Chapter 10: It's Not Over

A/N: Hey, I know I normally update on Fridays, but I decided to update again today because I felt like it. Thanks to all of those who have read and reviewed. It means a lot to me. Historia and WCGirl, thanks so much for the kind words. Here's the update you wanted. Buckle up, guys, it's going to be a wild ride.

Disclaimer: TMNT and all related characters are property of Nickelodeon. I only own the plot and any other characters not associated with TMNT.

The Turtles and Splinter stared at Leo as they processed his words. Finally, Raph spoke up.

"Her body?" he repeated. "You mean she's dead?"

"Yes," Leo said softly and recounted what he'd heard on his way home from Madison's.

"Wait, Kirby was there?" Don interjected. "Why didn't he call us?"

"He was probably contacted by the police to come back," Leo answered.

"Or he was here on business and got the news when he came home," Don added.

"Shhh, let's listen to this!" said Mikey as he turned up the volume.

"Workers were starting to break ground for a new office building when they discovered the body," reported Carlos Chiang O'Brien Gambe. "We don't know how Miss O'Neil's body came to be in that hole, but police are conducting a full investigation. Joining me right now is Miss O'Neil's father, Kirby O'Neil. Mr. O'Neil, I know that this has come as a shock to you, but I want to know your thoughts on what the workers discovered."

"Well, Carlos, I'm very devastated that the case has come to this conclusion," Kirby replied. "I wish April could be here with me right now. But at least there is closure in her fate, and I no longer have to wonder about what happened to her. My biggest hope is that we will find the one who did this to April and bring them to justice. There will be a memorial service tomorrow to honor April's memory, and it will be open to the public."

"When will the funeral take place?" Carlos asked.

"Once the police have finished examining her body to determine what the cause of death is, we will arrange for a funeral," Kirby answered.

"Thank you for your time, Mr. O'Neil," Carlos said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family during this time."

"Thank you, Carlos," replied Kirby.

"For Channel Six News, this is Carlos Chiang O'Brien Gambe. Back to you in the studio."

The report switched to something else, but the Turtles weren't paying any attention. They were still reeling from the news that April was dead. Her father looked so different than he'd been three years ago. His red hair had some gray in it, and his face looked a little more lined.

"How do you think she died?" whispered Mikey. "Do you think she was killed first and put in the hole, or do you think she was pushed in there and buried?"

"I don't know," answered Leo. He didn't really want to think about how it happened. It was hard enough to comprehend that April was truly gone and wasn't coming back.

"We need to find the scumbag who did this and make them pay!" snarled Raph.

"But we don't know who killed her," pointed out Don.

"Well, you're supposed to be the genius," retorted Raph. "I'm surprised you haven't figured it out yet."

"Raph, cool it," commanded Leo. "You shouldn't be blaming Donnie for this."

"You're right, Leo, maybe we should be blaming you," countered Raph. "If you had taken April home, this never would have happened."

Rage filled Leo at Raph's words, and he lunged at his brother, but Splinter struck before Leo could, and he pinned the blue-clad Turtle to the floor.

"Enough!" Splinter shouted.

Leo continued to struggle with no success. It was one thing for Leo to blame himself for April's disappearance, but for Raph to do it was a different matter.

"Leonardo, calm yourself," Splinter commanded him.

"I won't!" Leo yelled back, struggling to break free. "How dare he blame me?"

"Donatello, I need your help," Splinter said to his purple-clad son.

Donnie nodded and hurried off to his lab. He returned with a syringe and managed to inject it into his brother's right arm. This made Leo angrier, but there was nothing he could do to prevent it. Soon the blue-clad Turtle began to feel the effects of the sedative and succumbed. Splinter waited until he was sure Leo was out before letting his son go.

"It is time for bed," he told his sons. "We have had a hard day. Tomorrow we will discuss this matter further, but for now you should all get some rest. Raphael, take your brother to his room."

"Hai, Sensei," Raph replied. He gently picked Leo up and carried him to his room. He felt guilty about what he'd said and promised to apologize to his brother in the morning. He laid Leo gently in the bed and tucked the covers around him.

"Sleep tight, bro," he whispered before he departed to his own room and settled down to sleep.

22222

Before he went to bed, Splinter checked on his sons as they slept. He knew that all of them were suffering over April's death, and he was sad that they had to deal with something they'd never really understood before. Yes, they had witnessed death and had killed others when necessary, but they had never suffered the loss of a friend. It was going to be hard for them to deal with, and Splinter knew he would have to help them through it. But at least they had some semblance of closure with what happened to her. For three years they had agonized over whether April was alive or dead. Michelangelo kept holding out hope that she was still alive, Donatello kept searching for answers as to what happened and where she could be, Raphael longed to bring the one who did this to justice, and Leonardo continued to place the blame on himself.

