Here is part two of the search montage, which comes with quite a few surprises. Also, I rewrote Wesley's birth from my original "A New Life," which I am encouraging you to read if you'd like to learn how Karena and Wilbur tackled parenthood. Ignore the part of Lily being in New York - it hasn't happened yet. In fact,... read this chapter!... and review it if you'd like!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything related to "Meet the Robinsons," "TMNT," nor "Lord of the Rings." I only own Lilianna, Venus, Athena, James, Jasper, Anna, Karena, Diana, and Wesley.
January 14, 2049 - Jacksonville, Florida, USA
ATHENA'S POV
I had just finished exploring the entirety of the state of Florida with my parents, even though my father kept getting distracted at the idea of having fun at Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando. It took both me and my mother to sternly tell him...
"NO."
We got settled into our hotel for the night before we would venture into Georgia to search for Baxter Stockman there.
"Well, let's do a seven-eleven," Mom suggested.
"Anna and Jasper explored Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri, Indiana, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas," Dad started as I gave him a look of surprise. "I think the only thing they found was their love for each other."
"I thought they were just friends?" I replied.
"Lily's told us all about the kiss," Mom said with a wink. "But Anna doesn't know that we know. But anyway, yes, they couldn't find Stockman. Anna couldn't sense him with her powers of foresight."
"Then Justine and Ryan, with the help of the Pride family, traveled throughout Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana," Dad continued. "And there was no sign of him."
"Lily had no luck in Washington, Oregon, or Northern California so far," I chimed in. "And neither did Wilbur when he explored the states south and east of New York."
"And Wilbur has told me the timelines are still normal," Mom replied. "But it is possible Stockman could discover time travel. So Wilbur has warned us to be wary, Athena."
"That reminds me, how is work going, Athena?" Dad asked me.
"It's going well!" I answered with a grin. "I've finally settled in as the new teacher and I think Mom's finally settling in as the Temporal Crimes Division's new team coordinator. Amy loves working with her."
"Athena, stop," Mom replied with blushing going in her cheeks. "What else happened, Mikey?"
"Donnie and April ventured off into Canada, the Montanas, and the Dakotas. April couldn't find Stockman with her powers."
"So now it's our turn," I replied. "And so far we found--"
"Zilch," Dad interrupted me with a grim look on his face.
"Zero," Mom said grimly.
"Nada," I finished our thoughts, tossing my T-Phone onto the bed.
"I even used the time scepter to try to find him," Mom explained with a frown on her face. "Nothing. Now I understand why everyone's so frustrated. I mean, how hard is it to find a fly?"
"A mutant fly, excuse you," Dad chimed in.
"Why do I get the feeling that Lily's going to be the one to find Stockman again?" I asked. "She found Stockman that one time in Chinatown back in New York."
"Lily's definitely more powerful than her mother," Mom replied.
"But she's also been busy with James," Dad said with a smirk. "She and James are still trying for a baby."
"They've been trying for over two years now," I replied with a frown. "And meanwhile, Karena's pregnant with her second child, a boy. I wonder how Lily's been taking it."
"Not very well," Mom answered. "Lily declined being the baby's godmother."
"Really?" Dad and I asked at the going same time as we exchanged a glance of concern.
"So who will be the godmother?" I asked.
"Karena's asked Tallulah to be the godmother," Mom answered again. "And Carl's gonna be the godfather."
"I wonder if that means the baby's gonna be moving to Todayland someday," Dad said. "But anyway, what's the plan when we get to Georgia tomorrow?"
"We'll keep looking," I explained. "We'll take Interstate-95 north. Then we get on Interstate-16 and search throughout the city of Atlanta. Then we'll cover however we can of the borders of Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, and Florida before taking Interstate-95 back to New York."
My parents let out sighs.
"Florida was already a long trip," Dad complained. "The trip through Georgia is gonna be just as long if we don't find Stockman."
"Let's keep our fingers crossed, Mikey," Mom going comforted him. "If we don't find Stockman, then at least we spent quality time together as a family. I needed this trip very much."
"I did too," I replied with a smile. "Once you've been at a new job for so long, you need a break. And I'm happy it was to Florida and Georgia. Florida is a beautiful state. I hope Georgia will be just as beautiful."
February 3, 2049 - Clarksville, Tennessee, USA
LEONARDO'S POV
Since Kentucky and Tennessee were next to each other, Raph, Karai, and I decided to go together. Donnie had taken over as the sensei of the Hamato Clan while we were gone and I knew with faith that Donnie would be a fantastic teacher when needed. After all, he had been a teacher himself for over thirty years and his students admired him.
The first few days of the trip were spent traveling to Kentucky and driving all over the state. Kentucky was surprisingly easy to drive around compared to the states everyone else had to patrol. It had surprised Karai when we discovered the capital of Kentucky was not as big as she thought it would be. In fact, Louisville and Lexington were the big cities of the state, and the latter was very well known for their horses. We were not surprised to not find Baxter Stockman in Kentucky. We had also found out that Karena's father Jonathan Edwards had passed away, and so the Robinsons flew out to Los Angeles to grieve. Lily and Anna were there with them.
Today, we drove into Tennessee on Interstate-24. We knew Tennessee was going to be harder to drive through because the Smoky Mountains were in the east.
"So Tennessee was your state, Leo," Raph spoke gruffly as I drove. "What's the plan?"
"Nashville seems to be the center of everything," Karai explained, examining her map on her T-Phone. "Once we reach Nashville, we'll take Interstate-40 to the west towards Memphis. That will be our second big city to search. We return to Nashville and head south towards Chattanooga. We'll drive north again to Cookville, and then take I-40 east to Knoxville and the Smoky Mountains. And from there we'll take Interstate-81 home."
"So we'll be driving around the mountains?" Raph asked.
"Raphael, you claimed Virginia too, right? Why not patrol that state on the way home? The interstate goes right through it. That way, you'll already have the west part patrolled."
"No, that will take too long," I answered on my brother's behalf. "We had a plan and we're sticking by it. So, Nashville?"
"Fine," Raph gruffly replied. "But there better not be any country music involved in this."
"Who in this family likes country anyway?" Karai asked curiously.
"Lily, Renet, and, of course, Justine," I answered. "Justine's a born Oklahoman. She was practically raised a country girl. I wouldn't be surprised if Ryan had taken a liking to country music as a result."
