Wow. I haven't written this series in a couple of weeks. Sorry about that, there's been so much going on! Anyway, here's Part 3 to the "Patience" series! Please enjoy!

&&&&&&

April's P.O.V.

I hadn't seen the guys in about two months. There had been so much going on in both of our lives, that we just didn't have time for one another. Casey and I had been on our honeymoon, and as soon as we had come back, we had started the daunting task of moving Casey's stuff into my apartment. And what with the Purple Dragons' new leader, the guys had spent a better part of their time on patrol. So naturally we were going to keep missing each other. By this point, I was just used to not seeing the guys for months at a time…What with their inter-galactic adventures and what not. They definitely made my life seem like a piece of cake to the type of crap they put up with on a daily basis.

When the guys showed up one morning when I was preparing breakfast, I was surprised. Usually if they were coming when they had seen me in a while, they would usually call. Occasionally they would surprise me, but for the most part they had gotten better at actually calling me.

"Hey guys." I had said, still slightly shocked that they were piling through my window. "I'm sorry but if you're also looking for Casey, he's still sleeping. He had the night shift last night and…"

"…Raph has a girlfriend and we want you to meet her." Mikey blurted out, taking me aback for the second time.

I gaped at him as Raph smacked Mikey upside the head. There had been no greeting, no "Hi April how's married life going?" It was just, "Hi April, we don't care how you're feeling because the world revolves around us and Raph has a girlfriend that we want you to meet even though you're probably very busy at the moment."

I never really did get them to quite grasp the whole concept of manners.

"Raph has a girlfriend?" I asked, trying to not take it personally that they really didn't seem interested in what I was doing.

"Yeah. Her name's Patience. Ironic considering Raph has none isn't it?" Mikey piped up and I saw Raph shoot Mikey a withering glare that the orange-clad turtle couldn't see.

I bit down on the inside of my cheek, trying to compose myself before asking, "I see. Well, is she like you guys? Or is she from another planet, or what?"

All the guys exchanged puzzled looks, as if I had just spoke to them in Greek before Leo said, "She's…Just another human April."

Well excuse me for not knowing whether you guys have been on a different planet or not. Jeez. It's amazing I can keep track of the four of them at all, let alone where they all are.

That was my first thought anyway before what Leo fully said sunk in. Raph was dating a human? I mean, I wasn't really shocked…Well I mean I was, but not because I could never see Raph being with a human, but just because I could never see a human actually accepting the guys except…Me.

Jealousy flared up inside me, and again, I wasn't quite sure why. I definitely wasn't jealous of Raph being taken. I was actually jealous of the fact that another female had accepted the guys. Because…Well…I kind of liked being their only girlfriend. I mean, what if this girl was some sort of ninjitsu master and knows so much more about the guys' way of life than I do and I just get replaced? This was probably overreacting on my part, but I was too shocked over the fact that another human was in the guys' lives to really give a damn as to what I must sound like, even if I was only thinking all of this.

"April?" Leo asked curiously. "Did you hear us?"

I snapped out my reverie, smiling uncertainly at the guys. "Sorry. My mind was elsewhere. What's up?"

"I asked if you wanted to meet Patience tomorrow night. I know it's short notice, but we don't know what's going to spring up and Patience really doesn't appear to be going anywhere so…"

"…Sure." I said brightly, cutting off Leo. I noticed him giving me a suspicious frown, and I ignored him.

"How about seven?" Donnie asked, also seeming as confused as Leo was.

"Sounds like a plan." I said, plastering a smile onto my face.

This girl sure as hell had better be worth it.

&&&&&&

Seven o'clock Friday Night

I descended on the turtles' decrepit elevator, fiddling with my hair, which I had pulled up into a ponytail for the occasion, instead of my trademark bun. Other than that, I was still in my same purple midriff top and tan cargo pants. I wasn't about to be all formal for a girl that I wasn't supposed to be impressing. She was supposed to be impressing me after all.

