Chapter 2: Death in Space - PG-13: An Apriltello drabble of sorts that takes place in TMNT 2k12 season 4. April and Donnie find themselves in a deadly situation while investigating an abandoned space station. Angst, action, hurt/comfort, romance. (and don't worry, I never write sad endings) Enjoy!

If anyone had asked April to guess how she might die, she couldn't deny that she had a few ideas. Falling in battle, at the hand of either Shredder or the Kraang (or any of their numerous enemies) was obviously at the top of her list. Contracting some strange incurable disease because of her spliced genetics was up there too. Hell, even falling off a New York City rooftop was in the top five.

But getting sucked into the cold vacuum of space was definitely one she had never even considered.

XX

The day had started much like any other day; at least any other day since she had witnessed the destruction of Earth and then traveling back in time to prevent it. Another day, with another mission; crossing solar systems to track down the Triceratons and beat them to finding the hidden pieces of the black hole generator.

This particular mission had found them on what appeared to be an abandoned space station, hunting down distress signals that seemed to be coming from several locations within. Upon entry the relatively small vessel was found to be fully operational, yet mysteriously devoid of any life signs. And without notice of obvious danger, the group split off to investigate, Raph and Casey, and Leo with Mikey, which left April paired off with her favorite turtle companion and best friend, Donatello.

A while later, they found themselves still wandering down wide hallways following the luring beep of a beacon. Donatello had been particularly impressed with the architecture of the craft and his focus was split as he rattled off the many similarities to various structures built during the Renaissance on Earth.

"With names like ours, you better believe we know a few things about art history." He teased, making April grin with a roll of her eyes at his perceived cleverness.

Another few paces and he stopped to point out the similarity in the ceiling design to the ribbed vaulting that was common in Gothic cathedrals, when a distress call from their own team rang out in their suit's communicators.

The message was more noise than voices and April strained to hear what was being said. From beside her, Donnie whispered, his voice suddenly suspicious. "It's almost like our signal is being jammed."

"It's...trap!" Leo's voice broke through the static in bursts. "...Pirates!"

And before they could even react, shots suddenly sprang out around them. Donnie lunged forward, pulling April down with him to the ground, the blasts ricocheting off the wall above them.

Donnie took the lead, rolling to the side, near an open doorway. April followed suit behind him, mimicking his movements as he lept to his feet and took off running down the hallway. With a brief glance back, April could make out one pursuer, a large squid-like creature with more arms than April could count. He chased behind them, setting off more blasts from his laser cannons.

Rounding a corner into a large room, Donnie stepped off to the side and clipped the creature with his bo staff, jetting out in front of his throat before he could stop. Knocked to the ground, the pirate, as Leo had called him, reached out with one of his tentacle-like appendages and pulled Donnie's ankle, knocking him to the floor beside him.

With her weapon in hand, April lined up a shot as the two fought in a tangled heap on the floor. When suddenly a new direction of fire zipped passed her helmet, just barely clipping the glass dome and causing her to step back to retain her balance. She whipped around to see a new marauder join his buddy's fight. A behemoth of a creature, at least 2 feet taller than Donnie and built like a tank, he barreled through the door right at her. She turned her fire on him and could have sworn she hit him twice, square in the chest without even causing a flinch.

Surprised with his immunity to her weapon, she did not expect him to reach her so fast. She executed an evasive move with as much grace as one could supply from within space gear, and was even more shocked with the speed that the beast moved. Managing to sidestep his next swing, she had not been prepared for the extra tail-like appendage that had swung out from behind him, hitting her in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her and causing her to double over.

"April!" She could hear Donnie shout as she struggled to breathe.

She tried to take heed of his warning, but the barbarian had already grabbed her by the helmet, savagely smashing her into the corner of a large metal crate. The force with which he had flung her around was enough to cause disorientation. But she was aware enough to notice the loud crack as the glass of her helmet gave way, already weakened by the shot that had hit it earlier.

Thankfully, it was at that point Donnie had rid himself of his attacker and had taken over hers.

She swayed as she pulled in a long breath, thankful that the station's air regulators seemed to be up and running, now that her helmet sported a softball sized hole above her brow line.

