Chapter 3: Things I'll Never Say

A/N: I know it's been a while since I posted another chapter, and I apologize for that. I've been having a lot of sinus trouble, but I'm okay now, so I thought it would be good to post this. Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed thus far. It means a lot to me that you like this story, and I hope you'll continue to enjoy it. I know that Irma has not officially been used on the show, but I thought it would be cool to use her for the sake of this story.

Disclaimer: TMNT and all related characters are property of Nickelodeon. Irma Langenstein is property of Fred Wolf for now unless Nick decides to use her.

Donatello rubbed his eyes. He'd been in his lab for a few days now trying to gather the courage to send an e-mail to April's father. He hadn't talked to Kirby in a long time, and he thought that now was the time to try and contact him again. He wanted to reassure Kirby that he was doing everything he could to solve the mystery of April's disappearance. He hadn't found any leads so far, but he was determined to keep at it, even though his brothers had begged him to just let it go. But then again, they didn't really understand how Don felt about April.

He stared at the e-mail again, making sure that he had worded it right. He didn't want to end up saying the wrong thing to her father.

Dear Kirby,

How are you? I'm doing good. I just wanted to write to you to see how you were holding up. I know it's been three years since April disappeared and that you still miss her. My brothers and I still do, too. I'm still doing my best to try and find out what happened to her. I haven't come up with any answers yet, but I won't rest until I find out what happened to her. I owe both you and her that at least. Just know that I think about her all the time and what a good friend she was to my brothers and me. I hope that you'll get in touch with me soon.

Sincerely,

Hamato Donatello

Yes, that looked fine. He'd been sending e-mails to Kirby every year on the anniversary of April's disappearance, but he'd never gotten a response back. Maybe this time would be different though. He hit Send and watched as it was confirmed that the e-mail was sent. Then he sat back and thought about April and what she would look like now. His mind bombarded him with memories of the times he spent with her, but one memory stood out more vividly than any of the others.

22222

"Thanks for coming over to help me, Donnie," April said gratefully as she retrieved another chair for him to sit on.

"No problem," Don replied. "You know I'm always happy to help out when you need it."

"Equations are just so hard," she groaned. "I know it should be easy for me since my dad's a scientist, but I get so confused sometimes."

"Well, that's why I'm here," Don told her. "Let me see what you have to do for homework."

April showed him where she was having trouble, and Don guided her through it, using a method that would be easy for her to grasp. She listened to him and understood exactly what he was saying. He did a few problems and urged her to try it for herself.

"Oh, now I get it!" April said happily. "Thanks, Donnie!" She threw her arms around him and gave him a big hug.

It was as she pulled away that it happened. Donnie didn't know what came over him, but the next thing he knew, he had leaned over and kissed April right on her lips. It didn't last long because April pulled away, her blue eyes wide with shock.

"April, I—I'm so sorry," Don whispered. "I don't know what came over me. It won't happen again. I promise."

"That's okay, Donnie," she replied. "You're a great tutor. Thanks for your help." Then she started rambling about a boy at school who she thought had a crush on her and how he often tried to talk to her. He tried to listen, but his mind was fixed on the kiss and how it felt to have April's lips on his.

"Donnie, are you listening to me?" April asked him.

"Huh?" Don looked at her, snapping out of his thoughts. "Sorry, April, my mind wandered there for a second. What were you saying?"

She sighed. "Never mind. I'll tell you when you're not so distracted."

"Okay," Don said. "I have to get home anyway. I'll see you at practice tomorrow, right?"

"Count on it," April told him.

He smiled at her and exited her room. After that day, April became distant with him and made sure they were never alone together. Don knew he wouldn't be able to talk to her about this, so he wrote a letter instead and mailed it to her. He never got a response and wondered if she'd ever read it. He had meant to ask her about it, but she vanished before he had the chance.

22222

Don's thoughts were interrupted by a noise from his computer that indicated he had an instant message. He clicked on it and read what was on the screen.

Irma: Hey, Don, what are you up to?

Don couldn't help but smile. He'd become friends with Irma shortly after April disappeared when he'd rescued her from some Purple Dragons. He knew that she'd been friends with April and that she was just as sad about her disappearance as he was. Since then, they'd often met together to discuss things, but now Irma was in college and had decided to take summer classes so that she could finish sooner.

Don: Hi, Irma. Not much. You?"

Irma: Oh, just finishing up a story for class. It's a creative writing class.

Don: Oh, I see. That's neat.

Irma: How are your brothers doing?

Don smiled again. She never failed to ask that whenever she talked to him. Although the other Turtles had met Irma, they never tried to get close to her the way they did with April. It was understandable why they didn't want to get close to her, but Don continued to remain on good terms with her because he really wanted a friend.

Don: They're okay. Leo had the flu all day though.

Irma: Sorry to hear that. Is he better now?"

Don: Yeah, Mikey brought him some soup from Murakami's. I should probably check on him though.

Irma: Yeah, maybe you'd better. I think he'd like that. I know today has been hard for you because of what happened. I'm surprised there have been no leads for three years.

Don: Yeah, I know. I'm still trying my best to find her, Irma. I owe her that.

Irma: I know, Donnie. Don't get yourself stressed over this. You can't afford to get sick, too.

Don: You're right. Thanks, Irma.

Irma: No problem. Well, I supposed I'd better get back to work. I've still got some math problems to do as well as this story. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

Don: Okay. Have fun with your math problems.

Irma: Will do. Bye.

Don: Bye.

After Irma signed off, Don decided to check his e-mail one last time before checking up on Leo. He spotted one more message, but it wasn't from Kirby. It was a combination of letters and numbers, and the subject line read "Awww! How sweet!" Curious, Don clicked on it.

Awww! How sweet. You've found someone else to talk online with. Are you going to kiss her, too? –A

Don gasped as he read the message. This couldn't be happening. There was only one person who knew what he'd done.

April.

A/N: So, things are really starting to heat up now, aren't they? I swear, I'm having so much fun writing this story and taking the Turtles on this journey. Next chapter is Raphael's, so we'll get to see what he's been up to since all of this happened. Feel free to leave a review, and have a shelltastic day.