Disclaimer: I don't know much about Karai, other then what I've seen from the few episodes of the new show that I've been able to catch. So I apologize for any discrepancies in her character, and if this beginning it totally unbelievable.

A bit more mature material in this chapter- Nothing too graphic, of course. (See last chapter's disclaimer.)

Casey fans may be upset with me at the end of this chapter.

And as before, I only own the plot, everything else belongs to Mirage Studios, Eastman and Laird… Etc…

The light of the full moon made the city glow with an eerie, ethereal radiance.

In the tall and imposing building of the Foot Clan, everything was silent. Security cameras surveyed the hallways, but failed to take notice of a moving shadow that was making it's way slowly up the stairways of the tall building. In her penthouse suite, Karai turned over in her bed and sighed in her sleep, her hand lightly brushing the handle of the katana she always slept with.

She didn't hear her door open, greased to silence by a trained hand. Suddenly, a voice broke the silence.

"Hello, Karai."

The raven-haired ninja instantly awoke, rolled off of the bed and unsheathed her katana in the same motion. Holding the sword in a defense position in front of her, she clutched a sheet to her chest and scanned the room frantically. One of her balcony windows was open, and a slight breeze was causing the thin silk curtains to billow and ripple.

"Who is there? Show yourself!" Her head snapped to the left as she sensed movement, and her hand snaked out to detach a shuriken from her headboard and throw it quicker then thinking. With a few sparks and a metallic clang, the shuriken was deflected, and Leonardo stepped out of the shadows, sheathing his katana.

Karai visibly relaxed and lowered her katana. "Leonardo-san. What brings you here in the middle of the night?"

He did not say a word, and walked closer to her bed. She waited patiently as he approached.

He reached the foot of her bed and did not move further. "Leonardo-san?" She wrapped the sheet more firmly around her body and carefully crawled across the expanse of her bed to get closer to the stone-faced turtle.

His mouth moved, and he softly spoke. "I need…"

Karai frowned. "What? Leonardo-san…"

He leaned down and kissed her roughly. After her initial surprise, she melted into his kiss, and slowly put her arms around his neck.

He suddenly broke the kiss and looked fiercely into her eyes. "I need to forget, even for a little while." He whispered. She gazed into his eyes and saw a conflicted, confused soul. Oh, Leonardo-san… She nodded her assent, and he emotionally captured her mouth again and pushed her back onto the bedcovers.

The curtains billowed in the breeze, and no one heard their passionate cries, muffled by the sounds of the New York night.

It was past dawn when the phone rang, echoing in April's quiet apartment.

April groaned and turned over to reach for the phone at the side of her bed, only to find herself unable to turn over. Donatello's arm was locked around her midsection in a near death grip. He was holding her snuggly against his plastron, his face buried in her hair. Michaelangelo was spread-eagled across the rest of her bed, snoring lightly.

She squeaked in surprise. Okay… Not exactly the way I thought I was going to wake up this morning… Just don't panic, and everything will be just…

She tried to gently extract herself from Don's grasp, but he only murmured something unintelligible and held on to her tighter. She sighed in exasperation. Suddenly she heard a sort of deep rumbling noise in the air, and with a jolt realized that it was coming from Don. Is that… No, it couldn't be… He can PURR?

The phone rang again.

She turned her head toward his and whispered, "Don? Sweetie, I have to go answer the phone…" The phone rang as if to back up her claim, then the answering machine clicked on.

"Hey, April, it's Casey." Don stopped purring as the voice of Casey Jones filtered through the air. "Listen, I know that it's awful early and all, but I, uh, I got Raph over here, and uh, he's kinda plastered." A crash echoed in the background. "Aw, shit!" Casey hung up the phone.

April wasn't sure whether to be comforted or worried.

"Rmmph…" Donatello was slowly waking up. "A'pril?"