Righting herself, she was able to get off a few more blasts, as Donatello fended off the giant with some well placed kicks, trying his best to back their way out of the dead-end room they had been chased into.

Another shot and she clipped the large pirate's shoulder, causing him to fall back out into the hallway, baring his green rotten-looking teeth and letting out a squelching roar. And just as she felt a modicum of success, the squid creature from before flung a small puck-sized object past them, before pulling his teammate out and sealing the door shut.

"Get down!" Donnie screamed as he threw himself over her, using his shell as a shield. The blast reverberated through the metal room, like the ringing of a cathedral bell. The explosion thundered around them, brief but nerve-wracking. Leaving the room eerily quiet in its wake.

April opened her eyes as Donatello lifted his protective hands from over their faces.

"Are you ok?!" She hollered out, her ears still ringing.

Donnie nodded, as he stood, extending a hand to help her to her feet, his focus purely on the large glass window where the explosive device had been aimed to land.

"Oh crap."

April spun around to see what she feared, the window had survived the bomb, but just barely. Hairline cracks ran out in veins from the center and were rapidly expanding.

"April, how bad is your helm–" Donnie didn't have to finish his question when he turned back to her and saw the gaping hole.

"Better the helmet than my head." She offered, with a half-baked shrug, a gesture that was more than anything an attempt at keeping her own panic at bay.

Donnie looked at her incredulously, as though trying to determine if she was joking. "Well of course, not getting your head bashed in is always a good thing!" His voice was attempting to sound playful, but the panic sneaking through was ruining the effect. "But that window is not going to hold for long, and I'd really prefer we weren't in here when it breaks and sucks the contents of this room into space!" The turtle raced over to the door and started messing with the control panel beside it.

Still a little unsteady from both the earlier blow and the kickback from the explosion, April took a minute to rest. With her hands on her knees she surveyed the room and realized that they were in some kind of outer docking bay, a garage of sorts for holding cargo and goods. Not exactly a place with high requirements for personal safety concerns.

The room was also relatively empty, the metal crate she had been bashed into earlier, thrown across the room from the blow, dented and torn open. There wasn't even anywhere to pretend to hide.

"This is not good." Donatello mumbled from the doorway and he turned to April to explain. "This bay doesn't appear to have emergency shields in place, for atmospheric leaks. Which means, that this door," He stopped to thunk a hand up against the blocked exit. "...hermetically seals to prevent damage to the rest of the ship in case of imminent exposure."

"Is there another way out?" April asked. But she already knew the answer, sensing the dread and panic rolling off Donatello in waves. Sometimes being an empath kind of sucked.

Donatello shook his head in response and turned back to the door, furiously working. She could see him scanning through multiple systems on the station's computer, flicking through everything from program codes, to blueprints, searching desperately for another solution. All the while quietly muttering to himself, "This is bad, this is bad, this is bad!"

At one point he paused, to futz with his suit's com-link. "Leo? Raph? Fugitoid? Can anyone hear us? We're trapped in a cargo bay! We need help now!"

April listened intently as the link inside her own suit flickered with static. But whether it was from the jammed frequency or the damaged helmet, she wasn't sure. She punched at the damaged controls, but it appeared her mic had also been broken in the tussle. Feeling an overwhelming and irrational anger at the broken tech on her head, she reached up to unlock it, releasing the useless item from its harness, and lifted it up over her head to drop it unceremoniously on the ground beside her.

Donatello flicked back at her for a moment to identify the sound and she shrugged. "It was getting all stuffy once the air stopped flowing." She said aloud, before internally speaking darker thoughts. I might as well be a little more comfortable before I die.

Her friend glared back at her, but his fingers never stopped moving across the touch panels.

Suddenly, the window made a horrific crunching sound and both teens watched in stunned horror, holding their breath as they waited for the inevitable. But the thick glass continued to hold.

"This is it. Isn't it?" Her voice was relatively calm, considering the urgency of the situation.

"No way! I'm working on it." Donnie was now frantically pulling at wires contained inside the panel of the door. The ship's emergency controls did not appear to have an override.

It was at that moment that April realized how insane this entire juncture was. To think that she was about to die in the cold, dark depths of a distant galaxy was completely unbelievable. She would never see Earth again, never be held in her father's arms, never…

She watched her best friend furiously scanning the contents of the ship's computer on the small panel screen and was suddenly hit with a wave of regret. She had waited too long.

