Hello all and welcome to my first Ninja Turtles story that I am publishing. Now I've come up with a couple of story ideas and handed them out to some people, but this is the first one I'm putting up solo. This is also the first short story I've ever composed, so I'm not sure how it will turn out. This takes place right after "The Mutation Situation" so if you haven't seen it yet and don't want anything given away, don't read this story yet, for this will contain a scene towards the end of said episode that will give away an important plot in the next season of Ninja Turtles with a few add ons done on my own. This story is simply called "Believe", because when everything looks grim, sometimes the simplest thing to help us pull through is knowing someone believes in us. Now of course, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles does not belong to me and I do not take credit for any of the characters used in this story. So without further adu, thank you for taking time to read this story and let's go!

"Believe"

Donatello's POV

Failure. Another failure I said to myself as I crumpled up yet another theory I wrote down on the secret of how the mutagen that made us all what we became worked the way it did.

I was working desperately to try to find and find a cure for the mutation situation that had continued to escalate. I was well aware from the start that I needed to find a cure, but now I'm not finding a cure just to return unfortunate victims to normal, now I need to find a cure to save the very friendship with our best friend, April. I fear though that nothing will cure the damage we did to April, absolutely nothing. It had been two nights since that awful night transpired. It's all I've been thinking about since it happened, and it gives me shivers up and down my shell every moment I rethink it. A day that I wish I could erase out of my mind and wish would have never happened, but sadly, is now burned in my brain forever.

FLASHBACK

April looked on in shock as my youngest brother Mikey, without even thinking, blurted out the reason why the night sky suddenly filled with hundreds of canisters of mutagen that resulted in the horror that stood before us locked in a cage that was April's father.

"What? You guys...spilled...the mutagen?" April asked in shock which again Mikey just spewed out information that was better staying confidential.

"Yeah, we accidently spilled the mutagen all over the city, but don't worry. We'll get it back." Mikey told her while wearing his ridiculous costume, smiling unaware of the seriousness at hand. April then started breathing very heavy trying to contain herself as she was about to go crazy.

"You? You caused this!?" April turned to look at us after learning what happened that caused all the mutagen to fall from the sky that night.

"April, I swear, by Darwin's beard we'll find a cure." I promised her.

"YOU MUTATED MY FATHER!" April screamed at the top of her lungs at me.

The bitter exchange made April's dad to rip the cage apart and fly out as April became terrified as Mr. O'Neil flew around dive bombing at all of us as we barely managed to escape his grasp. Then he saw April and began to dive at her. That's when instincts kicked in, I did the only thing I could do, protect April. I swung at Mr. O'Neil and struck him in the face sending him aback. The attack paniced Mr. O'Neil and he flew up in the air and escaped from the building that we luried him in as April pleaded with her mutated father to come back, but it was too late. April's dad was gone.

She then snapped her head in back to us with a look that could kill. My brothers dropped their heads in shame, realizing the wrong that was made. I began to say something to my friend, and reach out with my hand. But she swatted my outreached hand away, and what she said next directly to me made me want to just hide in my shell forever.

"Don't! Don't touch me! You keep away from me! I never want to see your faces EVER again!" She threated me, making me shutter at every insult she directed towards me and she ran off as fast as she could, her heart broken in more ways than one.

"April! WAIT!" I called out to her beginning to go after her. But I was stopped by my brother in red as I turned to him with a look of depression.

"Let her go man. Just give her some space..." Raph told me.

I just stood there, and after realizing what had truely happened, all my emotions began to kick in.

"What have I done!?" I cried to myself as I grabbed my staff behind squeezing the non-existing life out of it as April's last words echoed in my brain.

You keep away from me! I never want to see your faces EVER again! ...EVER again! ...EVER again!

"YAHH!" In complete anger I swung my staff and struck the hard floor repeatedly in viciousness until my weapon began to splinter and split. Screaming during every strike as my brothers just watched with their heads down. After about ten or twelve strikes on the concrete, the top half of my staff finally snapped off which I then threw it to the floor. I then sat down forcefully and buried my face into my knees to try to calm myself or convert all my anger in another manner.

END FLASHBACK

I had never felt like that before. For the first time in my entire life, I had completely snapped, with no control of what I was doing. Everything I did per result of anger and rage, and it scared the heck out of me; I never want to experience that feeling again. And I'll give my brothers respect, they could have stopped me from going into that uncontrollable rage, but they let me vent my frustration, then I must have sat in that same position grieving for thirty minutes afterwards, and they let me grieve. While they always gave me a hard time about my feelings for April and ripping me for continuing to think I still, or ever did have a shot with her, they knew that I cared so much about her, and we were just starting to get close, I just knew it. It was ever the more reason that this hurt so much. Everything about what we did was to keep her safe, but this time it completely blew up in our faces.

