Special thanks, as always, to my beta-readers Colonel Pop, GoodGirlSmiles and Pita Fish. Also thanks to my reviewers. I hope you like this chapter too!

I have no claim on anything TMNT. I'm just borrowing the characters for personal delight.

Chapter Four

A couple weeks after I e-mailed the link to April, I still hadn't seen or heard from Professor Now-Seriously-On-My-Bad-List. If it weren't for the fact that I had the hots for him, I would totally have written him off altogether.

Other than a Thank-You cookie basket from April, I hadn't heard from her either. That wasn't so surprising though. I just assumed that she was on another one of her adventures in some far-flung corner of the world. I wasn't too upset about it though. My first puzzle box came in a few days after I ordered it, and it was just as challenging as advertised. I found myself taking it to work with me so I could fiddle with it when no one was looking, and since it was a library, that was fairly often.

I finished the first box in a week, and when I finally got it open I was delighted to find a pair of earrings. They were dangly rhinestone ones that glittered very prettily, and I adored them, even if they were orange and I'd have to get a new top and shoes to go with it. Of course, maybe that's why I loved them so much- an excuse to go shopping.

I had ordered two more from the website (they had a sale going on), both of them increasingly difficult since I had ordered them from the medium section. They were very useful since it distracted me from my irritation at my errant beau and best friend. See if I ever help THEM again, I groused to myself as I carefully slid one square on the box to the left and heard a small 'click'. I gave a small cheer of victory and then put my head down to the level of my desk so I could carefully watch how the designs of the box could be moved and switched and turned and-

"Hi there."

I jumped back from the box with a scream of terror and my chair which had wheels on the bottom slid away from under me from the force of my movements. I fell clumsily to the floor behind the desk and quickly tried to stand up, slipping again on the carpet. "What the HELL?" I screeched as I jumped up to see…

Ken bent over double laughing so hard I thought he was going to cough up a lung. He looked like he was about to fall onto the floor with how much his body shook from his guffaws. "Shut up!" I snapped at him. "You jerk! What were you thinking, sneaking up on me like that! You almost gave me cardiac arrest, you twit!" He paid no attention to this and just kept laughing. I walked over to him and slapped his shoulder. He instantly stopped laughing and gave a small cry of pain.

My eyes widened and I jumped back. I didn't notice it before because he was falling all over himself cackling, but he had only the left arm in his jacket and his right arm was tucked over a sling. "Oh my gosh! I-I didn't see that! I'm so sorry!"

He shook his head. "No, no, it's my fault. I'm sorry. I meant to say something, but then you just… and then you… bwahaha!" His attempt at keeping a straight face failed miserably and I found myself with a laughing loon on my hands once more. But then again, it was kind of funny once I thought about it. I felt a grin creeping up onto my face and when I got a good look at how hard he was biting his lip to keep from busting out, I couldn't help but start to chortle along with him.

After a few minutes (during which time we couldn't look at each other or else we'd fall out laughing again) we calmed down and took a few deep breaths.

"Okay… phew…" I focused on my Inner Peace thing, whatever the hell that was, and then looked over at Ken who was doing the same thing. "Alright…. It's obvious that whatever you've been doing these past few weeks, it hasn't been too pleasant. So… What were you doing?"

Ken grimaced. '"Yeah, I'm sure I look great with this thing on." He motioned to his sling with his good hand. "I really did mean to call you about that second date, but…"

"Hmm, I can guess." I shook my head and sighed dramatically. "I suppose I can forgive you this time. And don't think I didn't notice that you avoided my question."

Ken gave me a dark smile. I don't mean a smile like a I-don't-like-you-and-so-this-smile-means-I'm-mentally-killing-you-and-just-pretending-you're-great kind of dark. I mean a dark kind of smile like he was thinking of something violently bloody, and actually enjoyed the thought. It was… pretty scary. "Don't worry," he told me. "The ones that did this ended up much worse than me."

I blinked. "Well… Okay then. That's… something."

He chuckled, the darkness clearing away. "That's something indeed. Oh!" He snapped his fingers and reached inside his pocket and pulled out a small black, flat box. I got you something to thank you for all your help with my project. I know you have better things to do that humor some wacky art professor, but…"

Curiosity always was a weakness of mine. I gingerly picked up the little black container, opening it and…

A huge gasp flew through my mouth and I involuntarily pressed a hand against my chest. "KEN! Oh my god, they're beautiful!"

