Hi everyone! I had planned to publish this chapter a few days ago, but I got so busy that I never got around to it. So, thank you for being patient, and thank you all so much for all the views as well as the feedback so far to "Gondor's Grace." So far, I've been encouraged to continue. Speaking of encouragement...

I have thought of starting yet another story, but this one would be based on Donatello and April. I've been so encouraged by your feedback to "Never For Nothing" that this thought came to mind. I created a poll in my profile to see what you want to see. I am thinking these stories would be in either Donatello's or April's POV after every episode of the TMNT 2012 series. Either that, or make it happen after season 5, see what they were up to after the series ended. Or I can continue this in "Hanashi." Can you please vote in this poll or message me, give me your opinion on what you'd like to see? I will probably start on that at the same time as Gondor's Grace. But for now...

Happy reading! And you will get a second chapter VERY soon.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything related to "Meet the Robinsons," "TMNT," "Lord of the Rings: The Third Age," "Toy Story," nor "Choices: High School Story." I only own Lilianna, Justine, Anna, Karena, and Diana.

April 19, 2060 - San Diego, California, USA

ANNA'S POV

I woke up to my alarm going off at six in the morning. I glanced over at my husband, still sound asleep.

How did he sleep through that alarm? I wondered to myself with a quiet chuckle.

I got out of bed and put on my Gondorian armor in the bathroom. Then I glanced down at myself.

"What am I doing?" I asked out loud with a frown. "I am holding on to a life I lived in a whole different dimension. My father is gone. My mother and brother have sailed across the sea. I am not there anymore. I am here, now. If Lily can turn over a new leaf, then so can I."

I put a smile on my face, slowly taking off the armor and chainmail. I walked into the closet and found one of my mother's dresses. In fact, it was my favorite of hers. Black leggings. A blue underdress. A blue dress with golden armor. A brown and golden chestplate with a delicate blue neckline. Golden armor covering my shoulders, forearms, and shins. And lastly, blue gloves.

After I put it on, I braided my hair the way my mother had always braided hers and allowed my elven ears to show. After I was content with the way I looked, I ran over to the beach.

I closed my eyes and used a vocalized call to summon my water steed. I opened my eyes, and there she was, all transparent, blue and glimmering with sparkles from the water and the rising sun.

"Hello, Idrial," I greeted her, nuzzling my head against hers. "Let's go for a ride. It is a beautiful day to celebrate another birthday, don't you think?"

Idrial neighed back at me as she let me on. We rode along the Pacific coast of California, Mexico, Central America, and eventually Peru and Chile, enjoying what the early morning brought me.

Westport, Connecticut, USA

DIANA'S POV

I was at my locker changing out books for my next class. I had a smile on my face as the last class ended on a positive note. Luis had asked Emma to prom with a bouquet of white daisies. The closer we got to prom, the more I wondered how Caleb was going to ask me. Then, I suddenly felt myself being swept off my feet! I squealed and giggled excitedly and he laughed with me. He set me down and then wrapped me in a hug, his arms around my waist and his head on my right shoulder.

"How are you feeling about tryouts today?"

"Honestly, I've got it in the bag!" I answered with more giggles. "I've practiced so much. Unless some kind of disaster happens, that spot is mine."

"I was hoping you'd say that."

He turned me around to face him and we kissed.

"I have something for you just in case, though," Caleb told me. "Better safe than sorry."

He kissed me again on the temple. He drew back, but I drew him back in, looping my arm around his waist and pulling him in for another kiss.

"If only all my problems could be solved with kisses," I whispered.

"Wait, no. I actually do have something for you."

He knelt down and rummaged through his backpack. He found a small item and gave it to me.

"A... toy car?" I asked with confusion. "Why?"

"It's a little silly," Caleb confessed, playing with his black curly hair. "I've had this toy since I was a kid. I... wanted to be a racecar driver."

"Wait, really?" I asked with a laugh. "That's adorable."

"Whenever I played with this, I pictured myself in the driver's seat," he continued, closing my hands around the toy car. "It helped me stay focused on my goals. I thought it'd do the same for you. Besides, I like knowing you'll have a little part of me while you're going after what you want."

"In that case, I'll drive that car straight to victory!"

"You'll leave the competition in the dust."

"They'll never see what hit 'em."

We hugged each other with confident smiles on our faces.

"I know you'll do great at tryouts today," Caleb told me. "And I'll be thinking of you the whole time."

I put the car in one of my pockets in my white jeans and then hugged him again.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA

LILIANNA'S POV

I had transformed into Aumanil and took the portal to the Oklahoma City National Memorial during my break after the annual remembrance ceremony ended. There were lots of visitors around today. Thankfully, no one noticed my coming through the portal.

I glanced over at the Field of Empty Chairs where I saw a woman wearing a white dress, white cowgirl boots, and a white cowgirl hat over her braided blonde hair. She knelt down and placed a single white rose on the chair. She did the same thing for the other eighteen smaller chairs. Then she walked up to two bigger chairs and placed a single white rose there. I got closer and realized I knew who she was.

"Justine?"

She glanced over at me with shock on her face, but she relaxed when she saw it was me.

"Oh, Lily! It's you! Thank you for coming."

"You're welcome. I know how important this day is for you."

"It's important to me because I'm an Oklahoman," Justine explained. "Ryan was understanding about my being here today instead of at the ranch."

"So who's running the ranch?"

"I have an assistant manager who is covering for me."

I suddenly felt a hand on my shoulder. I jumped and turned around to see it was Anna.

"Anna! Goodness, you scared me!"

"I'm sorry. That was not my intention. Hello, Justine."

