Hi! I'm posting a second chapter this weekend to make up for the longer wait time for the last chapter. So the only things planned here were the resolve after the fight and the seating arrangement meeting. We got more character development going on with Lily that I think you will absolutely love. That wasn't planned, but I am so happy with how it turned out. Enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything related to "Meet the Robinsons" nor "TMNT." I only own Karena, Lilianna, Ryan, Venus, Athena, and Lindsey.
January 1, 2042 - New York City, New York, USA
DONATELLO'S POV
I spent New Year's Eve in the lair with my brothers, their wives, and Venus. April was in Todayland with Lily and Athena hosting Karena's bachelorette party while Ryan attended Wilbur's bachelor party. I had a pretty good time. We all ate pizzas that Mikey made at his restaurant, played video games, and started a Lord of the Rings marathon.
Right now, we were about to watch the Battle of Helm's Deep begin. Suddenly, we watched a portal open, revealing the missing members of the family.
"Happy New Year!" we all shouted.
"So it begins," King Theoden said on the TV.
Renet, Karai, and Venus ended up laughing and giving each other high-fives.
"Okay, who planned that?" Renet asked.
"That was great," Karai said, still laughing.
I started to laugh with them until I saw a stern look on my wife's face. I paused the movie.
"April, are you okay?" I asked.
"Everyone, we need to talk," April answered sternly.
We all glanced at each other and shrugged, following her into the dojo. We all sat down with our legs crossed.
"Is everything alright, April?" Leo asked.
"How was the party?" Mona Lisa asked with a kind smile.
"The party itself was great," April explained. "Lily won with a perfect game."
We all cheered and clapped.
"I won a game of pool against James," Ryan chimed in.
We clapped.
"And then Lindsey, one of the bridesmaids, decided to prank call Wilbur," April continued.
"April, this isn't the kind of prank that hurts, right?" I asked with worry.
"No, or at least not according to Lindsey. Apparently Wilbur hates being pranked and..."
April paused, turning to our nephew.
"On second thought, Ryan, why don't you finish the story? What did you guys do once Wilbur found out he was pranked?"
Ryan let out a sigh. I had noticed that Venus was the only one sitting next to him. Lily and Athena stayed with me and Mikey.
"Me and the guys helped Wilbur make a banana creme pie," Ryan continued. "He wanted to get his revenge on Lindsey by throwing the pie at her. And I... kind of... encouraged him."
"Did Wilbur hurt Lindsey?" Leo asked.
"No," Lily chimed in. "The girls and I got back to the house at around ten o'clock central time. The house was dark. I sensed a pie being thrown at Lindsey and I stopped it. I threw it back with my powers. Wilbur caught it mid-air and tried to throw it back to me. Karena got in the middle trying to stop the fight and she got creamed."
Ryan cracked up laughing. Every single person in the room turned towards him and gave him some kind of look. Some of us glared at him. Others raised their eyebrows at him.
"What?" Ryan asked in bewilderment. "Lily made a pun. It was funny!"
"I wasn't trying to make a pun, you backstabber!" Lily yelled back.
"Lilianna Mae Hamato, what did you just call him?" I angrily asked, putting my hands on my hips.
"You heard me, Dad. Ryan actually thought Wilbur throwing the pie at someone was okay."
I shook my head, angry that Lily didn't understand my question.
"I'm with Lily," Athena spoke up. "Ryan actually agreed with Wilbur about revenge."
"Ryan, is this true?" Karai asked her son.
"Yes," Ryan answered, and then glared at Lily and Athena. "You all shouldn't have prank-called Wilbur. It was totally uncalled for."
"Hey!" Athena yelled back. "Leave us out of it! Lindsey decided to do it all on her own."
She paused, her anger quickly washing away. She giggled.
"Though to be fair, it was kind of funny."
"No, it wasn't, Athena!" Lily yelled at her youngest cousin. "I knew it was wrong from the start."
"So why didn't you stop her?" Athena yelled in return.
"Because it didn't seem harmful at the time! But, of course, Wilbur crossed the line."
"Of course?" Ryan repeated, raising his voice. "You're acting like Wilbur does this all the time! I thought you two were best friends!"
"Oh, for heaven's sake, leave our friendship out of this!" Lily shouted back. "This is about whether the pie throwing was right or wrong, and you know that it was wrong."
Before we knew it, Ryan, Lily, and Athena stood up and got at each other's throats. We all glanced at each other with worry while Venus walked out of the dojo with a glum look on her face.
"STOP IT!" Raphael yelled, trying to get in the middle.
I got up and tried to pull Lily out of the argument. Leo and Mikey tried the same thing with their children. But the three cousins continued to yell at each other.
"Okay, that is ENOUGH!" I screamed.
Everyone froze, gazing at me with dropped jaws.
"That's better. Lilianna, Ryan, and Athena, sit down, please."
Lily and Athena sat away from Ryan.
"Ryan, please scooch closer to your cousins," Karai sternly told him.
"No."
"Yeah, please don't," Athena replied with a glare.
"Athena Shea Hamato, is that any way to speak to your cousin?" Renet asked her daughter.
"Lily, please sit closer to Ryan," April told our daughter.
"No, please keep your distance," Ryan said, glaring at her.
"Okay, I think we're all being immature and we need to suck it up," Lily sternly replied.
"Says the one being immature in the first place!"
"Excuse me?"
"Ryan Leonardo Hamato, stop it!" Leo yelled at his son. "Everyone, stop it, right now."
The three cousins, all being spaced apart, glanced at all of us.
"We are not going to get to any kind of solution if you keep fighting and calling each other names," I sternly told them, crossing my arms. "Now let me get this straight. Lindsey came up with the idea to prank Wilbur without an intention of harm. Lily, you thought it was a bad idea to begin with. Athena, you thought the entire experience was funny. Ryan, you didn't think it was very funny and agreed with Wilbur that it was okay to throw a pie at Lindsey to carry out revenge. Lily, you tried defending Lindsey and threw the pie back at Wilbur. And because of the pie being tossed around, Karena, the bride, got hurt. And since then, the only thing you three have been doing is fighting. Is all of that correct?"