"I don't think so. Justine's been hesitant to go back to Oklahoma and Ryan loves it in Todayland. Justine may always be a country girl, but she'll never convert Ryan."
"Speaking of converting, how's their marriage going with them practicing two different religions?" Raph asked. "What does Justine practice?"
"Christianity, just like Lily, Donnie, and April," I answered. "Unlike them, however, Justine was raised in it. But they respect each other and make their backgrounds work for them. That's what Donnie and April did."
"Yeah, but now Donnie and April are practicing their religion together," Karai replied. "Do they even follow the Shinto religion anymore?"
"No, they've fully converted. But Donnie does have a better understanding of it. Honestly, I'm happy for them. Donnie changing religions is probably the best thing to happen to him. I don't want to get in the way of that. Maybe one day Justine will convert to the ways of the Shinto or Ryan will become a Christian."
"I can't see Ryan being a Christian," Raph replied. "He's your son, Leo, and he always tries so hard to be like you."
"But how do you feel about having a Christian for a daughter-in-law?" Karai asked me.
"Look, guys, Justine is my daughter now," I explained myself. "Whether she practices Christianity or the Shinto religion, that's not going to change the fact that I love her. She gave me a grandson, for goodness sakes! And I love that she's willing to learn new things. And I enjoy training her to be a kunoichi. Our clan is a family, no matter what. If Justine is happy, then it is good enough for me. And the same goes for Ryan. Now let's just relax for a little bit while I drive us to Nashville."
We sat in a strange silence as I continued to drive us to Nashville where we spent the night.
March 18, 2049 - Monument Valley, Utah, USA
ANNA'S POV
"Jasper, why am I closing my eyes?" I asked with a giggle.
"Because you about to see one of the most beautiful things about the United States," Jasper answered.
I could tell he had a grin on his face as he continued to drive. I had started our journey east on my water stallion but as it became desert, it was hard to find a source of water. I had been riding with Jasper since we left Barstow, California. We had crossed into Nevada and explored the entirety of the state for three days. We had stayed in Las Vegas for one night and we ventured into Utah. We traveled north yesterday and today, we traveled south.
After hearing the news that Athena could not find Stockman in Florida nor Georgia, and after hearing Raphael and Leonardo say their searches in Kentucky and Tennessee proved fruitless, I felt discouraged when I could not find Stockman in Southern California nor Nevada. Our search in Utah was proving to be fruitless as well until Jasper told me to close my eyes.
Suddenly, I felt the car stop.
"Why are we stopping?" I asked.
I felt Jasper giving me the most amusing look possible and I broke into laughter.
"For a half-elf, you don't listen very well," Jasper said, breaking into laughter himself. "Now, do you trust me?"
"Yes, Jasper, I do."
I suddenly felt myself getting scooped up and carried out of the car. I laughed with joy at the feeling when suddenly, another memory came into my mind. My father had carried my mother into the house in Minas Tirith the same way Jasper had just now carried me. My mother had then turned around and told my father she was expecting another child. My father had laughed with such high spirits and had immediately left to spread the news.
"Okay, Anna, open your eyes."
I was quickly brought back to life as I opened my eyes... to the most grandest view I had ever seen.
"Whoa!" I exclaimed quietly, in awe at the view I was seeing.
Jasper has stopped at the intersection of many roads while the skies were orange and purple. The sun was still quite high, though it was about to set. But I gazed around and I was surrounded by small, flat mountains made of red stone. It was so beautiful.
"What do you think?" Jasper asked.
"It's absolutely beautiful!" I answered, still in awe at this beauty. "My father would absolutely love it if he was here."
"Maybe you can enjoy it for him."
I let out quite the sigh of contentment.
"I am! And I know he is, too. How did you ever come across it?"
"My father took my mother here during their honeymoon," Jasper explained. "The way he told me about this place... it made me want to show it to a special woman myself."
I glanced over to him and I realized he had feelings for me. But was I ready to return them? I remember kissing Jasper but it was because I had just come home from perhaps the biggest trial of my life. Then I had made love with him when we traveled to Missouri. But was it love?
I shook my thoughts out of my head and continued to gaze out at the small mountains and the sunset behind them. I took out my phone and took pictures that would inspire me to draw later.
Jasper then drove me into Colorado and we spent the night in a wonderful town named Durango, but not before he took me to the Four Corners monument. I had stood on Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona at the same time, and it was another wonderful experience.
After Jasper and I had gone to 'bed' for the night, I changed into my Gondorian armor and explored Durango. There were lots of trails and mountains to look at, but that wasn't my purpose.
"Father, if you can hear me, I need your help. I know you're a man, so you were never in Mother's shoes. But... does Jasper love me? I mean, I'm sure you've asked yourself these questions about Mother as well as Morwen. Jasper just showed me two amazing places, probably the most amazing sights I've ever seen on Earth. And he told me he had wanted to share them with a special woman. Am I that special woman? How would I know this kind of love is true? How did you know it was true? What did Mother do that convinced you it was true?"
I let out a sigh, knowing that I wasn't going to receive an answer from him. Suddenly...
"She never left me."
I turned around, and there he was, wearing his Gondorian armor with his copper-red hair flying free.
"I didn't think I would see you again so soon, Father," I told him with a smile.
"But you need me. What is troubling you, my daughter?"
I let out a sigh.
"I think Jasper is in love with me," I explained as my father gave me a glance. "We've known each other for over two years now and he showed me these amazing places while we are searching for someone, a foe. He confessed he'd only show these places to a special woman. But--"
"Is this... Jasper special, Anna?"
I couldn't bring myself to answer.
"I asked myself the same thing about your mother. Idrial had saved my life and my feelings for her never changed. If anything, I fell more in love with her, even when she rejected me. But Anna, I learned to not give up if your compass is pointing true north."
"True north?"
I scoffed and laughed.
"Very funny, Berethor. You were adventurous but you never had a good sense of direction. You always needed my mother to guide you."
"Daughter, I'm serious. Every time I turned north, there she was. Now, I remember how adamant I was about you not going out with a man until I had died."
"Not that I really cared," I replied. "I just wanted to be like you, Father. I wanted to fight. I wanted to join the Citadel Guard. I didn't want to settle."
