Summary: Donatello has been trying to manage his depression effectively. Trying. But when he finally gets the courage to meet his online friend, his life takes a path that he never imagined it would, and he finds something that he's wished for, for a long time. Warnings inside. Please R&R!

Disclaimer: I don't own Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or its characters. I only own my OCs.

A/N: Hi, everyone! I'm back! I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and a fantastic new year. This time you'll be reading about the lovely Donatello, and I'd like to remind you that this is 2K14 verse, and I have to say, he is by far my favourite version of Donnie so far, and I've been a TMNT fan for almost 20 years. This story isn't finished yet. However, I'm seventeen chapters in, and with it being so long since I last uploaded anything, I didn't want to leave it any longer. I will be trying to get the remaining chapters completed this weekend, or over the next week.

For anyone who read the previous fics featuring Raphael, 'Secrets' and 'Changes', there is some Raphelia (see what I did there?) art on my DA profile. I've just started my very first sketchdump, which I'm very excited about, so feel free to check that out. My DA name is the same as my pen name on here.

I want to remind you that this first collection of Turtle/OC fics aren't within the same universe, so each OC's story for this first set are individual, and the OCs paths don't cross. However, once I've completed this set, I'll be going onto a fic or two for the movies, and then an OC arc where the OCs are all added in one after the other, rather than being separate.

Now, for warnings. As a sufferer of depression and anxiety for ten years, it's been hard for me to write this because I know exactly what it's like to go through what the characters go through in this fic. There will be some dark moments, but there will also be plenty of lovely moments too. There will also be mature scenes, and potentially bad language, so be warned... Read at your own risk :P

I hope you enjoy! Happy reading everyone!

~ Salvation ~

{ Chapter One: Meeting }

A pair of grey-green eyes gazed upon a familiar, unwelcome reflection from behind large, tape-bound glasses.

Donatello stared at himself. His ugly green scales, his goofy glasses, his nerdy headgear, his horrible, large, awkward, three-fingered hands... Oh, she was going to scream. He had no doubt that he'd get a scream, or at least a recoil of horror and repulsion out of her when she laid eyes on him for the first time. It was better to brace himself for it, so then when it happened, it wouldn't hurt as much, and he'd be able to deal with it in a better way. He continued to look at himself with disdain, and also with anger. Why did he have to look like this? Why couldn't he just be normal?

Was he seriously considering sneaking out to go and reveal his true identity to a human girl? A human girl who would probably run in the other direction at the sight of him, no less? Yes, he was, and he deemed himself both rather brave and rather stupid for doing so. He felt the darkness creep into his heart as he glanced at his reflection again, his stomach twisting with the familiar feelings of self-loathing and disappointment.

'What would she want a thing like you for, anyway? You big, ugly freak.'

His eyes slid closed as the negative thoughts gnawed their way into his head. No. No! He wasn't going to think this way. He was just going to go and meet her, and then take things from there. If she rejected him, he'd get over it. He'd have to. There was no point worrying too much about it because he knew that he wouldn't be able to change the outcome anyway.

"Okay... You can do this, Donnie." He said to his reflection, letting out a deep, long breath.

He was so nervous... Oh, God! Was he sweating?! He'd just showered, too! He'd used a coconut scented body wash, the only one he'd tried that hadn't caused him skin irritation, in order to smell nice for her, and now he was sweating?! This had to be one of the scariest things he'd ever done, and he'd faced death on more than one occasion in his nineteen years of life. If he didn't follow through with his agreement, she'd never forgive him, and he couldn't bear the thought of that.

So, he pulled himself together, and stealthily slipped out of his lab under the partially opened shutter, slowly making his way towards one of the exits into the sewer system. There was no sign of anyone else, not even on his thermal scans, which was a relief. The last thing he wanted was to be questioned by his brothers as to where he, of all people, was sneaking off to. Donatello didn't sneak. He wasn't dishonest unless he'd been roped into it by the more rebellious of his brothers, Raphael and Michelangelo. If Leonardo caught him sneaking out, there'd be hell to pay, and Leonardo would have to tell their father, Splinter.

That would mean God only knew how many hours in the Hashi. And Donatello was not prepared to go back to the Hashi. Not after the last time. He still winced at the memory of sitting in the splits position for ten hours, while trying to balance books on his head, and that was all because Michelangelo had wanted to go and check out a rooftop party close to April's place.

It wasn't long, however, before he, unfortunately, noticed a familiar presence following him into the tunnels. Rather than pretend to be oblivious, he turned around to face the person in question and he let out a heavy sigh of resignation and irritation. He couldn't do anything of his own. Someone always had to follow him, but he'd much rather it the person in question since they knew how to keep a damn secret.