"Okay, in my defense, I had no idea who threw the pie," Lily replied.
"I did," Ryan confessed. "I threw the pie at Lindsey."
"You threw it?" Athena asked, glaring daggers at him. "How dare you!"
"Ryan Leonardo, go to your room," Karai sternly told her son.
Ryan hung his head down and stood up.
"Yes, Mother."
Ryan walked out of the dojo.
"What about us, Dad?" Lily asked.
"You both have been behaving poorly," I replied.
"And Athena, since when is it okay to be mean to people?" Mikey asked his daughter, also with his arms crossed. "You're the nicest girl I've ever known and not just because you're my girl."
Athena looked deep in thought. She let out a sigh. She opened her mouth as if to apologize.
"Oh, right."
Athena giggled sheepishly.
"Ryan got sent to his room."
"Dad?"
I turned toward my red-haired daughter.
"I threw the pie back at Wilbur because I was defending my friends," Lily explained. "It's become a second nature for me to defend others."
"That is admirable, but only for the right reasons," I replied. "Granted, this situation is not as bad as the bullying one last fall. But I want to remind you again. There is a right time to use your powers, and there is a wrong time to use them. What could you have done differently?"
"Before I answer that, you're not assuming this is all my fault?" Lily asked with a glimmer of fear in her blue eyes.
I looked into those eyes, and my anger melted away. Instead, I felt compassion.
"No, not this time. I made a promise to never make assumptions again, and I want to prove it to you. I trust you, Lily Mae."
Lily blew a sigh of relief and then smiled at me, ready to give her answer.
"I should not have thrown the pie back at Wilbur. And I admit, I slapped him and called him childish because he was acting like a child."
"So did you," I replied, and then let out a sigh. "Things got way out of hand tonight. April, I would suggest gathering the bridal party and work on some sort of apology to both Karena and Wilbur. Everyone involved needs to apologize to each other."
"Meanwhile, Karai and I will work on some sort of punishment for Ryan," Leo spoke. "He started this entire thing by throwing the pie in the first place."
"What about us, Dad?" Lily asked me.
"Lily, your only punishment is to apologize to Wilbur for throwing the pie back at him."
"Athena, Mom and I would like you to say, I'm sorry, to Ryan for being mean to him," Mikey reprimanded her. "Ryan may have been in the wrong, but it doesn't mean we push him away."
"That reminds me," I chimed in, turning back to my daughter. "I would also like you to apologize to Ryan for calling him a backstabber. That was uncalled for. Did he betray you?"
Lily and Athena glanced at each other.
"No, Dad, he didn't," Lily answered with sadness, and she let out another sigh. "Come on, Athena, let's go."
I watched the girls leave the dojo just as Raph and Mona Lisa returned.
"How's Venus doing?" I asked.
"She's fine," Raph answered. "Sparring with your family is one thing, but fighting against your family? Venus wanted no part of it since she wasn't involved."
"It has been a hard fall semester for her and Ryan," April replied.
"Karena told me she and Venus talk often after school," I said. "I wonder if that's helped her any."
"Her grades went up," Raph replied with a smile.
"I would say her talks with Karena has helped her," Mona said.
Something was bothering me.
"Raph, I remember a fight Ryan and Lily had a few years ago when Lily came home for the first time since she had been kidnapped. Venus wanted to watch, but Mona, you had dragged her away because it didn't involve her. Today, she wanted no part of it. Doesn't she usually love fights?"
"Fighting with the family is one thing," Raph answered. "It's fighting against her family that's bothering her. I'm more surprised about Athena. She never gets into fights."
"Yeah, Athena's usually the one that cheers people up," Renet chimed in. "And that's why she tried out for cheerleading. Lily, too. But Lily is the leader and she's more prone to make mistakes because of that."
April and I glanced at each other, feeling uneasy about what was said.
"At least our daughter learns from her mistakes," April spat out. "That's what it means to be a leader. Not taking the side of vengeance."
"Are you implying that Ryan is not a good leader?" Karai asked angrily.
"Okay, before anyone answers that, let's all cool off for a moment," Leo sternly told us. "We're doing exactly what our children were doing just now."
We all sighed sadly, realizing that Leo was right.
"Let's all go to bed. Let's sleep on it and reconvene in the morning."
LILIANNA'S POV
The entire Hamato family ate breakfast quietly. Not a single word was exchanged this morning. Today was the first day of 2042, and it started in the worst way possible: fighting against each other.
We finished our breakfast pizzas and retreated to the dojo where Uncle Leonardo spoke the first words all morning.
"We are not going to do any sparring or meditating this morning. Each of us are going to take a turn talking about their perspective from last night and apologize to the family member they hurt the most. Are we clear on that?"
We all nodded.
"I'll go first."
Uncle Leo turned toward Ryan.
"Ryan, I had been so concerned about being the best father I can be to you ever since you were born. I became so concerned after almost losing you and your mother. I promised to be the best I can be. And it's hard being perfect. Perhaps I was doing too much to train you to be a leader someday and that's why you struggle with perfection. If I had not been so perfect, you wouldn't have taken Wilbur's side."
"Father, please stop," Ryan told him. "I don't want a perfect father. I just want you. I want you to train me on defense because I clearly do not know how to defend myself. Lily was right. I'm a wimp. No one was going to stand up for me and I don't know how to stand up for myself."
Ryan turned toward my dad.
"Uncle Donnie, I already told Lily this when she stood up for me last fall, but I want to say I'm sorry to you too. I hurt your daughter mentally and that's probably why she didn't feel very confident in herself before. My mother was raised with a sense of vengeance and I learned that from her. I didn't pay enough attention to my father. I felt like a wimp because I'm the only boy in the family. I felt like a coward because Lily would always be the best. But I always took your words to heart about me hurting her. I haven't hurt her, but we did our fair share of fighting. Lily and I forgave each other and I promised myself I'd start being an honorable son. But after last night, I'm not feeling very confident about it anymore. I clearly messed up and I deserve to be punished."
