Chapter 28

April was dreaming that she and Donnie were cuddled up together on a sofa watching a movie and eating popcorn. She felt happy and safe in his arms and they were talking about nothing and laughing and smiling together. She asked him a question, but when he opened his mouth to answer, all that came out was a harsh buzzing noise.

She wrinkled up her face at the sound, "I'm sorry, but what did you say?"

He laughed softly at her, "I said..." But there was nothing but the buzzing sound again.

April realized she was dreaming and became vaguely aware of her actual surroundings. She was warm and comfy, comfier than she normally was on the boys couch. Whatever she was on, it smelled mildly of soft soap with the most subtle hint of oil, the way Donnie usually smelled. A small smile crossed her lips, but it was wicked away again when that buzzing noise picked up again.

Groggily, she squeaked one eye open and looked around for the source of the noise. She was in a small room, it was neat and tidy with shelves upon shelves of little Knickknacks lining the walls. This was Donnie's room. Why was she in Donnie's room?

Her thoughts were once again interrupted by the buzzing, but this time, April grabbed out at the noise before it could cut out again. She held her own phone in her hand, she had snatched it up off a little table next to the bed and forced her eyes to focus on the screen. The clock said 10:37, so she hadn't been sleeping for long, but she had six missed calls and a hand full of missed texts.

She opened the messages first and they were all from her aunt. As she scrolled down, the tone of them got more and more urgent.

Don't forget that you have school today.

Where are you?

You had better call me as soon as you get this.

April, I'm not messing around, call me.

April blanched, she had completely forgotten that they were supposed to start school again today, and right now, she and Holly were officially ditching their 3rd period. She pulled up her aunts phone number and connected the call.

It only rang once before her aunt answered. "Where the hell are you? I've been worried sick!"

"I'm so sorry, Holly and I stayed up too late and overslept." April

"I tried calling her too and she didn't answer either. My god April, you were home when I went to bed. I thought you'd been kidnapped or something, Why did you go out so late on a school night?"

"I don't know. Holly was upset and I thought it would be nice to keep her company." April winced. She felt bad both lying to her aunt and throwing Holly under the bus, but she couldn't exactly say where she really was.

"I don't care! Get you butt to school and go straight home once you'rr done. You are grounded for the next week." Her aunt said firmly.

"Ok, I really am sorry." April said with genuine remorse.

April heard her aunt sigh into the receiver. "I know, but your still grounded." The line went dead and April took a moment to let herself wake up. She swung her legs down to the floor and rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

She pushed herself up and walked out of Donnie's room into the living room where she found Donnie and Raph on the couches. Donnie's had fallen asleep in a sitting position, his chin had drooped to his chest and he was breathing deeply. She almost didn't want to wake him, but she didn't think he was particularly comfy.

Very quietly, she walked over to him and shook his arm as she whispered his name. He roused slowly, lifting his head and trying to focus his deep brown eyes on hers.

"Oh, hey." He managed before yawning wide and stretching out. "I thought I was dreaming for a moment there."

"Nope, I thought I'd let you have your bed back, Holly and I have to go."

"What? Why?" He sounded glum.

"We forgot that school started up again this morning and I just got yelled at by my aunt." She grimaced at the thought of making her aunt worry. "I'm going to go and wake Holly, and we'll slip out without waking everyone else up."

Donnie rose from the sofa and stretched out his neck and back, he followed April over to Raphs door and let her go in alone. Holly was laying awkwardly on her stomach with one arm under her head and the other hanging off the bed. She wasn't a graceful sleeper and was snoring softly into the crook of her arm, and her hair was a wild tangle that fell all over her face. April silently chuckled to herself before gripping Holly by the shoulders and gently shaking her awake too.

"Wake up, we have to go." April cooed.

"No." Holly mumbled into the pillow, she squeezed her eyes shut and buried her face.

"We have to. We were supposed to be at school almost 4 hours ago."

Holly sat bolt upright, suddenly wide awake. "We were supposed to be where?"

"School. It's Monday." April said with a worried glance.

"Oh god." Panic washed through Holly like a tidal wave and she flung the blankets off herself where they washed over Aprils' head covering her completely.

"Hey!" April said, struggling to free herself from the tangle of covers.

