Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT. They are the property of Nickelodeon, Viacom, Mirage Comics and Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman.

Author's Note: It's been awhile. Thank you to those who have given me such kind and encouraging reviews. I'm beginning to realize just how much of a perfectionist I really am when it comes to writing. I really want to give you the very best story from me. I just celebrated my birthday a week ago, and what a hellish week it was. I won't bore you with it though because that's not why you're here. This chapter will be a bit longer than the rest. So, please enjoy.

Chapter 5

"I'm glad to see you again," Donnie said in his soft voice. The hand he held April's in was much warmer than April had expected.

"Are the two officers okay?" April whispered.

"Other than a few bruises and their injured pride, they're fine," Donnie said, "And you're not in any trouble over that. I can honestly say I never saw you lay a hand on them."

April breathed a sigh of relief. Donnie smiled.

"What's your name?"

"April. April O'Neil."

"Nice to finally meet you, April O'Neil," Donnie said.

April felt tears well up in her eyes again and threw herself into Donnie's arms. Donnie was momentarily surprised but soon his arms were wrapped around her. April allowed the feeling of being close to another life envelop her.

"Come with me," Donnie whispered, "Let me, I mean, my brothers and me, help you."

April nodded. Donnie helped her collect her few meager possessions; her laptop, clothes and few bits of food, and lead her out from the utility junction. Once on the streets, April saw that Leo, Mikey and Raph were leaning casually against the wall of a building. They had dressed in street clothes, nothing designer and April noticed that everything they wore was black. Only the different colored masks remained.

"Hey there, pretty lady," Mikey said, grinning broadly.

"We're glad you decided to come out," Leo said.

"You all knew I was there?" April asked in surprise.

"Well, yeah," Mikey said, "Like a ninja do!"

"Ninja?" April asked.

"Questions later, you guys," Raph said. He pushed his body off the wall and jerked his head, "Let's get home."

April felt Donnie take her hand again and lead her towards a large SUV. She climbed into a seat and felt her body start to relax into the soft cushions. Donnie sat beside her as Leo climbed into the driver's seat. Raph and Mikey sat across from her seat, picking up magazines or phones. April didn't know when exactly she fell asleep, but when she awoke, she found herself in a soft bed. It unnerved April momentarily until she realized it was the sensation of clean that surrounded her. Suddenly, she wanted nothing more than a hot shower.

"I see that you are awake, young one," April turned to see Splinter coming into room with a tray of food resting on top of a white package. Her stomach gave an extraordinarily loud growl that made April's cheeks flush.

"And hungry as well," Splinter said with a smile. He laid the tray of tea and noodles in broth on her lap. April took a tentative bite, and her body seemed to fill with the warmth of the broth. As much as she wanted to, she took her time, remember the sick feeling she had from the night before.

"My sons are out getting you some appropriate attire," Splinter said. April choked on the noodles and began to cough. Gently, Splinter patted her on the back.

"They're buying me clothes?" April gasped out.

"Just a few items they thought you might prefer while your other garments are being cleaned," Splinter said. He obviously sensed her discomfort and seemed to guess why.

"I sent Miss Langinstein with them," he said, "I felt that having a woman along to buy some of the more personal items would make things easier for you and for my sons."

April smiled and took of drink of her tea. The taste of herbs and honey coated her throat and she felt relaxed and peaceful.

"My sons tell me your name is April O'Neil," Splinter asked, "And that you were living in an abandoned utility junction."

April nodded. Splinter stroked the long thin bear at his rat's chin. April fiddled nervously with the bedclothes.

"I will ask no questions you are unwilling to answer," Splinter said, "You are safe here."

Splinter handed her the white package from under the tray.

"This may be a bit too big for you, my child," Splinter said, "But it should serve you better than the attire you wear now."

April opened up the package and found a creamy yellow yukata printed with pink peony blossoms.

"Sir, this is beautiful," April breathed, "But I can't accept this. It looks very important."

"It belonged to my daughter, Miwa," Splinter said, "She is about your age. I will leave you to dress. If you would like to bathe, the bathroom is through that door. Take as much time as you would like."