"I know you're there, Raph." He said quietly, "Why are you following me?"

"Uh, why are you sneaking out?" Raphael asked him in a whisper, meeting his brother's grey-green eyes with his own amber ones, "This ain't like you."

"I'm just... I'm going out for some air."

The urge to face-palm hit him like a tonne of bricks. He was the worst liar, out of all the boys. Even Michelangelo's idiotic excuses for things at least sounded sort of plausible. Donatello just sounded like the least convincing person ever, and he always got found out. He shuffled on the spot like a naughty child as Raphael crossed his bulking arms across his chest, casting the younger turtle an incredulous look, which made Donatello feel even more embarrassed.

"Why do you even try?" Raphael asked him, moving his toothpick from one side of his mouth to the other, "You know you suck at lying. So, come on. Be honest."

Donatello knew that there wasn't any point in lying. Raphael was actually more understanding than he appeared to be. He and Donatello were quite close these days. They shared things that they didn't always trust Leonardo or Michelangelo to understand. For example, when Raphael started dating their friend April, Donatello had been there to help him figure out how to break the news to Michelangelo, who was deeply infatuated with April. Then Donatello had helped his big brother and April break the news to everyone else. The youngest turtle sulked for about two days before he got over himself, and Raphael told Donatello that he 'owed him one'. So... Donatello was going to take full advantage of that fact.

"Okay, before I tell you this, you should know that since you owe me, you need to keep this a secret." Donatello said in a hushed voice, "Leo, Mikey and Sensei can't find out until I feel ready to tell them."

"Dude, just tell me." Raphael said, "It can't be that bad."

"I'm meeting a girl." Donatello replied, taking in the way his brother's eyes widened comically, "Her name's Marie Ellison, we've been talking online for five months. I really like her, she wants to meet me, and I agreed. I've done a background check on her. No connection to Shredder, Eric Sacks, or the Foot. She's clear."

"You're meeting a girl?" Raphael asked him, utterly stunned, "You?! A girl?! You sly dog..."

"No!" Donatello hissed, looking mortified, "It's not like that. She hasn't seen me yet."

"Man, this is pretty serious..." Raphael muttered quietly as he ran a hand across the back of his neck, "How are you gonna feel if she freaks out?"

"I'll deal with it, and we'll never talk about it again." Donatello shrugged, as though it were the simplest thing in the world, "If it does go okay, and by some miracle, she accepts me and wants to see me again, I'll talk to the others. Look, I have to go. Don't follow me. I'll be fine."

Raphael looked as though he was going to protest but instead, he relented. Donatello was more than capable of taking care of himself, and it was about time that he had a bit of freedom of his own. So, the older turtle nodded and went to turn away from his brother, but not before he gave the lankier turtle a glance over his shoulder.

"Good luck." He whispered, turning back towards the lair and leaving Donatello in the tunnels, alone.

The purple-clad turtle took a deep breath and looked at the route ahead before he set off running towards the rooftop where he'd agreed to meet Marie. Trying to settle the ever growing nerves in the pit of his belly, Donatello concentrated on the things he could see, hear and smell around him, as well as the feeling of the cold, late Fall air against his skin. It was a technique that was supposed to help with anxiety, since it took the focus away from what was causing the anxiety, and put it on something less stressful.

When he arrived at the rooftop in question, he saw a lone figure with dark hair that flowed in the cold wind, dressed in a warm looking coat, skinny jeans and ankle-high boots. Her slim figure stood trembling in the biting wind, a cell phone clutched tightly in slender fingers. With shaking hands, Donatello took out his own cell phone and went onto the messaging app that he used to talk to Marie, before typing a quick message. He was sure that this was Marie he was looking at but he wanted to make absolutely sure before he terrified some poor stranger.

"I'm here."

The phone in the girl's hand lit up, confirming his suspicions that it was Marie he was looking at. He'd seen her picture on her social media posts but he still needed to be sure it was her. She was just beautiful. The light from her cell phone illuminated her sharp, elegant features. Her small, straight nose, Cupid's bow lips, and stunning silver eyes were all glowing in the light of the cell phone, and Donatello's heart flew upward into his throat. He was so lost in her. She was just amazing, even more so than she appeared to be in her photographs. He watched as she read his message, and a smile came to her lovely face, which caused him to bite his lip as sadness suddenly washed over him. She was going to be so disappointed.

"Where are you, Donnie?"

It wasn't the first time that Donatello had heard her voice. They often talked on the chatroom by voice-calling, rather than just typing, and she really did have a lovely, gentle voice, which often sent his heart into a frenzy. He knew that this was the moment he'd been bracing himself for, and if he didn't do this now, he'd never be brave enough to do it again.