Soon, the doors hissed open and I stepped into the familiar lair that I had grown to love. My life was filled with irony. I used to wrinkle my nose at even stepping over a sewer grate, yet now I spent most of my time in one. Then, when I had first met the guys, I was positive I had been abducted by aliens, petrified that they were going to eat my brains. Now, these 'aliens' were actually my best friends.

"April!" Mikey called, hopping from the top floor down to the first to greet me. I found myself flinching. Even though I knew the guys were going to be fine when they jumped from tall heights, I still feared sometimes that they would lose their footing or not land quite right and hurt themselves.

"Hi Wise Guy." I said with a grin, embracing him in a hug. "What are we eating?"

"Well," Mikey said slowly. "I was thinking pizza, but I know that you'll lecture me about my improper eating habits, so we're having chicken and rice."

"All right! You're finally realizing that you're a growing turtle!" I joked, high-fiving him.

Mikey chuckled and peered over my shoulder. "Where's Casey?"

"Working. It's probably best that he's not here, he'd be falling asleep at the table." I said, even though part of the reason Casey wasn't here was because I didn't want him to hit on this new chick if she turned out to be gorgeous.

"What's Casey doing again?" Mikey asked, as he led me into the kitchen, where Donnie was setting the table.

"He's doing construction in the day, and recently he got this night job working as security at the Museum of Fine Arts."

Donnie rose his eye ridges in amusement. "They actually trust Casey being around breakables?"

I rolled my eyes. "Of course not. He mans surveillance."

"They trust Casey with technology?" Donnie and Mikey asked in unison.

I whacked them both in the arms. "He's not that bad. Besides, all he has to do is sit there and watch a whole bunch of cameras. I can't understand why he loves doing it so much." I said, shaking my head. There were still many things about Casey that were a mystery to me.

Donnie chuckled. "Well then, on that note, how are things going with you April? I never got around to asking you yesterday."

"Things are going good. It's a little weird to have Casey and I occupying the same space, but hey, that's married life." I said, pleased that Donnie was at least considerate.

"Sounds good." Donnie said, nodding absently as he peered over my shoulder.

"Is she coming?" I asked, smoothing my palms on my pants, wondering why I didn't wear a skirt.

"Yeah." Donnie said, shooting me a wary smile.

"What's that look for?" I said immediately, my voice rising in panic.

"Wow. We're actually having something nutritious tonight." I heard a voice say from behind me. "This chick must really have an affect on you. Hope I don't have to compete."

I slowly turned around and studied the girl that had her arm wrapped in Raph's. Her auburn hair was about chest length, and it fell around her in waves that were obviously natural. It was slightly frizzy, but this was barely noticeable as she radiated confidence. Her eyes were a sparkling crystal blue, her skin pale with a few traces of acne. She was wearing a red tank top that was ripped across her chest, with a half-sleeved fishnet top covering it. She was wearing black, bleached ripped jeans and black converse.

First, I was thanking my lucky stars that Casey had to work, and second, I was royally pissed that she wasn't at least wearing something formal to impress me.

"Hi. I'm April." I said, plastering a smile onto my face, as the girl turned her attention to me, as if forgetting what she was doing here after being lost in Raph's eyes.

The girl smiled at me. "Patience." She said, high fiving me instead of shaking my hand. I stared at my throbbing hand, trying to hide my all-ready growing impatience, and began to see where her name is probably as ironic as the boyfriend she's with.

"Uh…" I said uncertainly. "Don't worry about having to compete. The guys just fear for their lives if they don't do something that I like."

Patience let out a booming laugh, but I could tell it was fake, which only piqued my temper just a bit more. This girl should be thanking her lucky stars I wasn't all ready digging into her wanting to know every humiliating thing about her the ungrateful degenerate.

"Hi April!" Leo called, entering the kitchen with Master Splinter at her side. I noticed that Raph pulled Patience off to the side a bit, which kind of surprised me. When I shot Raph a confused look, he only managed a small smile.

"Ms. O'Neill, so wonderful to see you again!" Master Splinter said in that soft gentle voice of his.

"Sensei!" I said, embracing the old rat. "You're looking well."

