"Donatello, I can't run anymore!"

Donatello let go of April's wrist and looked back at her. She had been running behind him and looked absolutely exhausted. "April, we can't stop now!" She was already slowing, breathing hard. "Just a minute? Please?" Frustrated, Donatello stopped and turned to her, getting a surprised cry from her as he lifted the redhead up over his shoulder. "Huh? H-hey!" Ignoring her, the turtle turned to run, already seeing their pursuers catching up. "No time!" Donatello told her. "This is a matter of life and death!"

Speeding away from their chasers, Donatello made sure he had a firm grip of April's waist before leaping to a low-hanging tree bough. She gasped sharply and gripped the turtle by the shell. "D- Don! Be careful!" Jumping from tree to tree as quickly as he could, Donatello replied, "Careful? Careful's my middle name."

No sooner had the words left his mouth that his feet managed to land on a tree limb that wasn't quite as sturdy as the others. A loud crack! echoed through the woods and Donatello's hand unsuccessfully flailed to grab onto something. Realizing that they were definitely going to fall, Donatello shifted his grasp on April so that he could land on his shell without hurting her. A cry from her and a solid "Oof," from him sounded as they hit ground, dazed but unhurt.

"Thanks for the trip, Mr. Careful," April sarcastically remarked, looking down at the turtle she was now lying atop of. As she crawled off of him, Donatello sat halfway up and rubbed his head speculatively. "Sorry about that," he told her. "I guess I forgot to take into account the added weight from having you over my shoulder." Glaring at him, she exclaimed, "Are you calling me fat!" Surprised, Donatello put a hand up defensively and scooted away from her. "No! No, that's not what I meant at all!"

He was about to continue when he simultaneously noticed two things. One, April was about to crack a smile, showing she had only been joking. Secondly, a shadow fell over the two of them. Looking up, both of their eyes widened. Standing triumphantly before them with arms crossed over their chests, their pursuers stared down at them, smirks upon their faces. "This can't be good," Donatello commented.

"You bet," responded the dark-haired one. "Especially not since Little Miss Ninja there almost dislocated my hip when she tackled me." Scooting away from them and closer to Donatello, April murmured, "What, you can't take a joke?"

"A joke's a joke," growled the shorter one. "But when you're tryin' to drown a guy who's mindin' his own business, you can expect repercussions." This comment was directed towards Donatello, who shrugged in response. "What can I say," he replied sarcastically. "You were just a perfect target."

"Guys."

The four turned to look at the warning voice. Leonardo was standing a few yards away, watching the conflict, his katanas in hand. "Play nice," he told them. "Or I'll have to separate you. With these." Donatello couldn't help but grin as he stood, offering April a hand. "You heard him, boys. You don't want a time-out."

Irritated, Raphael stepped towards Donatello, fist drawn back. "You smart little-" Besides him, Casey Jones held him back. "Yo Raph, calm it. Leo's right." Pulling away from Casey as April made her way to her feet, Raphael seethed, "Yeah, yeah, I know Leo's right. Leo's always right. Let's see someone surprise attack him and toss him in a lake, and we'll see what he does."

"You're a turtle," April mused. "It's not like you don't know how to swim." At that, Casey responded, "Yeah, but I ain't a turtle. I'm practically limpin' because 'a you." Rubbing his hip absently, Casey suddenly grinned, "Maybe if you kiss it, it'll make it better." Donatello groaned at the comment, and April rolled her eyes. "It would only tempt me to hit you where it really hurts," she told him. Seeming to consider this, Casey responded, "But would you kiss that one to make it better, too?"

"Ew," April nearly shrieked. "That was bad, even for you." Turning away from Casey and the turtles, she heard Raphael begin to gripe again and throw vague threats at Donatello. "We were just fooling around, Raph," Donatello explained. "You'd be laughing your shell off if it had been Mikey in your place."

"Where is Mikey?" Raphael asked. "Usually you're the mature one when he's around. You act funny when you're with her." April glared at Raphael over her shoulder. Noting her response, Casey crooned, "Aw, looks like someone's getting defensive." Stepping towards her, he teased, "Maybe some wittle girl's got a wittle cwush on her turtle fwiend." He was stopped in his tracks by a short but sharp smack in the chest by Donatello's bo-staff. "Ow!"