My dad frowned, as did I. Then, my dad smiled.
"Admitting that you made a mistake is a very courageous thing to do," Dad explained. "But Ryan, you are not a coward. You are a very courageous man for doing things you are afraid of doing. After your bullying incident, you could have quit the football team, but you didn't. You kept going. That is bravery, and that you learned from your father, not your mother."
I turned toward Uncle Leo and Auntie Karai, who smiled fondly at their son. My dad then turned to Auntie Karai.
"Karai, April and I spoke about our behavior last night, and I want to apologize for what we thought about your son. It wasn't called for. I hope you can forgive us."
"Of course, Donatello," Auntie Karai replied with a smile.
We took turns sharing our story and apologizing to each other over everything we had thought in the past. Once we were done, I gathered up with Athena and Ryan, and we took the portal to Todayland.
Todayland, North Montana, USA
RYAN'S POV
I arrived at Wilbur's house and looked all over the house for him.
"Oh, Ryan! Thank goodness!"
I turned around to see a frantic Franny running up to me.
"Franny! What's wrong?"
"I can't find Wilbur anywhere! I asked Karena to find him, but it seems like a while since she's been gone."
"Don't worry, Mom," I heard Wilbur say behind her. "We're back."
Franny turned around and blew a sigh of relief. She ran to hug him.
"Oh, thank goodness! Where were you? You had me worried sick!"
"Yeah, me too, Wilbur," I chimed in.
"Ryan?" Wilbur and Karena asked with surprise in their voices. "What are you doing here?"
"I came over to apologize," I explained, truly feeling guilty.
"You're sorry?" Wilbur asked with surprise. "What for?"
"Wilbur, I'm apologizing to you for encouraging you to make that pie in the first place. And Karena, I'm sorry for throwing the pie at Lindsey and hurting you. I truly believed that Lindsey was in the wrong and she deserved to have the pie thrown at her. My... father explained that vengeance is the wrong path."
Wilbur and Karena exchanged glances before turning back to me.
"Well, if it's any consolation, this entire thing was my fault," Wilbur explained with a look of guilt. "My friends from Oklahoma helped me see that. Lindsey has made that prank-call for fun and I took it way too seriously and ended up hurting the person I care for the most."
"But I added gasoline to the fuel," I replied. "After that fight we all had here, we kept on fighting when we got to the lair. It was bad enough that we drove Venus off. Athena and I got punished for our actions."
"Wait, Athena is grounded?" Wilbur asked with surprise. "How did she pull that off?"
"You remember how she told me to stay away from her?"
Wilbur nodded.
"She still wouldn't go near me and even yelled at me. Uncle Mikey grounded her from her phone and her cooking duties for a week."
"And what about Lily?" Karena asked.
"No," I answered. "Lily knew she made mistakes and apologized for them. She and Athena are at Lindsey's apartment as we speak."
"I should go over there and apologize," Wilbur said with shame in his voice. "Come on. We'll take my car."
I followed Wilbur into the garage and hopped into the flying car with him.
"So you and Wilbur went all the way to Oklahoma?" I asked with astonishment. "How did you get back so fast? Did you somehow use one of our portals?"
"Actually, Wilbur had traveled back in time to Oklahoma in 2024," Karena explained. "And that's another story. A couple months ago, Wilbur had time-traveled back to Todayland in 2017, or Regina as it was called back then. He had tried to help his dad's younger self propose to his mom. I got worried and tried to track him. I ended up in Oklahoma instead and met Woody and Bo Pride. They were so hospitable that we decided to invite the Pride Family of today to our wedding. And apparently, Wilbur trusted them enough to go back in time to ask the Prides for help. That's where we were."
"Here we are," Wilbur announced.
The three of us got out of the car and knocked on the door to Lindsey's apartment. She opened the door and frowned on seeing Wilbur's face.
"We need to talk, Lindsey," Wilbur said sheepishly.
"Yes, we do," Lindsey replied. "We all do. Come in."
We walked inside and sat at the table where Lily and Athena already were.
"Thank you for coming," Lily told us. "Now, let's begin. Lindsey, since you started this whole thing, why don't you start?"
Lindsey let out a sigh.
"Wilbur, I am sorry I gave you a prank call. I had no idea you hated being pranked and I was not thinking at all of harming you. I hope you can forgive me."
"I'm sorry for taking things too far," Wilbur replied. "You're right. I hate being pranked. I always have hated it. I've always enjoyed pranking other people, but I get really angry when someone does it to me. I don't really remember why. When someone pranked me, my go-to response is another prank."
"And that's where I come in," I chimed in. "Lindsey, Lily, I'm sorry. I encouraged Wilbur to go through with it because I didn't think what Lindsey did was right. And then, I threw the pie when you girls walked in. I, too, believed another prank was the answer to being pranked. Lily, thank you for forgiving me. And Lindsey, I hope you find it in your heart to forgive me."
"Wilbur, I'm sorry for throwing the pie back at you," Lily said solemnly. "My dad helped me realize that while my intentions were noble, my actions weren't. I should have stopped the fight right there. And Karena, I am so sorry that you were the one that ended up getting hurt. I pray you can forgive me."
"Of course, I forgive you, Lily," Karena replied with a kind smile.
"And Wilbur, Ryan, I forgive you both," Lindsey said.
"And I forgive you, Lindsey," Wilbur replied.
"Hands in?" Athena asked.
We all put our hands together in the middle of the table and lifted them up high, letting out a loud cheer.
January 13, 2042
WILBUR'S POV
Today was the first day of classes for the winter semester. I was in the cafeteria eating breakfast and mentally preparing myself for my first class.
"Is anyone sitting here?" I heard a woman asking me.
"No."
She sat down across from me with her breakfast. I continued eating my breakfast in earnest.
"You truly are hard at work to be the best teacher you can be, Wilbur Robinson."
I spit out my cereal and milk. I looked up to see who I was sitting with and I was floored.
"Lily?!"