"As are you Ms. O'Neill…" Master Splinter started and then chuckled. "My apologies. I believe I am to address you as Mrs. Jones now."

I hadn't even noticed, to be perfectly honest, so I only smiled kindly at him. "That's all right Sensei. I don't mind you referring to me by my maiden name…Although I've told you plenty of times to just call me April."

"Old habits die hard I suppose." Splinter said with a chuckle, making me smile, my cheeks turning pink with delight at seeing him again.

"Oh great. A fanatic." I heard Patience mutter under her breath.

I turned around, my temper skyrocketing. "Is there a problem?" I asked, my voice pitching slightly.

Patience seemed taken aback before she smiled sweetly at me. "No problem."

"Are you sure?" I pressed.

"Positive."

"Who wants to eat?" Donnie butted in, talking much too loudly, a sure sign that he was nervous.

"Sounds like a plan." Patience said, allowing Raph to lead her over to the table.

I watched her, my eyes blazing. I could tell all ready that I wasn't going to like this girl.

&&&&&&

"So Patience," I said, as soon as dinner was served to everyone. "Tell me about yourself."

Patience chewed on her dinner thoughtfully and said around a mouthful, "There's a lot to know in the sixteen years that I've been around."

No shit. You're sixteen years old. I'm sure something interesting has happened to you every day of your freaking existence you smart-ass…

I cleared my throat, trying to mask the fact that I was taking in deep breaths. "Well, why not if we start off with something easy? Tell me about your parents…Where you grew up."

"I grew up in Brooklyn." Patience said with a shrug, taking a sip of her milk.

I waited expectantly for her to say something about her parents, but when she raised her eyebrows at my staring, I decided I was going to have to prompt her. How had Raph become attracted to this girl anyway? It wasn't like she was bright or anything…

"And your parents?" I asked, putting a forkful of rice into my mouth, and savoring the rich taste that Mikey had no doubt concocted. Mikey loved to order pizza, but he could cook much better than any of his pizza places…What was up with that?

"My parents are…Let's just say my parents aren't apart of my life anymore." Patience said quickly, shoveling some chicken into her mouth.

"Run away?" I asked, the question more directed at Raph than at Patience, but she answered anyway.

"No. Well…Sort of. I was planning on running away. But then I was attacked by a gang of Purple Dragons and was raped before the guys rescued me and then I just kind of never went back." Patience said quickly, her knuckles turning white as she gripped her fork more tightly.

I frowned at her. "Aren't your parents worried?"

Patience snorted. "My parents haven't been worried about me since the day I was born." She stood up abruptly then, and she startled the entire table.

"Where are you going?" Leo asked.

"I'm going to go up to my room. I'm not all that hungry. Call me down when you guys are done eating." Patience said. I could tell that Leo was going to say something, but when I saw Patience's eyes rove towards my general direction, Leo just waved at her to leave.

My temper flared as Patience hurried out of the room, and I heard Raph give out a breath of frustration. "What did I say? I didn't even do anything!" I hissed, whirling on him.

"I wasn't getting frustrated with you April…I was just frustrated with Patience's lack of manners." Raph said gruffly, moving the food around on his plate.

Mikey chuckled. "Aw c'mon Raph…You knew since the day you met Patience that she was never good with asking for permission."

Raph rolled his eyes, but didn't respond, and I was beginning to grow annoyed. It was obvious that this girl had been around for awhile, and it was obvious that I was out of the loop, and no one seemed willing to want to play 'catch up' with me. That meant having to drag information out of them and I hated doing that because it felt like such an interrogation and it was always a royal pain. Unfortunately, my curiosity was always out-ruling what my brain was thinking.

"So what's her story anyway?" I pressed, my impatience reaching its maximum.

"Patience's parents were just really abusive towards her." Raph said with a shrug.

"Uh huh?" I said, prompting him for more information than that.

Raph raised his head and looked at me helplessly. "I don't really know much else besides that April. I mean, Patience and I are still getting to know each other, and there are still some things that we haven't gotten to yet."

I frowned. "Does that same situation go towards you? You haven't told her everything about herself either?"

