A/N

I'm so sorry it's been so long! Read the note at the end for news and my full explanation...also an announcement!

Enjoy!


In the few days since the Foot's broadcast, mutant hysteria had spread through the city like wildfire. People claiming to have had mutant encounters were coming out of the woodwork with their stories, some of them even with some semblance of proof to back up their claims. As far as April could tell the general consensus was that the mutants were monsters, hell bent on devouring children and burning the city to the ground.

The whole situation made her feel sick to her stomach.

City officials, and even the federal government, had responded to the "mysterious broadcast" as was expected…with denial. They denied any existence of creatures known as mutants, and declared the entire thing as an elaborate hoax in a futile attempt to calm down the masses. Not surprisingly, their efforts didn't seem to make any difference.

Of course there were plenty of people who didn't believe Karai (or Karen, as everyone thought her name was), but there were more than a few who did, especially the young people. More than enough to cause trouble.

Leaning up against her locker, books pulled tightly to her chest, April could hear nothing but talk of monsters and the Foot around her. Almost none of it was anything she wanted to hear.

The turtles had basically become public enemy number one in record time thanks to the Foot. It seemed like every hour new evidence regarding the turtles sprouted up, all of it painting them as monsters terrorizing the city. The only thing they had going for them was that every new picture and video seemed to be getting worse and worse quality, making April believe the Foot had used all of their good material first thing, and were now scraping the bottom of the barrel. At this point most of the stuff popping up could either be a giant mutant turtle caught on camera, or Bigfoot.

Thinking of the turtles made a bolt of worry go through April. She hadn't seen them since Donnie had deposited her out of the sewer. She had fought with him about leaving, but ultimately he had won out by telling her they had planning to do, and she had to report back to them about the surface activity. She had unhappily agreed.

That had been three days ago.

Since then she had received strict orders from Donatello, Leonardo, and even Master Splinter to stay topside, all three claiming the sewers were no longer safe for her to visit.

As far as she knew they were still in the lair, despite the danger, making her worry about them constantly. If it wasn't for Donnie's occasional check in texts she didn't think she'd have been able to stay away for this long, just to make sure they were all still safe.

The bell warning students it was almost time for first period rang shrilly through the hall, causing the crowds of teens to scatter in different directions towards their respective classes.

Sighing, April pushed off of her locker and started heading towards her own classroom. She couldn't believe she was even in school. With everything going on it felt so wrong to be there acting as if life was completely normal. She felt like she should be out there doing something to help, being productive, but instead she was stuck inside, learning about trigonometry…and chemistry. Ugh.

April spotted Irma in the hall ahead of her, so she quickened her pace to catch up to her friend. Things were still a bit tense between them, but Irma was at least speaking to her again, and that was a plus. She really valued the friendship she had with Irma, and hated fighting with her. After all she was basically her only female friend.

Irma loved to talk about the mutant situation, and April had to agree that she was a great source of information regarding the current rumors and public opinion.

"Hey, Irma, wait up!" April called out, making the other girl stop.

Catching up, April smiled at her best girl friend, earning a small smile in return. "Hey, April."

"What's up?" April asked as they walked into the classroom, glad to get her mind off things for a few seconds.

"Same old uninteresting stuff." Irma said, taking her seat by the window as April took her own right next to it. "Did you hear about the mutant sighting over at the park? That's only like 3 blocks from here!"

April thought it was kind of funny how excited Irma got over the whole mutant thing. She had embraced the conspiracy in pure Irma fashion, by completely obsessing. She was even beginning to catalogue the different kinds of mutants based on the various reports.

"No, I haven't been keeping tabs on the rumors." April said, trying to come across as uninterested, but not rude.

"I think there's a lot more here than just rumors. The evidence it extremely thorough and convincing, especially for those reptilian terrapins that keep popping up. The whole thing is just fascinating."

You don't know the half of it.

