And as always, thanks again noa91939 for being a wonderful beta! I feel so much better about publishing after you look over this story!

Chapter 4: Topside

April woke suddenly, the hair on the back of her neck standing up; alerting her to the intruder in her room. Panicked, her eyes swept over the small room and she was momentarily confused. It looked like Leo's room, but it wasn't.

Then, all the memories of the previous day came flooding back to her in an instant. April groaned and sat up further; her attention back on the reason she woke up.

"You can come out. I know you're there," she called.

It was amazing how the four small turtles could seemingly materialize out of nowhere; their tiny heads suddenly peering at her for their hiding places. Mikey and Leo had been on their bellies on the floor just next the foot of her mattress and Donnie and Raph had hidden behind a large box that was placed by the door of the room. Embarrassed at having been caught, the four turtles shuffled out into the open.

"Good morning," she greeted, her smile threatening to consume her face.

"Morning!" Mikey chirped back. "Why are you still asleep? We already had breakfast and training!"

April blinked. "Oh, did I sleep in? Did you come to wake me?"

Leonardo rubbed his hands together. "We thought you might want breakfast."

April smiled and removed the covers, quickly getting to her feet. April noticed the turtles didn't shrink away from her like they had the day before. However, she knew better than to approach them. Mikey might not mind, but she wasn't sure how the others would react to her.

"Okay, breakfast sounds good." She exited the small room, the turtles following behind her. Mikey was almost at her heels while the others lagged behind.

April opened the small cupboard in the kitchen which housed the canned food Splinter had shown her the night before. She paused to examine the contents as she tried to decide what she should eat.

"Is that human food?" Mikey asked as he came up beside her to examine the cans with interest.

"Yeah, but it's not just for humans. You would like it if you gave it a try," she said absentmindedly as she removed a can from the cupboard.

"Is that going to be enough food for you?" Leo asked quietly.

April blinked and glanced at the suddenly concerned turtle. She then looked back at the cans. "Probably not," she decided. "I'll have to go to the surface to get some more food."

April opened the can of Progresso soup and poured it into a bowl she retrieved from another cupboard. Soup wasn't the best breakfast meal, but it wasn't as though she had too many options. Splinter was probably already aware of the problem of her limited food source, but he wouldn't be very happy about the solution. Splinter already wasn't happy about her staying with them. April knew he would be uncomfortable if she took a trip to the surface. In order to do that, Splinter would have to trust that she wouldn't try to expose them.

"What's the surface like?" Mikey asked eagerly as she placed the bowl of soup in the microwave and pushed start.

She turned to look down at Mikey who returned her gaze with large, eager eyes. Leonardo was standing next to his youngest brother, but Donnie and Raph had taken up the vacant chairs at the kitchen table.

April frowned thoughtfully. "You guys have a TV," she said carefully. "You know what the surface is like from that, don't you?"

Michelangelo shook his head. "It's not the same! Can you tell us about it?"

Mikey wasn't the only one looking up at her eagerly. Leo also had a hopeful look on his face as he waited patiently for her to speak. Donnie was watching her carefully, but he couldn't hide the curiosity in his features. Raphael, unsurprisingly, was glaring, but for once not at her but at Mikey. April's forehead creased in confusion. Why would Raph be angry at his littlest brother?

"Well…" April began, trying to think of a way to appease them, but also not make the surface too appealing. If she made the world outside the sewers seem too fun and exciting, they might venture out on their own and put themselves in danger. On the other hand, if she made the surface out to be scary in order to deter them from leaving the sewers, it might hinder their sense of adventure when they are ready to leave for the surface when they're older. Even though April would want to keep them safe, it seemed manipulative to purposely scare them.

After all, they deserved to see the sky as much as anyone.

"I don't know how to describe it," April continued. "But I guess the best word for it would be: big. It's a big world out there… bigger than any one of us can imagine. It's big and fast- in the city, at least. There are thousands of people and everyone is always moving."

"Wow!" Mikey exclaimed, bouncing on his feet. "The surface sounds so fun!"

"And dangerous," Leo cut in, giving his youngest brother a look. "For us, at least."

Mikey didn't seem to hear his brother and April could practically see him daydreaming. That starry-eyed look on his face was unmistakable.

"But if you go topside, April, won't you be in danger?" Leo asked as he gave her another concerned look and April was starting to find his worrying glances unsettling. On teenage Leo she was used to them, but it felt strange to have such a young kid look at her as if her safety was his responsibility. Maybe it came from years of looking after his three brothers, but April still didn't feel that it was right for such a young child to shoulder so much responsibility so quickly. He had only just met her and he was already looking out for her.

"You were running away from some men who were after you, right?" Leo asked. "If you go up to the surface they might see you."