Raph shifted in his seat uncomfortably. "No." He said slowly. He cleared his throat and added, "Patience and I got into a fight about this issue of me not telling her the whole story about something and she demanded that she know everything about me."

"But…You can't know everything about her?" I asked, making sure I was understanding this right.

"No. She tells me stuff but we just haven't gotten to that part about her life yet."

I scrunched up my face in confusion. "What the hell has she been telling you? Her life can't be that filled up."

Raph threw his hands up in exasperation. "She's a teenager April! She talks about regular teenage drama like school, and best friends, and her dreams and all that!"

"She's still going to school?"

"No. Donnie's home schooling her. She was telling me stories about when she was in high school."

"Is that really relevant to her life?"

"What else is she supposed to tell me?"

"Oh I don't know Raph. Family, perhaps?" I snapped.

Raph glared at me. "You don't like her." I think he meant to ask me that, but it came out as more of a statement.

"I never said that." I pointed out.

"You didn't have to." Raph retorted.

I sighed exasperatedly. "Raph, it's not that I don't like her…I just don't trust her."

Donnie shot me a puzzled look. "Isn't that the same thing?"

"No." I said calmly, even though I was really annoyed with being interrupted. "You can like a liar because you trust that liar."

Mikey wrinkled his beak in confusion. "What?"

I sighed. "I'm saying that I don't know if Patience is a liar or not…Therefore I can't trust her. However, I never said I didn't like her."

"April…Just say it. You don't like her." Leo said exasperatedly, when Mikey and Donnie just seemed more confused by my explanation.

I threw my hands up in the air. "All right fine! I hate her."

"But you haven't even gotten the chance to know her yet!" Raph exclaimed.

"Uh huh….And she hasn't gotten to know me either. Therefore she probably doesn't like me. What's your point?"

"I am so sick of people not giving her a fair chance! What is it about her that just makes people want to hate her?!" Raph snapped, glaring at everyone accusingly.

"Hmmm…" I said, pretending to consider this. "Her attire, her attitude, her lack of respect, her lack of manners…" I said, counting these off on my fingers, and stopping when I saw Raph beginning to shake with rage.

"You know what April? Why'd you even bother coming?! If all you're going to do is just criticize my girlfriend, then I don't want to waste my time!" He snapped, standing up and storming out of the kitchen in a huff.

I pressed the heels of my palms into my eyes. "This isn't going very well is it?" I asked.

Leo stood up and began to get rid of Raph and Patience's plates. "Don't feel bad April. I know where you're coming from because I used to feel the same way about Patience as you do now."

I looked at the leader curiously. "You don't feel that way anymore?"

Leo hesitated. "It's not that some things about Patience still don't bother me…It's just that I've kind of learned to just let if roll off my back. She doesn't mean anything personal by what she does. What Patience wears and her lack of respect…It's just who she is. I still want her to work on her respect of course, but for the most part, I just let her be herself….Even though when she's loud-mouthed and opinionated I want to smack her."

Mikey chuckled. "I feel the same way when she beats me at all of my video games."

I cocked my head to the side. "So…You guys all like her?"

"Oh yeah." Donnie said, nodding as he finished off the last of his dinner. "I know how Patience must come off to you…But once you get to know her, she's actually really cool. She has her moments of course, but everyone does. She kind of has some quality about her that all of us can relate to in some way."

"It's just Splinter who hasn't experienced that yet." Mikey piped up, looking at the old rat who merely sipped his tea.

"What do you think of Patience sensei?" I asked curiously.

Master Splinter's ears pricked up and I noticed his tail lash quickly. He cleared his throat before stating, "I am afraid I do not have much to comment on about Patience Ms…Er…Mrs. Jones. Patience does not wish for me to get to know her."

"Why? What does she have against you?" I asked, feeling my temper rise again.

"She has…Issues with authority figures…Because of her abusive background." Leo said, explaining himself quickly.

"Oh come on!" I exclaimed, standing up abruptly, that I actually knocked my own chair over. "Anyone can tell that Master Splinter is sweetest person…Rat…Whatever…And that he would never hurt anyone! You're really expected me to believe that crap?"

