Welcome everybody back to the story, where I am happy and at the same time kinda sad to state that this is the final chapter. Yep, the time has come to put a close to this story. I want to thank everyone who read, reviewed, followed, and faved this story I did. It means a whole lot to me. So without any further wait, let's see how it finishes. As always, TMNT does not belong to me and all rights go to their respective owners.

Chapter Twenty-Five

"Because I want to be with you!"

The words were said so loud they could be heard throughout the lair, which aquired the attention of everyone in the dojo and lair in general.

Meanwhile in the dark empty room of Donatello's, the one who bared that room stood there as still as a tree. Mouth wide open, not believing what he heard. April couldn't be serious, could she? But the vauge sight of April's face and demeanor in the pitch black showed no signs of a lie, she had a hard time gathering a steady breath while the two stood about five feet from each other.

"That's why I never told you about me and Casey." April reiterated. "Why would I tell you something I didn't believe?"

Donnie gathered that statement in two different meanings; meaning about not only what she said about her and Casey...but about what she said about her...and him. She really was serious wasn't she? Donnie's voice began to crackle and stutter.

"You're the one I want to be with Donnie. I mean it." April said once again with a cracking voice herself and a pouted expression, saying it once more to get rid of any last bit of doubt in the turtle's mind and spirit in front of her.

"April?"

April jumped, for the voice that was spoken didn't come from the turtle in the room, but from behind her. The door had been cracked open and the light of the lair began to fill the emptiness inside. April and Donnie looked to the door way to see all their friends, with worrisome looks. But the one in front of them all told the biggest story.

It was Casey, the one who spoke the girl's name, who slowly crept into the room she stood in to hope what she said away from him wasn't really true. Soon the other turtles peeked into the boundaries of the room of their younger or older brother.

"Well...I like what Donnie's done with the place?" Mikey said in an unsure voice, who was then greeted in responce with an elbow to the chest by his firey red brother.

"Zip it Mikey!" The leader turtle followed up to his goofball brother, and of course not resorting to violence sending a message to his other brother next to him. The three brothers from one side, along with their brother from the other side looked on as Casey walked up to April, his hands behind his back, looking about as shy and discombolated as they had ever seen him.

"Red..." Casey called to April still by the nickname he gave the day they had met. "Did you mean what you said?" Almost wanting a verification from April not to put his mind to rest, but her's as well. April then lowered her head, looked back to Donnie behind her, and looked up to the hockey mask wearing hooligan.

"I'm sorry Casey...It's true." April admitted to him, putting a bit of shock to all present.

A gloomy look bestowed the hockey loving vigilante, who used his glove to wipe his nose and sniffled for a quick moment, putting a touch of regret on April's face. Casey wasn't one to show much emotion, so when he did it was definitely noteworthy. He did his best to fight past this quickly. Then after wiping his nose again, he came out of hiding his face behind his gear and popped out with a smile.

"It's okay Red. I understand." Casey gathered his bearings looking down to her with a warm smile, putting a eased look on the party around them.

"You really mean it?" April asked him, to validate his initial responce. She got a nod from him, which she hugged him to thank him for understanding and accepting her decision.

"Yeah, we'll always be best buds Red." The boy told her after they released from their embrance, Casey then spun her around to the one she chose, the turtle dawning the purple mask. "But you need him a lot more than you need me." Casey's words actually put a slight blush on the turtle being complimented to, Casey then walked over to April's chosen one and placed an arm around him, looking back to April. "Besides, if I couldn't be your tall, lanky, brown eyed, gap toothed, mask wearing, stick swinging boyfriend; I'd make Donnie a close second."

"Ha ha, shut up!" Donnie laughed and shoved him away rather playfully as the two then started messing with one another. Casey knowing that Donnie was still feeling pretty rough over everything that had happened, Casey knew as a friend he needed to be there for him as much as others.

Looking at the two boys "duking" it out, April remembered closely to what Casey told her, and upon the gaze between them side by side, she then noticed exactly that. Everything Casey said was true in his description. Height, their eyes, masks, sticks for weapons, teeth...imperfections to put it mildly.

Casey and Donatello were the same person, to a complete core. She honestly didn't know if she should now feel a bit disappointed in herself for actually choosing one of them over the other, or if honestly, she should be proud of herself for choosing Donnie for he was the one who despite all the similarities was still...different for obvious reasons.

But that didn't matter to April, she still realized that sometimes we should all put the color of one's skin aside; that it's what's on the inside that makes a person what they are...who you are. But in spite of all of the emotions running through her mind, she knew how she really should feel...happy. Happy and lucky that there were two people on this planet that cared about her so much that both risked life and limb for her on choice alone.

A deep smile was on her face after Donnie shoved Casey back over to April, who then moved her closer to Donnie.

"Good ahead Red, go be with your boy." Casey told her, with conviction. April looked back up to him again, which once again he nodded to her to do it.

April then looked upon the turtle in front of her, standing before her with a deep, glowing smile on his face. She ran to him and almost leaped into his arms and spun around as he caught her, the two tightly hugged while the other turtles looked on, internally fist pumping and high threeing themselves knowing that after over a year's time, Donnie's wish finally came true, and all the jokes and gags they all played on him over the past year, they were thrilled to know that it all blew up in their face.

Donnie got the girl, now "his" girl. The one he worked so hard to comfort and be for. It was all worth it now.

The two's embrace couldn't have been any stronger, and neither wanted to let go of the other. While April smiled in Donnie's embrace, her head nestled on his chest, she felt Donnie lean his head towards her ear and he whispered something to her.