"Not funny," Donatello stated coolly. Casey looked at him oddly, and Donatello felt nervous when he thought he felt everyone's eyes suddenly turn to him, mulling over his reaction. Maintaining his composure, Donatello added, "Why don't you and Raph go and release some of your energy and look for Mikey? It's getting dark soon, and we don't want him wandering around and getting himself in trouble." Raphael questioned, "What? In the middle of nowhere?" Leonardo stepped in and said, "Donatello's right. Like we've learned in the past, we can never be too careful. It'd probably be best to regroup before nightfall, this being our first time out here."

"Ease up, Leo," Casey said, rubbing his chest. "I thought April and I brought you guys on this campin' trip to relax. Mikey's a big boy; he can take care of himself." Donatello's eyes darted to look back at April, and he saw that she had wrapped her arms around herself at the mention of her name, her back still to the group. "Maybe," Leonardo answered, "but I'll be more relaxed once we get the group back together." In his usual cynical manner, Raphael added, "Yeah, and I'll be more relaxed once I kick someone in the head for this bum's attack on my dignity. And since Mikey ain't got nuthin' in his head that I could damage…."

"Raphael," Leonardo spoke warningly. With a grin, Casey tossed his arm around Raphael's shoulders. "Hey, no worries, Leo. I'll be there to make sure he doesn't hurt him too badly." Tiredly, Leonardo responded, "That's what I'm afraid of." With a deep sigh, Leonardo sheathed his katanas and told them, "Just go and find him. And I don't want to see any bruises on him when you get back." Rubbing his hands together in sadistic anticipation, Raphael commented, "Great. So hit him where you can't see, huh?" Being led away by Casey, Raphael turned his attention back to Donatello. "Don't think I'm gonna forget this, geek."

Waving his fingers goodbye as Casey and Raphael ambled off, Donatello called, "Toodles!" He laughed, but stopped when he saw that Leonardo was looking at him sternly. "What was all that about?" Looking away innocently Donatello replied, "Just, y'know… having fun." Crossing his arms over his chest, Leonardo told him, "Donny, your idea of fun is turning a vacuum cleaner into a hovercraft. I'd expect this kind of stuff from Mikey, not you."

A moment of silence passed before April said, "It's my fault, Leo." Leonardo looked at the girl who still hadn't turned to face him. "Casey was being even more of a jerk than usual, and Raphael wasn't helping. I was talking to Don about it, and we decided to mess with them. I forgot how badly Raph's temper can flare up." Leonardo didn't respond right away, making April wonder what was going through his mind. She knew that, though Donatello was the most intelligent, Leonardo was definitely the sharpest of the turtles, his observance rivaled only by Splinter himself. Could he see something there that the others didn't? Could he see something there that she didn't?

"I understand," he finally said. "Just remember, Raphael's still on edge from our final battle with Karai. We all are. You and Casey were kind enough to bring us camping to help calm us down, but Raphael won't calm after only a few hours." April nearly flinched at the way he emphasized "you and Casey." He paused for a moment once again, and she wondered if he managed to catch even that second of tension she exhibited. At length, Leonardo said, "I'll be back at the campsite with Master Splinter. Stay within earshot, okay?"

"Sure," Donatello said quietly. April nodded slowly, still not turning. Her eyes focused on a mossy log some yards ahead of her, and she wondered how much of an obvious dolt she was being by not even turning to face Leo. Perhaps it had been a bad idea to plan this trip in the first place.

After some time, April felt someone's presence besides her and turned to see Donatello looking up at her. "You okay?" Looking behind her, she saw that Leonardo was gone and nodded. "Are you sure?" Donatello persisted. "I mean, the fall… I want to make sure-" Looking back at him, she offered a small smile as she cut in. "I'm fine Don. Really. I just feel like a total moron, though. Raphael's going to plot some horrible revenge. We shouldn't have brought him into this."

