A/N: It's been a while, friends! I hope you've missed me as much as I've missed you! :3 I was just taking a little break but I think I'm back completely and should be uploading new stories in a frequent manner :)

Disclaimer: I own...wait for it...nothing! (exciting right?)

April's eyes were closed. She willed them to open, to see the answers unfold, but they were squeezed tight. The device trembled in her hand and the reminder of it's presence seemed to renew her eyelids' determination. If she had just been rational and used her head, she wouldn't have been in this mess. The redhead flashed back to a few weeks ago, the beginning of this whole mess...

"Where have you been?" April exclaimed as Casey Jones entered her apartment. Though he had his own, he found himself at his girlfriend's place more than his.

"Out."

"Bashing heads, I presume. Did it ever occur to you to call? Did it ever occur to you that maybe I sit here after you've run off and worry my ass off? Did it ever occur to you that maybe - just maybe - you might actually get hurt during one of your skirmishes and that realization leaves me shivering when you're gone?"

"Well, I'm sorry I worried ya, but ya know I can take care of m'self! Ya know I ain't no baby!"

"I'm not calling you a baby, Casey, I'm just saying that you're not immortal; not invincible. You can get hurt and you most likely will, one of these days. Would it hurt for you to use your brain? Why do I always have to be the logical one here?"

"An' now ya callin' me stupid. Look, m'tired; can we jus' go ta bed and forget about it?"

"No, Casey, we can't just forget about it! This happens every night and I'm tired off it! I'm tired of worrying, tired of fear, tired of your...your...incompetence! Do you even care anymore?" April shouted, her voiced rising with every moment. "Do you even care what I go through thinking of you?"

"If ya so tired, why don't we go ta bed?"

"Because this needs to be addressed! This problem's been growing and growing; it isn't going to fix itself!"

"We can solve this in the morning!"

"No we can't, Casey! It needs to be handled, right here, right now! Now answer the question: Do you even care?"

The muscle man's voice quieted ever so softly. "You want the truth?"

"Yes."

"I...I'm not sure. I'm not sure I care."

"Then let's clear things up. I'll give you a choice: me or thugs."

"Huh?"

"Me or thugs, Casey. Choose one and only one. You either keep me, but ditch the vigilante crap, or you can keep bashing heads and say goodbye to me."

"You can't just make me choose like that! 'specially not with those choices!"

"It's the matter at hand and it needs to be addressed!"

"Well, maybe I don't wanna address it!"

"You wanna run, Casey Jones? Then run, but know this: You can't hide from your problems forever! And if you walk out that door, I can't promise you'll be allowed back in!" The apartment quieted after the slamming of the door as the large man raced out. And then, April couldn't help herself as she slid onto the couch, tears sliding down her cheeks. She always knew this fight would come eventually, but it still hurt and it still scared her. What if they broke up? What would her life be like without him?

Instinctively, she reached for the phone and called the one person she told everything to; the one person she could call a true best friend.

"Don here."

His voice soothed the redhead slightly and she tried to swallow the lump in her throat before speaking in a shaky voice. "Hey, Donny."

"April? What's wrong?"

"I...Just get over here. Quickly, please."

"I'll be right there; just hold on!" The line clicked dead and April set her phone on the coffee table with trembling hands. Pulling her knees up to her chest, she took a shady breath, closed her eyes, and waited for the mutant.

It couldn't have been more than three minutes before she heard her window slide open and felt a slight breeze cool the tears on her face. The air was cut off as the glass slid shut. She felt herself rise lightly as his weight shifted the couch cushions. Eyes still shut, she felt strong, sturdy arms wrap around her and bring her in contact with a compact yet surprisingly soft object - his plastron, she realized. She finally opened her eyes as she rested her head on his shoulder. He brought a hand up to stroke her hair. For a few moments they sat like that before he spoke in a voice barely audible, "You ready to talk about it?"

She lifted her head to look into his chocolate (Mmm, chocolate; a distressed and crying woman's best friend) brown eyes and, sniffling, nodded. "M-me and Casey had a f-fight. A bad one."

Don nodded understandingly. "About his vigilante act?"

The redhead shrugged sadly. "More or less." She wiped her eyes and he handed her a tissue from the coffee table. Blowing her nose, she continued, "I mean, I just wanna know he's safe, ya know? I just wanna go to sleep and know that in the morning, he'll be there and in one piece. I hate having to wake up in the middle of the night because he has a wound that needs cleaned. I don't mind it occasionally, like after a fight with Shredder or something important that contains world safety, but every night? It's too much, Don, just...way too much."

"I know," he replied softly, squeezing her shoulder gently. "You deserve someone who is willing to stay committed to you and only you. Not someone who turns his back on you at the first sign of a fight. You deserve someone who will love you unconditionally, and someone who will always be there for you, no matter what. Who will come dashing to your side in a second, if asked and even if not asked - he should be able to feel your distress and need and just be there."

"Like you?"

The ninja blushed a dark green at her statement. "I-I.."

April smiled softly, placing a hand on his cheek. He seemed to lean into it ever so slightly. "You just described yourself perfectly. I don't know if I deserve someone like that, but I know I sure as heck want one." He opened his mouth to speak, but she placed her's over his softly to stop any objection. The kiss started out tender and sweet, but within a few seconds it turned hungry. The redhead could feel a twisted heat flood to every limb. Her body took control, and she started to remove his gear. After his elbow pads were tossed on the floor, he broke from the vigorous kiss and breathlessly asked, "Should we be doing this? I mean, you've just had a fight with your boyfriend. You're distressed and not thinking clearly at all; I should go." The couch shifted again as he lifted himself, beginning to leave.

"No!" She had exclaimed, grabbing onto his wrist. "I'll admit I'm upset, but I am thinking clearly." She lied. Her mind was a haze and fog hid any clear thought that might be in her head. All she knew was that she didn't want to think of what had happened. She just wanted to feel needed and loved; like her existence mattered to someone. Like she might be worth keeping around. "I just...I just need you, Donny. Need you inside me. Right now." She couldn't read minds, but April could clearly see the heat in his eyes. He sat back down, and she kissed him more desperately and he, more lustfully. The kiss was broken for but a moment as the redhead removed her shirt before their lips crashed together again. After his knee pads and mask were thrown who-knows-where, Donatello grabbed onto her hips, lifting her as if she were nothing, and stood. April wrapped her legs around his sides and he carried them into her bedroom, plopping her gently on the bed. He removed his bo staff from his back and tossed it gingerly on the floor. She ripped the rest of her clothes off and brought Don crashing on the bed with her.

For the next hour, they enjoyed each others company; Casey the farthest thing from either's mind.

A/N: Cookies to anyone who guesses what the device in her hand is! Reviews, please! :)