"But you did settle, after I died. Or do you not remember your journey through grief? Idrial alway gave me the chance to learn something new because she was an elf. Knowledge is rich, Anna, but so is wisdom. You have lived over two hundred years and you are about to encounter your first chance at what your mother and I shared together. Don't waste it."
I let out a sigh.
"If Jasper loves me, and I discover I love him, too, what happens then?"
"That is up to you. But if you miss out on that opportunity, you will miss out on what life has to share with you. Farewell, Anna, and good luck."
And then he disappeared. I stood there, staring at the stars to the north, wondering what to do.
March 20, 2049 - Boise, Idaho, USA
LILIANNA'S POV
Once again, James and I were in a hotel room after unsuccessfully finding Baxter Stockman.
"This is ridiculous," I said in frustration. "Where could Stockman have gone after all this time?"
"Dimension-jumping," James answered with a hint of sarcasm.
"Yeah, because he's got my portal! And not even Anna can find him!"
I slouched down on the bed and then I looked up at my husband with determination.
"I'm going to find Baxter Stockman and get my portal back. I'm gonna go on a patrol every night somewhere in the world and--"
"No."
I stopped talking and dropped my jaw.
"What do you mean, no? As Aumanil, it's my duty to find him and bring him to justice."
"But what about your duty as Lilianna Hamato?" James asked, walking up to me and kneeling down. "Does Lilianna Hamato go out and find Baxter Stockman? Is Lilianna Hamato not the same person as Aumanil, or are they two different people?"
I closed my eyes, realizing my husband was right. I had created the identity of Aumanil so that no one would ever see my true self and try to kill me. But now I had realized that I am, indeed, living two different lives. Now I understood how hard it was for me.
"I don't know," I finally spoke. "Lilianna Hamato is a citizen. Aumanil is a superhero with powers."
"Then who is the woman I married?" James asked. "Is she not Lilianna Hamato, the girl with amazing psychic powers who can very quickly find the truth about someone? Is she not Aumanil, the girl who trained in ninjutsu all her life under the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? From the way I remember, I married one girl. Her name is Lily of the Valley, who carries both identities in her soul. I remember her with blue eyes and not the fake brown contacts she wears. Her long red hair was up in a braided bun. And she wore a white dress with blue, purple, and white lilies on it. I married a girl with multiple talents and with qualities so pure she would make a terrific mother soon."
I shook my head, but I smiled.
"James, who are we kidding? We've tried for over two years and we're still not expecting."
"But we will be, soon," James smiled with confidence. "I have to have faith in that. Donnie always told you that if you are getting periods, then you can have a baby. But right now, it's time for you to blend in the identities of Lilianna Hamato and Aumanil."
Hours passed and I was still sitting on my side of the bed reading the Bible, pondering what James had told me. And perhaps he was right. I had been living two different lives for so long and it had turned out to be the hardest thing I had ever done.
James Anderson, my high school sweetheart, my husband, was right. I took off my brown contacts, the eye 'protection' I had my father Donatello make for me after high school. I took out the container and placed my contacts in it. Then I put it back in my purse, never to be touched again. Then I went to sleep, preparing myself to go to the store to get new glasses the next day.
April 10, 2049 - New York City, New York, USA
DONATELLO'S POV
I placed my stethoscope on Karena's bump, measuring the baby's heartbeat.
"The heartbeat is very strong," I told her with a grin. "He's making excellent progress and so are you. How do you feel?"
"I'm tired but excited," Karena answered with a chuckle, rubbing her belly. "I'm going to do the same thing I did with Diana. I'm gonna keep teaching until this baby is born."
"And I'll tell you the same thing I told you back then: make sure you get some rest. Teach sitting down, if you need to. All I want you to do when you are home is rest. Your body will, again, be going through quite the ordeal delivering your son to the world."
"Donnie, I'll be fine. I promise."
We suddenly heard knocking and we both gasped at the sight. My daughter Lily was at the door, and I felt even more shocked when I found a pair of black glasses over her blue eyes.
"Lily!"
"Hey, Lily!" Karena greeted her excitedly as she walked in. "I love the glasses!"
"Thank you," Lily replied with confidence.
"What happened to your contacts?" I asked.
"Buried in the backyard. James made me realize I need to be both Lilianna Hamato and Aumanil now."
"How are you going to do that?" I asked. "Your contacts prevented you from using your powers."
"Father, my powers are a part of me. I can't hide them anymore. I need to live my life as both Lilianna Hamato and Aumanil. Not two separate lives. One life. I realized I've been trying too hard to be both people and it isn't fair to me or to anybody. I'm confident I can do this. James believes in me. Will you, Father?"
Lily looked into my amber eyes with her blue ones behind her glasses. I smiled.
"Yes, Lily Mae, I believe in you."
We hugged.
"Were you successful in Idaho?" Karena asked.
"No, but I was successful in finding myself again."
"Anna's got a dilemma herself," I chimed in. "Jasper's in love with her."
Lily laughed.
"Who doesn't know that?" she asked.
"I think the dilemma, Lily, is does Anna love him?" Karena corrected her.
I watched Lily close her eyes.
"Another vision?" I asked.
"I'm trying to connect to Anna's mind," Lily answered and then her eyes opened wide. "Anna saw her father!"
"How?" Karena asked in alarm. "Berethor's dead."
"Anna must have had a vision of some kind while she searched for Stockman in Colorado."
Lily sighed.
"She doesn't know how she feels about Jasper. She just sees him as a friend. But I think there's more going on than meets the eye. Is anyone gone on the search now, Father?"
"Venus and Mona Lisa are somewhere by the Canadian border," I explained. "They're in Ohio as we speak."
"Let's hope Stockman is found soon," Karena spoke with sadness. "I'd hate to raise my kids while there's a Shredder alive."
"Hey, Lily?"
"Hmm?"
We gazed at each other and we hugged. I kissed her on the forehead.
"You've finally found it, Lily Mae. You finally found a way to be yourself, Lilianna and Aumanil. And I am so proud of you."
"I'm proud of me, too, Father."
April 16, 2049 - Portland, Maine, USA
VENUS'S POV
Mother and I wrapped up our trip along the Canadian border traveling the ferry around Portland. We started our trip driving the Party Wagon all the way to Minnesota. We started driving around in Minneapolis and drove around the state.
When we reached Duluth, we crossed the border into Wisconsin and drove straight east into the northern peninsula of Michigan. After spending a day there, we crossed the Mackinac Bridge, spending two more days in Michigan before crossing into Ohio.