There, sitting on white, was a pair of perfect black pearl earrings. They shone in the light and for a moment a giddy feeling spread around inside me. But then it died as my Mental Mother stomped on the giddiness.

Sadly, I shook my head and pushed it back towards him. His face, which had been suffused with pleasure before became confused. "What's wrong? I thought you said you liked them."

"Ken. They're pearls. Pearls. Not cubic zirconia, not gold plated, but actual black pearls. I can't accept these! It's too extravagant! It's too much. I was doing you a favor. You don't repay favors. I mean, for God's sake, they're pearls!" I was no expert in pearls, but I knew that they weren't cheap.

Ken shook his head and pushed them back towards me. "I promise you, they weren't anything I couldn't afford. Plus you've helped me a lot, and I also needed to make up for not talking to you for two weeks. Please, take them."

Hesitantly, I pulled my hand back and looked at the pearls again. They were beautiful. I glanced up at him, still uncertain. "You're positive?"

He nodded. "Absolutely. Besides, even if I did take them back, what would I do with them?"

"Fair enough." Without another word I pulled out the earrings I was wearing and carefully put the pearls in and turned to Ken. "I don't have a mirror. How do they look?"

"Fantastic." Without another word he walked up to me and kissed me on the lips before pulling back. He saw my face begin to blush and smirked. "So, whatcha doing Saturday?"

Later on in the day (after my squeals of girlish delight were well and done with) I headed home with a spring in my step and a tune on my lips. I went up to my apartment and changed into a pair of exercise shorts, a tank-top and my poofy pink slippers. My ensemble was finished with my hair hastily put up in a messy bun. I was planning on spending a quiet evening at my apartment when the phone rang. I picked up and wedged it between my shoulder and my cheek as I was washing folding laundry at the time. "Hello?"

"Irma? It's Casey." The voice of April's boyfriend sounded even more wound up that it usually did. And that was something.

"Oh, hey, Casey! Been a while, huh? How've you-"

"Irma, I'm really sorry, but this is an emergency. And I mean a real one, not the-fridge-is-broken kinda thing."

I immediately dropped the laundry. "What's wrong? What's happened?"

"April's been in an accident. She's in the hospital, and she's doing fine, but I need to go down to the police station to file a report. I don't want to leave her alone in a strange place while she's hurt."

"Do you want me to come down and sit with her for a while?"

"You read my mind. Only I don't know how long this is going to take."

"I'll sit with her as long as you need me to, don't worry."

I could almost feel his relief over the phone. "Thanks so much, Germ. I really, really, really appreciate it."

"Well, you and April need me, so I don't mind. I'll even forgive you using that horrible nickname."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll try to get done with the report as soon as I can."

"Okay. But, Casey…" My voice trailed off. I didn't know how to phrase my next question without coming off as a world-class bitch. "Um… How… How bad is it?"

"Don't worry, Germ. It's nothing permanent. I'm sure they've cleaned her up. You won't see any blood or nothing."

I gave a sigh of relief. To anyone else, I would have come off as a total brat, but they knew me and my history. Neither April nor Casey minded it. He told me the address of the hospital she was at. I knew the one he was talking about. "I'll be there in ten minutes," I told him.

As soon as I hung up, I grabbed my purse, my keys, traded in my slippers for a pair of flip-flop sandals, grabbed a light sweater, and rushed out the door. I shrugged my sweater on as I was in the elevator and I barely took the time to fasten my seatbelt as I drove to the hospital in a rush. I honestly don't know how I managed to get there without ending up in a car crash, but I did. As soon as I got there, I went to the desk and hurried up to where they said April was staying.

I stopped right outside the hospital room door. "Come on, Irma, you can do this," I coached myself. "You'll be fine. This is your friend. You can do this." With a deep breath, I pulled the door open and felt my breath hitch.

April was laying on a hospital bed, IV drip in her arm, bandages on her arms and cheek, a big, black bruise on her right eye. Casey was sitting next to her, holding her hand and looking like his entire life and world was collapsing in front of him. He turned to me when he saw me come in and gave a wobbly grin. "H-hey," he said.

