A/N: Hey guys! It's been a while, I know, but I've been going through a lot of stress lately. But anyways, here we are with the next, long awaited chapter!

I OWN NOTHING! But prepare for feels, because I was listening to the Land Before Time soundtrack whilst writing this!

Enjoy!

Chapter 25

"Let's take a walk. You can show me some of your memories and I'll show you some of mine."

― Adam Berlin, The Number of Missing

It was another hour before Raphael finally returned to the sewers and entered the darkened lair. He didn't bother to leap over the turnstiles this time, for his limbs were all still rather sore from the previous fight – in fact, most of his body wasn't in the best of shape, and he would probably need treatment in the morning. He winced a little as he made his way down the stairs at the entrance of his home, cursing himself inwardly for allowing the other turtle to get so many hits in. Whether they were on good(ish) terms now or not, Raph would need to get Leonardo back for this.

He would also need to come up with a decent story to tell to Splinter and the others regarding his current state.

Looking down into the pit in the center of the living room, Raph could see that both of his younger brothers, Michelangelo and Donatello, were fast asleep on the bench with a large blanket draped over their slumbering forms in front of the glowing T.V, which was now on standby. Mikey's head was pillowed heavily on Donnie's left shoulder as the purple clad leader slung his arm around him. Donnie's head was tilted backwards, his mouth hanging open slightly as he snored, the gap between his teeth making him whistle. The scene itself was rather cute, he had to admit, but Raph couldn't help but smile wider at the sight of the bear from the dojo cuddled against Mikey's chest like a lifeline.

Raph chuckled to himself and shook his head at the sight. Either Mikey must have let it slip that they'd gone topside and that he'd wandered off to investigate the mysterious shadow, or Raph had taken longer than he'd thought in getting back to the lair, and they were worried enough to try and stay up until he returned. Either way, with Donnie out like a light, and Mikey safe and sound next to him in a somewhat protective embrace, he could get some shut eye without having to worry about any lectures. There was nothing for the red clad rebel to fear.

Well, except of course the shadowy figure standing directly behind him.

"Where have you been, Raphael?" queried a deep voice that clearly was not in the best of moods.

Raph visibly stiffened, his eyes going wide as he gulped nervously. Oh, sweet niblets.

Of course, whilst he'd evaded a speech from Donnie for staying out too late, there was no getting past the grand ninja master who could apparently teleport now, which Raph made a mental note of for future reference should he ever think about sneaking out again. Slowly turning around to look up and face the ninja master, who had his arms folded firmly across his chest as he looked down at his pupil disapprovingly, Raph smiled sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his sweaty neck. "…uh…hey, Sensei," he began lamely, feigning innocence even though they both knew very well that he was in a lot of trouble. "Sorry, I was…uh…I was taking a walk in the sewers, y'know, just stretching my legs a little bit, and uh –"

"Michelangelo already informed all of us of the circumstances, Raphael," Splinter interjected, his frown deepening in knowing that one of his sons had attempted to lie to him again. "So explain to me, my son, where you were for the past two hours whilst your brothers and I waited for you to return."

Pouting tartly, Raph slid a quick hot glance at the sleeping orange turtle, who remained oblivious to everything around him.

That little tattle-tale…

Sighing heavily upon realizing that Splinter was still waiting for him to explain, Raph relented as he let his hand drop to his side. "…the truth is, Sensei," he said at last, his eyes roaming to the floor. "…when I sent Mikey back down here to chase the guy that was watching us…I found out that it was Leo."

His left ear twitching atop his head, Splinter's once irked expression turned into one of surprise as his eyes widened. Raphael and Leonardo had come into contact with one another? Obviously, this unexpected encounter had quickly ensued a confrontation between the two, due to some of the bruises and dried blood he could see across his son's body…but that did not explain why, instead of anger and further resentment, Splinter could only sense something akin to acceptance or – god forbid it – happiness within Raphael. The only reason he would be so happy after a fight like that would be because he was the victor in the end, but Splinter had a feeling that was not the case. Stroking his beard, Splinter hummed lowly. "I see," he replied, noticing how Raphael blinked in wonder at his calm reaction. "What exactly happened between the two of you?"

Chewing on his bottom lip, Raph shrugged. "Well, we fought at first, obviously," he began, rubbing his left arm absently as he recalled the events of the evening. "And…and then I remembered what you told me about opening my heart…so I did. And I guess it worked."

