"Raphael!"

Donnie remembers hearing his oldest brother shouting as Raph began leaving the Utrom laboratory. "Where are you going?!"

    Donatello doesn't know why Leonardo asked their brother such a question. After 23 years, Leo still doesn't seem to understand Raph as well as he does. Sure, the two are complete opposites, brains and brawn, but he is still his brother. The middle children.

Raphael and Donatello always bonded over merely that fact since they were little. They've always had each other's shells in any situation, from battles to personal matters. Donnie remembers the many times Raph helped him when it came to his crush on April, whether it was being his wingman or helping get over heartbreak. Regardless, Raphael was always there for him when it came to his love life.

Perhaps it's time Donatello returns the favor. 

Donnie watches Raph stop at the lab's exit door, looking back at Leo. From his fiery glare and determination in his eyes, Donnie knew what Raph was planning to do before he even said it.

"Gonna take Casey's advice. I'm going to go kick Bishop's ass."

With his declaration, Raphael storms out of the Utrom's lab on his way to confront Bishop, leaving his brothers and Fugitoid behind. A wave of mixed emotions were set on the three brothers and android: shocked, worried, and strangely proud. Leonardo, despite Michelangelo's begging, didn't wish to go, stop his hot-tempered brother, and attempt to talk him out of it. Leo knew there was no way of convincing Raph to choose a different path to settle this problem, let alone if he would even listen to him. However, to the other's surprise, Donatello left the lab and chased after him.

"Raph! Raph! Hold up, dude!" Donnie shouts to his brother, following him through the halls of the Utrom's base. "Let's talk about this!"

"I've already made up my mind, Donnie. So don't try to stop me," Raph tells him, continuing to storm through the halls, not looking back.

Donnie sprints up to be in front of his brother, stopping him in his tracks in the middle of the hall.

"While I do agree that he deserves a beating, hurting Bishop is NOT going to make the situation better! I know you want to do this all for Mona, but we should think of a different way to approach this."

Raph softly chuckles, giving a confident smile. "Fighting Bishop is not my plan. I just need him to break his charade."

Donnie was taken aback by Raph's words. He looks at his brother and asks curiously, "...What do you mean?"

"I just gotta make Bishop look bad in front of the rest of the council, most importantly the Utrom Queen."

"Wait... You actually have a plan?!"

    Raph shrugs. "Not the most well thought out one I'll admit, but it's something I can work with. If I get Bishop to snap in front of the council and confess his true intentions, then the Queen will stop him, and Mona won't have to leave Earth."

    Donnie thought over his brother's scheme. There's a possibility it could work, exposing Bishop to the Utrom Queen. However, fighting Bishop is all Raphael has. There are obvious flaws in the plan and he's not thinking fully ahead of the consequences and other potential outcomes. His brother needs some assistance.

"Let me help you."

Raph steps away from Donnie, trying to walk past him, "I need to do this alone."

"No, you don't," Donnie insisted, stopping his brother again and placing his hand on his shoulder. "You said it yourself, your plan isn't that thought out. Hell, it's not even a plan! Barging in the Utrom's meeting room right now and starting a fight with Bishop is not going to work. It'll just make you look bad and that is just what Bishop wants. I can help you and make sure the Utrom Queen knows the truth."

    "...Why do you want to help me?"

    "Why wouldn't I? Bishop's new laws are going to affect me and everyone else as much as they're going to affect you and Mona." Donnie then softly added, "And also because... what you're doing for Mona Lisa, I would do the same for April."

Raph smiles at his brother, surprised but glad he could truly rely on someone during this fight. There's a reason so many years ago Donnie referred to them both as "The New A Team". The two brothers may be different, but Donnie knows the feeling Raph is going through, to do anything you can for the woman you love. Often Raphael forgets how much he and Donnie can relate to the topic, which makes him the perfect ally for his plans to stop Bishop.

"Thanks, Donnie," Raph says as he offers his brother his hand. Their hands lock and they quickly shake, making their partnership official for the plan.

