I am still just amazed at the response this story is getting! Thank you so much for all your reviews! I'm sorry this chapter took a while. It ended up being longer than I thought. I think it's the longest chapter so far.

Thanks again to noa91939 for editing another chapter! You're the best! :)

Chapter 6: Small Victory

It wasn't long before the lair came into sight.

The sewer tunnels weren't the easiest thing to navigate with a cart, but April and Mikey made their way as quickly as they could. April set the speedy pace, not wanting to keep the mutant family waiting longer than need be for their return.

April wasn't surprised to see Splinter and the other turtles waiting by the turnstiles for them.

"Daddy!" Mikey cried happily as he sprinted foreword. He ducked underneath the turnstile, and as Mikey put on speed, Splinter kneeled down until he was on both knees, his arms wide open.

Mikey flew into Splinter's arms, his little fingers clinging to his father's robes and his face buried in Splinter's chest. Splinter hugged him tightly, his arms wrapped around his son's shell as the ninja master closed his eyes in relief. Splinter's chin brushed the top of Mikey's head and for a moment April didn't think Splinter would ever let him go.

"I'm glad you are home safe, my son," Splinter said at last and Mikey pulled away just enough for him to look up at his father.

"Does this mean I'm not in trouble?" Mikey asked hopefully and April saw Splinter's mouth twitch in amusement before he regarded his son sternly.

"Not necessarily. I'm glad you are home safe, but you are still in trouble. I've told you how dangerous the surface is. You know you are not allowed to go there."

Mikey's shoulders slumped as his gaze cast downwards. "I know… sorry, sensei," he murmured guiltily.

Splinter sighed and placed Mikey back on the ground with little effort, despite how heavy April knew Mikey was. Splinter placed a paw on his son's cheek, drawing his gaze upwards.

"Why did you leave home, my son?" he asked softly.

Mikey hesitated and April's attention was brought to the three other turtles standing behind their father; their faces a mixture of both relief and worry as they watched the scene before them. When Splinter asked his question, April noticed Raphael's eyes widen slightly. The second oldest turtle looked away from his father and brother, shame melting into anger on Raphael's face as he pouted and crossed his arms defiantly.

April realized that Mikey wasn't the only one affected by what was said earlier that morning. When Raphael, in a fit of anger, had told Mikey that he should leave and live on the surface, Mikey had taken that to mean that Raphael didn't want him around anymore. Raphael, on the other hand, now believed that it was because of his harsh words that Mikey had followed April to the surface. Raphael blamed himself for Mikey's reckless behavior.

"I just… wanted to see what it was like," Mikey answered honestly. "I thought because April would be there it would be okay." Mikey looked back at her. "But April told me why I can't be on the surface. At least… not until I'm older."

Splinter and the other turtles looked up at April and she shifted awkwardly. "Master Splinter," April began quickly, "I'm sorry this happened I-"

Master Splinter shook his head and the rest of April's words were lost.

The ninja master rose to his feet and April bit her lip.

"There is no need to apologize," Splinter said gently and with more warmth than he had directed towards her since she arrived. "My son is responsible for his own actions and it was not your fault he followed you. You have returned him to me and I am very grateful." He nodded to her. "Thank you, April."

A soft grin spread across her face. "Of course. I'm just glad everything worked out okay."

Mikey turned to his brothers with a grin. "Guys, I-"

But he didn't get any further.

Immediately, two sets of green arms flung around their younger brother as both Leo and Donnie pounced, crushing their smaller brother in a large hug. Mikey froze, confused at first, and then his startled expression fell away as a grin slowly spread across his face. The youngest turtle hugged his two brothers back, giggling as he did so.

Leo pulled away and rubbed the top of his little brother's head affectionately. "We're glad you're okay."

"You worried us," Donnie informed him and although the genius turtle tried to sound stern, all April could read from his expression was pure relief. To her surprise, Donnie glanced in her direction, but as soon as he saw her looking at him, he turned his gaze back to his brother.