"Hi, Anna," Justine greeted her with a hug. "It's nice to see you again."

"You as well."

Anna paused to take in the scene.

"So, this is another memorial? Which occasion was it this time, Lily?"

"The bombing in 1995," I explained. "It's been 65 years now since then. But even now, we still remember those lost and those who survived. I imagine the children of these parents who lost their lives here are now grandparents, telling the next generation the story of how to be kind in the face of destruction."

"I've told Isamu about it," Justine chimed in. "But I never showed him this place. I wanted him to decide for himself when he wants to see it."

"I remember when Lily took me to the 9/11 Memorial for the first time," Anna replied. "She had just shown me a documentary before we went. I don't think I was ready to see it yet, knowing that I was standing where death roamed."

"Speaking of which," I spoke. "Come with me."

Justine and Anna followed me out of the memorial grounds to what used to be the plaza of the Alfred P. Murrah federal building. Thankfully, there was no one else with us.

"I told my father what I found," I explained. "So now I'll tell you two. I investigated Ashley's apartment after we finally put her away."

"It's about time!" Justine angrily replied. "She got what she deserved after almost killing Ryan and Isamu!"

"She almost killed me as well," Anna explained. "She got on to me when I was investigating her life in San Francisco."

"Anyway," I sternly chimed back in. "I found plans in a folder called Armageddon. The Foot, the Purple Dragons, and the Vizioso gang are all involved in building a mutagen bomb in New York City."

"WHAT?!" Justine exclaimed with shock. "Are you serious?"

"Let's face it. I tried investigating by myself and then I lost my husband. I need your help. In fact, I'm thinking we should tell all the women of the clan."

"I agree," Anna replied. "We're kunoichi. We are masters of stealth and deception and camouflage. But is there a reason why we aren't telling the Turtles? They've always protected the city."

"I am afraid Leonardo has become close-minded. Raphael, too. Michelangelo's mind, while he has grown, is still elsewhere."

"But he is fantastic at keeping secrets!" Justine pleaded. "Can't we tell him, at least?"

"And have him worry like my father? No. My father's already started to panic ever since I told him about it. I don't need a second Turtle doing that."

"So, who's going to tell who?" Anna asked.

"I'll tell Karai, at least," Justine answered. "Maybe I'll tell Mona Lisa and Venus as well."

"I'll tell Athena and Renet," I replied. "My mother already knows about it."

"But let's keep it between us women," Anna said. "We have to work together and work stealthily to not repeat history."

Westport, Connecticut, USA

DIANA'S POV

After classes ended, I changed into my T-shirt and shorts and walked into the gym with my pompoms in hand.

"Hi, Mia!"

"Hey, Diana!" Mia waved at me. "It's just me here today. I didn't want any outside influence."

"That's smart."

"Once Kieran gets here, we'll go ahead and have both of you do the routine."

"Sounds good! I'll just get warmed up then."

I started stretching. After that, I jogged around the gym and then I did some katas to pass the time by. But Kieran never showed up after twenty minutes. I walked back up to Mia.

"I can't believe Kieran's still not here."

"Just like a Staples kid to be all talk," Mia grumbled. "We'll have to start the tryouts without him. If you are done ninja-ing, let's see what you've got."

I burst out laughing, amazed Mia recognized my ninjutsu moves. I got into position and Mia turned on the music. I remained calm. When the song got to the big part, I performed the complex routine flawlessly.

"That's what I'm talking about!" Mia yelled excitedly as I did my series of flips.

I finished the routine with a strong power pose and she turned off the music. I watched as Mia paced around, her brows furrowed in thought.

"That was even better than last time," Mia told me.

"Thank you. I've been working really hard for this."

"It shows. Kieran was promising, too. But since you were the only one to show, I have to give you the part. Congrats, Diana! The routine's yours."

"Yay!" I said with half-excitement and half-worry. "I won't let you down!"

I hurried out of the gym to change back into my pink shirt and white jeans. But to my surprise, I saw Caleb in the parking lot instead of my mother.

"Hey!" I greeted him. "Where's my mom?"

"I told her I'd take you home today," Caleb answered with a smile. "How did it go?"

"Well, I got the part," I answered, putting a strand of my black hair behind my ear. "I guess the lucky charm worked."

"Yes!" he yelled excitedly. "I knew you could do it!"

"Yeah, but it's weird. Kieran didn't show up for tryouts."

"Huh. Why not?"

"I don't know. We waited forever for him to come, but he never came."

"Maybe he's sick? Or he changed his mind about wanting the part?"

"I don't know," I answered honestly with a gut feeling. "Neither of those sound right to me."

"Well, no matter what the reason is, it's not your fault," Caleb assured me. "You deserve the part, and I know you'll be great."

We embraced and kissed each other.

April 20, 2060

I had just arrived to school and was gathering books. I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around to see Kieran, Max, and Kara.

"What's up, Kieran?" I asked with a half-hearted smile.

"I think you know," he answered with a frown.

"Know... what?" I asked with confusion. "Is everything okay?"

"I thought I could trust you, is all," Kieran suddenly snapped at me. "But I guess your part in the routine meant more than being my friend."

"We know you sabotaged Kieran with this email," Kara angrily told me.

Kieran handed me his phone.

"Tryouts postponed," I read. "But tryouts weren't postponed! So this is why you didn't go?"

"Yeah, thanks to your lies!"

"Now, hold on a moment!" I sternly replied. "I did not send this. It looks like... Mia sent this? That can't be right. She was with me."

"It's a fake," Max angrily chimed in. "Mia's real one doesn't have an extra underscore at the end."