"So what do you have in mind?"

"I'll talk to the Utrom Queen, convince her the best I can to reconsider Bishop's new laws and let her know what is really going on. Then tomorrow before Mona leaves, you get Bishop to snap. That's when I'll bring the Queen to Earth to see his true intentions."

"And how am I going to do that?"

"Easy. What is Bishop threatened by most?"

"Me proposing to Mona Lisa."

Donnie smiles, "Exactly! If you can get Bishop to think you are still going to go through with your proposal, disregarding his laws, he's bound to snap. That's when you do what you do best, fight him."

Raph grins, "I'm liking this plan."

"For now, go home and tell the others that you're gonna need backup. Bishop might send his Utrom soldiers to go after you first, so having Leo, Mikey and the others disarm them will give Bishop no other choice but to attack you himself. It's a huge risk, and you'll be playing with fire, and I'll need time to convince the Queen to listen to my reasons, but you think you can push him far enough to show his true colors when I bring the Utrom Queen tomorrow?"

"Please! I'm the master at playing with fire!" Raph laughs with confidence as Donnie rolls his eyes, not surprised by Raph's response, but quickly his tone changes to slight concern as he asks, "Do you really think this will work? How are you going to convince the Queen to reconsider?"

Donnie thought for a moment, "There's one thing I can try that'll get her attention. Leave it to me. Go tell Leo, Mikey and the others the plan. I'll see you tomorrow night when the plan is in action."

Raph nods, "Got it. Thanks, Dee."

Raph heads off the other direction, returning back to the Utrom lab as Donnie heads toward the meeting room of the Utrom Council.

How is he going to do this? Donatello is smart, he knows that, but he wonders how he will be able to get the Queen's attention and listen to him. Sure, she trusts him and admires his intellect, there's a reason why she offered...

That's when it clicked.

He knew what he had to do to convince the Queen. As he approached the entrance to the meeting room of the Utrom base, Donnie quickly thought over everything he needed to say and do, along with coming up with a few other ideas as well to sprinkle in. Why not have some fun with this and really mess with Bishop's position and power? With a deep breath taken, Donnie steps forward towards the doors that slide open for him and enters.

"Donatello?!" He hears Rook say, surprised by his presence.

"Hello, Rook. Pawn," Donnie smiles. He then spots the Utrom Queen, turns to her and politely bows his head. He must make a good impression as well as show his respect to the only one he knows that can stop Bishop's madness, "Your Majesty."

Rook approaches the turtle with worry, "It's too late. Bishop has already gone through with everything. He won. Y'gythgba will be returning to Salamandria by tomorrow night!"

"I've heard."

"How is your brother? I know the news must be torturing him."

"He's..." Donnie knew he had to be careful with how he phrased his words. He doesn't need anyone taking any action besides him and Raph, "...handling it, to say the least."

"Is he not furious? At the very least I expected him to barge in here during the meeting in a fiery rage, not you! N-No offense..."

Rook would be surprised at how right she actually was with her prediction.

"Oh, trust me, he was planning to, but... let's just say I gave him an alternative."

"What's that supposed to mean? Is anyone going to do anything to stop Bishop? What will this mean for the future of mutants on Earth?! For the galaxy?! And what does this mean for your brother's engagement?!" Rook asked. She was growing hysterical.

"It's all under control," Donnie tells her calmly.

"But what if-"

"Rook! Calm yourself!" The Utrom Queen demands as she approaches the purple turtle, "Forgive her, Donatello. She has been acting frantic all week."

"No need to apologize. Rook has every right to feel this way," Donnie tells the Queen. "I could assume she was keeping it from you all because of her believing she has little power and say in the council, along with little evidence. Bishop must have used that reason to keep her quiet," he then looks at Rook with a comforting smile. "Which is not true, she deserves far more appreciation for her hard work in the council and for mutant kind than Bishop."