"Sorry," Mikey apologized again in a small voice. "I didn't mean to worry you guys."

Suddenly, a growl emanated from behind Donnie. Mikey's attention snapped up as Donnie was shoved to the side and Raphael stood in front of the youngest brother, a scowl on his face.

"Raph…" Mikey began, but as Raphael's eyes narrowed, Mikey's words died in his throat.

Raphael's hands became fists at his side and his heated stare bore angrily into his little brother's head.

"Raph?" Leo asked in a cautionary tone.

Michelangelo looked away dejected, his neck pulling into his shell slightly. Then, Raphael grabbed the top of Mikey's plastron and pulled him forward. Mikey let out a sharp yelp before he found himself in the tight grip of his brother's hug. Mikey stared up at his brother with wide-eyes, unsure of how to react.

"Raphie?" he squeaked.

Raphael quickly let him go, shoving him away with more force than necessary and Mikey let out another confused cry as he stumbled backwards.

Raph turned away from his brother and folded his arms tightly. "Don't do that again, idiot," Raphael growled, glancing back at his brother.

There was a pause in which Raph's messages seemed lost on his littlest brother, but then, Mikey smiled. His grin consumed his face entirely, and then, Mikey laughed; a light, joyous sound.

"I missed you too, Raphie!" Mikey exclaimed, and before Raphael could reply, Michelangelo pounced. He jumped on his brother's back, knocking the older turtle to the ground. Raph shouted in surprise and protest, but Michelangelo continued to hug him tightly as he pinned his brother to the floor, his cheek pressed against Raphael's face.

"Get off of me, Mikey!" Raphael shouted and tried to push his brother away, but his protests did nothing but make Mikey hug him tighter.

Mikey's giggles were contagious and April had to cover her mouth to stifle a laugh. It looked like everything was back to normal again.

There was movement out of the corner of her eye and she caught Donnie examining her cart of food carefully. April smiled. His curiosity seemed to be the only thing that allowed him to overcome his trepidation around her.

"Hold on, I have something for you guys!" April announced suddenly. "Just let me put away this stuff I brought first."

The turtles watched her in confusion as she placed her bags of clothes in the guest room and the frozen food in the fridge. By the time she finished putting away the last of the canned food in the cupboard, the turtles had gathered around to watch.

"I brought this from the surface." April held up the pizza box. "If it's okay with you, Master Splinter, I thought we could have it for dinner."

The turtles looked up at their father and Master Splinter regarded her with quiet amusement before he smiled. "That sounds like a good idea."

"What is it, sensei?" Leonardo asked his father.

April placed the pizza on the table as the turtles gathered around. It was a little early for dinner, but April and Mikey hadn't eaten lunch and it didn't look like anyone else minded as her audience stared questioningly at the pizza.

"It's food from the surface," Splinter explained. "And it's something I haven't had in a long time. Leonardo, will you get the plates?"

"Hai sensei," Leo agreed and easily scaled the kitchen counter to reach the plates in the top cupboard. Most parents would frown on such an action, worried that their kid might fall and hurt themselves or break the plates, but Splinter knew Leo was agile enough to accomplish the task quickly and without injury. They were ninjas in training after all.

Soon, everyone had a plate and a piece of pizza. April failed to suppress a laugh as Michelangelo poked at it comedically. "Are you sure it's food?" the youngest turtle stressed. "It doesn't look like any food I ever saw."

Leo nudged him gently on the side and said something in hushed Japanese. April assumed it was something on the lines of: Don't be rude.

"Oh, come on!" April exclaimed, unable to hide her amusement. "You guys have TV! You can't tell me you don't know what pizza is?"

Leo turned to Mikey and they both shrugged. Raphael frowned at the food before him and Donnie inspected it inquisitively.

"Well, go on then," April insisted. "Who's going to try it first?"

Michelangelo's hand shot up. "Oh! I will!" he volunteered eagerly.