She twisted in his loosening grasp so she was somewhat face-to-face with the unmasked turtle. "Good morning, Donatello." She said in a pleasant, patient voice. Nothing will come of me yelling at him for hugging me in his sleep. It was an accident. "Sleep well?" He blinked at her, his sleep fogged brain still not comprehending where he was. Suddenly, his eyes bugged out and he completely let go of her, pushing himself away from her and off of the bed in his haste. He landed with a loud thud out of April's view.

"Donny? Donatello? Are you okay?" She sat up and peered over the edge of the bed. Donatello jumped up, sputtering.

"I, uh, yeah, um… yeah. Sorry about…" He gestured vaguely in the direction of the bed. April looked at him and noted that his cheeks were tinged several shades darker then normal. Her brow furrowed.

"Don, are you sure you're okay?"

"What? Oh. Yes. Uh, I'm good. Fine. Swell, even. I'm just gonna go, and uh… go." He staggered upright and left the room. April heard him banging into things as he made his way down the hall. I guess he isn't a morning person.

"Whash goin' on?" April turned around to see a sleepy-eyed Michaelangelo blinking owlishly in the early morning light.

She winced as she heard pots and pans banging in her kitchen. "I think that Don is trying to make breakfast."

"Oh, okay…" Mikey plopped back onto the pillows. April quietly waited for the news to sink in. She didn't have to wait long. In mere seconds Mikey sat bolt upright. "WHAT!"

She started giggling uncontrollably as he tried to disentangle himself from the sheets, desperately calling out to his brother. "NO DONNY! DON'T DO IT! THE FOOD DOESN'T DESERVE WHATEVER YOU'RE DOING! WAIT FOR ME!"

Finally free of the sheets, he sprinted out of the room, not even stopping to retrieve his mask, pads, or weapons.

Listening to the sounds of their exchange in the kitchen, she slowly stopped giggling and frowned thoughtfully. Waking up like that… felt… right.

She shivered and hugged her knees tight to her chest. No. He was merely looking for comfort after a traumatic experience, nothing more. It doesn't mean anything.

Then why do I wish it did?

April joined the turtles a few moments later, having exchanged her old flannel pajamas for jeans and a tee-shirt.

Donatello, who had retrieved his mask and pads, was fidgeting sullenly at the kitchen counter, spattered with flour, while Mikey, oblivious to the tension in the air, was cheerfully mixing pancake batter and cooking eggs.

"Hey! Hope you like your eggs sunny side up!"

She smiled at him and opened the refrigerator door. "Thanks Mikey. That'd be great."

She poured herself a glass of orange and joined Donatello at the counter. Neither said a word. After a moment, he opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by the phone ringing.

She gave him a rueful grin. "The phone beat you again, huh?"

He gave her a disbelieving look. Is she… could she… is she teasing me?

"I bet it's Casey again- he called a little while ago. I think he has Raph ."

April left the counter and made her way to the phone, but she was too slow and the answering machine picked up before she did.

Casey's voice exploded over the speaker. "April! April, look, I know you're there, pick up the phone. Goddamnit, where the hell IS everyone? I can't reach anyone at the lair, you're not pickin' up and Raph is passed out on the goddamn couch an' I don't know the fuck why! What the hell is goin' on!" He sounded panicked, which was a rare emotion in the world of Casey Jones.

April picked up the phone hastily. "Casey, what's the matter?" The answering machine continued to record, and the turtles could hear both sides of the conversation.

"April? Finally! Where th' hell have you been!"

She glanced at the clock. "Casey, it's barely seven. I was sleeping."

"Well you should have woken up when I called!" April raised an eyebrow and pursed her lips.

"Ca-sey… you're crossing the line between adult and whining 9-year-old again…" She said in a singsong voice. Mikey stuffed a pancake in his mouth to stifle his laughter.

Casey stayed silent for another moment before answering in a somewhat sarcastic and tired voice. "Sorry Ape. It's just that… whatever made Raph wanna' go out and get so shit-faced that he couldn't tell up from down makes ME kinda' on edge too, ya know?"