"...What do you mean?" The Queen asked. Donnie could tell from her stance and expression that she has been in doubt of this whole situation since the beginning. This could make it easier to get her on his side.

"I demand to know what is going on, Donatello! What does she mean by Bishop's plans, and what is this about an engagement she speaks of?"

In a mature tone, Donnie tells the Utrom Queen, "Your Majesty, Bishop has left out a few important details to his reasoning for his new laws you and council agreed to recently, and I'd like to thoroughly discuss them with you before any more actions take place." He then smiles proudly as he adds, "And while I'm here, I'd also like to reconsider your offer."

The Queen was taken aback.  "My offer?"

"To be a part of your council. To become Knight."

"Oh! That is wonderful!" The Queen cheers, "I knew you'd come around eventually!"

"But I do have some requests if I do take this position."

"Such as?"

"I wish for you to reconsider Bishop's new laws of all mutants on the planet Earth."

Rook's eyes widen from what she has heard. She couldn't believe it. There may be hope after all!

"What?" The Queen was surprised by his request, "but they are already in effect. I cannot-"

"Your Highness, with all due respect, these new laws are doing more harm than good to us mutants. Believe me when I say, Bishop's intentions are not for the greater good."

"...He's right," Rook said, "Bishop is doing this for his own selfless gain."

"If you knew this Rook then why didn't you tell me?" The Queen asked.

"Because she knew it would be hard for you to believe," Donnie explains. "Bishop has done so much for Earth and the Utrom, I will admit, but now he is going too far. Which is why I have a new proposal for you, your Highness. A new council, one for the entire cosmos."

    The Utrom Queen smiled, intrigued by the turtle's words.

Donnie continued, "I understand your people have only good intentions to help us, but I think it's time to allow Earth and us mutants to survive on our own. Live independently. Our alliance with Dimension X will still be in place, but I request that you grant us full control and let us figure out how we must live and handle our planet."

"I agree," Rook steps in, "Your Majesty, we cannot keep on worrying about other planets, perhaps we should focus on ourselves and allow Earth to follow its own path."

"Hmm, allowing the planet Earth to be independent..." The Queen thought it over a little bit more. She does agree that worrying about another planet that is not her own does get tiring. She is already so focused on helping her people continue to rebuild their home after years of the Kraang taking over, and even this new council Donatello speaks of intrigued her.

"I will happily accept your position as Knight, if only you agree to listen to my proposal and other terms." Donnie tells the Queen.

She smiles and nods, offering her hand to the mutant turtle. Donnie returns the friendly gaze as he takes her hand. The Utrom Queen and her new Knight seal the deal.

"Alright, Knight," The Queen says, giving her new council member a pleasant smile, "Proceed with your proposal."

For many hours, Donatello worked alongside the Utrom Queen, Rook, and Pawn, proposing to them his ideas and suggestions for this new council, new laws for mutant kind and the planet Earth. The Utrom Queen kept court, with Rook and Pawn by each of her sides as they listened and watched Donatello standing on the opposite side of the meeting room's table, sharing his proposal and other thoughts.

First, he offered a new council, one for the entire galaxy. Here they will report and discuss specific matters among the galaxy such as alliances and trading. One or more beings from each planet represents their planet in a high council, choosing an Ambassador to represent the planet. Since Donatello and his brothers were young, Bishop took it upon himself to become Ambassador of Earth. This led to him having control over mutant kind over the years, slowly gaining more power without them noticing.

"Bishop is Ambassador to Earth, but why should he represent a planet he is not from?" Rook argues the moment the topic was brought up, "Having an Earthling be Ambassador of Earth can be their first step to their independence."

Donatello was glad and lucky Rook was on his side. She was able to help support his ideas and even offer new ones that benefit mutants, "I say mutants should have their right to live by their own rules, and society over time will grow to accept them. It'll take time, but there will be no improvement between humans and mutants coexisting if the current Ambassador, Bishop, keeps hiding them in the dark. He is not fit for the role!"

