The clock was close to striking four in the morning when Raphael's friends, Casey and Slash, finally returned him home. After their outing at the burlesque club, all were ready to call it a night. The Hamato family lived in a luxurious penthouse suite up top one of the tallest apartment buildings in New York City. As Raph approached the entrance to the large fancy building, he stops and looks at his two friends.

"Thanks again for the night out, guys," Raph tells them.

"No problem, buddy," Casey says. "After everything that happened, you needed it."

"And are you sure no reporters got a shot of me at the Burlesque club?"

"I'm positive," Casey assured him, "I overheard a few of those nitwits complaining that they couldn't get a good shot of your face."

"The least the papers could do is claim they saw you there, but with no photographic proof they won't bother saying a single word," Slash adds. "Still, as much fun as we did have, I think it's safer if we all don't return to Galactic Gals for a while, especially you, Raphael. Some of those reporters might go back there in hopes that they'll spot you again."

Raph sighs. He hates to admit it, but Slash is right. It was best that he doesn't return to the burlesque club to avoid any risk of getting caught by reporters again. Normally Raphael couldn't care less, after all, he didn't want to go to the burlesque club in the first place, but his opinions on the club changed. He knew because of the situation and risk he wouldn't be able to return to see Mona Lisa perform again. Not for a while at least.

"Well, goodnight, guys," Raph says as the doorman opens the entrance door for him to enter the building. "I'll see ya at work."

"Goodnight, Raph," Slash and Casey respond as they head off and continue, walking down the street as Raph enters the hotel.

Inside, Raph found himself in the main lobby of the building. The floors were shining black and gold checkered tiles, while the walls were papered beige with clean white trim. In the center of the main lobby was a crystal chandelier sparkling above everyone who walked through. Under it was a lounge area of velvet chairs, most occupied at this late hour by luxurious men and women, both human and mutant. Cigar and cigarette smoke encircled the group of opulent strangers.

Making his way through the lobby, Raph finds the elevator. An older gentleman in a dapper hotel uniform, Raphael knew as the elevator attendant, greets him, to which he acknowledges, but stays silent. Opening the elevator for the mutant turtle, Raph enters, and the barred doors close. The attendant then pulls the lever to the floor Raph desired and up they went. It only took a minute before the elevator finally stopped. The barred doors opened to reveal the Hamato's penthouse suite on the top floor of the building, with the elevator opening directly inside the main living room.

After thanking the attendant, the elevator door closes behind Raphael, leaving him alone in his penthouse home. It was quiet. He could assume the rest of his family was asleep. Raph enters the penthouse into the main room, the living room. A large space with two lounge sofas, a glass coffee table, and a fireplace, as well as the etched door leading to a large balcony to show off the beautiful view of the city.

Exhausted, Raph flops down onto the couch and sighs in relief, finally relieved to be home after the long night.

"Someone was out late," a cocky voice suddenly says, breaking the living room's silence.

Raphael jumps from where he laid and turns to see that his brother Donatello was lounging on the other couch across the room, looking up from his novel he was reading with a sly look on his face. He must have been sitting there for a while reading his book, so still like a statue that Raph didn't even notice him when he entered their home.

"Geez, Donnie! You scared me half to death!" Raph softly shouts, clenching his chest as he attempts to catch his breath.

"Not my fault," Donnie says as he sits up from his seat and smirks at his brother, "I'm not the one who was out all night watching ditzy girls stripping."

Raph's eyes widened before saying to his brother dismissively, "...I don't know what you're talking about."

Donnie then lifts up the pillow he was resting on, revealing a now crumpled up newspaper. It was the one Slash was reading earlier that night. He must have left it at the club before the three of them headed off for their night out, allowing his nosy younger brother to find it.

Donnie holds the paper up high, showing Raph the ad promoting the burlesque club, Galactic Gals, "Were you not here tonight?" he asked.

"Shit..."

"You were, weren't you?" He chuckles, "I can see it on your face."

Raph was quiet, crossing his arms and looking away from his brother. He debated on whether or not he should be honest with Donnie about where he was. He knows Donnie well enough to know that he's not a snitch like Leonardo and he's very good at keeping a secret unlike Michelangelo. Raph also knows that Donnie trusts him with his secrets all the time. He's the only one who knows the true reason why Donnie stays after closing. Out of everyone in the family, Raphael and Donatello feel that they can only trust each other with their deepest secrets (it used to be the two of them plus Karai before she left), but this time Raph can't give his brother all the details. It's best to just give a gist, and keep the specifics to himself... for now.

"I may have been there..." Raph starts with a mutter, "but only because Slash and Casey wanted to check it out and cheer me up! I didn't want to go!"

"Really? You didn't want to go?" Donnie gives a smug smile, looking back at the newspaper ad, "Given that this is a place full of alcohol and women, this is practically a gold mine for you!" he laughs, "Hmm... Dad would be quite surprised if he knew you were there..."

"I swear, Donnie, if you tell dad, I'll-"

"Calm down. I'm just messing with you, but... I do ask for a favor."

