A/N:So in the preview for the next season, they say: 'Everything changes'. Hinting about the chaos that Casey Jones is sure to bring. This is a little one-shot inspired by that warning, so full of foreboding, examining just what those changes might mean; not just for Donnie, but Leo, Raph and April as well. The lyrics below helped more than a little as well ;'D

"…I saw love. You see it came to me

it put its face up to my face so I could see.

Yeah, then I saw love - disfigure me

into something I am not recognizing."– Song for Zula, Phosphorescent

Everything Changes

He watched her from the corner of his eye, the handle of a pair of needle-nose pliers perched between his front teeth as he pieced together two tiny plastic parts. A trickle of sweat pearled and slid down the side of Donatello's cheek from the effort of hanging onto such small pieces; fitting them together just right and holding them still so the glue could solidify. While he waited, he stared stealthily at her, sure she didn't have a clue. The shadows played over her features as she sat; chewing on her pencil's eraser as she stared with a blank gaze at the flashing television screen just behind where he sat. Her bent knees were propped up by her feet seated on the edge of their battered coffee table; a large sketch pad lay across her thighs.

He shifted his weight a little; moving the bulk of it from one folded leg to the other. Pins and needles had started to prickle at his toes on his left foot from sitting in the same position for so long. But he didn't want to move. He could see if April looked his way or made any move to engage in a conversation with him the easiest from this angle. Besides the first few minutes when he told her he had time to work on her computer, she hadn't yet. But it had only been two hours. She'd yawned once and he mistakenly took that to mean she'd started to say something to him. When he whipped his head around and sucked in an eager breath to respond, he only released it in disappointment as she continued to sketch and stare at the television, not even looking his way, while waiting for the others to get back.

A movement caught his attention as April twisted in her seat. She spun back, folded the pad closed and tossed it aside and stood. He straightened up with a pop in his spine and watched her dash around the couch to the center of the room. From where he sat working on April's busted lap top, the parts and his tools spread in an arc around his knees, he watched in growing horror as she quickly patted her clothes and went on to adjust her breasts within her bra; propping them up and then smoothing out her shirt with a hurried motion. The pliers slipped from his gaping mouth with a clatter. Cheeks flushed a deep pink, Donnie swept his gaze back to the plastic in his hands, where he found them snapped in two. He gasped, then sighed in frustration as he dropped the pieces to the floor in between his knees; shoulders slumping.

Their loud voices echoed down the tunnels to the entrance to where he sat and he slowly returned to focusing on the work in front of him. He picked up the pliers and held them limply across his thighs. He tried to ignore how hard his heart started to beat at her suddenly bright voice calling out with joyous greeting at his brothers' return. His brothers and their new friend, Casey Jones.

Casey strode inside, long dark hair mussed, battered mask propped up on the top of his head. His left eye sported a deepening bruise; bottom lip bleeding despite his crooked grin. Raph was on his right. His mask was tied around a wound that continued to seep bright blood down to the crook of his elbow. Leo marched past them in a huff and Raphael and Casey exchanged gleefully wicked smirks. He stood near the back of the couch, one hand rested on the back and Don met his hard gaze only to quickly drop it away. Oh, boy. Leo was pissed. April stopped just in front of the mischievous pair, adjusting her shirt again then quickly fixing her pony-tail and head band.

"H-Hey, Casey," she said. "How'd the scouting go?"

Casey tilted his head to one side as he crossed the room to the kitchen, in slow easy strides, following Raph. He took his time replying. When he did, he spoke casually over his shoulder to her, "Oh, I'd say it was a typical night, whaddaya say, Raph? Easy Peasy, heh."

Raph chuckled from inside the fridge, emerging with two beers in his wide grip. He turned and tossed one to Casey who caught it effortlessly with one hand. Casey twisted off the cap and tossed the jagged circle to April who quickly caught it in two hands. He winked at her and she beamed as she threw it into the recycling bin just to her left.