"Rook is right," Donnie then adds, "an Earthling should represent Earth as its Ambassador."

"I already have Bishop to represent for Dimension X, he would do the same in this hypothetical council you propose," The Queen says, "If we do remove Bishop from that position, you would need a new Ambassador to represent Earth..."

"We can decide on that later," Donnie tells the Utroms, "I wish to focus on what I really came here to discuss: Bishop's law on mutant kind."

"You and Rook claim he is using this for his own selfish gain," The Queen says. "Care to clarify?"

"Gladly," Donnie smiles. "You see, your Highness, Bishop has been leaving out some important details as to why he created these new laws recently. Now, the previous ones seem innocent enough, a curfew for mutants, what time they are allowed to be out during daylight hours, limited interactions with humans, and locations they are allowed to go, etc. However, with these new laws he has recently created, there's no benefit or support for mutants, it just gives him the right to push us around more than he used to, but this time with no repercussions. He has a right to arrest and even harm any mutant who rebels or questions him. A proper agreement and file made between you and Mona Lisa when she began living on Earth years ago is now irrelevant because of the Earth's current peaceful state. Bishop deemed her a criminal for peacefully living on Earth! And finally, my brother, Raphael. Yes, he is a difficult man to understand at times, but every action he does that Bishop is against, he does it all because he wishes to protect the people he loves. Now, Bishop has falsely claimed my brother to be a threat to your people, but in truth, Bishop is the true threat."

"Your brother..." The Queen comments in a soft, curious tone, remembering something that caught her attention earlier in the day, "Rook said something about an engagement... What was that all about?"

"The true reason why Bishop is acting the way he is. You see, my brother wishes to propose to Mona Lisa, but Bishop has been preventing that from happening."

The Queen's eyes widened, "...What do you mean?"

"All his laws, his control over mutant kind, sending Mona Lisa back to Salamandria, is all because he is threatened by a proposal."

"That's ridiculous! Why should he be bothered by your brother and his love wishing to wed?"

"Because he fears change and worries it will result in his loss of control," Rook explains, "He believes that their engagement will cause collisions with other planets, saying it will lead to chaos. He told me himself."

The Queen looked at her fellow Utrom with concern, "What else did he tell you?"

"That he's 'putting his power to good use'." Rook said, "All his beliefs are just paranoia. Professor Honeycutt and I ran the statistics. Their marriage has a higher percentage of positive results for the Earth and the galaxy than negative! If you ask me, he's just as mad as The Kraang."

The Queen thought over the information. She did have her doubts about Bishop, even when he presented these new laws she agreed to, but she found it so hard to believe he would go this far, the signs were there she was just too blinded by lies to see. He abused her trust and she struggled to believe it, "If what you were saying about Bishop is true..."

"You'll abolish Bishop's laws?" Donnie asked, he couldn't hide his excitement and hope beaming in his eyes.

"No. I cannot. The laws are final. As much as I wish to believe you, I cannot just take your word or Rook's that Bishop is using them for his selfish beliefs."

Donnie thought for a moment, "What if his laws aren't being properly used?"

"Then I'll reconsider."

"And what if I could get proof, say Bishop himself admitting these accusations to be true?"

"Then they would be abolished immediately."

Donnie smiles, "Perfect."

Donnie takes a quick look at his watch that rested on his right wrist. Time flies in Dimension X, literally. But he knew it was soon time to put the plan in full effect. Raph must be at the Mutanimals confronting Bishop at this moment. The sudden text he received on his T-Phone from Leo confirmed it.

"Raph's made his move. The Fight is on. Get the Queen here ASAP!"

Donnie smiles, puts away his phone and looks back at the council, "Your Highness, I would like to escort you to Earth. I think I have the evidence I need to support my claims."

The Queen was surprised by what he said. How could he have the evidence he needs right at this moment. She looks to both of her Utroms, Pawn looking concerned but curious to know if what Donnie is claiming is true. Then there was Rook, her eyes begging the Queen to believe the purple turtle.

