Walk a Mile

April tried to hide her excitement as she walked downstairs with Casey. She was impressed with how nice he looked in his suit, his hair tied back and shoes polished; he appeared to be very refined.

Opening the apartment door to see him like that had put to rest April's doubts about the elegant night out that he'd promised her. When he'd told her a week earlier that he'd gotten reservations at Le Bernadin, one of the most exclusive restaurants in the city, April had at first thought it was a joke. Casey had been completely serious when he had explained that he wanted to prove he could give her more than a beer and pretzel night out.

Taking him at his word, April had dressed accordingly and was feeling very smug about Casey's reaction when she'd greeted him at the door. April had pulled her hair back into a Dutch braid and she wore an ankle length red dress, so tight it hugged her curves in all of the right places. The four inch heels she wore lifted her close to eye level with Casey.

It had taken Casey a couple of minutes to find his voice, which was intensely gratifying. So far, Casey was behaving like a perfect gentleman, even opening the outer door for her.

The first discordant note of the evening was the sight of his motorcycle sitting in the alley next to her shop.

Stopping to stare at it, April said, "I thought you'd borrow the guy's van. I'm not dressed to ride your motorcycle, Casey."

"Wow, sorry babe," Casey said contritely. "I guess I didn't think about that. Here, your helmet will keep the wind from messing up your hair."

Accepting the head protection from him, April thought, "And what will keep the helmet from messing it up?" Out loud, she said, "I can't hike my dress up to my waist to get on your bike, either."

Casey contemplated her dress and shoes for a moment before saying, "How about you sit sideways? Ya' can hang on ta me with one arm and hold your shoes in the other. I'll keep it under forty."

April rolled her eyes. "Or we could go around the corner and hail a cab."

"Nah," Casey said, climbing onto his bike. "Why spend the money on one of those when we can spend it at the restaurant?"

Shaking her head, April twisted around and hopped onto the bike, bending over to remove her shoes. She'd barely gotten a solid hold on Casey's waist when he took off.

After cursing under her breath for a few blocks, April leaned forward and told Casey, "Can you park a little ways away from the restaurant? I'd really like to have a chance to put myself back together where people can't see me."

"Sure babe," Casey agreed. "I don't think there's any parking in that section of 51st this time of night anyway. We can hoof it for a couple of blocks."

A couple of blocks turned out to be five. April had removed the helmet carefully and used one of the mirrors on the motorcycle to smooth her hair into place, but by the time they reached Le Bernadin, she felt totally disheveled. Not to mention the fact that her feet hurt from walking in such high heels.

There was a small line outside the restaurant and Casey left April on the sidewalk while he pushed his way through to the Maître de. It was a few minutes before he returned and April took that opportunity to pull a small compact from her clutch and tidy her face and hair once more.

When Casey reappeared, he was carrying two champagne flutes. Handing one to her, he said, "The guy inside said it'll be a couple of minutes before our table is ready."

"Casey, champagne?" April crooned happily, taking a sip from the glass. "Thank you, this is delicious."

"Don't thank me," Casey said, gulping half the glass in one swallow. "This was complimentary 'cause we're having ta wait ta be seated."

April sighed. What was that saying about a silk purse and a swine? At least Casey was making the effort and that certainly counted for something.

Looking around at the other people who were waiting, April spent her time trying to guess what some of them did for a living. Casey had started talking about some modifications that Raph had done to his motorcycle and what Casey thought he was going to have to do to stay ahead of his friend.

Not for the first time, April wondered what she and Casey had in common other than their mutant friends. They did share a taste in movies, which was nice, and Casey had an innate sense of justice that April found appealing. He was also extremely loyal and could be chivalrous, when it dawned on him to be.

On the other hand, Casey liked beer and April preferred wine, Casey read nothing but the sports page in the newspaper and April had a taste for the classics, and the only time Casey touched a computer keyboard was while he was smashing it with his baseball bat.

Half listening to him, April cast a critical eye over her 'sort of' boyfriend and had to admit he was very striking in appearance. She rather enjoyed walking down a sidewalk with him and seeing the appreciative stares he garnered from other women. It was nice too that he didn't seem to notice anyone other than April when they were together.

Her daydream was cut off by the loud crash of breaking glass. Spinning around, April saw a small group of street thugs trying to boost one of the luxury cars that had been left parked at the curb.

Before she could say anything, Casey was shoving his glass into her hand and starting to run after them.

"Casey!" April yelled, bending quickly to put both glasses on the sidewalk. "What are you doing?"

"Come on, April! We gotta stop 'em!" he shouted.

"Casey! Casey Jones! You don't have your bag!" April called, lifting her skirt past her knees as she tried to run after him.

All she could think about was that he was going to get himself killed. His loud voice drew the attention of the gang and they started to run from him. April knew it wouldn't be long before they discovered that Casey was the only man chasing them and there was a fifty-fifty chance that they'd stop running in order to fight.

"Come back!" April yelled at Casey's retreating form. "Casey!"

He looked back over his shoulder and told her, "Let's get 'em babe! This is more fun than sitting in a stuffy restaurant ain't it?"

"No!" April answered, but he was disappearing around the street corner and didn't hear her.

Shuffling along in her high heels while wearing a skirt much too tight to run in, April was so far back that by the time she reached that same corner, neither Casey or the gang were anywhere in sight.

Frantic that Casey was going to find himself caught in a trap, April ran along the sidewalk in that next block. Cars were zipping down the street and every once in a while, someone would honk or yell at her, but April ignored them as she tried to find some clue as to where Casey had gone.