We first went south to Cincinnati, and Mother was amazed just how close the city was to the Kentucky border. We drove along the Ohio River for some time before driving north to Columbus and then to Cleveland. After we searched for Baxter Stockman in Youngstown, we crossed into Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania was a bigger ordeal than Ohio was, and we ended up spending four days in the state. It was at this point I got concerned about my business, but Uncle Donatello had assured me my flowers were fine. Like Minnesota, we drove alongside the borders. Our big cities of interest were Pittsburgh, Harrisbugh, and Philadelphia, where we ended up spending the second night. Again, we were amazed at just how close to New Jersey the city was.
We took Interstate-80 west through the middle of the state, and then we took interstates 79 and 90 into New York. As we had patrolled the state of New York daily, we drove straight through New York into Massachusetts. Then we drove north into Vermont and continued our patrol.
We patrolled Vermont and New Hampshire over the course of two days until we finally entered Maine, where we spent the last three days. To our dismay, there were no roads in northern Maine, so we ended up checking into a hotel in Fort Kent and patrolled on foot. Our final day in Maine was spent driving south to Portland, where we are now.
"Two entire weeks," Mother said exhaustedly. "And one day on foot. Baxter Stockman cannot be found."
"What all is left, Mother?" I asked.
"This Baxter Stockman is more cunning than I thought."
Mother sighed.
"Well, for one, we still have to go to Alaska. I imagine the entire patrol will be on foot. While we're in Alaska, Anna will patrol Hawaii with her water stallion. Your father will patrol the Virginias and Michelangelo and his family will go to the Carolinas. Leonardo and Karai will go to Mississippi and Alabama. And finally, Lilianna and James will go to Wyoming."
"And it's not just Stockman we're looking for," I replied. "Anna's searching for her feelings for Jasper and now Lily's looking to grasp being both Lily and Aumanil at the same time."
"And they both have some kind of psychic power," Mother grumbled. "Are you thinking what I am thinking? That Baxter Stockman is dimension-jumping just like K'Vathrak did?"
"Absolutely. Lily's more determined than ever to get her portal back so she can assist us."
"And what could Baxter Stockman be doing in all these different dimensions?"
"Mother, I just realized something. There are other versions of my father and uncles, right? What if there are other versions of Baxter Stockman, too? Is there a way for them to work together?"
"I think you are on to something, Venus de Milo," Mother replied with a grin. "And there are probably other Shredders, too. When we return home, we must talk to Donatello about this possibility."
May 9, 2049 - Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
ANNA'S POV
After Jasper graduated from Olivet Nazarene University with top honors and a degree in psychology, we celebrated with his family. I had met his father and sister for the first time, which was... an interesting encounter. His father Russell was skeptical about my age until I explained that I was an elf from Minas Tirith. But what really opened Russell up to me was when I mentioned the death of my father and the sailing of my mother and brother. The entire Crane family assured me that I was not alone and Russell treated me like I was his daughter, which I loved very much. Jessi, Jasper's sister who had just started college herself at Olivet, was very sweet to me and was eager to listen to all my adventures in Middle-Earth.
And today, Jasper and I flew to Hawaii to celebrate his graduation and acceptance to graduate school in San Diego. We got out of the airport and took a taxi to our hotel room. We got settled in and then suddenly...
"Anna, we need to talk."
I turned towards him with a concerned glance.
"Is everything okay?" I asked him.
"Yeah!" Jasper answered quickly. "Everything's peachy."
"Jasper Hale Crane, you've known me long enough to know that I can spot a liar from a mile away," I angrily replied. "Something is wrong or else you would not have said, we need to talk. What's wrong?"
"As thankful as I am that you took me to Hawaii with you, you're only here for your mission."
"What mission are you talking about?"
"Your mission to find Baxter Stockman. You're the only one who can find him on water. I'd just be dragging you down."
"Okay, first of all, that's not true. I've always appreciated you being with me. Two, my mission is to celebrate your graduation with you. I can manage both at the same time."
"Anna, what are you gonna do, look for Stockman at night?" Jasper asked angrily. "You may be half-elf, but you are half-human, too. You need sleep. Don't even worry about me during the day. You go find Stockman."
"How dare you tell me what to do!" I barked, hearing my father in my voice. "I can do both. I brought you out here so I can spend time with you, just like all those other times!"
"Anna, you're gonna be exhausted if you spend the day with me and the night searching for Stockman. And besides if you take me with you, I'll drown. I love you, but I'm not insane enough to follow you!"
We both gasped. I felt shocked about him saying he loved me. But I also saw a vision: Jasper was buying a plane ticket home.
"Do you really love me?" I asked, glaring at him. "Or are you just a fool for following me here?"
"Maybe my mother was right about you after all," Jasper replied, glaring back at me. "Maybe you are just a dream girl. You don't know what it means to fall in love, Miss Swan, but I do. Love means being there for someone whether they ask for it or not. Love is putting others first before yourself. Love is taking care of yourself as well as your family! Now when was the last time you took care of family, Miss Swan? Over one hundred years ago when you buried your father? You could have prevented your mother and brother from sailing away. But no! You only cared about your dead father."
"That is enough!" I barked again. "I want you out, Mr. Crane. Go buy your plane ticket and go home to your mother."
Jasper's glare quickly turned into a look of shock before I continued.
"Get this through to that thick skull of yours: I invited you to come here to Hawaii so we could spend some time together. I brought you here so we could celebrate together. And I brought you here because I had a confession to make, but now I see I was wrong about you. You are just as stubborn and skeptical as your mother."
I felt tears coming to my green eyes.
"Just go, Jasper."
"Anna--"
"If you touch me, I will elbow you to the jaw. Now go."
Jasper grabbed his suitcase and left the room with a frown on his face. When he closed the door, I started to let the tears fall and cried on the bed.
"Father, what have I done?" I asked out loud. "I've ruined everything."
May 13, 2049 - Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, USA
VENUS'S POV
"I. Hate. Cold. Weather!"
"Father, you have a suit that keeps you warm," I replied. "You're fine."
"You should learn from your daughter, Raphael," Mother told him. "She is resilient to all things, even the cold."
"You hate the cold too, Venus," Father shot back.
"Yes, but I learned to adapt."
"Venus! Raphael! I think I found something!"