"Hey yourself," I responded softly, and went to stand by his side. We were both silent for a moment. "Don't worry, Casey," I said quietly. "She's stronger than both of us combined. She'll be alright. I promise."

"Yeah… yeah, you're right." He gave himself a little shake and then stood up. "Okay, I have to go to the police station now. Call me if anything happens."

"I will, I promise."

With a nod, he was gone. I sat down in the chair that he had occupied only moments before and stared at the woman in front of me. I sniffed. Then I sniffed again. I mentally braced myself against it- I hated when it happened- but I suddenly couldn't help from bursting into tears as I took my friend's hand in mine and cried over her.

April woke up about a half hour later. She instantly noticed my red eyes and stuffy nose of course and scolded me for it.

"Really, Irma, I'm perfectly fine. This is nothing. I've been through much worse, trust me."

"Oh, that inspires so much confidence," I muttered. "How the heck does this stuff happen to you anyway? I swear, every other time I see you, you have a new bruise or cut or something."

"It's all-"

"-part of the job." We said the last part together and we shared a chuckle, although she winced when she did. "Ooh, my ribs."

I stood up to help her sit back in bed so she wouldn't mess up one of her bandages or something, and I pulled my chair closer to her bed. "You know, if you avoided explosives, you probably wouldn't be in this situation right now." I referred to the fireworks that I was told she set off while in a warehouse. She hadn't been aware that they were there, and in her rush to escape she fell down into a crate full of weights, which accounted for her present state.

She grinned at me. "What, lose the booms and the bangs and the bright flashes and the deafening noise? Where's your sense of adventure?"

"Wherever your eyebrows are," I said dryly.

With a gasp, April's good hand flew up to her eyebrows to find that they were indeed gone. "Oh my GOD!"

"See, THIS is why most people avoid those things. They wreak havoc with hair and brows. Fire does that, you know."

"Oh my god…" she whispered in shock again.

Rolling my eyes, I pulled out some magazines and put one on her lap. "You could do like they do in some Latin American countries. You know, tattoo eyebrows on."

She shot me a dirty look, but it was hard to take seriously when she was missing her eyebrows and her hair was singed. "So," I said causally, "was it really an explosion gone wrong?"

"Yeah." She leaned back into her pillows. "Of course, it wasn't ours, so maybe it went right."

My eyebrows shot up. "What do you mean, it wasn't yours?"

"Nothing. I'm delirious. Pain medication has made me loopy. I don't know anything that I'm talking about."

"Uh-huh… Riiight…" I said. But I shook my head and decided to let it go anyway. That was probably why she liked me so much. I could tell when top let something go and when to pursue it. "Casey is at the police station. He said he'd be back as soon as he made his report."

April froze in bed. "He did, did he?"

Her voice had me looking up from my magazine. The expression on her face was completely terrifying. "Umm… April… you're supposed to go to the police for things like this. Really. It's kind of a law."

She paid no attention to me whatsoever and then sat back with a sigh. "Irma, you might as well go home. He's not coming back here tonight."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

April shook her head. "He's not at the police station, and he's not coming back tonight."

"Then what the hell IS he doing?" My mind froze suddenly and I could feel myself start turning into a female version of the Hulk as a very disturbing and infuriating thought started to drift through my mind. "April… He wouldn't… He's not… Is he?"

"No, Irma, he is not off looking for some girl to hook up with for the night. He's a complete and total idiot at times, but he would never do something like that to me."

My Hulk-Rage was slowly going down. "Okay. Well. That's good then… So… what is he doing?"

Her voice made the hairs at the back of my neck stand up. "Something he's going to regret very deeply when he shows up again." She turned to look at me, and I noticed for the first time how very tired she looked, and how pale she was. "Just go home, Irma. I'll still be here tomorrow. Go get a good night's sleep."

I shook my head. "I told him I'd stay here until he came back and I will. I'll stay the night if I have to." April opened her mouth to protest but I flung my hand up with an overly dramatic flair. "Talk to the hand, betch."

She started laughing and wheezing at once, clutching her stomach as she tried to keep herself from moving too much with laughter. "Geeze, Irma! I'm more worried about you bruising my kidneys with your humor than I am about hurting my bruised ribs further!"