"I didn't notice until it was too late," Kieran lashed out at me. "You made this email to trick me!"

"I had nothing to do with this!" I cried with shock, a knot forming in my stomach.

"A likely story," Kara replied with a smug grin. "You're the only one who would benefit from this."

It was my turn to suddenly snap.

"That is not proof and you know it! Come back when you have some actual evidence. Isn't that what you hypocrites said when I showed you the note in my locker?"

"This is different," Kieran replied sadly, shaking his head. "I can't trust you anymore, Diana. And to think I was going to give you my vote for prom queen. I'll make sure none of my friends make the same mistake."

"Kieran, you have to believe me!" I pleaded with him. "I swear, I had nothing to do with this!"

"I want to believe that. I really do."

The bell rang, and Kieran, Max, and Kara went off to their classes. All I could do was stand there, feeling stunned...

New York City, New York, USA

WILBUR'S POV

I got settled into my office when I received a text.

"Diana?" I asked out loud with worry. "What would she be doing texting me during school hours?"

I opened the message.

"Dad, I'm scared. The tryout for the solo was sabotaged and I'm being blamed for it! And there's no proof or anything. What do I do?"

I frowned. I decided to text her back.

"Keep moving forward, princess. Sometimes, that's all you can do. The truth will reveal itself."

I heard knocking. I looked up and saw Lily standing at the door.

"Wilbur, huddle's about to begin."

"Thanks."

I frowned again as I got up.

"Wilbur, is everything alright?"

"Diana texted me just now. Her tryout was sabotaged and she's getting blamed for it."

"Oh, no!" Lily replied with sympathy.

My pants buzzed. I read the text out loud.

"But there's no proof or anything. Someone set this up for Kieran to believe I was sabotaging him. After all, it was only me and Mia at tryouts."

"Something is not right," Lily said with a raised eyebrow. "For one, Diana would never do something like that."

"I know that," I replied. "But there's nothing I can do. Diana's gotta figure it out on her own."

I received another text.

"Can we talk later?"

I texted her back with a smile.

"Absolutely. See you tonight."

Westport, Connecticut, USA

DIANA'S POV

Today was a nightmare. After it was revealed that Kieran's tryout was sabotaged, I had become the center of a rumor. As Westport High School was a small school, word got around very quickly. Thankfully, Caleb believed me when I told him what was going on, and even Bethany believed me after studying my facial expressions. The rest of the day, I wondered what my father would have done, or what Lily would do in that situation. I had sent my dad a text before the next period asking if I could talk to him after the prom committee meeting.

"Is everyone here?" Maria asked.

"Well, Kara, Zoe, and Kieran aren't here yet," I said in observation. "They'll probably show up fifteen minutes late with Coffee Espresso as usual."

"How about Caleb, Sydney, Tucker, and..."

Maria suddenly turned towards another chairwoman of the committee.

"Payton?"

"Yes? Why am I being singled out here?"

Maria panicked for a moment.

"Frank asked me to, uh... no reason! First on today's schedule is..."

She pulled off a cloth draped over the whiteboard, revealing a poem!

"Come with me to prom!" Payton read it out loud. "Dances, glamour, memories. Payton, be my date? That's so sweet! But wait, Maria, you're asking me to prom?"

"What, no!" Maria said in a panic. "Frank is supposed to-"

BANG!

We all turned to the supply cabinet and found Frank emerging from a mess of brooms and cleaning supplies.

"I got stuck," Frank said with an embarrassing chuckle before holding his arms out towards Payton.

"Frank, I'd love to go with you to prom!" she squealed excitedly, her hands on her face.

"I was hoping you'd say that!"

Payton ran over to her boyfriend with her hands outstretched. Frank, who also had his hands outstretched, caught her in his arms and kissed her enthusiastically. We cheered for them.

"That was beautiful, but goodness!" I said with a chuckle. "It terrified me!"

"Really?" Payton asked. "I thought it was adorable!"

"Frank just exploded out of the cabinet like a haunted house jump scare!" Tucker said with a laugh.

"Thanks for letting me do this, Maria," Frank said, walking up to her.

"No problem," Maria replied, cleaning the whiteboard. "I can allow up to three minutes of fun every ten meetings or so. You have about ten seconds left."

"Oh, okay. I'll see myself out."

On the way out the door, Frank gave Payton one last peck on the cheek. Suddenly, he collided with Kieran! The tray Kieran was carrying dropped onto the floor, and coffee spilled all over.

"Sorry!" Frank exclaimed.

"MY LATTE!" Kara screeched.

"Watch where you're going, you buffoon!" Zoe snapped.

"I said sorry!" Frank pleaded with her, quickly grabbing napkins to clean up the mess.

I walked over and held a hand out for Kieran, but he gave me a nasty look.

"I won't forget what you did," he whispered.

"I already told you," I shot back in a whisper. "It wasn't me!"

"Give us a break," Zoe said out loud. "No one's buying your victim act, Diana."

"Let's get back on track, please!" Maria said after clearing her throat.

We settled down and took our seats as Frank finally left the classroom.

"We have some spare money left," Maria explained. "So we need to discuss how to spend our extra funds. I propose we use them on a photo booth at the venue."

"Ooh!" Payton exclaimed. "I love those!"

"Me too!" Tucker chimed in. "I love making my trademark sinister face when everyone's wearing those big ol' grins!"

I could not help but laugh at that.

"Oh, please," Kara replied, rolling her eyes. "Are you in third grade or something?"

"Photo booths are a unique experience though!" I explained.

