Hi guys! Got a bit of a fun and dramatic chapter for you. This is mostly in the TMNT side of things. Wilbur doesn't join us until the very end. So, this isn't the official start of the "Pride and Justice" reimagination, but the Edwards-Robinson wedding planning has kicked off. Enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything related to "TMNT" nor "Meet the Robinsons." I only own Karena, Lilianna, Venus, and Ryan.
June 24, 2041 - North Hampton, New York, USA
DONATELLO'S POV
"Everybody ready?" April asked with a determined look.
"Remind me what we're doing again?" Lily asked.
"We're trying to come up with a design for Karena and Wilbur's stationery," I explained. "We're all artists here."
"Yeah, but I take photographs," my daughter replied. "I'm not very good at the whole drawing thing."
"Well, here's an idea then," April suggested. "Bring your laptop down here. Maybe you can use graphic designing to make the stationery using your photographs. Dad and I can draw and design."
"And who knows?" I replied. "Maybe your photographs and designs will be better than our drawings."
"Okay, let me get my laptop really quick."
Lily left the dining room, walked into the hall, and walked up the stairs.
"Donnie, have you spoken to Principal Jameson about Lily's early graduation?" my wife asked in a quiet voice.
"He's going to approve it."
"Donnie, that's wonderful!" April replied with quiet enthusiasm. "But what about her days in the cheerleading squad?"
"That's still with God. Principal Jameson said he'll talk about it with the superintendent--"
"Which is Cornelius."
"Right. If it is Cornelius, then I don't see why Lily wouldn't be cheering all winter. She missed out this year because of her foot. I'd hate for her to lose that a second time. Principal Jameson did tell me that she would not be able to audition for the spring musical. She wouldn't be able to participate in the talent show as a high school senior either."
"She'd be in it as a college freshman."
"Exactly."
"This is going to be a very interesting school year," April replied. "Of course, now I'm worried about Athena. She'll be going to Todayland High without her big cousin. Maybe Ryan or Venus can go with her?"
"Both Ryan and Venus made it very clear they do not want to attend Todayland High," I answered. "And I don't blame them. They're mutants and they actually look like mutants. As welcoming as Todayland is, high school is not quite the place for them. And besides, I think Athena's going to be fine. Lily made it in her own."
"Sure, but Lily had friends. She had Wilbur and James, and for now, she has Athena. She was never really alone. Athena won't have that same advantage once Lily graduates. As popular as she is in school, she's never spent time with anyone outside of family."
"April, aren't you forgetting something?" I asked in reply. "She's in the cheerleading squad. There's a good chance she'll sit with them or something."
"That is true," April said with a smile.
"I got it," Lily announced, walking back into the dining room with her laptop and taking a seat between us.
"Okay, so April, you're the female," I said. "What strategy are we using for wedding stationery?"
"Who am I, Casey Jones?" Lily asked with bewilderment. "I'm a female too, thank you very much!"
"Anyway," April replied sternly. "It's a wedding. It's a formal event. The stationery should be nice and delicate. Flowers or a scenic view is the best. A rustic background could work too."
"Yeah, but the wedding's going to be in Todayland," I replied. "So maybe leave the rustic option out for now."
"What about the colors?" Lily asked. "What is the color scheme going to be in the wedding?"
"Let me look at my notes."
I skimmed through my notes from our little meeting with Wilbur, Karena, and Tallulah back in December. My eyes widened in embarrassment. I chuckled sheepishly.
"What's wrong, D?" April asked.
"We, umm... totally forgot to ask about the colors."
"What? Let me see that!"
April snatched up my notes and skimmed through them.
"Guys, how did we forget to ask about the colors?" Lily asked in bewilderment.
"It must have been at the point where Karena was getting drunk by your dad's wine," April explained.
"And besides, Wilbur and Karena had just gotten engaged," I chimed in. "This probably wasn't in their train of thought yet. Give me a moment."
I took out my T-Phone and dialed Karena.
"Hello?"
"Karena, hi! It's Donnie."
"Donnie! Hi! How are you?"
"Just getting started with my day. How are you?"
"There is an advantage of not having a job at a restaurant. You don't have to be anywhere for work and you get to spend time with your fiancé all you want."
"That's how it should be. I'm happy for you."
"Well, Wilbur still works at Futureburgers so he can pay for books and food and other important stuff. His dad's paying for his tuition."
"I'm so glad everything worked out for Wilbur and his family."
"Yeah, Wilbur told me you and Lily had something to do with that, so I want to say thank you for helping them to forgive each other."
"It's our pleasure. Now listen, the three of us are here at the table preparing to create some designs for your save-the-dates and wedding invitations, all that jazz. But we never discussed the colors at our meeting in December!"
"Well, it's a good thing Wilbur and I discussed this amongst ourselves after our return from New York. We WERE going to go with our favorite colors orange and green, but it'll look too much like fall when we're getting married in the spring. So, our color schemes are going to match our birthstones: emerald green and amethyst purple."