Leo shifted uncomfortably as he carried the dirty dishes over to the sink. "Her and Splinter didn't really get off on the right foot either. Splinter made some sort of comment that Patience took the wrong way, and Patience is convinced that Splinter's some stereotypical old rat…Nothing we say can convince her otherwise."

"Splinter?" I asked incredulously. "Stereotypical? She does realize that she's saying this about a mutated rat who really has nothing to stereotype…Right?"

Leo shrugged helplessly. "I know April, I don't know what to tell you. Once Patience sets her mind about someone, it's hard to change her mind. The only way I got Patience to change her mind about me was for me to approach her and ask to get to know her more. I suggested Splinter do this, and he did, but Patience only turned him down. She doesn't want anything to do with him."

"Which is quite a shame." Donnie added.

"Everyone we meet automatically adores Master Splinter." Mikey said with a chuckle.

I frowned. "I guess that makes her odd turtle out, huh?" I asked, a flicker of a smile crossing my face as I looked at the youngest, who grinned impishly at me.

Leo sighed. "I don't know April. Maybe you should take the approach I did and get to know her better. Maybe if someone outside the family says something positive about Splinter, she'll come around."

"I doubt it." Mikey muttered, and Leo shot him an annoyed glare.

I sighed and began to exit the kitchen. "I think I might do just that. Seeing as Raph sees something amazing in this kid, I guess I have no choice but to at least try to get to know her." I muttered, more to myself than to the three turtles and rat.

Yet I swear, I distinctly heard them all mutter "Good luck" under their breaths.

&&&&&&

I stood outside Patience's door, uncertain as to whether I really wanted to do this or not. After all, I could always cop out. No one would ever know…Well, Mike, Leo, and Donnie would know along with Master Splinter, but their opinions didn't matter in this case. Raph's did. And of course, he saw me as an unworthy friend for picking on his girlfriend, and if I backed out now he'd probably always think of me that way…

I sighed irritably as I knocked on the door. I waited a few seconds before the door opened and Patience stood in front of me, her hair a frizzy mess as music blasted out of her ears. She was staring at me blearily, and I had the feeling I had probably just woken her up. That meant I wasn't off to a good start.

"Uh…Hi." I said lamely. "I was wondering if I could talk to you for awhile."

"That doesn't exactly give me a choice does it?" Patience asked, turning around and shoving the door open more for my entrance.

I glared at her retreating back, all ready beginning to regret this, while at the same time wondering how the hell she could sleep with that damn music blasting out of her ears like that.

Patience pulled out her earphones and shut off her iPod, tossing them onto her bed before flopping down on the rumpled covers. She raised her eyebrows at me expectantly, and I hurriedly grabbed her desk chair and sat down.

"Look, I wanted to apologize for what happened at dinner. I didn't realize that your parents were abusive, and I shouldn't have pried." I said, trying to not sound as begrudging as I sounded.

Patience shrugged. "Not your fault. You didn't know."

"Then why'd you storm out of the kitchen as if I had just royally pissed you off?" I couldn't help snapping. What was up with this kid?

Patience looked at me with amusement written across her features. "Because you did. It was just while I was cooling off that I realized that obviously you were going to pry and stuff. Then I fell asleep." She said with a shrug.

I had to contain myself from throwing one of her stupid books at her that were sprawled across her desk, one being a giant chemistry textbook. Now that was tempting…

"Anything else you came in here for?" Patience drawled lazily.

I remembered who I wad doing this for, and that was the only thing that kept me planted instead of uprooting and dancing out the door for solving the mystery behind her temper.

" Actually, there is one thing…" When Patience didn't press for information, I just decided to hurry on. "Seeing as I gave you a second chance, or, wanted to hear you out at least, I think that it's only fair that you do the same for me…Only for Splinter."

Patience sat up in bed, and it was probably the most lively I'd seen her all night. "Wait…You want me to talk to Splinter and give him a second chance?"

"Or get to know him at least. Kind of like what you and I are doing." I said.