"It's true!" Sydney backed me up. "You don't get a lot of physical photographs with friends nowadays, especially in these times. So the little photos on film feel super valuable in your hands."

"Exactly!" Payton agreed. "They're like treasure!"

"Then I think we should get the photo booth for prom," I suggested. "I cannot wait for prom now."

"I'm going to snap, like, a thousand pics with everyone!"

"Kieran, we should totally take one together!" Tucker pleaded with him.

"After your comment earlier, I'm a bit scared to," Kieran teased.

"Whatever," Kara said in annoyance. "Have fun at your kiddie booth."

"All right, that settles that!" Maria announced.

The meeting progressed on to pick the song for the slow dance after the coronation. After we had voted on the song choice, Kara and Zoe tried to create trouble by focusing on me and lying about me. When they didn't get their way, Kara shoved me on to the floor after the meeting. I was about to cry from all the stress when Maria ran my way and took me to the pet store to help her pick out another cat.

I immediately felt better when I gazed upon all the cats in the window. But my eyes laid on a tiny black kitten who had the biggest smile in the room. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen in my entire life. The kitten was so small and yet, so precious, and I could not help but love on him when he stood up with an exaggerated stretched and yawned. I pleaded with the pet store worker for Maria to hold him. Not only was this kitten so precious, but he was also so soft. He was very reluctant to be handed to me when I asked to hold him as well; his claw was stuck on Maria's sleeve! After we agreed that this kitten would make the perfect pet for Maria, we named him Oreo and she adopted him.

"Are you feeling less stressed about everything now?" Maria asked me.

"Well, to be honest... no."

I sat down on the curb and buried my face in my hands.

"As much as I love pets, it's not like they can solve all my problems, like the whole sabotage dilemma with Kieran. The damage has been done. There's nothing I can do to take back the fake email that got sent to Kieran."

"Wait!" Maria suddenly exclaimed. "If it's an email... Michael can probably do some tech thingy to track it, right?"

"Oh my gosh! You're right! We need to talk to him!"

We hurried to take Oreo to Maria's house and then made a beeline back to the school to meet up with Michael, who we found skateboarding in the parking lot. I received a text from my dad.

"I just made it back home. Is everything alright? Do you still need a ride from the prom meeting?"

I texted him back.

"Not yet. I'll get back with you."

"What's up?" Michael asked us. "Missed my beautiful face?"

"Unfortunately, no," I answered with a laugh. "Can you trace this email address for us?"

I typed the address in on my phone and showed it to him.

"This is the one sent to Kieran, right?"

He pulled a laptop out of his backpack, sat down, and got to work.

"I can trace it easily. Just give me a few minutes, and... got it!"

"That was fast!" I exclaimed with surprise. "Who are you? Donatello?"

He laughed.

"No. It's one of my mysterious talents. So, the email was sent at four o'clock P.M. yesterday, from computer number fourteen in the lab."

"Then, anyone could have sent it!" Maria said with a frown.

"Wait, four o'clock... that's when tryouts was supposed to start!" I exclaimed with realization. "Kieran must have been running late when he got it! But..."

I let out a sigh.

"I was hoping this would be an open-and-shut case. But now who knows who the culprit is?"

"Hey, don't lose hope yet," Michael assured me. "There's still something we can do. You have to log in to a student account to use the lab computers, right?"

"So if we look at computer fourteen, maybe we can figure out who was logged in at the time the email was sent!" Maria said in realization.

"Bingo!"

"What are we waiting for, then?" I asked enthusiastically. "Let's go!"

We hurried into the computer lab where we saw Sakura, Nishan, Luis, and Myra playing Lookout. They were all screaming at each other with panicked urgency.

"We need to get their attention," Maria whispered to us.

"I've got this, Maria."

I walked over to the group.

"LEGEND OF ZELDA IS OVERRATED!" I screamed with them.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Nishan shouted, looking up from his monitor.

"SAY THAT TO MY LIMITED-EDITION MASTER SWORD!" Sakura shouted, also looking up.

Luis and Myra followed suit and glanced over at me with shock on their faces.

"Good," Maria said with a glare. "Now that we have your attention-"

"Oh, no!" Luis exclaimed. "Just give her what she wants!"

"We need computer number fourteen."

"You heard her!" I shouted.

"That's the one I'm on," Nishan replied. "You can use it after the match is over."

"This is important!" Maria snapped. "Pause the game!"

"That's not how an online game... Okay, okay. I'm getting off!"

Nishan reluctantly logged off and Michael did his work.

"So the bad news is, I can't find the exact times people were logged on," he explained. "Who exactly sent that email at four o'clock is still a mystery."

"Great," I replied sadly.

"That leads me to the good news. I don't have the exact times, but only two people logged in here yesterday: Brian and Sydney."

"I hate saying this, but I don't think we can rule out Sydney as a possibility," I said, again with a gut feeling. "Brian didn't seem to show any interest in the prom coronation. And Sydney... she could've been blackmailed. It wouldn't be the first time that's happened here."

"I still want to see what Brian's excuse is," Michael angrily replied.

"Me too," Maria said. "Let's interrogate Brian first."

I had texted my dad and told him Maria was dropping me off. It turned out that Brian was innocent when the three of us interrogated him. After Michael threatened Brian to reveal who wrote his history paper, which revealed Brian was a cheater, Brian showed us a picture of him working out in the gym just minutes before the email was sent. After we agreed to meet up with Sydney tomorrow, Maria dropped me off. I found my dad sitting alone in the living room with Lily.

"Lily, what are you doing here?" I asked.

"Your father and I have been quite the team since we were teenagers," Lily explained with a wink. "He told me you were having a bad day, so I thought I'd come and help cheer you up."