"Hey," Donatello told her with a smirk, "it's not like he didn't deserve it, letting Casey talk to you like that without doing anything." Shrugging her shoulders, April wondered, "Maybe I just made a bigger deal out of it than I should have." A brief pause came over them before Donatello quietly posed, "Maybe… maybe you just… had some aggression of your own to work out. And that was the only way you could do it."

Uncrossing her arms, April walked over to the log she had been looking at. "Jeez, Don," she moaned jokingly. "You think I don't know that? Just because you're the logical one doesn't mean you have to be so… so… logical." Donatello laughed as he joined her as she sat down on the fallen tree limb. "Sure I do. That's my job."

They sat there, side by side, silent as each wondered what the other was thinking. In the back of their minds, they were both turning over the conversation they had had earlier that morning, at a rest stop to the camping site in upstate New York. April hadn't expected to cry. Donatello hadn't expected to hurt. This was just supposed to be another outing between the seven of them. It had happened often enough, and there was no reason to believe that this time would be any different.

Except that April knew better. When Casey had asked that dreadful question the week before, April's first inclination was to get Donatello alone and talk to him. This entire trip had been devised just so she could have that conversation that she had crudely started in the back of the van while waiting for the others to finish stretching their legs. What happened to her carefully-devised speech, her preparation, her levelness? Why had she broken down and cried?

Donatello should have known better. He knew how close April and Casey had gotten, and he knew that he should be happy for them. But it was so hard… remembering the times he spent with her and how peaceful she always managed to make him feel, how could he be happy? But then, if he were a good friend, that should have been his first instinct. Therein laid the problem. He was a good friend. And that was all he was. He had always known that, on some level, and allowed himself to accept it when April blurted out the details about Casey's proposal. But then… when she cried… when he saw… what? What was it that he saw, and why did it make him feel so miserable when another part of him told him it should have had the opposite effect?

The sky was slightly tinged with lavender as the sun began making its way to the west. Donatello looked up to the sky, experiencing a rare moment in which he took comfort from something that wasn't involved with a machine. He could begin to see a few stars, and remembered how looking up at a starlit sky always made him feel so small, so insignificant. Never mind that he's helped to save the world—heck, the entire dimension—on a number of occasions. Never mind that he was clever enough to have probably discovered a cure for cancer by now, had he the proper equipment and technology. No, things like that don't matter when you're a mutant. You still have to hide. No matter how many friends you may be lucky enough to have, you are still alone.

Disappointed that his comfort changed to something akin to desolation so quickly, Donatello put his hands to either side of him with the intent of leaning back. Instead, his right hand fell over April's left, and he couldn't help but look down at it. April was also taken by surprise. She had been lost in her own thoughts, and the sudden contact made her tense up, wondering what sort of words (or worse yet, emotions) would go with the touch.

Looking down, Donatello found himself looking at her ring finger. He tried to imagine what it would look like occupied by a modest ring from Casey. April hadn't given Casey an answer, had in fact claimed that the trip was an effort to help her think it over carefully, but still, Donatello was prepared to deal with the worst, despite their previous conversation.

"I won't wear the ring."

Those quiet words hit him like a punch to the stomach. Looking up at her, he asked, "What?" April looked away from him, not wanting to meet his eyes. "The engagement ring. When he gives it to me, I won't wear it. Not until… after…." Feeling his heart work its way up his throat, Donatello whispered, "So you're saying yes?" After a pause, she turned and looked him blankly in the eye. "What else can I say?" April choked.

Jaw slack, Donatello could do little more than gape at her for a while. He was going numb inside, and maybe that was for the best. Maybe the real reasoning behind his fascination for machines was that they never let emotion interfere with their functions. Maybe he should just dry up, become a machine. That was certainly what it seemed like he was doing. "You could say what you told me," he said vacantly. April's eyes widened at the suggestion. "Oh no! I can't do that, Don!" Suddenly feeling drained and weary, Donatello looked down. "No," he uttered. "I suppose you can't."

As he turned away, April felt crushed. What had she done? What had she said? Why did she ever bother to have that conversation with Donatello if she had been planning to marry someone else anyway? What had she hoped for? Did she believe that Donatello would try to persuade her otherwise? Of course he wouldn't; he would merely accept it as a fact of life. There was no real reason to believe otherwise.

