Chapter 7: Looking for This?

A/N: Hey, I'm back with another chapter. I'm really having a lot of fun with this story, and I want to thank everyone who's been sticking with me for the ride. Your kind words have been so awesome and have kept me going. Thanks a million. I hope you enjoy this chapter, too.

Disclaimer: TMNT and all related characters are property of Nickelodeon. I only own the plot to this story and any other characters you don't recognize.

"Okay, there are two possible explanations for this," Don said to himself. "Either April is back and is sending me a message, or someone is impersonating her to lure me into a trap. The best way to find out is to trace where the message came from, which should be easy for me. After all, I'm a genius."

And with that, Don set to work trying to trace where the message had originated, but each time he came up with a dead end. Still, he kept at it, determined to solve this mystery.

He was so engrossed in what he was doing that he was startled by a knock on his door, which caused him to yelp.

"Don, are you okay?" It was Leo.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Leo," Don answered. "What do you want?"

"Sensei wants to talk to you," Leo replied.

"Can't it wait?" Don begged. "I'm in the middle of some very important work."

"I don't think so, Donnie. You know how Sensei is. But if you go now, maybe you'll have time to get back to your project."

Don let out a sigh of resignation. "Okay, I'd better go see him," he said. He saved his work and shut off his laptop. Then he headed to Splinter's room, wondering what his father wanted to see him about. Was he in trouble for something? If so, it was probably something Mikey had done but Mikey had decided to blame Donnie for it instead of owning up to it.

"Come in, Donatello," Splinter said.

"Uh, Leo said you wanted to see me, Sensei?"

"Yes, I do," Splinter replied. "I hope I was not disturbing you."

"Well, I am working on a project, but it can wait," Don responded.

"Good." Splinter stroked his beard as he regarded his purple-banded son. "I've noticed that you have taken to spending a lot of time in that lab of yours. You only come out to use the bathroom, to train, and to patrol. This is not healthy, Donatello. You are shutting yourself away from your brothers and keeping to yourself." He sighed. "I know that April's disappearance has been hard on all of you, but that does not give you the excuse to shut yourself away, my son. I do not mind you spending some time in the lab to work on something, but you should spend time with your brothers outside of just patrol and training. Do I make myself clear?"

"Hai, Sensei," Don said meekly.

"Good. Is there anything you wish to tell me, Donatello?"

Don froze. Maybe this would have been a good opportunity for him to tell Splinter about the message he'd received, but he couldn't do it. He was afraid Splinter would think he was losing his mind, and he didn't want that to happen.

"No, Sensei, there isn't anything," he finally said.

"Very well," Splinter responded. "Now, tell me about this project of yours."

"Well, I'm working on a way to upgrade the trackers on the T-Phones," Don explained.

"Oh, that is interesting. But you did that last month, did you not?"

"No, I was trying to improve the signal last month," Don corrected him.

"Ah, I see. Well then you had better get back to work. You are dismissed."

With a grateful sigh of relief, Don bowed to his father and left Splinter's room. On his way to the lab, he listened in on a very important discussion taking place.

"I'm telling you Glee's so much better than Space Heroes," Mikey was saying. "It's just the coolest show ever. The music is the best part of it."

"Mikey, all of those songs are just covers of other songs," Raph reminded him.

"They've done original songs, too," Mikey insisted. "And you have to admit that their tributes to Britney Spears and Michael Jackson were spectacular. Oh, and don't forget about Madonna. That one's my favorite."

"Yeah, those have been good," Leo replied. "But Space Heroes is all about fighting evil and traveling to different worlds. Glee has never done anything like that."

"Hey, they talked about bullying once," Mikey said defensively. "They always talk about different topics and teach the kids lessons."

"For the record, I think both shows are stupid," Raph chimed in.

"Personally, I think both shows have their good sides," Don interjected, not wanting to be left out of the conversation. "On one hand, you have the exciting plots and battles of Space Heroes, while Glee has amazing musical numbers and different plots each week." Don smiled at both his brothers, hoping that his input would stop the argument.

"You're right, Donnie," Leo said. "They are both great shows. Thanks for your input."

"No problem," Don said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some work to do."

"Wait, what did Splinter want?" Leo asked him.

"Just to make sure I'm okay," Don replied. "No big deal. Can I go now?"

Leo laughed at his brother's impatience. "Yeah, sure, you can go," he said. "Don't work too hard though."

"I won't," Don promised. He hurried to his lab and closed the door. Then he logged onto the Internet to check his e-mail. He had one new message, though the address was just a bunch of letters and numbers. He opened it to see what it was about and almost fell out of his chair as he read it.

"This can't be happening," he whispered as he read the contents of the e-mail.

Dear April,

I've been thinking about how to say this, but I couldn't find the right words, so I thought I'd write to you instead. I can't tell you how lucky I am to have someone like you in my life. Being a mutant turtle, I never thought I would love anyone else apart from my brothers and father. But after meeting you, that changed.

From the first day I met you, I've loved everything about you from your red hair to your determined nature. Even now there are things I love about you. I love the way you purse your lips when you're stuck on a math problem. I love the way you laugh when Mikey tells one of his jokes and the way you concentrate when you're trying to learn a new kata.

And I know this is going to sound crazy coming from a mutant turtle, but I can't keep it from you any longer. I love you, April O'Neil. If you can't return the feeling, I understand. I know there are more guys worthy of your love than I am. However, I just wanted you to know how I really feel about you because I can't hide it any longer.

Don

This was the letter Don had written and given to April. But what shocked him was what was at the bottom of the letter itself.

Hey, Donnie, looking for this? I thought you might be, so I decided to give it back to you. Kisses! –A.

A/N: And so it continues. How about that bombshell, huh? As for the battle of Glee vs. Space Heroes, I originally thought of a one shot for that, but I thought it would be funnier if it was in this story instead. Personally, I love Glee, but I think Space Heroes is hilarious and would probably watch it with Leo. Anyway, feel free to leave a review, and have a shelltastic day.