It took some time, but when their tears eventually dried up, Donatello and Aria had moved on to her bedroom. Aria wanted to change out of the medical gown and they both were in desperate need of water. While Aria changed her clothes inside of her walk-in closet, Donatello was sitting at the edge of her bed, chugging down the water bottle he was given.

Even with the water, Donatello still felt dehydrated. He couldn't remember ever crying so much. At least not since he was a child. His eyes still burned and he felt on edge with his emotions, as if anything could set off his tears again.

"…sorry that took so long…" Aria said quietly as she exited her closet, wearing a lavender nightgown that reached just above her knees.

Donatello shook his head and stood up, placing the water bottle on the floor. He stepped over and reached out to take her hand, "…come on…you need to lay down."

"It's not even noon yet…" Aria pouted slightly as Donatello led her to the bed.

"Yeah, but…I'll feel better if you take it easy today."

Aria got into bed, slipping her legs beneath the blankets, but sitting up against her pillows. She decided it was best to do as he asked for now. Aria knew he still blamed himself, so she'd do her best to ease his concern by resting like he wanted. "…I've decided…to move back into my family's estate…" she announced as Donatello sat himself on the bed.

"Eh? …really? Didn't you say…"

"I don't have good memories of that place…but my parents are gone now and that mansion would be a better place for privacy while I'm being treated. …I can have a smaller staff there too…"

He could tell that Aria had her reservations about going back there. It must not have been her idea. "…I'll be there with you," he offered with a small smile, placing his hand over hers. "If you ever get lonely there…just call me. I'll come and stay with you…"

Aria smiled back, "…a-actually…that mansion has about thirty rooms. …with me, Dr. Fetters, and Lawrence in the main house…there will still be twenty-seven rooms left…" she trailed off, looking at her lap anxiously. "…so…I was wondering…if maybe…you might want to stay there? Just—you know…for a couple day at a time? I mean…s-since you want to help Dr. Fetters too…"

Before all this, Donatello would have thought that was too embarrassing or unnecessary, but now, there wasn't anything he would dare to deny Aria. "I'll talk with my Sensei. I'm sure it won't be a problem."

Arias smile faded just a little. Donatello's demeanor towards her had definitely changed. She just hoped it was temporary. After all, it was a rather emotional morning for the both of them. "I know…this was a lot to take in. …I'm sorry that Lawrence forced it like this…"

Donatello shook his head, "no, I'm glad he did. Now I have the chance to help you."

"…and…you understand that it was just by chance that this all happened, right? You don't blame yourself?" Aria asked hopefully. That was the last thing she wanted.

His heart stung terribly, but for Arias sake, he smiled, "…I understand. Don't worry. …I… was just shocked."

She wasn't convinced, but it was obvious to her that Donatello was trying to avoid the topic for now and she didn't want to push it further. At least not right now. "You know I love you…" Aria replied with a gentle smile.

Despite his attempt to pretend everything was okay, a lump formed in his throat. His heart ached once again as he looked into her eyes. She truly was an angel. She had to be in order to love someone that destroyed her life. He reached over and stroked her cheek, "…I…love you too…" he replied, still slightly embarrassed to say it aloud.

Arias expression brightened at once. She closed her eyes and placed her hand over his, leaning her cheek against his palm. "That's all I ever wanted."

Donatello swallowed hard, trying to keep anymore tears from escaping today. He didn't deserve this kind of love from her, but because it made her happy, he wouldn't dare say it aloud again. Aria was adamant in insisting this wasn't his fault, but Donatello knew better. He had poisoned her entire life and that poison already took her heart.

For now, Aria was in front of him and she was happy. He wanted to keep it that way. "…I need to go home and explain everything to my father, but I'll be back as soon as I can. Will you promise that you'll rest for the day?" He asked as he pulled back his hand.

Aria sighed. She didn't want him to leave, but she was admittedly exhausted after crying so much. Resting for now didn't sound so terrible. "I promise."

Donatello planted a kiss against Arias forehead before he slipped from the bed. "I'll see you soon," he said as he turned for the door and left the room. He wasn't at all surprised to find that Lawrence had been waiting just outside the door.