As the teacher began to speak and class began, April started to zone out. She found herself continuously checking her T-phone for updates from Donnie instead of paying attention. The last one had come the previous night, and it was completely unlike him to go that long without at least a "good morning." She knew she was probably just being paranoid, but she couldn't help feeling like there was something very wrong.

A sudden dull ache began in April's head, intensifying rapidly. She took a sharp intake of breath, and grabbed her forehead, trying to ease the unexpected throbbing.

"April?" Irma whispered. "Are you okay?"

April barely registered her voice, but somehow managed to give a slight nod. This was definitely one of her "feelings," what it was about though, she had no idea. Just as the pain was about to reach the excruciating level, it vanished as quickly as it appeared, leaving April feeling drained and confused. She glanced around the classroom, trying to find something out of place, anything that would explain her episode or the uneasiness she was suddenly feeling.

The classroom erupted into a chorus of chirps, rings, and songs as every cell phone in the room began to go off simultaneously, making every student jump and rush to silence their phone.

The teacher looked around confused. 'What have I told you all about turning off your phones during class…" He stopped talking and reached into his pocket realizing his own phone was also going off.

April quickly checked her T-Phone, but it was silent.

"Hey, it's another broadcast!" A student across the room said excitedly, making the whole class burst into chatter.

April felt her heart constrict in her chest out of fear.

Not another one.

Unable to see the video due to her T-phone's strange immunity to the broadcasts, April could only listen as Karai's voice filled the room, echoing oddly through the dozens of tiny cell phone speakers.

"Hello, New York. For those of you who are unaware, I am Karen of the Foot Organization. On behalf of myself and my superiors I would like to extend our gratitude for the support you, the great people of this city have given us. With all of your help we are finding it much easier to fight the mutant monsters invading our home.

Unfortunately, it had come to our attention that the government officials of New York, and even the United States, are claiming our mere revelation of the truth as nothing more than a hoax. In response to this we have proof to present to you all. We hope upon seeing what we have to offer, you will learn to accept the truth, no matter how horrifying it may seem."

April suddenly had a very bad feeling about where Karai was going with this.

"Yesterday, a small group of Foot soldiers managed to capture a mutant alive. We are holding it securely, and will present it to the public soon. This mutant is highly dangerous, was heavily armed, and seriously injured many of our brave soldiers before they were able to remove it from the streets."

Every word seemed to make April's heart beat faster and faster.

"The mutants vary considerably in appearances and abilities. Many of them will seem familiar to you all, as they are simply grotesque versions of common creatures. Make no mistake though, they are extremely dangerous. This one, for example, has taken the form of a giant turtle."

No.

There was a loud crash as April stood up fast, forcing her chair to topple over behind her. Every head swiveled in her direction, but she didn't notice. Karai's voice faded into the background as the sound of her own breathing and heartbeat filled her head, her hand instantly going up to grip her necklace.

"April?" She could distantly make out Irma trying to get her attention. "April?"

Giant turtle. Captured. Heavily armed.

No.

Without thinking her feet began to move, practically sprinting out of the room, the questioning yell of her teacher registering in the back of her mind. But she didn't care.

She had to get to the guys. She had to make sure they were okay.

Donnie.

She ran through the halls, not caring who or what got in her way, skidding around each corner until she found herself outside on the sidewalk, breathing hard.

Some semblance of reason returned to her, so she reached for T-phone to call the guys, only to realize she must have dropped it in the classroom on her way out or forgotten it on her desk. Going back for it completely out of the question, April ran as fast as she could to the nearest manhole cover.

She had to see the guys. She just had to.


Getting to the lair from the school was a much more complicated trek through the sewers than from her apartment.

In the past, April had always associated the sewers with safety and security, now it just seemed wrong. She found herself jumping at every sound, doubling back on her own movements, and extending out her senses every opportunity she got. She almost took a poor innocent rat out with her tessen at one point.

