Hi guys! Sorry again that this took so long. I'm on summer break now though so I'll have much more time to write! Anyways so last chapter a lot of stuff went down. This chapter is a little bit more relaxed. It's also super short. Sorry about that! I also felt bad because I didn't have much of Splinter in my past chapters. So this chapter has a lot of Splinter. Yay! Who doesn't love Splinter? Anyways thank you guys so much for your reviews and support! I really appreciate it a lot! :)

Donatello yawned as he slowly made his way through the grimy tunnel that led to the lair. His head was killing him,
his body ached, his eyesight was blurry and above all that he still hadn't made any progress in finding the men who'd hurt April.

Just thinking about those creeps made his blood boil.

How dare they put their hands on my April.

Donatello ground his teeth furiously.

"I'll show them. If it's the last thing I do," He muttered to himself, his hands clenching into fists.

Above him he could hear the sound of cars roaring to life and the footsteps of people just waking up. It must be around 6am then. Donnie reasoned. Shoot. Looks like I was out longer than I thought. He yawned again as he turned the corner.

And there lying on the ground was April.

Blood pouring from where a knife jutted out of her stomach.

"GAH!" Donnie shouted and blinked hard.

The image was gone.

There was nothing on the ground but more of the same murky water and sludge.

Donnie exhaled heavily, his shoulders slumping.

It was just his imagination again.

Ever since that night at the park he'd been seeing images like that everywhere. Always of April and always of the way she had looked that night when he'd finally found her.

Bloody.

Broken.

Near Death.

Donatello's lower lip trembled thinking about it.

An echo of the anguish he'd felt that night churned in his stomach. It was merely an echo yet it was strong enough to make his eyes mist with tears and his heart feel as though it was being crushed.

Donatello was so lost in his emotions that he didn't register when he'd entered the lair till his head brushed against something hanging from the ceiling.

He glanced up, surprised. It was a long white banner. Written on it in red type was the word 'Intervention.'

Donnie frowned, "Interv—"

"SURPRISE!"

"AH!"

Donnie shouted as Leao, Raph, and Mikey all jumped out from behind the couch.

"What're you guys doing?! What's going on?!"

"It's a surprise intervention dude! It's kinda like a surprise party. Except for there's no party." Mikey explained clapping Donatello on the back.

"A surprise intervention?"

"That's right." Leo interjected.

"What do I need an intervention for?!"

Leo, Raph and Mikey exchanged a glance.

"Well you've been acting a little….over-worked lately," Leo replied.

"Over-worked?"

"When's the last time you ate?" Raph demanded.

"Uhh," Donnie raked his brain frantically. Didn't I eat before I left the lair…? Or maybe it was yesterday….I must've eaten something yesterday….…right?

As though to prove Raphael's point Donatello's stomach chose that moment to growl loudly.

Raph raised his eyebrows.

"I've been distracted," Donnie said defensively.

"Look Donnie, we know you're worried about April. We all are. But staying up all night and starving yourself isn't going to help you find those men," Leo attempted to place a comforting hand on his brother's shoulder but Donatello shoved it off.

"You don't understand," he mumbled.

"Yes, Donnie we do. April's our friend too and we care about her a lot. We completely understand what you're going through.

"No, Leo you don't.

"Donnie, trust me, you're not alone in this. We all feel what you're feeling and—"

"NO YOU DON'T!"

Leo, Raph and Mikey all blinked in surprise.

"I'm sorry for shouting but it's true! You don't understand. You didn't see her that night. She looked….She looked like she was….," his voice broke, "I thought she was dead." He slumped down unto the couch. Leo and Mikey sat down beside him. Raph stared hard at the floor.

"How can you expect me to sleep at night knowing that those men are still out there? How can you expect me to take a break at all? If I take one day off, just one, that could be the day those men actually do k-kill her," Donnie finished, his shoulders heaving.

For a moment no one said anything. Then a voice emerged from the shadows.

"Donatello."

All four brothers looked up as Splinter slowly stepped away from the wall where he'd been watching them and made his way over to them.

"Master Splinter! Did you hear all that?" Donnie asked miserably.

The old rat nodded, "I'd like to speak with you. Privately. In the training room."

Donatello nodded and stood to follow Splinter from the room. Behind him he could hear Mikey, Raph, and Leo exchanging whispers.

Then nothing as the door was closed behind them.

"Sit," Splinter ordered, waving a hand at the floor.

Donatello did as he was told. Nervous energy churned in his stomach and he played with his hands anxiously. For a long while Splinter stood in front of the shelves nailed securely to the sewer wall. He seemed to be looking at something in his hand. Donnie craned his neck to see what the object was but to no avail.

After what must have been ten minutes Splinter set the object down and sat down on the ground across from his son.