Holly burst through the door and practically ran into Donatello. She mumbled a strangled apology as she scurried to gather her belongings.

"What the heck?" Donnie asked April when she joined him at the door.

"I'm not sure." They watched Holly as she ran around the lair, feet pattering against the stone floor, muttering to herself the whole time.

As Holly clattered around the lair, Raph stirred on the couch. He heaved himself up into a sitting position and let his comic slide, forgotten, onto the floor. He blinked blearily at April and Donnie, "Why am I awake?"

"Because we have to leave." April replied softly, knowing all too well how grumpy Raph could be in the morning.

"So? You don't need to be babysat." He grumbled. Holly ran past him clutching her now clean jeans, hunting down her other shoe. "What's her problem?"

April and Donnie both shrugged.

"To be honest," Holly said hurriedly while putting on her pants under the yukata. "I would rather face those purple morons and the giant dog again, than face my mother if she found out I missed school."

"They probably already called her you know." April said, "They called my aunt, and she spent most of the morning trying to call us."

"Yes, I know, but if they cant get a hold of her they'll call our neighbors. Then then will go to my apartment and see the mess from last night. I'll never be able to explain that away." Holly, now as close to presentable as she could be, stood and headed for the door.

"Whatever. I'm going back to my actual bed, and if you need me, you'd better hope I'm at least two cups of coffee into the day." Raph stood stretching.

"Thanks for the support." Holly rolled her eyes. "April, I'll see you later. I have to go home now and pray its not too late." She waved to everyone as she jumped the turnstile and took off running, footsteps reverberating off the sewer walls as she went.

"Well, that was weird." April said clapping her hands together, "I guess I had better go too, I already know I'm going to be grounded when I get home today."

"I'm really sorry April." Donnie said looking sheepish.

"Don't be, it was my fault anyway." April shrugged and stretched up to plant a kiss on the tall turtles cheek. "Later guys."

Raph waved over his shoulder as he walked towards his bedroom and disappears behind the door.

"Text me later, and if you want I'll come visit you.". Donnie said softly.

"I will, if I'm not in too much trouble." She winked at him as she slipped on her shoes and made her way to school.

She didn't walk quickly. If she was already in trouble, there wasn't much point in rushing to school, especially when she didn't have any of her books with her. Instead, April decided to hit up the diner and have some breakfast. The world seemed so calm in the bright light of day. The majority of people out at this time were stay-at-home moms and college kids who were between classes. It was a funny feeling, knowing that she was one of only two people who knew what was lurking in the shadows of this city. knowing that somewhere out there was some sick-o who was playing God by manipulating innocent creatures' DNA. The worst thing was that whomever it was, could have her father in their clutches.

April sighed into her pancakes, she had just managed to ruin her own appetite. She stood, dropped some cash onto the table, and started walking to school. Her classes were as dull as she had expected, the teachers weren't pleased that she didn't have any of her books or stationery, and she had to track down the teachers who's classes she had missed to find out if there had been any homework. All in all, not the best start to the semester.

As April walked through the door to her aunts apartment, she realized that Holly hadn't shown up at school that day, and April was starting to worry. She pulled out her phone, no messages.

'Hey, is everything ok?' She sent, not really expecting a reply.

While April waited for her aunt to return home she showered, did what little homework she had, tidied up the apartment, baked cookies, and started getting dinner ready.

"April?" A hesitant question came through the apartment.

"Don't worry, I'm here." April had to chuckle, her aunt knew her too well.

"Good. Something smells delightful." Karen O'Neil walked into the kitchen and bent over the stove. "Since when do you know how to cook?"

April shrugged, "Holly taught me."

Karen pursed her lips and put her hands atop her voluptuous hips. "I was going to say she's a bad influence on you. But if she can teach you to clean your room too I might change my mind."

"Please don't be mad at her. Her mom is away from home a lot, and it was my idea to go see her." April pleaded.

"I'm still not happy." She said, but her face had relaxed a little.

"I know, that's why I thought I'd do some of the cleaning and cook." April gave her aunt the biggest, cheesiest grin she could muster.

"You're still grounded."

"Oh alright. April slid a plate of chocolate chip cookies across the table. "Here, have a cookie."