The entire time every possible scenario of what she would find at the lair was running through her head. Each one was worse than the previous. One horrible concept that kept repeating itself on a loop was her getting to the lair, only to find it deserted, the guys leaving behind no trace… leaving her alone.

When she finally began to get close to the lair, her nerves were basically shot from tension and concern.

So when an arm shot out of the darkness and pulled her roughly into a pitch black side tunnel, April didn't see it coming. Instantly she started struggling against her would be attacker as he pulled her in towards his body, putting all her strength into breaking the hold he had on her upper arm.

Her efforts didn't seem to have any effect.

Realization dawned on her quickly though, as she could make out three large fingers gripping her arm. She also felt the unmistakable hardness of a plastron on her back. A smile made it to her face as the tension eased from her body.

Donnie…

Her smile faded. No. This couldn't be Donnie. He didn't feel quite like Donnie, and the smell was all wrong. She didn't get the same sense of comfort she got from being this close to him either. Not to mention, he seemed much bulkier than the purple clad turtle.

That left one option.

"Raph?" April whispered into the darkness.

The grip on her arm loosened before he answered. "Shh."

She stayed quiet for a moment, trusting his instincts, until she felt Raph move, leading them both back out into the lighter tunnel. She guessed the coast was clear.

"What are you doing down here, April?" Raph started immediately. "Didn't the others tell you it wasn't a good idea? There are serious nut jobs running around!"

April ignored him, just extremely happy to see him. She didn't realize how very scared she was until she saw him. If he was here, acting normal like this, that meant the others were most likely also okay. A strange weight seemed to lift off her shoulders.

"Well? You going to answer me?"

In response, April merely stepped up to him and wrapped her arms around him as best she could in a loose hug.

Raph instantly tensed up, arms out stretched as far away from her as possible, unsure how to react or where to put them. "A-April. W-wwhat? Umm…"

She giggled and stepped back quickly; strangely happy she was able to embarrass him so easily. "Sorry. I'm just really happy to see you. I thought…"

The light blush still on his face, Raphael looked at her like she had three heads. "Thought what?"

She shook her head. "It's a bit of a long story. I'd like to tell you all at once."

"Well then come on." Raph took out one of his sais and spun it lazily between his fingers as he began to walk. "I can't say Leo and Splinter will be too happy to see you though."

"Trust me, it's important."

"Whatever."

As they entered the lair, Raph called out in the direction of the lab. "Another false alarm, Donnie!"

"What?" Donnie voice called back. "Impossible! I've recalibrated it like fifty times. That could not have been another rat. The proximity alarm definitely detected something as big as a person this time."

"I didn't say it wasn't a person." Raph said, just as Donnie appeared in the doorway to the lab.

"Then how was it a false…" His voice cut off as he spotted April. "April! What are you doing here!?" He began to walk towards her, face covered in worry.

For the second time, April found herself ignoring the question. Seeing Donnie safe and healthy brought all her remaining worry rushing to the surface, tears of relief coming to her eyes. He was fine. He looked a little tired, but was otherwise perfectly fine.

Without warning, she ran at him, meeting him halfway. She had about half a second to register the look of shock on his face before she tackled him in a fierce hug. Unlike Raphael, Donnie immediately wrapped his arms around her, struggling to regain his balance from the force of her assault. Somehow he kept them both from ending up sprawled on the floor.

She buried her face in his neck, breathing in his scent, reassuring herself that he was in fact there, and not a prisoner of the Foot like her mind had kept imagining.

"Don't look at me, bro. She's been doing that." She heard Raph say, forcing a small smile to her face.

The rumble of Donnie's voice seemed to travel through her as he spoke. "April. What's wrong? What happened?" His voice was so gentle, she nearly broke down in tears.

She shook her head slightly, unwilling to let him go just yet. "I was so worried they had you…I thought I'd never see you guys again."

"Woah. Who had us? What are you talking about?" Donnie gently gripped her shoulders and pushed her away so he could look at her face. "Tell us what's going on."