Father and I ran over to my mother and we found a small community just before a body of water.
"Finally!" Father exclaimed. "People!"
We ventured forward into the small town after walking all the way from another small town called Deadhorse. There weren't many places to look for Stockman, but then I found another building.
"Mother, Father, follow me."
I led my parents to that building and was surprised to find the door unlocked. We walked in and we could not believe our eyes at what we saw.
"We found him!" Mother gasped with surprise.
"But who are those people?" Father asked.
"Uncle Donatello gave me a device that should help me identify them. They don't look like they're from here."
I used my scanner and scanned the other two beings with Baxter. I let out a gasp, but it was too late. My father covered my mouth and hid me out of sight.
"Who's there?" asked a man with a deeper voice.
"Come on out!" said a man with a higher-pitched voice. "You can't hide from us forever!"
"Venus, what did you discover?" Mother asked.
"That two of the Ten Dimensions are messed up," I whispered. "Those two men with Baxter are also Baxter Stockman. One from Earth-2 and the other from Earth-3. Baxter must have found them with Lily's portal."
"Where are you?" the Stockman-Fly asked.
"The Shredder won't be kind to intruders!" the deeper-voiced Baxter Stockman taunted us.
The three of us gasped. We nodded, realizing we didn't have a choice. We revealed ourselves.
"Raphael!" Stockman-Fly sneered. "It'sssss been a long time."
"Where is Shredder?" Father asked, taking out his sai.
"Not yet reborn," the blonde Baxter answered. "We're here, working together to bring his Shredder back and it will be magnificent!"
"We're putting you back in your dimensions, now," I shot back. "You're damaging reality just from being here."
"Get them!" Stockman-Fly shouted.
Stockman-Fly charged for my father. The black Baxter Stockman charged for my mother and then the white one charged at me. But I found his fighting style to be pitiful. He didn't know anything! I thought of another way.
"Baxter, please, you cannot be here," I pleaded with him. "Your Shredder is alive at home, is he not? Please go back to him. I know if I was Shredder, I'd feel betrayed."
Baxter pondered this for a second and then he grinned.
"Catch!"
I caught a metal ball in my hand, only for it to turn into a M.O.U.S.E.R.! I let go with one hand and used that hand to take out my sai and break it. I watched my mother take down her opponent while my father still fought with his. I saw my opponent running away from me.
"Come, my fellow Stockmen! We need to escape!"
"No!" I yelled.
"Another time, Salamandriansss!"
I watched the fly and two men run through the portal.
"No," I cried, hanging my head down.
Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
ANNA'S POV
I sat down on the sands at the shoreline, glancing at the sunset. My search for Baxter Stockman was over. I had felt that Venus and her family had found him in Alaska and he had escaped with two others of the same name.
But words could not describe how I felt outside the search. I found myself alone again. Jasper had surely gone home to be with his family. I felt sad. I felt angry. I felt anxious. I had tried asking my father for advice and I heard nothing but the waves of the Pacific Ocean.
My eyes suddenly fell on a pink seashell. I smiled, admiring its beauty. I had never seen such a thing in Middle-Earth, so feeling this thing in my hand felt so very precious. I put it up in my ear, once again hearing the ocean waves.
"Anna."
I glanced around, trying to figure out who called my name. I turned around, and I found Jasper standing behind me. I laughed merrily, so pleased he was here. I ran up to him and into his arms.
"I thought you had gone home!"
"I never did," Jasper replied with a smile. "I got another room in the hotel and spent the last few days thinking."
I let out a sigh.
"I've been doing some thinking too. I'm sorry I yelled at you the way I did."
"No, I started this whole thing. I'm the one who's sorry. I'm sorry for questioning your intentions. I got so nervous and I just brushed you away."
I felt confused.
"What do you mean, nervous?"
Jasper laughed and then sighed.
"Oh, Anna, when you invited me to spend a week with you in Hawaii, I immediately said yes. And then I decided, well, we're going to one of the most romantic cities on earth. And I thought, well, maybe it's time to ask her to be my girlfriend."
I giggled.
"Aren't I already your girlfriend?" I asked. "I'm a friend who's a girl."
Jasper blushed.
"Anna, here, a girlfriend is someone you go on dates with to see if you want to marry this girl."
I laughed.
"Well, that's certainly different. Back on Middle-Earth, two people spending time together are called beloveds. And then they eventually become husband and wife."
I let out a sigh.
"To tell you the truth, Jasper, I invited you to Hawaii not just to help me look for Baxter Stockman. I wanted to ask if you would be my beloved. I don't want to do what my parents did and get married right away."
"Oh, no!" Jasper replied in agreement. "We'd need to take our time with our relationship. And here, I'd be called your boyfriend. But if you want to call me your beloved, then it's okay."
Jasper smiled, combing his fingers through his blond hair.
"It's actually very romantic. So, what do you say? Will you be my girlfriend?"
I smiled fondly at him and kissed him on the cheek.
"Yes. And will you become my beloved?"
"Yes, of course."
We slowly inched towards each other and kissed. We pulled apart and I felt butterflies in my stomach.
"I feel them, too," Jasper said. "Were you able to find Baxter?"
"Not me," I answered. "Venus, Mona Lisa, and Raphael did while patrolling Alaska. But he escaped."
"How do you know this?" Jasper asked with surprise.
"I've seen it happen. No one got a text from them, but I saw it from afar."
"So what will happen now?"
"I know not. Perhaps a search through the Ten Dimensions?"
May 17, 2049 - New York City, New York, USA
LEONARDO'S POV
"Thank you for meeting up, everyone. Ryan, Justine, Lily, James, Anna, Donnie, April, Athena, Renet, and Wilbur, thank you for chiming in over the phone."
"No problem!" Wilbur replied enthusiastically. "What's going on?"
"Mona Lisa, Raph, Venus, would any of you like to enlighten us on what you found during your patrol in Alaska?" I asked.
"We found Baxter Stockman in a small town named Produe Bay next to the Arctic Ocean," Mona explained.
"But there were two other men with him also named Baxter Stockman," Venus chimed in. "One was a short white guy while the other was a taller black person."
"But they all escaped into Lily's portal," Raph chimed in angrily.
"That's very disturbing," Donnie replied with concern. "It sounds like our Baxter Stockman recruited help from two of the Ten Dimensions."
