A/N *Sigh* I still do not own TMNT, but who knows maybe Santa will come through this year?

Love or Blood

Chapter 5: Fireflies

April raced away from her green pursuer, her escape dimly lit by the twilight sky. She was unable to retain her laughter at his curses, but still managed to race him. The cool grass hugged her feet and tickled her toes. The occasional sticky debris clung to her soles and dyed her skin dark. The turtle behind her had sped up and April was losing ground quickly.

When he caught her – yes it was only a matter of time – April O'Neil was dead.

She knew she now faced her last moments on Earth. It was typical that she followed the procedure of reviewing every detail of her life before she met her maker. April was a sucker for stereotypes, but she knew it was more than her desire to fulfill all of media's mandatory clichés that led her down one particular lane of memory.

100 Metres

When she first laid eyes on him she thought he was a freak. He had that swagger about him that frankly made her want to punch him in the face. Although this was somewhat more of a "violent" approach than she usually took, April figured she would be justified. She was down to her last nerve and ready to spit fire onto this arrogant Neanderthal. Then he spoke and she saw red.

Hazardous hockey pucks were one thing; tutoring Casey Jones was another.

April hadn't even been asked by their teacher if she was willing to tutor the renegade athlete. So in her festering rage, she confronted said Trigonometry teacher. The teenage girl still wasn't sure how in the span of five minutes she had somehow lost her fury and been convinced that tutoring would benefit her just as much as Mr. Jones. Nonetheless, the moment she left the classroom, April knew she had been voluntold and there was no way out. It was now just her and Casey Jones.

90 Metres

Considering their rocky start, April was more than surprised to find herself feeling strangely towards the boy at the end of their first study session. Yes, she did have to get creative in order to divert his attention from the turtles – who at that time she considered the equivalent of Satan's minions – but there was no denying the feeling of warmth that slithered its way through her body whenever he was close. When Casey touched her she thought for sure she would combust on the spot.

She could not put her finger on the origin of this bewildering phenomenon. His dark hair was nice, but April had never been picky when it came to one's do. His physique, although toned, was nothing exceptional – especially when compared to the turtles' heightened musculature. It was a mystery. Yet, the more April sought the reason for her body's enigmatic fireflies, the more attractive he became.

First she thought maybe he was reminding her of a certain clever turtle. Casey did share Donatello's brown eyes and desperate need for an orthodontist, but April was quickly attuned to Casey's own unique traits. Maybe it was the gentle splattering of freckles across his cheek bones? Maybe it was his fearlessness? Maybe it was that same proud demeanor: once infuriating, now hopelessly alluring. However, none of that really mattered because April O'Neil knew without a doubt that several months ago, she had quickly fallen hard for Casey Jones.

For about a week.

Then came the beginnings of April's personalized melodrama. The more she lost interest in Casey, the more his affections grew. It wasn't that the vigilante was a bad guy. He was brave, loyal, and kind, but he was also immature and proud. April did appreciate confidence. However, there was a difference between having an attractive amount of self-esteem and being a pompous jerk face. Casey fell into the jerk face category.

80 Metres

After coming to the realization that April was not willing to accept Casey's "quirks," she knew all she wanted was to be friends. Sadly, the Friend Zone was not a place the jerk face willingly occupied. April supposed it might have been helpful if he could read her mind. Alas he could not, and consequently he had no idea that April no longer bore any intimate feelings for him. April swore that if she learned nothing else from this experience, she had to learn to communicate her feelings – or rather not cower beneath their might – when it came to the opposite sex.

She was sincerely ashamed for letting things get so out of hand. Both Donatello and Casey had deserved to be treated better. So when Casey appeared in her garden minutes after Raphael's departure, April was already on tenterhooks.

Her anxiety and the noon day sun had her sweating more than she deemed befitting of the group's token female, but despite her apprehension and sticky thighs, April knew she could procrastinate no longer. If Raphael could go and face his brother, April O'Neil could grow enough of a spine to confront Casey.

70 Metres

Too bad April could rival Raphael when it came to verbal eloquence.

Casey had not even spoken before the red-head blurted out, "I don't like you!"

April swore inwardly at her stupid remark while blaming her Kraang DNA, the sadistic gods of love triangles and their sinister sense of humour, and whoever or whatever else she could for her unrivalled tact. She had formed a semblance of a game plan as to how she would break the news to him, and starting with that introduction was not part of it. The vigilante looked down at her kneeling position in bewilderment, "What?"