Mikey brought the piece of warm pizza to his mouth and with no hesitation took a large, unashamed bite.

His eyes went wide and his expression blank.

Raph placed a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Mikey are you okay? Speak to me, Mikey!"

"This…is…so…" Mikey began.

"It is what?" Raph insisted, shaking his little brother slightly. "Do you feel sick? What's wrong?"

"If he feels sick it's probably because you keep shaking him," Donnie deadpanned.

"No…" Mikey mumbled. "It's the best thing…" he inhaled sharply. "…I'VE EVER TASTED IN MY LIFE!"

Raphael sat back in his chair in surprise.

"Really?" Raphael asked in disbelief.

Michelangelo wasted no time. He quickly scarfed down the rest of his pizza.

"It's like my brain exploded! It's the best thing I've ever had!" He exclaimed. "You guys have got to try it!"

Donnie careful picked up his piece of pizza as Leo took a polite bite of his own. Leonardo stared down at his piece of pizza as if he had just witnessed a miracle. April had to bite her lip to keep from laughing at the blissful expression on his face. April hadn't been there the first time her guys tasted pizza back in her universe, but this made up for it tenfold. It was made even better by the fact that she had been the one to introduce them to pizza this time. In the back of her mind, she wondered what else she could introduce them to…

"This is really good," Leo said in awe as he took another bite.

Donnie chewed his first piece in reserved silence, but April didn't miss the way his whole face lit up at the taste. Donnie's silence around her still worried her, but she would deal with that at another time.

"Come on, Raph!" Mikey coaxed, leaning towards his brother. "You know you want to try it!"

Raph scowled down at the piece of pizza on his plate.

April knew Raph wouldn't normally be hesitant to try new things, but because the pizza had come from her he was being stubborn about it. Taking food that she had brought them, to him, would be like giving into her. Raph glanced at his brothers and then at her. April pretended not to notice as she took a bite of her own slice of pizza.

Slowly, Raph brought the pizza to his mouth and took a small bite. As he chewed, the frown that seemed to be permanently attached to Raphael's face whenever April was around melted away.

It was a small victory.

Mikey, despite being in trouble for his actions, excitedly told his brothers and father what he had seen on the surface in excruciating detail. Mikey's story seemed to jump all over the place and he often had to go back and add pieces that he had forgotten to mention. His brothers seemed annoyed with his story telling but fascinated by the places and people he described.

After they finished dinner, all the turtles thanked April for the meal, even Donnie who said it without looking at her. Raphael gave a strained thank you after a stern look from his father, and then left the room quickly. April imagined he would have probably huffed and stomped his feet had Splinter not been in the room.

Leo watched his brother leave worriedly, but didn't follow after him.

"Michelangelo, you will do the dishes tonight," Splinter informed the youngest.

"What?" Mikey whined. "But tonight is Donnie's turn!"

"Yes, but Donatello is not the one who left the lair without permission," Splinter explained. "In fact, you will be taking over all your brother's chores until I say otherwise. Tonight you will be cleaning the entire kitchen until it is spotless. Is that understood?"

"Hai sensei," Mikey agreed in defeat. He knew better than to argue with his father, especially since he knowingly broke the rules.

Leaving Mikey to do the dishes, April headed back to her guest room. In her haste to put her food away earlier, April had just dumped her bag of clothes on the bed. The room didn't have a dresser so April folded her clothes and placed them neatly on the floor by her bed. Feeling grimy, April took a shower that lasted a little longer than she planned. The bathroom was almost identical to the one in the lair in her universe right down to the same water pressure. April had become very familiar with the lair's bathroom thanks to the few weeks she had to live with the mutant family, plus the large amount of time she spent in the lair on a general basis.

April smiled, remembering the times she had even fought with the turtles, mostly Mikey, Raph, and occasionally Leo, about bathroom privileges and who got to use it when. She never had brothers before, and she had to quickly learn what it was like to share a bathroom with four boys. They, on the other hand, had to learn what it was like sharing a bathroom with a girl.

