Author's note: Well, whaddaya know? I finally updated. 'Bout time, eh? Not really sure how I feel about this chapter yet, so I'm looking for you all to tell me what you think. (falls down on knees, clasps hands together and begs "Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeease! It's been so long since I've posted I've been dying for reviews!") (ok, freak-out over: mental stability has returned...sort of...)

So ...yeah, that's about it. Oh, yeah, this is what I hope to be the second to last chapter, which means, yes, next chapter will be the last. YIPPEE! I don't know if that excites you guys (c'mon In know you're all squealing with joy out there :-) but I can't wait to get this lil baby out of the way. I got big plans for the next Aaron story, but don't expect anything to happen soon. Besides I gotta finish out "I Heart NY" (readers? readers?) (Ok, I'll quit my lowly begging)

Disclaimer: The TMNT do not belong to me, myself, or I

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"Alright, where is he?" April yelled, storming through the entrance of the lair. She stomped over to the little party on the couch and glared furiously, arms akimbo.

Don, Mike, and Raph exchanged nervous glances.

"Hey, April aren't you supposed to be-" Raph started to question but was cut off by April.

"Casey Jones! There are squirrels and pigeons IN my apartment!"

"What? There's a squirrel in your apartment?" Casey asked confusedly.

"And pigeons!"

"How'd they get in there?"

April threw her hands in the air, "I was about to ask you the same question!"

Casey stared at her blankly and shrugged, looking to the guys for help.

"Casey, if you don't give me an explanation, so help me I'll-"

"Hey, Leo!" Casey exclaimed stopping April mid threat and diverting everyone's attention to the blue banded turtle who was shuffling quietly through the mouth of their home. "Where ya been?"

Leo stopped and gazed over at them, a sort of empty, confused expression on his face, before continuing on, climbing the stairs to the bedrooms and disappearing from sight without a word.

The group stared after him.

"Um," Mike spoke aloud softly, "if anyone else thought that was weird, please say 'aye'."

"Aye." the rest chorused.

"All opposed, please say- OW!" Mike cried out as Raph smacked him upside the head.

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Aaron lifted her head from her arms and glanced around the kitchen snuffling softly.

She sighed, slumping against the back of her chair; staring blankly down through the glass tabletop.

Glass.

The irony was killing her.

She sniffled and wiped her nose on her sleeve. Her hand was still throbbing, but the pain had receded and the monotonous consistency of the pounding allowed her to forget it was even there.

Her face felt dry and arid from the salty, now evaporated trails her tears had left.

She'd finished crying for some time after Leo had left. How long ago that was, she couldn't tell. She'd retreated into her mind and the timeless warp whole that came with it.

She was too exhausted to feel anymore, Completely drained of both emotion and physical energy, just empty.

Thoughts drifted in and out, none taking a hold.. That night replayed itself over and over in her head, but she no longer felt angry. Not at Leo, or her parents, her brother, or anyone. It was strange, but at the same time rather peaceful, and Aaron liked that.

Her eyes drifted back to the cups of cold green tea sitting on the table before her, bringing back the night again. But this time she spied the second cup and was reminded of something else. Leo...

She'd messed up. Big time. There was no going back.

Leo knew. He'd seen her. There was no way she could face him again. Not after the way he'd looked at her when he'd figured it all out, when he'd seen what she'd been about to do...

She squeezed her eyes tight as a pang went through her. Something of guilt, disappointment and other emotions swirling around. She tried to suppress it, wishing it'd leave her alone, like the rest of her feelings. Life felt nicer without them.

And then he'd left her...

That was what you get for trusting other people with you problems, she supposed.

Although, the screaming at him probably didn't help...

She had to smile a bit at that; betting she could have driven a horde of angry villagers away with just her temper. At least then it would be good for something.

The emptiness settled in again. Aaron's eyes began to droop and she sighed contentedly. Exhaustion began to overtake her.

Deciding she'd much rather spend the night in her own bed then at the kitchen table, she pushed herself up out of her chair and dragged herself back and forth from the table to sink, dumping the tea into the sink and watching it slosh down the drain. She spotted the bottle cap on the counter.

She sighed and picked it up, opening the garbage can with her foot.

Should she hide it under the trash again or just let it fall as it pleased and explain it all to her parents?

Biting her lip, she let fate fall to the cap itself and breathed out in relief as it fell between the cracks of potato chip bags and paper towels to the bottom, never to be seen again.

That was that.

Then she realized the floor was still wet. The smell of liquor had diffused into the air. She couldn't help that, but she wet a wad of paper towels and bent down to mop up what was left of the mess.

Sighing for the umpteenth time that night, she straightened her legs and threw the paper towels into the garbage with the other criminal evidence and with the rest of her strength she forced her legs to climb the stairs to her room and threw on her pajamas. She slipped into bed, between her covers, shut her eyes and fell asleep instantly.

Anything worth dealing with could wait till morning. When she her emotions had attached themselves back to her like Peter Pan's mischievous shadow. And though they wouldn't have to be sewn on, she had a feeling it was going to hurt.

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"I think someone should go check on him," April said softly.

They were all just settling back into their previous mindsets, before the strange entrance of the eldest had occurred. She looked around. Four pairs of eyes looked expectantly back at her.

"What?" she asked.

"You volunteered," Mike said blankly.

"No I didn't."

"Yes, you did," Don agreed, "You suggested it, therefore you volunteered."

She gave Donnie a hard glare. He always agreed with her.

Raph cut in as Donnie shrugged helplessly a her.

"Yeah, Don should know. Any crazy experiments he comes up with he knows he's got to do himself."