She glanced at Raph, and then looked back into Donnie's eyes. "There was another broadcast…"

His eyes widened as he absorbed the news. "Raph…"

"Yeah, I'll go get the others."

Donnie led her over to the pit and sat her down on the couch, kneeling in front of her. "Are you okay? You seem a little out of it."

April looked into his worried eyes, and felt a little ashamed. Here she was having him take care of and worry about her once again, when he was the one being hunted and pushed out of his home. How did it always end up like this?

Composing herself the best she could, she reached out and gave his arm a small squeeze. "I'm fine. Just a little tired from rushing down here, and then having Raph scare the daylights out of me in the sewers."

He looked a little sheepish at that. "Sorry about that. You set off a few of the new perimeter motion detectors I have been setting up. They alert us when people get too close to the lair."

"Why are you guys still down here, Donnie? Staying down here is crazy…" She said gently.

"Where else are we going to go? This is where we spent the last sixteen years…"

"Staying here is going to get you all killed." She said simply, making his head snap up at her bluntness.

"I know." He mumbled. "I think the others..and maybe me…are scared of leaving, even Master Splinter."

Unsure how to respond, April just grabbed his hand, doing her best to provide some comfort in a difficult situation.

Donnie suddenly stood, still holding her hand, as his brothers and Splinter entered the room. The group gathered around April.

"April, I hear you have some news for us." Splinter said, nodding towards his newest pupil.

"Unfortunately, Sensei." She took a deep breath and told them all about Karai's newest broadcast, trying to remember the kunoichi's words as best as she could.

"How come we didn't get the broadcast here?" Leo asked when she finished talking.

Donnie, of course had an answer. "This one may have only been sent over the cell phone networks. The T-phones don't get those."

"So if they have a turtle mutant, and it's not any of us…then that means…" Mikey said.

"Slash." All four brothers said at once.

April wanted to smack herself. She had completely forgotten about Slash. Of course she had never met the turtle since his mutation from Spike, but Donnie and Casey had told her about him.

"We need to save him." Raph said matter of fact.

"Sure Raph, let's just stroll into Foot HQ and rescue your giant ex pet who has a bad habit of beating us senseless…that sounds smart." Leo said sarcastically.

Raph just glared at him.

"Did the broadcast say anything else, April?" Splinter asked, ignoring his bickering sons.

She began to squirm in her seat. "Um…I don't know. I kind of ran out of the class after the part about the turtle…"

All five mutants just stared at her, making her blush slightly. "What? I was worried! Okay?"

"Aww, April. We worry about you too." Mikey came out of nowhere and wrapped his arms around her in a sideways hug, making it hard to breathe, but still making her smile.

Donnie shoved him away roughly and took the spot next to her on the couch, giving her hand a light squeeze.

April was suddenly acutely aware of the fact that they had been holding hands the entire conversation, in front of his brothers, and Master Splinter. Her heart rate increased and she began to feel very nervous, noticing of every single movement and glance. Unsure how to take her hand back without hurting Donnie's feelings, and unwilling to do that, she just left it where it was. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't taking comfort in his presence.

"If I know the internet the way I think I do, I bet the broadcast is already online somewhere." Donnie said. "We could probably watch it with a simple Google search."

"Why don't you get on that then, Donnie?" Leo said.

Donnie hesitated, mouth hanging open, eyes darting from Leo, to April, to their hands, then to the lab, and back to Leo. Finally, he sighed and stood. "Fine."

He released her hand, fingers trailing over her palm as he stepped away. A small shiver travelled through her at his touch, which she hoped no one noticed.

"I'll be right back." He appeared to be addressing everyone, but April got sense that he was really only talking to her.

As Donnie left she tried not to look at the others, fearing they could somehow read her thoughts. She didn't know when she started to react to Donnie this way, but she didn't like it. Somehow, without her even realizing it, awkward, geeky, Donatello, had developed the ability to turn her into a puddle of mush. When had the tables turned?