Patience shot me a skeptical look. "You mean by being fake? Come on lady, I know that the only reason why you're up here is because Raph probably said something to you, and his brothers probably really want you to like me. But I think it's quite clear that both you and I don't like each other and don't want to know each other, and I'm cool with that. But asking me to get to know Splinter when you barely know me? Totally different story."

I glared at her. "Look it, I never said I didn't like you, or that I didn't want to get to know you. The fact that you haven't been thrown out of this lair with your crappy attitude shows that there must be something amazing about you. And seeing as you are living under this damn roof, you might as well get along with everyone, and Splinter's pretty high up on the list. Just because you're parents were jerks, that doesn't mean every adult is."

"You sure about that? Because you're kind of convincing me otherwise." Patience responded dryly. Let me tell you, that made me snap.

"Listen you ungrateful little brat!" I snapped. "I'm just trying to get along with you, and so far, I'm doing a terrible job and your attitude sure as hell isn't helping! But despite that, I'm making an effort to having you get to know the man that raised your boyfriend. Because if you think Splinter is so terrible, then you should take a close look at your boyfriend. If you really like him, then you should keep in mind that your boyfriend was raised by Splinter! And if your boyfriend isn't all that bad, then Splinter sure as hell can't be either! But you're just so convinced that Splinter's a bad person, just as much as your parents are! Well guess what? I don't buy that story for an instance! I think you're just jealous that the guys got raised by a better parent than you did. And that's a real slap in the face considering Splinter is a rat! I think you just like to make people miserable by causing drama and stirring up issues in a family! But you know something? I've known this whole family longer than you have, so you're on my turf now sister! So when it comes to critiquing this family and their ways, you should just shaddap because you don't have a fucking clue as to what the hell you're talking about? We clear on that?" I exploded, getting right up in the teenager's face until I was positive I could probably count every pore on her face.

Patience shoved me backwards, shooting me the darkest glare I had ever seen, that it probably would have put the Shredder to shame.

"I know your type. You're the type that thinks you can read a person based off of their background. But guess what? You're wrong. I'm not selfish, I'm not self-centered, and I'm not stupid. I may have a bad temper and I might come off too strong on people, but I'm nothing negative. If I'm around people that I hate, I guarantee I'll come off as a worse person, and no one wants to see me at my worst.

The reason as I don't like Splinter, is because I just plain don't like him. I don't like his favoritism, seeing as it's so obvious that he totally likes Leo above everyone else. I don't like how he smacks around Mikey and Raph and anyone else with that stupid walking stick of his, and I don't like the fact that he comes off as being old and feeble when I know he could probably take down thirty goons in one round. Nor do I like the fact that everyone thinks Splinter's so innocent and sweet when really, he's not like that at all. Maybe you don't see him that way, but that's how I see him."

I glared back at Patience. "You know, you're a lot of talk about not liking stereotypes or judging people by appearances, yet that's almost exactly what you're doing here. Have you ever stopped to consider the fact that maybe the reason as to why Splinter is so hard on the boys is because it's the only way to get through to them? Do you know how many times it takes to remind them to do such a simple task as to empty out the freaking dishwasher? And, just so we're clear, Splinter doesn't like Leo more than anyone else. He loves all his sons the exact same, he just loves them for different reasons. The only reason as to why Splinter might give Leo more attention is because he has to make sure Leo's a focused enough leader. Because god forbid if Leo ever makes the wrong move or the wrong decision, he and his brothers could all wind up dead. And if you don't like the fact that Splinter's teaching them violence or whatever, he's only doing it because he was raised in that environment, and he wants to teach his sons honor and respect. Not to mention discipline and self-defense. In case you haven't noticed, they can't exactly roam freely amongst the people of New York, and if anyone ever came into their lives as a threat, they should at least know how to protect each other, dammit!" I shouted, stamping my foot in irritation.

"Splinter worked his ass off to get his family safe! And even more to keep them alive! So if I were you, I would show a little respect. Especially seeing as he hasn't thrown you out of the house for that smart ass mouth of yours! The least you can show is a little gratitude you ungrateful degenerate!"

