Author's Note: Because I'm a fairly recent convert to this fandom, I pretty much found out about the leaked storyboard, discovered it was fake and then saw another leaked storyboard that had also been labelled as fake be used in an episode... all in a week's time. This is a fic I wanted to read myself, but couldn't find, so I wrote it instead. I changed a bit, for this reason or that and didn't get into specifics as to why everyone was at April's farmhouse. I wanted to focus more on the actual scene. Hope you like it. Feedback is welcome since *waves* I'm new here.

I wasn't a stranger to wielding an axe, although I had to admit it had gotten a whole lot easier to do since things like fighting aliens and mutants had become commonplace in my life. Training with a bunch of ninjas didn't hurt either. In years past when I had come to my family's farm and dad let me try my hand at splitting wood, I would have been sore for days afterward. I didn't expect that to happen now. Not when I had been training with a group of ninjas every day for the past year. My muscles were already well practiced in movements that paled in comparison to the task of chopping wood.

That didn't mean I wasn't working hard though. I felt a slick of sweat form on my forehead, a product of my physical exertion, and I set the axe down against the chopping block. Then placing the backs of my now free hands against my wet skin, I wiped away the moisture before it had a chance to drip down and sting my eyes.

That was when I finally took a moment to look over the wood pile I had slowly been adding to for the last hour and smiled at my productivity. There was more than enough for the bonfire planned that night. I would have to make sure and rub Raph's face in the fact that I was more than capable of doing the job myself. He had been dubious before when I'd suggested chopping all the wood solo. His brothers had expressed their lack of confidence in me with a facial expression, but Raph was the only one to verbalize it. I had ignored him, wanting to show I was able instead of arguing about it. They'd all see when I was done. Unfortunately the largest turtle brother had followed me outside to the wood pile.

"Are you sure you can handle it? I think I could probably do a couple of quick whacks with my fists and have the whole thing done in a few minutes," he'd said, his large green arms crossed across the front of his shell like he was challenging me.

I mimicked his arm placement and glared. "I'm more than capable. Just ask my dad. He let me chop wood all the time when we came out here before or even ask Donnie. He knows more than any of you what I'm capable of."

Raph snorted and I suddenly flushed, realizing he had interpreted my meaning wrong. "That's not what I meant … I uh … I just … we fight a lot, you know we train together. He knows I'm strong."

"Yeah, strong." His voice was a breath away from a laughing.

I couldn't tell if Raph was making a jab against my actual strength or if it was another innuendo at my expense. It didn't matter though, because I still felt mortified. "Ugh, stop looking at me like that."

Raph laughed and I let out a groan. I was making the situation worse with my flustered state and finally huffed, "Leave me alone. I've got work to do."

I could see Raph was trying very hard to hold in his amusement with me and thankfully he managed not to make the situation any worse by teasing. Instead he raised his hands in defeat. "Suit yourself. Don't come complainin' to me when you accidentally chop your arm off. I'm sure you'd just go to Donnie for that anyway."

I whirled around, hoping he'd leave and after a few seconds passed with me staring in the opposite direction, I glanced over my shoulder to see I was alone. Good. Now I could get to work and prove myself just as capable as a ninja turtle when it came to wood splitting.

I shook my head at the not so long ago memory of Raphael's mocking, trying to force down the tiny bubble of embarrassment wanting to work its way back into my heart. I didn't know why I was trying to prove myself to Raph or anyone else for that matter. Maybe it was an inferiority complex due to the fact that I was constantly surrounded by a group of ninjas who more often than not came to my aid. I was just a normal teenage girl, a human who couldn't fight as an equal with her four mutant turtle friends. I would have to get over that someday, because no matter how much I improved, I would always be second best.

Just a human

I turned back to the pieces of wood that still needed to be chopped. We had enough now, at least for tonight and there wasn't any need for me to pick up the axe again and get back to work … except for the need inside of me to prove myself. "We're going to be here for another week. I might as well chop all this wood," I said to myself. "That'll show Raph."

I could feel the determination rushing through me, but just as I was about to pick up the axe, the sound of my name being said caused me to jump, which was followed by me letting out a ridiculous sounding noise of surprise. I didn't have to turn around to know who it was. I'd recognize his voice anywhere. "Donnie!" I said, placing my hand over my heart to still the quick pace his surprise visit had caused. I then moved my body, so I could look at the familiar face of my closest friend. "I-I didn't hear you, I mean I heard you say my name, but I didn't hear you walking, because you're always so quiet, being a ninja and uh …"

I was beginning to sound deranged the more I rambled and quickly clamped my mouth shut. A smile was better, since I'd obviously lost my ability to talk coherently, first with Raph and now with his brother. Donnie smiled back, but it didn't reach his eyes. Instantly I knew something was off. I'd seen him become exasperated plenty of times, and on more than one occasion he'd displayed an awkward sort of affection for me. But sadness wasn't an emotion I was used to him showing … at least when I was around. "What's up, Donnie?"