"Will you be needing a ride home?" Lawrence asked politely.

"…I can get there on my own. …just take care of Aria. …I'll be back as soon as I can to get started on some research. I need to see everything related to Arias disease so far…"

"You'll have full run of the lab along side Dr. Fetters. All her notes and discovery will be available to you."

Donatello nodded his head and left for the elevator. There was a lot weighing on his mind, so the sooner he could get to work, the better. At least it might distract him from this gut wrenching pain that clung to his chest.

Lawrence waited until Donatello had left before he entered Arias room. His mistress didn't bother looking towards him as he made his way to her bedside.

"You're angry with me," he stated knowingly.

"…I told you that I didn't want Donatello to feel obligated towards me. …yet you backed us both into a corner…"

"You know I will do whatever it takes to serve you properly. What kind of butler would let his Mistress die when a possible cure is so close at hand?"

Aria stared down at her lap, "…you even allowed that girl to get inside my home."

Lawrence nodded, "using April O'Neil was necessary to push you forward. I have already taken precautions in order to make sure the pictures she took are destroyed."

"…I know exactly how good you are at your job. I've never asked any questions…even when I had suspicions about how you get things done. …but I won't forgive you if you're planning on hurting Donatello in any way. You've already made him feel obligated to help…so it ends here, do you understand?"

"My goal was to simply have him help with a cure. You and I both know that his blood is your best option. Now, there is a real chance to extend your life. I'm sure Donatello would agree with me that what I did was for the best."

"…what about the other issue I asked you to look into?"

"It seems that April O'Neil had prevented Donatello from meeting you last night. He was unconscious the entire time. So the information you received was false. Donatello was not with her that night."

Aria frowned and gripped her blanket tight. "…I've been reluctant to retaliate against Miss O'Neil because she is Donatellos friend…but I can't handle that woman's interference anymore. She's upsetting Donatello, as well as actively trying to frame me as someone sinister."

"What would you like me to do?"

"…I'm not playing nice with this girl anymore. Make it very clear to her that if she wants to live in this city…she will have to leave me alone. …but don't be too harsh. You have a tendency to go overboard when sending a message."

Lawrence nodded his head, "consider it done. Now, I believe you made a promise to get some rest. I'll have some food brought up to your room."

Aria watched quietly as Lawrence was about to leave the room, "don't forget," she began just as he opened the door, "you owe Donatello for agreeing to help me. I want you two to get along."

"I will always make sure you get what you want, Miss Aria," Lawrence answered before leaving the room.

It took Donatello a few hours to get home, but mostly because he wasn't in any hurry. He wasn't worried about being punished this time, he just couldn't figure out how to explain this to his father. He was so ashamed of himself. When he finally made it back to the lair, he ignored his brothers concerns and went straight to the Dojo in order to admit his mistakes.

Another hour or so had gone by while Donatello's brothers waited curiously in the main room. Splinter and Donatello had been talking for a while now and not one of them knew what was going on.

"I bet it has to do with Aria," Raphael commented finally.

"…Donnie looked real bad when he got home though…" Mikey said sadly, "…you think they fought…?"

"They probably did. After all, little miss perfect probably had to tell him about the Mutagen I found. I would have liked to hear her try to explain that." April said simply. "…but since they probably broke up, Donatello is gonna be upset over being betrayed. So we all have to be very sensitive. No one mess with him for a while."

"We don't know for sure that's what happened." Leonardo added.

"Why else would he look so hurt?" Asked April. "…I told you all she was going to break his heart. …all we can do now is try and comfort him."

The doors to the dojo finally slid open while they spoke and when the gang stood up to take a look, they saw Donatello wiping his eyes and Splinter patting his son on the shoulder. They waited anxiously until Donatello stepped out of the Dojo, but instead of coming over to explain anything, they watched as Donatello went to his room and shut the door.

His brothers sighed.

"I guess he needs some time to himself…" Leonardo remarked in disappointment.

"I'm going to go and check on him," April insisted, rushing off before Leonardo could advise her against it.