In two strides she was beside him and reached out to place a comforting hand on his shell and another on his wrist to draw his attention away from the machine.

"Donnie, I have to tell you something."

Hands stilling, his large brown eyes turned to meet hers and she could see the worry in them; the fear and the acknowledgement of what she wanted to do.

"Donnie, I…" She started, a lump forming in her throat as she glanced briefly at the cracking window and tried not to focus on the fact that this was possibly the last time she would gaze at his face. "I thought I had more time…"

His eyes widened, and she could tell he wanted to stop her. Listening to whatever she had to say was essentially accepting defeat, but before he could interrupt, she continued on.

"You are the best friend that I have ever had. And over these last years, you have become the most important person in my life." She took a sharp inhale, biting back tears, knowing she wouldn't be able to get out everything she wanted to say if she started crying. "I should have told you sooner… how I feel about you…"

She forced up a smile through the fear, not wanting him to remember her so frightened.

A startling crack rang out and they both jumped, their hearts in their throats, their nerves shot with anticipation. A red alert light snapped on in either corner above the door, a rhythmic blinking warning them of an impending doom.

"UGH not yet!" April yelled at the menacing window, as though it was its own fault. "Why doesn't the whole damn ship have a backup forcefield anyways? I mean who designed this thing?"

Donnie's brow shot up and he jumped back, as though physically hit with an idea. "That's it!" He shouted. And he reached up to start unlatching his own helmet, the hiss of air as the seal broke open.

"What are you doing!" April gasped, watching in dismay as he moved. "Keep your helmet on! You can still find another way in, once you're outside. You might even be able to get out a clear signal to Fugitoid back at the ship!"

Donnie shook his head animatedly, to save the conversation, pulling the helmet off. "Please listen, the packs and helmets are meant to interchange in case of emergencies. I can't get oxygen flowing to the helmet, but it will seal. There should be just enough air left in the components to last a few minutes. Hopefully that will buy you enough time to get to safety."

"No, No!" April shouted, vaguely aware that a few tears had escaped and were now running down her face. "You can't sacrifice yourself for me!"

"Unlike your suit that uses only a protective fabric to encase your body, my suit has a built in force field." To prove his point, he tapped his upper arm where what appeared to be exposed skin was untouchable beneath the invisible field. "It will expand to cover my head in case of a faulty helmet. It's not intended to last long, the forcefield won't contain any air, but it will protect me from the temperature and pressure changes."

April stilled and realized what he was saying. YES, she could do this, she could get them both to safety. Willing herself to control her emotions she readied herself to take in every bit of information he could give her.

"You can hold your breath for a long time, right?" She tried to hide the desperation in her voice.

His face blanched and he broke eye contact, busying his focus by messing with the front of his suit. "With the rapid depressurization of the room and depending on the delay for the emergency force field to kick in, I'm not sure how long I'll be able to stay conscious."

He looked back up at her, his fake smile plastered into place, the one he reserved for talking Mikey into things. "But don't waste your energy on me, ok? Get yourself to safety first, and then you can revive me, if needed." He explained cool and calmly as he slid his helmet over her, not wasting any time and latching it into place.

April choked back a gasp, before questioning that she heard him right. "Revive?"

Ignoring her question he carried on in preparation. "This window is about to crack and when it does, the force will try and suck us out into space. We need to not let that happen, we don't want to be thrown too far from the ship."

April nodded in understanding.

"The vacuum effect should be brief. As soon as it ends, we need to fly out, one level above us. According to the station's schematics I saw, there should be an emergency airlock that can be opened from the outside, just over this window." He pointed up in the direction that April needed to go. "You're going to have to move quickly. As soon as you leave the ship, I'll try my best to follow, but don't worry about me, ok?"

His calm demeanor did anything but make her feel relaxed. It was unlike him to not be high-strung in a moment of crisis, and it honestly freaked her the hell out. She hesitantly nodded again, but only because she wanted it clear that she understood the plan, and not that she was 'okay' with any of it.

Another nefarious CRACK, jolted them both in their place, pushing urgency upon them.