"Before I step out, I need to tell you something..." His voice sounded as nervous as he felt, "I-I'm not going to be what you're expecting..."

He heard her feet shuffle as she stopped in her tracks, and he tried to quell the throbbing of his heart in his chest, swallowing the bile that risen into the back of his throat.

"Just... Please, don't be afraid, Marie..."

It sounded so pitiful. So desperate. He heard the girl take a deep breath as he peeked out from where he was hiding. She had a sad look on her face, which sent a horrible sensation spiralling into the pit of his stomach. She hadn't even seen him yet, and she was disconcerted...

"Okay... I-I'm stepping out." He said quietly, clearing his throat as he slowly rose to his feet.

He dwarfed her... He was well over six feet tall, and his build, even though he was leaner than his brothers, made her look tiny. She was going to be terrified, he just knew it. He stepped out steadily from the shadows and into the light, watching her expression for her reaction. She didn't speak. She just stared at him, eyes now tearful and jaw slack. Yeah... She was crestfallen.

"This wasn't exactly something I could just tell you about." He tried to explain, struggling to hold her gaze, "I-I'm sorry. I can see you're disappointed..."

The words seemed to snap her out of her trance-like state, and as tears slipped down her pale cheeks, she wiped her silver eyes with her slender fingers, clearing her throat. She was just painfully beautiful. It hurt to look at her. She'd always been so kind and supportive when they talked, and she'd brought him back up when he was in a low mood with his newly discovered depression, but now... She just looked upset, and it broke him inside to think that just looking at him could make her feel so distressed.

"God, I'm sorry." She breathed out, covering her mouth with a hand for a brief moment, "I don't mean to stare... I-I'm not... I'm not disappointed. I'm just a little amazed, I guess..."

She edged towards him, clearly unnerved by the sight of him. Well, she wasn't screaming, or running away, and she hadn't fainted. So, Donatello could only take those things as positives in this situation. She reached out steadily with a trembling hand as she moved closer, and she tentatively brought it up to cup his face. Her other hand stuffed the cell phone she'd been holding back into her pocket frantically before she reached up to cup the other side of his face. Her fingers felt unbelievably cold against his skin, and Donatello could only wonder how long she'd been stood out there waiting for him.

"How?" She asked him, a sad look glazing her tearful eyes, "W-What happened to you...?"

He explained everything to her about where he came from, the fire, the mutation, and she listened to him intently, without interruption. As he relayed the story to her, she gently explored him with her manicured hands, her fingers carefully tracing his plastron or the muscles of his arms. It was hard to concentrate when she was touching him like this.

"Why are you crying?" He asked her in a tender voice as she took one of his large hands in both of her daintier ones, squeezing tightly.

"I'm so sorry that you have to live like this..." She whispered, "In hiding... Knowing that you could be harmed just for being different..."

"It's not so bad." Donatello tried to reassure her with a weak, awkward smile, "Honestly, Marie, it isn't..."

She nodded, even though she obviously wasn't convinced. She looked back into his grey-green eyes with her beautiful silver ones and she let out a small smile, squeezing his hand again. With his heart thudding in his chest, Donatello's eyes widened as Marie leant up with her arms outstretched, almost as though she was going to embrace him. Noticing the fact that she was almost struggling to reach, even though she was five feet and nine inches tall, he leant down and met her half way, his large arms encircling her small form slowly as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"It's so good to finally see you, Donnie." She whispered, "And, yes, I am sort of shocked that you're not a human, but... You're still the same Donnie. Regardless of what you look like."

"Thank you." His voice wobbled slightly as he spoke, allowing her to release him from the warm embrace, "It means a lot to me that you've been so accepting... Given what I am."

"Who you are is what matters to me in a friend." Marie smiled up at him, "A person's nature and character are more important than how they look, I always say."

After a moment of brief silence, Marie gazed up at the large turtle again, her eyes glistening with a newfound mischief. She rested her hands on his plastron, gazing up at him with those beautiful silver orbs of hers, her grin broadening as he let out a smile of his own that was filled with nothing but relief. She hadn't pushed him away, or rejected him.. She'd embraced him. Things were going much better than he ever could've imagined.

"So... Is your name short for something else?" She asked him, swallowing thickly, "Or are you just plain old Donnie?"

"Donatello." He answered her, earning an even bigger grin from her.

"Like the artist?" She asked, her eyes never leaving his.

"Exactly." He replied with a nod, feeling her hands grip onto his arms again tightly, "So, are you sure you're okay? With this, I mean?"