"Easy fuckin' peasy pie," Raph snarked and chuckling, he marched past his older brother who stood clutching his curled fists at his sides in silent fury. He leapt over the side of the couch and turned on the television set. The bottle of beer sloshed fat, wet drops over the armrest. "Game's on." Casey slammed down next to him, a bag of chips in this hand that he popped open and offered to Raph.

"Turn it up!" Casey said enthusiastically.

Don cringed as the television set now blared next to him. He glared sideways at his bulky brother, choosing to completely ignore Casey. Raph was annoying as it was, but when Casey was around, Raph seemed to morph into the very definition of rudeness. It was no use to point out that he was trying to work right there. He really should have been doing this in his room anyway. But he'd wanted to be close to April. He huffed then noticed Raph's wound. His mouth fell open and he quickly climbed to his feet.

"Raph, I need to dress that wound."

Raph glanced down at it as if just remembering he had it. Casey leaned over, elbows braced on his knees as April approached and stood next to him.

"That? Pfft. That ain't nothin'. You shoulda seen the gunshot wound I got last month."

He proceeded to lift his dark gray t-shirt beneath his blue flannel. To Donatello's horror, April leaned in and cooed and murmured at the small scar decorating Casey's right rib. As she reached down to trail her fingertips along the wound, and several of his well-defined oblique external muscles. Don snapped his eyes shut and turned his attention to his stubborn brother. He couldn't worry about how much April was pawing Casey right now. His brother had a serious looking injury and was playing tough, trying to ignore it.

"C'mon to the infirmary."

Raph grinned and shrugged, turning back to the television. "'S nothin'," he repeated to Don and the blatant mimicry of the guy next to him made Donatello's teeth set on edge.

April sat one leg on the armrest next to Casey.

"Are you hurt?" she murmured sweetly; raising her eye brows and looking more like a concerned girlfriend than a casual acquaintance.

Casey shook his head and waved her away dismissively, "Nah."

"But your eye and . . . your bottom lip . . . is bruised."

Casey tilted his head and locked his baby blue eyes on April. A flirtatious half-grin played across his mouth as he said, "Not so bruised I couldn't use these lips the way god intended them. Wanna try them out?"

April's cheeks flushed a slight pink color and she giggled despite rolling her eyes at him and punching him lightly in the bicep which, of course, he flexed. A flare of jealousy raced through Donatello's chest. His fists tightened at his sides. The guy was always doing that. It was so easy for him. Just going right ahead like that and flirting with April. To say whatever pile of crap he'd think of to try to impress her without worrying about sounding like the moron he so clearly was. The guy was too thick to realize what a complete ass he sounded like.

What baffled Donatello the most was April's warm response to the oaf's comments. Usually giggling or flirting right back with him! But Donnie's logical mind reasoned that if he weren't a mutant freak perhaps he'd be just as quick to flirt with April and just as obvious. Donatello flinched and not for the first time hated that part of his mind. The part that was always analyzing, deconstructing, observing and commenting coldly and with detached clinical astuteness.

Donatello felt Raph knock the beer bottle against his side.

"Move it, Buckethead. You're blocking the t.v."

As he turned his attention away from Casey and April, he pushed away the image of ramming that beer bottle down Casey's throat. His eyes roamed Raph's arm. This goof could possibly bleed out in front of him if he didn't keep his cool. He could plainly see that Raph was looking paler than he should. And besides the obvious wound on his arm, there were several bruises and lumps on the side of his head that Don needed to check. As Raph waved at him again to move away with his fingers, Don felt like he was about to add a few more lumps to his collection.

He exchanged a furious glance with a still seething Leonardo only to catch his breath. Leo had a long, narrow crack along the top front of his plastron. Thin rivulets of blood trailed down the front of him, collecting along the top of his belt and straps.

"Leo, gosh, let me get that fixed up for you," Don gasped as he moved around the couch. Cracks in their plastrons usually were the result of massive impact strikes with blunt or bladed objects. They usually weren't life threatening, but very, very painful and took a while to heal. Even when healed, the ache that lingered hurt and lasted a long time. What had they run into on their scouting mission? "What the heck happened?"

