Author's Notes: All of the following scenes were written to take place after Parts I and II. Eventually I decided I liked the story best where it ended, with focus pretty squarely on the relationship between Raph and Don, so this future chapter got scrapped.

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Deleted Scenes from "Irreplaceable"

"Oh, boy … leftovers!"
—Casey Jones, TMNT: The Original Motion Picture

Scene 1: Don's diabetes inadvertently leads to conflict.
Director's Commentary: This happens to be based off real life experience with family members who have suffered from this disease.

"Master Splinter!"

Raphael froze in mid-curl, his dumbbell hovering over the floor. That tone in Leo's voice … nothing good could come of that. Throwing aside his weights, Raph tore out of his bedroom and leapt down to the main level of the lair. Then he all but flew to the kitchen, panting hard, his eyes scanning for what the emergency might be. But he couldn't see anything. There was Donny, by the sink, and there was Leo, standing in front of Don.

Raph felt a scowl forming. If Leo was making a fuss over nothing, as per usual, he'd …

Just then, Donatello tried to step around Leo, but Leo stopped him. Gently Leonardo pushed back on Don's plastron. "Don, I already told you—"

"I gotta get home." Don shook his head in mild reproach. "My brothers will worry."

Huh. Raph frowned. Well, this was weird.

Leo threw Raphael a helpless glance over his shoulder. Blowing out his breath in a gusty sigh, he explained, "Don keeps trying to leave the lair, but he isn't making any sense. I …" Quickly Leonardo looked away. "I don't know what to do."

And Raph did? But before Raph could even start to consider panicking, Mike and Master Splinter suddenly arrived on the scene. The elderly rat immediately saw to the heart of things and, ignoring his other sons, approached Donatello.

Again Don tried to leave the kitchen. "Gotta go home now."

"Donatello." Splinter's voice was calm, soothing. "My son, you are home."

Meanwhile, Raphael studied his brother's face. He recognized this, from the internet reading he'd done—the shakiness, the confusion. He tried to remember the word for it but couldn't. Something really medical, sort of Latin-sounding. But he did remember what to do. Turning to his eldest brother, he said, simply, "Orange juice."

Eyes lighting up in understanding, Leonardo gave a terse nod. "Mikey, keep him from going anywhere while I get some juice."

---

Scene 2: Don feels better, but that doesn't fix everything. Or anything, really.
Director's Commentary: This takes place after Splinter has left the room.

"Donny, what just happened here … what's the word again?"

Don licked his lips. "Hypoglycemia. Low blood sugar."

"Makes you act weird," added Raph.

Shakily, Don nodded in confirmation.

"How did this happen?" Leonardo demanded.

Glancing over, Raph rolled his eyes. "Were you not actually there for the whole discussion 'bout how Donny's got diabetes?"

"I meant," growled Leo, "how did Don's blood sugar get so low?" He returned his attention to Don. "Did you eat lunch today?"

Donatello cowered under his brother's glare. "Uh, well, I was kind of caught up in this project …"

"Donatello!" Leo shook his head in reproach. "Of all of us, you know the most how important it is for your condition to eat regular meals. You have got to take better care of yourself."

Anger flamed up within Raph's chest like a hungry dragon. Where did Leo get off talking to Don like that? Like their brother was some unruly two-year-old? Raphael stepped in front of Don, glowering. "Back off, Leo." He jerked his thumb backwards, towards Don, and continued, "He's fine now. You don't gotta lecture him like you do with me."

Leonardo just snorted. "This isn't about you, Raph."

"Nope," agreed Raph quickly. "But it ain't about you either."

Mikey's voice, soft and tired, was heard muttering, "Oh, man."

But Leo, like, Raph, was too far gone to pay attention. "Come on, Raph, let's get real. Don's a big boy." Leo smirked, ever so slightly. "He doesn't need you protecting him"

Frowning, Raphael felt his muscles clench, his body begin to coil. He was about to say or do something very stupid. But before he had the chance, they all heard Donatello's voice break in, quiet but firm:

"You're wrong, Leo. Dead wrong."

And with that, Donny turned and walked out of the kitchen, leaving his brothers silent and dumb-founded.

---

Scene 3: Raph submits himself to another science lesson with Don.
Director's Commentary: The "surprise" was going to be a refurbished motorcycle for Raph.