And despite all the fights, all the battles my brothers and I have faced over time, April, my best friend's furiousness to me, pointing her finger right to my face as I squinted my eyes at every remark she said, and to run off afterward; it was the most painful thing I had ever endured. We broke her heart, we deserved to lose her as a friend.

I...deserved to lose my friend.

XXXXX

April's POV

I sit on my bed curled up in the same position I've been for the past two days. I haven't ate, I haven't slept, I wouldn't even know if I had even breathed if not for the fact I was still alive. Not that I cared anymore. My life was over, ruined.

All because of those stupid Turtles.

My father was a hideous mutant now, all because of them. How could they be so reckless? They spilled what looked like hundreds of canisters of mutagen over half the city, one of which my dad protected me from, and he paid the ultimate price...his humanity. And then to see my father fly off into the sky after everything that had happened, I know I'm never going to see him again.

And it's all because of them...they've ruined my life.

Just when I couldn't take the silence anymore, I heard a noise go off next to me...it was my T-Phone, which meant it had to be the turtles trying again to call. This would be about the tenth or so time they tried to, but I refused to move to answer, I had no need or desire to talk to them after what had happened, everytime my voice mall came on, they gave up and hung up. But I didn't need to hear them speak to know deep down who was trying to call me every time. It was Donatello calling, I just knew it. Donnie always was worried if he knew something was bothering me, but when it was clear that I wasn't wanting to talk, he'd leave me alone. He always prefered to talk to me personally than to just leave a message on my phone. After the ring tone finally stopped, just like every time before, my voice mail started again.

"Hey Guys, it's April. I can't come to the phone right now. Just leave me a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can."

But this time, I didn't her a click of the phone hanging up again, rather the beep soon followed. And then, I heard his voice.

"April...it's Donatello."

I picked my head up at the sound of his voice. His voice sounded exhausted, crackled, and heartbroken. Like he had been on the verge of crying for hours and as soon as he decided to speak, he just broke down. He definetely sounded like what he was about to say wasn't going to be easy, so I at least owed it to him to hear him out this only time.

"You don't have to talk to me...not that I expect you to anyway, but I decided that I need to say this whether you choose to listen to it or not. What happened that night April was all my fault...I should never have used our friendship to put your dad in harm's way. For that, I'll never forgive myself. April I am so...so sorry. But April...if you can hear me, and if there's only one thing in this message you care to listen to, please listen to this."

I leaned in to hear his message, for I felt I should at least respect his plea.

"I'm not asking you to forgive me April, I'm not even asking you to talk to us again, you have every reason not to. All I ask...is that you believe. Believe in me April. Please believe that I can find a cure...and save your dad."

"Now April, I've never lied to you before, and I'm not going to lie now. I don't have the slightest idea of where to even start in finding a cure, and this will be the most difficult thing I've ever had to do before. But April, I swear on my life...I will get your dad back to normal. Just believe in me April...one last time. Goodbye..."

After a couple seconds, the phone hung up, and there I sat in silence once more. Alone again, with no one there for me. Well not quite, there was one person...well not really a person, but a turtle. The same turtle who was always there for me, right from the start. Donnie was such a great friend, even after everything I said to him, he was still willing to talk to me...because I was in trouble. Granted, trouble that Donatello and his brothers caused, but trouble that Donnie promised to fix. And I'll give Donnie credit, he's always fullfilled his promises to me, despite how impossible they seem...he always came through. But could he keep this one too? This seems even more than impossible...

But if anyone can do it...Donnie can.

I then moved towards the T-Phone that Donnie gave me all those months ago and just stared at it, wondering what I would do.

XXXXX

Donatello's POV

I continued to try everything I could to find a solution to the mutagen, but again, another failure. I tossed the notes and information I gathered to the floor, leaned back in my chair and buried my hands in my face. I was way over my head, there was no possible way I could do this. I promised April that I could fix this, and I just know I'm going to break her heart. It just seems absolutely hopeless.

*DUH-DUH-DUH-DUH-NAH-NAH*

A sound snapped me out of my thoughts, it was my T-Phone. Someone sent me a text, but who the heck could it be. I picked it up and hit a button to display the message sent, and what was on it made me shocked.

- I believe in u Donnie. :-(

- April

I couldn't help but smile because I soon realized, maybe it's not so hopeless after all. I looked at that text for hours it felt to gather wisdom from it.

And now everytime something seems impossible, and I feel that there is no way I can come through for those that count on me, I'm going to read that text and always remember...

That nothing's impossible as long as someone believes in you.

So there you have it. Hope everybody that reads this enjoys it and remembers that believing in someone can go a long way. Take care! :)