Leo fixed a glare at the back of Raphael's head as he spoke. He spoke through gritted teeth. "I gave a direct order to hold back." He never broke his glowering stare. Eyes stormy and dark with rage. "But hot-head here and his girlfriend decided to ignore me and take matters into their own hands. Again."

April straightened up and glanced nervously around the guys as the temperature in the room just plummeted and the tension sky-rocketed. Casey stared sideways at Raph who continued to watch the television set, then glanced over his shoulder up at Leo, who ignored the man. Slowly Raph rigidly raised the bottle to his lips and took a drink, the fingers of his free hand waved Casey back before dropping back down onto the top of his thigh. No words were spoken but the message was clear. Stay out of it. Let it go. The side of Casey's jaw clenched and released as he sat back and took a furious swig of beer.

Don's face snapped around, his mouth hung open. Of course. It was the same story that was beginning to get very old around here. The rash behavior and bloodlust of their violent new friend only drove Raph to prove he was just as bloodthirsty and just as bold, if not more so. In a twisted testosterone fueled race to prove which one was the alpha male, his brother was running on the razor's edge between attacking with deadly force and acting suicidal. Every time it was the same: Raphael's erratic and defiant behavior only increased exponentially when Casey tagged along with them on what should have only ever been simple reconnaissance runs.

Leo went on in a strained voice, "We were boxed in by Purple Dragons when some of the Foot joined the fight. As I tried to warn them would happen when we were scouting the train yard." Leo stepped forward now standing directly behind Raph. His voice was low. Dangerous. "Isn't that right, Raph? I told you they weren't going to be alone for long. And we needed to back off."

Don could see the thick veins straining in Leonardo's neck. Lines of sweat trickled over them. His brother was in pain, he knew. He wanted nothing more than to take his brother to the infirmary and patch up that crack before it got worse. Getting into to it with Raphael right now was not in his best interest. More than anything, he wished that Michelangelo and Master Splinter had returned from their meditation time together in his private garden. With a quick glance at the clock in the kitchen, Don's shoulders slumped. They'd still be a while, working on Mikey's practice at wood carvings.

Raph shifted in his seat, clearly getting agitated with Leo's badgering but doing a good impression of Casey ignoring Leo and watching the game as if it was the only thing making a sound in the room.

"But then what do I know?" Only now did Leo's gaze shoot to Casey. "The vigilante here obviously has strategy down to a perfection. So what that he nearly got us killed. It was more fun nearly dying on a simple run than just scouting and retreating. I have an idea, why don't you just listen to him for now on and see how long you last out there."

"Sounds like someone's a jealous little bitch," Casey muttered and took another drink from his beer.

April's short intake of breath was the only warning as Leo lunged in a blur of motion. He grabbed Casey by the shoulders; fists twisting the fabric of the young man's flannel; he lurched; lifting him and throwing him from where he sat, over his shoulder and across the room. The beer bottle flew from his grasp and shattered in a golden and silver spray of glass and alcohol. Raph was on his feet in a second. April shouted and ran to Casey where his skidding progression across the rough floor was brought to an abrupt stop as he slammed head-first into the brick wall near the kitchen. He groaned and rolled to one side as he clutched his bleeding head. His hockey mask now in two pieces. April slid on her knees as she fell next to him.

"Casey!" Her eyes fell on the blood. "Oh my god! Leo, what the hell!" She screamed.

Donatello was wedged between Raph and Leo as the snarling curses and fists flew. He took a few hits to his shoulders and side of his head before he managed a side kick that sent Raph reeling back. He careened into the side of the couch and fell in a sloppy heap. Moving as fast as he could, Don circled and pinned Leo's arms back and locked his fingers behind his neck; holding him fast as he bucked and fought to get loose.

