Hello all! Thank you everyone who has been keeping up with this story and a special thanks to those who left me lovely reviews to read. Seriously, you have no idea how wonderful those are to an author! A huge hug and thank you to Faithful Whispers, my lovely friend and partner in crime, for beta-reading this chapter for me. Hope you all enjoy this chapter!

Even with the light warmth from the flickering candles surrounding her, April still felt cold. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get the images of what she had seen in Donnie's dreamscape out of her head. The pounding from that disgusting, dismembered heart still drummed in her ears and made her feel vulnerable and afraid, even with her family around her.

She, with Leo, Raph and Mikey, sat on their knees before Master Splinter in the dojo while she told the tale of what she had seen. None of them had said a word since she had began to describe the nightmare to them, though each of their faces expressed all of the distress and worry that they must be feeling.

"That's when I came out," April finished lamely, looking down at her hands. The palms were still red and scraped up from her fall, and little needles of pain pricked her hands at even the slightest movement. She still couldn't understand how this could have been possible. It was just a projection of the mind; there shouldn't have been any physical manifestation. It did explain a lot about Donnie's injuries… Maybe he was fighting back…

"That is very strange…," Splinter said softly after a few moments of thoughtful silence. "And you say that you were forced out by a voice?"

"Yeah," she admitted, "It said something like, 'You don't belong here, now leave.' And I was back in Donnie's room."

Master Splinter stroked his beard thoughtfully. It was true that he was not psychic like April was, but he was skilled in disciplines of the mind and asking his advice made her feel a little better.

"Have you ever heard this voice before, April?" he asked kindly. Again, she was forced to admit defeat.

"I don't think so, sensei." she replied stoically. "It did sound a little familiar, but I don't know where I could have heard that voice before."

"Maybe Shredder snuck a brainworm into Donnie's food," Mikey suggested with a shrug. "Or he got to him while we were patrolling and doesn't remember."

Raph smacked him across the back of the head, causing a yelp of pain from the younger turtle.

"That's not how it works, genius," he snarled impatiently. "You can't just eat the damn thing and you remember everything afterward! Donnie would know if he had a worm in his head. He would've said something."

His jaw set and he looked down at his hands, clenched in his lap. Raph's assertions were so assured that no one attempted to argue with him. He would know best of all how those things affected people. The unsettled look in his eyes prompted April to place her hand on top of his in way of silent support. He didn't outwardly acknowledge the gesture, but he applied pressure to her hand with his thumb, wordlessly thanking her.

"Besides," Leo added as an afterthought, "it's not like Donnie's tried to hurt us. If anything, he's been hurting himself by working too hard. If Shredder had control over him, then he wouldn't have hesitated to strike us when we were most vulnerable."

"There is a darkness in his aura; I have felt it when I have been in his presence as of late," Splinter commented, pacing thoughtfully before his students. "Perhaps when Donatello is feeling stronger, he and I should meditate together to cleanse his spirit and to eliminate whatever is plaguing him."

"Do you think that's really gonna work, Master Splinter?" Mikey asked, his big blue eyes widening with curiosity.

"I believe that it will. At least it will be beneficial for us to try."

"I agree, sensei. It must be the best option to help Donnie," Leo said dutifully. Raph rolled his eyes and leaned over to April.

"Brown noser," he said as an aside, not bothering to keep his voice down. April knew better than to rise to the bait. All Raph wanted to do was pick a fight, and she wasn't the least bit interested. Leo, however, quickly allowed himself to be lured in.

"At least I listen when sensei talks! You just charge in like a bull and mess everything up!"

"At least I can think for myself instead of trotting after him like a little mindless soldier!" Raph shot back belligerently.

The leader glared at his brother and Splinter slammed his stick against the floor. All four teenagers jumped at the sound, stunned suddenly into guilty silence.

"Enough!" Splinter fumed" I will have no more of this senseless bickering!"

"He started it," Leo complained peevishly, but Splinter held up a hand forbiddingly.

"I do not want to hear another word from either of you. Contrary to what you may believe, this is not about you. This is about Donatello. Your childishness will do nothing to help him."

Leo's face had turned the shade of a ripe tomato, and even Raph looked embarrassed. Both looked away from each other deliberately in a last ditch effort of defiance. Mikey twiddled his thumbs innocently and looked at April, maybe hoping for some support. Unfortunately, she didn't have much to give. She shrugged helplessly, offering him a tight smile.

Splinter's eyes looked tired as he gazed over his sons. April knew that look. It was the same one her own dad got when she was about to get a lecture for misbehaving.

"April, will you go check on Donatello?" Splinter asked purposefully. "I need to discuss some matters with my sons in private."

The three turtles grimaced significantly at Splinter's implication. April stood up and immediately caught Mikey's pleading 'get me out of here' look. She had no choice but to leave him behind to be lectured by their father.

"Hai, sensei."

She bowed to her sensei before leaving the dojo. Secretly, she was glad that she had been given the option to escape. Master Splinter's lessons could be harshly taught at times; sometimes with words, often times with extra katas.

