April jerked awake as the cellphone on the bedside table vibrated once- someone just sent her a text. She rolled over and reached for it, fuming groggily. Three in the morning? Donatello knows better than...

*Heybabe sory about las nite. I shouldent had done it.*

"Casey, you bonehead." April muttered tiredly. "Bonehead, bonehead, idiot bonehead…" She sighed and thought about how to respond to the message. If she wanted to, she could send him a mile-long text, indicating *just* how upset he had made her, make him struggle through a mass of unfamiliar vocabulary just to make a point. But even as she typed the stern reply, she found herself losing conviction. He was apologizing, why was she so resistant to accepting it?

"C'mon April, you weren't really that scared, were ya?"

Casey's dumbfounded words rang in her head, making her flush with embarrassment. Surrounded by her highly trained and competent friends, April had never felt so humiliated or vulnerable. But Casey was right. I was scared. And completely helpless! I knew I wasn't ready...if that had been anybody else, I wouldn't have gotten as far as I did. Who, in their menacing mind, would give their victim even a second to retaliate? Heck, Casey even warned me of his presence when he took out the back door light! No real threat would give me a chance…"Chivalrous" and" Purple Dragon" just don't go together. And what did Don say about awareness? 'It takes years of practice'? So does that mean that I have no chance of being successfully aware of my surroundings until I'm a decade into training? What good will that do me now? Can I defend myself or not?"

April allowed herself to consider the grisly details of what exactly could have happened if her attacker had been a Purple Dragon. She instantly regretted it. Great. Now I'm going to give myself nightmares… April slumped her head back onto the pillow, then flinched when she realized that her phone was still on, with Casey's text awaiting a reply.

April had been too angry to answer him earlier, though she suspected that slamming the door shut in his face had been enough to clue him on her feelings. Now that she had another opportunity tell him off, she knew that it was completely unjustifiable. If anyone deserved a chiding, it was herself. She was the weak one, after all… it was no good taking out her insecurities on the man she was starting to care about...a lot. Sure, the guy's behavior was reckless and downright stupid sometimes, but his intentions were always honorable. He didn't really do anything wrong; he just made April realize just how unprepared and helpless she really was. The redheaded woman sighed, and typed out a short sentence before lying back down on the bed, attempting to return to slumber.

"I forgive you babe; but think twice next time? Good night. ;)"

In the lair, a slightly inebriated Casey Jones sat beside a smirking Raphael and an unsympathetic Donatello. He slumped with his head bent down, dark hair hanging in his bleary eyes. He stared at the phone clutched in his large hands. Nothing happened. Then the phone beeped, Casey yelped and Raph leaned in to see the text, while Don remained seated, his arms crossed. Casey groaned heavily with relief after reading the message. "Aww, lookit guys, she forgives me! I guessss this apologizin' stuff reeeaally is th' best charm. Though I ssstill don't get why she got so mmaad."

Donatello snorted, torn between amusement and exasperation. "I still don't get why a socially repressed mutant turtle is better at coming up with relationship advice than a member of your own species. Let alone the fact that it was Raphael…"

Still smirking, Raph swiped softly at his brother's head. Then he slapped a three-fingered hand on Casey's shoulder, and began helping him away from the table. "Well loverboy, you're a lil' wasted to get back home tonite. I guess you got the couch - don't go pukin' on it."

Donatello had been sniggering when he dodged the punch, but instantly stopped at the thought of having to clean Casey-defiled couch cushions. He called out to the pair as he got up from his chair and headed to his own bedroom. "Hey, Raph - you might want to make sure Casey remembers everything in the morning. According to Master Splinter's soaps, drunk-texts don't always make it into explicit memory. Unless you want a replay of this little incident…"

Author's Note... (Because I like talkin' to you guys!)

It's a short update, but I put a lot of time into it. I want to take my writing (at least what is published) seriously, and worth reading page for page. Trust me, I cut a lot of nonsensical drama from this, and it looks neater for the effort. MAKE THIS A LESSON, MY YOUNG PADAWANS...

Also, a few notes on how this story is going to go. I believe it's fair and helpful for readers to know what to expect from me, so that if this story does not turn out for your liking, you have an opportunity to stop reading BEFORE spending a year and a half following it. XD

1. I write when I can. This may mean short bursts of writing, but more meaningful content.

2. I have a life. As much as I love to write, certain priorities take precedence before fantasy. (I know, right?!)

3. For the person that said "YAY, NO ROMANCE!" - Thank you so much for voicing that opinion. :D Because April and Casey ARE technically developing a romantic relationship, I will be including some of that, but not in the fangirly way. Romance is NOT a major theme here, but if it becomes more noticeable in some chapters, I hope to make it mature. (Not X-rated mature, I mean GROWN UP, INTELLIGENT, MEANINFUL and *RELEVANT TO THE STORY AND CANON* type mature.) Because that's how I roll. :) To conclude, I will write the characters' relationships according to how they would most likely behave, not simply by what a fangirl would squeal for.

4. I do not consider my interpretations of the world of TMNT to be definitive or undisputable. In addition, my ultimate purpose for writing these stories (and this goes to most of my fan work) is to create a story arc which has the potential to fit into the original work, as seamlessly as possible. (Because that's how I roll). So, I invite SUGGESTIONS of any kind, with the understanding that these characters do not belong to me... that they were created for the PEOPLE - which in a way can be constituted as "fanservice" in the most formal sense of the word... I'm just being stupid now. But yes. I want to write a GREAT story, which means I don't necessarily have to limit my knowledge to a single brain with the hopes of developing a robust saga that will be enjoyable to myself AND to you, my dear readers.

That's all for now... Hope to hear from you guys again soon! Let's talk Turtles!