For a moment, April felt like she was back home. She felt like she would dress and walk out of the shower to find teenage Leo sitting in front of the TV watching Space Heroes with Donnie beside him working on an invention and making an occasional comment about how the pseudo-science the show was spewing was incorrect. Leo would hush him and lean closer to the TV. Raph would be behind both of them on the couch, making his own snide comments about the show and pretending the magazine he was hiding behind was more interesting. Mikey would come out of the kitchen with his newest creation, which would either smell really good, or questionable to the point where Raph asks Donnie if it's toxic and/or radioactive.

Although it wasn't home, April had to admit that being in this universe wasn't so bad either. Mikey's trusting smile helped and made her feel like less of an intruder. She just wished Raph and Donnie would look at her in the same way, or at least not be so hostile and distant.

After her shower, April changed into a pair of grey sweats and a yellow long-sleeved top she bought today. With her hair still wet, April ran her new brush through it. After she placed her dirty clothes back in her room, April decided she should see if Mikey was done with cleaning the kitchen.

April was curious to see what Raph and Donnie were up to, but she knew she wouldn't be welcome if she found them. April didn't want to force her presence upon them any more then she already was. If they were going to accept and trust her she knew it would be on their terms, not hers.

April found Mikey still working away in the kitchen. He seemed to be almost done as he cleaned the floor with a mop that was twice his size.

"Hey Mikey, need any more help?" she offered.

April froze as Raphael, who had been leaning on the opposite side of the rectangle counter they used as the dining room table, suddenly walked into her line of sight. He planted himself directly in between April and his little brother. Raph crossed his arms and stared her down like she had seen the older version of Raph do countless times to their enemies.

"No, he does not need your help," Raph snarled.

Mikey placed his mop down and raced over to his brother. He pulled on his brother's shoulder insistently.

"Raph, stop it!" he pleaded with a pout. "Don't be mean! Please!"

Raphael ignored his little brother. "In fact, haven't you done enough already?" Raphael snapped.

Although April knew Raphael didn't like her, she was still taken aback by his unabashed hostility.

"What do you mean by that?" April asked.

Raphael shoved a finger in her direction. "It's your fault he went to the surface," he growled with gritted teeth. "If you hadn't come here that would never have happened!"

April opened her mouth to defend herself, but found that she couldn't. Raphael had technically been right.

Still… April was no fool and she knew Raphael. She had the distinct impression that although Raph said he blamed her, he probably blamed himself a lot more.

April knew Raph was looking for a fight, and so, April decided she would give him the opposite.

"You're right," she admitted. "It is my fault. None of that would have happened if I hadn't come here." April looked him directly in the eye so he knew she was being serious. "I'm sorry."

Raph's eyes widened in surprise as his arms fell to his side, his clenched fists slowly opening.

"That's not true!" Mikey insisted. "Raph, you can't blame April!"

Raphael shook his head. "No." He glowered at her. "I know what you're doing. You're trying to act nice to get me to trust you. You put Mikey in danger and brought him home again to get Master Splinter to trust you. You brought us pizza to try and win us over. Well, it's not going to work on me."

Raphael took a step towards her.

"I don't trust you. You don't belong here. You put my family in danger and I know you're lying to us. You better stay away from my brothers if you know what's good for you."

April raised an eyebrow at the threats. He really hated her didn't he? April wondered if there was any point in trying to get Raphael to trust her. It was starting to seem like a lost cause.

"Okay," April said at last. "That's fine. You don't have to like me."

"April…" Mikey protested softly, his lower lip trembling.

April offered Mikey a small smile. "It's okay, Mikey," she assured him before turning her attention back to Raphael.

"You don't have to trust me," she continued. "You can hate me, that's fine. But I need to tell you one thing, even if you don't believe me."

"What's that?" Raph snapped.