"Very well," The Queen gets up from her seat, "Take me to Earth."

Using the portal generator, the Utrom Queen, Rook and Pawn were escorted by Donatello to the planet Earth. As soon as they exited the portal, they found themselves where Donnie needed them all to be, the Mighty Mutanimals lair. Up top on the roof he found the Mutanimals, his brothers, April, Casey and Mona Lisa, who seemed as if she was quietly panicking to herself. Donnie wonders what she has been witnessing this whole time to get her to act like that.

"Donnie! You made it!" Mikey says, quickly rushing to hug his brother.

"What took you so long?" Leo asked, "The fight is getting out of hand!"

"Sorry guys," Donnie says, "You lose track of time there."

Mikey lets out a quick chuckle, "Trust me, big bro. I know."

"A fight?" The Queen questioned, jumping in between the brothers, "What do you mean by a fight?"

"Raph and Bishop are fighting!" Casey says, excitedly.

"What?!" The Queen was shocked.

"And where's Raph now?" Donnie asked.

"We don't know," April tells him with worry, "Bishop shot him and the two ran off. They could be anywhere!"

"Raph got shot?!" Donnie panics. That wasn't part of the plan. He warned Raph he'd be playing with fire. Looks like Bishop is taking it farther than they both expected, this is both good and bad for their plan.

"Bishop shot one of the Turtle Warriors?!" The Queen asked, she struggled to comprehend what she heard.

"They couldn't have gone far," Mona Lisa says. Donnie could see the fear and worry in her eyes. He can tell Slash and Leatherhead have been desperately trying to calm her this whole time, but she can't stay still anymore, "Maybe we should split up and look for them?"

"No need," Donnie tells her calmly, pulling out his T-Phone, "There's a tracker I installed on Raph's T-Phone. I can find him easily," with a few clicks on his phone, Donnie was able to get a signal and find Raph's location."

"Got him!" Donnie turns around to the Utrom, "Queen, come with me. The rest of you stay here."

"I can't just stay here!" Mona protests.

Donnie says nothing and quickly runs off with the Utroms to find Raph. Mona Lisa tries to run after them, but Slash and Leatherhead hold her back.

"Mona Lisa, you have to stay here!" Slash tells her.

"Donatello will take care of this!" Leatherhead adds.

Leo approached the worried Salamandrian, "Please, Mona, understand that everything will be alright-"

"I am tired of everyone telling me what to do!" Mona says strongly, "I've allowed Bishop to push me down, and watch him harm my friends and the man I love. I will not sit on the side any longer!"

Quickly, Mona frees herself from Slash and Leatherhead's lock and swiftly kicks them to the ground. She rushes past the rest of her friends, refusing to let anyone stop her.

"Mona!" Leo shouts after her.

"I'm sorry, my friends," she tells them all before she heads off to follow Donnie and the Utrom, "But Raphael needs me."

Down a few more buildings, Donnie was able to spot them. On a far off building, Donnie sees his brother, bleeding out, but still standing strong as him and Bishop stare each other down. Bishop did not look like himself, his clothes were a mess and his hair was scattered, but it was his robotic eyes having the eerie stare that sent a shiver down Donnie's spine.

"What is he doing?" The Queen whispers as she, Donnie, and the other Utrom, all hide behind a nearby billboard to listen.

"You're actually going to kill me?! Just to get your way?" They hear Raph say to Bishop, "What would the Utrom Queen think?"

"She'll think I am a hero for disposing of a dangerous creature like yourself. Queen was foolish enough to believe my lies about you and agree to my laws without a second thought, this will be no different."

What she heard her most trusted Utrom saying made The Queen shake. She couldn't believe it. She was so blinded by his lies she could not see his true intentions. Donatello and Rook were telling the truth.