Donnie took her hand and quickly led them both to the side wall to where a pipe created a 'U' shape suitable to hold onto. He tugged at the pipe momentarily to test its structural stability before guiding her arm through the opening.

The walls of the cargo bay were outfitted with netting, to hold small parts and tools from floating away when the bay doors were open. Rummaging in them he found a long strap for securing crates. Leaving the one end still attached to the wall, he hurriedly ran it around their waists, tieing it off behind April like one big two-person belt.

A strange new sound emerged from the window behind them. She knew had she asked, Donatello could have explained exactly what was happening to the glass down to a molecular level as it finally began to give way, but judging purely by the sound, April imagined a pile of delicate seashells being stepped on, one-by-one their fragile forms bursting into tiny fragments.

"Any second now." He warned. Looping his own arm through another opening near them, and then wrapping his arms around her. It was more of a protective stance, than a hug, using his body as a harness to hold her against the wall.

They stood face to face, hearts racing. April looked up into his brown eyes, through the purple glow that illuminated his helmet around her. He looked so brave, despite the dread she could sense from him.

"Is this going to work?" She asked in a whisper.

"It's most certainly one of the craziest things I've ever done. And I once hacked into an alien portal with a toaster oven." He smiled, wide and bright, showing the gap in his teeth, but his eyes couldn't quite hide his fear.

And though he was trying to protect her from it, that same fear was once again engulfing her. It was quite possible they were not going to walk away from this. And she made a hasty decision that she wasn't about to die with regrets.

"Donnie, I love you." She confessed, her breath hitching in her throat. "I should have told you so long ago, but I—"

Donnie shushed her with a shake of his head and held his finger up to the front of the helmet as though to silence her. "You can tell me after this, ok?"

The sound of crushing seashells became louder and louder until it transformed into a shrill piercing crack.

"April–" He blurted out, but stopped himself before he could say more. In that fraction of a second she watched a plethora of emotions cross his features. He went from brave, to nervous to confused. His focus flicked away for a moment before he finally came back to her, a look of determination on his face.

Closing his eyes, he leaned in to press a soft kiss to the front of the round glass globe surrounding her face.

And just like that, the window finally shattered.

Within milliseconds the remaining glass crumpled into tiny shards being sucked out into the darkness around them. A moan bellowed as the metal door crumpled in on itself, tearing away from the edge of the hull. The resulting shift of the pressure caused April to let out a scream as their bodies lurched forward, feet lifted off the ground, being pulled along behind it. They both strained to hold onto the wall, as the vacuum threatened to tear them away from it.

Despite the protection the helmet offered her, April had squeezed her eyes shut out of reflex. Opening them again, the scene before her felt like they were in the center of a tornado. For being fairly empty, the room was full of debris, tearing off the walls and flying through the air. She was grateful that they were at the front of the large room, and less likely to be pegged by a loose object.

Feeling Donatello's grip around her tighten, almost uncomfortably so, she directed her attention towards him and her heart sank. His face was turned away from her, but she could tell his eyes were squeezed shut, his purple bandana flapping in the tunnel of air that was sucking them in. Why hadn't his emergency forcefield kicked on yet?

A dark thought hit her. Had he lied? Was there an actual backup? Or did he just hand over his helmet, knowing full well that he wasn't going to survive?

Before she could doubt for another second, there was a flicker of blue light as the field extended up around his head, trapping his bandana inside, the ends flat against the back of his skull, no longer flapping. A weight of relief lifted from her chest at the sight.

And like that it was over. The force stopped, the pressure now equal to that of the outside. No longer weighted down with the artificial gravity of the ship, they hung loose, floating above the metal floor, their two bodies still belted together. Donatello's weak grasp fell limp and April realized he had most likely passed out.

Knowing their time was limited, she began working as fast as she could. She knew Donnie had said to leave him behind and get herself to safety first, but there was no way she was following that suggestion. She reached back and unhooked the strap from behind her and pushed herself away from his slack form, reattaching the makeshift belt, one end around his waist, and one around hers, tethering them together.