"It was never my intention to put your family in danger."

Raphael rolled his eyes, but April ignored him and pressed on.

"I don't want anything to happen to them either," she told him earnestly. "It might not seem like it, Raphael, but we're on the same side. You like to fight and that's not a bad thing, but you're training to fight your future enemies, not your brothers," she glanced at Mikey and then back at the turtle in question. "…And not yourself."

"You don't know anything about me!" Raphael spat. "Don't pretend you know anything about me!"

Raphael wasn't the easiest turtle to figure out. He was guarded and stubborn. He shoved his emotions aside and let them built up until they morphed into frustration and rage. But he did that on purpose. He used that rage to fuel himself in a fight. Not just because he liked being the strongest fighter, although that was part of it, but because he knew if he could take down his enemies first, he could stop them from hurting his brothers. At least... that was the Raphael April knew. Since this young Raphael didn't have any enemies to aim his misplaced aggression at, it seemed that she was the chosen target.

April could fight back and defend herself, but that's what Raphael wanted. He wanted an enemy, someone who he could hate, who he could throw all his frustration and rage at, someone who he could hurt. Because before April came along, the only other people available were his family, and April knew that no matter how mad Raphael got, he never wanted to hurt them. Sometimes he did hurt them, like he had hurt Mikey today, but April knew Raphael well enough to know he regretted it each time.

However, April had no intention of being Raphael's enemy. She wasn't here to fight him.

Instead, April sighed and gave her shoulders a small shrug.

"Okay," she admitted. "You're right. I'm sorry. You obviously don't want me here. I'll leave-" She turned to go back to the living room, figuring she should allow Raphael his space for now.

"W-wait!" Mikey shouted, panicked.

She heard a thump and when she looked back she saw that Mikey had tripped over his own feet in his haste to get to her. Raphael was helping him up, but also holding him back.

"You're leaving?" Mikey asked, his voice hitching with tears.

April stared at him in confusion until she realized how he had misunderstood her.

Her hand went to her heart. "Oh, no! I'm just going to be in the other room!" she assured him quickly. "That's all I meant. I'm not leaving!"

Mikey's features suddenly relaxed a he managed to clamber to his feet. "Oh…" he fidgeted with his hands in embarrassment. "Yeah, that's makes sense…"

April smiled at him, but she couldn't stop the uncomfortable twist to her stomach. Mikey had panicked when he thought she was about to leave them. This was only the second day he had known her. Was that normal for him to get so attached so quickly? Mikey always made friends fast, but April had never seen him panic quite like that before. Something strange was going on in the little turtle's head and April had a bad feeling that it was her fault.

As April gave him a small wave and turned away, she couldn't help but worry. What would Mikey's reaction be when she was rescued and left their universe for good without an explanation, and maybe, no time for a goodbye? What would he think then?

April walked out of the kitchen and heard the tail end of Raphael's mutter, "…would be better if you did leave."

After Mikey finished with the kitchen, Splinter called his sons to the dojo for a training session. From what April gathered, they usually didn't train this late, but they were making up for a missed training session in the afternoon that was postponed as they waited for Mikey to come back home.

April felt like she wasn't welcome in the dojo quite yet, and so she occupied herself with the bookshelf she found in the hallway between the rooms.

April itched to be able to train with them, but she knew it would create far too many questions if she did. Splinter would recognize her moves immediately and question how she knew the kata he was teaching his sons.

Not long after searching, April came across a familiar book. The binding of the book was green and the worn front cover was a faded blue. Gold letters spelt out the name of the book: History of Renaissance Art.

April smiled at the book. She had always wanted to read it ever since Master Splinter had shown it to Casey. She knew a good amount about the renaissance sculptors and painters from school, but she had always wanted to know more.

April didn't think Master Splinter would mind if she read the book. April took it to her room and settled comfortably down on the mattress.

A few hours passed by as April sat reading and she could feel her eyelids growing heavy. It was still pretty early but she had a long day.