The nervous churning in Donnie's stomach slowly phased into concern as Splinter once again sat for a long while, merely staring at his hands in his lap, his eyes open yet misty. As though they were far away.

"Donatello, have I ever told you about Tang Shen?"

Splinter finally spoke. His voice soft and flowing and sad.

"Well yes. Not in depth but you've mentioned her in passing now and then….She was your wife wasn't she?" Donnie asked just as softly.

The atmosphere in the room had grown still. Absolutely still.

Splinter nodded, "She was the most beautiful woman I had ever met." He closed his eyes and Donnie knew he was no longer in the room, not mentally it least. He was somewhere years in the past. Somewhere with Tang Shen. "And not only that, she was intelligent and kind and possessed a strength of character far greater than I ever have."

Donatello couldn't help it. He began to think of April. Splinter was practically describing her after all. She was by far the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on. And even more importantly she was also the smartest, kindest, and strongest individual he had ever met. Thinking about her now he couldn't help but fantasize about her creamy soft skin or the way it had felt when he'd touched it the night they'd kissed. Or the scent of her hair as it brushed gently against his face. Or the to-

"Donatello."

"Err w-what?" Donnie blushed.

"You are thinking about April." Splinter stated it as a fact.

"N-no! Of course not! I was paying very close attention to you Sensei. I would never disrespect you so much as to…" he trailed off as Splinter raised an eyebrow knowingly. "Alright…I'll admit it…I was thinking about April."

Splinter smiled, "Do not be embarrassed my son, it is perfectly natural. In fact, I would have thought something was wrong if you weren't. But if you could resist the temptation to let your mind wander for a few minutes more I would be very grateful."

Donnie blushed again, "Of course I can do that!"

"I will try to get straight to the point of this conversation before I lose your interest again. Donatello, after Tan Sheng and I became involved with each other I found that I was increasingly becoming more preoccupied with her safety. This increased greatly once she made the decision to begin her training as a kunoichi. Constantly I feared for her well-being, often to an extent which could be considered over-bearing. I loved her so strongly that I could not bear the thought of losing her. Though I thought my extremely cautious behavior in regards to her safety would ensure the longevity of our relationship and consequently, our love. I was wrong. In fact, it is this behavior that caused our first fight. She was not happy with the protective manner in which I handled her and told me as much. After a long week of tense conversations and arguments I finally yielded. I agreed to become less over-bearing, less cautious, and as a result our relationship flourished. Do you understand what I am trying to say to you Donatello?"

Donnie thought about it for a moment and nodded slowly, "Yes. You're trying to tell me that I need to stop feeling so protective over April. But how can I help it? She just means so much to me and I-"

"Donatello I understand this. Feeling protective over someone you love is natural. I am not telling you that you cannot feel this way. I simply want you to understand that April is training to be a kunoichi. She will be in dangerous situations. She will probably get hurt."

"Not if I protect her."

"Are you always going to be there to protect her? Judging from what happened to her, I would say no."

Donnie lowered his head, "I know I wasn't there to save her this time… but from now on I will be! If I have to stay up all night guarding her house then so be it!"

Splinter shook his head, "Donatello this is precisely what I am talking about it. April is strong—"

"Oh I know she is," Donnie interrupted.

Splinter glared at him then continued, "April is strong. She will be a kunoichi soon. When she is finished with her training and she joins you and your brothers on missions you cannot expend all your mental capacity worrying about her. You must work with her as you do your brothers. And when she does get hurt you cannot allow yourself to waste away trying to find the culprits. Of course it is important to find and punish the men who did this horrible thing to her, but Leonardo is correct when he says that starving yourself and depriving yourself of sleep will bring you no closer to your goal. In fact, it will dull your mind and fog your senses and jeopardize your efforts of finding them. Do you understand me my son?"

"Yes. I think so. You want me to treat April like she's my team mate, stop obsessing over her attackers, and try to get some sleep?"

Splinter smiled, "Correct."

Donatello stood and bowed, "Thanks for the advice Sensei!" He made his way over to the door, "I promise you I will go eat a huge meal and then get straight into bed."

Splinter's smile widened.

"Riiiigght after I double check the park again. I think I might have another idea for tracking down those attackers!" Donnie shouted eagerly before closing the door, leaving behind a very frustrated looking Splinter.

Poor Donnie! He's getting so much advice from everyone about how to deal with April. First Casey, now Splinter. I wonder how he's gonna deal with all that. I also changed Splinter's past up a bit, with his wife wanting to be a kunoichi, so I hope you guys dont mind that. Anyways...not a whole lot happened in this chapter. I thought since so much happened in the last one I better tone it down a bit. But don't worry, next chapter it's gonna get nice and exciting again. It will also be much, much longer than this one. Also April will be back! Anyways I just want to thank you all again for your wonderful reviews and support! And I know some of you are worried about me not finishing this story, but I promise you I will!