She continued listening, hoping she misheard, "Once you're dead and Y'gythgba's gone, all mutant kind will be under my boot. If only you followed my rules to begin with. How sad, the Turtle Warrior, Raphael Hamato, dies all for the sake of wishing to marry a Salamandrian woman."

So it's all true.

"What can I say?" Raph tells him calmly, "Love makes you do crazy things."

Bishop huffs at the comment as he aims his blaster, "Pathetic. Goodbye, Raphael."

The Utrom Queen has heard enough. Storming out of her hiding spot, she stands strong as she shouts with fury, "BISHOP!"

Rook and Pawn rush to stand by their leader's left side while Donatello stands calmly on her right, arms crossed with a proud smile on his face.

Raph and Bishop turn to see the sight of the furious Utrom Queen. Fear was cast in Bishop's eyes while the red turtle felt a wave of relief and happiness at the sight of his brother.

Their plan worked.

"Yo-You're highness!" Bishop's voice shakes as he steps off Raphael and quickly kneels before her.

"Stand up, you foolish Utrom and face your Queen." She demands.

Quickly, Bishop drops his weapon and stands up to approach his leader. He stood still, shoulders back as he tried to desperately hide the cowering in his eyes. He feared for what she was going to say to him.

"Bishop," The Queen starts, her tone cold and strict, "What are you doing?"

"Y-Your Majesty..." Bishop said, still shaking, "I-I'm just following through with my laws-"

"Lies! I heard everything!" She said furious.

"That was all out of context, my Queen."

Donnie scoffs, "Seemed pretty straightforward to me."

Bishop glares, "Who asked you, Donatello-"

"When you are in my presence you will refer to me as Knight," Donnie said in a strict tone, cutting the Utrom off.

His eyes widened, "W-What...?"

"Yeah, what?!" Raph adds, sitting up from the ground as he watched on.

Donnie smiles proudly, "Seeing how corrupt the council has become, I decide to reconsider The Queen's offer to join her council."

    "Corrupt?!" Bishop shouts.

"And seeing how things are for myself, I agree with Knight!" The Utrom Queen says, "Look at yourself! Look at what you've been doing! Do you believe this is the right solution?! We're..." her rage began to disappear, as her eyes began to have a look of heartbreak and sadness, "We're becoming more horrible than the Kraang..."

"Your Majesty..." Bishop says softly, trying to reach his hand to his Queen, but before he can she slaps his hand away.

"I will be abolishing all of your laws on mutant kind and the female Salamandrian at this moment. I will also be demoting your title as Ambassador of the planet Earth."

"What?! You can't do this!"

"HA!" Bishop hears Raph laugh behind him. The Utrom growls in annoyance, but quickly stops at the sight of his Queen's remaining glare. Donnie rushes to aid his wounded brother.

"You okay, Raph?" Donnie asked, leaning down towards his brother who still lay on the rooftop's ground.

"Yeah," Raph says, trying to laugh off the pain, "I've been through worse."

Donnie rolls his eyes as he begins to help his brother up from the ground, having Raph's arm over his shoulder as he helps him stand. While he assisted his brother, Donnie and Raph listened in on the Queen's scolding of Bishop.

"If I am not Ambassador of Earth, then who will be?" Bishop asked.

The Queen smiles as she gestures to the two brothers, "Why, the Turtle Warriors of course."

"What?!" Bishop shouts.

"WHAT?!" Donnie and Raph add, they were as shocked as Bishop.

"The four of them will be representing the planet from now on during these new council meetings. It seems fitting, given they have saved this planet multiple times from countless threats in the past, such as The Kraang, The Triceratons, Lord Dregg's army, and even power hungry Utrom..." She glares at him, "Better yet, we are forming a new council for the entire galaxy to join. An alliance with every being from the 10 Dimensions! And Knight, along with his brothers will be our first members to represent the planet Earth!"

    "But why is he Knight?!" Bishop asked, pointing at Donnie, "He's not even an Utrom!"