I smiled.

"Thank you, Lily. Maria's already done that though. She took me to the pet store to help her find another kitten."

"And did it all work out?" Dad asked.

"Yes... and no. We found the cutest kitten possible and named him Oreo. But then we remembered Michael is a whiz with technology and asked him to hack into the computer. I just came back from talking to one of the suspects, but he told the truth, for a change."

"So you still don't know who set you up?" Lily asked.

I frowned.

"No. But we have a lead. Michael, Maria, and I are going to talk to Sydney first thing tomorrow morning."

April 21, 2060

I met up with Maria and Michael before the morning announcements and we found Sydney at her locker.

"Hey, guys!" Sydney greeted us with a grin. "What's up?"

"I think you know," I told her.

"What were you doing at computer fourteen in the lab on Monday?" Maria asked. "You were the one logged in when the email to Kieran was sent."

I felt another gut feeling. I promised myself I'd ask Lily about this later.

"Sydney, I think... I don't believe you did it."

"What?!" Michael and Maria asked with shock.

"I know you, Sydney," I continued. "You may be naïve, but you have a very good heart. I do not believe you would sabotage me on purpose. Something else is at stake here. Do you know anything about this?"

"You're right, Diana," Sydney replied. "It definitely wasn't me. I haven't been to the computer lab for an entire week because I lost my login info."

"You don't remember it?"

"I change my password a lot, so I can never get it right off the top of my head. I keep it written on a little note that I keep in my binder. But now I can't find the note anywhere."

"Where was the last place you saw it, Sydney?" Maria asked.

"When I was working on my Spanish project with Tucker in the lab. I didn't notice my note was gone until I left. But Tucker was the only other person there."

"I hate to admit it," I said with sadness. "But I think that makes Tucker our prime suspect."

"Let's go confront him," Maria replied with determination. "Sydney, go to class. We'll handle this."

The three of us went up the stairs, into the library, and into the studio. To my surprise, Tucker wasn't there yet. We sat for ten minutes.

"What is taking so long?" I asked impatiently, feeling tired of all the drama.

"Maybe he heard that we were close to figuring out what really happened and decided to skip town?" Michael asked angrily.

"He wouldn't do that," Maria replied with worry. "Would he?"

"I dunno. He apparently sabotaged Diana, so-"

"If he doesn't show here, we can track him down and then confront him," I suggested.

"Confront him?" Tucker suddenly said at the door. "You talking about me? What did I do?"

He chuckled.

"Listen, if this is about the noodle joke I made yesterday when we were announcing the lunch menu-"

"Not this time, Tucker," Michael interrupted him.

"Come on, why the long faces?"

"Tucker, did you steal Sydney's login info?" I asked angrily.

"What? I don't know what you're-"

"We know the whole story," Maria sternly interrupted him. "Sydney keeps her password on a note in her binder. You stole it, hacked her account, faked an email from Mia to Kieran saying that tryouts were rescheduled, and made it look like Diana was responsible."

I received another gut feeling, but this time, I was unsure about it.

"Maria, wait. It could still be someone else."

"No," Tucker confessed. "It was me."

"I... Why, Tucker?" Maria lashed out. "How dare you?"

"And how could you sabotage Kieran like that?" I asked with worry. "He's your boyfriend!"

"I didn't want to," Tucker explained. "You have to believe me. But..."

"Someone threatened to hurt you?" Michael asked.

"No."

"They threatened to hurt someone else, didn't they?" I asked, realizing the modus operandi.

"It was Max and Kara, wasn't it?" Maria asked. "Possibly with Brian and Zoe?"

"Just Max and Kara," Tucker answered. "How did you know?"

"Well, for one thing, they're massive douchebags," Michael chimed in. "So, of course, they'd do something like this."

"It's not just that," I explained. "They did almost the exact same thing to Myra last fall."

"You mean the Trojan statue?" Tucker asked.

"Yeah," Maria answered. "They threatened to hurt Myra's best friend if she didn't vandalize it."

"What I want to know is why you needed to bring Sydney into this?" I asked.

"Max warned me that Michael was good at tracing digital footprints," Tucker explained with a sigh. "He said I should hack someone if I could. This is so much worse than I thought. What are we gonna do?"

Michael took out his phone and smiled.

"I have an idea. First thing we're going to need to do is talk to Wes."

New York City, New York, USA

DONATELLO'S POV

I examined Lily in my office. I gave her an ultrasound exam so I could see how her baby was doing. The heartbeat rang all around the room.

"The baby sounds very strong and healthy," I said with a smile as I moved the dobbler around her swollen belly. "The baby looks healthy, too."

"I'm happy to hear that," Lily replied with a smile. "So, when do you think my due date is?"

"Based on your previous menstrual period and how long it's been since then, I have calculated your due date to be November 5th. It's a Friday. Which means, you are just a couple days shy of twelve weeks of gestation."

"Oh, good."

This time, her smile disappeared.

"I have less than seven months to figure out how I'm going to handle a baby with a ten-year-old and a five-year-old on my own. How am I going to do this?"

"You know our offer still stands," I replied with a smile. "You've brought Donnie down to us in the past."

"But after the Vizioso gang almost killed me, I'm afraid bringing any of my children down to the lair is a risk."

"What about Anna?"

"Nuh-uh. Jasper and Anna run a business during the day."

"Venus and Skyler?"

"That's quite the drive. And besides, they have a business, too."

"But Venus does her business from home," I explained.

Lily suddenly smiled, holding her hands over her heart. But then she frowned again.

"Now what's wrong?" I asked with concern.