Splinter's brows rose once more upon hearing this. Raphael had actually applied what he'd been taught? Well, it hadn't been the first time; that one occasion with the giant spider could have gone very wrong if Raphael had not controlled his temper. However, expressing any emotion besides anger, whilst it was not impossible, was rather difficult for his eldest son, especially in the face of one who they had no choice but to consider as an enemy. And with the way that they had described Leonardo's current state of mind, he wondered how his distant son had reacted to such a thing…

He was about to find out as Raph continued, looking him in the eyes at last. "I told him everything. I told him how we all miss him and what's been happening to Mikey…and I told him that we just want him back," he said, his voice wavering for a moment before he cleared his throat. "Then I kinda forced him to tell me why he couldn't just finish us off if he hates us as much as he says. And he said he didn't know. He said that something's always holding him back and that it's driving him nuts…"

Raph gaze softened as he cast his eyes downward again, his hand clenching into a tight fist at his side. "…after that, I didn't know how to react. I-I didn't know what to think or say. He's…he's suffering, Sensei," he faltered, his eyes watering as he fought to suppress tears. "He's suffering mentally and emotionally, because of whatever the Foot did to him. So I did the only thing I could've done for him…I just hugged him. I told him that I was sorry for pushing him so far and that he could come back with us. But…"

His ears drooping slightly, Splinter frowned sadly as his son trailed off. "He refused?" he finished for him, though he already knew the answer.

Sighing dejectedly, Raph nodded numbly. "Yeah. He says that there are some people that he cares about in the Foot, and I get that he doesn't want to leave them…but it still kinda hurts," he admitted. Then, much to Splinter's surprise, Raphael looked up once more, and he was smiling. "It hurts…but at least I learned something…" he said.

Curious, Splinter cocked his head as he regarded his son. "And what is that, Raphael?" he probed.

Before Splinter could react, Raph lurched forwards and wrapped his arms around his waist in a tight embrace as he laid his head against his father's heart. "I learned that Mikey was finally right about something," Raph answered, still smiling even as a single tear rolled down his cheek. "There really might be a chance to get our Leo back…someday."

Splinter blinked several times from the abruptness of Raphael's embrace, before a warm smile spread across his rat features as he returned the hug with equal force, his cheek coming to rest atop his head. Even though he was aware that what Raphael had done was rather reckless on his part, he supposed that he could forgive his actions for now. Because now that Raphael had finally found a way to open his heart, in his own way of course, Splinter's hope for regaining what he thought he had lost so long ago had been renewed once more. "Yes," he replied after a time, tightening his hold around his son. "In time he will, my son. Only with time."

And as they drew away from each other and Splinter escorted Raph to his room for the remainder of the evening, neither of them had noticed that on the couch, a single baby blue eye had seen the whole thing play out before him. He had heard every word that Raph and Splinter had said from the very beginning. And as he cuddled closer to Donnie and shut his eyes once more, he had a wide smile permanently plastered on his freckled face as he slipped into the land of dreams.

He dreamed about his family, all of them together in the lair, all of them happy and laughing, just as he always dreamed.

But this time, there was one more member added to their strange, loving family.

This time, his family was whole.

3 days later…

Sighing heavily as she slipped her phone back into her back pocket, April made her way purposefully down the busy streets of Manhattan that night, securing the strap of her messenger bag on her shoulder as she strode towards the nearest, and preferably least inconspicuous passageway to the sewers. She'd just gotten off the phone with her flustered aunt, telling her not to be out too late this time doing whatever she did during the night, which both frustrated April (though she knew that her aunt was only doing her best to look out for her with the absence of her father) and made her a little bit edgy at the same time. April could sense that her aunt was getting rather suspicious, which was the very last thing that she wanted, especially during this stressful time in particular…

April's brows knitted together as she blew out a stray strand of hair from her face. It had been only yesterday that Donnie had informed her about what Raph had done the night before that…which was only after Master Splinter had made him fess up about it to the rest of them. Even though Raph had acted rather foolishly, what she'd heard was…well, it was actually rather positive. Although it was clear that Leonardo wasn't going to be leaving the Foot Clan any time soon, he seemed to be accepting the truth that his brothers were indeed not his enemies.

Even so, April couldn't help but feel rather sorry for Raph, for all of them. Despite everything they'd told him until now, he was still adamant upon staying within the Foot Clan. It must've hurt them to know that their brother would continue to stay away from them and fight against them for a clan that he himself clearly hated…

April couldn't restrain another sigh as she gazed down at the pavement, turning left into a long, dark alleyway. She could feel the tension and the pressure within the mutant family, and like Mikey, she hated it. But then again, the same thing was constantly happening to her within her own home, with her father being gone and all…and the sad thing was, she was slowly getting used to it, too.

It was during times like this that April wished that she could actually do something to help them get their brother to come back, or at least help them deal with the fact that he never would. And she also wished that she had someone to talk to about it, as well as some of her own personal problems that she was forced to deal with. Of course she knew that she always had Donnie, Splinter, Raph or even Mikey to go to for her complications…but there were certain occasions where she knew that not even the wise Master Splinter would be able to understand her or help her deal with it. Not only that, but despite how much she loved her boys, they had a nasty habit of not keeping secrets very well. And her friend Irma or her aunt wouldn't understand either, or they would just think that she was going crazy.

That was the last thing that April wanted; to have someone blab out her secrets, or think that she was losing her mind.

Having awesome mutant ninja turtles as best friends was harder than it looked, especially when you couldn't tell anyone else about them, and kept having to make pathetic excuses to just to visit them on a regular basis. Not that she would ever consider abandoning them because of that, oh no. She cared about them all too much to simply leave them like that. They were a part of her now, whether she liked it or not.