Donnie mumbled something in Japanese and Raph said something back that sounded like an agreement.

April glanced from Leo, who suddenly looked conflicted, to the two whispering turtles.

"What did he say?" she asked.

"He said," Raph growled spitefully in her direction, "that sensei said you were lying to us about something. Maybe you really didn't come here to hide from anyone or maybe your dad is not really missing. I don't know, but I know sensei made a mistake in letting you stay with us."

Raph's tone made her bristle with indignation, and had it been teenage Raph, his argumentative words would have been the beginning of a very long argument between them. She and Raph didn't fight often, but when they did, they fought like cats and dogs; neither one of them wanting to give the other the satisfaction of the last word. They were both equal parts stubborn and passionate, and often, Leo had to play big-brother-peacekeeper and break them up. However, they never held a grudge against each other for long.

However, this wasn't teenage Raph. This was a child who had a very good reason to be upset and not trust her.

"Raphie! Stop being mean!" Mikey spoke up before April had to chance to. "You're going to make her not like us if you keep being mean like that!"

Raph snarled and jumped down form the chair. "Oh yeah, sure!" he yelled directly at Mikey. "Side with her! I knew you would! Traitor!"

Tears immediately sprung to Mikey's eyes. "I'm… I'm not a traitor!"

Raphael stalked across the small kitchen, paying absolutely no mind to April, and poked Mikey hard on his plastron.

"Yes, yes you are!"

"Raph!" Leo scolded, but Raphael ignored him.

"You're a traitor and… and don't cry, ya baby!" Raph snapped. Mikey's tears were now running down his cheeks and they only served to make Raph angrier. "If you like her so much then maybe you should just go live with her on the surface! That way I won't have to see her or your big crybaby face ever again!"

Raph stormed away in a huff, leaving a distraught Mikey behind him. Leo put a hand on his baby brother's shoulder.

"Don't listen to him, Mikey," Leo told him. "He's just being a jerk. He doesn't mean it."

"Yeah Mikey," Donnie agreed, but when April looked up at the genius turtle his haunted eyes were not comforting. "You don't belong on the surface anyway."

Donnie stood up from the table and followed Raphael out of the room without even a glance backwards.

Leo placed a strong arm around Mikey's shoulders, pulling him close. "Don't listen to them, okay?" Leo instructed his little brother softly.

The microwave beeped but April barely heard it.

She watched Mikey cry as feeling of dread settled back in her heart. This was the first time April started to really understand that her presence in the lair might do more harm than good. Just by being there, she was disrupting the harmony in the lair and between family members.

After breakfast, April found Splinter exiting the dojo.

April hadn't seen Raph and Donnie since they left the kitchen and soon after that Leo pulled Mikey away to play a game in order to cheer the young turtle up.

"Master Splinter?" April called.

Splinter regarded her seriously, folding his hands behind his back as she approached.

"I need to ask you," April began. "Would it be okay if I take a quick trip to the surface? I need to pick up some extra clothes and food. I know you probably want me out of your hair as soon as possible…" April winced at the poor choice of words to a man who was covered in hair, but decided to continue on quickly. "But I don't know how long my brothers are going to take to come get me and I need some more supplies."

Splinter's expression didn't change much, but April noticed a slight rise in his eyebrow as he regarded her curiously. "April, you are not a prisoner here. You may leave as you please and there is nothing to stop you from coming back. Why are you asking my permission?"

April blinked; her mouth parting slightly in surprise. "Because…. Because this is your home," she insisted. "I didn't think you would be comfortable with me just coming and going whenever I wanted."

"I'm not comfortable with it," Splinter agreed and April's heart dropped into her stomach. "A young girl exiting and entering the sewers would cause suspicion and could put my sons in danger."

"I… I know," April said, hanging her head. "I had a feeling you would say that."

"And yet you still asked when you could have just left on your own." There was a hint of surprise in his voice. "Unless you do not know the way out?"

April shook her head. "No, I know how to get to the surface, but you were nice enough to let me stay here and I didn't want to do anything that would make you feel like your family is unsafe." April shrugged. "I'll find a way to make do with what I have. Don't worry about it."

April turned to walk away and Splinter sighed. "Wait a moment, April."

April paused and looked back at him in confusion.

"I said I was not comfortable with this, but even still, I will allow it," he said with a firm nod.

"But Master Splinter-"

He held up his paw and she fell silent.

"I do not know much about you, April, but I believe there is a kindness in you. Over the years I have lost not just my willingness, but my ability to trust others. My son, Michelangelo, on the other hand, has an open heart. He sees the good in you and trusts you. Although he lacks the ability and experience needed to sense deceit, his perception of the good in people is unmatched.