"Mwahaha! My fiendish plot is working!"

"I'm really starting to wish you'd go home and leave me in peace."

"You're not fooling anyone, you know. I know that you know that I know that you really love me."

April managed to keep her eyes open for another hour before they started to drift closed again. The doctors who came in to check on her offered to bring in a bed for me since I was staying, but I told them that the chair was comfortable. I read my magazines that I had brought with me and when I got bored with that, I went back to work on my puzzle box. This distracted me for another couple hours until my stomach started to growl. I debated briefly with myself on whether or not I should go down to the caf to get some food, and then decided that I would just use the snack machine I had seen in the lounge on that floor. I stood as quietly as I could and crept out the door, bringing only a couple dollars with me for a can of soda and some M&M's.

After I got my snacks, I headed back to the room. I froze outside it for the second time that night as I heard a weird sound inside. It sounded like… Without a second thought, I flung open the door and turned on the lights to find a man (at least, I assumed it was a man) wearing a black body suit and mask holding a dagger above the still-sleeping April's chest. The man and I stared at each other for just a moment, and then I did what any red-blooded American woman would do in that situation.

I gave a scream so deafening it would have made a rocket ship taking off into outer space jealous. If I hadn't been so terrified at that moment, I would have been proud at being loud enough to probably be heard within a five mile radius.

Unfortunately, this was not appreciated by the person with the knife. He said something that did not sound happy, and he raised his weapon to stab April. Without thinking, I hurled my can of coke at his head and it him right in the eye. He gave a cry of pain and fell back. I stood shocked for a moment; I really hadn't believed that that would actually WORK.

My amazement at my new-found chucking skills were cut short when suddenly someone turned the lights back off and grabbed me from behind while also covering my mouth with his hand. Acting on pure instinct, I bit down HARD and kicked him as well as I could since he was standing behind me. But I must have hit something sensitive, because he gave a groan and keeled over. That still left coke-head though; he was now sporting a huge black eye and looked even more pissed off than before. He decided to leave April alone for the moment and leapt at my throat. With another eardrum-blowing scream, I dodged him and ran around to the other side of April's bed, only to be grabbed by someone coming through the window. The man who had grabbed me hit me hard on my head with something metal and shoved me to the floor, where I lay in a heap, gasping at the pain and wondering when the stars behind my eyes would go away.

I squeezed my eyes shut and hoped that whatever happened, they'd kill me too. There was no way I could look Casey in the face after they killed April.

I had just resigned myself to my fate when I suddenly heard another commotion- it sounded like someone just crashed through the window (this part I didn't really understand because the window was already open)- I was hearing more ninja cries, but these weren't like the ones who were trying to hurt myself and April. Forcing myself to open my eyes, I saw the strangest thing I had ever seen before in my entire twenty something (a-ha, thought you were going to get me, didn't you?) life.

There, battling the men in the suits, were two figures that looked like…

"… Giant turtles?"

One of them grabbed the man that had been trying to hurt April and tossed him out the window. "Enjoy your flight!" he called after the man cheerfully.

"Not the time, Mikey!" said the other one, his voice focused. With one swift movement, he also dispatched the other man out the window as well and then quickly turned to April, who, somehow, had managed to sleep through the whole thing. He sighed and shook his head. "She can't stay here. I'll take the IV out, you make sure the coast is clear." The giant turtle began to unhook her from the machines next to her bed, while the other hopped out the window that they had smashed upon entry.

My head hurt. I felt half blind, and something was buzzing to loudly. I felt like I was going to be sick. But I couldn't just let them take her. I slowly got on my hands and knees and crawled towards the strange figure. "P-please…" I managed to croak out. He jumped a little and turned to me. I couldn't see his expression, but I could tell that he was surprised. "D… D… don't… promised… I…" And without another word I started throwing up onto the floor. The next thing I knew I was on my back gasping for air and fighting back tears of pain while someone was lifting me up gently. "Easy, Mikey," were the last words I heard before I drifted off into darkness.

Woohoo! The guys make an entrance. And a cliffhanger too!

Reviews are delightful and appreciated, as is constructive criticism.