"It sounds like those two dimensions are messed up," Wilbur chimed in. "If I know anything from Karena's adventures dimension-jumping, if one stays in the same dimension for too long, then that dimension can be wiped out."
"Not this time," Donnie replied again. "Remember, when Karena moved to the future, all of our realities merged into one. Our counterparts may be in a different dimension, but their reality is still very real. It won't be that easy this time to just get rid of a dimension."
"Are we all thinking that Stockman is trying to get rid of the Ten Dimensions after rebirthing the Shredder?" Anna asked.
"None of the Baxter Stockmans are smart enough to know anything about the Ten Dimensions," Lily answered. "If something does happen, then we do need to intervene to fix it."
"If we have to, we'll recruit every one of us from all the dimensions," I responded. "But how do we track where the Stockmans are?"
"I can help with that," Mona chimed in. "Donatello, Wilbur, and I all have skills in technology. We can build a dimensional-jumping device that will help us track the Stockmans."
We suddenly heard a phone going off over the phones.
"Excuse me, it's my wife," Wilbur said before getting off the call.
"We still need to find a way to track Lily's portal, too," Athena chimed in. "Our Baxter Stockman still has it."
"Let me take care of that," Lily replied. "That portal is my responsibility. I just need someone to come with me."
"We got you, Lily," April answered. "We're the psychics, so we'll lead that investigation."
"I'm coming with you," Anna chimed in. "You're gonna need me."
"Guys, I gotta go," Donnie said with sudden worry in his voice. "Wilbur just texted me that Karena's in labor. He left his house to get her at school. I'll talk to you all later!"
Donnie hung up.
"Well, then," I said sheepishly. "Hopefully, Karena will be okay. But let's get back to the Stockmans."
Westport, Connecticut, USA
WILBUR'S POV
I had just driven Karena home when I found Donnie waiting for us at the front door.
"Thank you for coming, Donnie," I told him as I carried my wife bridal-style.
"Thank you for letting me know what's going on. Karena, how are you doing?"
Karena let out a yell and grunted. She had experienced another contraction.
"Wilbur, get her to the bedroom!" Donnie commanded me.
"No!" Karena replied painfully. "Take me to the bathroom! I don't think I'm going to make it!"
"Karena, be reasonable. The bathroom is too small to deliver a baby."
"Oh my gosh, I will go where my feet take me!" I snapped impatiently.
I carried Karena up the stairs into our bedroom and then the bathroom, which was larger than the bathroom downstairs. I immediately set her in the bathtub and started the warm water for her to rest in.
"Wilbur!" Karena snapped at me. "I'm still wearing my clothes!"
"OOPS!"
I helped Karena take off her leggings, which I noticed were wet when her water broke. I tossed the now-wetter pants onto the floor and then helped her take off her panties. Karena took off her own dress, revealing a black sports bra. I helped her back down into the tub just in time for her to experience another contraction.
"Oh, there you are!" Donnie exclaimed upon entering the bathroom. "But you two are aware I have to measure Karena's cervix, right? I can't do that underwater."
"SHUT UP, DONNIE!" Karena screamed.
Donatello pursed his lips, resisting the temptation to yell back. But I could tell he was angry at how Karena spoke to him.
Karena stopped screaming and started to breathe out. Donnie and I helped Karena stand up. I got in the tub behind her and tried massaging her back. Donnie meanwhile checked her cervix and his eyes widened.
"Karena, you are very fortunate to be here right now," he said sternly. "You are fully effaced and fully dilated."
"WHAT?!" Karena and I exclaimed at the same time.
"How do you feel right now?" Donnie asked, putting his hand on her belly. "Do you feel an urge to push?"
"It's actually a stronger urge because I'm standing up," Karena answered.
"Hmm..."
Donnie pondered for a second.
"This is gonna be the most interesting delivery I'll have ever done. Karena, stay standing."
"What?!" we exclaimed again.
"Donnie, are you sure about this?" I asked.
"Just trust me!" Donnie replied. "Karena, when you start pushing, you're gonna bend down slightly. Pretend you're doing a modified squat. Wilbur, give Karena the support she needs. Put your hands underneath her shoulders so that she stays standing. Karena, if you ever get uncomfortable, let me know. We'll carefully sit you back down."
Karena suddenly grunted, experiencing another contraction. I immediately did what Donnie told me as my wife bent down slightly and started to push. I held her up as she continued to push with all her might.
"Karena, great job!" Donnie encouraged her. "The head's already coming out. Keep pushing!"
Karena grunted again and then she screamed the loudest she had screamed all day.
"Donnie, the head's crowning!"
"You're doing good, Karena!" Donnie yelled over her screams. "This was all in one contraction. Don't push on your next one, okay?"
Karena nodded as she took some breaths.
"Who had the most interesting delivery of all the babies you delivered?" I asked out of curiosity.
"Actually, it was the delivery of my own child," the purple-clad doctor answered. "I didn't know exactly what to do when April got into labor, but when April started pushing, everything just kicked in."
"Donnie, as fascinating as that is, could you talk about this later?" Karena asked with some panic in her voice.
Karena moaned, another contraction starting, and I continued to hold her in my arms. Karena let her breaths out as her body did the pushing. She let out a muffled scream towards the end of the contraction, and then she let out a huge sigh.
"Good job, Karena," Donnie commended her. "This next contraction should do it for birthing your baby. You're doing great."
"That was fast," I replied with surprise.
"Labors with second babies are often found to be easier than the first because the body's gone through it before. When did your first contraction start, Karena?"
"At breakfast this morning, so around seven-thirty."
"And it's one-forty-five now. So it's been about six hours. Well, it's about to be over. Just a few more pushes, Karena. You can do it!"
Karena grunted at another contraction and started to push. Donnie had an encouraging grin on his face as I continued to hold Karena, though she had sunken a little bit into her knees. Karena let out louder grunts as she continued to push.
"One more, Karena!" Donnie encouraged her. "Come on!"
My brown-haired wife let out a yell as she pushed for one last time.
"And he's here!"
Karena and I laughed at the same time as Donnie handed him to us. I peered over her shoulder to look at our newborn son. I immediately noticed he had more of his mother's features and I fell in love, just like how I felt when Diana came into our world looking just like me.
"Oh, Wilbur, he's beautiful!" Karena cooed.
"Thank you, Donatello," I said gratefully.