She panicked for a moment, trying to figure out a way to ease the current strain in their conversation. After a while, Donatello broke the silence. "Do you love him?" April looked at him. He was staring down at the grass, oddly unemotional. "I do," she responded quietly. Donatello seemed to take this in, then slowly raised his head to look at her. "Then what's the problem," he asked with a sad smile. "He loves you, you love him. He's asked to marry you. Do what humans do when they love someone."

April could do little else but stare him in the eyes. As always, he spoke kindly and reasonably, but his eyes broke her heart. It was clear that, whatever had been left unsaid in the van on his part, Donatello was determined to leave it unsaid. Though April could guess that he felt the same way she did, she realized now that Donatello had never outwardly said it. And it suddenly dawned on her: he was sparing her. He was trying to make this easier for her by not actively encouraging anything. He didn't want her to hurt. As that thought became clear to her, April realized that he was right; she needed to do what humans do when they love someone.

Edging closer to him, she whispered, "All right." Surprise came over Donatello's face when he felt her warm hand reach up and rest on his cheek. Though his logic told him to pull away, he obeyed his visceral reaction and stayed in place as she leaned towards him. Her soft lips touched his, and Donatello felt his anxiety melt away as he closed his eyes and relaxed. Slowly, he allowed himself to kiss her back, realizing that he had been waiting for something like this his entire life.

April felt one of his strong arms move uncertainly around her waist, and she dimly grasped that this must have been his first kiss. A part of her wondered what she was doing, what would she do if Leonardo or even Casey came back and found them like this? She then became conscious of the fact that she almost wanted one of them to find them, almost wanted her actions to speak for her, since she most certainly didn't want to do it herself. She loved Casey,… but she loved Donatello, too. Her ambivalence disgusted her, and she knew that someone was going to hurt no matter what she chose to do from now on, but she needed to do this. Donatello was kind, intelligent, sacrificing… he deserved affection from someone, no matter how ill-fated it might be.

At length, they parted. April rested her head on Donatello's shoulder, her hand falling over his opposite shoulder in a loose embrace. Donatello wrapped his free arm around her, gently pulling her closer to him. Somehow, though he knew that there was going to be much pain involved in whatever happened next, he felt… complete. For the first time in his life, he knew what it felt like to be involved in something that was his own, and not just something he was doing for the good of others. Though Casey was his friend, Donatello felt good to finally be doing something selfish.

"Wicked."

Donatello lowered his eyes and looked at April's face. "Hm?" April had closed her eyes, and slowly opened them, not looking at Donatello. "It's like in the musical about the background of the Wicked Witch of the West," she explained quietly, "when the girl sleeps with her friend's fiancé, she tells him after their little duet, 'For the first time, I feel… wicked.'"

He remembered the song she was referring to. When April lived in the lair with them for a while, her collection of Broadway musicals played almost every day. "'And though there's no future for us as a pair,'" he said lowly, "'I know that I don't care.' …or something to that effect, right?" April laughed and looked up at him. Her green eyes seemed deeper in the coming sunset, and Donatello's small smile widened a bit. He loved her. And if he didn't, he had never come closer to love. "Close enough," she replied, smiling at his peaceful face.

Suddenly, from somewhere some distance away in the trees, came Michelangelo's loud, resentful voice. "Yeow! What'd you go 'n do that for!" Surprised, Donatello and April looked up towards the sound, and Donatello couldn't help but laugh. "Looks like Raph and Casey found Mikey." April's smile wavered a bit as she looked down. "Yes. They'll be heading back soon." A brief paused elapsed before Donatello commented, "We should probably head back, too." April made a sound of agreement.

Neither of them moved for a moment. Then Donatello gradually removed his arms from April's waist. She was surprised to see that she shivered at the absence of his touch, immediately cold. Straightening up, she felt he hand fall over hers once again and grasp it. "So let's go," he said softly. As April looked at him, she was surprised that he had quickly closed the distance between them and kissed her again. The quick peck was over even as she realized that it had happened.

Laughing quietly, they stood up and walked back to the campsite, hand-in-hand.