The girl stood to face him with already reddened cheeks, "I mean I like you, but I don't like like you."

Casey wasn't about to make it easy, "Which means…?

She sighed, "I like you as a friend Casey."

"Just friends?"

She nodded, "Just friends."

60 Metres

He kicked the ground with the toe of his sneaker, "It's Don isn't it?"

April did not hesitate, "No it's not."

Casey raised his face in confusion, "Then there's no one?"

Now she was fidgeting with the bottom of her shirt, "No there's someone."

His eyes narrowed, "Who Red?"

She braced herself for the storm, "Raphael."

50 Metres

For a moment April thought Casey's eyebrows would shoot right off his face, "Raph? You like Raph? You've gotta be kidding me!"

April clenched her fists at the disapproving tone in his voice, "No I'm not Casey! I really do like Raph!"

He waved his hand in disbelief, "Let me get this straight. You like Raph, but you don't like me? Geez Red, what could he possibly got that I don't?"

Her already high temperature began to approach critical levels, "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Isn't it obvious? I could understand if you went with Donnie over me since he's obviously got the brains, but Raph is well Raph. We're like the same person Red! Expect he's a giant talking turtle!"

April snapped, "Since when has that mattered?"

Casey retorted, "Since you decided to go for the turtle version of me!"

Anger snaked down her arms, coiled around her neck, and clenched her gut, "What so you think I should be with you just because you're the human?"

Casey cried in exasperation, "Well yeah! Unless he has something better to offer like Don has. Otherwise why the hell would you date a mutant turtle when you have a better alternative?"

40 Metres

April O'Neil could not deny that there had been a time when she was nervous of the turtles. It was natural that she would initially be shocked at their appearance. When she began to realize that they were much more than mutated reptiles, April had made it her mission to learn as much as she could about them. She believed that bigotry arose from fear and fear arose from ignorance. So by understanding them she would eventually lose her fear. It also helped her cope with the guilt of treating them like freaks when she first laid eyes on them.

If the teenager before her had said these things months ago, April would have empathized with his perspective. However, after being declared a vital ally to the turtles for ages, April expected Casey to be a little more open-minded. Casey was also supposed to be Raphael's best friend and yet here he was dismissing the turtle merely because he was a mutant, "Do you have any idea how prejudiced you sound? I thought you were cool with the guys!"

"I am cool with them! They're awesome, but I can't understand why you would find them more attractive than your own species!"

The inferno inside her began rippling to the surface, "It's because it doesn't matter to me! I love them for who they are! Not what they are!"

"And you think I don't? I'm just saying look at the reality Red. You hook up with one and they can't go out in public with you. They can't go to school. Hell they can't even get a proper house. I mean their Lair's cool and all, but it's still in the sewer!"

The April forced herself to take a calming breath. She was desperately trying to keep from viciously clawing the idiot before her, "Are you sure you're really upset about him being a turtle? What if Raph was a human? Would that change things?"

"Except he's not. He's a giant talking turtle."

30 Metres

April hated to admit it, but Casey was right: coming to appreciate the turtles as friends was in a whole other realm of acceptance than developing an intimate relationship with one. The red-head was not naïve to this reality. Unbeknownst to Casey Jones, April O'Neil had been struggling with this concept for months ever since she began to seriously consider the implications involved in pursuing a relationship with Donatello. In fact, many of the cons to having such a bond with Donatello had secretly provided April with fuel to justify her procrastination. Deep down, she had believed it would never work simply because he was a turtle and she was a human.

But she had never loved Donatello.

They were far from being in a steady relationship, but April felt tremendously different when she thought of being with Raphael. Before she believed he may have return her feelings, April had also assumed that it would never work merely because of their species differences. The obstacles then had simply seemed too great and the sacrifices too painful. Now, they didn't seem nearly as ominous.

Of course April had plenty of dreams and aspirations that did not depend on her being romantically involved with someone. She had grown up watching her Dad lovingly raise her while maintaining a successful career. April didn't have all the details worked out, but she did know she wanted to go to university. There she intended to invest in her love of Mathematics and hopefully find a career that would nurture her passion. She wanted to travel. She wanted a family. She wanted a life forged by her own hand and for a long time, April believed that would be enough.