"Have you heard from Casey?" Leo's voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Huh?" It took her brain a moment to catch up. "Oh, no. Not since I was last here. It's not exactly weird for him to skip school though, and he hasn't been answering my texts. I just thought he was mad at me…"

"Why would he be mad?" Mikey asked.

Her face heated up at his question, remembering her dance with Donnie and Casey's reaction. That all seemed like such a long time ago. She hadn't meant to say that part out loud.

"Umm..well we kind of had a fight." She answered lamely.

"About what?"

Sensing her discomfort, Raph took pity. "About none of your business, Mikey!"

Mikey flinched expecting a slap to the back of his head. When one didn't come, he swiftly moved over to stand between Leo and Master Splinter, but keeping an eye on his hot-headed brother.

"We haven't heard from him either." Leo said. "I'm beginning to worry about him."

"Ehh don't be." Raph said, unconcerned. "Casey can take care of himself."

Donnie returned, laptop in hand, and took his place beside April once more. She felt her pulse quicken slightly at his proximity and cursed her own body.

This is not the time for stupid teenage hormones.

She wiggled a little and put a few more inches of space between them, earning a glance and a frown from Donnie.

"Like I said, it's already all over the internet." Donnie clicked on a link and motioned for them all to gather around.

April sighed and leaned in closer, trying to ignore her sudden ridiculous urge to rest her head on his shoulder as he clicked play.

"Hello, New York…" Karai began with the same speech April had heard earlier.

She tried not to listen, for fear it would make her throw up the second time around. Instead she turned her attention to the skin on Donnie's hand. It was much more interesting; such a lovely shade of green, and remarkably soft. Considering they were technically reptiles, she was always surprised that they didn't have scales, but basically normal human skin, just green.

"Damn right we're dangerous, sister." Raph said, earning shushes from all his brothers.

"…of a giant turtle." April turned her attention back to the screen, as this was the last part she had heard the first time.

"This turtle mutant is merely one in a whole group of them. They are all extremely well armed and dangerous, and should be approached with extreme caution. Our intel has shown that they make their lair in the sewers. The delivery of any of these turtles would be rewarded handsomely…dead or alive. We urge the bravest of you to help us rid the city of these creatures. I assure you, this is no joke, or hoax, or publicity stunt.

Happy Hunting, New York."

April felt Donnie tense beside her. Silence dominated the room. She couldn't believe that the Shredder and Karai had basically just turned the entire populace on them in less than one paragraph. Now people thought there was a reward on their heads.

Dead or alive.

Mikey's voice finally broke through the silence. "Leo? What do we do?"

Everyone turned in the leader's direction. He looked just as lost as the rest of them. "Sensei?" He said, looking towards the quiet rat for guidance.

Splinter looked at all the teenagers in the room sadly, coming to some sort of conclusion. "Donatello, when was this broadcast?"

Donnie looked at the timestamp under the video. "Almost two hours ago, Sensei."

Splinter nodded. "They have a two hour head start on us, my sons. We must evacuate our home as soon as possible."

In a display of absolute perfect timing, a barrage of alarms began to sound from Donnie's laptop and lab.

"The perimeter has been breached in at least three different places." He said in a slightly panicked voice after scanning the screen for a few seconds.

"We have trained for this. You all know your duty." Splinter said, and promptly disappeared towards the dojo.

Instantly, all four turtles were on their feet and in motion. Donnie towards the lab, Leo towards the turnstiles, and Mikey towards the bedrooms. April got up and made to follow Donnie, but was pulled back roughly by Raphael gripping her wrist.

She glanced back and gave him a questioning glance. "What gives, Raph? Let me go!" She pulled towards the lab again, to no avail.

"Sorry, April." Raph said. "This is the evac plan, and we all have our jobs. You're mine."

She raised her eyebrow at him, but stopped struggling.

"Good. Follow me." Raph turned and walked briskly towards the dojo.

