Prologue

What have I done?!

She held her breath and dared not move. In that moment, all she wanted to do was fade away into the surrounding darkness of her bedroom. If only she could sink through the bed and crawl out of the apartment then she could make herself disappear. But she had zero chance of escaping this situation.

April bit her lip and retraced the events of that brought her here. It was supposed to be a quiet night – just her and Casey. She was thrilled to finally have him to herself for only the second time since they have been home. Winter break may have been a month long but the time could slip so quickly. Casey spent time with his family and they both hung out with the turtles but tonight was reserved just for them. April was finishing prepping dinner at his apartment (which Mr. Jones graciously loaned them) when her happiness shattered into a million pieces. All it took was one text – one girl – one picture. April was never supposed to find out. It happened in a brief minute Casey had left his phone unattended and within her view – a small slip on his part. He tried to explain it – rationalize it – assure her it was a one-time mistake and that she wasn't over him, even stalking him. Her head spun with hurt, betrayal, sorrow; her mind tried to juggle her thoughts with his pleas. Finally she felt like she was suffocating and fled the apartment.

With tears streaming down her face, she barged into her dad's condo and locked herself in her old bedroom. Dr. O'Neil had knocked on her door and begged her to talk to him but was only answered with hysterical sobs. She had lain on her bed for what felt like hours. The tears finally ran out leaving her eyes burning and blood shot. Her body was cold and numb. Her ears became deaf to all background noise; she couldn't hear the honking from the taxis or the people walking by, or the television from the living room. Her dad had given up on coaxing her out and hoped the TV would eventually draw her from her room. In her current state, she barely even registered the soft tapping at her window. By the third round of taps, she forced herself off her bed and swung the curtains open revealing the tall, bo wielding mutant ninja. Did she call him? She didn't remember. Maybe she ghost dialed him and he heard her sobs. It didn't matter; he was here now – for her. As soon as he set foot on her floor, April flung herself into Donnie's arms and sobbed into his plastron. He didn't ask any questions. Instead he stroked her hair in hopes to comfort her. When she finally regained control, April looked deep into Donnie's eyes. Those brick colored eyes must have had a magnetic pull because before she knew it her lips had pressed against his. She parted her lips and gently pulled on his bottom lip. When she drew back and opened her eyes, she was met with a confused – well, more like dumbfounded and befuddled – expression.

"A-April?"

"Shh!" She pressed her fingers against his mouth. "For once, don't think…."

And that's exactly what she did – not think. Now here she was lying on her bed with Donnie's strong arm pulling her into his plastron. His face was buried in her red locks, and his steady breath tickled the back of her neck, sending goosebumps down her back. She couldn't stay here like this but if she moved he would surely wake up. Damned if she did and damned if she didn't. Even if she freed herself, there was still a big problem – he was in her bed! April suppressed the groan that threatened to escape. Maybe she could slip away and crash at a friend's house for the night. She just needed time to sort things out before facing him again. Finally, April steeled her nerves and ever so slowly tried to wiggle out of his grasp and off the bed.

"U-ugh…? April?"

She momentarily froze in place and her heart seemed to skip a beat.

Crap!

April slowly sat up and wrapped some of the bed sheet around her body, holding it firmly against her breasts. The bed shifted balance as Donnie sat up and reached out to her, lightly grasping her shoulder. Her shrug was harsher than she intended but managed to free herself from his touch.

"April?" The confusion in his voice now had turned to concern – distress – worry.

"Look, Donnie," she jumped in before he could say anything else. She kept her back to him lest her courage escape her if she made eye contact. "I…this…I wasn't in the right state of mind. I was emotional – hurt - and wasn't thinking straight. I shouldn't have dragged you into this."

"April…."

"Donnie, don't make this any harder than it has to be. As far as we both should be concerned this never happened…It would be best if you…you should leave."

Silence. No one moved for the longest time. Perhaps he needed time to process what happened or to decide his next move. Finally, the bed shifted, causing April to sink in as Donnie's side to puff back up. The window opened and soon she was left alone with her thoughts and the cold embrace of winter's icy tendrils.

AN: A little teaser for my new project (thus meant to be short since it is only a prologue). I haven't written the first chapter yet but wanted to post the prologue anyway. This will be a multi-chapter fic that has been bugging me for a few months. No, no I'm not giving up on "Becoming Splinter" nor do I have writer's block. I have the case of my Muse can't shut up syndrome. I will do my best to balance working on both.