April stood up and walked to the door Splinter indicated. Upon opening it, she saw a beautifully designed Japanese style bathroom.

"In my country, you shower first to cleanse yourself and then soak in the bathtub," Splinter said. April began to suspect that Splinter was slightly psychic.

"I understand," April said, "Would you also like me to leave my shoes off?"

"I appreciate your respect," Splinter said, "And yes, if you would not mind."

"Not at all, sir," April said. Splinter nodded and turned to leave.

"Please relax in our home, Miss O'Neil," Splinter said, "And you may call me Splinter."

April enjoyed the bath a great deal. Murakami had told her stories and share cultural interests about Japan with April, but the tiny place he had now would probably not allow the older man the luxury of his bathing rituals. As April soaked in the tub, she thought about Murakami. Perhaps she would call him today and tell him of the events. Maybe she might even be able convince her hosts to allow her friend an opportunity to come over.

"My hosts," April thought. The words caught in her head. The last few times she was hosted had not been pleasant experiences. The first place had been with the Michaels. They were a nice enough family, but April soon realized that instead of a home, she was living more as a nanny and maid for them. They weren't cruel or heartless, but they were caught up in their own lives. April stayed with them a few months before both she and they realized it wasn't a good fit. The second family she lived with, the Mackenzies, wasn't much better. They didn't have any children of their own and spent most nights out with friends at different functions. April had stayed with them the least amount of time after social services discovered they could never reach them at home. The final place was the stuff of nightmares. The Rodahl family seemed to be the typical middle class American family. Mr. and Mrs. Rodahl, along with two children, one barely 6 weeks old, had been gracious enough to April, giving her a room in their livable basement away from the noise of late night crying. But Mr. Rodahl's gracious attitude came with an expectation on his part. April found him one night going through her drawers. He had said he was checking for insects, but he didn't check any part of the rest of the house. Another night, April woke up with the sensation of being watched from the bedroom door. She had asked Mrs. Rodahl if she might have a lock for her room, just to safeguard some items from little hands. The third time, the last time, April had been dressing to go out with some friends she'd made at school. Mrs. Rodahl had taken her children to see their grandmother for the weekend. As she'd been brushing her hair, Mr. Rodahl had come in behind her and tried to kiss her. She remembered his arms trying to overpower her and push her into a corner. April had been unable to scream for help; it had seemed so unreal, like something out of a Lifetime Channel move.

"Come to think of it, I don't know how I managed to push him off me either," April thought. She only knew that she had pushed on his arms and found him falling into the bathtub, cracking his head on the windowsill. April hadn't stayed to see the damage she might have caused. She had grabbed her laptop, a few personal items and toiletries, as well as whatever cash she could find. She even raided Mr. Rodahl's wallet. Then, she ran away.

"I wonder if I did the same thing I did to Dellie and those two officers," April thought. She soaked for a few more minutes, allowing her toes and fingers to wrinkle. Then, she climbed out, dried and dressed in the yukata. This was the most confusing part. It seemed Splinter had been right about it being too big for her. She finally got it closed clumsily and looked in the mirror. She looked much more like a child than her teen years would suggest. April suddenly heard voices out in the bedroom.

"Miss O'Neil, we're back." It was Donnie's voice. April opened the bathroom door and smiled. Donnie wasn't alone, Mikey and Leo had come in as well. They each held a plastic bag of what April could guess would be clothes, shoes and underwear. Mikey took one look at her and began to laugh.

"You look wild!" he crowed. Leo gave his shoulder a rough slap.

"That's no way to treat a guest, Mikey," Leo hissed. But April couldn't help notice his grin either. Donnie grinned at her too, but in a more sympathetic way.

April felt her cheeks burn.

"What's wrong?" she asked nervously.

"That's not how you wear a yukata," Mikey said, still laughing.

"It isn't?" April said, looking down at herself.

"It's a very good first attempt," Donnie said, "Mikey here took 3 tries before he got it."

Mikey stuck his tongue out at him.

"Why don't you show her, Donnie?" Leo said, his eyes twinkling.

"What?" April and Donnie shouted together. Clearly it was a very embarrassing idea for both of them. But Leo and Mikey only grinned wider. They put the bags on the bed and left the room. April and Donnie stood quietly beside each other.