"Well, now your just trying to bribe me." Karen took one, and the subject of April missing school was dropped for the remainder of the evening.

As April was getting ready for bed, there came a soft knocking on her window and she didn't even have to look to know who it was. She grabbed an oversized sweater and threw it over her head before letting Donnie climb into her bedroom.

"Hey!" he gave her his big gapped-tooth grin. "I hope I'm not bothering you."

"No, I was just going to do some reading before I turned in for the night." April grinned back at him nervously.

"Oh, what are you reading?" He asked.

"Steinbeck. I'm surprised I'm actually enjoying some of his work." She sat in her bed and dug out her copy of his book. "Personally I think his short stories are some of his best work."

"Have you read 'East of Eden' yet?" Donnie asked, eyeing up the back cover. April shook her head. "That is, by far, his best work, I think you'll enjoy it." Donnie handed the book back to April.

"I didn't think fiction was your thing." She said.

"Oh yeah." He nodded enthusiastically, "I used to have a lot of spare time, so I read tons of books while the others played video games."

She smiled at him and put her book on the side table. They sat for a moment in silence, neither quite sure what to say to the other.

Donatello broke the silence firts. "I hope you didn't get into too much trouble because of last night."

"Nah. Well, I am grounded, but I was expecting that." She shrugged at him.

"Good." He went wide-eyed, "I mean that you not in trouble, not that your grounded, that sucks."

"I know what you meant." April shoved Donnie playfully, and he chuckled back at her. "Oh, I forgot, have you heard from Holly at all? She never did show up at school."

Donnie frowned "No, as far as I know, she hasn't contacted any of us."

"It's probably fine. If I don't see her tomorrow, then I'll start to worry."

"I'll let Raph know too," Donnie yawned and stretched, "I'm sure he's worried as well."

April just nodded, she doubted anything was wrong. Although, Fong had broken into Hollys home and chased her halfway across Manhattan.

April looked up to see Donnie watching her, "What?" she asked him.

"Oh," He shook his head slightly "It's nothing." She gave him a disbelieving look. "Really. But I had probably better go."

"Do you have to?" She stuck her lower lip out, "It's not often we get to hang out together."

Donatello narrowed his eyes at her, "Am I going to get you into more trouble?"

"Only if you get caught. But you would probably be in more trouble since your not supposed to exist." She shrugged.

"Yeah." Donnie said "That would be awkward."

April giggled at the thought. "Karen would probably faint."

"It wouldn't be the first time." Donnie said sadly.

"I didn't." April reminded him.

"I know. Why didn't you?"

"I don't know. I needed help, and you guys came to my rescue without question."

Donatello was touched, most people turned and ran as soon as they saw him and his brothers. But this one girl had known they weren't a threat, and had embraced them and made them feel like they might actually belong in this world. He couldn't take it anymore, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.

April was stunned, but she relaxed into Donnie's strong arms and let herself have a selfish moment of happiness. After he let go, she turned and propped her pillows against the headboard of her bed, she threw her legs up and beckoned him to sit with her.

Donnie felt a little awkward, it was weird being in Aprils room. But he did as she asked and sat beside her. Her room was warm and bright, even at night, compared to the sewers, and it smelled clean and fresh. April cuddled up next to him and grabbed her book off of the nightstand. She flipped it open and started reading some of the short stories she was assigned. Donnie followed along with her,and would answer any questions she had, but after an hour or so, he felt his eyes closing. He felt the warmth of her body pressed against his, and for once he was in blessed silence. There was no Mikey and Raph yelling at each other, and no Leo banging on his door telling him he needed to train for hours at a time.

April looked up to find Donnie sleeping. She knew she should wake him, but he looked so relaxed for once. She would read for another twenty minutes, and then she'd wake him up.

April cracked her eyes open to discover she had a sore neck. Her book had fallen to the floor and her arm was laying over Donnie's plastron. She sat up, rubbed her neck, and looked around for her clock. It read 4:32 a.m.

April gasped, "Donnie, wake up!" She hissed.

"Wassit?" He mumbled groggily as he slowly sat up.

"It's really late. Or early, depending on how you look at it." She rolled off her ben and scurried over to the door. She cracked it open just enough to peek out, but the apartment was silent and dark. "I can't believe I fell asleep. We're so lucky my aunt didn't come in here to check on me."