Marie nodded, swallowing thickly once again as she gazed up at him again. Her face, even though it was only dimly lit by the lights on the roof, seemed to suddenly lose its colour. Donatello froze, studying her carefully as her focus seemed to dwindle for a moment, and those lovely eyes started to glaze over. He instinctively reached out, ready to catch her, since she looked like she was about to pass out. He could see it written all over her face that she felt very unwell. The sudden positive feelings that had been coursing through him were quickly being replaced once again by worry and anxiety at the thought of her possibly passing out on him.

"Marie?" He asked her again, watching her face slacken as her eyes fluttered like she was struggling to keep them open.

'Here it comes...'

Her legs started to give out from underneath her, causing her to start to slump towards the floor, and he instantly caught her around the waist, trying to steady her. She held onto his arms tightly, her nails digging into the scales of his forearms as she tried to hold herself up. The good thing was that she was semi-conscious at least, so he could talk to her and find out what her symptoms were to see if he could help her recover from the sudden collapse.

"Easy..." He said soothingly, looking around for somewhere to sit her down, "I've got you."

He saw a concrete ledge near an air conditioning unit, and he scooped her upward and into his arms with ease, bridal style. He quickly moved her towards the sheltered part of the roof and sat her on the ledge, crouching down in front of her before bringing his goggles down over his glasses so that he could check her vitals. Her blood pressure had dropped dramatically and suddenly, which was what had caused her to collapse.

"Marie?" He asked her gently, "Can you hear me?"

"I'm okay." She reassured him, taking a deep breath, "I'm so sorry. I don't cope with unusual situations very well. I'm not afraid of you, it's just... When things take me by surprise..."

"Shhh..." He hushed her quietly as he wrapped his hand around her wrist to take her pulse, "Just take deep breaths. Put your head between your knees."

He carefully eased her forward and placed a hand on her back, rubbing it soothingly as she kept her head down. He wasn't at all surprised really. After all, she was a human, and humans generally didn't take well to the unknown or abnormal. He could hardly blame her if he was honest. Most people would react much worse to seeing something like him, and she'd handled it really well up until that point. She was even apologetic about it, which made him realise that she was being very considerate of him and his feelings.

"I'm sorry." She muttered again as he continued to rub her back, "It's my anxiety. I told you it was severe and I've had it for years. I was anxious about meeting you as it was and..."

"Don't apologise." Donatello interrupted her in a whisper, swallowing down the lump in his throat, "It's alright."

"No, it isn't..." She breathed, her voice hitching with what Donatello recognised to be upset, "You're a person... And I'm reacting like this..."

"I understand." The turtle told her, "Honestly, I think you've taken this really well, considering what I look like. It's alright, really."

It wasn't alright with him, in actuality. He was upset that his appearance had caused this reaction, and had made her physically ill. It hadn't been his intention, and he was hurt by it. But, again, he didn't really blame her. At least she hadn't completely rejected him and removed him from her life, so that was a positive. He couldn't bear to hear her apologising to him for something she couldn't control, though. Anxiety was a horrible thing to live with, and literally, anything could send a person suffering from anxiety; particularly severe anxiety, into an attack like this.

"I want you to know that I think you're very brave." She said, raising her head again as she wiped her eyes, "You've trusted me with a secret as important as this, and you've also shown yourself to me, knowing that I could've run screaming in the opposite direction. So, thank you."

Her voice was weak, and her breathing was laboured, but Donatello couldn't bear to ask her to stop talking this time. It was obvious that she felt so guilty about her reaction, even though it was completely beyond her control, and he knew that she needed to explain, even though it wasn't necessary. He smiled at her reassuringly and nodded in response to what she'd said, allowing her to hold onto his hand again. It felt so wonderful to have her soft skin against his scales, even if he knew the sensation would be torn from him sooner than he'd like.

"This doesn't change anything, in my eyes." She continued, gazing at him as she took a deep breath, "I still want to spend time with you. You're really sweet... If someone reacted this way to meeting me for the first time, I probably wouldn't want to stick around."

"Well, I like you." Donatello said quietly, feeling the heat rush to his cheeks despite the cold weather, "I think you're a really great person."

"I think you're a great person, too." Marie smiled up at him, taking in another deep breath as she moved her grip to his biceps, "Okay... I think I'm alright, now."

"I think I ought to take you home." He said softly, easing her to her feet, "I know I haven't been here long, but you've had quite a shock, and... I can come and see you again if that's what you want."

"I'd love that." Marie said again with a weak grin, "You don't have to take me far."