"Would you like me to help?" Donnie said after a moment's pause.

April felt nervous. Now that the clothes had been bought, perhaps she would be better off wearing them, at least the underwear. But she longed to stay dressed in the soft flowing garment.

"If you don't mind," April finally said, "Please."

Donnie gave a nervous gulp and nodded. April came forward and lifted up her arms. Donnie began to undo the hastily tied band around her waist.

"Wait!" April cried, "I'm not dressed underneath. I mean, I'm in underwear."

Donnie's eyes widened. His teenage mind had registered that thought quite quickly. But he was also a gentleman, err, turtle.

"I'll close my eyes," Donnie said.

"Won't you need to see what you're doing?" April asked.

"I can do a yukata in 43.26 seconds. That's my personal best record."

April laughed. Donnie shut his eyes as the band slipped free and the yukata folds fell open. April watched as he straightened the shoulders, pulled the front folds forward into position and folded them neatly over each other. He picked up the belt again and wrapped it around her waist, lifting the layers of fabric in and around her front and back. At last, Donnie stepped back and opened his eyes. Whatever he saw in April caused his eyes to blink twice and stare admiringly at her.

"Do I look silly?" April said with a blush. Donnie shook his head.

"You look amazing."

He took her over to the mirror and April saw that the yukata looked much more like she'd seen in pictures. And with her red hair down around her shoulders, the reflection showed a much more attractive image than the one she'd seen in the bathroom mirror at the Boathouse.

"Come with me," Donnie said and lead her out of the bedroom. April followed, feeling a little heavier in the fabric than she might normally have done in her regular clothes. As they came around the hall corner, April saw the large open room that was the living area of TMNT. Leo was talking with Splinter at the breakfast counter while Raph and Mikey sat on the couch, playing some violent first-person shooter game.

"Wow," said Leo, "You look lovely."

"Yeah, you clean up real good," Raph said, distractedly, "Oh, don't you even think about it Mikey."

"Ain't nothing but a thang, brah," Mikey said as he shot his last enemy and raced toward the goal.

"April, I am pleased to see that the yukata fits you so well," Splinter said, "Did you have much trouble putting it on?"

"A little trouble, Splinter," April said, "But Donnie helped me get it figured out."

Donnie gave a nervous giggle.

"New record!" Mikey said. The screen displayed the top score on one half of the screen while the other half showed a twitching and bloody CGI image of a fallen soldier.

"This bites!" Raph shouted.

"Pay up, dude," Mikey said, "Pizza with cheddar, onions and walnuts, deep dish style."

"I'll 'deep dish' you, Mikey," Raph said and lunged at Mikey. Mikey laughed and took off at a run while Raph chased after him, yelling about "distracting women" and "shell-bending."

"April, would you like some more to eat?" Donnie asked, "We've got pizza here. But maybe you'd rather not eat something so heavy right away."

Truthfully, April wanted to eat pizza. It had been so long since she'd had any, but she knew her stomach wouldn't be able to handle it.

"I'll stick to tea and broth for now," April said, "But I still don't understand why you're going through all this to help me. I'm a total stranger to you."

Leo and Splinter looked at each other and then at Donnie.

"It's Donnie's call," Leo said, "This was his idea to help you out."

"Thanks a lot, Leo," Donnie muttered. But he sighed and lead April to sit on the couch.

"When I saw you do what you did to those officers," Donnie said, "I had no idea what to think, but you looked so lost. When you took off, I decided to follow you. Not sure why, but I just wanted to make sure you go home okay. Except, you didn't go to the home I expected. And when I saw the stuff on your laptop, it just felt that much more important to find you and help."

April nodded.

"April, I don't know how much you can or are willing to share with us," Donnie continued, "But I want you to know that we all want to help. Will you trust us?"

"If I didn't trust you, I never would have come with you," April said, "But I should tell you my story first, before you decide if you want to help me."

"Then let us all join together," Splinter said, "And we will listen to your tale."

April spent the better part of the morning telling them everything about what had happened in her life: the loss of her father, the foster homes, moving to the sewers and how she'd discovered their music. They all listened quietly and patiently, asking only one or two questions.