"Asshole!" Raph snarled at Leo as he came to sit up, gingerly holding his injured arm with his hand. It was now covered in thick gore as the wound gaped from the violent activity.

"Let go of me!" Leonardo thrashed, gaining a step forward, but Donatello bunched his muscles and held him back with everything he had. With a sickening realization, Don could hear the crack in Leo's chest widen and deepen despite the rumbling growl coming from his brother's throat. It made a zipping, snapping, velcro-like noise that set Don's teeth on edge. Leo groaned but fought on.

"No! No! You idiots! You're injured and you're gonna make it worse!" Donatello screamed, his voice cracking from the effort to be heard above the roaring growls that filled the air.

At that moment, Master Splinter and Michelangelo appeared; a lump of blond, carved wood that could've been a chicken or an elephant cradled in two hands.

"Kore o teishi!" Splinter's fierce voice boomed across the room and everyone instantly stilled. "What is the meaning of this chaos? Who is responsible for this?"

Panting, Leo answered as Donnie released him and took a step back, "Master Splinter . . . I-I'm sorry. I lost my temper." He shot a glare at Raphael who returned the look defiantly and then dropped his eyes to the floor. One hand pressed against the aching wound across his chest.

"More accurately, you lost control," Splinter said softly, the disappointment clear in his voice. "This poor behavior is unacceptable, especially from you, Leonardo." Splinter slammed the end of his cane into the ground for emphasis. Leonardo flinched. "Do I need to remind you yet again, that it falls on you to set the example here? And what of your scouting mission?"

Leo gave a curt nod, feeling cowed by the sharp sting of his father's disappointment. "There was some . . . miscommunication." He paused and realized it was no use to try and place blame on either Casey or his brother, when ultimately, it was his sole responsibility to command obedience. Something he was sure to be lectured about in great detail in a few minutes. In a contrite voice and a low bow, he went on, "I apologize, Sensei. For my loss of control. It will not happen again."

Splinter hmm'd hardly satisfied by his son's apology and gazed around. April was kneeling next to Casey who looked dazed, yet furious. Raphael was holding his arm drenched in blood and Leo was bleeding profusely down the front of his body.

"Holy crapola," Mikey muttered. Splinter's eyes shot to Mikey and he snapped his mouth shut. He stepped one large step backwards and motioned with his thumb to his room. "I'll just . . . go put my dinosaur in my room."

"Do that. Donatello . . ."

"Yes, Sensei."

"Take Raphael and attend to his wounds." Raph climbed to his feet and shuffled towards the infirmary with one last glare in Leonardo's direction. "Leonardo, patch your wounds temporarily and meet me in my room. Donatello will see to mending that crack properly when we are finished speaking together." He turned slightly. "Mr. Jones. I think you should return home."

April handed him the broken pieces of his mask. He snatched them out of her hands and then stared at the parts morosely. He looked up, blue eyes narrowed. With a huff he rose up on one knee then climbed to stand.

"Yeah, I was just leavin'," he snapped; lines of blood trickled down one side of his face. He marched towards the exit. But then stopped and turned back to April. Donatello froze in his tracks, watching the scene play out. "Hey, you wanna . . . I dunno, go get somethin' ta eat?" He sniffed and wiped at his bloody cheek with his shoulder.

No. April, please don't go. The thought came and the bitter, sickening irony was not lost on Donatello, despite his breaking heart. Please don't go with that animal.

April stood up, rubbing her palms against the front of her jeans. "Uh . . ."

Donatello felt the world slow down. His mind raced. He wanted to say that he needed her help with his brothers' wounds. That he very much needed her to remain in the lair. The words were roiling on the tip of his tongue. His lungs were bursting with his held breath. But . . . if she refused his obvious and pathetic plea, he may not recover from that kind of blow. Especially when his brothers and father were watching him as he stood waiting for April's answer. Even Master Splinter and Leo, who had their heads turned. He could sense their acute awareness of his oncoming reaction. And it was as suffocating as it was cloying with pity. He wanted to scream at them to mind their own business. It was beyond humiliating; being caught in this whirlwind of unrequited love. They called it a crush and he was indeed being crushed beneath the weight of it. Everyone knew how he felt. Everyone except the one that mattered.