"Gotcha. Thanks! Now was there a wedding flower you two had in mind, or should we talk to Venus?"
"Oh, we trust Venus. We've seen her greenhouse and it is the most amazing thing I have ever seen."
"It sounds like we're making the call to Venus then. Thanks, Karena!"
"You're welcome! I can't wait to see what you all come up with!"
"We're excited! Enjoy the rest of your day, okay?"
"Will do, Donnie. I'll talk to you soon!"
We hung up.
"Purple and green," I told the girls with my gap-toothed grin. "They're inspired by their birthstones."
"Hey, that's a good idea!" April replied with a smile.
"But why do we need to call Venus?" Lily asked.
"If we're going to include flowers in the stationery, it would help to have the flowers Wilbur and Karena would use in the wedding," I explained. "However, they trust Venus so much that it's going to be a surprise to them. And that's why we need to make the call to Venus."
"I'll call," Lily offered. "She may speak more to her cousin more than you both."
"I guess we'll find out," April replied.
Lily took out her T-Phone and dialed her cousin.
"Venus! It's Lily. So my parents and I are going to draw different designs for the wedding invitations and we were curious on what flowers you were going to use for their wedding. We just found out their colors are purple and green. Let me put you on speaker."
"Don't you dare!" Venus yelled on the other line.
"Hi, Venus!" April and I yelled excitedly.
"Thanks, Lily," Venus said sarcastically.
"You're welcome!"
Venus groaned in the lair.
"Let me do some research on spring flowers really quick."
There was a pause while Venus did her research.
"Lily, I found your birth flower."
"My birth flower?" Lily asked in reply. "What is it?"
"Very ironically, it is called Lily of the Valley."
I cracked up laughing.
"I swear that was not in the discussion of baby names!" April yelled in response, laughing as well. "I didn't know that!"
"I don't think any of us did," I replied, now crying from all the laughing. "That is hilarious."
"Moving on!" Lily said with giggles. "Did you find anything?"
"So here's what I am thinking," Venus continued. "I found the perfect bouquet for the bridesmaids. It's made of one flower, but it is very nice and simple, easy to make. I'm texting it to you all now."
Our phones went off suddenly. April and I both glanced at our phones to find a group text from Venus. We opened up the text and saw a picture of small white flowers.
"Which flower is it?" April asked.
"Baby's breath. Very common in weddings. But I found a very glamorous one for Karena."
Our phones went off again. This time, Venus had sent us a picture of a gorgeous all-white bouquet with different flowers in it.
"White garden roses, orchids, jasmine, and tweedia," Venus explained. "And then for the ribbon that ties the bouquet together, maybe Auntie Karai and Auntie Renet can help you find some purple lace, Aunt April."
"That's a great idea!" April replied. "But are we thinking the amethyst purple or should we go a lighter shade, like lavender?"
"I think we should honor the bride's wishes here and go with the darker purple. Though it doesn't mean we can't use lavender colors somewhere else, like maybe the aisle or the arch."
"So it looks like we're sticking with white flowers then," I replied in conclusion. "Got it. Thank you, Venus!"
"Thank YOU for inspiring me. That reminds me, I need to come up with the centerpieces too. Or at least the bouquets for them."
"Was there another picture you wanted to show us?" April asked.
"Well, green flowers don't exist."
"Wait, I just remembered something," I chimed in. "Karena's favorite flower is the white rose. Maybe you could do something simple for the centerpieces and just do bouquets of white roses?"
"I like simple," Venus replied. "Sometimes, simple IS perfect. Sounds like that's the case here. I could do white roses for the arch too."
"That sounds perfect!" April replied enthusiastically.
"And then I could just do small white rose bouquets for each row of chairs. Just three roses or so would do it with white tulle."
"Don't forget to add some greenery to it or else the roses will blend in with the tulle," April replied.
"Don't worry, Aunt April. I got this. Thank you all for your help."
"Wait! The boutonnières!" Lily exclaimed.
"Don't worry, Lily," Venus assured her. "I'm going to do the boutonnières the same way as I do the bridesmaids's bouquets. The groomsmen will get small baby's breath boutonnières and Wilbur will have a white rose boutonnière."
"Sounds like we're set on the flowers," I chimed in with a gap-toothed smile.
"Uncle Donnie, Aunt April, have you two ever thought of becoming wedding planners? From the way we've been talking about this, it sounds like you two would be professionals at it."
"No, we haven't," April replied while blushing. "I'm glad you think we'd be good at it."
"Heck, you two pretty much planned the wedding IN ONE NIGHT. You might as well take charge."
"The people in charge are Karena and Wilbur," I replied. "But thank you for your confidence and for your help."
"You know, I've never really done much of anything with my flowers. I mean, sure, Lily and Athena's helped me by using my flowers at school dances, but--"
"No buts, Venus!" Lily chimed in. "Those dances are big deals!"
"Yeah, Venus, didn't the school board pay you for them?" I asked. "I'd say word's getting around about your green finger."
I paused, realizing Venus literally had green fingers.