Lily, who now had long red hair with short layers and layered bangs, laughed. She wore a black sweater with blue denim jeans and black sneakers. I laughed along with her, quite happy to see her.
"What are you doing here? I thought you were still in high school!"
"Didn't Ryan tell you the news?" Lily asked me, and I shook my head. "My application for early graduation got accepted. I'm attending Todayland University part-time this semester."
I laughed in awe.
"You really can do anything you set your mind to," I replied. "But wait, what about the cheerleading squad? Who's the captain now?"
"Principal Jameson allowed me to participate in winter cheerleading," Lily answered. "My dad helped."
"My point still stands."
Lily laughed.
"So what's with the new hair? I really like it on you."
"Thank you! I wanted to try something new for my first official day of college."
"Lily?!"
We both turned to see James approaching our table. His jaw was dropped as he saw his girlfriend.
"Holy cow!" James exclaimed.
Lily and James embraced each other and kissed each other passionately. I smiled. I had a feeling Lily was going to catch Karena's bouquet at the wedding.
"What are you doing here?" James asked.
I rolled my eyes at the repeat of this conversation and smiled.
"She's a college student now, James," I answered for her. "She graduated high school early."
"Well, congratulations!" James told her. "This is certainly a pleasant surprise."
"That was the point," Lily replied with a wink.
"So how did your cousins do without you last week?"
"Well..."
Lily winced as she told the story.
"Ryan got bullied even more because I wasn't there to defend him."
Lily suddenly grinned, showing the gap in her teeth that perfectly complimented her new hair.
"But Venus boldly defended him with her words and now everyone's scared to bully Ryan. I think Venus found her voice."
"Well, she is one of the top performers in the color guard," I replied. "She may even be the captain of the guard next year. I'm glad she stood up for him."
"I'm glad Venus tried out for the color guard. It's helped her grow."
James, Lily, and I finished eating our breakfast in the cafeteria before we headed our separate ways.
DONATELLO'S POV
My day was just about done. All I needed to do was study each of my students' icebreaker responses in their first day of classes. I heard knocking on my door, and I looked up to see my daughter standing there.
"Lily, come in!" I said with a grin.
Lily came in and closed the door. She sat down across from me and put on a smile.
"How did your first days of classes go apart from being in my class?"
"Dad, I only had two classes today," Lily replied with a smirk.
I facepalmed myself, forgetting that Lily was a part-time student.
"So how did you occupy yourself?" I asked.
Lily looked around, realized the blinds on my door were opened, and she closed them. She continued to stand and turned around to face me.
"So do you remember how I had you make brown eye contact lenses?" she asked me.
"Yes, though I'm unsure why you needed them," I answered with confusion. "You have perfect eyesight and beautiful blue eyes."
"I have done some thinking about what you said after the bullying incident and the pie fight," Lily explained. "Right now, I am Lilianna Hamato. But..."
My daughter started to spin around. Suddenly, a bright light flashed in my office and I had to look away to not be blinded. I looked back to see Lily wearing a white jumpsuit with a wide strap over her right shoulder while her left shoulder was exposed. She wore white boots on her feet. Lastly, she wore her white mask over her blue eyes, her brown contact lenses disappearing out of sight, and the mask blended in with her red braid. Her short layers were pulled back, blending in with the braid, and so were her new bangs. Wearing red lipstick, she flashed me her gap-toothed grin.
"What do you think?" she asked.
My jaw dropped. I was speechless. Lily giggled, walking up to me and closing my jaw.
"How did you do that?" I asked in astonishment. "Did you take a page out of Wonder Woman's book or something?"
"Ding, ding, ding!" Lily replied enthusiastically. "When the bullying incident happened, someone had caught me using my powers. I don't ever want that to happen to me again, so I had you make me those brown contact lenses. You see, with them on, I can't read minds. The contact lenses are a barrier to my powers."
"Oh, oh!" I exclaimed. "I get it now! So when you do want to use your powers, you use the Lynda Carter spin to reveal your true self."
"Exactly. My mom helped me perfect it."
"So why the brown contact lenses then?" I asked. "You could have picked any color."
"Because I'm your daughter, Dad," Lily answered with a fond smile. "And I love you. If I didn't have my mom's blue eyes, I'd definitely have your amber brown ones."
I could not help but return the fond smile.
"Come here."
Lily walked over to me and we embraced each other.
"I love you and I am proud of you," I told her. "You have become so much wiser over the past four years. You're probably even wiser than me."
My daughter chuckled.
"No, Dad, I'm not. I'm still a reckless teenager. But I promise one day to be just as wise as you. And Dad?"
"Hmm?"
We pulled apart.
"When I'm dressed like this, let's not call myself Lily or Lilianna. I need a name for this identity."
"I guess your real name is your secret identity now," I replied, fully supportive of her. "What kind of name do you have in mind?"
"Well, Uncle Leo always tells me to be bold like the sun," my daughter explained. "I was thinking maybe we can do the Japanese name for sun?"
"That's a good idea. Give me a moment."
I sat back down at my desk, trying to brush up on my Japanese.
"Or maybe I can do my Japanese name?" Lily thought out loud.
"No, if we use your name in Japanese, someone's going to trace that right back to you," I sternly replied. "Now let's see... Akino is sun in Japanese."
"Really?" Lily asked with a complexed expression. "I'm not digging it."
"I agree. Now let's see... what about Haru?"
"Eh, I'm not feeling that either."
"Well, there's Aurora which is Latin for dawn, or Heulwen, sun-blessed in Welsh. What about either one of those?"
"No."
Lily suddenly chuckled.
"I understand the struggle you and Mom had when finding a name for me."
"If you were a boy, we would have been in trouble," I replied, remembering the memory fondly well. "Let's try a different approach. Your biggest trait is compassion. Let's try something there."
I typed something up on my laptop.
"Ah! I think I found something. Aumanil is a name in Inuit mythology that means a kind and compassionate spirit."
"I like that!" Lily replied. "Could we look up names that mean dove too?"
"I think we already got out name, Lily Mae," I replied with my own gap-toothed grin. "Or should I say Aumanil?"
