Chapter 13: Dream Come True
A/N: Hey, sorry for the delay, but the weather's been so crazy here, and my sinuses have been acting up because of it. However, today I decided to post this chapter up since I've been keeping you guys waiting. I really hope you aren't mad at me for this. Thanks to all of those who have read and reviewed this story so far. It really means a lot to me. And now to address some things my anonymous reviewers have brought up.
Guest: No, this isn't exactly like PLL because that's impossible to do. There are certain situations I can't use because it wouldn't fit within the Turtles' world. So, I've just taken certain scenarios and have added my own spin to them. Thanks for reading.
14rosie14: Ooh, close. I'm not trying to pin each Turtle with a specific girl, but if I were to do that it would go this way: Mikey as Aria, Donnie as Emily, Raph as Hanna, and Leo as Spencer. I see Raph more as Hanna because she's reckless in the series, and Raph is also reckless at times. Leo is Spencer because she's a perfectionist and always wants to please people just like Leo always wants to please Splinter and do the right thing. Sure, Spencer is smart, but she's also a perfectionist, and I see this Nickelodeon Donnie as the shy and uncertain type just as Emily sort of is in the books and TV show. I hope that clears things up. Thanks for reading.
And now, on with the story.
Disclaimer: TMNT and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon. I only own the plot for the story and any other characters you may not recognize.
Donatello was excited and nervous. Robyn was coming over to see if they could trace the origin of the text message she'd received. He was busy making sure that the lab was spotless and that everything was perfect when she got there. He wondered what they'd do after they were done. Would she stay for dinner, or would she invite him over for dinner?
Leo had volunteered to bring Robyn to the Lair so that Don could get the lab ready. The last thing his older brother had said to him before he left was, "Don't get your hopes up, Donnie. She may look like April, but she's not April."
Don was offended by his brother's words. "Leo, we're just doing research!" he protested. "I'm not expecting anything from her!" But if truth be told, Don did feel that familiar swooping feeling whenever he saw Robyn or heard her voice. He knew he was being silly, but he just couldn't help feeling that way.
"Donnie, Robyn's here!" Mikey called.
Don snapped out of his thoughts and hurried out of the lab to greet her. "Hey, Robyn, ready to get to work?"
Robyn nodded. "Ready when you are," she replied. "Let's get to it."
"Right this way." He led her into the lab and laughed as she gaped in amazement at all of the things he had.
"Wow! My sister told me about your lab, but her descriptions didn't do it justice," said Robyn.
"April told you about my lab?"
"Yeah, she said it was pretty cool and that you were a genius. I even joked that you could be the next Dr. Frankenstein."
He laughed. "I wouldn't go that far. Now, let's see if we can solve this mystery."
And so they set to work trying to trace the origin of the text message. The longer they tried, the more they failed at it, but Don was still happy Robyn was there. It was almost like old times when April would come to the lab either to ask for Don's help on a homework question or to comment about an invention he was working on. Robyn was just as amazed at how smart Don was, and she thought the same way April did. She even suggested that he could make money off of his work.
"Oh, I doubt I could do that," he replied. "I wouldn't be able to make appearances to showcase my work."
"You could always go in disguise," Robyn suggested. "I could probably find someone who could make something that would allow you to pass for a human."
"That's very kind of you, Robyn, but I can't," he answered. "I'm a ninja. I was raised to stay in the shadows. Besides, most of this stuff has to stay secret. If our enemies were to get ahold of it, there would be trouble."
She nodded. "I understand that, Donnie, but maybe you could invent things that aren't for battle. You could invent things that help people in their everyday lives."
Don contemplated her words for a minute. How many times had he dreamed of showcasing one of his inventions to the world? He'd always imagined winning the Nobel Prize for something outstanding. But then his fantasy would be shattered at the realization of who he was and how his dream wouldn't be possible. There was no way he would be able to do such a thing.
"It's not gonna happen, Robyn, so drop it," Don said shortly.
"Okay, I won't say anything else about it," she promised.
"Hey, guys, lunch is ready!" Mikey called. "Come and get it!"
"I'll be right back," Don told her.
"We can just eat with the others," said Robyn.
Don shook his head. "No, it's better if we stay in here so we aren't interrupted."
"You mean, we're still going to work on this while we eat lunch?" Robyn asked incredulously.
"Yeah, I do it a lot," replied Don. "Plus, it'll give us some time to talk alone." He stood up and went to the kitchen where he found his brothers and Splinter waiting for him.
"Where's Robyn?" asked Leo.
"She's still in the lab," answered Don. "We're going to have lunch in there so we can continue to work."
"Hey, no fair!" grumbled Mikey. "You never let me eat food in your lab, but you can make an exception for Robyn?"
"Yes, because unlike you, Robyn and I will be careful." He waited until Mikey was done making grilled cheese sandwiches and took two for himself and Robyn. He poured sodas for them and took it all back to the lab on a tray.
"Smells good, Donnie," commented Robyn. "Did you cook this?"
"No, Mikey made it," he answered. "I've tried to cook, but I'm not good at it. Mikey's the best cook we have right now. For a long time, we only had algae and worms to eat. Then after we met Murakami-san, he taught us how to cook other things. Leo and Raph cook sometimes, but Mikey really likes to do it most of the time."