"Er, your gardening talent, I mean."
"That's true, I guess."
Venus paused to laugh, something we very rarely hear.
"My dad told me to put the money in the bank."
"Good call on his part," I replied. "Well, Venus, we should let you go so that you can start planning all this out."
"I think the planning is done. Just gotta figure out how to grow them all."
"I'd be happy to help you out if you'd like," I offered. "Your greenhouse is in my lab after all."
"I'll think about that. Maybe I can get Mom to help me too. Thank you, Uncle Donnie. I'll talk to you all later. I love you."
"We love you too, Venus," Lily replied before hanging up the phone.
"Does this mean we're all feeling a little better about how to design these cards?" April asked.
"Yep!" Lily answered with confidence. "Let's do this!"
New York City, New York, USA
VENUS' POV
I spent the rest of my day doing research on all the flowers that I needed to plant for Karena's wedding next May. I had learned that I needed to plant all the flowers right away, as it was now June and the summer season had just started. After I completed my research, I asked Auntie Renet to get the seedlings and bottled water for me to plant them.
For the first time ever, I skipped today's sparring session with my family, excluding Lily, Uncle Donnie, and Aunt April. It didn't surprise me when I heard a knock at the door to the greenhouse. I turned to see my red-masked father trying to come in. I waved him in.
"Hey, Venus," Dad greeted me with a kind smile.
"Hi, Dad. I'm just finishing planting these seeds. They're going to be flowers for Karena's wedding."
My dad looked confused now.
"I thought it wasn't until May."
"Lily and her family called me," I explained. "Flowers was the big subject since we just now learned Karena and Wilbur's color scheme. So, I did my research, realized I needed to plant them today, asked Auntie Renet for the seedlings--"
"I think I understand, Venus," Dad kindly interrupted me. "Can I watch you work?"
"Sure. I don't have much left. Just the jasmine, the orchids, and the tweedia. These flowers are specifically for the bride's bouquet, so I saved them for last. I know some flowers are better planted in the fall, but all of these should have been planted a month ago."
I let out a sigh as I finished planting the flowers in the soil and watered them.
"I'm suddenly scared that I rushed into this. I don't ever feel scared, Dad."
I took off my gardening gloves and tossed them onto the floor in fear and anger.
"What if these flowers don't bloom by the time the wedding happens?"
"Not all weddings are perfect, hun," Dad comforted me. "It took your mom and I years to plan our wedding. Just when we thought we were ready to get married, COVID hit. We had to replan everything, despite us being mutants."
My father let out a sigh before continuing.
"I probably should have known better. Your mom wanted everything to be perfect. You know, Venus, I never looked for perfection. All I wanted was to be the best ninja, the strongest, the leader. I never saw myself as perfect. I mean, I am angry all the time. It was obvious to me that I would never be perfect, so I just settled for being the best. Your mom had to learn some of that mindset and we had a fantastic wedding despite the obstacles COVID threw at us."
"I must get my perfect nature from my mom," I replied.
"Not even your mom was perfect, hun. You probably got that from Uncle Leo, maybe Uncle Donnie. Thankfully, Uncle Donnie backed off from being perfect since he married your aunt. But Uncle Leo still tried being perfect, being the perfect husband, perfect father, and the perfect teacher. He's made mistakes."
I chuckled.
"I can see that," I replied. "Ryan got your temper. And despite Ryan claiming Lily is trying to be perfect, I'm pretty sure I'm the one trying."
I smiled when I mentioned my cousin in North Hampton.
"Lily may be the leader, but she's the best leader. She doesn't try to be perfect. She's the most humble leader I've ever known, always trying to help. And she admits her mistakes. I have to respect her for it. I wish I was as humble as she is."
I paused, looking back at my seedlings.
"I wonder if Lily can help them somehow."
"I'm sure she can," Dad replied. "But now's not the best time to talk about that. I actually wanted to talk to you about her."
"Is she okay?" I asked, my smile fading away.
"Oh, yeah! She's totally fine! It's just that... Lily applied for early graduation from high school and Uncle Donnie texted me saying she's going to be approved for it. Do not tell anyone I told you that."
"The secret's safe with me."
My father rubbed his neck.
"Lily usually goes to school with Athena. And Athena decided to go to school in Todayland because of Lily. Uncle Donnie's worried Athena is going to be alone when Lily graduates."
"Dad, we've talked about this," I replied angrily. "I do not want to go to school. I am very content with Uncle Donnie teaching me here."
"And Uncle Donnie won't be able to do much of that anymore," Dad replied. "He got promoted at Todayland University. He's going to be a full-time head professor."
My father let out a sigh.
"I understand why you don't want to go. I'd feel the same way if I was in your feet. Ryan doesn't want to go either. But I don't think you have a choice anymore. And besides, this may be the only chance you have of going to school as a family. Not just Lily, not just Lily and Athena, and not just Athena. All four of you going to Todayland High School together. And by the time Ryan graduates, it'll be you and Athena together. Neither of you will be alone."