When April slipped back into Donnie's room, she suddenly felt very cold. But... that wasn't right...Maybe it was her memory of the nightmare that caused her such foreboding. There wasn't any danger here. However, she couldn't quite dismiss the chills that crept up her spine like a poisonous spider on its web.

Donnie was still sleeping heavily, his blankets and sheets tangled around his long legs as if he were a mummy in a sarcophagus. He still looked troubled and he twitched periodically, whimpering a little in his sleep. April sat down by him and placed a hand on top of his head. He stilled at her touch, though the disturbed look stayed on his face.

It pained her that her friend so vulnerable and scared. She would have given everything she had to help him beat whatever was troubling him, but there wasn't much more that she could do. Part of her had hoped that she could have banished whatever demons had been hiding in Donnie's mind like a psychic exorcist and emerged a hero, but instead, she had been kicked out like an unwanted cat. It had almost embarassed her to be turned out like that. She was a powerful psychic for heaven's sake!

Whoever was torturing Donnie was very strong, and she was sure that he was getting stronger. April sincerely hoped that Splinter could do more to help than she could. He had to...

Her thought process was interrupted when Donnie stirred gently and his eyes slid open. They were still bloodshot, and the red in his irises was much more pronounced than usual. Dazed, they roamed around the room for a moment before landing on her. It only took a moment for the confusion to leave his gaze and recognition to take its place. April smiled reassuringly and smoothed her hand over his bald scalp, comforting him like a mother tending a small child.

"Hey."

"Hey."

His voice sounded deeper, and more gravelly, but she just thought that it came from his deep slumber. She sat down next to him and put her hand on his forehead, checking his temperature. His skin felt cool to the touch, though the clammy feeling was still there.

"You were only asleep for a few hours. How do you feel?"

Donnie gave her a half smile and reached up to take a hold of her small hand.

"Never felt better, especially with you here."

He ran his thumb over the top of her fingers gently, as if he were afraid she might shatter like glass. April was surprised by the level of intimacy in his touch. He wasn't acting clumsy and embarrassed in his flirtations as he usually did, in fact, he looked almost arrogant with confidence. It was so against what she knew that she didn't know how to respond.

"Oh… um… well, that's… that's really sweet D, but I have to talk to you."

"About what?" he asked, not even looking up at her. His attention seemed to only be invested in his ministrations to her hand. April tried to keep her mind on the matter at hand, though his touch was really distracting.

"I got to look in your dreamscape, and I got to see into one of your… bad dreams."

Donnie nodded vaguely, still tracing her knuckles with his wide thumb. She felt slightly annoyed that he wasn't taking this very seriously and pulled her hand back.

"There was something wrong there, Donnie. Like… Worse than when the Dream Beavers attacked you. A lot worse."

"What did you see?"

The gruffness in his voice still hadn't completely abated, but mostly, he sounded like the same old Donnie. Even so, something was off. Like… seriously off. She just couldn't quite put her finger on it… She pushed back the uncomfortable feeling in her gut. It must just be in her head. It was was nerves… That was it. However, her excuses sounded lame in her head.

"There was a forest, where everything was dead: the trees, the grass, everything. It went on for miles and miles. Then there was this box…"

April shuddered at the memory. The slickness of the blood on her hands, the grotesque heart, purple and bloated, still beating heavily. She knew that she would be seeing that damned heart in her dreams for weeks to come. Not wanting to delve into the details again, she hurried on.

"And there was a voice," April continued, swallowing to whet her dry throat. "Someone was there, Donnie; telling me that I didn't belong there and that I needed to leave."

Donnie cocked his head to the side and grinned skeptically. She didn't care for that look at all. It was like a condescending parent who wasn't remotely convinced of their child's tale.

"So what are you saying? There's someone in my head, giving me nightmares?"

April frowned and shrugged.

"I don't know. Whatever's going on, we're going to figure it out. Master Splinter thinks that meditating-."

Donnie threw back his head and laughed harshly. April was taken aback by the unexpected response. He had never regarded Master Splinter's suggestions with such flippancy before.

"I don't think that's gonna work, April," he chuckled when his laughter had mostly subsided. "That sounds like wishful thinking on his part. You can get rid of whatever's there. You're the powerful psychic; not him."

As much as she wanted to be flattered by his faith in her, April couldn't quite allow herself to believe him. Was it his disdain for sensei's methods? Or was it something else?

"Master Splinter wants to help you, and I think he can!" she insisted. Again, Donnie shook his head, more determined this time.

"I don't need him, April… I need you."

Donnie placed his large hand over hers and April thought about pulling her hand away from his again. But she didn't. His hand was warm and made her feel secure, though that annoying feeling in the back of her mind still persisted. What was the matter with her?

"Do you have any idea how special you are?" He asked earnestly.

April blinked. How was she supposed to respond to that?

"Uh…" she said, completely conscious of how idiotic she must be sounding right now.