"If you're Dad's gone," Mikey asked, "Why not stay with your mom?"

"My mom died when I was a baby," April said, "I barely remember her."

"Kraang Inc. is responsible for mutants having the right treatments when mutations get ugly," Raph said, "Why do you think they'd care two bits about your dad?"

"My dad is a psychologist, but also an expert in brain activity and cerebral therapy," April said, "Some of the projects and advanced treatments and procedures Kraang Inc. has come up with have Dad's skills written all over them."

April finished telling her story, not wanting to share much about her mission to take Kraang Inc. down.

"The four of us never had any issues with mutations getting unstable," Leo said, "But we've seen and known people that have."

"I'm not going to deny that they've done a lot of helpful things," April said, "But the way they've been able to avoid any inquiries from authorities and other government inquisitions tells me it's at too high an expense."

No one said anything for a moment. Finally Donnie stood up. He was staring out the window with a look that April had seen her father wear more than once: the far-off visionary look.

"Let's check it out," Donnie said at last.

"Donnie, let's think about this," Leo said, "We don't have much proof to go on and it's the word of just one girl."

"One girl who can catapult armed officers out a window," Donnie said, "Leo, I know you're our leader, but is it really going to hurt anyone just to check it out?"

"We're musicians, Donnie," Raph said, "We can't just bust into any company we want and start asking questions. Although the idea does sound good." Raph squeezed his knuckles.

"But we're also ninja," Donnie said, "And we've got skills and resources regular law enforcement doesn't have."

"That's the second time you've said that," April said, "What do you mean you're ninja."

"That's a story that I will tell," Splinter said, "Before my mutation, I was Hamato Yoshi, a teacher and leader of the Hamato Clan, a clan of ninja, in Japan. My clan and another ninja clan called The Foot feuded with each other for many centuries. The head of the Foot clan, Oroku Saiki, destroyed my home and family, leaving my infant daughter and myself to die in the fire. We were able to escape and we came to New York to start over. The art of the ninja is the legacy I pass onto my children, but it can no longer be the whole of their existence. My sons are talented musicians and have used the opportunities given to them within this country to pursue and achieve their dreams."

"But we uphold our family legacy," Leo said, "We're rebuilding the Hamato Clan, but, I guess it's like the royals in other countries; we still have to work and earn money."

"We just earn money through super awesome music!" Mikey said, strumming an air guitar. His momentary distraction allowed Raph to tackle him to the ground.

"Get off me!" Mikey squealed.

"Say it," Raph wheedled, digging his knuckles into his little brother's head.

"Fine, 'Raphael is all wise and powerful and he's better than me in every possible way', now let me up!" Mikey whined.

Raph complied and Mikey blew a raspberry at him.

"Miss O'Neil," said Leo, "If you would, we'd like you to stay with us."

April blinked in surprise. It was one thing to come for a day, but to stay permanently? And in a house full of teenage boys? Granted, they were mutants and Turtles, but still boys.

"We have an extra room available," Donnie said quickly, as if sensing her hesitance.

"I want to contribute in some way," April said, "Put me to work at the concerts, or I'll clean up the place. I'm not going to freeload."

The boys looked at each other and smiled.

"That seems fair," Leo said. He reached out a hand toward April, "Deal then?"

April smiled and shook his hand.

"Deal."

"Aww, yeeah," Mikey cheered, "This is gonna be off the chain!"

Mikey grabbed April's hand and pulled her along behind him.

"I'll show you around the place, sis," Mikey said and April blushed. She looked back and saw the other three Turtles and Splinter smiling warmly. Mikey could be trusted to behave himself. April smiled and let Mikey lead her on the tour.

Donnie sat beside April in their large SUV. They were on their way back to the bandshell for a few more public encounters. She was laughing with Mikey and Donnie could think of no sweeter sound he had ever heard. April had also removed the yukata and changed into some of the clothes they had procured for her: a comfortable pair of jeans, a yellow sweater and bright yellow sneakers. The yellow sweater hung provocatively off one shoulder, exposing her pale skin and the strap of the camisole underneath. The sweater had been one Mikey had chosen and Donnie, although with some annoyance, appreciated his younger brother's choice. Mikey was currently sharing a story about a training session that resulted in Leo and Raph getting tangled in a grappling hook. Leo and Raph were glowering at Mikey, but said nothing. They also seemed to be enjoying listening to April laugh.