With one last look towards the lab, April followed Raph. When she got into the dojo, she found him, loading a large duffle bag with numerous types of ninja gear and weapons. "Here, put this on." He threw a backpack at her, which she managed to snag, only to be thrown off balance by the sheer weight of the thing.

She shrugged into it, trying not to let the weight pull her backwards. Raph grabbed her wrist again and pulled her back towards the main room, practically running.

As Raph dropped a heavy duffel bag over by the tire swing, Donnie appeared at the lab entrance again.

"Raph!" He called out, getting his brother's attention.

He looked towards his brother and raised an eye ridge. "Yeah?"

"Just… be careful." Donnie said, looking at April.

Raphael rolled his eyes. "Don't you have a job to be doing, Donnie?"

With a lingering look, the purple clad turtle vanished back into the lab.

April couldn't help but think she had just witnessed an unspoken conversation between he brothers.

"Okay, April, ready?" Raph asked.

"Um… ready for what exactly?"

Raph smirked and looked pointedly at the water.

Realization dawned on her, and she cringed in horror. "Oh, no, no, no. NO. I am not swimming in sewer water."

Raphael chuckled. "I didn't take you as such a girly girl. And it's not sewer water anyway. It's just rain runoff. This is just as good as going for a swim in the Hudson."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" She asked sarcastically.

"Well by this time, Leo would have sealed off the main subway entrance, so it's either this, or so through actual sewage. Your pick."

April glared at him.

"That's what I thought." Raph said smugly. "Just hold on tight, and take a deep breath."

He turned around and crouched allowing her to put her hands around his neck. Once she was securely in piggy back position, Raph stood, and approached the edge of the water. April was suddenly very nervous about this.

"Hey, Raph?" She asked, voice wavering. "How far of a swim is this?"

"A few minutes."

"Just a reminder…I can't hold my breath like a turtle, so…yeah, don't let me drown."

"Not making any promises."

Just then a loud bang echoed through the lair. It was the unmistakable sound of a gunshot. Fear shot through her, but before she could react, or even turn in the direction of the sound, Raph dove into the water.

April's first thought was that the water was cold, like freezing cold. Her second was that she hadn't gotten a chance to take a deep breath.

Raphael swam impressively, which shouldn't have been surprising considering he was a turtle. Even under the heavy weight of her and the two bags of weapons, he managed to swim quickly and fluidly. Despite this, it wasn't long before April felt her lungs burning, and desperately wished she knew how much further.

After what couldn't have been more than a single minute, but what felt like eternity, they broke the surface in what looked like a drainage pipe off the river.

"See that wasn't so bad."

April gasped for breath, inwardly cheering that she was still alive. "Remind me to look up alternative modes of travel next time…"


Within fifteen minutes April found herself on a nearby rooftop, dripping wet, freezing, with a very grumpy Raphael.

"Where the hell are they?" He growled, for probably the tenth time.

He had explained to her earlier that this was their meeting place for after the evacuation plan. Everyone theoretically was supposed to arrive within a half hour of starting the plan…which means everyone still had around ten minutes until they were late.

"I guess patience isn't your strong suit?" April deadpanned, receiving yet another Raphael glare aimed in her direction.

"That's more Leo and Donnie's thing…" He crossed his arms and sat on the roof, obviously worried about his brothers.

April had to admit she was worried too. She kept thinking about that gunshot earlier, and who it could have possibly been aimed at.

She rubbed her arms and shivered, anxious to get out of the wet clothes, but not willing to abandon the guys until she knew they were all safe and what their next move was. She began to pace, attempting to increase the circulation in her legs.

"So, what's up with you and Donnie?" Raph asked out of the blue, making her trip and nearly fall on her face.

"W-what do you mean?" She blurted too fast.

Raph gave her a look that seemed to say "really?" "Come on, I saw that hug back there."

She turned away from him quickly; face feeling like it was on fire.

Well at least my face is warm.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I hugged you, too." She said defensively.

