A/N: I apologize for the tardiness of this chapter. College hasn't been the kindest to me. Especially with my senior year.

Chapter 11

"Love and Rebounds"

Shadow was asleep in the guest room that Elara usually slept in by the time the guys came back. Raph, Mikey, Leo, and Casey walked into the lair. The four met up with Don to make sure April would be okay before deciding that there wasn't much that could be helped at this point.

Callista walked out of the kitchen and met her mate with a kiss. They embraced each other for a while before heading towards their room. Elara watched Callista, almost jealous of her friend. There was just something about the thought of having someone come home to you that made Elara want whatever it was that Callista had.

While April lay unconscious in the lab, Casey stayed by his wife as his daughter slept in Elara's room. Elara sat on the couch, thinking about spending the night there. She sat back as she read the latest issue of Scientific America. She didn't even realize that Donatello sat down next to her.

"Enjoying the article on the effect on snowflakes falling on water?" asked Don.

Elara placed the magazine down and looked up at Don. Her eyes were lightened by the sight of Don sitting next to her.

"Yes. It's interesting how a snowflake deposits a tiny amount of air just beneath the surface. Before the bubble reaches the surface and pops, it sends out a piercing sound which is far too high for humans to hear," said Elara.

Don nodded. His eyes had the lightness that they always seemed to have in his chocolate brown eyes however, his mood was darker than usual. He couldn't bring himself to look up at her, as he tried to figure out why he wasn't as worried about April which disturbed him greatly.

"What's wrong, Don?" asked Elara, noticing his lack of enthusiasm.

"I don't know. I guess I'm wondering about my feelings," said Don.

Elara looked up at the male turtle near her. She hoped and prayed that he would tell her what he felt was the same as she felt. She felt her heart race as she got closer to Don.

"What do you mean?" asked Elara.

"I had always loved April. I…I don't know. She's getting married to Casey soon and…Never mind," said Don, trying not to ruin what he had between him and Elara.

He cursed himself silently. He had said far too much and he knew it. He wished right then and there that he could have taken it back but he knew that he couldn't.

"Oh, I see. You're still in love with her," she said, convincingly hiding the sadness in her voice.

"Well, I umm…I can't lie that I don't because I umm…I'm going to shut up now," stuttered Don.

"No, please don't. I'm here to listen, Donatello. There's nothing wrong with admitting your feelings about how you feel about someone," said Elara, reaching over and taking his hand.

He's in love with this human and here I am comforting the one who's just torn my heart in two, thought Elara as she looked into Don's brown eyes. Although her heart was breaking, she couldn't help but notice how rough and callused his skin was against her smooth scaled hand, most likely from his years of working with the staff.

"No Elara, I care for her but I can't love her anymore. She never knew I existed and is now with Casey. So why should I sit around and wait for her to notice me when I know she won't? As I said, there's no point," said Don trying to save himself.

"So you're trying to move on?" asked Elara.

"Well, I guess you can say that," said Don.

"Now, the important question is have you?" asked Elara, trying to give him one last chance.

Don stopped. He wanted to answer her truthfully. He desperately wanted to say no, pull her into his arms and tell her that he had no feelings for April other than those of just friends but he couldn't bring himself to do that, not when he still had his feelings for April. Lying to her wasn't an option since he didn't want to feel like he used Elara as a rebound so that he could force himself to get over his one true crush.

Suddenly, he felt himself being slapped in the face, not physically but mentally. A rebound, the whole reason he secretly wanted Callista, to help himself get over April. Unlike his brother, Leonardo who wanted Callista for the real reason he felt people should want each other, he only wanted her as the rebound.

Guilt tugged at his heart stings. He couldn't do that to Elara. He couldn't use her as a rebound, nor did he want her to feel like that. He knew what he had to do, regardless of how much longer it took him to tell her that he loved her, even if it took more than their life times. He couldn't hurt her.

Don allowed himself to let go of Elara's hand. His heart thumped faster, as he lightly brushed against her soft hand. His eyes fell from her gold colored eyes. He couldn't look her in the eye for some reason, perhaps something else to consult his elder brother on. He let out a deep sigh, knowing how depressed he'd be in the morning.

"No," he said.

"Perhaps you will one day, Donatello," said Elara, again holding back her sadness as she looked away from him.

Her heart officially was broken and torn. Everything seemed to be going so well. At least, until this human named April, just happened to get hurt and show up. She couldn't hold it against April. She was sure there was much that she could offer Don that she couldn't the least of which was most likely the idea of a window to the human world, where Don really did belong.

