Hello there everyone, first of all, I would like to say thank you very much for sparing some of your precious time to read my story, and that it is an absolute honor to see my work appreciated by other writers.

Secondly, I know that I have marked this story as "complete", but I just couldn't help putting this chapter up. I hope you enjoy it. Thank you once again for reading my story, everyone.

Epilogue
Quality Time

Eight days later…In the lair

Donatello had finally returned home from his fantastic vacation the day before, and he had told his family about all the things he had done with April, Leatherhead and professor Honeycutt in great details, well, not before giving Raphael one hell of a chase around New York City's sewer systems to test out his new "plasma cannon", all because of one broken mop.

To make things worse for the red-banded ninja, Donatello had even used Leonardo's gift – the command ticket – to order the most skilled ninja of the clan to give chase and apprehend his target. Unexpectedly, Leo seemed very eager, perhaps a bit too gleefully eager to carry out his first order from Don, much to Raph's dismay. As for Mikey, the master of nunchucks always stuck to Donnie's side, no questions asked. It was a memorable day that everyone, especially Raph, could never ever forget.

The day before

The clock showed that it was close to noon, and it was almost time for Donnie to finally return from his one-week break. In the living room of the lair, everyone was waiting expectantly for the door to open so as to welcome their genius brother and son back from his long trip.

On the floor, Leo was currently meditating with master Splinter, trying his best to block out the noise that was coming from the TV screens, as well as suppress the growing excitement of seeing his calm, soft-spoken and reasonable sibling after one hellish week of trying to stop Raph and Mikey from killing each other and making the entire lair collapse.

Luckily, he had always managed to stop every single fight the two loud turtles had initiated with the help of his sensei before any unfortunate accidents could take place. For some reason, Leo thought he was the only one to actually remember the watchful spy drone on the ceiling, beside Splinter of course.

'I can't wait to see Donnie again' Leo thought in excitement, 'I really miss his cool head around here to help me keep those two in check and…to help keep this family and this place together'.

In the meantime, Michelangelo was sitting in front of the screens (well, the remaining screens – nobody dared to touch anything too technologically advanced for fear of facing Donatello's retribution should they break anything), trying to while away the time. The screens were playing all of his favorite hero cartoons, but for once, he wasn't paying any attention to any of them.

Mikey was also very excited about seeing his brother and best friend again after one long week. He had never realized how silent and empty the lair had become without the calm and serene olive turtle around. Though, he never said it out loud to his brothers and father, Mikey had a feeling that they, too, dearly missed Donnie's presence in the lair, even more than they could ever admit.

Now that Donatello was not here, they felt very lonely, and that nasty feeling gradually became more and more intense as the days went by. While it was true that Donatello normally made himself scarce and shut himself in his lab for days on end, but at least they knew that he was with them, thanks to the consistent and faint sounds of his hammering, welding, assembling, etc. in the lab. Without the inventor around, it was quiet, too quiet for their liking.

Now, Michelangelo, along with the others, knew a fraction of how it must have felt for Don, and he also wondered in bewilderment exactly how his genius brother could suppress his loneliness for as long as he did.

'Man, we really should have paid more attention to Donnie's feelings' Mikey thought solemnly and hung his head, 'I should have noticed his feelings…Well, that's going to change when he's back, that I vow'. After that, he tried to focus on his shows, but once again, he failed to do so.

At the same time, Raphael, who seemed to be the most restless family member at the moment, was pacing around the living room impatiently, letting out soft grunts every now and then.

"What's taking him so long?" He said, "Brainiac should be back by now!"

"Calm down, Raph" Leo, having been broken out of his trance by his brother's gruff voice, coolly said, "He'll be back any moment now. Why don't you sit down and do something to while away the time?"

"Yeah, dude" Mikey chimed in, somewhat happy that someone started a conversation, "Besides, you really want to see Donnie that much?" he asked mischievously.

"Of course, I want to see him? What kind of question is that?" Raph retorted. Deep down, the hot-headed turtle knew that he was perhaps the biggest source of grief for Don with his impeccable tendency of breaking virtually everything he touched, and he was feeling somewhat guilty for all the repairs he had forced upon his understanding and patient sibling.

Raph just wanted Donnie to get back as soon as possible, so that they could hang out for a change – work on the Shell Cycle, talk about engines and similar stuff to make up for all the time he had ignored his brother's pleas for help around the lair. However, Raph seemed to have forgotten something very important.