Then she became more aware of her feelings for Raphael, and April began to silently rewrite her future. She was not afraid to alter her path so that he could somehow weave into the tapestry of her life, and if she could not go over an obstacle, she would go around it. April did not see why she could not still achieve all her dreams and goals in life with him in it. After all, if they came to truly love each other, wouldn't things work or for themselves? Love was supposed to be this powerful impenetrable force, but April preferred to think of it more fluidly and less rigidly. It just took a little bit of faith.

Maybe she was being unrealistically optimistic, but that was how April had always approached life in the past. Things didn't always happen exactly how she wanted, but somehow when she looked back, she was still always given what she had needed. She just hadn't recognized it at the time. So that's why April didn't care if the ones she loved were turtles or humans or whatever. If it was meant to work it would work and if it wasn't, well she wouldn't fight it. April already had her hands full fighting aliens and ninjas so why would she fight anything else?

20 Metres

Unfortunately, these realizations had come after months of sleepless nights full of soul-searching, and April – with her magical way of words – struggled with putting such feelings into a simple digestible packet of information when she was calm. Right now she was tired and pissed, causing her to convey her profound feelings regarding love accordingly, "Oh geez really? I hadn't fucking noticed! Just pretend for a second you ass!"

Casey leaned back slightly at her outburst before regaining his swagger, "I just don't understand what you see in him and not in me."

"What you think he's a pompous hard-headed ass wipe like you?"

This time he stood his ground, "Well he certainly ain't no Romeo. He's moody, hot-headed, aggressive, and sarcastic. Gee what great boyfriend material that is!"

April glowered, "Wow and you're obviously not? Come on Casey you've been his friend for months now. You know Raph has a lot more going on than that!"

Casey finally seemed to calm down a notch as he glanced away, "Yeah I guess…"

She cringed at the hurt in his voice, "What's this really about Casey?"

He remained silent and returned to digging a hole to China with his foot. April tried again, "Maybe you're upset?"

He swung his head up to roll his eyes, "No you think? Not only am I being kicked to the curb, but the guy who's responsible is supposed to be my best friend!"

April found her rage smouldering under his grief from rejection, "Casey…"

She jumped when he yelled at her, "I DON'T NEED YOUR PITY!"

So she countered with equal animosity, "WELL EXCUSE ME FOR TRYING NOT TO MAKE YOU FEEL LIKE A PIECE OF CRAP!"

Casey returned fire, "WELL ITS WAY TO LATE FOR THAT RED!"

10 Metres

April no longer even attempted to filter her rage, "ONLY BECAUSE YOU'RE BEING A STUBBORN ASS!"

"WELL YOU'RE BEING A PRISSY PRINCESS!"

"JERK FACE!"

"HARPY HAG!"

"BARBARIAN!"

"NOODLE ARMS!"

"PINEAPPLE BREATH!"

"EVIL VIXEN!"

"JEALOUS TWAT!"

"I'M NOT JEALOUS!"

April smirked, "Oh yeah, and I'm the Queen of Pisa."

Casey raised his arms in denial, "I. AM. NOT. JEALOUS." He breathed heavily for a moment then spun on his heel, "Whatever, I don't need this. I'm outta here!"

April tried to burn holes at his retreating back with her eyes. She was slightly amazed that the garden did not start sizzling from her presence alone. Hell, just even thinking of Casey Jones made her want to burn him to a crisp! She did feel bad about swearing at him, but what he had said about Raphael was uncalled for. His words had been flung from the bowels of pain and they had met their mark. It was because April felt his pain with every syllable he spoke, that she inevitably lashed out at him.

It still didn't make what he said right, but she hadn't been right to let things get this out of hand in the first place.

0 Metres

April knew it was over when she felt his breath on her neck. Within nanoseconds, he had her by the arms and flung her to the ground. He then proceeded to sit on her, ensuring that his bulk was on her enough to trap and not crush. April supposed she should be thankful that at least her end would not come from the crushing blow of turtle ass, but gratitude did not come easily when one was winded. Her face was cushioned by fresh grass and she could tell by his shaking body that he was laughing. After she regained her breath she groaned, "Raphael let me up!"

April felt sick at the glee in his voice, "No chance O'Neil."

