Random Disclaimer: in which I diss no one and claim nothing. Rights belong to respective owners, yada yada. (Are we supposed to do this?)

"The city has a life all it's own, especially at night. Sometimes it's quiet - too quiet- but you don't notice...and maybe you should. Because in the darkness - when you're all alone- you never know what could be lurking around the next corner, or even at your own back door! And you always think; nothing bad is ever going to happen to you. So you have to ask yourself: Are you ready? Well, are you?"

-Donatello, in "The Lesson"

April was not amused by Casey's latest stunt. Having banned him from her apartment for the night, she was now pulling the teakettle from the stove for herself and the turtles. She had barely stopped shaking, the adrenaline continued to fuel her frustration. The exasperated growl that was rising inside finally escaped as her unsteady grip caused a boiling drop of water to splash her hand.

"Errrrgh, That Casey makes me so mad!"

" Whaddya talkin' about, April - you totally clobbered him!" Raphael asked, his amusement far from veiled. He grinned up toward his friend, but was startled when she turned to face them, her expression suddenly void of anger. If anything, the blushing woman looked positively timid. She replied softly, a hint of defeat in her tone as she explained.

"Well... it's just that I thought I was getting somewhere in my training with Master Splinter. But Casey caught me totally by surprise - I should have heard him coming. You guys would have. "

"It takes a lot of practice!" Don began, before looking to Leonardo.

"Master Splinter spent a lot of time training us to be aware of our surroundings at all times; after a while though, if you've studied hard enough, you get a sixth sense for it."

"Maybe you guys could teach me?"

April hadn't expected the stunned looks, or the immediate declines from all four turtles. Nor had she expected that the subject of being sensei in their own rights was a touchy subject. But as it usually happened, April once again became captivated by a story from the turtle's childhood, and by the end of it, the turtles had long forgotten the original conversation.

As Mikey, Don, Raph and Leo continued to laugh and joke about their memories, April's mind wandered back to her predicament. I guess there's no point in asking for more training then. Sounds like Master Splinter probably wouldn't pick up the pace, either. I've always appreciated that he takes his time in teaching, but I don't know if my progress so far is going to be enough to-

"Hey April, you got any more marshmallows? Mine melted.." a voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Oh, uh, yea Mikey."

At the end of the turtle's visit, Donatello stopped before following his brothers out of the back door. He looked at his human friend, whose left hand was full of used mugs. She looked more tired than usual, despite the early evening hour.

"April?" He began hesitantly. "... I think you did great in defending yourself back there. As soon as you recognized danger, you reacted right away. A lot of people...who become victims, anyway- they don't have that kind of control. Some freeze up, or run away instead of standing their ground when they need to. Master Splinter would say that you have a warrior's spirit. So...don't beat yourself up about it?"

April almost snorted at the idea of her being anything warrior-like, but she smiled at her friend, and nudged his shoulder playfully. "Nah, I'll try not to. But I think I'm going to practice more often. I'd like to be more prepared- just in case it's NOT Casey next time." A shadow of worry was just briefly visible on her face, before Don saw her smile return.

"No harm in that. And, you know you can call us anytime, if you need our help. Not to freak you out or anything, but sometimes we are closer than you think. Like tonight," the turtle added with a chuckle, "Although you took care of it before we arrived."

"Yo Donnie! Quit the yappin', or Splinter'll have our heads!"

"...Thanks, Don. I'll remember that."

"See you later then?"

"I think Mikey said movie night at the Lair on Friday. I'll bring the pizza."

Donatello grinned, and without another word, he disappeared into the night with his brothers. If April hadn't actually seen which direction he slipped away in, she could not have known there was anything present in the dark shadows of the alleyway. She shuddered involuntarily at the thought. "I really don't have ninja senses yet... at least I'm friends with the best around."

Author's Note

I was a little surprised to see so few fanfics starring only canon characters and situations, especially starring April O' Neil (without an OC, turtleXApril, lemon etcetera). For those authors who specialize...THANK YOU! I have to say, I really enjoy the stories where you can just revel in the characters as they were in their respective series. Granted, there are several OC stories that I love (and follow), but I think people forget the potential that April has for being an interesting protagonist. For me, I write strictly in the 2003-verse, and her intermittent presence in the show does allow for some speculative writing. :D

For example, and leading to my own purposes: I figured that having friends like ninja turtles and a vigilante, all of whom are hated by the most dangerous gangs in NYC, would probably put her in more danger than was eluded to in the show. This is saying something, because it already was pretty dark to begin with. (BTW, this observation has nothing to do with frequency of danger, or this would surely become an 80's version fic... *laughs*) However, I liked that April was eventually given some fighting abilities as the seasons progressed, giving her more status and all that. But April's journey as a martial arts student is rarely elaborated. In this story, I'm planning to focus on a point in the series that had suggested a story arc which included April getting *trained*, learning defense, etc. but was never really shown onscreen, disappointing me and probably other girls who were watching. Yea, she kicks some butt in a few episodes, but I like to read the 'journey' stuff, even if it includes a little angst. I like to watch character development, not "Hey, April went from cowering in a corner to throwing a huge guy across the room just like THAT!"

Anybody else feel this way?

IN CONCLUSION...this story will feature April's journey to becoming a true warrior in spirit, and the first "Lesson" is...conquering fear. No canned spinach in these here parts...

So yea, I have a few more chapters for now, and then if I get more inspiration, I'll keep posting. :)

P.S - For anyone who cares- should I write a prologue, detailing that beginning scene from "The Lesson"? (it's on youtube...) I wondered if it would help pull readers into the story... whatever. :)

I'm going to say this ONCE ONLY - Reviews are welcome. I like to reply. Critique, complain, whatever makes you happy. I'm just here to write silly stories. :) Remember, every time you flame... A FAIRY DIES.