"What better way to expand the galaxy than by including different species into my court?" The Queen says, smugly, "I believe it will cause no harm to our Dimension, similar to how a marriage will cause no harm to others."

Bishop's eyes widened from her last statement, sending a shiver down his spine. She knew everything now. The Utrom had no other choice than to accept defeat. He had lost. 

The Utrom Queen then turns to look at the two turtle brothers. "Forgive me for the sudden outburst," she tells them, her tone now more relaxed and proper, "Raphael, I am so sorry for the trouble my Utrom has put you through these last few weeks. I wish you and Y'gythgba the best, and Knight, I hope to see you at our next meeting, along with the rest of your family."

She turns back to Bishop, her furious glare returning, "And as for YOU! You are going back to Dimension X and you will NOT cause any more problems to these mutants EVER again!"

"May I also recommend that Bishop must clean out the Kraathatrogon Worms stables for the next few months or so?" Rook says, with a smug smile, "They have become awfully dirty these last few nextons."

"Brilliant idea, Rook!" The Queen says as she grabs Bishop's collar, refusing to let go.

Pawn pulls out a portal generator and creates a portal back to their dimension. The pink triangle shaped portal appears and one by one, the Utrom council return to their Dimension, with Bishop being dragged back by the collar by the Queen herself, followed by Pawn and finally Rook, who looks back at the two turtles.

"Thank you, Donatello," She says with a smile, "And Raphael, good luck with Y'gythgba. She's a lucky woman." With that she leaves, with the portal closing behind her.

It was quiet as the two brothers were now alone on the building's rooftop. They stood there in complete shock, trying to process their victory and everything that had happened.

They couldn't believe it. They did it. They won!

"And that's why we're called The New A Team!" Raph suddenly cheers as he goes to hug his brother, picking him up and spinning around, "You did it Donnie! Your plan worked! I really couldn't thank you enough!"

"We both did it, you idiot!" Donnie laughs as he hugs his brother back, "It was our plan."

Raph chuckles as he lets go of Donnie, "So Knight, huh? Big responsibility."

Donnie awkwardly laughs and gives a shrug, "Eh, you know, I wouldn't consider it that big a deal."

"That big a deal?! Donnie, you have no idea how much this means to me," Raph smiles, almost at the breaking of tears of what they accomplished, "Thank you."

Donnie smiles back at his brother, "I better go and tell the others of our new job promotion. Ambassadors of Earth, can you believe that?!"

"You were more surprised than me. You didn't plan that?"

Donnie shakes his head, "No, I guess the Queen really trusts us. That or she wanted to put some salt into the wound for Bishop."

The two brothers share a quick chuckle as Raph says, "Come on, we should head back and tell everyone the good news. It's finally over."

Before Raph could walk away, Donnie stops him, grabbing his arm. Raph looks back at his brother who is giving him a teasing grin, "It's not over yet, you still have to ask a certain someone a very important question." Donnie winks.

Raph's eyes widened as his face quickly turned red, "I-I can't do it now!"

"Why not? Bishop has been stopped, and with The Queen abolishing all his laws for the new start for mutants, Mona gets to stay on Earth." He looked at his brother who still seemed unsure, "You still got the ring, right?"

"Well, yeah, but I'm not sure if now is the right moment..."

"Since when do you care about being this proper?" Donnie jokes.

"Because I'll only ever get to do this once! It should be perfect! I-I don't think-"

"Raphael!" The brothers hear a female voice cry out in the distance.

Her voice alone made Raph's heart skip a beat, having him turn around seeing the woman he has been fighting for, Mona Lisa, standing on the opposite side of the rooftop. The moment the couple's eyes met, they quickly rushed towards one another. Mona ran into Raph's arms, resulting in the two falling to the ground, holding each other in a tight and loving embrace.

Raphael didn't think he would get to hug her again. He truly worried that by tonight she would've left Earth forever, but thanks to him and Donnie's teamwork, she can now stay. It was all over. The fight against Bishop was over. Bishop's laws have been abolished. He won and being in the arms of the woman he loves was all the reward Raphael wanted.