Apparently there would be no second chances. April could only look forward to the cruel fate – ok admittedly she was perversely enjoying the feeling of his ass on her back – that a certain turtle would take all too much pleasure in delivering. So she awaited her sentence with her face full of grass, a huge mutant reptile on her back, and a heart full of courage. Naturally she cried like a little girl, "RAPHAAAAEEEEL! PLEEEEAAASSSSEEE LET MEEEEEE GO!"

The turtle did not relax even a bit, "Stop whining. You knew this was coming."

April continued to beg, "The water wasn't that cold!"

He snorted, "Says the girl who wasn't dunked."

"Come on! You're heavy!"

His voice took on a new edge of dark mockery, "You saying I'm fat O'Neil?"

April snapped, "You're not the one with the giant turtle ass on your back!"

Raphael chuckled, "Wow someone's grumpy. What's up with you?"

April growled, "More like what's on me! Get off!"

She felt him adjust ever-so-slightly, "Tsk, tsk. You know that's no way to bribe your captor."

"I'm not bribing you to get off me!"

A warm shiver went straight to her core when his lips brushed her ear. The damp fabric from his mask's tails licked her neck, "You sure about that? I told you I wanted payback."

April found herself torn between frustration and lust at his current positioning, "Raph…"

She lost her voice when a blush of warmth bloomed from her neck from a brush of a kiss. April decided her butterflies from earlier had relocated from her gut to her neck. Their wings sent tingling waves of pleasure down her skin. Once again he murmured darkly in her ear, "Do you still want me to get off?"

April still held some resentment towards her body's betrayal at her bid for freedom and her voice carried unnecessary ice, "Hmph. Like you'd listen."

April felt her ribs expand as Raphael moved his weight off of her. She raised herself onto her forearms to see him sitting nearby by with his legs crossed and his arms folded. She looked at him in confusion, "Why'd you stop?"

Raphael penetrated her with his intense emerald eyes, "I listened."

The red-head cocked her head to the side, "Huh?"

He continued to stare at her solemnly, "If this is too much tell me. I would never do something without your consent."

Suddenly the pieces clicked together in April's brain. Raphael was eager for fun, but only if she was willing. She found herself gaping stupidly at the turtle wondering how a male teenager growing up on TV without any real female influences had somehow managed to understand what consent meant.

But on the other hand, maybe he was terrified she would freak out on him.

Undoubtedly, he was self-conscious about their physical differences. He had demonstrated that at the lake shore when he examined her leg. He stared at her limb as if he had never seen anything like it, which in a way, was true. Casey's words floated back to the surface to remind her that Raphael was a mutant turtle and April was a human. If she had been struggling for months to come to terms with the acceptance of what their union would bring, he had to be going through similar motions. Knowing Raphael, he had probably never even allowed himself to consider the full implications until now, but unlike April, he didn't have to deal with it alone.

Raphael was cynical and would automatically assume that all she saw when she looked at him was a mutant freak. Yes, April saw his green scaly skin, his yellow plastron, and his patterned carapace, but she also saw him. He was more than a turtle to her, just like her father was more than a human. She did not care that he was a mutant. All she cared about was that under his stony expression was a terrified Raphael convinced this was all a dream and at any second he would wake up to find her repulsed by him. April refused to let that fear control him.

She looked up into those bright green eyes, and scooted over to where he sat. His expression was still grim, but mercifully, his eyes softened slightly. She pulled herself into his lap, "You don't have to be scared Raphael."

For a second he was still, undoubtedly fighting his own inner turmoil. Finally he gently wrapped his arms around her and whispered into her hair, "I'm trying."

She frowned hearing the uncertainty in his voice. Then she pulled herself off of him to lay belly down on the grass before him. She spoke resolutely while looking forward, "Here get back on."

He did not move, "April…"

April only relaxed further into the ground, "Hey you said you would listen. So prove it again! Get back on."

The grass sighed as he rose. April sensed him hovering over her for a moment before he sunk back down into his earlier position. They sat in awkward silence for a moment before April decided the turtle needed another push, "To reiterate, I bet the water wasn't that cold."

Her heart soared in relief when Raphael took the bait. He leaned forward to whisper again into her ecstatic ear, "That's why I need you to warm me up."

She smiled into the grass, "I suppose that's a fair request."

He murmured, "I'm an easy guy to please."

She wiggled and he adjusted his weight so that April could look at his face, "Same here tough guy."