"You lived on algae and worms for most of your lives? Why didn't Splinter just go up to the surface and get you food? I'm sure he could have managed it."
"I think Splinter was afraid of going to the surface," Don explained. "He wanted to keep a low profile because of what he was. I also think he was afraid Shredder would find him."
"Do you think Shredder killed my sister?" Robyn asked him.
"No, we looked into him when she first went missing," Don replied. "He wasn't behind it."
Robyn wilted in her chair. "It just stinks that she's not around," she said. "I used to be jealous of her because she was doing all of the things I wasn't able to do. Before she disappeared, we got into a fight, and I told her I hated her. I wanted to tell her I was sorry, but I never got the chance to say it."
Don looked concerned. He could never picture April fighting with anybody. "What was the fight about?"
"It was about you guys," Robyn answered. "I wanted to meet you, but April said it wasn't a good idea. I thought she was saying that on purpose to make me mad, and I just reacted before I thought about it. I know it was stupid of me to get mad at her for that, but it's too late now. She died never knowing how I really felt, and she died hating me."
"Oh, I don't believe that," Don told her. "April wasn't the type to hold a grudge. I'm sure if she'd had the chance, she would have forgiven you. She was the most selfless person I ever knew. Whenever I was upset, she always knew how to make me feel better." As he spoke, he looked at Robyn and suddenly saw April. A feeling he hadn't had in three years washed over him, and before he knew it, he leaned over and kissed her.
Robyn pulled away abruptly. "Donnie, what was that for?" she asked.
"Robyn, I'm sorry!" Don cried. "I shouldn't have done that! I was thinking about April, and I guess I just got carried away. Please don't be mad at me. It's just that I loved April."
"Donnie, calm down," Robyn soothed. "I already know that you loved April. She told me that you kissed her one day."
Don was shocked. "What else did she say?" he whispered.
"She told me she loved you, too," Robyn replied. "She said that she always did love you, but she was afraid that you didn't feel the same way she did. She was going to talk to you about it, but that never happened. I know that if she were here now, she'd tell you how she felt. I can see why she did feel that way about you, Donnie. You're really nice and a lot of fun to be around."
"So, you're not angry that I kissed you?"
She smiled. "Not at all. In fact, I think you're a good kisser." She checked the clock on her cell phone. "I'd better get home before Dad has a fit."
"Do you want me to walk you home?" Don asked her.
"Sorry, but I promised Leo he could take me back."
"Oh, okay. Just don't tell anyone what happened here, got it?"
"Got it," answered Robyn.
"So, I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Actually, I promised Raph I'd hang out with him. But don't worry, Donnie, we can hang out another time." She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "See you later."
Don watched her leave and put his hand on the spot she had kissed. Had that just happened? Did Robyn do that as a friendly gesture, or was it something more? He thought about Leo's warning earlier that Robyn wasn't April. Was he transferring his feelings for April onto Robyn? Was it right for him to feel this way so soon after April's death? What if Robyn changed her mind and decided she didn't like Don in that way? No, that wasn't true because if it was, she wouldn't have said he was a good kisser and wouldn't have kissed him on the cheek. That meant she really did like him.
Humming to himself, Don left the lab and found Raph and Mikey playing a video game. Both of them looked up when they heard Don come in.
"You look happy," Raph commented. "Did you crack the code?"
"No, we didn't, but we tried our best," Don answered.
"Then why are you so happy?" Mikey asked. "Shouldn't you be all sad and stuff?"
"I'm happy because Robyn's a good friend, and even though we didn't solve the mystery, we still had fun being together. Is that good enough for you, Mikey?"
"Yeah, that's cool," Mikey replied.
"Good." Don went to the kitchen and got himself a Coke. He wanted to tell his brothers what had happened between him and Robyn, but he was afraid they'd make fun of him or tell him the relationship wasn't possible. Instead, he kept his mouth shut and watched Mikey and Raph battle it out until Leo came back.
"Hey, Donnie, Robyn told me you couldn't trace the texts," Leo said. "I'm sorry about that. Are you going to try again?"
"I don't know," answered Don. "If Robyn and I couldn't crack the code, then there's no way I can do it on my own. I guess I'll have to accept that this is something I just can't fix."
"What, you're giving up?" asked Raph. "You can't do that. We have to stop this!"
Don glared at him. "I can't do anything else!" he snapped. "I tried and failed!"
"Then maybe it's up to me to do something. If you can't solve this, maybe I can."
"And how are you going to do that?" Leo asked him.
"That's my business," answered Raph.
Don went to his room and lay on his bed as Leo and Raph began to argue. Why did this have to happen to him? He was supposed to be a genius, yet he couldn't trace a simple text message. That meant that A was smarter than he was to be able to remain inconspicuous.
At that moment, Don's phone chimed. Heart pounding, he shakily opened the text and had guessed right as to who was the sender.
It must suck not to be such a genius, Donnie. Even you can't find me because you're so stuck on April. Robyn may look like her sister, but she's not the same. You better watch your back.—A.
A/N: And so ends another chapter. Yep, Don kissed Robyn and is now even more confused than ever. And it looks like A is still on the war path. I'm having so much fun with this story, though I don't know when the next update will be. In the meantime, feel free to leave a review, and have a shelltastic day.