"Oh, and wait until you hear this one about Donnie," Mikey began to giggle. Donnie felt his cheeks flush and he slapped a hand over Mikey's mouth.

"Yes, uh, thank you Mikey," Donnie interrupted. "Oh, look, we're here."

"It's only a photo shoot this evening and a few public appearances," Leo said, "Nothing stressful or anything. Are you sure you want to try and help with some of the work. It's a lot of heavy lifting."

"I'll do whatever I can to help," April said, "I'm not bad with electronics. And I did a lot of theater tech when I went to school, so I'm not clueless."

"We'll introduce you to the guy behind most of our stage setup," Raph said, "He's got more skills than 3 roadies."

"Too bad his head is as thick as 3 guys," Donnie muttered.

"Don't be a jerk," Raph said grumpily, "We've never found anyone as good as running that stage crew, or as fast, as Casey Jones."

"Donnie doesn't like Casey," Mikey explained, "It's a "nerd" vs. "jock" thing."

"No, it's a "he used one of my spare dimmers into a hockey puck" thing," Donnie said with a scowl.

April followed Mikey out of the car, giving Donnie a curious look. What kind of person was this Casey? And was it going to be safe to be around him?

"Casey sounds a bit wild," April said to Donnie, "Is he really someone to trust?"

Donnie looked thoughtful for a moment, as though waging a silent battle in his head.

"He is a good guy," Donnie said at length, "He's just got a lot of energy with no place to put it."

"Yo, Casey!" Raph called out to the stage. A tall, skinny teen, probably around the same age as the rest of them, turned his head. He had long black hair pulled back by a black bandana. A few cuts and a considerable gap in his teeth marked up what was otherwise a handsome and clever face.

"Raph, 'sup, my brother," Casey shouted cheerfully. He jumped from the stage as the group arrived and pounded into Raph's fist.

"Just about done," Casey said, looking back at the activity on stage, "Yo, Timothy, move those cables off stage."

A chubby man, maybe a college student dressed in a green jumpsuit, scurried clumsily up the steps and picked up the cables. As he did, April clutched her head at a sudden wave of pain. A shuttering clunking sound overhead was the only warning anyone had before a batten collapsed onto the stage, narrowly missing Timothy as he fell backwards off the stage and onto the ground.

"Timothy!" Donnie shouted and hurried over, "What happened?"

"I don't know!" Timothy shouted, "The cables weren't attached to anything, I swear!"

"Take it easy," Donnie said, patting Timothy kindly on the shoulder but with an air of long-suffering patience.

"Dude," Mikey said from the stage, "These lights are covered with wax. They're all bent up."

"The beams must have given way with the extra weight," Leo said, "But where did all the wax come from?"

"April? What's wrong?" Donnie said as he saw April fall to her knees. April clutched her head as wave after wave of some unnamable force hit her. Suddenly, she stared wildly up at the stage.

"Look out!" she screamed. A crash of equipment erupted from backstage as two security officers were thrown out onto the lawn. All eyes stared as a something huge and dripping crawled to the front of the stage. April felt sick. It stood a little more than 6 feet high and looked nearly as long. The body was little more than a twisted, melting ball of wax. The empty eye sockets and mouth reminded April of a jack o' lantern. Only a faint glow from the eyes left April with any impression of awareness beyond the growling gurgle coming from the open vacant mouth.

"April, get back to the car," Leo shouted. April looked over as Leo pulled a pair of blades from the inside of his shirt. In lightning fast time, April saw Mikey and Raph also pull out weapons. Donnie was herding away onlookers and carrying a long wooden staff.

"Mikey, Raph, take left and right," Leo said, "Try and keep him away from the rest of the equipment. We don't need any fires breaking out."

"Which way are you going?" Mikey asked.

"Well, somebody's got to take the middle," Leo said, "Go!"

April ducked as the wax creature launched another pile of equipment over her head.