April shook her head, banishing those thoughts for now as she focused on finding a manhole cover that was close enough to the lair. Donnie mentioned having made something new and awesome that would help them during their patrols, and she didn't want to miss out on seeing it for herself. She smiled to herself at the thought of what it could possibly be. Was it a new blimp, or possibly a new van or something bizarre like that? Knowing Donnie, it would be pretty radical –

"Hey, look at what we have here!"

Her head snapped up at the sound of an annoyingly familiar voice behind her, and she spun around with a startled gasp to find the largest of the three Purple Dragons looming over her, smiling smugly at her as he cracked his knuckles. The other two, Fong and Tsoi, came up behind him moments later, grinning sinisterly at the sight of her. The earlier shock quickly melting away, April sighed again as she rolled her eyes. Hadn't she already gotten mugged by these punks before? That little experience had cost her a phone, and she wasn't willing to lose another one, especially since Donnie had been the one to make it for her.

What a thoroughly brilliant start to her evening.

"Listen," she snarled, attaining a fighting stance as she glared them down defiantly. "I'm not in the mood to deal with you guys right now. So why don't you just let me go, and I won't have to hurt you."

This, of course, was only half of a bluff. April had been training hard under Splinter to become a true kunoichi, and though she'd only been training for a little over a month, she'd been making great progress thus far. However, she was nowhere near as strong as the turtles were, so whilst the Purple Dragons were a piece of cake for them, for April…well, not so much.

They seemed to catch onto her bluff quite quickly – despite their inferior brain sizes – and they began to laugh as they drew too close for April's liking. The larger one, Sid, lifted one fist and held it just above his head as he leered at her. "Oh, we'll see who's hurtin' who tonight, girlie!" he taunted as he prepared to bring his fist down upon the girl, who retained her stance, but squeezed her eyes shut as she cringed.

This was really going to hurt.

However, after a few seconds of silence, and no pain from the fist connecting with her head forthcoming, April dared to hesitantly crack one eye open to find that Sid's fist was frozen inches above her head…which was when she realized as she opened her other eye, was being held fast by a large green hand that easily engulfed the human's hand.

A smile slowly growing across her features, April turned around to thank whichever of her turtle friends had come ever so conveniently to her rescue. "Well, I was hoping you'd show –"

The words quickly died in her throat as she got a good look at the mutant turtle, and her eyes widened as her smile fell completely. It wasn't Donnie, nor was it Raph or even Mikey who had come to her aid…it was…

April swallowed thickly.

Oh my god…it can't be…

The Purple Dragons appeared just as stunned as April, but for completely different reasons as Fong and Tsoi took a few steps back. Sid would have followed suit, if not for the fact that the turtle hadn't yet released his already aching first from his stronger grip. His expression was flat, but his eyes were irritated as he stared at the Dragons from where he stood behind the girl. He then focused his gaze directly into April's stunned eyes, making her gasp softly at the intensity of his stare.

"Get down on your knees," he ordered, his voice soft but deep and commanding, if not threatening. "And keep your head down. Don't get up until I say, understand?"

Without a word of protest, April shakily nodded her head as she slowly got down on her knees, putting her hands behind her head as she lowered it to face the floor. Her eyes were wide and her heart was pounding, but she didn't dare make a sound.

She couldn't believe it. There was no way this was happening. There was no way that she had just managed to come across the turtles' lost brother, simply because she was about to get pummeled by some Purple Dragons. This was huge.

Either she was very lucky, or very unlucky.

Once the girl had done as she was told, and surprisingly without screaming or making a fuss at all, Leonardo then returned his attention to the cautious Purple Dragons. "What do you think you're doing?" he asked them conversationally, tightening his grip on Sid's fist ever so slightly. But even from where she sat, April could hear the bones in the captured Dragon's knuckles grinding together as he let out a high-pitched yelp of pain.

A bead of sweat trickling down his brow, Fong held his hands up innocently as he chuckled nervously. "U-Uh, nothing, man!" he stuttered. "W-we were just on our way to the lab to pick up the junk that scientist wanted. H-Honest we were!"

Leonardo's eyes narrowed. "Of course you were. And I suppose this girl right here just happened to 'distract' you from doing your job, correct?" he probed sarcastically. When the Dragon's said nothing to testify against this, and instead guiltily lowered their heads, Leonardo scoffed. "Listen up boys, because I'm only going to say this one more time," he growled, his earlier nonchalant voice long gone now as he squeezed Sid's fist even tighter. "Your job is to get to the lab, grab the stuff, get out, give the components to Stockman, and that's it. Understand?"

Standing directly in-between the Dragon's and the fourth turtle, April dared not move or say a word throughout the whole ordeal as she simply bit her lip and kept her head down. He was just as the others had first described him; cold, imposing, and rather violent. She had thought Raph was bad enough, but she shuddered at the thought of getting on the wrong side of this particular turtle, which unfortunately, for the Purple Dragons that is, was exactly what was happening to them.