"Says the lone wolf of the Hamato Clan," I replied, remembering how many times my dad had 'quit.'
"Please, do this for me," Dad pleaded with me. "And do it for Lily. Trying something new is one way to appreciate all that Lily has done for you."
"I never thought of it like that."
I smiled, and then I let out a sigh.
"All right, I'll do it. I'm scared, but I'm willing to try."
"Hey, the Robinsons have a mutant squid in the house. If the city is accepting of it, then I'm sure they'll accept you. And besides, you've introduced yourself to the city before and helped Lily win the talent show, twice."
"I totally forgot about that," I replied. "Thanks, Dad."
"Anytime, and thank you for being willing to try."
I hugged my father.
"I know how hard it's going to be for you, but promise me you will not give up. Give it a chance. Be strong. Be yourself. Don't be someone you're not. Say you're Lily and Athena's cousin, but don't compare yourself to them."
"I promise, Father."
LEONARDO'S POV
I was in meditation with Master Splinter's spirit when I felt my son walking into the dojo. He sat down to mediate with me. I smiled at his presence as the three of us spent time together in meditation. Our meditation session ended, and I opened my eyes to see a content smile on Ryan's face.
"It feels like I know him, Father," Ryan told me. "Like he was never really gone."
I put my hand on his shoulder, returning the smile.
"He would have loved you, son. He would have loved all of you."
"So, Father, you asked me to come talk to you?" Ryan asked.
"May I join in on this chat?" my wife Karai asked, taking a seat next to me.
"Yes, you may," I answered. "You're family and the mother of my son, and it involves you."
"So what's going on?" Ryan asked.
I leaned into speak quietly to my family.
"Do not tell Lily I told you two," I explained. "But Donnie told me Lily's application for early graduation is going to be approved. Lily's graduating high school in December, but she'll still participate in the ceremony next May."
"That's great!" Ryan replied with a smile.
"That is wonderful, darling," Karai replied. "So what do you need us to do? Throw Lily a surprise party?"
I shook my head, my small smile fading away.
"Actually, this is for Athena," I explained. "After Lily graduates, Athena will be going to school alone. Donnie's worried about her. Outside of the cheerleading squad, she'll have no one to talk to."
"I think I know what this is about," Karai replied. "I saw Raphael talking to Venus earlier today. They were talking about the same thing. But I didn't want to pry into private matters and went about my business."
"Ryan, Uncle Donnie got promoted at Todayland University, so he won't be able to teach you very much. He is suggesting you go to Todayland High School with your cousins."
Ryan shook his head.
"Father, look at me! I'm a huge turtle with scaly skin! I'm a monster!"
"If you continue to see yourself as a monster, then you will become one," I replied. "You are more than a book cover. You are kind and courageous."
"And you're not afraid to speak your mind," Karai chimed in. "And Wilbur is your friend."
"If Wilbur was still going to Todayland High, I'd say yes in a heartbeat," Ryan said with a frown. "But he just graduated from there. Who can I trust?"
"Your family," I sternly answered. "Athena, while she does have mutant DNA, is completely human on the outside. She was inspired by another mutant to try something new, and she loves it. Ryan, you've always wanted to be the leader. I'd suggest learning ways to be one from Lily while attending school. Because come January, you will be the oldest cousin there. Both Venus and Athena will need your guidance to succeed in that environment."
"And if you are so concerned, you can speak with Donatello tomorrow," Karai chimed in. "He has faith that you will learn a lot of things there."
"Speaking of learning, you'd be entering this school year as a high school junior. You'd have to be preparing yourself for some big tests to determine your future."
"Father!"
I froze at Ryan's tone.
"I don't want any help, okay?" he yelled. "I do not want to go to Todayland High School. I'd much rather stay here with you and learn the way you've learned."
"Ryan, listen to me," Karai said sternly. "Your father and I have dojos to run. We cannot stay and teach you. And Donatello cannot do that anymore either. He'll be at Todayland University all day."
"Look, Lily loves Todayland High School," Ryan replied, still with anger in his voice. "And so does Athena. But Venus and I have already made it very clear that we are not going. I need you to understand that."
"Ryan Leonardo, you will not talk to your mother like that," I sternly replied.
"I'm angry, Father!" Ryan yelled. "I don't think you two are listening to me. You two think you know what's best for me, but it's very clear you don't. I'm not a child anymore. I need to make my own decisions now."
"You cannot make your own decisions when you are angry," I yelled back. "Why don't you go to your room and cool off for a while? We'll talk about this later."
"No, Father, there will be no further discussion!" Ryan angrily replied. "I'm not going to Todayland High School, and that is final!"
"Ryan!" Karai yelled just as Ryan stormed out of the dojo.
Karai and I stood for a few moments as we heard the bedroom door slamming.
"That did not go very well," Karai said, biting her lip.
"If Raph was talking to Venus about the same thing, I hope they had a better talk than we did."
North Hampton, New York, USA
LILIANNA'S POV
"And... time!" Dad announced.