"Uh, huh, sure you did. And the hand holding…"

If it was possible, she got even redder. Anger overcoming the embarrassment, she spun on him. "Is this really the time for this?"

"Hey, we got nothing else to do." He smirked.

She huffed and crossed her arms again. "Nothing's going on, Raph."

"Listen, you don't need to tell me if you don't want to. I don't care. All I wanted to say was that for basically a human you're not so bad…"

"Gee, thanks…I think." She interrupted.

He ignored her and continued. "And that none of us ever thought Donnie had a chance in hell with you. Maybe we were wrong…"

She opened her mouth to object, but he marched on.

"Deny it all you want, I really…really don't care. I only know what I've been seeing. Just remember that as big of a nerd as he is, Donnie is still my brother, and he's a great guy. And if you tell him I said that I will personally make your life a nightmare."

April gaped at Raph. She had never seen this much emotion from him before, especially towards her. They had never been very close…and this display was surprising to say the least.

"Basically this all boils down to a simple fact, if you hurt him, or if you're just leading him on, I will not hesitate to retaliate. No one gets to hurt Donnie but me…you got that?"

Shocked by not only the subject, but the protectiveness in Raphael's voice, April was unable to do anything but nod dumbly at the turtle.

"Good."

They sat in silence for a few more minutes before April finally decided to take a leap of faith.

"I'm not really sure what's going on… but I know I never want to hurt him." She said gently.

It took him a long time to respond. "Well, then maybe you should do some serious thinking about what you really want."

"What are we talking about?" MIkey's voice carried across the rooftop.

"Finally!" Raph said, obviously relieved by his brother's appearance.

Mikey carried four bags, each looked to be filled with blankets, pots, and various other necessities. He looked just as carefree as usual.

"Any sign of the others? April asked, starting to get worried.

"Not yet. I last saw Leo when he was moving the Shellraiser, but that's all I know." He looked April up and down. "Why are you all wet?"

"We had to swim out…"

Mikey pulled out one of the blankets and handed it to her, making him her new favorite person. "You're fantastic!" She cried, immediately wrapping herself in its dry warmth.

Now if only I could get out of these clothes.

They stood in silence, all privately worrying over their missing group members.

Mikey sat down next to Raph and imitated his pose and facial expression. The comical scowl on Mikey's face making April laugh despite the situation. Raph glared at Mikey and changed his position, only for his younger brother to do the same.

April didn't think this game would last for a very long time before Mikey ended up getting hurt…

Fortunately, they were interrupted just as Raph was about to jump on Mikey by the arrival of Leo and Master Splinter. Leonardo carried nothing but his blades, and Splinter only seemed to have the picture of his family with him.

"Sorry we're late." Leo apologized. "We ran into some trouble considering it's broad daylight. We had to take a few alternate routes than usual."

He looked around at the group before him.

"Where's Donatello?" Splinter beat him to the question.

"Not here yet." Raph and Mikey both answered.

Leo and Splinter exchanged a worried glance, making April's heart sink. Her mind kept replaying the sound of the gunshot over and over. Now all she was seeing was Donnie on the receiving end of that bullet.

Even the thought was too much to bear.

"We will give Donatello more time until we take any measures. We must be patient." Splinter said, sitting on the roof and entering a meditation pose.

April lacked his resolve and patience. She resumed her pacing from earlier, and began to chew on her thumb nail. By her third circuit, the nail was jagged and damaged, but she hardly noticed.

Ten long minutes later, and fifty after the initial evacuation, Donatello finally arrived on the roof. He was dragging an enormous bag behind him, and looked utterly exhausted.

"Hey, guys. Am I late?" He seemed cheerful, but April could hear strain behind his voice, like he was in pain.

She ran to him.

Donnie outstretched his arms, expecting a hug, but she stopped short and just looked him over, inspecting him for injury. He awkwardly lowered his arms like she wouldn't notice his assumption.