Raph's eyes widened again. He knew this was coming. Donnie, out of all of his brothers, is the best at keeping secrets. Often when he knows something that others should not know, Donnie keeps it held tight for you, promising to never tell another soul, but there's a catch. He always asks for a favor in return. Raph thought that keeping Donnie's secret from their father about why he truly stays at The Dojo after closing every night was enough to avoid any of Donnie's favor exchanges. Raph thought wrong. What could his brother want now?

"...What is it?" Raph asked, feeling a little nervous to hear his brother's request.

"Forgive April," Donnie tells his brother.

"What?!"

"Forgive April," he repeats. "I was talking with her earlier and she feels awful for what happened between you and her at The Dojo. Dad made her stay after hours to clean up the mess left behind from the riot all by herself."

"Oh, so because the new girl had to do a few extra chores you want me to apologize?"

"I just want you two to make amends," an evil look grows on his face. "If you don't, I'll tell Dad of your whereabouts tonight."

Raph grumbles at his brother before turning his back away from him, thinking of his limited options.

"Look, it'll bring no real harm if Dad does find out, but you and I both know that you don't want that to happen. Also this is just my fun way to mess with my favorite brother."

"Why do you even care about that cigar girl?" Raph asked, "It's so unlike you to even acknowledge new workers at the club. Hell, you didn't even notice Casey was an employee for the first year he worked for us! You thought he was just some drunk bum."

Donnie was silent for a moment as he began fidgeting with his hands, "She's different..." he says with a faint blush on his cheeks. "She doesn't deserve to believe she's a screw up because of what happened. I got to know a little about her and honestly she's the most fascinating girl I've ever met... beautiful too..."

Raph examined his brother after hearing his reason, seeing his fidgeting hands and blush on his cheek quickly made Raph realize Donnie's true reason.

"Oh my god..." Raph said as a smirk appeared on his face, "You like her, don't you?"

Donnie says nothing, but the faint blush on his cheek growing brighter says it all.

"You do!" Raph laughs, "Oh man! This is too good!"

"N-No I don't!!" Donnie says, quickly getting up from the sofa as he watches his brother continue to laugh, "Oh shut your mouth! Like you even know what it means to have feelings for someone!"

"I may never have had a real relationship, but I've seen enough desperate fans to know what being hopelessly in love looks like."

Donnie crosses his arms, refusing to admit if his brother's accusation is true or not.

After collecting himself from a good laugh, Raph tells him, "Look, how about I cut you a deal. I won't tell this April girl you like her if you don't tell Dad where I was tonight. Win-win!"

"But I don't-!" Donnie stops himself, then groans in defeat. There's no point in arguing if he's willing to agree. He got what he wanted. That's all that matters, "Fine, but you also have to make amends with April."

"Deal," Raph smiles, resting his hands behind his neck as he heads back to the couch, "I'm in a good mood anyway."

Donnie huffs, "That's rare. So that burlesque club really did cheer you up, huh?"

"You could say that," Raph says as he goes back to lounging on the couch, kicking his feet up to rest on the glass coffee table.

Donnie joined his brother on the couch, sitting next to him, "How were the dancers?"

"As lovely as the ads said they were," Raph said with a relaxed sigh, "but only one of them really caught my attention..." he adds softly with a little smile as he looks up at the ceiling, almost like he is in a daydream. He quickly snaps himself out of it to not raise suspicion and looks at Donnie.

"Enough about that. Why are you up anyway?"

"I haven't finished my assignments, so I'm doing them here while everyone's asleep."

"You still didn't finish your homework?" Raph asked, surprised. Donnie never falls behind on his work, this was so unlike him, "But I thought you always stay after hours to get it done?"

"I do, but like I said, April stayed after hours to clean up the leftover mess so I offered to help her out."

"It's pretty risky to be doing them here at home though," Raph comments as he looks over his shoulder, making sure no one else is listening in. He then turns back and asks more quietly, "What if Dad finds out?"

"He won't," Donnie reassures his brother. "This is just a minor inconvenience. I'll be back on my usual schedule by sunrise."

"Okay, but if dad finds out, both of us are dead meat. You for not focusing on your singing career and me for keeping it from him for so long."

"Pfff, what singing career?" Donnie jokes before assuring his brother, "Don't worry. Once I get my degree you won't have to worry anymore... and I'll finally leave The Dojo."

"But what if-"

Suddenly a soft ping comes from the penthouse's entrance. The two brothers turn to see the elevator open and dispense their youngest brother, Michelangelo. Still in his attire he wore earlier tonight, but now with his coat dangling from his arms while carrying his rose bouquet he received earlier that night from Renet. The detail Donnie and Raph found to be the most strange was their little brother's expression. A look of confusion, sadness, and slight fear. It was hard to tell what was running through his mind.

"Woah, little brother, who died?" Raph jokes.

Mikey said nothing as he entered the living room. His eyes looked lost, as if he didn't even hear his brother's question, let alone notice him at all. He takes off his cap, nervously clenching it as he approaches his two older brothers and places his bouquet on the coffee table.

"Mikey, you don't look too good," Donnie says with worry, getting up to comfort his brother. "Is everything alright?"

"It's Renet..." Mikey tells them, his voice was shaking, "I think... She wants to get married."