"Whew!" Mom exclaimed, dropping her pencil.
I glanced at the oven clock to find that it was now six o'clock in the evening. We had spent all day coming up with a variety of designs for the wedding stationery.
"Well, I'm afraid that I'm not as... feminine about this as you are, hun," Dad told Mom.
My dad showed us his designs. One design had bubbles in the background with his handwriting on it. Another one had a cherry tree on it with his handwriting in its roots. His last design had the city of Todayland drawn to perfection, but no handwriting was found.
"Donnie, holy cow!" Mom exclaimed, looking at his drawing of Todayland. "You need to show this to Cornelius! This should be a postcard or something."
"You really think it's that good?" Dad asked while blushing.
"Totally! I'm not sure how this compares to Laszlo or Karena's talent, but I'd definitely show him this."
"What does yours look like, Mom?" I asked.
"Here we go."
Mom spread out her three designs. Dad and I both gasped with delight. One card had the a drawing of the same bouquet Venus would create for Karena. The next one had white roses on the top left corner and the bottom right corner with her calligraphy on it. The last drawing was the exact same thing, but with the addition of lilacs and green leaves.
"April, that is beautiful!" Dad said with shock and awe.
"Are you sure you want just Dad to turn his drawings in to Cornelius?" I asked with a gap-toothed grin. "Your artistry is just as good as his!"
"Nah, I'm not part of his family," Mom replied. "Now let's see yours, Lily."
I turned my computer around to show my parents the three digital designs I created. The first was a picture of the cherry tree, but I had added chairs and an arch to create the wedding scene. I had included the words "Be our guest. Save the date." The next design was a baby's breath bouquet against a light grey wooden background with the words "Save the date" underneath it. The last design was a picture of the ballroom at Robinson Industries with added decorations. This design had the words "Celebrate with us. Save the date."
"Lily, you need to show these to Wilbur and Karena," Mom suggested. "These are amazing ideas!"
"I think it's safe to say we can show the happy couple all of these designs," Dad replied. "We all did an amazing job with them."
"That's a good idea," I chimed in. "After all, this is Karena and Wilbur's wedding. It should be their decision to make."
Suddenly, Dad's T-Phone rang in the dining room.
"While you answer that, I'm going to make dinner," Mom told him.
My parents kissed each other. Mom walked out of the dining room and into the kitchen while Dad answered the phone.
"Donatello. Hey, Leo!"
"It's Uncle Leo?" I asked with a smile.
"Oh, I'm on speaker," Dad replied to my uncle, his smile fading away. "Well, I have Lily with me. Should I put you guys on speaker? Oh, okay."
I grew concerned.
"Well, that's good news " Dad replied, and he let out a sigh after a few moments. "Oh dear. I'm so sorry to hear that. Would it help if I was there to talk to him? Well, it'd have to be me or Lily. We're both good at giving advice. April's good too, but it's really about us."
I tried to read his mind, but there was too much going on for me to read his thoughts clearly.
"Okay, I'll be there in a minute. April's making dinner. Maybe she'll be done by the time I finish my talk with Ryan. Alright, I'll be there soon. Bye, Leo."
Dad hung up.
"Is Ryan okay?" I asked.
"Ryan and his parents had a fight," Dad explained. "I'm about to head on down to talk to them. I'm going to use the portal so that I don't miss dinner."
I hung my head down.
"Lily? Are you alright?"
"Hmm?"
I looked up to see a concerned look on my dad's face.
"Yeah! Yeah, I'm fine. Just... concerned for Ryan."
"Lily Mae, I know you," Dad replied, crossing his arms. "Something's on your mind."
"I should go with you. Ryan's a teenager. He might listen to me more than he will to you."
"I promise if it comes to that, I will let you know."
Dad kissed me on the cheek.
"I love you, sweetheart."
"I love you too, Dad."
New York City, New York, USA
DONATELLO'S POV
I took the portal to the lair where I was greeted by Karai.
"How are you doing, Donatello?"
"Karai, we've known each other for how long?" I asked with a chuckle. "It's Donnie."
Karai chuckled with me.
"I appreciate the gesture, but it's more respectful of me to call you by your real name."
"Fair enough. Is Ryan okay?"
"I've never seen him so adamant before," Karai answered with a sigh. "Nor so angry. In fact the last time I have seen him angry was when he last fought with Lily."
"That was back in 2038," I replied in amazement. "I guess they both grew up."
"You and Leo set them straight back then. I want to thank you for that. Let's see if your advice works this time."
"I guess we'll find out."
I walked away and walked to Ryan's bedroom. I knocked on the door.
"Who is it?"
"It's Uncle Donnie."
I waited a moment before Ryan opened the door.
"Hey, Uncle Donnie."
"Hey, may we talk?"
Ryan gestured me in and we sat on the bed together.
"So what happened between you and your parents? I take it your dad told you about Lily?"
"Yeah, he did."
Ryan let out a sigh.
"We're all happy for her. Really. Why we're keeping this a secret from her, I don't know."