"Dude, you really want to get chased around the sewers by Donnie with a plasma cannon that badly?" Mikey asked again, trying and failing to contain his amused snicker, which made Raph's mouth to go agape.

"Ah crud!" he muttered as the memory of the snapped mop resurfaced.

"Don't worry, Raph. I'm sure he was joking around" Leo tried to be serious, but he knew he wasn't fooling anyone with that goofy grin on his face, "How can you be scared of our sweet, peace-loving Donnie?"

"Cause it's DONNIE!" Raph yelled in Leo's face, causing Mikey to burst out laughing again, this time even harder. "When was the last he made a threat and not acted on it? I signed an agreement not to break anything, and ya agreed to his conditions of not breaking anything, which made me double guilty" Raph added, his voice trembling uncharacteristically.

Leo, at this point, simply shrugged, an act that didn't calm Raphael down in any way.

"My son, your brother is a kind and gentle soul" master Splinter said with slight amusement in his voice, "Surely there is no possible way he can ever do anything to hurt his family".

"Ya really think so, master?" Raph asked hesitantly, still not fully convinced.

"I know so, my son" Splinter replied. At this point, his sensitive ears picked up the familiar sound of the Sewer Slider parking outside the lair's main gate. "Perhaps we should let Donatello answer that question to put your mind at ease, Raphael" the aged rat added, making his sons direct their gazes towards the gate, excitement and happiness clearly present on their faces.

A few seconds later, the large gate opened, revealing the familiar sights of the purple-banded turtle, who was carrying a large bad with him, and April. The moment he laid eyes on his brothers, Donnie's face split into a very bright smile, and shone like the star on the Christmas tree. He then waved his hand at his expectant family members and walked toward them.

"Hi guys, long time no see!" he said cheerfully.

"DONNIE!" replied the three turtles as they raced to their genius brother and pulled him into a tight group hug.

"G…Guys…I need…oxygen…" Donatello said, trying to get his siblings to loosen their grip a little. He loved being hugged by his brothers in their displays of happiness, but he really had no intention on getting choked by any of them.

"Sorry, Don" Leo reacted immediately and loosened hid hold on Donatello, "We really miss you".

"I can tell" the olive genius replied with a warm smile on his face before pulling Leo closer, and the normally serious leader didn't even protest.

"Dude, How was your vacation?" Mikey asked, nuzzling his cheek on Don's face and causing him to chuckle. One week of not seeing Mikey's unpredictable and affectionate antics really made a guy, or turtle, yearn for them once again.

"It was absolutely amazing, Mikey! I'm glad you talked me into taking it, thank you" Donnie replied after kissing his baby brother on his scalp lovingly. "But, it wasn't the same without you guys around. I really missed Leo's lectures, Raph's complaints, Sensei's soap operas, and your crazy antics".

"Hey, I don't lecture" Leo protested, but his snicker gave him away.

"Oh yeah? Come to my lab and I'll show you my collection of 'Leonardo's Classic Speeches'. I have lots" Don said, making all three turtles laugh heartily.

"Glad to have you back, Don" said Raphael, Leonardo, and Michelangelo in unison.

"Thanks guys. It's really great to be home!" Donatello exclaimed, pulling them closer and taking his time to savor the moment.

Next to them, master Splinter and April watched the affectionate display with warm and proud smiles plastered on their faces.

…

"Come on Brainiac," Raph said after a while, "Ya should go rest up. I'm sure it ain't too comfy driving a car that could fly at supersonic speed in the sewers".

"How do you know that?" Donnie asked, his head tilting to one side.

"Even all-powerful Fearless here spent a miserable hour on the couch after testing prof Honeycutt's insane acceleration units. I even have pictures to prove it" Raph replied, earning a hateful glare from the leader in blue.

"I told you to get rid of them, Raph" Leo said, somewhat irritated.

"No freaking way, Leo" Raph shot back before turning to Donnie, "Maybe ya could teach me how to upload them onto yer computer and print them out as wallpapers?"

Don was visibly surprised when Raphael - the rebel, the protector, the muscle, the independent fighter, the reckless racer – asked to be taught something that wasn't included in his long list of interests. Although it was a very small and rather insignificant task, but for Don, he felt like he was receiving his immediate older brother's respect.