Raph stood just outside the computer nook, watching his brother's shell with a frown. Every time he thought he had Donny figured out a little, the guy went and threw him a curveball. Why did Don stand up to Leo like that? Don never stood up to Leo. And why on earth would he say that he needed Raph to protect him? He didn't—though not a brawler or ninja perfectionist, Donatello could more than take care of himself in a fight.

Strange, strange, strange.

"For such a smart guy," complained Raph from the doorway to the computer nook, "you can do some really stupid stuff."

Donatello groaned. "Oh, not you too. I already apologized to both Leo and Sensei about letting my blood sugar slip."

"You do it again, and I'm gonna start personally administerin' yer insulin shots to ya."

Frowning, Don didn't reply. Then, a mischievous glint in his eye, he said, "'Administering'? And you complain about me using big words."

Raphael started at that. Was Donny making fun of him? For a moment Raph stewed in confusion and hurt, clenching his fists, before he realized—Don was poking fun, but not at Raph. He was poking fun at the idea that Raph was dumb. Which must mean that despite occasional appearances, Don thought his brother was smart.

Donny thought he was smart.

Raph wasn't quite sure what to do with all that, so he decided to change the subject. "What's the science lesson tonight? Something that goes boom?"

"No such luck, I'm afraid." Don smiled sympathetically. "But I've got a surprise that I think you'll appreciate."

Raph didn't like the sound of that. He didn't like the sound of that at all.

---

Scene 4: Raph and Mike watch the news, and the two brothers chat.

With a mild look of disgust, Raphael watched the news. He wasn't annoyed with the content—that was the same as always, the usual New York crime—but with the news anchor. She was okay. Kinda. She was pretty, more or less, and she read off the teleprompter with relative ease. But she sure wasn't an April O'Neil. And when it came right down to it, Raph missed being able to see April giving the news.

"Hey, dude," Mike piped up from the couch. "Remember how April would sometimes give us shout-outs on the air?"

Raph blinked. Was Mikey clairvoyant now or something? "Yeah, sure I remember."

"Yeah," repeated Michelangelo dreamily. "Yeah, that was pretty awesome."

"It was most definitely not 'awesome.'" Both brothers' heads whirled around to see Splinter standing behind the couch, frowning. The aged master continued, in a gently chiding tone, "A true ninja seeks invisibility above all."

"And pizza," Mike added, grinning. "Invisibility and pizza."

Splinter sighed the deep, defeated sigh that only a parent could properly invoke. In response, Raph chuckled softly. As the old rat left the room while muttering something about "kids these days," Raph and Mikey returned their attention the television screen. Next came a commentary section, wherein the journalist began lamenting the sudden absence of the Nightwatcher's protective presence from the city streets.

Raphael sighed and shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Guess you think I'm a big jerk for givin' up this Nightwatcher thing, huh?"

"Nah. Not really." Mikey shook his head, eyes never leaving the t.v. screen. Then, slowly, thoughtfully, he continued, "Hey, y'know how it took Leo so long to come home?"

Raph nodded, a bit hesitant. "Yeah. So?"

"It took guts to come home after bein' gone so long. At least, I'm guessing it must have. How would I know? I've never even been to Jersey." Mike grinned. "Anyways, leavin' us the way he did, I figure Leo must've been ashamed to just come moseying on back in, y'know? And I figure it was probably the same way with you."

Raph frowned. He wasn't sure he liked being compared to Fearless.

Oblivious, Mike continued, "You left every night, bro. Over and over and over." Finally he turned to look at Raph, and there was a strange gleam in his eye. "And even though you kept leaving, you kept comin' back."

"Well, 'course I did."

"Yeah, you did," repeated Mike, smiling. "And the way I figure it? That makes you about the bravest guy ever, Nightwatcher."

Ignoring the sudden warmth in the pit of his stomach, Raphael glowered and slumped down in his seat. "Whatever, Mikey." But he couldn't completely hide a smile. "Ya goofball."

"I'm not a goofball! I'm unique. Sensei says so."

"Yer something all right."

---

Scene 5: Don finally confronts Leo about the time he spent away.

"Leo, hasn't it ever occurred to you that Splinter isn't always right?"

Leonardo frowned and replied in a guarded tone, "What exactly do you mean?"

Donatello smiled a bit. "Sensei was wrong. Very, very wrong." Don met his eyes. "It wasn't just you who wanted me to be in charge while you were gone. He wanted that too, and I was the wrong choice. It should have been Raph."

"Now, hold on—"

"It should have been Raph."