"Mika's going to be in kindergarten next fall. I don't think I have a choice, Dad. I may have to enroll Donnie in school."

"Are you sure? That is a huge risk. What if his classmates don't accept him as he is because of him being a turtle?"

"He'll have Wesley, won't he?"

I let out a sigh and pondered everything. I had homeschooled Lily when she was her son's age. I was always afraid that she would be called a freak for her looks. I became especially worried when she was kidnapped and then enrolled in high school. But she had handled her trials with grace. I, myself, had no choice. I let out another sigh and nodded.

"I trust you, Lily. Do whatever you think is best for you and your children."

Westport, Connecticut, USA

DIANA'S POV

After school was dismissed for the day, I met up with Michael, Maria, and Tucker in the family bathroom. The four of us crammed in the handicapped stall.

"Are you sure Wes gave us the right place?" Tucker asked with worry.

"Positive," Maria answered. "Wes knows everything that goes on at this school."

"Shhh!" I whispered. "Max and Kara could be here any second, and that's my cue."

"You're sure you want to start out talking to them by yourself, Diana?" Michael asked. "You know there's 'strength in numbers' and all that."

"Michael, please, let me confront them first. They'll be more likely to talk that way."

"All right, then. You got this."

We hushed quiet when the door opened.

"Ugh, can we just graduate already?" Kara asked. "I can't believe we have to spend our senior spring in this... you know what I mean."

"Can't graduate just yet, babe," Max cheerfully replied. "We've still gotta win prom king and queen."

"Oh, honey, you always know just what to say."

"You bet I do. Now, you know I've got practice in five minutes, so..."

Things got quiet. I closed my eyes and listened to the silence. To my disgust, I heard Max and Kara making out.

"I think that's my cue," I whispered. "I can't listen to any more of this."

I quietly opened the stall and stepped out. I watched the action unfold me with Max leaning over his girlfriend against the wall.

"Hello, there!" I said with a cheeky smile.

"Can't you see we're kinda busy here?" Max asked in annoyance.

"I'll be quick," I sternly replied. "You made it look like Mia sent an email to Kieran saying that tryouts had been rescheduled, so everyone would think I did it."

"Uh, no we didn't," he replied with a snort as Kara rolled her eyes. "You just want to blame us for everything."

"I know it was you. Tucker said so."

"And you'll believe him just like that?" Kara asked. "The kid's an improv master. Of course he knows how to lie!"

"Besides, why would we bother hacking Sydney's account?"

I grinned, his lie revealing itself to me.

"You Westport High kids are so gullible," Kara said in exasperation. "I bet Tucker's had you wrapped around his finger ever since open mic night."

"Wait a second," I replied, still grinning. "Back up. How did you know about Sydney's account?"

"Someone... told us?" Max asked with hesitation.

"Really? Who?"

"Um..."

"Ugh, Max!" Kara huffed. "Just let me do the talking from now on."

She turned to me.

"Okay, I'm not saying we were involved, but if we were, what are you gonna do? You can't prove it."

"Are you sure about that?" I asked, playing with my fingers as I looked towards the bathroom stall.

Right on cue, Michael, Maria, and Tucker jumped out of the stall.

"What the heck are all of you doing in here?" Max asked with surprise.

"Recording this!" Michael answered with a huge smile, holding up his phone.

He pushed a button and played the recording, playing back our entire conversation.

"Proof enough for you?"

"You... you can't do that!" Kara yelled in a panic. "Recording people in secret is against the rules!"

"Kara, I don't care about the rules," I shot back. "I care about justice!"

"Wow, you're ruthless. I'm almost impressed."

"I do what I have to do, to deal with people like you."

"So, what are you gonna do?" Max asked, feeling horrified.

"If you confess to Mia and Kieran and clear my name, nothing."

"And if we don't?"

"This recording gets played on the announcements tomorrow morning!" Maria angrily answered.

"Okay, okay," Kara replied. "Just, let us tell Mia ourselves."

"It's more than you deserve," I said with a raised eyebrow. "But okay. Go."

They nodded and scurried away.

"That felt... amazing!" Tucker said, blowing a huge sigh of relief.

"Standing up to bullies does that," I replied with a wink.

"Welcome to Westport High School," Michael chimed in with a smirk.

"You think they'll actually do it?" Maria asked with worry.

"We'll see what happens later at practice," I answered with a shrug.

"Speaking of which, you should be going!" Michael yelled, glancing at his phone. "It's four o'clock!"

"Shoot! I almost forgot! I'll see you all later!"

I ran to my cheerleading practice just in time to see Max leaving for his baseball practice and Kara leaving to change into her practice uniform. I smirked, happy that they kept their word. I glanced at Mia, who had a scowl on her face, and Kieran, who frowned. After Kara and I changed into our T-shirts and shorts, we joined the rest of the cheerleaders and practiced for the next two hours.

"Alright, squad, it's almost time to go," Mia announced. "But before we do, I'd like to announce that I'm redoing tryouts. Someone contacted me earlier and confessed they sent Kieran a fake email saying the tryout times had been changed."

"Who was it?" Payton asked.

"I promised that I wouldn't say," Mia answered with a frown, glancing Kara's way. "But please know that it wasn't Diana."

"I would never do something like that to Kieran," I replied, returning the frown.

"I know that now," Kieran glanced my way. "I'm sorry I ever doubted you."

"It's okay. I know I must've looked pretty suspicious."

"So when are the new tryouts going to be?"

"Does tomorrow work for both of you?" Mia asked.

"Fine with me!" I answered with a grin.

"Me too," Kieran answered.