"It's a secret because I'm teaching Lily how to be patient when it comes to applications," I explained. "But it's important you guys know about this so that we can plan for you guys going to school in January."
Ryan shook his head.
"I'm not going to school, Uncle. I don't belong there."
I frowned.
"Why? Are you scared that you won't fit in?"
Ryan pointed a finger at me.
"See? You understand me! I don't think my parents do."
I raised an eyebrow.
"You really think your dad doesn't understand you?" I asked. "When your dad, uncles, and I went on our first patrol together, we were all excited. But perhaps the brother who was the most nervous was your father. Sure, I met a girl. Sure, Uncle Mikey tried pizza for the first time. Sure, Uncle Raph got into his first fight outside the sewers. But your dad? He wanted to be safe. That was his first instinct. Once we had a successful second mission, he was willing to risk his life to help us and to learn. You see, Ryan, you could stay in the sewers by yourself. And I do mean that literally."
Ryan looked at me with confusion written on his face.
"Both your parents run their own dojos - your father for the Hamato Clan and your mother for the Foot. Uncle Raphael works at the NYPD. Uncle Mikey has his own restaurant and Auntie Renet works at TIME. Aunt April works at Channel 6 News while I'll be working at Todayland University. All three of your cousins will be at school in Todayland. The only person who will be home with you is Auntie Mona."
Ryan's look of confusion turned into sadness.
"Imagine you are in that situation right now, and instead of Uncle Donnie, Auntie Mona is in the room with you right now. How would you feel?"
"Pretty lonely."
"And would you be learning much by staying here with Auntie Mona?"
"The only thing I'd be improving on is my fighting."
Ryan let out a sad sigh.
"Is Venus really going to school?"
"Yes. Aunt April and Auntie Renet will enroll the girls in August. We can't make you go to school, Ryan. You are more than welcome to stay here all day. But sometimes the best things in life are worth the risk. Will you think about it?"
Ryan nodded his head. I patted him on the back and left the bedroom. I met up with Karai again.
"Has anyone told you that you're an amazing dad and uncle?" she asked.
"Yes, lots of times," I answered with a chuckle. "Why?"
"I heard you in there. It's no wonder Lily has the best bond with her parents. You're always there for her giving her advice when she needs it. Even after sixteen years, I still have a lot to learn about being a mother."
"Karai, you are an amazing mother," I replied, giving her a hug. "You are just as good a mother as Tang Shen. Kids don't really like to talk about the biggest subjects that can possibly change their lives, and this is especially the case for teenagers. Ryan's behavior to you two was normal. He wanted to prove he was right."
"But you just proved him wrong. Is he okay?"
"He'll be fine. He's got a lot to think about."
LEONARDO'S POV
Karai and I were settling in for the night when we felt a presence entering the dojo.
"Ryan, is that you?" Karai yelled out.
"Yes, Mother. May we talk?"
"Come in."
Ryan walked into our bedroom and sat down next to us.
"I wanted to apologize for my behavior earlier," Ryan explained, looking down to the floor. "It wasn't fair of me to take it out on you both."
"Are you okay?" I asked my son.
"I think so. I don't know. I don't think I have a definite answer."
"I heard you talking to Donatello," Karai replied. "What did he say?"
"He made sense as always," Ryan explained. "He explained that because that he's going to be a head professor at the university, he's not going to be in the lair during the day. He explained things to the point where I realized the only family that's going to be home with me was Auntie Mona. I realized then that I'm going to be lonely if I chose to stay home."
He let out a sigh.
"Father, I was selfish, and I'm sorry. I only thought about myself when you suggested I go to school with my cousins."
"You didn't just think about yourself, Ryan," I replied with compassion. "You were scared, and you have every right to be scared. This is going to be a different environment for you, even if you've been there before."
"Yeah, but I've only gone for about two, three hours at a time. I'll be there for at least eight. And I'm going with people my age. It's scary to me. I know the bill for mutants to live among humans has passed all those years ago, but I'm still scared people are only going to see me as... well, a huge turtle."
"Ryan, I've felt exactly the same as you have before," I explained. "I was scared too. I always was until I stopped caring about what other people thought of me. That bill opened doors for me in ways I cannot describe. Little kids thought it was cool being trained by a huge turtle. Some of them even recognized me as Leonardo after seeing me on the news, and they weren't scared."
"What made you stop caring about how others felt about you?" Ryan asked.
"Your mother, for one thing. After we saved the world from Kavaxas and Shredder, your mother confessed her love for me. And then there was absolutely no worldly threat. I stopped a theft wearing a hat and a trench-coat, not caring that I was spotted. And then, years later, you came along. I finally had a family of my own and felt it was enough for me to feel free."
Ryan let out another sigh.
"Uncle Donnie mentioned something about it being worth taking a risk. Is that true?"
"Ryan, if Master Splinter hadn't allowed the four of us to go on our first patrol in 2012, none of you would be here. We'd all probably be servants of the Kraang."