THAT comment made Mikey stop laughing. Both he and Donatello raced over to April and the phone.

"My God… Is he okay?" Said April, a worried expression on her face.

Casey blew out his breath. "Well, he's passed out on the couch right now, an' snoring t' raise the dead. He'll probably be fine, but this is AFTER he trashed my new goddamned TV, flailing about and ranting about secrets and lies and who th' hell knows what else!"

Mikey and Don looked worried. "Does he know, do you think?" asked Mikey.

"If he doesn't, I don't want to tell him. Odds are that if Raph was that drunk, he was probably slurring his words. I hope. I don't wanna have to explain what happened again…" Said Don.

April nodded sympathetically.

"Hey, who's that? Who's there with you?" Casey said accusingly.

April raised both eyebrows. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he sounded… jealous? "It's just Don and Mikey. They spent the night."

Casey didn't say a word.

"Casey?" April frowned. "Casey? You still there?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm here." He paused. "Why the hell are they there?" Mikey looked at Don and mouthed, 'Uh-oh.' Don nodded, his brow creased. April looked at them both wide eyed, frantically trying to think of an answer.

"April?"

Truth? She mouthed. Both turtles shook their heads. Great. She thought.

"They, uh, just needed a place to stay for the night."

"And they just automatically ran fer your place? I don't think that it's exactly a good idea that they're doin' that, April."

She scowled. "And Raph staying at your place is any different?"

"Well, yeah." Casey said. "I'm a guy, for one thing, and I can take whatever Raph could throw at me." She could practically feel the testosterone leaking out of his voice.

"They're not going to attack me! Jesus, you make it sound like they're animals! "

Casey lowered his voice and hissed furiously into the phone. "April, they are animals!"

April's eyes widened in shock and outrage. She quickly hit the stop button on the answering machine and the tape wound to a stop, but the damage had been done.

Donatello had a murderous expression on his face, and Mikey's mouth was gaping open in shock. After a moment of tense silence, Donatello walked stiff legged out of the room, quivering with rage.

Mikey shook his head to clear it and went after him, giving April a worried look before leaving the room.

Distractions gone, she returned to the phone conversation, fire in her eyes. She took a deep breath before tearing into the man on the other end of the phone line.

"How dare you! I can't fucking believe you! You're supposed to be their friend!"

"I am their friend!" Said Casey angrily. "Not just everyone would let Raph pass out on their couch, y' know."

"That's not the damn point, Casey!"

"Y' can't change what they are, April- They're animals, and nothin' you can say or do will fuckin' change that! You trust them too goddamned much! I'm just... I'm just tryin' t' look out fer you, that's all."

"Well do me a favor and stop doing it!" With that parting shot, April violently slammed the phone down. She then leaned against the wall, catching her breath. Just when things couldn't get any more complicated...

She heard a murmur of conversation in the kitchen, but it came to a sudden end as she appeared in the doorway. Donatello was pacing the kitchen floor and Michaelanglo was sitting at the kitchen table, poking at the remnants of his breakfast.

She pulled up a chair and sat down, exhausted. She put her arms on the table, then rested her head on them. After a moment, she spoke. "I… I don't think of you guys as animals."

Don and Mikey stared at her.

She raised her head and looked back. "I don't. I just wanted you to know." She sighed.

The only sound in the room was the ticking of the clock.

Finally, Michaelangelo spoke. "We knew that already. But thanks for telling us anyway."

She smiled weakly at him.

He smiled back, then got up to dump his dishes in the sink. "So, what's the plan now?"

Don stopped pacing. "We're going to go and get Raph back, then we're going to find Leo and go back to Splinter."

Mikey paused at the sink. "Oh, is THAT all?"

"Casey wouldn't do anything to Raph. He may think… less of him then he should, but I don't think that he would ever intentionally hurt him. At least wait until nightfall before you go all gung ho about this, Donny." Said April.

A muscle in Don's jaw twitched. "And just what do you want us to do in the meantime? It won't get dark for another 15 hours!"

