So this is the last chapter of "Connections". As I said in the story description, it only deals with the first season of the show. I want to thank you all for your support. Enjoy reading! :)

Chapter 25: Time for Celebration

There she was, dancing, cheering, happy – and so very much alive.

Just a few hours ago, Donnie wouldn't have dared to bet on her safety. Or his family's. Or his own. Too much had happened, too many bad, life-threatening things.

But here they were, all breathing, all alive, all celebrating.

They had defeated the Kraang, they had stopped the invasion of their planet. And even more importantly – for him, at least –, they had saved April.

You're my hero!

He could still hear her words in his head, and although he knew that she had just said this because she had been all groggy from Kraang Prime's attempt of draining her special powers out of her brain, it still made him giggle like an idiot.

Yes, she had been drunk in a way, but wasn't there a saying that drunk people always said the truth? Did this mean he really was her hero?

He bit down his lip to hold back another giggle.

Despite the recent life-threatening events, so many great things had happened as well.

He had saved April's father, he had brought him back to her, and she had thanked him by hugging him.

If he concentrated really, really hard, he could still feel the warmth of her body, her face pressed against his plastron.

Then they had defeated the Kraang.

And now they were celebrating their victory.

Of course, his brain had wanted to jump back to business right away. His body had almost ached for continuing his work, but he had decided that Splinter was right.

Now was the time for celebration, for shoving his thoughts about the future away just for a little while, for just enjoying himself. Right now, he was Donnie, the teenager, not Donnie, the scientist.

No need for ponderous thoughts.

And he managed somehow.

True, some thoughts were still gnawing on his brain, but he tried to shove them to the back of his head whenever they made an attempt to overwhelm him.

What other things were to assume from the alliance between Shredder and the Kraang? What was going to happen in New York City now? Would the people be more careful about the things happening right at their doorsteps or would they go back to their old lives like this invasion had never happened? What other things could happen?

Donnie shook his head forcefully.

Now was not the time.

To get his thoughts elsewhere he concentrated on April again, her sweet dance moves, her mouth making these cute little whooping noises, and like it had often happened to him with April before, he totally bathed in her presence, losing himself while watching her, forgetting Donnie, the scientist, forgetting Donnie, the teenager, forgetting himself, it was only her at this moment.

He barely realized that he gulped and how Mikey poked his face.

It was all about April now, beautiful, adorable April.

Oh, how much he cared for her, how much he loved her!

When Raph took over the dance floor from April by playfully shoving her out of the way, the spell was broken, and Donnie realized what he had just thought.

He loved her!? Really?

But the more he thought about it, the more he realized it was true.

He loved her.

He only needed to tell her, now that he was so sure about it. Why not right now while they were all in such a good mood? He could just ask her to help him with the snacks in the kitchen and then confess his love.

No.

He shook his head.

Now was not the time. Maybe tomorrow or next week or next month, but not now. Now was the time for celebration.

And with this, he got to his feet and got the controller for Metalhead. Maybe he wasn't as good a dancer as Mikey or Raph – chicken dancing always worked, like his little dance with April earlier had shown; oh, his little dance with April… he shook his head again and reached for the controller.

So, again, he might not be as good a dancer as Mikey or Raph, but he was pretty good when it came to robot dancing, both with making Metalhead dance and doing the robot dance himself.

And he was now going to show them all.

A grin appeared on his face as he got ready for his big show.

What Donnie didn't know at this moment was how much these recent events would affect him and his family, his friends. The alliance between Shredder and the Kraang would lead to even more trouble in the future.

And he didn't know about the teenage boy whom the invasion made rethink his life, who for the first time realized how much his family was in danger, and who would start his own way of dealing with these things.

Donnie had no idea that said teenage boy would establish a new connection to April and that one day, he would make his way to the lair and find out about them, adding a new connection to their net.

And of course, Donnie didn't know that Splinter had come to know of a new connection to Shredder. He didn't know anything about the potential this new connection contained. It could destroy his sensei if Shredder played his cards thoughtfully, it could destroy them all, but also, it could bring Splinter back his daughter, it could bring them a new powerful ally, maybe even a new family member, a new friend.

Donnie had no idea of all these things, nor had his brothers or April.

They were celebrating their victory because they had earned it.

All thoughts about the future were secondary now, all thoughts about things that might or might not be.

All that counted now was them and them alone.

When he glanced over to April again, he stopped his dancing for a split-second, astonished by her beauty, her happiness, the fact that she was alive, and just for a moment longer he thought what the Kraang would be up to next.

But when April smiled at him, these thoughts were forgotten, and he smiled back as he continued his dancing.