"Help me!" it cried. April stared in horror as the Turtles charged it.

"Goongala!" Casey had joined the fight, swinging a hockey stick and a baseball bat at the creatures head. The creature lobbed a ball of hot wax at Casey, which he narrowly avoided

"April, get down!" Donnie shouted. April rolled out of the way and into Donnie's plastron. She looked up at him in confused fear.

"Help me!" she heard the creature shout again.

"It wants help," April called to the other Turtles, "Listen to it."

"Turtlewax is just roaring at us," Mikey said back, swinging one of his weapons, which April now recognized as nunchakus.

"Turtlewax?" Raph asked.

"Well, he's made of wax," Mikey explained, "And he's trying to whack us Turtles off, so I figured-."

"Okay, thank you," Leo interrupted. He looked back in April's direction.

"Donnie, get April back to the car and try to think of something, AH!" Leo said but let out a shout of pain as a hot mass of wax caught him around the middle and plastered him to the wall. Raph and Mikey shouted and attacked in tandem, with Casey skating around on inlines at the creature's base.

"Donnie, please," April said, "I know I'm not imagining this. You have to let me help."

Donnie looked at her uncertainly. He didn't ignore Leo's orders, especially when it came to protecting people. But he also knew that his brothers needed his help. Finally, with clenched teeth, he positioned his staff.

"You will stay behind me," Donnie said, "And you don't move until I give the word."

April and Donnie hurried on stage as Mikey and Raph attempted another swinging kick and punch at what might have been the creature's middle. Donnie pressed one end of his staff and a sharp blade popped out. He began to pry at the wax holding a struggling Leo in place. Mikey hit the floor beneath him.

"This is crazy," Mike said, "It's like one of my comic books come to life."

"It's obviously another mutant," Donnie said, "Its behavior is like the mutants were acting 15 years ago. It's out of control."

April watched as Casey and Raph swung harder as the creature began to approach them. As though it were knocking aside two flies, Raph and Casey went sprawling into the instruments.

"Get out of here," Leo said, "Take Mikey and April and go!" But Donnie wasn't listening; he watched April like a cat.

April was walking forward, her wide blue eyes so constricted that she seemed to have no pupils. The mutant stood still, staring back at her. April seemed to be listening to it.

"We don't want to hurt you," she said softly, "But you attacked us. You could have hurt someone. This isn't how you get help."

The mutant growled out something to April as the Turtles and Casey watched.

"What's going on?" Raph said. He dug his sais into the wax, twisting and turning the mess until Leo was finally free.

"I think she's talking to it," Donnie said, "And it seems to understand."

"I don't know what we can do to help," April said, "But you have to stop attacking us first. And you'll have to go someplace safe. Can you do that?"

The mutant grumbled again and seemed to nod. And April believed it.

"It won't attack anymore," she said, "And it will let you take it wherever you need to take it."

The Turtles looked at each other in surprise.

"Casey, call the police," Leo said, "Tell them no guns and to be ready for a peaceful escort."

"Mount Sinai Hospital on 98th might be able to accommodate this one," Donnie said, "They've updated their mutant needs wing recently."

April reached out tentatively and touched the mutant's form. The wax was warm, but not scalding. It had a soft consistency that April associated with nail salons. And its voice in her head was more relaxed now, leaving April without any pain or sense of fear.

It was about 20 minutes later that April and the Turtles were watching the police lead the mutant to a large truck. The mutant gave one last look t them and April waved at him. When he was finally driving away, April felt her body shaking as the adrenaline began to ebb.

"April, how did you know what to do?" Leo asked.

"I don't know," April replied, stilling shaking and starting to feel waves of dizziness come over her, "Sometimes I get these feelings about things. The last time it happened was when I managed to get to that utility junction without anyone seeing me. I knew where people were watching and listening and just, I don't know, avoided them."

"Are you some kind of pah-sycho?" Mikey asked. Raph promptly smacked him on the head.

"The word you want is "psychic", Mikey," Donnie said, "And just because she has extra sensitive-."

April didn't hear the rest. Her body finally collapsed and she felt Donnie's arms wrap around her protectively before she slipped into peaceful, quiet darkness.

To Be Continued.