Gently, he brushed her bangs out of her eyes, tucking them behind her ear. His touch his light and gave her goosebumps. April found herself speechless and breathless as his fingertips slid down her temple.

"You are unique," he said, answering his own question. "You are stunning and incredible and no other woman on Earth can hope to hold a candle to you."

"Donnie...," she sighed, then swallowed hard. Her mouth felt dry again and her heart raced at the speed of a hummingbird's wings. He pressed a finger to her lips, shushing her. His red eyes seemed to be searching the depths of her soul, and it made her feel lightheaded and vulnerable all at once.

"I mean it," Donnie said softly. "You're the most beautiful creature in the world, or in any other... And… well, I love you."

He cupped her cheek and leaned in toward her. April was stunned into immobility, since he had never taken such a brazen action before. He pressed his lips against hers and April breathed in his scent as she returned the kiss. His lips were warm and soft and she was completely lost in the moment and in his embrace.

For a long moment, they were all that existed. No nightmares, no voices; just she and Donnie..,

Then, she remembered who she was kissing.

Donnie. Her best friend.

Oh God, what I am doing? This wasn't right… Her hormones were running away with her. She jerked back from him, her hands pressed to her beating heart. He was panting slightly, his eyes bright with excitement. It hurt to see that happiness in his face that she couldn't reciprocate.

"Donnie... This is... going too fast."

"Fast?" He frowned, perplexed, so she hastened to explain herself.

"I'm... Not ready for this. This is just so sudden, and... I can't. I'm sorry."

Something dark flashed behind his eyes and the chills she had felt before spiked exponentially. Was he... angry with her? Even if he was, he had no right to be. It was her decision who she took this step with; no one else's. He had to understand that. However, she felt inexplicably sheepish that she had allowed it to go as far as it had. She couldn't blame him for being disappointed, she supposed.

A shrill buzzing broke the silence between them, and April gratefully reached for her phone. It was Casey. Oh, thank God. Anything to get her out of the awkward situation she'd gotten herself into. She quickly hit the 'accept call' button.

"Hey Casey," she said as cheerfully as she could, turning away from Donnie's indignant stare.

"April! I need to see ya." He sounded breathless over the phone. April frowned and stood up, stopping up her other ear to hear him better.

"What? What's going on?"

"I got busted, yo."

"Busted? For what, being a public nuisance?"

He huffed into the phone and she smiled, thinking that he was joking. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Donnie's eye twitch and the look of rage on his face made her almost miss Casey's next words.

"I'm serious, Red. The cops picked me up last night, and I just got let go."

"Oh my God! What happened?"

She gripped the phone tighter. What had that knucklehead done this time? Did he kill one of the Purple Dragons? No way… They wouldn't have let him out if he actually killed someone.

"I'll tell ya when I see ya, but I gotta get away from Pop for a while. He's been chewing my ass out for twelve solid hours. Can you meet me at the park?"

"I'll be there in ten minutes. Just stay where you are. I'm coming."

She ended the call and turned back to Donnie. He was glaring at her sourly and she averted her gaze. Oh boy, this wasn't going to get any easier any time soon...

"Casey got arrested last night," she explained shortly. "I'm gonna go see if he's okay."

"I'll come with-" He started to stand up but April hastily shook her head, forestalling his action.

"No!" she said a little too quickly. Then, feeling like she had spoken too rashly, tried again. "No, it's daytime, and you need to get some more sleep anyway. Don't worry, I'll be fine."

Inexplicable relief filled her as she hurried to the door. She had to get away from him for a while; to clear her head and work out a plan. How had she been so stupid? She had pulled the door open a few inches before he called out to her.

"April?"

"Yeah?"

She turned back, her hand still holding the open door. He was trying to smile, but the attempt was painful to look at and appeared more like a clown's painted smile. The spectacle creeped her out, but she forced herself to look anyway.

"Be careful out there. It's going to be dark soon, and there's that nutcase on the loose."

April had heard about that guy on the news; the one who had been killing women. She wasn't afraid of him, not really. She was a trained kunoichi and a psychic one at that. Masked killers beware.

"Don't worry. I'll be with Casey, so I'll be fine."

Whatever he said next was lost to her as she stepped out into the hallway. She thought about going back and apologizing for what happened between them, but she was certain that if she did, he would take it the wrong way.

And she wasn't quite sure how she did feel about him. Her cheeks were still burning as she walked down the tunnel that would get her back to the surface.

She wasn't going to lie, she liked how Donnie's hands felt on her skin and how sweet his mouth had tasted, but something stronger inside of herself had kept her from enjoying it. But this was the sort of thing that ruined friendships and their friendship was to valuable to her to jeopardize.

She loved Donnie… She just wasn't sure how in love with him she was. He was smart, funny, brave and loyal, but there were times when he tried too hard to impress her and it could make her uncomfortable. Right now, a relationship like this was too hard. That wasn't what she needed.

She was going to have to be smart to find her way out of this one, but something inside of her told her that this might be a battle that she had already lost.