The Sensei sighed as he thought about his oldest son. It wasn't fair that he was carrying this burden on his own. His reaction to Raphael's remark confirmed that. He needed to speak to his son, but he was afraid that Leonardo would push him away. Deciding he would worry about the matter tomorrow, he lay down and closed his eyes, wishing that all of this hadn't happened.

22222

The next morning, the Turtles woke up and arrived at the dojo for morning training. Even though April's memorial service was that day, they knew it was still essential that they practice. As they entered, Splinter intercepted them at the entrance.

"There will be no training today, my sons," he said. "We should use this day to mourn and to reflect."

The Turtles nodded and went to the kitchen where Mikey announced he was going to make chocolate chip pancakes. They remembered that April had liked chocolate chip pancakes. Leo tried to sit down with his brothers, but he was very restless and finally got up to go to the dojo.

"Leo, there's no training today," Don reminded him.

Leo ignored him and went to the dojo anyway. He bowed and walked to the middle of the dojo. He started with some warm up katas and then unsheathed his swords and began to practice. He imagined that April's killer was in front of him, and his movements became more aggressive as he challenged his foe. He became frenzied as his imaginary opponent evaded his strikes. His opponent taunted him, telling him that it was his fault April had died. This caused Leo to press his attack until he was exhausted and crashed to the floor.

"Leo!" a voice cried, and he felt someone kneel next to him and touch his shoulder.

The blue-clad Turtle blinked and looked into Raph's green eyes. He began to sob, causing Raph to pull him into an embrace. Raph rubbed his brother's shell and whispered soothing words until Leo's sobs ceased. Then he led Leo back into the kitchen where Don was talking about an e-mail Kirby had sent him.

"He says he wants us to come to his apartment tonight," Don was saying. "He wants to speak to us about something."

"What do you think it is?" Mikey asked as he carried another plate of pancakes to the table.

"Maybe he wants to see if we have any leads on the killer," mused Raph.

Splinter was looking at Leo, his eyes full of concern. "Are you all right, Leonardo?" he asked.

Leo nodded. "I'm fine, Sensei," he replied.

The meal progressed in silence for a while until Mikey began laughing. The others stared at him warily until he blurted out, "Remember when we had that food fight?"

"You mean the one with the cookie dough?" Don asked him.

"I remember that," said Leo. "April wanted to show us how to bake cookies."

"Yeah, and she began teaching us how to do it until Mikey had the idea to have a cookie dough fight," remembered Raph.

"Hey, I thought it would be fun!" protested Mikey.

"Yes, but it was very messy as well," Splinter chimed in.

The rest of breakfast was spent remembering the good times with April. They talked about how much fun they had with her ad how she seemed to brighten their day when she was around.

When breakfast was over, they all gathered in the living room to watch coverage of the memorial. Thought the service itself wasn't televised, there was still plenty of media coverage outside of St. Patrick's Cathedral.

"Look at all of the people," Mikey commented. "They all must have liked April."

"Yeah, I guess so," Don mused. "I wish we could be there."

"We are there in spirit," Leo told him. "And I'm sure April knows we're thinking about her."

"How would she know that? She's dead," Raph grumbled.

"Hey, look, there's Kirby!" Mikey shouted as he pointed at the screen. "He's with two people I don't know." He watched as Kirby walked to the church with a woman and another girl. Then Mikey gasped. "Hey, guys, check out that girl. She looks like April!"

Don squinted. "Yeah, she does," he said. "Maybe she's a cousin."

"But we would have seen her," Mikey protested. "April was staying with her aunt, remember?"

"Yeah, but maybe her cousin wasn't living there," Leo pointed out.

Before anyone else could say anything, Don's T-Phone indicated that he had a text. The others looked at him, and then their phones also went off. The Turtles pulled out their phones and looked at the text message.

"Oh no," Don said.

"It can't be," Mikey added.

"No way," Leo chimed in.

"You've got to be kidding me," Raph said.

In unison, the Turtles read the text message, hardly daring to believe that it was real.

I'm still here, freaks, and I know everything.—A.

A/N: And so, the story continues. Looks like A isn't really gone for good. So, who could be sending them these texts? What's up with the girl who looks like April? Is she a relative, or someone else from April's past? All will be revealed soon. In the meantime, feel free to leave a review, and have a shelltastic day.