He didn't know where he was. He could barely even SEE where he was at first. His vision blurred and swam so badly that he had to close his eyes and lay still a moment longer.

Once his head seemed to have leveled itself, Raphael pressed himself up to a sitting position against something solid. He attempted to recollect just what had happened prior to blacking out but couldn't remember much. His eyes wandered to the left and right - there was no sign of anyone near. Even Casey seemed to have vanished. The only thing he was sure of was that he was still in New York. Instead of being in the alleyway he was on a rooftop. His communicator was missing, too.

"Damnit," he swore lightly and moved to push himself up to his feet. His head swam again but he managed to hold himself up against what he discovered to be a small water tank on the roof. His body ached pathetically and he began to wonder if someone had kicked the shit out of him while he was unconscious. Cursing at his own weakness, he began to count his options because he wasn't certain how far he could make it before his knees buckled beneath him. Judging by the distance he could take the nearest manhole through the sewers to home, but it would be a ways off. April's pad was closer and a much more appealing place to crash than collapsing somewhere in the middle of sewer water. Heading to the edge of the building he clambered over onto the rickety metal ladder. It was a few stories of work, but he managed to reach solid ground without losing his grip.

Keeping to the back streets he hobbled along until he reached her apartment building, pausing only when his nausea returned. He rounded the corner to come in the way he always did, and couldn't help but groan a little when he realized he had to climb back up more ladders. He didn't dare complain aloud, for fear someone, somewhere would hear, and set to his task until he reached the entrance above. He tapped on the glass and quietly hoped she was home. A few minutes of waiting told him she wasn't and he felt a little disappointed. He tried the window and was glad to find it was uncharacteristically unlocked. He slid inside slowly and closed it behind him, giving April's apartment a once over to confirm that she really wasn't home. Moving over to the sofa he sat down carefully, letting himself stretch out to relieve the aches and pains.

Once he was relaxed he realized he was rather tired and could barely keep his eyes open. As sleep overcame him he idly wondered what had happened to Casey and where April had gone.

April hoisted the grocery bags in her arms one more time and prayed to the heavens that it wasn't going to rain until she got home. It wasn't long before her mind wandered on the walk back, returning to Raphael and the gifts they had exchanged awhile before. She thought about whether her actions had been smart or not, but at the time she hadn't felt as though they were wrong. All through the evening she had pondered how different, but natural, it felt. With a sigh, she tried to quell the nagging at the back of her mind that it WAS unnatural - the whole thing - at least according to the laws of nature itself. Nothing was forcing her to obey these laws, though, and the more she thought of it the more defiant she grew. Just take it slow, she told herself rationally. Take it slow.

Her boots pattered on the concrete steps as she slipped inside and jogged up the flights to her apartment. Once she reached the door, she juggled the two grocery bags in an attempt to throw her keys into the fray and unlock the door. It was a trick she had mastered long ago and within a couple of minutes she was inside, kicking the door closed, keys jangling from her teeth. She spat them into her hand and settled the bags and keys on the kitchen bar. Her fingers reached down to lazily unlace the boots so she could kick them off into the corner. The second one had just slipped from her heel when he spoke and scared the bejeezus out of her for the billionth time in the last few days.

"April."

"Hah!" she whirled, one hand to her chest and the other in an instinctive, offensive fist. "Raph!" April was ready to scold him for being so childish and scaring her, but she was stopped when she saw his face. He looked a wreck and appeared to be sweating. "Raph, are you alright?"

"Do you have anything to drink? I'm thirsty...," he huffed, leaning on the back of the sofa.

"Yeah, sure...," she nodded and hurried to the refrigerator and retrieved a bottle of water to give him. Uncapping it, he downed it all in a couple of gulps and took a deep breath after.

"What happened to you? You look sick," she asked, worriedly.

"Ran into this...asshole... and next thing I know... I'm wakin' up and I feel like I've been run over by a semi," he said, rounding the sofa and sitting down again. April leaned over and pressed a hand to his forehead. He chuckled lightly and looked up at her. "I'm gonna be alright, April."

"Well, you don't feel like you have a fever," she replied, pulling her hand back. "Who was it - do you know?"

"Nah," he replied after clearing his throat. "This is somethin' new."

"Some thing," April emphasized, sitting down beside him now.

"I don't know," he murmured. "I've had some bad run-ins, April... And I don't recall feeling weird like this afterward. I don't know how to explain it." She nodded a little.

"Have you told Splinter or the others?"

"I haven't been back since it happened."

"They might be wondering where you are," April pointed out and instinctively got up to go check her messages on the phone. They sat and listened through a couple of sales pitches before the message April had been expecting sounded over the small speaker.

"Hey, April? It's Donny. We lost contact with Raph a little while ago - think something might be going on. If he shows up there will ya give us a call? He's been gone for a few hours and we just want to be sure he's okay. Okay, thanks. Bye." The machine beeped with finality. April looked over at Raphael, a little amused. He grimaced at her. She knew he never liked being treated like a child, even if it just meant his brothers were concerned for his wellbeing. It was a threat to his rough-tough guy image, and one he was more than happy to rebuff. Flipping up the receiver to her shoulder she dialed the number for the pay phone in the sewer and waited until someone picked up.