And before Patience could even reply, I was all ready storming out of the room. I don't think I had ever been more furious in my entire life. That was the first time that I knew that if I stayed in that room, I probably would've killed someone…Preferably Patience.

&&&&&&

Patience's P.O.V.

Damn that April O'Neill! Who the hell did she think she was telling me what to do! She didn't even know me! Granted, I didn't know her either, but still! What a…A…Bitch!

All right, so maybe I wasn't being totally fair…After all I had no right to judge. April of all people knew the turtles way better than I did. She had known them for four years, and I only knew them for a whopping total of a month. So no doubt she was used to the usual drama of the guys coming home late at night or in the early morning from nightly patrols and putting up with their meditation sessions and training.

But still, just because she knew them so well, didn't mean that she had any right to decide that I was suitable for their family just because I didn't agree with their ways of life or their father. Although after what April had said, I had to say that she had a point when it came to Splinter…Not that I was about to admit to that or anything…

I sighed exasperatedly as I found myself following the storming hot-tempered redhead out of my room and down the hall. I searched the lair for her, finding it convenient that the lair was empty.

I found her soon enough in the kitchen, washing plates, the cabinets open. It looked like she was doing some rearranging. I tried not to roll my eyes at this, and instead focused on the dish detergent she was using to swirl around in the sink before dunking the dirty plates into the soapy liquid. I shivered and without even thinking I said,

"Ammonia."

April jumped, dropping the dish in the sink as she whipped around to stare at me. "Excuse me?" She asked.

"Ammonia." I repeated. "That's what my parents used."

April scrunched up her face in confusion. "Used when?"

"When I did something that they saw as being wrong." I said, leaning against the doorway. "Leaving shoes in the mud room even though shoes belong there, leaving a dirty dish in the sink because I didn't have time to clean it before school, not wearing the outfit laid out for me…Those sorts of things."

April was staring at me as if I had sprouted a second head. "And…Where does ammonia fit into all this?"

"Because if you lock your child in the bathroom with an uncapped bottle of bleach and lock her in there for a half an hour or so with all sources of oxygen sealed off, the fumes can eventually suffocate her."

April's face paled and I found myself smiling bitterly at her. "Of course, that's nothing compared to having your alcoholic father come home waving a gun in your face bragging about the new toy he just got. Or getting shoved down a flight of stairs…Or…" I trailed off, biting my tongue to stop myself from continuing.

I saw April swallow. "I didn't realize…"

"Of course not." I said quickly. "I don't tell Raph about that part of my life because it's not something I like repeating."

April studied me closely. "But…You know that Splinter…"

"…Isn't like that?" I finished for her. "I know. He's not that bad. I still don't agree with the whole whacking his sons in the head thing, but I know he's not that bad."

April frowned at me. "So…Why are you…?"

"…Because the last time I put my trust into an adult, my parents were questioned by DSS. Granted, they were able to make up some sort of lie about some traumatic experience I went through as a child to make me come up with these ridiculous stories…But that didn't stop the abuse from getting worse." My eyes flashed. "I think the only reason why DSS bought it was because there was no proof of abuse or neglect…Buying pretty clothes and not having ammonia scar does that."

April leaned up against the sink. "You should know that Splinter can't call DSS on you. If anything, you basically belong to him now. He's not going to throw you out for telling him something like that…Or call the cops screaming. He'll just…Accept you for what you've gone through. He might even respect you for surviving something like that."

I snorted. "Why? Do you?"

"Yeah."

I was taken aback as April watched me, and I had to avert my eyes from her face.

"Just…Consider it. Please?" April asked.

I looked at her sideways. "I'll consider it. But I'm not going to make any promises."

Yet as I left the kitchen, I all ready had a feeling that I had considered it, and that I was going to give Splinter a second chance…If he'd let me.

End

&&&&&&

Done! Next one-shot is going to be titled "Patience Speaks Louder than Words". It's going to revolve around Patience giving Splinter a second chance, and also some Raph and Patience fluff as she reveals her dark past. Hope you like it! Please leave a review on you way out giving me some input on how this series is going! Thanks!