikey don't have a role in the wedding, and neither do Venus, Mona Lisa, Karai, or Renet."
"Leo would offer to officiate the ceremony in a heartbeat," I replied. "He did mine and Mikey's and he was amazing."
"We're both Christians," Wilbur chimed in.
"When Donnie and I got married, we didn't do the traditional Japanese wedding," April explained with assurance. "Leo was understanding of that and still performed a beautiful ceremony."
"That's good enough for me," Karena replied. "But say we wanted to incorporate some Christian things into it?"
"I can help with that," I chimed in. "Why don't we incorporate readings into the wedding? Leo will just instruct you and Wilbur on what to do, and then one of us or all of us can do a reading."
"That's a good idea," Wilbur replied. "Well, that covers Leo's role."
"Venus can do the flowers," Lily suggested. "She has her own greenhouse in Dad's lab."
Karena clapped her hands together.
"Why didn't I think of that?"
"We're gonna have the entire wedding planned before we even start!" Wilbur said excitedly. "Anyone else?"
"Mikey is quite the DJ when it comes to music," I suggested. "And he and Athena both can make amazing food and cake."
"That's going to be a lot for them both to handle," Wilbur replied. "And don't forget about my family. They'll want to help too."
"Oh, I forgot about that," April said with sadness in her voice. "Who's talented at what, Wilbur?"
"Let's finish talking about your family first," Wilbur answered. "If Mona Lisa and Renet are to be our ringbearer and flower girl, what would Karai and Raph do?"
"Karai could officiate with Leo," I answered. "Raph could be an usher."
"Uncle Bud would be great at that too," Karena replied, taking another sip of cherry wine.
"Karena, are you going to be okay?" I asked with concern. "That's your third glass."
"Please relax, Donnie. I'll be fine. Go on."
"So, who all is not involved yet in your family, Wilbur?" April asked.
"My grandma can make the cake easily," Wilbur answered. "My uncles Gaston and Art can help with the dinner. Uncle Fritz can be an usher as well while Uncle Joe can help set up the wedding. Everyone else is part of the wedding party."
"Now hold on, Wilbur," Karena chimed in, taking another sip of cherry wine. "If Mikey's gonna be the DJ, why don't we let him handle the music at the reception and your mom's frogs do the music at the ceremony?"
"Hey! That's a great idea!"
"I just thought of something," Lily chimed in. "I think it might be better if Auntie Mona was an usher along with Uncle Raph. And we don't need a ringbearer. I think Ryan can pull it off as both the junior groomsman and the ringbearer, don't you?"
"Four ushers at our wedding instead of three," Wilbur pondered. "I like that idea. Two from each side. And I'm okay with not having a ringbearer. It gives Renet a big spotlight if we decide to make her the flower girl. What do you think, Karr?"
"Wait, what about Aunt Billie?" Karena asked in a panic.
Wilbur winced.
"Oops. I kind of forgot about Aunt Billie. Now that I think about it, I think she does have the vibe for being a flower girl, too."
"Wait, my brain is thinking!" Karena exclaimed.
"I'm gonna go start the coffee," April said with a sigh.
I watched my wife getting up and into the kitchen to brew a pot of coffee.
"Hear me out," Karena continued. "Ryan's gonna carry the rings, right? What if Athena and the other bridesmaids dropped petals when they take their turn walking down the aisle?"
"Okay, Karr, I'm not sure if you're drunk or not," Wilbur replied. "But that's not a bad idea."
"Hmm, maybe," I replied with hesitance. "We're really getting girl power in here."
"Well, I'm satisfied with everything," Wilbur said with a smile, which quickly disappeared. "Wait, what about stationery?"
"April and I will handle that," I answered. "We have a gift with cards."
"You all are the most amazing family I could ever have," Karena said happily, and I noticed a slight slurring in her voice.
"April, how much longer until that coffee's ready?" I yelled.
"It's just about done!" April yelled back.
"Meanwhile, I will finish that cherry wine for you," I said, taking the glass away from Karena.
"But Donnie!" Karena wailed, quickly standing up. "It's so good!"
"I'm sorry, Karena, but you're getting drunk. That's enough wine for tonight. Doctor's orders."