"And if I hadn't moved here to America with Shredder, I would have never met your father nor find my true identity," Karai chimed in. "Shredder still would be alive and I'd still be blindly following him."
"So taking risks helped you both become better people in the long run?" Ryan asked.
"Exactly," I answered with a proud smile. "What kind of person will you choose to be, Ryan?"
"I was surprised when Venus told me she was going to school with Athena and Lily. But it was the loneliness factor that brought me here."
Ryan let out another sigh.
"I'm terrified, but I'll do it. I'll go to school with my cousins."
"We are very proud of you, son," I replied. "You are full of courage going into unknown territory."
"But promise us that you'll be yourself," Karai told him. "High school is about finding your identity, but don't ever stray from who you are and who your family is."
"You'll always be in my heart," Ryan replied, now smiling at us. "Mother, Lily and Athena talked with me about the Japanese school system. Did you go to high school there?"
"No. Right after I graduated junior high school, Shredder enrolled me in vocational school. I learned to be a chef."
"WHAT?" Ryan and I yelled at the same time.
"How am I learning about this just now?" I asked with surprise in my voice.
"You never asked," Karai answered with a wink.
"That would explain why Donnie and April liked your food so much all those years ago!"
"And it was also how I knew what foods to eat when I was pregnant with you, Ryan."
"That's right, you were never nauseous," I replied in awe.
"Okay, one of these nights, Uncle Mikey's going to take the night off and you'll be doing the cooking," Ryan suggested with a smirk.
"Oh, it's not just Michelangelo you'll have to convince," Karai replied, returning the smirk. "Athena's a good cook, too."
"What's your favorite dish to cook?" Ryan asked.
"Sweet and sour chicken."
"Chinese, huh?" I asked.
"I am part-Chinese through my mother."
"I should get to bed and leave you two alone," Ryan chimed in.
"Get a good night's rest, Ryan," I replied.
"Good night, Ryan," Karai replied.
"Good night."
Ryan left the dojo and we immediately went to sleep.
June 25, 2041 - Todayland, North Montana, USA
KARENA'S POV
"Thanks for meeting with me today," Wilbur said with a smile on his face.
"You don't have to thank me for anything," I replied, returning the smile. "We're getting married next May."
"I would like to thank you, though. Otherwise, we're taking each other for granted."
"Ah, that's a good point. So anyway, Donnie, April, and Lily have all made designs for our save-the-dates and invitations. So we're going to look those over."
"That is fine with me. Let's see what they got!"
I laid out a printed version of each design on the table in the music room.
"Nine designs," Wilbur said in awe. "I love that we have a lot to consider."
"I know, right? Let's see what the trio came up with."
The first design we picked up was a sketch of the city of Todayland.
"This is amazing!" Wilbur exclaimed excitedly. "This is even better than Laszlo or Karena's paintings! We gotta show this to my dad. Who made this?"
I flipped it over. The signature belonged to Donatello.
"I'd recognize that handwriting anywhere," I replied. "It's Donnie's."
"So Don's an artist as well as a scientist? It must come with being an inventor. Come to think of it, my dad draws too. But what's the next one?"
The next design I picked up was a simple grey wooden background with a bouquet of white flowers. The words Save the Date was calligraphed underneath. I turned over the paper and discovered it was one of Lily's designs.
"Now I like this one," I spoke up. "It's nice and simple and it brings the message straight to the point."
"Karena, you've got to look at this one!" Wilbur said from another table.
I walked over to see my fiancé holding a drawing of a cherry tree, also with the words Save the Date written in its roots. I immediately recognized Donnie's handwriting.
"Now, I'm not a fan of the handwriting," Wilbur said. "But I absolutely love this drawing."
"Donnie did this one too."
"Don went all out! Now what's this one?"
The next one was a picture of the garden in the backyard, but it looked like had edited the picture to include wedding decor. In a calligraphy-styled font, the design said Be our guest. Save the date.
"I think we have a winner," Wilbur said with a smile. "This one is absolutely perfect for our save-the-dates. Who did this one?"
I flipped the design over and saw Lily's signature.
"Lily must have photographed the garden," Wilbur said while analyzing her handwriting. "I think she's a better photographer than an artist."
"And look at the way she photoshopped the chairs and the arch there," I replied, pointing things out. "She's got an eye for this stuff."
"So we have five more designs to look at."
"Oh, these two look similar."
I stopped to look at two mostly identical designs. One design had white roses in the top left corner and bottom right corner while another had said white roses, but there were also green leaves and lilac flowers blended in.
"These are beautiful," Wilbur pointed out with a smile. "We could easily do these for our wedding invitations."
"Or one for wedding invitations and the other for the RSVP," I suggested. "Well, I know neither Donnie nor Lily did both of these."
Wilbur flipped the designs over and his eyes widened.
"April drew these!" he said in awe. "These are amazing!"
"Now I gotta figure out which one of these is also hers," I replied.
I picked up a design that simply had bubbles on it. I took a glance at Wilbur and we gave each other a firm nod.