Wincing in pain, Sid nodded his head rapidly, as did his two partners. "S-Sure thing! W-whatever you say!" Sid squeaked. With a satisfied nod, Leonardo finally released him, and the hulk of a man fell to his knees as he held his aching hand in agony, before the other two quickly helped him up and made a break for it, not stopping until they practically skidded around the corner of the mouth of the alleyway.

Still keeping her head down, April heard Leonardo sigh in exasperation before he walked around her bowed frame to stand in front of her. "You can get up now," he ordered sharply.

April was on her feet again in an instant, eager to shake off the pins and needles in her feet and legs and to get a good look at the fourth turtle before he disappeared. He took a step back at her sudden action, and she could see that one hand was already itching towards the katana blades strapped to his belt behind his shell, but she could care less about that as she stared at him in awe.

He was exactly like how Mikey had described him to her all those weeks ago. Leonardo was clad in leather straps and sheaths for his swords, bandages around his feet, wrists and knuckles, and had elbow and knee-pads that were all too similar to what his brothers adorned. The only thing that was different was the blue scarf he had draped around his neck with the tails hanging off the back of his shell. He was also rather tall for his age, much like how Donatello was, though he was not as tall or as lean as his purple clad younger brother. He had broad shoulders, but was not nearly as broad or as muscular as Raphael was, but his biceps were just as refined. And his eyes, whilst as blue and as salient as her own, were also just as deep, full of experience and secrets of past horrors that had yet to be revealed. There was sentiment within them, but they were not like the kind and loving baby blues of Mikey's eyes.

April found herself smiling breathlessly as she shook her head in bewilderment. He was so different from his brothers, and yet they were all so alike in ways that April could never describe.

She never actually thought that she would ever meet the lost brother of her turtle friends face to face. But here they were. And though it seemed so surreal, April fought the urge to pinch herself lest it really was a dream.

This was Leonardo. This was their lost brother, standing before her in the flesh and cold blood.

Wow…

As she continued to stare at him, Leonardo raised a curious brow at the girl. Why wasn't she screaming or running away at the very sight of him? In fact, she should have been crying at least when he'd suddenly appeared behind her from out of nowhere. Why was she just staring at him as though she'd discovered some kind of precious lost treasure or something? His eyes shifted from left to right awkwardly as he lowered his hand back to his side. "…um…Miss? Are you alright?" he asked. Perhaps the Purple Dragons had already hit her a few times on the head before he'd spotted them harassing her, though he didn't see any obvious injuries on her person.

"…you're Leonardo, right?" she finally managed to ask, still unable to stop smiling.

Caught completely off guard, Leo blinked hard in surprise at her response. And then his eyes narrowed dangerously as his left hand reached back for his katana, grasping the hilt firmly as he attained a stance. This girl, whoever she was, was no ordinary civilian who'd just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. He should have figured that out when she didn't scream at his mutant form. Perhaps he'd made a mistake in saving her from the Dragons. "Who are you?" he queried darkly. "How do you know my name?"

April finally snapped herself out of her trance, her eyes widening as she realized what she had just done. Of course he would get wary; he didn't know her like his brothers did. Heck, unless Mikey had let it slip that they had a human friend, he probably didn't know about her at all until now. Hearing his name come from out of the mouth of a complete stranger would surely put him on the edge. She'd forgotten that Mikey had mentioned that he was also very cautious, and had a bit of a 'trigger-happy' attitude.

She mentally slapped herself in the face. Stupid April, think before you open your big mouth!

Holding up her hands in surrender, April took a step back. "It's okay, I'm not an enemy," she reassured, praying that he didn't decide to kill her anyways. "My name is April, April O'Neil. I know your brothers."

Leonardo's cold glare vanished in the next instant at the mention of his brothers. He stared at her with curious narrowed eyes, and though his stance had relaxed considerably, his fingers remained wrapped around the hilt of his blade. He quickly looked her up and down once more; she was smaller than him, thinner and seemingly weaker, but he'd seen her take up a battle stance against the Dragons just before he'd dropped in to intervene. She obviously knew how to fight, even though her stance was somewhat clumsy. She appeared unarmed, and only had a simple messenger bag strapped over her shoulder. But he'd been fooled by appearances before, and it had never boded well for him to underestimate an opponent.

He took a step towards her, watching her carefully for a reaction. She did nothing other than smile; there was no fear, no anger, nothing behind her gaze besides…genuine kindness?

"…how do you know them?" he asked. "Are you an ally? A spy?"

April huffed. "I wish I was that good," she snickered. Seeing that he wasn't smiling or laughing at her badly timed joke, she cleared her throat and looked him in the eye, the smile gone from her face as she became serene. "You don't have to worry, Leonardo," she alleged firmly, noticing the subtle way in which his brow twitched with interest at her change of tone. "I'm not a spy, or an agent of any kind. I'm just a friend. You can trust me."

Leo said nothing in response as he regarded the girl with a calculating gaze. They stayed that way for some time, both of them gazing deep in to the others eyes as if trying to read them, to find any hint of deceit or danger behind their falsifying outward appearances. Barely breathing, April said not another word, not wanting to break whatever spell had been cast upon the odd pair as they stood before each other in the lone alleyway…though she prayed over and over that he believed her. In spite of the set-backs, she rather liked the life she had, and wanted to keep living just a little while longer.