A polite knock at her door roused her from her drowsiness.

"Come in," April invited, and Master Splinter opened the door to reveal himself and his youngest son who was tightly clenching his father's paw.

"I hope we are not disturbing you," Master Splinter said.

April shook her head and put the book down. If Master Splinter noticed what she was reading, he didn't say anything.

"Of course not," April assured him.

Splinter looked down at his youngest. "Michelangelo wishes to ask you something, but he wouldn't tell me what it is."

"What is it, Mikey?" April asked with concern. It wasn't like Mikey to be so secretive. When Mikey's gaze fell on her, she felt her heart seize with panic. His eyes were wide and wet like he was about to cry, but was barely managing to hold his tears back. Splinter looked down at his son worriedly.

"Do you want to come sit by me and tell me?" April coaxed.

Mikey nodded mutely and crawled onto the bed beside her.

Before April could ask him again, he turned to her and with tears in his eyes said something very quickly. It took a moment for her brain to process what he said.

"Please don't hate Raphael."

April's forehead creased in confusion. "Sweetie, why in the world would I hate Raphael?"

Mikey stared up at her a loss for words and then he closed his eyes, clenching his fists tightly. Silent tears fell down his face, and when he looked back up at her, his pained expression broke her heart.

"Because he doesn't like you! He's so mean to you and I don't understand why!" Mikey cried out in exasperation and confusion.

April glanced at Splinter who was regarding his son carefully, but the ninja master made no move to interrupt him.

"I don't know why he does thing like that but he's… he's not bad April," Mikey explained desperately. "I know he can be mean sometime and he gets really angry, but he's not bad! He's a good brother, really! I-I'm sorry he said those thing to you…"

Tears continued to flow down Mikey's cheek and before he said any more, April wiped them away carefully with her thumb.

"I know that Mikey," she assured him softly. "I don't hate Raphael, I promise. I know he doesn't like me right now, but that's only because he's scared."

Mikey shook his head. "Raph is never scared."

April was reminded about what Mikey said the night before: Donnie is never wrong.

So, to him, Raphael is never scared. He probably thought that Leo always made the right decision too. He held his brothers on such high pedestals.

"Everyone gets scared," April explained and was suddenly reminded of a conversation she had with Splinter about fear earlier that day.

My other sons allow fear to cloud their mind, and that fear turns either into anger, shame or self-doubt. Michelangelo handles fear differently; it doesn't consume him in the same way.

"Raphael's fear makes him angry," April said slowly. "He's afraid that I might put you guys in danger and so he's angry at me for being here. He doesn't really hate me, he hates that he's scared and he can't do anything to change that."

"But I tried to tell him that you're not a bad person!" Mikey explained. "I told him you're not trying to hurt us! He just won't believe me."

"It might take some time, Mikey. He has to feel like he can trust me."

"But he can trust you!" Mikey insisted.

April chuckled and shook her head. "He has to believe that for himself. But don't worry, I don't hate him. I couldn't hate any of you guys; I already told you that."

Without warning, Mikey threw his arms around her middle, his plastron pressing hard against her side as he clung to her. April froze in surprise, but she quickly shook off her hesitation. Raphael would probably throw a fit to see Mikey hugging her, but Raphael wasn't here and she didn't have to worry about his comfort zone right now.

She wrapped her arms around Mikey's shell and squeezed him gently. The young turtle's grip on her shirt tightened as he clung to her desperately.

Something was up with Mikey. He had been so worried that she would hate Raphael that he had been brought to tears. Just a few hours ago, he had panicked when he thought April was going to leave them. April's concern for the small turtle grew when his desperate grip around her waist never loosened.

She expected Mikey as a child to be carefree and happy, even more so than how he was as a teenager. Although that seemed to be the case most of the time, there were moments where he was strangely insecure. When they were on the surface, he thought April didn't like him when she said he couldn't meet other humans. It wasn't until April insisted that she did like him, and there are other humans that would too, did he finally relax. In the tunnels, he had been afraid Raph was angry at him and didn't want him to come home.