A tiny smile crept onto his face as he leaned down to kiss her. Their bellies briefly touched as he lowered himself onto his forearms to assume a pseudo push-up position. April utilized her advantage of not having to hold herself up by caressing his shoulders. The delightful strain in his arms triggered her butterflies – spawned from his divine ministrations at the lake – to undergo another metamorphosis transforming them into fireflies. Their soft glow danced through her body feeding on her bliss.

Raphael evidently appreciated the gesture by lightly nipping at her lip before further deepening his kiss. His kindness guided her to relocate her feet allowing their bare toes to begin their own ballet. After a hopelessly short eternity, April opened her eyes when he released her breath. It was almost completely dark now, and his reptilian eyes glimmered. She had once found the reflective sheen of an animal's eyes frightening, but now she felt grateful and secure that she could see his light even in the dead of night. He was still holding himself carefully above her and she whispered in concern, "Aren't you tired?"

Even in the dim light she saw his smirk, "Is nothing."

Then he repositioned one arm towards his center and managed to snake his free arm under her back. Raphael raised her up and met her with another deep kiss all while cradling the majority of her weight. Initially she rolled her eyes – ok maybe Raphael was just as cocky as Casey – but still enjoyed this innovative embrace.

They released not long after and Raphael moved to the ground. He rolled onto his side and he was met by her snuggling into his arms. Once again they simply enjoyed each other's presence as the moon slowly began her luminous ascent. This time her partner broke the silence after a gentle kiss against her hair, "You still want this?"

April turned her eyes up to him in unease. After all the day's events, had he decided to back out? Did she do something wrong? Was she no longer enough? All these thoughts whirled anxiously through her mind, but she managed to respond with, "Don't you?"

Yet again she was met with those penetrating green eyes, "You know my answer."

And she did. She also knew why he was asking her now – Raphael was nothing like Casey – for it was the only thing he could do to ease his heart. April pushed up against his plastron and wrapped her hands around his head and looked straight into his eyes, "I do. It's the same as yours."

His tension still did not retreat, "It seems straightforward now, but when we go back to the city…"

She pulled his face closer so that their foreheads were almost touching, "It doesn't matter Raph. As long as we both want it, we'll make it work."

"You sure? I know you have things you want to do."

Now their foreheads connected, "And I am still going to do them, but they'll be better because now I can plan them with you. I know things may still change. There's a lot of life ahead of us, but with all the different paths I can take I know at least one of them will carry us both. All we have to do is find it."

Finally his body loosened and a tiny smile crept onto the corner of his mouth, "You sure you know what you're signing up for O'Neil? I have needs you know."

April rose to her feet and gave him her hand, "Well I know you expect sandwiches on a regular basis."

He took it and stood beside her, "Pizza is a good too."

"Riiiight and I'll be the first to deal with a diabetic mutant turtle."

Raphael wrapped his arm around her waist and turned her in the direction of the farmhouse, "Like I said, I have needs. Lots and lots of needs."

April scoffed, "I think I can handle it tough guy."

He chuckled and they walked in silence for a moment. Stars dusted the horizon and moonlight glazed the forest. When the house came into view Raphael softly spoke, "I want to plan it with you too."

April smiled, "Then we will."

A/N Thank-you so much to my fans, followers, and reviewers. You guys have really helped me stay motivated on this! Especially when I'm stuck on how to proceed you keep me chewing over the conflicts/events/characters until I get them right. So thank-you thank-you thank-you!

It's almost Christmas so Raphril cheer for all! Hurray! And if you don't celebrate Christmas, I hope whatever you're doing this lovely December week treats you well! =D

GuestZ: Thank-you for your kind words! I don't want to give anything away, but yes the tension between Raph, Casey, April, and Don is definitely going to cause some stress in the household to say the least. Also you will be pleased to hear that different POV's will continue to happen in upcoming chapters. I don't know if I can guarantee Mikey and Leo fluff, but I won't deny it could happen especially since there are many things that need to be resolved before the story's end.

Terri: Oh my gosh, thank-you so much! That means a lot to me considering that there are some seriously talented authors out there! I am also so happy that this is coming together so nicely. It's been challenging at times, but I am pleased with how things are going so far.

Tatsu Rose: Haha. That is totally the story of my life! My family knows I like TMNT but they have no clue how deep my obsession runs… I can't decide if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but it's probably good for the fandom since it means I'm going to continue writing for it for a while yet.