"I just wanted to let you know that I won't be putting anymore songs on your T phone," he replied, his voice sounding just as melancholy as he looked. "I get it now."

I furrowed my brow. "Get what?" I honestly didn't know what he was talking about and pulled my phone from my pocket to scan its music files. It seemed there had been a new playlist added called Donnie. "Did you put music on my phone?"

"Yeah," I heard him say as I began investigating each song title.

They all seemed to be love songs and not only that, but the ones I recognized were stories about opposites attracting. The corners of my mouth twitched slightly upward as I tried to fight the flattered smile wanting to form on my lips. "Look at that, not one of these has the word science in it," I joked, trying to get him to laugh.

He shuffled his feet like he was uncomfortable. "Hmmm, oversight I guess."

"Well, thanks for the music, I'll make sure to listen to these on the drive home next week, but why aren't you going to add anymore? I'd like to see what else you'd think worthy of a playlist that has your name."

Donnie was quiet, like he was thinking over what he was going to say and eventually I had to loudly clear my throat to remind him I was still there waiting. "Because," he finally said, "I know you'll never …" There was a short pause as he shrugged slightly. "I'm just a mutant, a freak like Bigfoot. So, I'll stop bothering you with this crush of mine."

I let out a sigh. I wasn't always that great at showing Donnie exactly how I felt about him, because truth be told, I wasn't exactly sure how I felt. I was only sixteen and had never had a boyfriend before, let alone one I couldn't just go to a restaurant with on our first date like normal teens did. I avoided reacting to Donnie's crush, because I thought that would be better for everyone. That didn't mean I didn't have similar feelings, it just meant I wasn't sure what to do with them. "Donnie, is this because we watched Harry and the Hendersons last night?"

I had a vague memory of watching the 1980s movie with Donnie the night before after we discovered a VHS copy of it inside an old box. Thankfully technology was at a minimum inside our farm house and we still had a VCR. I didn't remember much of the plot except that it dealt with Bigfoot. I'd fallen asleep against Donnie 30 minutes in, but apparently he'd stayed awake through the whole thing. Why else would he be comparing himself to the mythical creature now? "Donnie." My voice was impatient as he tried to ignore my question about the movie. "Are you seriously comparing yourself to a film that came out decades ago?"

"No … I … well, yeah, I guess." Donnie's brown eyes fell to the ground as he stared at his toes, clearly embarrassed.

I rolled my eyes, which thankfully he didn't see and then stepped in front of him, so close he was forced to look back up at me. "So what, am I just a human then?" I asked.

"What? That doesn't even make sense. Being just a human is what's normal."

Impulsively I reached for his hands and I saw the faint color of pink creep across his cheeks in response to my touch. "Normal's overrated. If I've learned anything since meeting you, your brothers, and Master Splinter it's that I feel like I'm just human all the time. I'm nothing compared to you guys and you know, maybe being normal isn't such a great thing."

"That's not true at all, April. You're amazing," Donnie exclaimed with maybe just a bit too much passion, a fact he realized a little too late. "Err, I mean you're cool." My turtle friend pulled one of his hands from mine and jabbed me in the shoulder with his large fist. "One of the guys. Heh."

I reclaimed his hand. "No, I'm not one of the guys. I'm failing all the time and yeah, that bothers me, but that doesn't mean I'm going to stop trying to be the best I can and the same goes for you. No, you're not human, but don't for a second think that means you're only a mutant to me. You're so much more than that. You're …" I searched for a word to describe how I felt and ended up staking my claim in him. "You're my mutant, which I hope you know is kinda a big deal." I could feel heat rising to my face and hoped against hope that it wasn't coloring it red.

"April …"

He looked like he was about to argue again, maybe try and prove he wasn't more than just a mutant and I decided at that moment to make an effort to show Donnie instead of only telling him how much he meant to me. There was a stir of butterflies moving about my stomach and I tried to push past them to do what I had wanted to do for a while, but was always too afraid to actually follow through with.

Here goes

I kissed him, full on the lips. It was fast. I didn't linger, the fear inside me preventing my mouth from staying. But I had done it and when I pulled away, I felt more accomplished than I would have had I cut down and chopped up a whole forest of trees.

Donnie was dazed. I shouldn't have expected any less. The guy hadn't exactly been hiding his crush on me over the past year and I'd finally taken the step forward to accept that I liked him too. Although, that didn't mean I was brave enough to stick around. "I'll see you later. I have some um … music to listen to." I said, removing my hands from Donnie's and waving one in front of his eyes. I wasn't sure if I had knocked him stupid with my kiss. "Donnie, are you okay?"

"Uh, yeah ...sure." His words were slurred, like he was drunk and I giggled softly.

"I'll see you later at the bonfire," I said and then quickly walked away, fully intent on finding a way to release the nest of butterflies still taking up space inside my stomach.