"Thank you April." She heard him say, she perked her head up to face him, yet still very close.

"Thank you Donnie." She responded back to him. "...for everything." She then felt his breath repeatedly, almost like he was laughing or snickering his breath.

"Only everything?" He responded back to her, April then stopped and looked up at him, with a bit of confusion.

"Well what's more than "everything"?" April asked him, not understanding what he was talking about. But a smile grew on Donnie's face.

He knew the answer to that. To him, it was more than everything, yet was only one word.

"...You."

April's eyes began to water almost upon his answer. She couldn't stop herself...she started crying in his arms, sobbing with joy. Her watchful protector, her savior...her hero...her boyfriend.

And now, she wasn't afraid to hide that anymore.

"Donnie." The cheer of her voice as she put her arms around his neck and pulled him in and kissed him. She didn't care who was looking at them at this point, even though there were a couple groans and chuckles behind them as Donnie reacted to the gesture. While he was a bit shocked by her reaction, it wasn't his past bug eyed jaw dropping O.M.G. reaction, now he managed to contain his emotions better. April never wanted this special moment to end, even when Mikey perked up.

"Dude! She's giving him VCR again!" Mikey pointed out. Raph elbowed him in the chest to get his attention.

"No...she's kissing him Mikey." Raph corrected him.

"Oooh..." Mikey cooed, until he let it sink in. "OH! BLAH!" Making fake barf sounds, getting a laugh from all in the room. Even April who chuckled enough it made her stop, which caused Donnie to smile too. April looked up and Donatello's gleaming eyes, although she could still feel some pain in them from everything that had happened, eventually this moment would fade and he would be hit forcefully with the reality that occured tonight, but she was happy to help soften his blow. And more importantly, that he wasn't alone anymore. April buried herself back into his plaston which the two rocked slightly back and forth to their own rhythm.

As the boys continued to look on, Raph saw the look on Casey's face, a mixed plether of feelings. Raph slapped his friend on the back get his attention.

"You gonna be okay?" Raph called out next to him. Casey stared ahead to the two in front of him and an accepting nod soon followed.

"Yeah. I know April's where she should be." He told his friend, to which he was rewarded with a tight squeeze around his neck by Raphael's left arm.

"I'm proud of ya Jones." The turtle replied as they both looked on. Even though Raph could have cared less for romance, seeing Donnie with April...it made him feel good.

After a while, Leo got the guys to head out to attempt to clear their heads on the night at hand. Donnie and April told them to go on ahead and that they would be right behind them in a while. This left two together again in Donnie's room, still plenty dark. But they were close together to make their sight of each other meaningless. After the adrenaline of learning the truth about April's feeling for him had faded, the reality of what happened before began to set back in. And the hugs that April gave that were once of joy and happiness, became hugs of comfort and strength.

"Will you be okay Donnie?" April mumbled out just loud enough for him to hear, as the two continued to sway back and forth in their embrace.

"I will be..." He started. "But right now, I've got one last person to save." Donnie looked down to her, for it was April it was directed to, she grew a warm assuring smile to her cheeks as he continued. "Let's make that cure for your dad."

Donnie held her hand to lead her out, but...she held her ground. Not allowing him to leave just yet.

"Hold up." April stopped. "There's one last thing I need to do first."

She hurried over to the middle of the room and picked the candle that Donnie blew out in front of her and held in front of the turtle for him to take, which he did. April then reached in Donnie strap around his waist and pulled out one last match that he used to for his source of light in the room they were in. She soon after began to kneel down to the ground, but looked to her Donnie.

"Just so you'll always remember..." April told him just before striking the match on the surface to ignite the flame, then then stood up in front of the turtle and lit the candle he held in his hands.

"You're not alone Donnie. We'll always be here." She finished as the burning flame rested between the two of them glowing in the dark, emitting the light towards their faces. "I'll always be here..." She then kissed him on the lips again. "I'll always be your light Donatello."

The grin he showed her was a sight that paint a million pictures. The two of them together then lowered the candle down to the ground so it may rest in this room to burn to it's content. Then the two headed to the lab so Donnie could fulfill his final promise to save her father. And that he did, Donatello managed to treat her father of his mutation which allowed Donnie to finally free himself of all the roadblocks he felt that kept him from truly embracing the moment that occurred that faithful.

And from that moment on, at anytime Donnie began to doubt what he was able to do, no matter how impossible it may have seemed, he would now enter that room he once vowed never to enter again, now to take pride in what he would see within it.

That burning light and hope that candle represented which continued to shine bright, that if he, April, or anyone else had anything to do with it; their dreams would never be blown away and would continue to burn forever more. And along with that burning flame laid something that Donatello would also always remember...to remember his friend Timothy.

Behind the candle would bare a hand crafted cross, made from Donatello's own bo staff, engraved along the side bared a simple phrase that said "Goodbye my friend..." and across the side above it dawned a red mask that Donnie asked to have from Raphael, who greatfully understood and accepted. The red mask bared the resemblence of the one Timothy wore the night they met him, and he wanted to remember that part of the human he befriended; not the monster that was consumed by rage. Timothy deserved better than that, and Donatello made sure he would have better.

Donnie would remember this night forever, while he lost his friend Timothy, that terrible tragedy may have in fact made him a better turtle deep down. For it reminded him that there are things that go wrong in our lives and all hopes can seem lost, but as long as we remember the friends and family we keep close in our hearts.

Never...will we ever feel alone.

And he would always remember that thanks to the friends that surrounded him, and the friend he would always remember.

The Muta...

No. His real friend.

Timothy...

THE END