His stomach sank as he realized he was utterly helpless to whatever fate had in store between Casey and April. Everything had changed with his arrival. It had been hard enough to capture and keep her attention on him whenever she was around. It now became impossible whenever Casey was in the vicinity. It was as though he became invisible to her whenever the rowdy oaf was around.

No. He would not humiliate himself any more than he'd already been doing all day; waiting for a conversation or any shred of attention to be thrown his way, by begging for her to stay. Even though he wanted nothing more than to shout at her that the guy was a violent loser. That no good would come of her interest in him. But instead, he held his tongue along with his breath. Everything, too much in fact, riding on her answer.

"I . . . Maybe next time, Casey," she said with a gentle shake of her head.

"Whatever . . ." he shrugged as if it really didn't matter whether she wanted to or not and he could care less. His attitude only seemed to ignite April's interest. She bit her lip and stared at the space in front of her. Regret was painted across her expression. Casey called out to Raph as he left. "Catch ya, later bro."

Despite April's conflicted response, the relief Donnie felt was immense. It took a great deal of strength not to fist pump at that moment. She said no. That was all that mattered. The world was full of possibility once more. He would decipher and examine all the minute details of it later, when he lay in bed, sleepless as usual; struggling with his doubts and circular thoughts ever trained on her and his interactions with her that day.

He opened his mouth, unable to hide the soft smile spreading across his face, to ask for April's help. Now he could without it sounding like some pathetic attempt to pull her away from Casey. Besides, she was always very useful to him when treating his brothers' wounds. But before he could say anything, she spun around. Not quite meeting anyone's eyes, she spoke to the room in general.

"I have to go," she said abruptly with no small amount of coldness in her tone; voice trembling in anger. Her blue eyes snapped to his across the room for a moment and Donatello's breath hitched at the anger he saw directed at him there. With that she turned back around and hurried out the exit. Donatello stood, stunned in place. The jubilation he'd felt seconds ago evaporated leaving a gaping hole in its place.

Master Splinter cleared his throat. "As I was saying. Donatello, attend to Raphael's wounds. Now." He turned to Leonardo who pressed several wadded up tissues into the bleeding crack. "We have some things to discuss."

Leo nodded and followed his Sensei into his room with a sinking stomach; bracing for the lecture that was about to come along with the admonishments of his actions. Each weary footstep was heavier than the last.

Donatello stood dumbfounded where he was for another minute, staring at the exit of the lair. What was that all about? Why would she be mad at me? What did I even do? Donatello felt an unexpected wave of anger sweep through him. His jaw tightened as he clenched his fists at his sides.

Raphael's rough, but strained voice snapped him out of his baffled internal thoughts, "You gonna fix this, or should I just bleed all over your fuckin' computer some more?"

"I-I . . . sorry. Right."

Donatello hurried to attend to Raphael. His musings on April had to be pushed down and saved for later. When he could question and re-question everything. Knowing too well that no answers would be forthcoming, but unable to stop the useless wondering and the accompanying storm of worry, desire and anguish that came with these all too familiar thoughts of her.

A/N: Splinter says, 'Stop this!' above in Japanese.

Let me just go on the record as saying that I adore Casey Jones. I know I wrote him a bit rough here, but as I learned from a certain friend of mine, Casey becomes a bigger and bigger ass in the comics as the storylines progress. Now, I'm not a fan of sticking to canon as religious gospel when I write, so please understand that I just wanted to make him a bit of an ass in this story. Just to highlight the utter madness Donnie must feel at April's growing attraction for the rough and violent dude.

Personally, I always thought if April was attracted to that type of guy, why not Raph? Heh. But that, my friends is a story for another day. Make my day special and review, will ya!?