"Have you thought of a name for him?"
Karena glanced up at me before we decided to share his name together.
"Wesley Wilbur Robinson."
August 16, 2049 - Utrom Council, Dimension X
APRIL'S POV
Lily, Donnie, Anna, and I took my portal into the Utrom Council, arming ourselves with breathers. Lily was in her Aumanil outfit. Anna wore her Gondorian armor. And I wore my black jumpsuit.
"Donatello, it is wonderful to see you and your family again," Queen greeted us with a smile. "And who is this beautiful woman that stands before us?"
"This is a friend of ours, Anna Swan," Lily introduced her to the council. "Anna, this is Queen, Rook, Pawn and Bishop."
"You were named after chess pieces?" Anna asked with intrigue.
"Indeed, young one," Rook answered. "You are not one of us, are you? You look... wise beyond your years."
"I'm a half-elf from the realm of Gondor. But you've probably never heard of Gondor."
"On the contrary, the realm of Gondor existed millennia ago when we, as the Kraang, first come upon this planet," Bishop explained.
"What?!" Anna and Donnie asked at the same time.
"So you're telling me..."
Anna paused, not believing what she was about to say.
"I time-traveled into the future?"
"No," Rook answered. "Middle-Earth was another dimension that existed when the dinosaurs went extinct. You did jump dimensions, Anna, to avoid Middle-Earth's destruction."
"But we sense you are not here to discuss Anna's past," Bishop correctly assumed.
"Baxter Stockman," Lily answered simply and sternly. "He has my portal, and I want it back."
"We also have reason to believe our Baxter Stockman wishes to bring an old foe of ours back to life," I chimed in.
"Sacre bleu!" Pawn exclaimed in French.
"Krang and Kraang Sub-Prime are already plotting their revenge on you and your family, Donatello," Rook revealed.
"They're free again?" Lily asked angrily. "I thought they were in a prison of yours?"
"No, something broke them out," Bishop explained. "But we could never figure out what it was. Just that it was made to destroy."
"How much do you wanna bet Baxter Stockman freed Krang and Kraang Sub-Prime with his M.O.U.S.E.R.S.?" Donnie asked.
"And that's not all," Anna chimed in. "Baxter has enlisted the help of two other Baxter Stockmans. Raphael, Venus, and Mona Lisa discovered them but they escaped."
"Sacre bleu!" Pawn exclaimed again. "This is worse than we feared."
"Agreed," Queen replied. "If this Baxter Stockman continues to enlist help from all Ten Dimensions, then his quest to bring back your foe is guaranteed to be complete."
"But how do we find them?" Lily asked.
"I came up with a dimension-jumping device with the help of Mona Lisa and our friend Wilbur," Donnie explained. "But we need your help to track Stockman."
"We found one of these... M.O.U.S.E.R.S. outside of Krang's cell," Bishop hesitantly explained, holding up a shut-down machine. "Donatello, perhaps you can reactivate it somehow."
"Using it as a tracking device, leading us to Baxter himself," I chimed in with a grin.
"I know just the thing to use," Donnie replied, also carrying a grin. "Let's go back to my lab to grab a chip."
New York City, New York, USA
DONATELLO'S POV
We took my portal right back to the Shellraiser and I drove the four of us back to the lair.
"Wait, Donatello, something's wrong," Anna suddenly spoke.
"Anna's right," April affirmed. "Someone's in the lair."
"Someone who doesn't belong there," Lily chimed in angrily.
I quickly drove the Shellraiser through the sewers to the lair. Right away, I saw Stockman-Fly in my lab.
"HEY!" I roared. "Get out of my lab!"
The four of us got out of the Shellraiser and armed ourselves up.
"Donatello!" Stockman-Fly jeered. "It'sss ssssso good to sssssee you again! And you've brought April O'Neil with you. And Aumanil! You could not get enough of me. And sssso you've come for another challenge."
I started to growl but Lily stopped me with a grin on her face.
"Challenge accepted," Lily said with confidence. "If I win, you give me back my portal and you never ruin the Ten Dimensions again. If you win, you can take whatever you want from Donatello's lab."
"Lilianna Mae!" I shouted.
All four of us gasped as Lily sharply turned around with widened eyes. I immediately regretted yelling at her as I realized with horror I had just given her identity away.
"Lilianna Mae?" Stockman-Fly repeated me and then laughed. "You, Aumanil, are Donatello'ssss little girl? How did he come acrossssss you?"
"I gave birth to her," April angrily replied. "Because Donnie and I love each other, and we love her just as much as we love each other."
Stockman-Fly only laughed. Lily and Anna glanced at each other with smirks on their faces. Anna drew her sword and summoned the waters of the lair.
"What isss thisss?" Stockman-Fly asked with bewilderment.
Before he could say anymore, Lily spun around and kicked him to the floor. I found a chain on my chair and I bound Stockman with it. While I held him, Lily walked up to him and lifted up her hand.
"Now you will tell me the truth," Lily said in a deep voice, waving her hand over his head. "You traveled through the Ten Dimensions, did you not?"
"Y-yesss," Stockman answered, straining himself to answer.
"You will tell me who you found and where you found them in those dimensions."
"I... I traveled to Earth-2 and Earth-3. There wasss a Baxxxxter Ssssstockmam in thosssse dimensssionssss, too. I enlissssted their help in creating a lab to bring Ssssshredder back in Alasssska. But Raphael and two Sssssalamandriansssss found usss."
"You will tell me where they are now," Lily manipulated him.
"Back in their dimenssssionssss," Stockman revealed to my shock. "But they will come back for me."
"I've heard enough," Anna sternly spoke, preparing to throw a punch.
"No!" Lily shot back. "Stockman will face justice, alright. After all, he did break out of prison."
She turned back to Stockman-Fly.
"Baxter Stockman, I understand that you not only mutated yourself back into a fly but you also applied Karai's transformation to your own mutation. You will tell me if this is true."
Lily waved her hand over Stockman.
"Yessss..."
Stockman jerked around, and he transformed back into his human self. Lily waved her hand again.
"You will give back Aumanil's portal."
"I... will give back Aumanil's portal."
Stockman gave Lily the portal.
"Now, in two minutes, you will leave this place and turn yourself in to the police," Lily continued. "And when you are tried for escaping your cell, you will tell the judge the complete truth."
"I... will tell him the truth."