"Sure!" the turtle in purple beamed, making Raph and Mikey laugh. Leo simply shook his head in disapproval, but everyone in the room could easily spot the tiny amused smile that decorated his face.

"But before that, I have something for you, Raphael…" Donnie spoke after a while, making the turtle in question flinch. Donnie hardly used their full names, but when he did, well…

"Gulp, and what would that be, Donnie-boy?" Raph asked cautiously as his trained eyes surveyed the large bag that Donatello was carrying with him.

"Oh nothing much, just something I'd like to call "Revenge for the fallen mop", that's all" Don replied with a really devilish smirk on his face, making his brothers step back.

A few seconds later, the purple-clad genius opened his bag and pulled out an advanced-looking, metallic-black cannon that could possibly make the Triceratons' advanced weaponry look like a buffoonery. Don, still with that mad scientist's grin on his face, held the cannon with two hands and loaded it.

"D…Donnie, you are not seriously thinking about…" Raphael began as he warily stepped away from his normally pacifistic, and currently positively psychotic, sibling.

"Yes, I am. So I suggest you run!" Don said, cutting his brother off.

Raph looked to master Splinter for help, but the old rat wore a stunned expression on his face, one that seemed to say, "Well, I stand corrected".

"Raphael, my trigger finger is itching, so I suggest you run real far now!" Donnie suddenly spoke in an exaggerated monotone voice, causing Raph to turn back to him. Needless to be told twice, Raph bolted out of the lair and ran as fast as he possibly could, never once looking back at the turtle with the cannon behind him.

…

When Raph was out of sight, Donnie and April suddenly burst out laughing like they had finally lost it, which was pretty much the shared thought that the other mutants were having at the moment.

"I can't believe he actually fell for that" Donatello said between pants, trying to catch his breath.

"I told you it would freak him out" April added, making everyone confused.

"Donnie?" Mikey asked, carefully taking a step forward toward his brother.

"Don't worry, Mike, this thing is absolutely harmless, despite its appearance" said turtle replied, still trying to catch his breath.

"Wha…What is it then?" this time, it was Leo who raised a question. At the sound of a seemingly harmless enquiry, Donatello and April laughed even harder and high-fived each other triumphantly, much to the others' confusion.

"You want to tell them, or should I?" Don asked his fellow scientist companion.

"You should tell them, Don. It's your idea" she replied and blinked at him.

"Ahem, this, gentlemen, is a very powerful and intimidating weapon created solely for the purpose of striking lasting fear into the very hearts and souls of the enemies in…in…water warfare…" Don stopped there, unable to continue. At first, his family looked scared, but at that last word, the sacred expressions on their faces were gone, replaced by a dumbfounded look for Leo and Splinter, and an amused look for Mikey.

"You mean, it's a…" Mikey asked, sensing a laughter coming.

"Yep, a WATER GUN! Or better yet, a water that will never run out of juice" Don proudly exclaimed, making Mikey double over and laugh like he had never laughed before. At the same time, Leo and Splinter still wore that dumbfounded look on their faces, unable to believe that the highly advanced-looking thing Don was carrying was a kid's toy.

"You…You spent a week on that?" Leo asked in surprise.

"Of course not, Leo. This only took me about thirty minutes on the last day. Also, it is not your average water gun. There is a switch here that controls the pressure inside the cannon. If the switch is set high enough, this thing can even become a fire extinguisher that never runs out of water. Besides, this cannon can be turned into a small cube to carry around. Can you imagine how convenient this baby is?"

"Wow!" was the only thing the leader in blue could mutter. Even though Don was making something to fool around, he still thought about the practical applications of his "toy" inventions.

"How does it work, Donnie? And I mean the inner workings, I can work out the outer workings just fine" Mikey suddenly spoke, making the questioned turtle surprised. 'Did Mikey just ask me to explain how this thing worked? As in the theories and mechanics?' he wondered.

At first, Donatello was dumbfounded and silent, surprised that his least serious brother was interested in the theories behind his invention, not just the invention itself. Out of the corner of his eye, the genius suddenly caught sight of his sensei flashing him a warm smile, silently telling him to explain.