"Aumanil, it is, Donatello."
"Now, Lily--"
"Donnie, it's Aumanil right now. Which means when I'm dressed like this, no one can know you're my dad."
I let out a defeated sigh.
"I don't like it, but I understand."
"Don't be down, Donnie," Aumanil assured me, putting a hand on my cheek. "You're a superhero too, you know. Your name is Dad, but when you're not being a superhero, you're Donatello Hamato."
I smiled fondly.
"I never thought of it like that," I replied. "And you're not wrong, either."
"You're my hero, Donnie, and I love you for it."
Aumanil kissed me on the cheek. I continued to smile as she spun the opposite direction into her identity as Lily.
"I do believe you need to reveal this to the rest of the family," I suggested.
ATHENA'S POV
"And now, I'd like to introduce you to a very special girl," Lily said.
The rest of us sat with excitement as Lily started to spin around in place. There was a bright light, and I had to turn away. When I turned back, Lily was in a new white jumpsuit that somehow revealed her bo staff sheathed on her back, aligning with her right strap perfectly.
"Whoa!" Ryan, Venus, and I exclaimed at the same time.
"I am Aumanil," Lily explained. "That is what I will be called from now on during our patrols."
"But why Aumanil?" Ryan asked. "What does it mean?"
"Aumanil means a kind and compassionate spirit," Uncle Donnie explained. "I helped her pick it out. The point of Lily having two identities is that she doesn't make the same mistakes twice, and at the same time, be true to herself."
"Oh, I get it!" Venus replied. "I think it's awesome you're now a superhero, Lily."
"I'm still the same person, Venus," Lily, or Aumanil, explained. "I'm just growing up."
"You have grown very powerful, Lilianna," Uncle Leo warned her. "You may even be more powerful than your mother. But you need to be careful. Most superheroes struggle at first to maintain their identities."
"Leonardo, I have been trained by the best ninja masters in the world," Aumanil explained. "And I've been training ever since I was a young girl. I feel very confident about this. I've made mistakes, and I've learned from them. The best part about all this is that I have Donatello's support."
"You have my support too, Aumanil," Aunt April replied with a fond smile. "I am so very proud of you for taking your next step."
"You are a natural!" Ryan complimented her. "I think I may like Aumanil more than Lilianna."
"I think what Ryan means to say is that the three of us are behind you no matter if you're Aumanil or Lilianna," Venus said with a smirk.
"Venus is right," Uncle Leo said with a fond smile. "You have my support, and I also speak for Uncles Raphael and Michelangelo when I say they'll have your back also."
"So wait, do you change back into Lily at some point?" I asked.
"Yes, but first, Leonardo, may I participate in a training exercise with Athena?"
"You may."
I gathered my practice arrows and prepared myself to spar with my cousin.
"No, Athena, the real ones."
"Sorry, what?!" I asked with shock.
Aumanil held her arms up to reveal the shiniest bracelets I had ever seen.
"What is that?" I asked.
"Titanium," Aumanil explained. "I was almost killed by a gunshot once. I found titanium in Donatello's things and made these bracelets out of it. I wanna see if they work."
"I'm shooting real arrows at you?!" I asked, horrified at what my cousin was asking of me.
"Yes. Don't worry. You won't harm me."
"If you're sure."
I gathered my real arrows as Aumanil prepared herself in front of the tree. I docked the arrow against my cheek, and I released it, aiming right at her.
DING!
My arrow fell to the ground as Aumanil deflected it off her bracelet. I released another arrow.
DING!
"Athena, go ahead and speed up," Uncle Leo said.
I pretended I was in a real battle. I released a frenzy of arrows at my red-haired cousin. Aumanil deflected every single one as if she knew they were coming. Then again, she was a psychic, so it did not surprise me very much.
"Who are you, Wonder Woman?" I asked with total shock in my voice.
"Can Wonder Woman read minds?" Aumanil asked with her gap-toothed grin.
"Good point," Ryan and Venus replied at the same time.
"Oh, please," Uncle Raphael said with annoyance. "Anyone can deflect arrows."
"But can you deflect a gunshot, Raphael?" Aumanil asked with a raised eyebrow underneath her white mask. "Leonardo, I want to be more prepared. Can we make that happen?"
"Lilianna, you know how we feel about guns."
"I do."
I heard my Uncle Donnie letting out a sigh.
"I know one person who owns a gun: Casey."
"I agree," Aumanil replied. "But I do not want Casey firing that gun. I have a better idea for that."
LILIANNA'S POV
I prepared myself to defend myself from the bullets from Casey's gun. Wilbur was now present. He was the perfect person to fire the gun as he had perfect aim.
I crossed my arms in front of me and Wilbur aimed his gun. He fired.
DING!
I deflected the shot easily. The rest of my family had covered their ears. Wilbur fired again, and I blocked the shot. He fired three consecutive shots, and I blocked all three.
"Let's make it interesting, Lilianna," Wilbur taunted me. "Now shoot me. I wanna see how much I've improved with my powers."
"Are you sure you want to do this?" I asked nervously. "You might get hurt."
"Wilbur, you forget that I'm a psychic too," Mom replied. "When in doubt, I will let no harm come to you."
I aimed the gun at Wilbur. He stood with his right foot forward and his hands clenched. He closed his eyes, concentrating as hard as possible. I fired the gun, and I heard a humming sound, which meant Wilbur's mental shield was working. I fired two more bullets at him, both of which hit his shield. Unfortunately, Wilbur was quickly getting tired. I fired once more, and while the bullet did hit his shield, Wilbur immediately got down on his knees.
"Are you okay?" I asked.
"I think so," Wilbur answered. "Those bullets are tougher than they look."
"Let's try something easy then, like Athena's arrows," April suggested. "But this time, try protecting someone else. Athena can pick the target."
I sat down next to my other two cousins as Athena gathered her arrows again. At first, Athena aimed at me.
"Keep in mind, Athena, that Lily-- I mean, Aumanil, can defend herself with her titanium bracelets," Dad reminded her. "Maybe try a target that has the most trouble with defense."