He hadn't been alone in his room for too long before Donatello heard a knock at his door. He had no intention of answering, but he cursed himself when the door opened anyway. He should have locked it. To make matters worse, it was April who had allowed herself into his bedroom.

"…sorry for barging in…" she apologized sincerely, even as she stepped inside and shut the door behind her. "…I was just worried about you. …did you…talk to Aria?"

After speaking with Splinter and explaining everything, Donatello was more emotionally drained than before. Honestly, he didn't think he had the energy for this right now. However, there was something he had to address. "…give me back my keycard." He demanded quietly, his voice rather rough from crying once again.

April flinched slightly. She wasn't sure how he knew she had it, but she didn't plan on refusing him. After all, she already used it for what she needed. April pulled it from her back pocket and held it out for him. "…I only wanted to borrow it to get the evidence I needed."

Donatello refused to look April in the eye as he took his card back and placed it down at his nightstand. "…I noticed my bracelet is missing too. Do you happen to have that?"

April couldn't help noticing that Donatello's voice was rather cold. She thought he would be back to normal after finding out about Arias betrayal. Somehow, it irked her that he would ask about the bracelet. Why would he want that back? "…um…no. I just had the key card." She lied or course, but it would be better if Donatello didn't have harsh reminders of Aria, right? "…if you find it, you probably shouldn't keep it anyway. It will just remind you of what she did."

"…and what did Aria do exactly?" Donatello asked bitterly, still not looking at April.

"Well…I assume you two…talked about what I found. She probably had to finally come clean when she found out I was there. …I don't know what excuses she gave you…but at least it's over now. I'm just sorry that you had to be hurt in all this…" April replied quietly as she stepped forward, "I know it will take some time…but everything will be okay eventually."

Donatello frowned. So April assumed that everything had gone her way? "So what now? You're here to comfort me? Or are you here to gloat?"

"I…of course I wanted to let you know that I don't blame you for anything. After all…you were blinded by Arias lies. …I don't take any pleasure in knowing you were hurt. It's what I was trying to help you avoid all this time."

"Aria isn't the one hurting others…" he muttered. "…I'm not in the mood for this, so just leave me alone. Eventually…I'll explain things to my brothers…and not that you're owed one, but maybe they will give you an explanation too."

"…why are you still mad at me?" April asked, confused as to why he was pushing her away again. It was Aria that he should be angry at. "Everything I did was because I was worried about you. It's not fair to be angry with me for revealing the truth. Or would you have rather stayed with her while being fooled?"

Donatello sighed, "just leave, April. …I'm really not in the mood for this."

"You don't need to keep pushing me away. I know…what she did hurt you…but now—"

"—Aria didn't hurt me!" Donatello interrupted, snapping at April without meaning to. He wanted to stay calm. He was already so tired. Taking a quick breath to calm down, he pinched his temple to try and focus. "…whatever you think is going on, you're wrong and I don't want to argue about it anymore. Aria isn't up to anything and she's not trying to use me. …she's the one that's been wronged in all this…"

April frowned, "…so what excuse did she give you? I mean, obviously she would lie after getting caught with all that mutagen."

Donatello swallowed back the lump in his throat as he recalled Arias desperate tears when she worried he would blame himself. Even her attempt to keep this from him was something Aria did for his sake. "…I don't want to talk about it right now. Get out."

Though she wanted to argue her point further, she could tell that Donatello needed time to let this all sink in. "…okay, Donnie. …just…try and get some rest."

When April left the room, Donatello slumped down to the floor and covered his eyes with his hand. The tears just wouldn't stop today. Though he was surprised that he had any left to spare. He kept repeating the memory of dressing little Arias wound in his head. Why didn't he realize that his cut could have bled into her wound? He was so proud of himself for helping her. What a fool he'd been. His good intentions cost Aria so much.

"…I'm sorry…" he whispered in a shuddered breath, his tears dropping to the floor, one after the other. Aria didn't blame him and even Splinter said he shouldn't blame himself. So what was he supposed to do with all this guilt that pressed down on his chest? Silently, Donatello cried, hoping and praying that his tears would dry up tonight. The more tears he shed, the emptier he felt. He was just tired.