Recalling Donnie's instructions, she knew exactly where she needed to go and made her way to the large opening now at the front of the room. With a grasp on the collar of Donatello's pack, she pulled his floating body behind her, thankful for the lack of gravity making his dead weight manageable. Pressing the button on her suit she tried to engage the jet pack strapped to her back, but as luck would have it, it did not work. It was clearly damaged in the earlier fight, and between the destruction of her suit and the explosion on the window, she was starting to think it had been the pirate's mission to get her killed.

An idea struck her and she pulled Donnie in closer to check his own pack. The booster on his still seemed to be functioning. It would be awkward, but she could make this work, and it would definitely be faster than trying to cautiously fly her way up to the next level.

Pulling his body in closer to her own, she tried not to watch as his head bobbled back. He looked so lifeless. She wrapped her arms around his middle as though giving him a bear hug, before grabbing the control on his glove and turning on the pack.

The burst was enough to propel them in the right direction. Once they were near the outer hull of the upper deck, April craned her body feet first and turned on the magnets in her boots, pulling both her and Donnie, still enveloped in her arms, back towards the ship. Using the simulated gravity of the boots she ran the short distance to the airlock door, releasing her hold on her friend still tethered at her waist, to free up her hands.

The airlock was equipped with a small round door sealed shut by a crank wheel. They had no idea how long this station had been floating in space, unattended or cared for, and the state of this hatch, crusty with debris and neglect suggested it had been quite some time. She strained against the wheel, feeling powerless when it didn't budge. What the hell good were these psychic powers of hers, when she wasn't even strong enough to open a damn door?

She could feel herself panicking, but quickly identified her increase in breath as most likely her body reacting to the lack of oxygen left in her suit and helmet. The raging headache and stars in front of her eyes should have been the first clue, and if she didn't get that door open fast, she would only become weaker.

With the anxiety of defeat threatening to swallow her, she looked over at Donnie, and wondered what he'd have done in this situation. And then she saw it, his new space-crafted bo staff, holstered on his back. She grabbed the staff, and flicked the switch on it's side, extending it to its full length, and laced it through the rungs of the wheel. With the added leverage, she heaved with every ounce of strength she had left. Biting her lip she turned as hard as she could muster, feeling a bead of sweat roll down the side of her brow. Just as her arms were about to give up, some debris flaked off and it finally turned.

Once loosened, she made fast work of the door, and as soon as it was wretched open, she was already guiding Donnie's floating body through the opening. Following in behind him, she pulled the door shut and yanked the emergency lever beside the door to seal it.

Warning lights flickered and the room hissed as the atmosphere began to flood in. Feeling the gravity take over, April sensed the weight of Donnie's own body guide him back down to the ground with a dull thunk, the pack on the back of his suit awkwardly propping him up.

April gasped, her lungs burning with need, but the last bits of oxygen left in the tubing of her borrowed helmet were long gone. She needed to get it off before she passed out herself. The blinking light shifted from red to yellow. Praying that the air lock was almost restored, April frantically began unlatching the oversized helmet from her chest piece, disconnecting it and yanking it off just as the lights switched to green and the blinking subsided.

Taking in a heaving breath April stumbled forward to her knees beside Donatello's prone body. Now that they had room air again, she needed the forcefield around his face to shut off, so he could breath again. Wrenching open the panel on the front of his chest piece, she punched the reset button and watched as a the field disappeared with a flicker.

She eagerly focused first on his face and then his chest, waiting for the shifting of his plastron rising and falling with his lungs. But no movement could be seen. Leaning down she held her cheek over his mouth, terror filling her when she could not feel his breath. Oh god.

A finger to his neck confirmed that she couldn't find a pulse either. As fast as she could move, she unhooked his suit, needing access to his chest if she was going to revive him. One last click and the buckles were free, and with great effort, she heaved the heavy object up over his head, his body sliding out unceremoniously to land in a heap on the floor.

"No no no." Not even aware of the small words leaving her throat she knelt back down and placed the palm of her hand on his chest when a cold realization hit her: Being a mutant turtle, she wasn't entirely sure if she should apply CPR the same way, nor was she certain that she could physically apply enough pressure through his stiff plastron covering his front.

Shaking the fears from her mind she knew she had to try. She had seen the reptile anatomy posters in Donnie's lab and figured that it couldn't be that different and positioned the heel of her hand at roughly the center of his chest. Covering her hand with the other, she began compressions. After the first ten she worried that it wasn't enough force and repositioned onto her knees, to put more of her body weight behind each press.