"But this isn't an experiment," she protested, "This is your brother!"

Blank expressions still surrounded her.

"Aghh! Fine!" she stalked away and up the stairs, stopping when she reached Leo's room.

She peered around the doorway. He was bustling about, in a frenzy.

"Hey, Leo," April announced herself softly, "You okay?"

He took no notice of her and flung open the drawer on his nightstand , grabbed a pack of matches and slammed the drawer shut.

April cringed at the loud crack! the sound made

"Leo?"

He kicked a flat straw mat to the center of the room and grabbed a candle off his dresser with his other hand.

"Leo!" she said with a little more force. Wondering if he was ignoring her or truly hadn't heard her.

He jumped and whirled around, candle and matches falling from his green hands and rolling onto the hard, concrete floor.

He hadn't heard.

"April, Hi, what're you doing here? I thought you were gone this weekend." He said and throwing on a forced a smile.

"Are you okay?" she asked now that she had his full attention.

"Sure,yeah,everything'sfine!" He said a little too quickly with a little too much enthusiasm.

"You sure?" She asked, stepping into his room and going to sit on his bed, "Cause you know, you seem a little...", she trailed off.

"No really, everything's fine. Just dandy in fact," He tried to reassure her.

"Dandy?" April raised her eyebrows questioningly, "Since when do you use the word 'dandy'?"

Leo shrugged helplessly.

April sighed, "Leo, you walked in here tonight, didn't even say hello, headed straight to your room, now I come up here and find you running around knocking your furniture unconscious in an attempt to light a candle."

"I'm just trying to meditate," he said defensively. He stooped down to pick up the candle and pack of matches.

April rolled her eyes, "Leo, I know you, of all people, love to meditate, but I can tell something's up; what is it?"

Leo set his mouth in a grim line and looked at her.

"I'm a woman, I have a special sense about these things," she gave him a small encouraging smile.

"I-uh, " he stopped to run a hand over the back off his neck, "I went by Aaron's house tonight and I caught her..."

"Who?"

"Aaron."

"Who's Aaron?"

"Friend of ours: girl." He stopped again and sighed, "Look, it's a long story April, and it's no big thing I want to bring you into-"

"Leo," April stopped him sternly, "I have the Central Park Zoo at my apartment, I'm in no hurry to get back there so you can settle yourself down and get used to the fact that I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what's going on."

Leo folded his arms and scowled to himself. She folded her arms as well, matching his frown with a raised eyebrow and waiting smile.

Finally he sighed and gave in.

"Alright, alright."

"Good," She grinned putting her arms down and patting the space on the bed beside her, "Cause I'm betting I'll be spending the night here tonight and the only thing keeping me from killing Casey is my curiosity."

"Wait, what was that comment about the zoo?"

"No stalling!" April reprimanded him, "Tell."

He sighed and began the long explanation.

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"She was going to get herself drunk, April! Drunk!" Leo paced the room.

He'd long since gotten up from their talk and began to wear out the concrete as he aimlessly roamed the room while talking. He continually waved his arms in the air, using large hand gestures. Almost forgetting April was there with him while he talked out the end of the story to himself.

"I don't know what I'm supposed to do! I can't exactly go talk to her parents and tell them what she's going through, and I have no idea what to do until that happens and now I got to wonder what else she's doing if she'd resort to drinking and on top of that I-" he quickly stopped short of saying love her. But still blushed at his almost-mistake. That half of the problem he'd keep to himself for the time being. He shook his head and continued on with the next sentence.

"And I don't think I can face her till I figure out how to fix this!" He flopped down onto the bed, back next to April, gasping for air, exhausted from talking and pacing.

April nodded thoughtfully, letting the last of Leo's words sink in, before starting her starting rational conversation the perplexed terrapin.

"Leo, did it ever occur to you that you don't have to be the one to fix things?" She turned her head towards him. He blinked back, confused.

"Maybe," she proposed, "you don't always have to be the one in charge of sorting out every last problem, that you're not responsible for handling everything."

April watched as Leo's face darkened in consideration of this new thought. She continued.

"Maybe Aaron doesn't need you to make everything perfect, maybe she just needs to know you'll be there with her while she sets her life straight herself," April said, patting him motherly on the shell, "After all, she's your friend, right?"

That hit him right in the soft spot.

"Yeah," me muttered, "we're friends."

"Or are you?" she asked, eyeing him and lifting an eyebrow.

"Of course we are!" Leo sat up straighter in defense.

"So then maybe think about how best you can be one." April finished, standing up.

Leo nodded, still puzzling things over in his mind, things seemed clearer, but still a large jumbled mess, he didn't know how to get out of.

"But what do I do?" he looked up at her for help.

April shrugged.

"Give her a hug, talk to her, I don't know, just let her know you'll be there when she needs you, you know? But just don't wait too long before you talk to her," She advised walking towards his door, "It'll just make things harder. And who knows?" She paused and added hopefully, "maybe she'll even show up here for practice tomorrow."

"You think that'll really work?"

She smiled and shrugged once more, "Maybe."

With that April slipped out the door and down the hallway. Having contained herself and remained civil for long enough, she stormed down the hallway back to the couch where her baffoon of a house-sitter was waiting.

"CASEY JONES! YOU BROKE MY TOILET? YOU. ARE SO. DEAD!"

Leo couldn't help but smile. He'd debated leaving that small part out, but if he was going to spill the whole story, he was going to spill the whole story.

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A/N: OK, I've been going into review withdrawal, help me out here, guys...and gals

;-D