"Perhaps I will, one day," said Don, fighting the urge to bring her lips up to his and kiss her.

An awkward silence came between the two. Neither of them knew what to say to the other. Both were heart broken. All that had seemed to come between them both, was now gone. Lost. The chance of love between them now seemed beyond lost.

"Well, I should let you rest. Did you want to take my room?" asked Don, trying to make some amends.

"No, that's alright Donatello. I'm fine out here," said Elara, keeping her mask of smiles up.

Don smiled at Elara as he stood, not wanting to make things any worse than they already were.

"Well, good night," said Don as he got to his feet.

"Good night, Donatello," said Elara, keeping her smile.

Elara watched Don leave, looking back a few times before disappearing into his room. She watched the door close before leaning back. Her mask lost, tears came to her eyes. Silently, she cried. Everything that she and Callista were sure about was no longer true. Perhaps Donatello doesn't love me like Callista and I suspected, thought Callista.

She turned on the TV for a while, trying to forget about what happened. She slowly stretched out on the couch and looked up at the TV. The remote was once again missing; which she concluded most likely Mikey's doing so changing the channel from where she lay was not an option. Mentally exhausted, she decided that she was too lazy to get off the couch to change the channel.

"Oh John! Oh Marsha!" the voices from the TV started saying.

Elara tried not to snicker, knowing at that point who the remote crook was. Splinter. She concluded that the channel had to be Soaps Network, Splinter's favorite channel. She sighed, feeling much lighter after having that little chuckle, before looking up at the TV. She saw the human couple embrace in a passionate kiss. Her mind wandered for a moment as she imagined her and Donatello in that same passionate embrace and kiss.

She imagined it as her paradise. No, their paradise. No one would be there to bother them. It would only be them. Their bodies pressed against each others', his strong arms, once again, protectively embracing her, while their lips danced a dance that they had never known.

She sighed again. If only it could happen. She slowly found herself drifting to sleep, still dreaming about the one turtle she that loved, Donatello.

Don went into his room, his heart broken. Slowly, he shut the door. He leaned against it and placed a hand over his heart. Never in his life did he feel such pain in his chest. The pain was horrible, to the point where he started to wonder if he would have a heart attack. He had never experienced such pain. Splinter had always said words can often hurt more than that of a tonfa blow and Don now knew, he wasn't kidding.

Ever so slowly, he made his way to his computer. Nothing seemed to ease the pain. He walked to his computer and turned on the monitor. He had to get his feelings into something. Don slowly sat in his computer chair and logged onto his internet blog.

Usually, his blog was used to house his various experiments and inventions on a scientific group which he had frequented. For once, however, he wouldn't be using that blog for his experiments or inventions. With lightening speed, he wrote out his feelings.

I screwed everything up. I really do feel like I do. Was it so wrong of me to not want to make the girl I have fallen in love with feel like she's a rebound? Is it really wrong that I didn't lie to her and tell her that I'm not over the girl who I had loved since I was 15? Maybe it was. Maybe I shouldn't have told her that I'm still getting over April…

It's rare that I've been wrong about such things, maybe this is why my older brother has the girlfriend and I don't although the two of us are intelligent. He's the tactful one when it comes to people, I'm the shy flirt. Admittedly, I've always been a lonely flirt. If only there was a way to correct what I had done.

Love isn't some experiment which when you mess up, you can start all over again from scratch. I will acknowledge that but now, I've messed up and I don't know how to go with it. What the heck do?

He sighed, putting his hands on his head and elbows on the desk, on either side of the keyboard. Although he typed for maybe thirty seconds, he felt like it was an eternity. Nothing could get him by, so he thought. He used his mouse to post before moving to his bed.

The let the soft glow of his various experiments and his computer monitor outlined an assortment of items in his room. His eyes made out a few of the shapes in the room until he saw the shape of what he thought was a pair of male and female turtles sharing an embrace, holding each other close.

"Elara," he whispered softly.

His heart fluttered at the thought of him and Elara embracing. Nothing seemed more like the idea of paradise than being able to have her in his arms. Even if he couldn't have Elara, he would be just as happy holding her in his arms every month or so. Nothing would be able to stop him from kissing her lightly on her lips, the soft, gentle lips that were only Elara's.

He sighed. He had no idea when he'd fully get over April but he would. He didn't care how long it took, he'd do it just for Elara if not for himself. He was determined. Nothing would stop him.

Don felt his eye slowly droop. He forced himself to stay awake a little longer to write himself a note, Talk to Leo about getting over April. It was a long shot but still worth a try. It wasn't long before he fell into a dreamless slumber.