"I know." Donatello smiled back at her warmly, gently drawing her into his side so that he could help her walk, "Would you like a piggy back ride on my shell? It's not the most comfortable thing in the world, but it'll be easier than you trying to get down the fire escape like this."

"That'd be awesome." The eighteen-year-old chuckled, "Thanks."

Donatello steadily lifted her onto his shell, supporting her thighs with his arms. He made sure she was settled and comfortable before he started towards the fire escape. The orphanage that Marie lived in was in between the building they were on, and the next large building opposite. It was a small, refurbished apartment building that the owners, Lauren and Dan Applegate bought twenty years previously. Marie had been there for fifteen years since her parents died in a car accident when she was three. Due to her anxiety, as well as a multitude of other issues that Marie had experienced in early childhood, she had been somewhat neglected by the people who were looking to adopt children from the orphanage.

Lauren and Dan realised when Marie got to the age of thirteen that there was very little chance of someone willingly taking on a teenager, so, they'd tried to take care of her the best they could. Now that Marie was eighteen and in her last year of high school, they had to prepare her for adult life on her own. She'd already said that she didn't want to go to college, so they were going to pay for a deposit on an apartment and give her the money for her first month's bills and rent to get her started.

Donatello was kind of excited for her to have her own place since they'd be seeing more of each other. At least then they wouldn't have to meet on rooftops in the freezing cold weather. Once they were on the ground, Donatello walked her to the edge of the alleyway that they were in, and he prepared to say his goodbyes. Not that he found it easy to, of course.

"So... I guess this is goodnight." Marie's voice was soft, almost like a whisper as her expression fell into a sad one again, "I-I will see you again, won't I?"

Donatello nodded at her and tried to offer a reassuring smile. He was sure it just came out awkwardly like they usually did, but he offered her a grin, nonetheless. The eighteen-year-old beamed at him, with a smile that could light up a room, and she reached up to give him a hug goodbye. He met her half way, closing his eyes to savour the feeling of holding the beautiful girl in his arms as she squeezed him tightly to her. He then felt a pair of soft, gentle lips against his cheek, and they lingered for a brief moment, causing a lump to rise in the turtle's throat.

"Goodnight, Donnie." She said softly, releasing him from the hug, "Let me know when you get home safe, okay?"

"Sure." Donatello tried not to sound as stunned as he probably looked, "G-Goodnight, Marie."

The young girl steadily walked out onto the street, and Donatello waited until she was safely in the building before he went anywhere. He wasted no time in scaling the taller building again to get out of the way, but the minute he got onto the roof, the stress and emotion hit him all at once. The fear that she'd reject him, the anxiety he'd felt when she'd half-collapsed on him, the joy he felt at the fact that she wanted to see him again and the jolt of both excitement and pain that had flown through his heart when she'd kissed his cheek, smacked him like a tidal wave.

Falling to his knees, the lean turtle put his head down, taking deep breaths as a wave of nausea hit him as well. He was shaking, he was out of breath and he felt very light headed. She wanted to see him again. She'd kissed him. Yes, she'd kissed his cheek, but it was still a kiss. That was the last thing that he'd been expecting, and it had been such a tender gesture, one that he'd never experienced before.

"Get a grip..." He muttered to himself, pushing himself up and onto his feet.

He took another deep breath, trying to focus his mind on anything but the feeling of her lips on his skin. She wouldn't want anything more with him, anyway. He'd be friend-zoned and left to want her from afar as she dated guys who could give her something real. Guys who could give her a decent life. He hadn't expected to fall so damn hard for her, though... He'd already started to fall for her as they'd been talking online, but after seeing her, and speaking to her in person, he'd completely lost his heart to her.

He was doomed. She probably wouldn't ever care for him in the same way. He knew that. Who could fall for something like him anyway? Yes, Raphael had April, but they'd both saved one another on more than one occasion, and Raphael had that bad boy nature, that April clearly liked. Donatello was just Donatello. Plain, boring old Donnie. He had nothing that he could offer Marie, that would make him in any way appealing to her.

As a new, fearsome kind of anger started to bubble up inside him, Donatello let out a small growl before he sprinted towards the edge of the rooftop and leapt across to the next, wasting no time in making his way back home.

~ To Be Continued ~

A/N No.2: So, there we have chapter one. I hope you enjoyed it. I'll continue to write and update daily, and somehow I'll try and find the time to get my first one-shot for my first OC's universe done. I promise you will get to read about the antics of Raphael, Amelia, and baby Daisy in those one-shots. They do have to go on the backburner at the moment because this fic has to take priority, but I'm doing my best to get the first one done. As for this fic, I'll be back with second chapter soon.

Thanks for reading so far, everyone!