"Then it's settled," Mia told us, returning the grin. "I'll see you two tomorrow."

WILBUR'S POV

I came home just in time for dinner. But I only saw Karena and Wesley at the table.

"Did Diana have a late meeting again?" I asked.

"Actually, Diana is at a cheerleading hangout at the beach," Karena explained. "She and Kieran made up and are spending time together and with their squad before their rescheduled tryout."

"Diana's solved the case!" I exclaimed happily. "Oh, good! I was worried for her all day."

"So were we. I had never seen Diana so down before."

"Except for her time with Ashley."

I paused, taking a bite of our signature macaroni and cheese dish.

"I don't know who had it harder in our freshman year, me or Diana."

"You've both had difficult circumstances," Karena answered. "You had a stalker."

"And she tried to kill you."

"Diana, meanwhile, dealt with bullies and a crazy con woman. But she's handled all of that with grace and poise."

I chuckled.

"Just like her mother."

April 22, 2060

LILIANNA'S POV

"Thank you for inviting us to dinner."

"Of course!" Wilbur replied with a grin. "You're family, Lily. You're always welcome here."

"Where's Diana?" Little Donnie asked.

Right on cue, the front door opened and we heard running footsteps entering the dining room.

"Guys!" Diana exclaimed with a huge grin. "Guess what? I got the solo, fair and square!"

Karena and I squealed with delight as Diana hugged us both.

"Congratulations, sweetie!" I told her. "That is wonderful news! Did you ever figure out who sabotaged you?"

"Max and Kara were the masterminds and threatened Tucker to carry out the sabotage or else his friend would get hurt."

Karena shook her head in disappointment.

"Please tell me you reported those two, Diana. Those two were huge trouble for the other students at Staples High and yet they've always gotten away with it."

"Because Principal Warren is Max's father," Diana replied, rolling her eyes. "Because of that, Max is always off the hook. Kara also since she's dated Max."

"I'm so glad I'm transferring to Westport High for good. I know you're not in the band or chorus, Diana, but it will be nice to work with you and your friends. Your classmates seem like very honest students."

"I think our daughter's rubbed that into her friends," Wilbur said with a wink. "Thinking back, I was only popular because of my dad. Diana's earned that title, fair and square, because of who she is. And princess, I know I tell you all the time, but I am very proud of you."

"Thank you, Dad."

We all sat at the table and ate our meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and broccoli.

"Lily, can we talk when we finish?" Diana suddenly asked me.

"Of course."

We finished our dinner. Diana led me to her bedroom and closed the door behind her.

"What's up?" I asked her with a smile.

"When I was investigating the sabotage at school this week, I started to have these... feelings," Diana explained with hesitation.

"Feelings? What kind of feelings?"

"Like you get this huge gut instinct that something is wrong or something else is the truth. I actually doubted Brian was the perpetrator. And then when we interrogated Sydney, it was like I could see right through her! Is something wrong with me, Lily?"

I chuckled.

"Diana, there is nothing wrong with you. In fact, I think I know exactly what it is. May I do an experiment with you?"

"Sure."

"Look into my eyes and tell me what you see."

Diana did what she was told and tried to glance into my mind.

"I see... I see James! But why do I see James there? Isn't he dead?"

"Yes," I explained. "But because James was a big part of my life, he is always in my mind."

"Wait a minute," Diana whispered, suddenly staggering back. "Am I... psychic? I remember my dad telling me he had these powers in his mind, but he can't read minds. So why can I read minds?"

"What about your mother?"

"No. She has no powers at all."

"You are your father's daughter, Diana. And Wilbur... is a Jedi. And therefore-"

"I'm a Jedi, too!"

Diana suddenly fainted on the ground. I checked her pulse and found one. I blew a sigh of relief. I retrieved her father, who put her in bed.

May 3, 2060

DIANA'S POV

My mother parked the car after dropping Wesley off at school, and right when I got out, Luis was running up to me.

"Diana! Come quick! There's, um, been a huge incident by your locker!"

"Oh, really?" I asked with a grin, immediately knowing Luis was hiding something. "What kind of incident?"

"A... huge one!"

"Good or bad?" I asked again with amusement.

"It's a, uh... You really need to see it, okay?"

"You're not great at this whole 'lying' thing, are you?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm really not," Luis finally answered with a frown. "But could you just follow me? I promise it's important."

"Of course, Luis. I'm just pulling your leg. Lead on!"

I followed Luis to the door where Myra handed me a card with a simple phrase on it.

"Take a walk with me," I read out loud.

Once I got inside the school, a familiar song started to play. It was the same song Caleb used to ask me to homecoming. I blushed, glancing down in my pink hi-lo dress, and I found a path of red rose petals. I walked slowly, taking my time with each step, reminiscing on how Caleb and I came to be, and I continued to follow the path. I turned the corner, and I saw him. He dressed up in his blue homecoming suit and held a bouquet of pink roses in his hands. His white smile beamed as red balloons flew behind him. The song concluded, and he took my hand, pulling me into the circle of rose petals with him.

"Diana Robinson, will you go to prom with me?"

I gazed at the scene before me in awe. I was now surrounded by my friends, who had their phones out taping the entire scene. I glanced back at him, a sparkle in his brown eyes. I felt that same sparkle in mine. I smiled and nodded.

"Yes. Yes, Caleb, YES!"

He wrapped his arms around my waist, swept me off my feet, and twirled me around as I embraced him.

"Oh, sweetheart..."

We kissed.

"I think she liked the promposal," I heard Michael say behind me. "Kind of."

"Shush, you!" Maria teased him. "Let them have their moment."