After leaving Donatello's room, April waited with the others for a while, but when Splinter called the boys into the Dojo, she decided it was time to go. Hopefully, Donatello would feel better tomorrow and they could have a proper conversation.

Once she left the sewers and began her walk back home, April couldn't help feeling as though she was being followed. It wasn't an unfamiliar feeling in this part of town, but somehow she felt cold, like a chill was creeping up the back of her neck.

"Would you like a ride home, Miss O'Neil?" Lawrence asked as he stepped out of the alleyway she had just passed by.

April flinched and turned on her heel, surprised to see Lawrence here alone. She looked around, but didn't see Aria anywhere. "…are you following me?"

Lawrence took a rectangular box from his jacket and held it out for April. "I came to give you a replacement for your broken phone. I didn't expect that it would be smashed that way and I feel a bit responsible."

Cautiously, April took the box, staring at it curiously. "…how…did you know my phone was broken? …and why would you feel responsible for it? Is this some sort of bribe?"

"A bribe? No. It's a reward. You played your part well and I was able to finally get Miss Aria to face her issues. However, I didn't plan for your phone to be broken. So as I said, I'm here to offer a replacement."

"Played my part?"

Lawrence nodded, "yes. I used your paranoia and distrust of Miss Aria in order to push my mistress into a situation where she was forced to be honest with Donatello. It went very well. For that, I thank you, but your part is over now."

"Wait a second…what are you talking about? What do you mean you used me?"

"It's not important. What is important, is that it's over now. Miss Aria has grown tired of your persistence in defaming her. So in addition to offering you the phone, I've come to inform you that it would be in your best interest to stop trying to come between Miss Aria and Donatello."

"So now she's threatening me?! Donatello knows about the mutagen now. So I don't need to do anything to break them up. It's already happened."

Lawrence shook his head, "I'm afraid you've been misinformed, but that can happen when one is blinded by jealousy. Still, my message remains the same."

"Jealous?! I'm not jealous! I was just looking out for my friend! You can go on back and tell Aria that I'm not about to be scared off by some rich girl and her butler!"

"Do you happen to know the story of why Miss Aria was stuck in the UK for so long?" Lawrence asked as he stepped forward. "It's because her parents used their money and influence to keep her there. Now, do you recall what circumstances allowed her to return?"

At first, April wasn't sure why he was bringing this up, until she remembered the article she had also been suspicious about. "…because her parents died in an accident…" she mumbled.

"I'm very good at my job April and my job is to make sure that Miss Aria gets everything she wants. Unfortunately, I had to wait until she was eighteen, or she would have been appointed a family guardian. Miss Aria would have hated that."

"Are you…telling me that Aria had her parents killed?!"

Lawrence shook his head, "of course not. Miss Aria simply believes her parents died in an accident."

"Wh-why are you telling me this?! What makes you think I won't tell the turtles?!" April demanded, feeling that cold chill spread through her body.

Lawrence stepped forward again, looking down at April with a a cold, dead stare. "Because I want you to know exactly how far I'm willing to go in order to ensure Miss Arias happiness. Her parents were in the way, just like you are trying to be. By all means, tell your friends, but after crying wolf so often, I doubt anyone would take you seriously. You should also know, that I don't care to repeat myself, so this will be your last warning on the matter. If my mistress is troubled by you again, I'll have to take action."

April looked up into his eyes and her whole body shook. Now she understood why she was feeling so cold. It was Lawrence. She could sense his aura. It was like ice. There was no warmth or compassion, no empathy or love. "…I…" she tried to speak, but the cold only intensified and April couldn't help feeling a bit scared.

"I believe my message was delivered successfully," Lawrence began, "please be careful while walking home. It's dangerous out here for a young lady."

April watched cautiously as Lawrence walked away and turned the corner. Once he was out of sight, all feeling left her legs and April dropped to the floor. Even when fighting aliens, April was used to feeling some form of emotion, but it was if Lawrence felt nothing at all. It frightened her. Someone like that was capable of terrible things. For a brief moment, April wondered if he was even human at all.