"That's true. But, I'm glad I got to stay with you tonight." Donatello said softly.

April felt her cheeks flush. It had been nice falling asleep in his arms. "Me too." She padded across her room as he grabbed his Bo staff and met her by the window. He opened the window and whispered"I'll see you later." She stretched up and kissed him softly. Donnie wrapped an arm around her waste and brushed his finger against the soft skin of her back. April felt goosebumps raise up across her arms.

"I'll call you later." He said as he swooped out of her window and up to the roof.

April stood by her window watching the lanky turtle hurtle across the rooftops until he was out of sight before turning back to her bed. She picked up her book and set it on the night stand before shrugging off her sweater and snuggling under the covers. She could still get an hour or so of sleep before she had to get up for school. As she started drifting off once again, she let a smile creep onto her face. Tonight had been wonderful, and she looked forward to more like it in the future.

Donatello slowed his pace as he reached the entrance to the lair. He'd had an enormous grin across his face the whole way home, until he started actually thinking about what April had said to him. He wasn't mad, she had just told the truth, but it did hit home harder than she had probably intended.

He wasn't supposed to exist. Those were her exact words, and technically, she was right. But what did that mean for them? April was in high school for now, but would she still like him when she was in college, or even after that? What about just visiting them at all. As far as he could tell, there would probably not be a place for him and his brothers on the surface any time in the near future, and he didn't want to hold her back from a life among normal people.

He trudged through the sewers back to the lair in silence, and by the time he was back home it was nearly 5:30 a.m. and he was thoroughly depressed. Everything seemed quiet at home. He assumed everyone was asleep, although he would have thought someone would care enough to worry about him. Donnie stood looking at his home in silence for a moment before the shuffling of feet snapped him back to reality.

Raphael lumbered out of the kitchen, a glass of water in hand, and headed back to his room. He stopped in his tracks when he saw his little brother staring at him. "You were out late. Did we have fun?" He smirked as Donatello started twitching nervously. "Oh relax, I don't really care."

"Gee, thanks." Donnie said sarcastically.

"Don't get your shell in a twist, I didn't mean it like that." Raph shot back.

"Well, I'm not in the mood for your brand of grouchy today, so if you'll excuse me..." Donnie turned to stalk off to his bedroom.

"Hey wait a minute. What's your problem?" Raph was getting annoyed, Donnie usually wasn't this rude to anyone.

"Nothing is the problem, I just want to be alone for a while."

"Well fine, see if I try being nice to you again." Raph stomped off towards his room, muttering all the way.

Donatello sighed, now he felt bad. For once he was being the jerk when Raph was attempting his version of 'nice'.

"You two have more in common than you think." Mester splinter emerged from the shadows and stood behind the lanky turtle.

"I shouldn't have snapped at him, but he's always such an ass."

"Raphael is a little rough around the edges, but he does care about you and your brothers, and your happiness." Donatello didn't answer, what was there to say. "Try to understand that he shares your worries, even if he doesn't know how to express himself very well."

Donnie thought for a moment, then groaned. "I completely forgot to ask him if he's heard from Holly. April said she hasn't seen or heard from her all day."

Splinter thought for a moment, "I do not believe she is in any danger. It's late and there's wouldn't be much you could do for her right now anyway. Get some sleep and you and Raphael can discuss it tomorrow."

"Hai, father." Donnie turned to go to bed again, but paused for a moment after realizing something. "Master, why are you up so late?"

Splinter smiled at his son, "No matter how well I have trained you boys, I worry when you are out late. I always wait up for all of you to come home safely."

Splinter turned and left to finally get some sleep while Donatello walked to his own room feeling cheerful again. Donnie lay down in his own bed, he never realized how big and empty it felt. He stared up at the ceiling for a while, reminiscing on the evening, and wishing he could have stayed with April all night.

Just as his eyes began to close, Donnie's phone buzzed across his little side table. He creaked open one eye and threw a heavy arm over to grab his phone. He activated the screen and saw a text message from April.

Tonight was nice, thank you for coming to see me.

He replied with a simple, it was my pleasure, before replacing his phone and drifting off to sleep with a grin plastered across his face