"Let him go, Father."
"Are you sure?" I asked with a raised brow.
"Yes."
"Aumanil has forced Baxter to be truthful," April revealed. "He will stay true to his word. Let him go, Donnie."
I hesitantly removed the chain and smiled at my daughter.
"Not Aumanil. Lily has done that, and I am so proud of her."
Baxter then left the lair and went straight for the police. The four of us laughed and embraced each other.
"The threat of bringing the Shredder back is over!" Lily declared happily.
We heard four purple cheering from the door. We turned and glanced at all who were present. Leonardo clapped his hands and Karai cheered with him. Venus was present in the greenhouse when it all went down and she let out a loud cheer. And finally, Mona Lisa had joined Venus and let out a roar. All of us smiled, finally at peace after a year-long search for Baxter Stockman.
September 3, 2049 - San Diego, California, USA
LILIANNA'S POV
"Thank you for having me over for dinner, Anna."
"Oh, it's my pleasure!" Anna replied happily as we sat at her small kitchen table. "After stopping Stockman from bringing back the Shredder, a celebration dinner on a Friday sounds amazing."
"It is certainly a nice break from school," I said, rubbing my head. "It's been two weeks since school started again and I've never felt so tired in my life."
"Getting your doctorate must be the hardest thing you've ever done."
"You've never tried to live two lives before," I replied with a grin.
We chuckled.
"I'm so glad I did not decide to have a secret identity," Anna said with a smile.
"You made the right decision. When I created Aumanil, I had gotten in trouble for breaking my classmate's rib with my powers."
"You don't need to explain yourself, Lily. I understand."
We smiled.
"So how's your last year of law school going?" I asked with a grin.
"I still can't believe it's my last year," Anna answered with an exasperated sigh. "It's becoming too real very quickly."
"And then it'll be my turn and become Dr. Lilianna Hamato, forensic psychologist."
"I take it you'll continue to work with the Pacific Bay Police?"
"Yes. The profiler is retiring when I get my degree, so I'll be taking over."
"Good for you! It sounds like moving to Pacific Bay was a good move on your part."
My smile faded away and I suddenly started crying.
"But it's so far from my family," I cried. "I know we have portals but it's always been hard for me being so far from the people I love."
"How does James feel?" Anna asked with compassion in her voice.
"We've talked about moving back to New York someday, but right now, our lives are here. And he's right. And besides, you're here by yourself."
"Not anymore," Anna said with a grin. "Jasper's living here now, remember? He's got his own apartment and going to grad school to become a counselor. Actually, he'll be graduating at the same time as you. I'll have trouble deciding which graduation to attend!"
"Well, I would say the ceremony for doctorates is later, but we're six hours apart."
"We still have the portals. Lily, I know your parents would take the portal just to see you graduate. And so would I."
We smiled fondly at each other.
"Well, dinner should be done," Anna told me. "And I got some coffee going for us."
I continued to sit there and enjoy being here with my best friend. First, Anna brought out a huge bowl of meat. Then she brought out small bowls of lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese. Then came the sour cream and tortillas.
"Tacos!" I exclaimed happily. "You've learned well, Anna Swan of Gondor."
"I've learned from the best," Anna replied. "And now for the coffee."
I was looking forward to having my first real meal in quite a while. I had only been able to hold down small meals the past week. If I ate too much, I'd either have a bad stomachache or I would throw it back up and into the toilet.
"And here we are," Anna said.
She set a glass of iced coffee on the table with whipped cream. I got a huge whiff of the smell of a combination of mint and coffee. Suddenly I put a hand to my stomach, feeling nauseous.
"Lily, are you alright?" Anna asked.
I felt worse. I quickly got up.
"Excuse me!"
I ran into the nearest bathroom and puked in the toilet. Then I rinsed my mouth before I heard knocking on the door.
"Lily, it's me, Anna. Are you okay?"
"Come in!"
Anna opened the door just as I turned the water off.
"I'm sorry about that," I said with a chuckle. "I just needed to empty my stomach."
"Well, let's just stick with you drinking water," Anna suggested. "You may have had food poisoning."
"No, that isn't it," I replied, shaking my head. "I've been on and off the past few days."
"This isn't the first time? What's been triggering the nausea?"
"Coffee and eggs, mostly," I answered honestly. "I puke every morning when James makes breakfast but after I get away from the smell, I'm fine. But even if I do eat, I can barely keep anything down. But other times, I'm fine."
Anna suddenly had a look on her face, as if she's seen my symptoms before.
"You seemed tired earlier tonight. Have you been tired lately?"
"Yes," I answered with realization. "I want to go to sleep earlier and I want to sleep in."
"When was your last monthly?" Anna asked me.
My eyes widened with shock. I was supposed to get it last week. I shook my head and laughed it off.
"Anna, I'm probably just stressed," I said. "School just started again. Stress can make someone want to sleep in or throw up or anything!"
Anna suddenly had a look of excitement. She ran out of the bathroom and she came back in with a box.
"I remember your trials from a couple years back," she explained. "And I got one of these in case your wish was to come true. Go on and take that chance!"
Anna handed me the box. I gasped when I found out what it was, but before I could say anything, she left the bathroom. I followed the directions on the box and then I set the box down on the sink.
I paced around the bathroom, feeling so nervous about the results of the test. Physically, I felt horrible. I had never been sick in my entire life. Usually I would go to my dad, but right now, Anna was here, and it was enough.
I heard knocking on the door.
"It's me again," Anna said. "May I come in?"
"Yes!"
She opened the door with a smile on her face.
"Well?" she asked. "Do you know?"
"No."
"Oh, for goodness sake!" Anna exclaimed, walking over to the sink where the test is. "You haven't even taken it?!"
"I have!"
Anna took the test out of the box. She let out a huge gasp.
"LILY!"
"WHAT?" I asked loudly.
"Look!"
I glanced down and it was my turn to gasp. I found two lines on the test. I put both my hands on my abdomen and realized...
"Lily," Anna started to cry with a sweet smile on her face. "You're gonna have a baby."
It was my turn to cry, but this time I was smiling. I cried and laughed at the same time. I knelt down, feeling a newfound joy. After thirty-two months of trying, I was finally having a baby.
Anna knelt down with me and then we embraced each other as I happily cried onto her shoulder. I was finally having a baby, and no one can take that away from me.