Splinter was right. Mikey did express his fear more honestly than all his brothers, but April was still concerned about where this fear was coming from.

The Mikey from her universe was never this insecure about people liking him.

No… that wasn't true…

She thought back to the first month she had met the turtles and how desperately Mikey wanted to make another human friend. In the end, Chris Bradford ended up being a poor choice. Later on, April heard how desperately Mikey fought to make Leatherhead his friend.

Mikey had always craved friendship and interaction from the outside world for as long as she knew him. April just never realized how far back this desire went, or how closely related to some deep rooted insecurity that made him think other people wouldn't like him.

April hugged Mikey as hard as she could without crushing him, pouring all her love and adoration in to one gesture.

In a quiet voice that was only meant for Mikey to hear, even though it was likely Splinter's keen ears had heard her as well, she whispered softly to him.

"You're amazing, Mikey, you know that?"

She didn't fail to notice the curious look from Splinter, but she decided to ignore it, focusing solely on the little turtle clinging to her. Slowly, Mikey pulled away. She dried his eyes with her sleeve and he offered her a watery smile.

"Feel better?" she asked.

He nodded gratefully. "Yes… thank you, April."

After a moment, Splinter spoke. "Come along, Michelangelo. It is time for bed."

Reluctantly, Michelangelo hopped off April's mattress.

"Good night, April," he said with a small wave.

"Good night, Mikey."

April heard Mikey's footsteps lightly tread down the hallway to his room.

April expected Splinter to wish her goodnight and leave to follow his son, but his next statement surprised her.

"You seem to really understand my sons, April. You have been here less than two full days and you have an impressive grasp of both Raphael and Michelangelo."

April shrugged, avoiding his eyes as she looked down at her bed. "I've always been really good at reading people. I guess that's what it is."

"I see… That is a rare gift you have," he informed her.

April shrugged again, smiling up at the ninja master shyly and desperately hoping he didn't ask her any more about her "gift".

"However, I am concerned," Splinter continued. "Michelangelo said that Raphael has not been very… welcoming to you."

April's eyes widened. "No, it's okay!" she insisted quickly. "He's not doing anything wrong. He's just… protective of his family."

"Be that as it may," Splinter said carefully, "that still does not give him the right to mistreat a guest. I will have a talk with him."

April jumped to her feet. "Please, don't Master Splinter! I don't want you too… I mean…" April clenched her jaw as she fell silent. She could feel her cheeks heating up.

Surprise flashed across Master Splinter's face for a quick second and April was relieved to see his features fall into curiosity instead of anger. "What is the matter, April?" he asked kindly.

April hesitated. She knew she was overstepping her bounds, but…

"I don't want to tell you how to raise your kids," April assured him. "But could you… not correct Raphael's behavior?"

April saw Splinter's mouth twitch into a small frown. "I don't think I can agree to that. No matter his feelings towards you, or his reasoning, I will not have one of my sons act hostilely towards you when you have done nothing wrong."

"I-I understand. Raphael's anger is something he needs to learn how to work on but…" April bit her lip.

Splinter's eyes softened as he watched her struggle. He seemed to understand why she was so hesitant to speak.

"You have shown me, my sons, and my home much respect April, and I am learning to trust you." He gave her a small, amused smile. "You can speak your mind. I will not be insulted."

April felt her lungs deflate as she blew a breath of relief. "It's just that," she began carefully, trying to figure out the best way to explain her thought process. "If you tell him to treat me politely, he will listen to you, or at least try to, but then he won't be honest with me. He'll close up and probably never speak to me. How he is acting now is not very nice, but at least it's honest. I still might have a chance of getting him to trust me, but if he shuts me out completely I won't get that chance."

Splinter placed a paw on his chin. "I see your point," Splinter considered slowly, "but if Raphael's behavior is left unaddressed it will only get worse for you. I don't feel comfortable with that."