"You've reached Master Mikey's Ninja Academy and Pizzaria - would you like to hear about our specials today?" There was no need to ask who she had reached.

"Hey, Mike, it's April," she said.

"Oh, hey, gorgeous! What's up?'

"I just wanted to let you guys know that Raph is up here with me, safe and sound."

"Of course he is," Mikey hummed knowingly. "Raph is really a Don Juan, you know." Then he whispered, as if it mattered, "You know he likes you? But don't tell him I said!" April chuckled and pressed her fingers to her lips in amusement. She noticed Raphael was eying her a little warily, no doubt wondering just what the hell was being said on the other end of the phone line.

"I know," she said with a smile. "Don't worry, I'll take care of him. Just make sure the guys know, okay, Mike?"

"Certainly!" Michelangelo replied and she was certain he was saluting at the other end.

"Thanks." She hung up the phone. "What?"

"What did he say?"

"Who?'

"Mike," Raph's tone was suspicious.

"He just said you like to go out dancing every Saturday night - with the fever, fever, baby," she gave a little twist of her hips. Raphael's face contorted redly and she laughed. "I'm joking. He didn't say that. It's too bad, though."

"Why?"

"Raphael dancing? That'd be something to see," she crossed her arms, amused at the images her mind conjured. The turtle looked a little torn between different ways to respond. Did April like dancing? If he didn't dance...was that bad? Or would she figure he was goofy if he danced? Ahhh - what did he care? He couldn't dance even if he wanted to! He suddenly pictured himself in a tutu fighting a clone of himself that was fiercely masculine and huge. He wondered which was going to win. "Hey."

"Enh?"

"Are you still there? You kind of spaced out for a second."

"Yes. I'm fine," he decided and sat up straight.

"You do look better. How are you feeling?"

"Still hurt, but nothing I can't handle," he insisted with a nod. April settled down on her knees by the arm of the sofa where he sat and rested her arms on it to look at him. Raph felt his face start to grow hot at the undivided attention of her eyes and glanced away. "What now?"

"Just trying to unravel the mystery that is Raphael," she said with a professional tone. "I thought maybe a different angle would help."

"You are weird." He hadn't meant to say exactly that - but they were the first words that popped out of his mouth.

"Thank you," she chuckled after cocking a brow at the statement and rose to stand again. "You know, you should probably check in at home. They ARE going to be worried about you whether you like it or not." The turtle scowled a little bit, but moved slowly to stand and tried to ignore the cramps in his legs. "Sure you're going to be alright?"

"Please," he said with a sarcastic tone. "I'm not Mikey."

"Heaven forbid you be anything than what you are," April agreed and then suddenly seemed to have remembered something. "Oh! I have to show you something before you go!" Raphael raised a brow as she trotted down the hallway to her bedroom and back again with his gift in tow. It warmed him inside, despite all the aches, to see her holding it again. "Look at this."

"I know, April.. I gave it to you, remember?" he said, a little confused.

"I know that," she said, nudging his arm. "But it wasn't like this before. Really look!" She held it up to him again and for a moment he thought he might just have to humor her, until he noticed it. You couldn't see it at first glance, but inside the crystal there appeared to be very slight, purple veins throughout the entire sculpture. They caught the light at some angles and dispersed the color through the flower. "I didn't notice this before... but I was looking at it earlier before I went out and I just noticed it! Funny how we can miss these things, huh?" Raphael regarded the flower for a moment and couldn't shake the eerie feeling he was suddenly getting. He pushed it to the back of his mind and told himself he just wasn't feeling entirely well and that was it. April, on the other hand, seemed very pleased with her discovery and even more happy with the gift. He wasn't about to ruin that.

"That's interesting," he said. "I didn't notice that before, either." It was true. He hadn't.

April smiled and looked at it a moment longer before looking back to him and patting him on the arm.

"Okay, sorry I'm keeping you. Get on home and, please, be careful," she said, following him to the window. Raphael nodded and opened the window carefully and slipped out onto the small metal landing there. April leaned through the window and gave him a hug and a kiss on the forehead, something he was enjoying in their increasing frequency. For a moment he forgot his aches and pains and sour feelings and just enjoyed her warmth. "Bye," she said with a small wave before closing the window.

Raphael began his slow descent down to the alley, unwelcome thoughts swarming back into his mind. It wasn't just the fact that he had been jumped awhile ago and knocked unconcious. It wasn't that he had woken up not knowing where he was and feeling like he'd fought a thousand men. None of it bothered him more than the fact that he was certain the flower had been completely clear when he had discovered it and given it to April. Why it was bothering him so much he could not say. If it was one thing the master taught it was to follow your instincts on most things, though he often scolded Raphael for doing so and disregarded what Raph considered 'instincts' as 'hot-headedness'.

He was just tired. He shook his head to clear it. It had been a strange day and that was enough to make everything seem a little weird.

But...what if his instincts were right?