Finally, Leo closed his eyes and sighed heavily, dropping his hand to side as he stepped away from her once more. If being with Michelangelo had taught him anything about reading people, it was that this 'April' girl was telling the absolute truth, though he knew not how an ordinary human like her could have possibly come across his brothers and not be afraid. He shouldn't really have been surprised by this; given how noisy they were at the worst of times, it was only a matter of time before they got caught by someone. And yet, he did find himself surprised all the same.

He hadn't known that there were other people out there that actually accepted mutants like him. He thought that Karai was the only one in the world who did…

Pushing those thoughts aside for now, Leo put his right fist in the palm of his left and bowed formally to April, both as a sign of respect and as a sign of assuring her that he would do her no harm. Once he'd straightened up again, he offered her a small but polite smile. "Nice to meet you, Miss O'Neil," he said. "I…I take it my brothers have already told you a lot about me, huh?"

Releasing a soft breath of relief in knowing that Leonardo believed her (and that she wasn't about to have her head lopped off before she could blink) April lowered her hands again as she nodded, returning his smile. "Well…yeah they did, I guess. Though they mostly told me about you when you were…well…" she shrugged, "…younger."

Chuckling, Leo looked over to the wall on the right side of the alleyway. "Of course they have," he said, his tone almost bitter. "They probably also told you that I'm a heartless killer too, right? That I'm just another one of those loyal little dogs under the control of the Shredder, right?"

Taken aback, April frowned at this, watching the eldest turtle as his fists clenched at his sides. So it was true, then. Leonardo really did hate the Foot Clan. And he really was suffering because of them. She could feel his grief and his pain emanate from off of him in waves, either due to that strange sensitivity that Splinter had claimed that she had…or simply because she could see it in his eyes as he averted them from her.

Furrowing her brows, she bit down on her lip in thought as she clasped the strap of her messenger bag. Though he probably didn't know it, he and April were probably in the exact same position; they both needed someone to talk to, to confide in, to trust with whatever they couldn't tell others around them. And she deemed that, for Leo, it was far worse, for he was in a clan where he could trust no one. He couldn't even go to his brothers unless he wanted to face the Shredder for treachery…

It was then that April decided with a nod to herself. Leo needed someone other than a brother to help him. Leo needed a friend. And she was confident that she could be that friend for him, if he let her. Maybe he would refuse, maybe he wouldn't. Maybe he would just leave and never see her again.

But she had to at least try. After all, that had never stopped Mikey from trying.

Looking back to Leo again, who had all but closed in on himself as he stood there with his feet shifting awkwardly, she squared her shoulders as she daringly walked up to him, reached out and took his larger green hand in hers. Instantly, he snapped out of trance and glared at her, looking as though he were about to strike her before he realized it was only her, and his gaze softened regretfully. Frowning, April gave herself another round of mental slaps. Stupid, stupid April; he's not used to this stuff. He's not like his brothers…take it slowly…

After the mental slapping had ceased, April smiled kindly at him. "Do you, uh…are you doing anything right now?" she asked.

Leo's wide eyes shifted from left to right uncomfortably, before they looked down at the tiny hand grasping his own abnormally large one. "…uh…not really, no," he stammered, a light blush forming on his cheeks. "Why?"

Still smiling, April nodded. "Good. Follow me; I want to take you someplace private."

At this, Leo's blush vanished as he regarded her sceptically, his eyes narrowed in question. Exasperated, April rolled her eyes skyward. Dear lord, he was just as distrustful as the guys claimed he was. In fact, he was worse than Splinter had been when they had first met. She couldn't exactly blame him or Splinter of course, given the circumstances, but it was no less annoying. "Look, Leo," she began firmly. "I'm not leading you into a trap, and I'm not going to interrogate you for anything you have on the Foot Clan. I already told you that I'm a friend of your brothers, not an enemy, and I know you know when I'm lying. Besides, why would I have any reason to lie to you?"

Leo's breath hitched, his eyes wide again as he stared at April.

Her words…

"You know when I'm telling the truth, Leo. And besides…why would I have any reason to lie to you?"

Closing his eyes, Leo sighed again. Technically, she really was an enemy if she was allied with Hamato Yoshi's clan…but he truly felt that he could trust her despite that. Even so, when he looked back at her once more, his expression was still guarded. Friend or foe, she was still human. Not all humans were like Karai, and not all humans were as kind or as loving as they at times pretended to be. "…alright…I trust you…" he relented at last, but quickly held up a finger with his free hand before she could get her hopes too high. "But, if I'm going to trust you, that means if you double-cross me at any time, I will not hesitate to take your head off."

April blinked at him blankly. "…whoa," she muttered after another moment of silence. "I take it that's happened a few times already, right?"