"C'mon Donnie!" She commanded between puffs as she continued to pump with all of her weight.

After the suggested 30 compressions, she lowered her face down to his, and gently tipped his chin up, listening closely for any sign of breath. When she still couldn't find one she moved in, placing her small mouth over his own large one, her hand reaching up to block his tiny nostrils and slowly released a rescue breath. Watching, she was delighted to see the subtle movement of this plastron, and released the second breath.

A loud burst distracted her for a split second as she realized the door to the small room had been forced open. She finished the steady flow of her breath and sat up relieved to see Raphael standing there, his weapons in his hand, expecting a fight. His irises shrunk to pinpoints as he took in what was happening.

"He's not breathing!" April shouted as she swiftly moved back to her knees, placing her hands back on his chest, and began her urgent compressions.

"Leo, I found them. Get here now!" She heard Raphael order into his comlink before he dropped down to his knees beside her. "Here, let me do that."

"...15, 16, 17..." April muttered under her breath counting each compress. She nodded to Raphael and moved out of the way.

He hesitantly placed his hand on his brother's still plastron and readied himself to push down when April stopped him.

"Wait!" She remarked, and leaned in to see Donatello's lips part in almost a grimace and the rewarding sound as he sucked in a breath of air on his own.

She sat motionless, watching his plastron rise and fall, the features on his face relaxing again as his rhythm became steady. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she was vaguely aware that Casey and the other two brothers had entered the room and now stood around them. But in this very moment the only thing she could focus on was the sound of the breath moving past his lips, a quiet whistle as it passed over the gap in his teeth.

Slowly, his eyes flickered open and locked with her own.

"Donnie?" Her voice wobbled.

"Hey you." He managed to whisper, his own voice dry and hoarse. A soft smile crossed over him before his eyes fell shut again.

Before she could even flinch, Leo's fingers were at his brother's neck. "It's ok, he just passed out." He announced, apparently finding a pulse.

The tenseness of the situation having subsided, April let herself fall back onto her rump, a few tears running freely down her face in relief.

"Are you okay?" Leonardo asked, a concern in his voice as he crouched beside them, still checking Donnie's vitals. "What happened?"

"My helmet… it was damaged. He said… he said his suit would protect him." April tried her best to explain, feeling winded from the stress.

Sensing a soft hand on her shoulder, she turned to meet Raphael's bright green eyes. "You did good, April."

She nodded softly, when a thought suddenly hit her. "Pirates! There was two of them!"

"It's ok, we know. They're gone now." Raphael assured her.

"But we should still get out of here, like now." Casey suggested, keeping watch from the doorway.

"He's right." Leo agreed. "Fugitoid is docking as we speak." He gestured to the crew around him as he named them off. "Mikey, take the lead, make sure our route is clear. Raph, grab Donnie's feet. And Casey, you stick with April and bring up the rear."

Everyone nodded and got into their positions as he knelt down to heave Donnie up from under his arms.

Casey spent a moment too long looking between Donatello's unconscious body and April still sitting beside him, before he offered her a hand up.

"C'mon Red, let's get outta here."

XX

Back on the Fugitoid's ship and with a fair amount of distance between them and the space station, the small family unit was all crowded into the medical bay. Animatedly talking with one another as the cyborg finished running tests on Donatello.

Propped up on an exam table, April sat in a chair beside her best friend watching him as he conversed with his relieved family. His color was still pale, not quite the rich olive-green she was used to and his eyes looked tired, but he laughed and talked with the others as they recounted their run-ins with the group of bandits. The fugitoid had just revealed that they were apparently wanted felons on several planets.

"I've heard of them baiting traps, but crossing paths with pirates in this part of the galaxy is unheard of!" Fugitoid remarked, the lights of his eyes changing to large circles. "You should be lucky you got away, they are not known for leaving behind witnesses."

"I think we can all thank April for that." Raphael remarked, his arm around Leo's shoulder as they stood at the foot of the bed.

April smiled and squeezed Donnie's hand, unable to form any response. Since they had returned back to the ship and Fugitoid had provided medical aid, April had not been able to leave his side. Seeing him awake again had relieved some of the stress from before, but she was still afraid to talk, almost certain that she would break down.