April shook her head with a smile. "I can handle an angry Raphael," she assured him. "It's a Raphael who is bottling up his anger that I won't know how to deal with. Please, Master Splinter, give me a chance?"

Master Splinter considered her at length. Finally, and with slight hesitation, Master Splinter reached out and placed a careful hand on April's right shoulder. He seemed to expect her to flinch away even though she hadn't before, and wasn't about to this time.

"You are very kind to my sons, April," she said softly. She could hear the amazement in his voice.

April's mouth parted slightly. "O-of course," she stuttered in confusion. "Why wouldn't I be? Anyone would…"

Splinter shook his head sadly. "No, that's not true. You care about them even though they're…"

"Not human?" April supplied with a small smile.

Splinter nodded. "Not all humans would look at them and consider them people, let alone seem to understand them as you do. I didn't think it was possible." April couldn't tear her eyes away from the emotions playing across Splinter's normally stoic face. There was a deep shame there that April couldn't begin to fathom. "I didn't think humans would be able to see us as anything other than mutants or animals. But you… from the moment you arrived you saw my sons as children, not monsters. You showed no fear of them… or me."

April placed her left hand on her right shoulder, covering Splinter's warm paw with her own hand. "Of course not. Your sons are amazing and you are… more human than most people I've met. You let me stay here even though I put your family in danger. I owe you a lot, especially since I think I'm causing more harm than good by being here."

Splinter raised a furry eyebrow at her. "Why do you say that?"

April shrugged and his hand fell away from her shoulder. "It's my fault Mikey thought it was okay to follow me to the surface, Raph seems like he keeps getting angrier and Donnie is… I'm not sure what he is, but Donnie seems really unhappy and I know it's my fault."

Splinter frowned. "I disagree, April. I think in the long run your presence might do more good than you think."

April blinked up at him in surprise. "Really? Why?"

"Well, to start, you've already made Michelangelo happier and you have only known him for a short time."

April shrugged. "Yeah, but that's no big deal. It's easy to make Mikey happy."

Splinter smiled down at her. "It's a big deal to me, and to him."

April's eyes widened at her mistake. "I- I'm sorry, t-that's not what I meant!" she insisted hurriedly.

"I know what you meant," Splinter assured her, and the lighthearted tone in his voice helped her to relax. "My point is, you are being too hard on yourself. You are the first human they have ever seen. It's expected that there would be a rough patch in the beginning. I wouldn't trust just anyone around my sons, but like I said, you already seem to care and understand them. Which is why…" he sighed in defeat. "I will heed your advice."

"What do you mean?"

"Although it is against my better judgment, I will not address Raphael's behavior. I will leave that to you like you asked. Perhaps you are right. Perhaps he needs to be able to be honest with you, but I trust you will come to me if you need to."

April smiled in relief. "Thanks Master Splinter!"

He nodded to her. "Now, it's getting late. I hope you will have a good night's rest April."

"You too. Good night, Master Splinter."

April looked down at her book about renaissance artist and then back up at the retreating form of Master Splinter.

She opened her mouth, and for a moment, she thought about calling out to bring him back. Master Splinter trusted her and she was still lying to him.

Mikey had been on the surface! It's likely she had already changed the timeline significantly. Could she still justify keeping her origins a secret? Would that really do more harm than good?

However, something stopped her and April closed her mouth. Now wasn't the right time. If things got out of hand she could always tell him later. Right now, she didn't want to complicated things more than they already were. There were still too many factors she didn't know, and she didn't want to make the situation worse.

April turned back to her book. She buried herself in the pages about Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci, Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi, and Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino while she tried to ignore the gnawing guilt growing heavier and heavier in her stomach.

I hope this turned out okay.

Leo isn't in it much yet, but don't worry, he has his own stuff coming up. And so does Donnie. I have development planed for everyone. Oh, do I have plans…