"Donnie," we said at the same time.
We flipped the design to confirm Donnie's art. Then we examined the design with a gorgeous bouquet in the middle, drawn by hand.
"This has got to be April's," Wilbur said. "Only she could draw something so beautiful."
The last design was a photo of the Robinson Industries ballroom with wedding decor added to it. Also added to it were the words Celebrate with us. Save the date.
"Lily's," Wilbur said. "That's great. Now we have two options for the save-the-dates."
"So it's pretty clear that we're using April's two floral designs as our wedding invites and RSVPs," I replied. "So now we need to decide which of the two save-the-dates we're going to use and then--"
"Wait, I got it!" Wilbur excitedly interrupted me. "We'll use the garden photo to list the details of the ceremony and then the ballroom one to establish the menu, give our guests some options."
"Wilbur..."
I broke into a huge grin.
"That is genius! So now we need to decide which of these to use as the ceremony stationery."
"We can use Donnie's cherry tree design for the wedding program cover and then April's bouquet design for the inside of the program. The one Lily made with the bouquet can be used as table numbers. And Donnie's bubble art can be used as a drink menu."
"Hey, that's an idea! So we just need to figure out how to use Donnie's Todayland sketch."
"I have thought of that," Wilbur replied. "You can color the sketch in as best as you can and use that as a cover for our guest book. Then, we'll take Donnie's original sketch and use that as a background for the pages in the book for our guests to sign and give us advice."
"This is awesome!" I replied enthusiastically. "We're using them all. Donnie's going to be so thrilled with this!"
"Now we just need to figure out how to print all of this out. I know my dad has a printing machine and he can make books."
"I'll let Donnie and his family know what we plan to do with their designs. I am so thrilled we got this all sorted out!"
LILIANNA'S POV
The three of us were now at Wilbur's house discussing how the engaged couple were going to use our designs.
"And then, Donnie, we're going to use your bubble design to make the drink menu," Karena finished explaining.
"How come I didn't think of it before?" Dad asked with his gap-toothed grin. "That's a brilliant idea! You know, I'm proud of you both!"
"Yeah!" Mom chimed in. "You figured out how use all nine of them. We were sitting there thinking these designs were going to go to waste."
"Quite the contrary, April," Wilbur replied. "Your drawings are absolutely incredible."
"I'm happy I'm using them for things other than doodling," Mom replied.
"And Lily, using your photographs and then photoshopping the wedding stuff into them was a stroke of genius," Karena told me.
"In fact, we love the way you did them so much that we are going to decorate both venues exactly like them," Wilbur added with a smile. "Have you ever thought about interior decorating?"
I blushed.
"No, I have not," I answered.
"Okay, Donnie, you and your family need to create a wedding planning business," Karena suggested. "You and April can plan weddings and Lily can decorate the venues."
The three of us glanced at each other.
"We'll think about it," Dad replied.
Karena and Wilbur looked taken aback.
"Wait, seriously?" Wilbur asked with surprise in his voice.
"It was just a mildly serious suggestion!" Karena replied.
"Well, let's talk about this out in the open," Dad explained. "Lily's a senior, which means she'll be off at college next year. April and I will be empty-nesters. I'll be working at Todayland University full-time starting in a couple months. The lab at the barn will turn back into my hobby workspace... at first."
"Donnie..."
Mom paused, her mouth open in shock.
"Are you thinking what I think you're thinking? Could we be moving back to the city?"
"It's just a thought right now," Dad replied. "I mean, we have spent 24 wonderful years in North Hampton. Let's face it. What would we be doing while Lily is living here for the next four years and the years after that, whether she moves back to New York or not?"
"Dad's got a point, Mom," I replied. "I think going into the wedding business is a good idea. And it wouldn't be just the three of us. We all have something to offer. If all of us are involved, this might prove advantageous to the engaged couples who don't want to spend a lot of money. We have literally everything we need to pull this off."
"Donnie, I remember you and the guys complaining about there being nothing to do after you saved the world from Shredder," Mom chimed in. "We could give this a try. If we move back to the city, we could come back to the farmhouse but for wedding business."
"Wait, what about Splinter's grave?" I asked. "If we turn the farmhouse into a wedding venue, wouldn't his headstone be noticeable?"
"Lily, you forget that all four of us had our weddings quite far from Splinter's grave," Dad reminded me. "If a couple does decide to have their wedding there, we can point it out, but I don't think it'll make too much of an impact. This is our family home we are talking about. I do believe turning it into a wedding venue and a business is the next step in our lives. But of course, we can pray about it."
"You do have a year to think about it," Wilbur reminded us.
"And not just because of school," Dad replied. "But also because we've got your wedding to plan out too."
"You and April helped us plan the majority of our wedding in one night," Karena explained. "I truly do believe you all would be a big hit if you created a business... that is, after getting past the fact that Donnie's a mutant turtle."
"We'll leave this with God for now," Dad replied.
We all stood up, shaking each other's hands before heading back home for the night.