A monitor on the screen chirped and Fugitoid turned his attention to the readings that ran across it. "It appears that you've suffered from minimal exposure to the depressurized atmosphere, but nothing that won't be back to normal in a couple of days. Your family is correct, that you should thank Miss O'Neil here for the speed in which she revived you, *bloop* *bleep* without her assistance you could have suffered from brain damage or worse!"

Donnie turned away from the white cyborg with a smile directed at April beside him. "I'm well aware that I owe her my life." He replied softly.

April could manage nothing more than another polite smile at his comment.

A throat clearing sound was issued by none other than Casey Jones, "Hey, maybe we should let these two get some rest."

Mikey spoke up next. "Yeah, I mean, we could all use a little down time after today. And I dunno about the rest of you, but I'm starving!"

"When are you NOT starving?" Casey joked as he playfully punched Mikey in the arm. The two smiled and waved from the doorway as they retreated.

"Yeah, rest up. I'm sure you could use it." Raph patted the top of Donnie's bare leg, devoid of his space gear and wrappings. "I'm glad you're both alright."

"Let us know if you need anything, okay?" Leo offered, his voice soft and genuine, his blue eyes locking with April's.

April nodded and offered him a smile before he followed Raph and the others from the room.

Fugitoid looked from the monitors in front of him over to April. "And how are you feeling my dear? My initial scans showed that you suffered from slight carbon monoxide poisoning, but that's nothing that can't be healed with a couple of days of good rest."

"I'm fine." April managed to choke out. "Just a little bruised and sore from getting tossed around."

"*Bleep* Well alright, if you change your mind, just alert me." He turned back to Donatello and gestured at the small panel attached to his front like a nametag sticker. "I have several monitors set up to watch over you throughout the night, I'd prefer if you stayed here for observation."

"I don't plan on running off." He joked with a slight stutter. "Thanks Professor."

"Then I think I shall be going. Just press the call button if you should so need me." And the sleek cyborg left the room, his strange walk feeling hypnotizing to watch.

Alone at last, Donatello turned to look at April still sitting beside him. Fidgeting a little, in his spot sitting on the bed, he shifted on his rear as though he couldn't get comfortable. Finally, he cleared his throat and asked, "You've been awfully quiet. Are you sure you're feeling alright?"

Suddenly without the other watchful eyes in the room she could no longer contain her emotions, she was upset and stressed and angry all at once. Despite her best effort, some tears broke through her steely gaze and she brought up a hand to cover her mouth, as though trying to physically hold back the stress and the grief that poured from her.

"Hey...hey now, don't cry, it's ok. We're okay." Donnie tried to reassure her, sitting up straighter before reaching out to offer a hug, but something about his comforting words just made her more angry.

"It's not okay!" She shouted out, pushing his arms away from her. "You died out there! You weren't breathing and I had to resuscitate you. It was... terrifying!"

"But you saved me." He offered with a gentle voice. "I owe you my life for that."

"I only had to save you, because you were being reckless! Did you really, honestly know that your suit would protect you?" She knit her brows together and added a glare to make it clear that she expected honesty.

"I was pretty sure." He started to answer, and already she was throwing her hands up in disbelief, but he chimed in with more. "It was the only way. The only way that we both had a chance."

She didn't remember when she had stood up, but she crossed her arms in front of her chest and frowned in disagreement.

"April I … I couldn't just… let you die. I could never live with myself."

She locked eyes with him. "Don't you understand, I feel the same way!" She watched his features soften as he took in what she was saying. "For a moment, when the forcefield didn't come on right away… I was so afraid..." The words, 'that you had tricked me' died on her tongue before she could say them.

He reached out to her again in a silent offering, and this time she stepped into his arms, relishing the feeling of his body, alive and well, surrounding her.

She stood in his grasp for what felt like hours before finally stepping away. With a discrete sniffle she managed to compose herself.

"So…"

She could tell that he wanted to talk; to address the elephant in the room. She had made some confessions today in a moment of panic, and it seemed he was going to politely ignore them if she so chose.

She sat down on the edge of his exam bed, in the little nook beside his hip, one knee up on the mattress facing him. He smiled nervously, and despite the fact that he had gotten rather good at hiding his blush, the vitals monitor gave off a traitorous blip as his heart-rate picked up speed.