That's when she noticed he was wearing one of his elbow pads slightly higher on his arm than usual. Grabbing the arm roughly, she pulled it towards her to get a closer look. He let out a sharp hiss of pain as she undid the pad.

It only took her a second to notice the blood on her fingers before the pad fell to the ground.

Just above his elbow was an angry open wound in the flesh of Donnie's arm. It didn't seem to be bleeding much anymore, but it was obviously causing him pain.

"Oh my god! What happened to you?" She cried.

By this time the others had gathered around and were inspecting the wound as well.

"It's nothing…" Donnie said, trying to push passed them all.

Splinter grabbed his arm roughly and halted his progress, making him sit still as his sensei looked him over.

"This is a bullet wound." Splinter said after moment.

Everyone gasped.

"It was only a graze. I'm fine. Some guys were coming up the south tunnel just as I was leaving and they got in a lucky shot." Donnie said. "Some hydrogen peroxide and gauze and I'll be good as new!" He smiled at April, obviously trying to reassure her.

For the countless time that day she wanted to vomit. Someone had shot at Donnie. A regular human…not a Kraang, not a ninja… just a regular person. They had shot at him and fully intended to kill him.

For no reason other than the fact that he looked different…and some lady on TV had told him to do it.

At that moment, for the very first time, April was ashamed to consider herself human.

"Are you alright?" Donnie asked. He reached out and smoothed a piece of her wet hair back into place. "You must be freezing."

She leaned into his touch, realizing the others had all dispersed to collect the various bags scattered around the roof.

They had a moment alone.

"I should be asking you if you're okay. You got shot, Donnie."

"I'm fine."

"No you're not! This whole thing is just so wrong. You shouldn't be treated this way! None of you should! How could they do this to you?" She started out yelling, but by the end it was basically a whisper.

She felt a single tear of frustration escape and trail down her cheek, it was all she would allow to escape.

Donnie reached out and secured the blanket around her tighter, basically putting her in a little cocoon. "It's just part of being us." He said simply.

"Well it isn't fair." She knew she sounded childish, but it was how she honestly felt.

"No, it is not fair." It was Master Splinter who responded. "I am sorry to interrupt, but we are trying to decide our next course of action. Since it is daylight, our options are somewhat limited. Miss O'Neil I was wondering if you had any ideas?"

April thought about it for a moment, trying to push her own feelings about the situation aside for the time being. She did know of one place…it wasn't perfect, and wouldn't last very long, but it would at least give them a day or two, maybe a few more.

"I think I know a place."


A/N

HI! I'm so so so sorry this took so long. In case you guys haven't figured this out, this story had evolved slightly from what it was originally supposed to be. I wasn't expecting the response I got or the positive feedback. It was just supposed to be a little fluffy piece and now it's kind of complicated and plot driven haha. Basically I got to the point where I didn't know exactly how to continue. I knew what I wanted to happen, but I hadn't organized it. The story got away from me... It is officially back on track now.

I'm also the kind of person who likes to sit down and write a whole chapter at once...and my chapters are long, so finding the time is difficult. I think from here on out my chapters might be a bit shorter so I can get them out more often.

Anyway, about this chapter...there was a lot of Raph, which was surprising. I enjoy his personality, so I really liked to write his take on the whole April/Donnie thing. And you all know he would be soooo protective of his little brother that it's ridiculous. Also, this chapter is the first step in an important realization and emotional step for April...so sorry if she came off as overly emotional, but there's a lot going on. I also set up a lot of small stuff that's going to be important later on, so...hope you all paid attention haha

As a great big thank you for all of your support and continued reading, I'm also releasing a special chapter soon. It will be very short, but I think a lot of you will LOOOOVE it. Annnnd that's all I'm saying about that. Just expect a surprise in the next few weeks. :)

Thank you all again! And thanks for being patient with me. Please review!

Oh and chapter 12 is already half way done so it won't be long until you get that...but no promises this time lol.