In spite of his earlier threat, Leo couldn't restrain a small smile as he shrugged. "You could say that. So…where do want us to go?" he asked. Instead of answering him, however, April merely grinned as she tightened her grip on his hand and dragged him back down the alleyway, taking him by surprise as he let out a strangled yelp. "Gyah! Hey, wait a second!" he cried out as he was tugged by the hand down the empty streets by the suddenly very eager red headed human that he'd decided he could trust. He was very slowly starting to regret that decision as she ignored his flustered outcry and continued to run with him trapped in her stunningly strong grip.

"Just come on! Don't worry, no one will see us where we're going!" she reassured over her shoulder, though Leo was not convinced as he made a face. He also had to admit, despite the fact that she looked like she was easy enough to snap like a toothpick, she was surprisingly quick on her feet as she led him towards Central Park…

Wait…Central Park again? Oh no…

He had a dreaded feeling that the circle of deception was about to start anew…

It was during this time of night that Central Park was rather empty, for no human in their right mind would dare to venture alone in the darkness due to the high chance of them getting mugged in the dark or worse. So it was as April and Leonardo, now walking at a steady pace after Leo's insistence, made their way through the vacant pathways of the vast, beautiful garden, Leo found himself somewhat relaxed in knowing that he was safe from being spotted by any unsuspecting humans. But it was not just the emptiness of the park that put Leo at ease…it was also partly due to the fact that April had yet to release his hand that brought him that fragment of extra comfort.

Turning his head away so that April wouldn't see, Leo couldn't help but smile and blush a little as her hand, easily dwarfed by his, gave his hand a little squeeze as they continued their course to wherever the strange human girl planned on taking him. He didn't want to admit it, at least not out loud, but the way her tiny hand clasped his…it reminded him of how he and Karai used to be when they were younger, back when they had no cares in the world, and they were free to do what they pleased within the shelter of the Japanese forests surrounding them.

Still, he couldn't afford to be too cautious, even in the face of such genuine sweetness. He didn't want to believe that someone like April would deceive him, but he'd been lied to before.

He was snapped out of his thoughts in the next instant when April's voice caught his attention. "There it is!" she announced happily, pointing with her free hand over to a fenced area. Leo followed her finger to find a children's park, filled with swings, seesaws, slides and even a set of monkey bars. Bemused, Leo turned to raise a brow at April, who merely smiled and beckoned him to follow her with a light tug of his hand and a tilt of her head. Biting his lip, Leo decided to let her lead him to the miniature park. It seemed non-threatening enough, and he'd never been to a park before…but why had she brought him to a park of all places? Better yet, what did she even want with him exactly?

Finally letting go of his hand, April easily leapt over the waist-high fence and crossed over to the swings, sitting down on one of them and looking up at him as she waited for him to join her. Which, after looking left and right in case anyone else was present within the area, he did so as he jumped over the fence and sat on the swing beside her. Grasping the chains on either side of him, he began to swing his legs back and forth slightly, watching as April did the same. They sat there for a while in almost companionable silence, simply enjoying the swinging motions and the cool night-time air as it softly swept over them.

Closing his eyes, Leo leaned back and let out a content sigh. It had been a while since he'd been able to relax like this. And though he had yet to understand why the girl had brought him here in the first place, he found himself not caring. He felt as though a cumbersome weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He felt free again, if only a little bit…

As she slowed her swinging down a little, letting her feet drag across the grass below, April looked across to Leo to find him smiling, his head turned upwards as he swung back and forth. She found herself smiling at the sight of his pure serenity. Basked in the glow of the full moon shining down upon them, he seemed at peace in his own little world as he swung lightly by her side. Perhaps now that he was so relaxed, she could actually tell him why they were here –

His head snapped to her so abruptly that April couldn't stop the little squeak of surprise as he faced her. "So what are we doing here anyways?" he asked.

April blinked once. Wow. Had he read her mind or something?

She giggled as she stopped swinging completely, to which he followed suit as he waited for her reply. "Well…" she began, tucking a strand of hair behind her head. "I brought you out here so that we could talk."

Leo's brows rose. "What? That's it?"

April smirked at him. "You sound disappointed."

"Oh no, no, I'm not," Leo insisted. "It's just…we're just gonna talk? You don't have anything else planned or…?"

Still smiling, April shook her head, her auburn hair swishing behind her in its ponytail. "Nope. Just talking and the occasional swinging. That's it."

Unsure what to say in response to such a blunt answer, Leo's mouth formed a small 'o' shape. She'd basically just kidnapped him, dragged him by the hand halfway across the city and into an empty park, to sit on some swings and talk? Huh. That wasn't at all what he'd been expecting…unless she had another motive behind this seemingly innocent proposition of hers. She was, after all, a friend of his brothers. They could have sent her out to try and get him to side with them again, to leave the Foot Clan behind and everyone and everything he knew along with it, which he had made clear to both Raphael and Michelangelo he just couldn't do…

He sighed, leaning backwards on the swing as he gazed up at the moon hanging overhead. "If you're trying to persuade me to join them, then please just forget about it," he droned. He was tired of hearing the same things over and over again. And it wasn't just from Mikey or Raph; even Tiger Claw, his father, had mentioned something along those same lines, and he had just about had it with all of them –

The sound of April's giggle brought him back from his frustrated reverie as he turned back to her. "No, I'm not," she said earnestly as she gazed down at his surprised upside-down face.