April knew that he would gladly pretend he hadn't heard anything, but she already promised herself that if they got out alive, he deserved to at least have the conversation.

"I meant what I said today." She blurted, not really sure how to start.

This statement definitely seemed to have caught his attention, his chocolate eyes, bright behind his purple mask, were locked on hers as he waited for her to verify exactly what she had meant.

"You're my best friend…" She wrung her hands together, deciding how to explain. "And I was serious that I wasn't really ready to admit it, but… but I think I'm falling for you."

His eyes widened for a split second and the steady blip of his monitor increased again. Making an irritated glance over to the flashing lights on the screen, he reached up and tugged at the device on his chest, before apparently reconsidering, with a roll of his eyes.

Looking back, the device forgotten, a guilty smile crossed his features. "I fell for you a long time ago." He made a shrug-like movement while he spoke, as though he was trying to hide his head down in his shell with his admission.

Even though she had assumed as much, April couldn't deny the skip her heart made to hear him say it. "I know."

His face flushed and he cringed slightly at her response.

"But if you aren't ready…" He offered. "I can wait." He flashed another genuine smile. It was a smile full of silent promises that he was willing to do anything for her.

The words were meant to be romantic, that he was willing to wait for as long as it took, but as April considered his offer, something about it just felt wrong.

She shook her head softly. "No."

"Oh." His voice was small and timid. Whatever he had been expecting her to say, that was clearly not it. He looked down at his hands, tapping the tips of his fingers together in a nervous habit.

She reached forward and placed a soft palm on his cheek, turning his attention back up to her and suppressing a chuckle when she heard the monitor again. "We can't spend our lives waiting until it's too late."

At first he was hesitant, intense eyes tracking hers, his face flushed and rosy. Before he pressed his pebbly-smooth cheek into her warm touch, the corners of his mouth creeping up again.

Watching for a reaction, she slowly leaned in, and allowed her lips to press softly against his. When he didn't flinch away, her eyelids fluttered shut and she parted slightly to glide across him, tilting her head to find a better position.

She felt his body tense and his breath hitch when she moved. Testing the waters, she ran her tongue teasingly between her parted lips, jutting out just enough to tickle his sensitive flesh, and was rewarded when he released a soft moan.

His strong arms wrapped around her and she laced her hands up behind his neck in return. Pulling herself so close she was practically in his lap.

He responded with another low sound, returning the kiss with a surprising amount of passion for her shy friend.

As she moved against him, with her eyes closed, she let her other senses take over. Roaming her hand softly to slide up his front to land above where she had frantically pushed with all her might, she could feel the steady, if not a little fast, beat of his heart. She could smell the warm earthy scent that was uniquely his own and taste the ever-present coffee on his warm breath. He released a happy sigh and she smiled against him at the sound, relishing all of the little reminders that he was alive and well in her arms.

Opening up her mind, she felt every one of his emotions gliding off of him; love, excitement, relief, passion and contentment. And in that moment, she knew this was what living was all about.

She had spent the last few years with fear hanging over her. A secret world with dark people out to get her and her family. To some extent she had thought that she was better off facing it alone. After all, the people she loved had been taken from her; her mother, her father. If she was on her own, she couldn't continue to be hurt by that loss.

But today she had faced a very real possibility of losing the person that had come to mean the world to her. And it was in that moment, she realized that without taking risks, the loss would only be paired with regret.

Now, enveloped in his arms, she was thankful she had taken the leap. In the life they lead, death was still a very real possibility, but knowing that she'd opened up to him and that they'd have a chance to explore their new relationship, gave her a new found confidence and a feeling of contentment. She may have breathed life into him today, but she felt a renewed life of her own as she continued on this adventure by his side.

XX

A/N: So many THANKS to my dear beta reader Poleepkwana/Suthnmeh! She helped me transform this puppy from the tiny ficlet I thought up one afternoon to this glorious beast. I don't know why we love seeing our babies go through so much turmoil, but hopefully you enjoyed it too!

Any ideas for other 2k12 drabbles? I seem to have a bit of an Apriltello theme going, but I'm open to other ideas.