"Donnie!"
"Wilbur, what's Karena's middle name?" I asked.
"Michelle. Why?"
"Karena Michelle Edwards, sit down!" I sternly told her.
Without hesitance, Karena sat down and pouted.
"You just used your dad voice," April yelled from the kitchen. "She's drunk?"
"Just about," I yelled back.
"I'm coming!"
April hurried into the living room with a cup of coffee.
"Here, Karena, drink this. You'll be all sobered up in no time."
She turned to me.
"I'm surprised she lasted the entire talk about the wedding," she whispered to me.
"Me too," I whispered back before turning to the rest of the group. "I think we've covered everything unless any of you would like to add something."
"No, we're good," Tallulah replied. "Please take care of Karena for me."
"We will," April replied.
Tallulah, Lily, and April walked back into the dining room to socialize with the rest of the Robinson and Hamato families while Wilbur and I remained in the room with Karena.
"I just realized I forgot to share another piece of news," Wilbur told me. "Lily, Athena, and I all got cast in the high school musical this coming spring."
"Oh, how wonderful!" I replied happily. "What parts did you get?"
"I'm Lumiere. Lily is Mrs. Potts and Athena is Belle."
"Athena got the part of Belle?" I asked with surprise in my voice. "Heh. All of that singing with her cousin must have paid off."
"Karena thought Lily was more of an Ariel than a Belle," Wilbur explained. "Which is ironic. Ariel's a free spirit, something Athena is."
"Actually, I disagree," I replied. "Lily is definitely the free spirit of the family. Granted, she hasn't done any running in the woods lately, but before she was kidnapped, she was running in the woods everyday. Athena, on the other hand, loves history. If she's not cooking, she can be found reading history books."
"Huh! I'll be doggone. Athena and I actually have something in common."
I chuckled.
"I forgot. You enjoy history too. Have you thought about becoming a history teacher?"
"No, but that's a possibility. Karena had encouraged me to try out for the musical to branch myself out. Now that I got a part, I'm feeling more confident about what I want to do."
"First of all, it's audition."
Wilbur rolled his eyes.
"Now I know where Lily got her sass from," he told me.
I chuckled again.
"Second of all, good! I'm glad you're more confident. So, you're going to college to be a history teacher, then?"
"I haven't decided yet. But there's a good chance of that."
"I think you should go for it," I encouraged him. "Have you heard from Todayland University yet?"
"Yes. My dad told me I have been accepted."
"Wonderful! Congratulations!"
"Thanks, Don."
"I actually have some news myself," I told him. "We'll be seeing a lot more of each other at Todayland University. Starting next fall, I will be the head professor of the STEM department. So I'll have my own office on campus."
"Wow!" Wilbur exclaimed happily. "That is amazing! So wait, does that mean you're moving here?"
"No. I'll be doing the same thing as Lily and using the portal to get here. I was nervous before, but knowing that Lily is going into her senior year of high school and then going to college after that, April and I will be having the empty nest. At least I'll be keeping busy at both my jobs."
"Will you still be teaching classes?" Wilbur asked me.
"Of course! I just won't be doing classes remotely anymore, which will actually be great for me too. I miss the days when my lab was just my lab that I can find solace in, not my lab and my workplace at the same time."
"Todayland will be very lucky to have you."
"I'm lucky to have you," I replied with a grin. "You, your family, and the students at the university."
"How are you doing, Karena?" Wilbur asked.
I turned toward the woman, gingerly sipping her coffee.
"I am so sorry," Karena replied with sadness in her voice. "I should have stuck with the root beer float."
"You are more resilient than I thought you would be for your first time drinking," I replied with surprise in my voice. "We covered everything regarding the wedding."
"I wrote everything down in case you need to look through it again," Wilbur explained with a smile.
"Thanks, Wilbur. I think I've learned a lesson tonight."
"What's that?"
"Never drink five glasses of cherry wine in one sitting," Karena answered with a sigh.
Wilbur and I both laughed, and we heard the countdown in the dining room.
"Five... four... three... two... one..."
Wilbur suddenly kissed Karena as the fireworks went off outside the house. The first year of a new decade had ended. A new year had begun.