Athena then aimed at Ryan. Wilbur stood up and prepared himself again to use his shield. Athena released an arrow and it fell short of Ryan's face. The arrow fell to the ground. Athena released two more arrows, one to Venus, and another to Mona Lisa. Wilbur was able to protect them.
"Now aim at me, Athena," Uncle Leo told her.
She aimed at our sensei. She fired an arrow. While Wilbur was able to defend Uncle Leo from the arrow, he ended up collapsing again.
"You look like me when I was first mastering my powers," Mom said with a compassionate smile. "Do not worry, Wilbur. You will get stronger as you grow."
"So, Lily, what does this mean for you?" Wilbur asked me. "You're just going to go on patrol as Aumanil from now on?"
"Correct," Dad and I answered at the same time with grins on our faces.
"Does that mean I need a secret identity too?"
I walked toward my friend and put a hand on his shoulder.
"Wilbur, I've made mistakes, mistakes that got my cover blown. I thought about things and realize I don't ever want to feel trapped again. As Aumanil, I feel free to use my gifts to save the world one day at a time while still maintaining my identity as Lilianna Hamato. This isn't just something I want to do. It's something I have to do. Wilbur, you are gifted with the power of concealment. You are amazing at hiding things. That's why Uncle Leo trained you to be a ninja in the first place. Your cover was never blown. Not since your time machine incident."
"Lilianna is right," Uncle Leo chimed in. "This is the best solution for her, and for you."
"I understand, sensei," Wilbur replied before turning to me. "so, Aumanil, should we try a patrol with your new identity?"
I gave him a firm nod with a determined grin. My cousins and Wilbur rode in the Shellraiser while I used my powers to fly alongside them.
"LILY CAN FLY?!" Athena asked with surprise in her voice.
"Shh!" I heard Wilbur shushing her.
"Be thankful we're not out of the sewers yet," Venus replied. "But be wary. We're almost there."
Before we knew it, we were on the streets of New York City. I flew up to a higher altitude so that I would not be spotted. I smiled and giggled, feeling totally free. I felt the wind blow my bangs away from my face and it felt amazing.
"How's the view up there, Aumanil?" Venus asked.
"It's so amazing!" I answered, letting out some more giggles.
"You are so lucky to be born with powers, you know," Athena said.
"It felt so weird at first," I replied. "I was kidnapped when I first started hearing thoughts. I had no idea what kind of potential I would unlock from that experience. My parents would call my powers blessings. I only hope I use them right from now on."
"You will, Aumanil," Ryan kindly told me. "All of us are behind you every step of the way."
We travelled all around the city and found no traces of crime in the city. The city was at peace tonight, and so we returned home.
February 16, 2042 - Todayland, North Montana, USA
KARENA'S POV
The Robinson and Hamato families decided to meet together in the living room for a wedding meeting. Cornelius and Franny stood up and clinked their glasses together.
"Let's settle down, everyone," Franny announced as all eyes turned to her.
"I want to thank everyone for gathering here on short notice," Cornelius spoke with gratitude and a smile. "Because Franny and I are hosts in this wedding and reception, we have decided to discuss with all of you the seating arrangement, both at the ceremony and at the reception."
"Now, we have already agreed that the Hamato family, representing Karena, will be seated on the left side of the aisle," Franny continued. "Now remind me which of you are in the wedding party?"
"Athena and I are bridesmaids," Lily answered. "And Ryan is a groomsman."
"I am Karena's matron of honor," April chimed in.
"And Karai and I are the officiants," Leonardo replied.
Wait, do ushers count as being part of the wedding party?" Raphael asked.
"Not exactly," Donatello answered. "But we have four ushers. Do we need all four of them after the bride makes her entrance?"
"That is an excellent question," Cornelius replied. "And we'll get to that later. For now, let's disregard the ushers. Remind me who they are?"
"Fritz and I are ushers." Grandpa Bud answered.
"And so are Mona and me," Raph chimed in.
"Since Fritz and Bud are elderly, may I suggest we seat them prior to the ceremony starting?" Donnie asked. "Raph and Mona can assist with the processional and recessional."
"What do you think, Dad?" Cornelius asked.
"I think that is a wonderful idea, Donnie!" Grandpa Bud answered enthusiastically.
"So when we discuss the seating arrangements at the ceremony, let's be sure to save seats for Grandpa Bud and Uncle Fritz," Franny said. "But now, let's get back to the Hamato family. April is the matron of honor, so she'll be standing with the bride. Donnie, on the other hand, is escorting Karen down the aisle, and then he'll be taking a seat. He should have the first seat inside the aisle. Donnie, how would you suggest handling that row from your seat?"
"Well, Mikey will be the only brother left," Donnie replied. "But he's the DJ. Renet will be walking in as the flower girl and can sit next to me after her role. Venus, who is in charge of the flower arrangements, can sit next to Renet. And that is it on our side."
"Wait, seriously?" Wilbur asked with a bewildered look. "That's only three seats! There are eight chairs per row on each side of the aisle. We need to fill the other five seats somehow."
"Okay, then let's discuss the Robinson side," Cornelius proposed. "Who all is involved with the party?"
"Tallulah and I are both in the party," Laszlo answered. "And so is Carl. And then Uncle Bud and Dad are ushers."
"But remember, Laszlo, they get seats, too," Franny reminded him. "Cornelius and I would easily get the first two seats on the right side. I would suggest Grandpa Bud and Grandma Lucille get the next two seats."
"Now, Aunt Billie is the ringbearer," Cornelius continued. "She should have a seat in the front row with Unde Joe."
"Who has to be on the outside due to his being in a wheelchair," Aunt Billie chimed in. "So that leaves two seats left. Who should claim them?"
"Let's give them to Uncle Fritz and Aunt Petunia," Wilbur suggested. "And then Uncle Art and Uncle Gaston can sit with the rest of the Hamato, family. I hope that's okay."
"That is fine with us," Uncle Art replied with a bold smile.