Surprise then turned into happiness and happiness to excitement in a matter of seconds. Quickly, Donatello literally shoved the exaggerated water cannon/fire extinguisher to his enquiring sibling's face and began to explain everything – from the way it absorbed moist in the air, how it converted moist into water using a cycle similar to that of rain, how it could be folded into a small cube for easy carriage,…

While Donatello was proudly and gleefully explaining every part and detail of his new toy, Leo and Mikey stood still and listened. They might not be able to understand half of what the resident genius was saying, but there was one thing they knew they clearly understood – their brother's happiness.

The way the excited inventor spoke, the way he gestured to every detail of his gun, the way he meticulously explained how to adjust the pressure inside the cannon, etc. they all radiated with so much happiness and joy, the likes of which Leo and Mikey had never seen from the normally quiet and reserved Don before. Seeing their genius brother's joy nade them smile, torn between joy and guilt.

'If I had known he would be like this every time we listen to his explanations, I would have never interrupted him' Leo thought, taking in the contagious glee that his intelligent brother was exhibiting.

'I'm so sorry, Donnie. From now on, I'll try to listen to you more, like you always listen to me…' Mikey silently and solemnly promised, never taking his eyes off of his purple-banded brother's features.

…

"And that's all" Donatello concluded after a really informative and detailed five-minute presentation of his invention. After that, the genius took a second to survey his brothers' faces and body language.

"I'm sorry, I rambled on too much…" Don suddenly spoke after seeing how despondent both Leo and Mikey had become. In an instant, the two guilt-ridden turtles' heads shot up, and they hugged Don again, much to his surprise.

"No, Donnie, we are sorry!" Leo whispered softly in his brother's ear (or wherever his sense of hearing comes from, I know not).

"For what?" asked the bewildered olive terrapin in the middle.

"For not paying any attention to you when you speak about your passion," this time, it was Mikey, "We're really, really sorry, bro".

"Aw, Mikey, Leo, I don't hold anything against you for that, and the same with Raph as well…"

"No, of course you don't Donnie, you're just that amazing a brother" Mikey and Leo said simultaneously, making the bashful creator blush. A moment later, however, a genuine smile formed on his face.

"Okay, if you're feeling sorry, then can you help me out with something?"

"Anything, Don! Just say the word" Leo replied, happy that there was something he could do to help his brother.

"Good! I want you to help me track down Raph and capture him. He needs to be punished for breaking his agreement and my condition" Donatello said, his evil grin once again apparent on his face, slightly scaring his brothers.

"But Donnie, isn't that too little?" Leo asked again, but he was cut off when the purple-banded turtle waved his command ticket in the air, silently telling the leader in blue to comply without question.

"You're unbelievable, you know that, Don?" Leonardo shook his head slightly and said with a brotherly smile on his face.

"I know. You just told me so" Don replied and put the ticket away. "So Mikey, are you in?"

"Dude, do you even have to ask? Of course I'm in. I'll get the camera" with that said, the energetic ninja disappeared into his room and reappeared moments later with the said equipment in his hand.

"Alright, team, grab your cannons in the Sewer Slider, we're going Raph-hunting" Donnie exclaimed and loaded his gun again.

"You know where he is?"

"Please Leo, he can run and hide inside Santa's house and I can still track him down".

"Alright then, let's go!" Leo said, unable to hide his excitement. It had been a while since he last spent some quality time with his brothers on a game like this, and Donnie's idea of entertainment was absolutely terrific. Though it was at Raph's expense, the red-banded turtle kind of deserved it for breaking his agreement and one of Don's conditions. Besides, everyone knew Raph was motivated to run for real, like his life was on the line, which was pretty much the truth in his head.

"Sensei, April, we're off!" Mikey exclaimed before bolting out of the lair.

Leonardo and Donatello bowed their heads respectfully and waited for their father to return the gesture.

"Happy hunting, my sons" the aged master said with amusement in his tone, causing his sons to chuckle.

"We will, sensei" Donnie replied, "Oh, and…Thank you for everything, father".

Master Splinter's smile grew wider when his intelligent son spoke those words of gratitude. After a nod, he gestured for them to leave, and they did just that.

Once the boys were no longer within sight, April walked to Splinter's side and spoke.

"There is never a dull moment when the guys are together, huh?" she said with a smile on her face, happy and proud to have such wonderful beings as her friends.

"No, there certainly is not!" the aged rat laughed heartily and invited the human female inside to watch some soap operas with him, which she reluctantly agreed, for she had promised a certain turtle she would keep Splinter company while the guys were out, relaxing and playing to their hearts' content.