"Movie-Marathon!"

Both April and Don turned their heads and stared at the Mikey, who was tying his mask on.

"What?" They said simultaneously.

"A movie marathon!" He insisted eagerly. "Come on, it will be fun! Besides, there's a lot of movies that I wanna see! Ape can go out and get them, then we can just stay here and eat pizza and watch movies! It will take our minds off everything for a little while, and it's a good way to kill time! Pul-leeeease!" He pouted and clasped his three-fingered hands in front of him, playfully begging.

Don and April shared a look, then burst into laughter, the tension in the room fading away.

"Alright Mikey, you win. I needed a day off anyway…" Mikey whooped and pumped his fist in the air.

"Yesss!" He then proceeded to waste no time in starting a list of things for April to procure. "We're gonna need 4, no, 5 movies… popcorn, Mike an' Ikes, Twizzlers… And chocolate!"

"Why do I feel like I'm going to regret this decision later?" Said April dryly.

"Of course you won't!" Said Mikey cheerfully. "We're gonna have fun! And the sooner you leave, the sooner you come back, and the sooner we can truly party!" He started ushering her towards the door.

"Do I get to take my coat and purse! Slow down, Mikey!"

Don appeared at her side as they reached the doorway, purse and coat in hand and gave her a small smile. "Y' know, I've always wanted to see Gattaca."

"Get Gattaca, got it." She laughed as two sets of hands eagerly pushed her out of the apartment. "Don't wreck my apartment while I'm gone!" she said warningly.

"Don't worry, we'll be careful!" The door slammed in her face, and she could faintly hear the sound of the turtles giving each other high fives.

She laughed again, then made her way to the elevator. Yes, this would be an interesting day indeed.

Well, this WAS going to be the last chapter, but it was getting long, and I didn't want to torture you guys too much. I swear, it has a mind of it's own! So, one more chapter, for real this time.

But don't quote me or anything.

And about Don purring... I remember reading about one the of the turtles purring in another fic, and I loved the idea. (CUTENESS!) Of course, I have no idea who's fic it was, 'cause I have a horrible memory... But if the whole purring idea was YOUR idea, I'm very sorry for stealing it. It was a good detail. Does anyone know if turtles CAN really purr? LOL!

And I saw Gattaca in bio class this pas year. I thought it was an interesting, slightly creepy and depressing movie. If you have a couple of hourse to kill, definitely go check it out!

Shout outs-

Reinbeauchaser: Thanks for the history lesson. : P It was very… informative. I must admit that I spent a whole five minutes doing research for the chapter in the first place… so I suppose I deserved it. LOL! And as for your second review… I think my ego grew about three times it's normal size with all that praise you gave: D Thanks so much! And I fixed the typo that you found. : P Thanks again, hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Pacphys: More praise! YAY! I'm so blessed to have readers like you guys… and it's doing absolute wonders for my self esteem! Hehe… I loved writing the Don/April/Mike scene. They kinda reminded me of lost puppies… Sigh… Slightly less furry, though.

Sunel: Well, it wasn't exactly updated right after I got back, I must admit that I got a bit sidetracked with another fic… It was a lot harder then I thought to write several fics simultaneously. LOL!

Lunar-Ninja- LOVED your line about the sheep. I'm still giggling!

FF Demon-Angel: Was this Don/April mush satisfactory?

The REAL Cheese Monkey: Thanks for leaving a review! I'm glad you're enjoying the fic!

Loolaa- Thanks for leaving a review here too! You rock!

ShadowFlame611- Hehe… I completely forgot about that message of Mikey's… Wow, I need to get organized better. Great how it fit in anyway, huh? Thanks for reviewing!

Dierdre: Well, better late then never, as I always say. And your reviews are always, always, ALWAYS fun to read, so it doesn't matter if they're late or not! I'm so touched that this fic has struck a chord with so many people… (I really liked the last chapter too!)

As always, don't forget to make my day and leave a review!