"So only the first row is going to be reserved?" Cornelius asked. "This is going better than I expected."
"Agreed!" Franny replied enthusiastically. "So now, the reception, which is probably going to be harder to nail."
"I was thinking we could have the bridal table where the stage is," Cornelius suggested. "And then we'll have the tables all along the ballroom so that the middle is saved up for the dance floor. We need just to figure out who is sitting with whom."
"I think I have an idea on how to make this easier," April proposed, standing up. "If you are the bride, groom, bridesmaids, or groomsmen, let's go to the side of the room!"
"April, wait!" I yelled, realizing something that I started to feel guilty about. "April, you and Donnie are married. You can't be in two seats at oncel"
"What do you mean?" Donnie asked.
"Cornelius just suggested a bridal table, which means April would be sitting with me. But I don't want you two to be apart on a day about love. I want you two to be together."
I turned towards my fiancé.
"Wilbur, what do you say about the two of us having our own table on the stage with Mikey next to us?" I suggested. "And Renet, as his wife, you are more than welcome to sit with him."
"I love this idea!" Michelangelo replied happily. "My wife being a flower girl and a DJ? I can't say no to that!"
Renet and Wilbur chuckled at Mikey's enthusiasm.
"I like this idea too," Wilbur replied. "After all, it was technically April and Donatello who brought us together... and back together again. I agree with Karena."
"Me too," Renet replied happily. "I don't ever get a chance to be a DJ, whatever that means. But if it's me and Mikey together, who am I to say no? But what about Athena?"
"I'll sit with the family, Mom," Athena replied with a smile. "It's okay."
"This may be a better idea anyway," Cornelius replied, jotting down some notes. "Alright, so Wilbur and Karena will have their sweetheart table while Michelangelo and Renet will also have table of their own. So, now each table will have eight chairs. Let's start with the Robinson side. Of course, Franny and I will have two seats."
"You may want to leave me and Art out," Uncle Gaston chimed in. "We're making dinner and we may be on our feet all night preparing the food and cleaning it up."
"Me too," Grandma Lucille said. "I'm in charge of the cake."
"Fritz and I will sit with you two," Grandpa Bud chimed in.
"So will Joe and me," Aunt Billie replied.
"Who's left there?" Wilbur asked.
"If I may chime in," I spoke up. "Could Randy and Lindsey sit there? They're the only two wedding party members not related to either family. And they're a couple."
"Sure!" Franny answered enthusiastically. "We'd be happy to have them with us! Now, Donnie and April, you two are the head of your table. We know Mikey and Renet will not be with you guys."
"Umm, guys, what about me and Laszlo?" Tallulah chimed in.
I let out a loud gasp. I had totally forgotten about them.
"Tallie, I am so sorry!" I cried.
"Me too, Tallulah," Franny replied with a frown. "You and Laszlo can sit with us."
"We can move Lindsey and Randy to another table," I said.
"May I suggest Lindsey and Randy taking Mikey and Renet's place at our table?" Donnie asked. "The only people we'll have to worry about then is the kids."
"Woody and Bo have accepted our invitation," Wilbur chimed in. "Maybe we can seat the Hamato cousins with them? They're bringing their daughter Justine along."
"That is fine!" Franny replied. "So there's one spare chair."
"Grandma Lucille can sit there if she needs to," Wilbur said.
"Yeah!" Lily replied enthusiastically. "We'll be happy to help her relax. What do you think, Lucille?"
"Thank you," Grandma Lucille said affectionately, putting her hands over her heart. "But can you and Athena do something in return?"
"Sure!" Athena and Lily replied at the same time.
"Would you two help me cut the cake after Wilbur and Karena take their first bite?"
"Of course!"
"Well, that settles it for our families," Cornelius announced with enthusiasm. "Wilbur, Karena, I will let you two take over from there. On what date did you set the deadline for RSVPs?"
"The month before," Wilbur answered. "April eleventh."
"Is there anything else we need to discuss that's wedding related?" Franny asked.
"Yes," Leo answered. "We need to discuss the ceremony timeline."
"Which probably means we're not needed," Uncle Art replied.
"Me neither," Venus chimed in with a saddened look.
"Venus, you are more than welcome to join me in the kitchen." Grandma Lucille offered. "I'd love to learn more about where you got your fabulous tail!"
Venus grinned from ear to ear as she followed Grandma Lucille up the travel tube. Mona and Raph gazed in that direction with fond smiles on their faces.
"Now I want to try her cookies," Raph said with fondness in his voice.
"They're to die for," Cornelius replied. "Alright, Leonardo, you're in charge. What do you have in mind?"
"That is something to ask Karena and Wilbur," Leo replied.
"We're both Christians," I explained. "But we also understand you're not. We want you to perform a ceremony that is comfortable for you too."
"Karena, did Donnie tell you he and April did not do a traditional Japanese ceremony?" Leo asked, and I nodded. "I may not be a Christian, but I am flexible. Donnie, April, and Lily are also Christians, so they may be more willing to help me out with this than anything."
Donnie dropped his jaw in astonishment. There was a glint of fear in his amber eyes.
"How did you know we were Christians?" he asked in shock.
"I've known ever since you started to smile all the time," Leo explained with a smile. "You see, I thought it was just because you and April got married. But when I meditated, Master Splinter revealed that you and April were in a better place than any of us could possibly be. I figured out you found the answers you were looking for this whole time, and Donnie, I am very happy for you."
Donnie slowly closed his mouth and gave his big brother a huge smile.
"That... means more to me than I ever thought it would," Donnie replied. "I was here thinking the entire time that you and Raph would judge me and my family and we'd be kicked out of the clan for our beliefs."
"Donnie, we're not going to kick you out just because you have a different set of beliefs," Leo replied with laughter. "We're your brothers. We love you and want what's best for you. If anything, your beliefs now have made you a better person. You've become... humbler and more kind than you ever have been. And we love you for it. You won't receive any judgment from me."
"Me too, little brother," Raph chimed in. "I would still sacrifice my life for you no matter what you think about life."