She then followed his gaze as she tilted her head upwards to marvel at the brilliance of the moon. "I take it that you've had enough of people telling you who you are and where you really belong all the time," she said distantly, her feet kicking lightly at the ground as her cobalt eyes scanned the starry night skies that she rarely saw due to the lights of the city. "I mean, I get it. I might not be in your exact position, but…I do get what it's like to be caught in between two different sides, trying to balance both of them on your shoulders at the same time all the time…"

Slowly, Leo sat up straight on the swing again as he regarded her thoughtfully, noticing the sad frown that had replaced her once cheerful smile as she looked up at the moon. "You do?" he asked softly. "How?"

Facing him again, April shrugged with a sad smile. "Well…it started when I first met your brothers," she began wistfully. "Me and my dad were kidnapped by the Kraang. And while they managed to save me that night, my dad…" She sighed as she looked down at her lap. "…he's still out there, probably trapped in a cell somewhere. We haven't given up on finding him yet, and we never will. But I…I miss him…"

Leo watched her in silence the whole time, listening to every word even as her voice trembled. Sniffing, she brought up a hand to wipe away a tear before it could fall. "…and it's not just that," she continued shakily. "But it's the fact that, outside of the turtles, I have no one to talk to that would understand. All of my friends, save for one of them, avoid me because they don't know what to say to me, my aunt and I are always arguing, and…and with all this Kraang, Foot and mutant stuff going on that I can't tell anyone about…it's just…it's too much!"

April bit her lip hard to fight it back, but soon a steady stream of tears were trickling down her freckled face as she bowed her head, her shoulders shaking as she fought for whatever control she had left. This was what she had wanted to do for so long. All she wanted was to tell someone that would understand what she felt…so why did it still hurt so much?

Eyes widening, Leo watched as April began to crumble and cry in front of her, though it was clear that she was trying her best to hold back a wave of heavy sobs as her hands clenched the chains on either side of the swing. He hated to see people cry. It made his heart throb for them in sympathy for their pain, even though he couldn't feel it himself. But everything she had said, about her father, about his brothers, about the Kraang and the Foot Clan…it was all too similar to how he felt ever since he'd come to New York, since he and his father had joined the Foot Clan…since the day he'd been left behind in that forest to face the wrath of the Kraang…

He still didn't really know this girl. He barely knew her name, and yet already it was as if he'd known her his whole life. He knew what she was going through, and she was suffering just as much because of it. He doubted that she'd ever taken a life at a young age like he had, but the pain of loss, the heaviness and anxiety that was ever present on her shoulders…he could relate. And though he knew that it wouldn't take the burden away completely, Leo knew how he could help at the very least.

Hesitantly, Leo reached out a hand and laid it gently on April's left shoulder. Snapping her head up once more as she looked at him, he could see that her eyes were now red around the edges and her cheeks were slightly puffy now due to her tears. "April," he said quietly.

With a soft gasp, April quickly used her hands to wipe the tears off her face. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Leo," she stammered, feeling utterly embarrassed for letting him see her in such a state. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…I mean, I know you probably – I-I mean –"

She was cut off when Leo released her shoulder and stood up from the swing. She looked up at him and watched as the blue clad turtle walked to stand in front of her. The first thing that she noticed was the look in his eyes. They were no longer cold, uncomfortable or confused…but they were sympathetic. They were kind. They were understanding.

He held out a hand to her, offering to help her stand up as well. Sniffling, April reached out and took his outstretched hand. His grip was strong, but so very gentle as his fingers curled around her smaller one, and he easily hoisted her up to her feet again.

April was well aware from what Mikey had told her that Leo was unpredictable in what he did. But nothing could have prepared her for what he did next as he stepped forwards and wrapped his arms around her, gently pulling her close to his chest as he held her tight. Blinking rapidly in shock, April stared straight ahead of her as the turtle hugged her.

Why…why was…what was he…huh?

Leo's chin came to rest on her shoulder as he held her. He had to admit that it was a little odd to be hugging someone other than Karai or Tiger Claw for the first time in years, especially since her barely knew her, but he could forget about that this time. This girl needed the comfort, and he was willing to give it to her. "…I understand, April," he said to her, raising one hand to softly stroke the back of her head, just as Tiger Claw used to do with him when he was a child. "Believe me, I know exactly what you're going through…and I'm sorry."

Squeezing her eyes shut, though it did little to stop the fresh tears from falling, April buried her face into Leo's shoulder as her arms flung around his waist. She'd been right all along. Though they were entirely different in many ways, the two of them still suffered the same kind of burdens. And April found herself blown off her feet at just how much he understood her constant struggle…though she really hadn't expected him to actually hug her. Perhaps being raised within the Foot Clan didn't completely banish his sense of compassion, and for that, she was very glad.