I kissed him again, this time, deepening it. Suddenly, I felt a tap on my shoulder.

"Guys?" Sydney spoke. "It's time to get to class."

"Wait, did I miss the bell?" I asked.

"Yes!"

I grinned at my boyfriend, and he grinned back.

"We were really that distracted, huh?" he asked me.

"I wish we could keep being distracted," I confessed.

"Who says we can't?"

"Wait a minute," I teased him. "Caleb Mitchell, are you suggesting we skip class?"

"Nothing like that," he answered with a laugh. "But, this evening, how about we go on a picnic? There's a cliff outside of town that I hear is beautiful."

"There is?" I asked. "I've been in Westport all my life. I don't remember a cliff anywhere."

"Yes, there is. The closest one to Westport is west of Stamford. You might get a view of New York from there."

"Oh, I don't know about that," I answered with a laugh. "But a picnic sounds just wonderful. I'll be ready at eight o'clock."

KARENA'S POV

I was gathering up my things in the band room when I saw Diana standing at the threshold of the band room with a dreamy look in her brown eyes.

"Let me guess," I said with a smirk on my face. "Caleb asked you to prom?"

Her smile disappeared and she looked shocked.

"How did you know?"

"I was there," I answered with a wink. "I followed you in from a distance after Luis claimed there was an 'accident.' I got the whole thing on my phone and sent it to Lily and your father."

I showed Diana the video I took and it replayed the moments she walked along a path of rose petals to her locker where Caleb asked her out to the prom.

"You were there," Diana whispered in awe. "Last time, it was Dad, but now, it's you. Thank you for being there."

"You're welcome."

"Hey, while you're here, Caleb is planning a picnic in Greenwich. May I go?"

"What time?"

"Eight o'clock."

"Isn't that a little late?" I asked.

"Please, Mom?" Diana pleaded with me. "We're responsible. I promise we'll be home by curfew."

I chuckled.

"Well, you have followed through on your promises so far and when you had a reason to be late, it was a good reason."

I pondered a few more minutes, knowing Wilbur would be understanding.

"Alright, Diana, you may go."

Diana squealed and hugged me.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you! I promise I will tell you everything!"

Diana started to run out of the room.

"Wait, Diana!" I yelled out. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

"What?" she yelled back.

"I'm your ride! You can't drive yet, remember?'

"I can, too, drive!" Diana shot back with a teasing smirk, walking back into the band room. "I just need guidance. Speaking of which, may I?"

"Sure. I'm in a good mood to not say no to you."

We laughed and cleaned up the band room together.

Greenwich, Connecticut, USA

DIANA'S POV

It didn't take Caleb long to drive us to Lowther Point in Greenwich. We found a clearing in the forest and walked up to the cliff, overlooking not only Long Island Sound, but also a distant view of New York City.

"I am never doubting you again," I said in awe. "This is perfect!"

"Not quite yet, it isn't," he replied as I gave him a look of confusion. "Wait a minute."

I watched him set up a campfire. Once he finished, I helped him lay out the picnic basket.

"There," Caleb said with confidence. "Now it's perfect."

I sat down and patted on the soft red plaid blanket.

"Just get over here and relax, darling. You've done enough."

He sat down besides me and opened up the picnic basket he brought.

"Well, darling, what's for dinner?" I asked with a grin.

"Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, cookies, and hot chocolate."

"Ooh! Sounds delicious!"

Caleb handed me a small thermos mug and poured hot chocolate into it. I took a sip and smacked my lips with satisfaction.

"So? What do you think?"

"How did you ever find this place?" I asked. "A spot like this... I'm amazed it isn't crawling with hikers!"

"A while back, I went jogging along the trail I usually follow, took a wrong turn, and ended up here."

"You ended up all the way here from Westport?"

"No, no. I drove. I needed to clear my head."

"Ah."

"The moment I saw this view, I knew I had to bring you here."

"Lucky me!" I said with a sheepish giggle.

We enjoyed our food and hot chocolate in delight. I could not help but take a portrait shot of the campfire before Caleb pulled me into his warm body. We both relaxed, letting out contented sighs.

"You know, when I woke up this morning, I thought to myself, today's the day," Caleb told me. "Don't mess this up. I was so nervous. I couldn't help thinking that maybe you wouldn't say yes. Maybe you wouldn't like my promposal. You did like it, right?"

"Caleb, please relax. It was wonderful."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. It was the best promposal ever in the history of mankind."

"Now you're just messing with me," Caleb replied with a laugh.

"Alright, a little. But it really was wonderful. You were so romantic, putting on the same song you played at homecoming."

We leaned back, looking up at the starry sky.

"Of course, the promposal is only the beginning," Caleb said. "We've still got the actual prom to attend."

"How could I forget? After all the work we've put into it, it's gonna be the best! I can't wait to spend time with you."

"You don't have to wait for that. I'm right here."

"I know. But you're the reason prom will be special for me."

I kissed him on the cheek.

"You took the words right out of my mouth."

A breeze blew right by us and I shivered.

"Hang on!" Caleb shouted. "I prepared for this!"

He dug into the picnic basket, pulling out a second blanket, and draping it over our shoulders.

"Wow!" I exclaimed. "Thanks! You are full of surprises tonight."

"No, thank you for coming out here with me. It's nice to go somewhere and just unwind."

"We both needed after all this time."

I leaned into him and he kissed me on the forehead. When we glanced up again, we saw a bright streak across the sky!

"Caleb, look!" I exclaimed, pointing to the streak. "A shooting star!"

"Seriously? Quick, make a wish!"

I wish... for the perfect prom.