"Thank you, guys," Donnie replied with a big smile. "I was afraid this entire time only to find that I didn't need to be."
I witnessed a group hug between the Turtles, and I couldn't help but smile.
"They've truly grown up," I told my fiancé.
"Okay, guys, now we really need to talk about the ceremony." Leo said with laughter. "Donnie, say you were the officiant. What would you say?"
"Leo, what you said at my wedding was absolutely perfect," Donnie answered. "Especially so because April and I weren't Christians yet. You could do a similar introduction and have the bridal party do some readings from the Bible."
"Wait, back up," Franny chimed in. "What about the processional? May we talk about that first?"
"Yes, please," I answered. "I actually have an idea. Franny, you and Cornelius are Wilbur's parents and Bud and Lucille are his grandparents? Why don't we start off with Bud and Lucille walking down the aisle followed by you and Cornelius? And I know the perfect song for it too: I Will Be Here For You by Michael W. Smith."
"That's a great idea, Karena!" Uncle Bud replied.
"It really is," Wilbur said. "It shows everyone who came before us while also bringing back memories of their own wedding day."
Mikey jotted the song down in his phone.
"Alright, now are we planning on having the groomsmen stand with Wilbur at the start, or will they be escorting the bridesmaids down the aisle?" Leo asked.
"Since Lindsey and Randy are a couple, I think we should have the groomsmen escort the bridesmaids down the aisle," I answered.
"Yeah, and James and Lily are a couple too," Wilbur chimed in. "It makes sense."
"Now, should we do the same song here?" Mikey asked. "It is four-and-a-half minutes long."
"Why don't we try this outside?" Donnie suggested. "The ceremony is going to take place in the garden. Karena and I can take Lindsey and Randy's spot for today."
'"Let's vamoosel" Franny answered.
Wilbur and I followed Franny and Cornelius outside to the ganden.
"I'm glad Lily already gave my parents the idea of having the ceremony here," Wilbur whispered to me. "It's perfect. And..."
Wilbur started to shiver.
"It's cold!"
"Okay everyone, back inside!" Franny yelled. "The Turtles are going to freeze out here!"
"You and your bright ideas, Don!" Wilbur yelled.
"I'm sorry!" Donnie replied. "I forgot how cold it gets here. It's colder than New York!"
"Well, if the song doesn't cover it all, then we should propose a song for the bridesmaids and groomsmen," Leo suggested. "Lily, do you have something in mind?"
"Why are you asking me?" Lily asked in reply.
"Because you're good with music," Raph answered.
"Well, it could be a song about Wilbur and Karen's future as husband and wife, like Taylor Swift's Lover," Lily explained. "Or maybe Savage Garden's Truly Madly Deeply."
"That one!" Wilbur and I exclaimed at the same time.
"I never thought of that for the processional," Wilbur said with a smile. "That particular song in the processional is like the bridge with me on one end and Karena in the other. The song fits the processional perfectly."
"That song is also four-and-a-half minutes long," Mikey chimed in. "it might work! It probably means we can't use all of the Michael W. Smith song."
"Wait, what if Wilbur doesn't start out at the altar?" Karai suggested. "What if there's no one there at the start? Leo and I could walk down the aisle first as the officiants, followed by Wilbur's grandparents and parents, and then have Wilbur walk in by himself. That way, Michelangelo can play that first song for a longer time."
"That's actually a good idea," Wilbur replied. "You just need to be careful to not have me see Karena before the ceremony."
"Raphael and I will take care of that," Mona Lisa chimed in. "Everyone who will be walking to the first song will stand outside while the bridal party stays inside. Once Wilbur reaches the aisle, then we'll open the doors to reveal the bridal party."
"Which is the transition I need to switch songs," Mikey replied. "So, my next question is, what song will Karena and Donnie be walking to?"
"This," I answered, putting on Pachelbel's Canon in D.
"That's beautiful, " Donnie replied. "And also a classic."
"Could you send me that song, Karena?" Mikey asked.
I texted the song to Mikey.
"Now we just need the song for the recessional."
"Wait, not just that," I chimed in, and then I turned to Lily. "Lily, instead of a reading, would you do me the honor of singing a song during the ceremony?"
"I'd be honored to!" Lily answered enthusiastically. "Let me find which one to sing!"
"Meanwhile, we'll work on the recessional," Wilbur replied.
"The recessional is going to be the reverse way we came in, right?" I asked. "Only it's me and Wilbur instead of me and Donnie."
"Right," Leo confirmed. "And Karai and I will remain up here with Donnie, Billie, and Renet."
"Well, I found the song I'm going to sing." Lily announced. "Uncle Mikey, it's Celine Dion's How Does a Moment Last Forever."
"Got it. And the recessional?"
"I want to do something instrumental here," I answered.
"I think I have an idea," Renet chimed in. "While I visited Mikey in the past, I got hooked on a show called When Calls the Heart, and their music is absolutely heartfelt and sweet. We could either do the main theme or we can do a track called The Wedding."
Mikey looked up both songs. He played the main theme first.
"This one could work before the wedding ceremony," Mikey explained. "Let's listen to the other one."
We listened to the music for a few minutes.
"This song isn't going to work," Mikey explained. "For one, the wedding march is in here. While the ending of the song is fitting for the recessional, it's too short."
"Let's keep looking then," I replied.
We all searched for songs in our phones.
"There's It's Your Day by Yiruma," Franny suggested.
"What about Third Day's Love Song?" Lily suggested.
"What about Never Knew I Needed by Ne-Yo?" Wilbur asked.
"Well, it's a ceremony," Mikey replied. "And I agree with Karena. It is best to go with instrumental, so I think we should go with Yiruma's It's Your Day, and it really is your day, Karena and Wilbur."
"So it looks like we just need to figure out what I'm going to say and who's going to read what," Leo said. "But I'm sure we can figure that out on our own time."
"I think we've accomplished everything we want to for now," Franny replied. "We can address everything else at a closer date."
"Thank you for meeting with us, Hamato family," Cornelius closed out the meeting.