And it was clear as his embrace tightened ever so slightly, that he needed this just as much as she did.

"You don't have to apologize, Leo," said her muffled voice from his shoulder once she'd finally calmed herself down enough to speak clearly again. "It's not your fault."

"Hmm," said Leo as he finally drew back, but placed a steadying hand on her shoulder as he smiled at her. "Maybe not. But I'm part of the problem since I'm in the Foot Clan and all." He then shrugged as he chuckled. "However, I'll be more than happy and willing to deliver any complaints you have directly to the Shredder; feel free to hit me as hard as you can, and I'll make sure that he gets it."

That startled a laugh out of April as she wiped away the last of her tears with the heel of her hand. "Nah, that's okay," she grinned as her laughter subsided, "but thanks for the offer. I'd rather do it myself if I ever get the chance."

Leo smirked. "Good luck with that," he teased good-naturedly as he released her shoulder. Then he sobered up again as he bowed his head once to her. "But seriously, April…thank you for sharing your feelings with me. I never thought anyone else out here felt the same way I do."

Tucking another strand of hair behind her ear, April smiled at him as she sat back down on the swing again. "No problem. It feels good to let it all out after so long, y'know?"

"Trust me, I do," Leo said with a lopsided grin as he sat back on the swing as well, kicking his legs as he got himself going, which April soon followed. Soon enough, the two of them were soundly swinging side by side, which was when Leo turned to April again and asked, "So, you said that we came out here to talk about stuff, right? What do you wanna talk about?"

April grinned at him. For a so-called 'cold, imposing, and rather violent' Foot Clan member, he was pretty easy-going and genuinely kind once you'd gained his trust. And for that, April was honoured.

"Well, Leonardo," she mused playfully, "where should we start?"

He was going to kill him.

He swore, the first chance he had, when he was least expecting it, Raphael swore to whoever was listening, be it from above or below, that he was going to murder Donatello maliciously. And he deemed that he had every reason to want to kill him, too.

For instance, if it hadn't been for Donnie, then they would have never had to deal with that stupid wannabe super hero that called himself 'The Pulverizer'. And if it hadn't been for The Pulverizer, then the Kraang power cell would have never gotten snatched out of their new ride, the Shellraiser, by the very creatures they'd been trying to avoid. And if it hadn't been for either of them, then Raph and Mikey wouldn't need to push the stupid subway car all the way home.

Raph added that all up in his head. Yep, his reasons for wanting to murder his so-called 'leader', (despite the fact that it had been Donnie who had come up with the cure for the poison flowing through his system after that fish out of water, Fishface, had bitten him) were very much justified.

Behind the massive bulk that was the Shellraiser, Michelangelo and Raphael heaved with everything they had in them as they forced the darned subway car to move forwards along the tracks, but in spite of their efforts, the vehicle was going nowhere fast. Raph grunted as he pushed harder. "Are you sure the parking brake isn't on?!" he shouted to his immediate younger brother.

Sat in the driver's seat inside the Shellraiser, Donatello rolled his eyes skyward as he sighed. It was bad enough that he was partly to blame for how the power cell got stolen and the reason why Mikey and Raph were forced to push the car to begin with, so he really didn't want to hear their constant whining and death threats (which were mainly from Raph). "For the hundredth time, yes!" he shouted back…

…before he looked down at the brake to find that it was indeed on this entire time. His mahogany eyes widened.

Whoops.

"…oh wait," he muttered as he quickly shut off the brake. "Sorry guys!" he called before he got up from the front seat and hesitantly poked his head out from the automatic doors. "Uh…try it now."

"DONNIE!" Raphael bellowed.

"DONATELLO!" Mikey screeched.

Donnie winced, chuckling nervously as he slipped back into the Shellraiser, inwardly preparing himself to run as soon as they got back home. He knew there was a fifty percent chance that he was going to get killed the moment he stepped foot outside of the car, but he knew he kind of deserved it.

Sighing, Donnie took out his T-Phone and scrolled through the contacts until he found April's name. He then looked at the last text message he'd sent her, telling her about the 'awesome new mode of transport' that he'd developed and asking her if she'd come over to take a look at it. That had been hours ago, and she still hadn't replied.

At first it had concerned him; she usually always answered her phone. But then again, April had claimed that she was rather busy with school exams coming up, so he couldn't really blame her for not being able to show up. Perhaps he'd stop by her apartment later to check up on her…if he was still alive by the time they got back to the lair, that is. Sighing again, Donnie decided to get out and help his two brothers push the damned Shellraiser the rest of the way home.

Still, he couldn't help but wonder what April was up to. He hoped that she wasn't in any danger whilst he and his team had been out parading through the city with 'The Pulverizer' like idiots. But then again, this was April he was talking about. Surely she could stay out of trouble for one night.

Right?

A/N: YAY! Some Leo and April feels!

I really love the relationship between these two in the show, so I want that to develop in this AU as well. Do you guys think I'm handling it okay? I hope so.

April and Leo really are quite similar, don't you think? XD

I hope you liked this chapter, and more are on the way!