Okay so this isn't as great as I was hoping it'd be, but I'm still kind of getting a feel for where I want this to go. Things will hopefully pick up in the next chapter. Thanks for the new follows, and as always please leave a review just so I know what you like or don't like about it! :)

Casey's story was over just as Mari pulled into the lot of an old general store. "That is quite the story," she started as she stared ahead to the promising double doors. Looking over to him with her hand on the ignition, she continued. "And your friends have a hard time trusting me? I'm like, the only other person they've really had contact with aren't I? And I'm clearly no alien."

She turned off the car and unbuckled herself, and Casey followed suit. "I trust you, but they've got more than just aliens to worry about."

"Oh yeah?" she asked before they stepped out of the car. "Well maybe you can tell me about that on the ride back."

He gave her an almost toothless grin and shrugged. "We'll see."

April's eyes slowly opened as the movie she put in ended and she realized she had fallen asleep for a while. She glanced around the living room to find that she was still alone and sighed. In her slightly disoriented state, she checked her phone for the time and noticed that in the hour that had passed since she last checked, there was no text from Casey.

She decided to send another text to check up on him and then went to check on everyone else.

Raph appeared to be taking a nap himself when she peeked in on them, and though she tried to stay as quiet as she could, he stirred from his sleep and noticed her immediately.

Giving him a sheepish kind of smile, she stepped in and glanced at the still unconscious Leonardo. She approached the bathtub and the unsure silence remained between them all. Unsure of when Leo would awaken, unsure of the exact damage done, and unsure of how they were feeling about things themselves.

"How are you doing?" April decided to ask, turning to look at Raph.

He continued to stare at the floor as he shrugged and his expression said more to her than his words could. She stood there for another moment before her thoughts travelled to what Don and Mikey were occupying themselves with.

"About as good as anyone could be after what happened," Raph eventually responded, clearly having to make himself respond. The reply made her feel more awkward about conversing with him, though she knew he was trying to deal with things in his own way.

The atmosphere was depressing and draining for her, so she chose to leave. Before she left she placed a comforting hand on Raph's shoulder, hoping he knew that he wasn't alone.

As soon as she left the bathroom she realized she was able to breathe easier and felt much less suffocated by the negative energy. Hoping that things would feel a little lighter with Don and Mikey, she headed for the barn.

"Hope they got what we need," Casey started as he skimmed over the list he was given.

"I'm sure they'll have enough of it," Mari replied as she locked the car then took a peek at the list. "It seems like a fairly big store…"

"I'm just glad the invasion hasn't spread out here yet," Casey commented as they entered the building. The store had many aisles of foods and sections for bathroom and kitchen supplies, among other things.

"We really only need food stuff," Mari started as she gingerly took the list from Casey to see what they needed. "Almost any food in there was old and expired. April's family must've left in a big hurry huh? To just leave that stuff there…"

He shrugged, following her while placing his hands in his pockets. "I guess so. She hasn't told me anything about it, really."

Mari nodded slightly while picking up a few things and placing them in the cart she picked up on her way to the aisle. Casey followed along with his hands in his pockets, glancing around the old store.

"So, what should I expect from the other one that's still in the tub?" she asked him as they started toward the dry and canned food.

Casey followed behind her, curious from her question. "What do you mean?" Something on the shelf caught his eye, and he started picking off cans of spaghetti-os and alphabet soup.

"I mean like… his personality I guess. Like is he more like Don or Mikey?"

"I don't think it's as simple as that. I guess he's pretty cool, but I mean he's their leader for a reason. You just kinda have to meet him to really get it," he tried to explain as he dropped a few cans in the cart.

"Are we going to be able to afford everything on this list?" she asked, worried she'd end up having to pay for it all.

"Yeah don't worry, I've got it covered," he assured her with a sure smile.

She shrugged and pushed the cart along, allowing Casey to lead while he put all the supplies in the cart. After a few moments of silence, she decided to talk to him some more. "So, how do you and April know each other?"

"School. She was helping me with trigonometry and stuff." His answer was a little shorter than she was thinking it would be and decided to press him for a little more.

"So, how'd you meet the turtles?" She was leaning on the cart, watching for his reaction as he shrugged.

"I met Raph first when I was out taking care of some Purple Dragons, and then a few days later I followed him down to their lair. Some ninja, right?" he replied with a slight laugh. After putting some stuff in the cart he looked back up at her. "What's with all these questions anyway? I'm the one that's supposed to be questioning you."

"Well then, ask me some questions Casey. You've been nothing but quiet unless I was the one asking you stuff."

"Hey, that's not true! I asked if you were from New York."

A small smile appeared on her face as she pushed the cart along behind him. "Oh yeah, one question. You're right." More foodstuff was tossed into the cart and she watched him curiously. "Well? Question me, make sure I'm trustworthy," she mocked.

"I'm thinking, I'm thinking," Casey replied. Mari appeared trustworthy enough, but they had been tricked before. "Alright, what school do you go to? What grade?" He started, checking the list before leading her down another aisle. She sighed a little before trudging along, answering whatever he asked her.

April entered the barn as Don and Mikey finished clearing the wall. She observed for a moment before stepping in and making her presence known. "What're you guys up to?"

"Oh, hey April," Donnie greeted with a grin. "We were just clearing out this part of the barn so I can set up a kind of makeshift laboratory. I want to try to make something that may help Leo heal faster," he explained. "I'm still not sure how, but that's what the lab's for right?"

She gave him a small smile in return and glanced at Mikey as he approached them. "Well, is there anything I can help with?" she asked, looking back to Don.

"Yeah, that would be great!" he said, nodding before looking back at the empty space.

As they set up his makeshift lab, the looming thoughts of the alien invasion on the city, as well as Leo's condition and the loss of her father seemed to fade into the back of her mind. Though she wish she could talk about it with someone, she was grateful for the distractions.