"My sons have taught me much over the years. They have…" Splinter's voice wavered for only a short moment, "given me a reason to continue to live. They are my world, and everyday I'm learning from them and learning to be more like them. To be as daring as Raphael, as resourceful as Donatello, as selfless as Leonardo and as trusting as my Michelangelo. Today I will take a page from Michelangelo's book, so to speak."

"What do you mean?"

"Michelangelo trusts you, and although you have lied and given me reason not to do the same, I will follow his example to some degree. He believes that you are good, so I will put my faith in my son."

April glanced at the ground; her mind thinking back to the conversation over her breakfast. "Why Mikey though?" she asked. "He might trust me, but Raph and Donnie don't, and I think Leo only trust me to a certain point."

Splinter nodded. "My other sons allow fear to cloud their mind, and that fear turns either into anger, shame or self-doubt. Michelangelo handles fear differently; it doesn't consume him in the same way. Perhaps it is because he is the youngest, or perhaps it had something to do with his personality, but Michelangelo has always been able to see the clearest in the face of fear."

"Even clearer than you?"

"As I said," Splinter continued. "I find it hard to trust anyone anymore, but just because it is hard for me, doesn't mean that it is something that I shouldn't do. And besides," he said with humor in his eyes. "I would rather you not starve, and I doubt I can convince you to eat algae and worms?"

She grinned at him. "Not a chance."

"Very well, then you may leave when you wish, but please be quick. The payphone in the main room is working. The number is on the side. Please write it down ad call it if you are delayed."

April nodded but couldn't suppress her smile. That was such a dad thing to say.

April grabbed her messenger bag before she left the lair. It had her wallet in it with some money she received from babysitting last week. She had enough money to last her a while if she was careful with it. April headed straight to Goodwill in order to pick out the cheapest clothes she could find. The only clothes she had with her were the ones on her back, and although she could hand wash the laundry every few days she would still need some clothes to change into.

Next stop was a CVS and she got all the soap and other cleaning essentials she needed, remembering to pick up a toothbrush and toothpaste.

On her way out of the store, April saw one item for sale that took all her willpower not to buy: Season One, Space Heroes.

April smiled to herself. She wondered if Leo had seen the show yet, or if he had yet to discover it? As much as she wanted to buy it for him, she felt like buying a gift for one of the turtles might come off as manipulative. April would have to wait to buy it until they trusted her more.

April's next stop was going to be hard. She hadn't been in her old apartment for a long time. She had been staying at her aunt's place for over a year, and even during that brief period of time when she had her dad back after they rescued him from the Kraang, she and her father had stayed with her aunt while they got back on their feet. Then, her father was mutated before they got a chance to move back home.

April couldn't even remember the last time she spent a night in her old home. It was back before she met the turtles, and life before them, alien creatures, and other mutants, didn't feel real anymore.

She knew the nine-year-old April would be at school right now and her dad would be at work, making her old home (Present home? Past home? Time travel was confusing.) the perfect place for her to hide out.

April found the spare key to the apartment in the mailbox were they used to keep it. Her dad had the key to the mailbox, but April's hand was small enough to reach in and grab the house key.

Once inside, April put all her bags down and pulled out a small, square shopping cart that her dad kept tucked behind the couch. To save money on gas, her dad used to take the bus everywhere, even grocery shopping. He bought the small cart so the two of them didn't have to carry all the groceries to the bus stop.

Now it would be perfect for what she needed.

April opened up the cupboards in the small kitchen and began filling up the cart with cans and frozen food from the fridge. She knew it was stealing, but this wasn't exactly a normal situation, and technically her dad bought all this food for both of them to share. She wasn't taking all of it and her dad had plenty of money to buy more food. Living in New York was expensive, but they always had enough money to get by.

Once that was done, and the cart was mostly filed, April used the kitchen phone to order a large pizza. She had to bring at least something back to Splinter and the turtles. She didn't have a lot of money, but she could afford this.

April relaxed in the chair at the kitchen table, finally allowing her mind to catch up with her.

However, the peace didn't last long.

She felt a presence in the house and immediately snapped to attention. How had she missed it before? Had her dad stayed home from work? No, her dad had heavy footsteps and she would have heard him by now. This presence was soundless, except for …

"Hi April!"

April's eyes widened at the unmistakable sound of Michelangelo's voice.

Mikey... Oh no…

This chapter was one of the toughest to write so far and I think part of the reason is I'm mentally trying to outline the story in my head and there is A LOT to outline. I don't want to be too quick or two slow with any character development so I have to make sure I'm planning ahead to avoid writing something in at the wrong time.

This is going to be a tricky fic but I think I'm going to have a lot of fun with it.