Donnie looks on, a soft smile on his face, happy for his brother and his girlfriend finally together again. "I'll leave you two alone..." he says, quietly leaving the rooftop, giving the couple some much needed privacy.

The noise of the city grew faint for the couple. Everything around them didn't matter. All that did was to have each other in their arms again. Their embrace lasted for them –  seemed like decades, with the two feeling as if they were floating in space, the shining stars of the galaxy dancing around them, celebrating their love.

"I was so worried about you..." Mona Lisa whispers, not letting go of her love.

Raph held her tighter, "You don't have to anymore. I'm okay."

"I will still worry!" Mona protests, looking at Raph sternly, "What were you thinking?! You could've gotten yourself killed!"

"But I'm fine."

"No you're not, you're bleeding."

Raph blinks and looks at the cut from Bishop's blaster that remained on his arm. If he was honest he forgot that it was there. Raph has been through far worse injuries in his past. He then shrugs, "It's just a scratch."

"No, you're hurt. Sit here, let me properly clean that for you," Mona guides Raph to sit on the rooftop's edge, she joins him, sitting by his side. She begins to carefully unwrap the sloppy bandage he put together earlier so she can properly examine his wound. "The cut is deep, it'll leave a scar."

"Worth it." Raph takes off the wraps from his other hand, and hands them to Mona for her to use as a fresh bandage for his cut.

Mona sighs, she knew he was going to say that, "Raphael, my love, you took a risk. It almost cost you your life."

"I did it for you."

"I know," she says softly, she was touched by what he did but the alternate results still frightened her. "But what if you died?!" Mona worried, "I wouldn't be able to live with myself if you died for me!"

"And I wouldn't be able to live with myself if Bishop took you away!"

Mona couldn't argue with that. She knows he's right. She knew when watching that fight that he was doing all of this for her so she could stay on Earth. That has always been their relationship, always by each other's side in battle, defending the other's honor. She doesn't even know what she would have done with herself if she did leave Earth. She knew even then it would have been her greatest regret. Still, Mona Lisa wished she did more than be a bystander during the whole ordeal with Bishop, but everyone kept on stopping her from taking action. She doesn't know why they were so insistent on Raphael handling the whole situation on his own.

"I should have at least been there..." she whispers, "To fight by your side, but everyone told me not to." Raph could tell her tone was more of her being upset with herself then with him. Mona finishes wrapping a bandage, properly covering Raphael's cut. Her hand rested on his shoulder as she told him softly, "I'm sorry I couldn't assist you..."

Gently, Raph takes her hand off his shoulder and holds it in his, looking at her as he assures her in a calm but loving tone, "You don't have to apologize. I had to do it alone. I had my reasons."

"I know..." Mona softly smiles, "So I can stay on Earth."

Raph blushes as he smiles awkwardly, his hand rubbing the back of his neck, "Actually there's more to it than just you getting to stay on Earth..."

"What?" She was shocked by this knowledge.

"Stopping Bishop would help me achieve my... true goal."

"True goal?" Mona repeats, baffled, "I don't understand. If you weren't fighting for me to stay on Earth then what were you trying to gain from this?

"I don't know if I should tell you, um, just yet."

"Why can't you tell me? Why go through all this trouble, almost getting killed, getting hurt, and having me be worried sick about you but not tell me!" Raphael could tell Mona Lisa was getting frustrated by her own confusion of everything, "You took a huge risk on your life, and for what?! Why were you so determined to... to... to..."

    Mona slowly stopped her rant as her eyes widened from the sight of what Raphael was holding up in between his fingers. She felt her heart begin to beat fast, her body shaking, and her face blushing pure red as she saw it.

Resting in between Raphael's two fingers was a sparkling rose gold ring, glittering in the moon's light. Mona was speechless as she looked at the ring, then up to Raphael, who gave her a gentle loving smile as he told her softly, "This is why."