Finally the heel on one of her shoes caught in a sidewalk grate and nearly broke her ankle. Hopping as she yanked her foot out of it, her forward momentum would have sent her face first onto the pavement if it hadn't been for Master Splinter's training. As it was she slammed palms first into a nearby brick wall, scratching the skin on her hands, but saving her other body parts.

Turning around, April leaned back against the wall and panted as she tried to catch her breath. Her hair was sticking out from her head in every possible direction, the humidity had done a number on her makeup, and her dress was smudged along the front where it had come in contact with the brickwork.

Pushing off from the wall, April pulled her shoe out of the grate, noting that the heel had snapped off and fallen through to the sewers below. She lifted her still shod foot and removed the intact shoe, tucking both beneath an arm. Brushing her hair back from her face, April looked all around her without seeing a sign of Casey.

April waited where she was for twenty minutes, thinking that Casey would eventually come back for her. When he didn't show up, she took a deep breath and retraced her steps, but rather than going to the restaurant, she headed for the street where Casey had parked his motorcycle.

When she got there, April stopped in stunned surprise. The motorcycle was gone.

Fumbling for her cell phone, April called the one guy she could always depend on and breathed a sigh of relief when he answered promptly.

"Hi April," Don said, his cheery voice calming her somewhat.

"Donny," April said and then her voice caught.

"April? April, are you okay?" Don asked, immediately switching to a tone of deep concern.

"Can you come get me?" April asked. "I'm sort of stranded."

"Where? How? Never mind, tell me when I get there," Don said.

April told him where she was and then stood in the shadows of a tall building as she waited. She wasn't in the mood to talk to the occasional passer-by and certainly didn't want sympathy from anyone who might wonder at her bedraggled appearance.

When Don pulled up, April stepped out of the darkness to meet him. He spotted her right away and leaped out of the van, running around to put an arm around her shoulders and walk her over to the passenger door.

He didn't ask anything as he quickly helped her into the van. It was only after he was driving back to her apartment that he looked at her curiously.

"What happened?" Don asked her softly.

In a rush, April poured out her story. She didn't know whether to be angry, scared, or worried at that point since she had no idea where Casey was, or if he was even the one who'd removed the motorcycle.

When she finished telling Donatello what had happened, April asked, "Can you call the guys and ask them to look for him? He didn't have any of his weapons; I don't know what he was thinking."

"He called Raph," Don said. April's mouth fell open and he hurried on, "I didn't know you two were out on a date; none of us did. Casey called Raph about forty minutes ago and said he was trailing a gang of car thieves and for Raph to meet him and bring him a spare bat."

"He's out hunting?" April asked with a slow deliberateness that was frightening.

"Apparently so," Don said and then shut his mouth. He didn't really know what to say; he was finding it hard to believe that Casey had just left April standing in the street.

Without looking at April, Don could tell she was furious; he could practically feel the heat coming off of her. Casey had made her angry before, but this was way beyond any bone headed stunt he'd ever pulled.

"April, do you want me to . . . ." Don began.

"Just take me home Donny," April said. "I have learned my lesson."

She wouldn't say anything else and neither did Don. One of the reasons that the genius Turtle was her best friend was that he seemed to understand her moods better than anyone. All April wanted right now was a hot shower and a good, long cry. Neither of those things required company.

Don did insist on walking her to the door and seeing her safely into her apartment. Behaving courteously came naturally to the purple banded ninja and April gave him a quick hug to thank him for that and the rescue.

Once he was gone, April stripped completely and tossed all of her clothing into the garbage. Then she showered, turned on her television to something mindless, and curled up on the couch to cry.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxx

"I've been trying for days ta get April ta talk ta me so I can apologize; she hangs up on me when I call, she won't answer the door when I go over there, and when I tried to see her in the store, she hid in a back room and sent her new clerk out ta tell me ta get lost. I didn't think I screwed up that bad," Casey said, pacing back and forth.

"I suppose you're gonna claim that what ya' did wasn't thoughtless and ya' don't understand how April can be so mad," Raph said, and then added, "I'm trying ta watch the game, get out of the way."

Casey threw himself into a chair, his long legs stretched out in front of him and huffed. "She always liked kicking bad guy's butts as much as the rest of us. You'd think she'd be happy ta have a chance ta practice ninjitsu."

"Maybe she might have if that's what you guys were supposed to be doing," Mikey said. "It wasn't though, you were supposed to be taking her out on a really nice date. From what I hear, she was totally decked out."

"And that's another thing," Casey griped, looking towards the closed lab door. "Don's treating me like I got the plague."

"April's like his best friend and big sis all rolled into one," Raph said crisply. "You're lucky he ain't decided ta try his latest experiment out on ya'. Did ya' know he looked online ta find out how much that outfit April was wearing cost? Even at bargain basement prices she probably shelled out a couple hundred bucks and Don said it was ruined. So no, Donny ain't gonna be talking ta ya' for a while."

"Well shit," Casey mumbled. "What the hell am I supposed ta do now? I ain't ever felt this way about a woman and now it looks like I blew it."

Raph's eyes turned back to the television as the commercials ended. "Makes me glad there ain't any female turtles," he mumbled.

Mikey snickered and then quickly got up to go grab some snacks while Casey sunk deeper into the chair cushions and stared morosely at his toes.

His presence forgotten by his brothers, Leo practiced his katas nearby. One of the nice things about being known for his focus was that his family tended to have delicate conversations while he was within earshot, assuming that he would ignore them. He also avoided being dragged into arguments for that very same reason. For the most part Leo really did tune everyone out.

Tonight Leo had been listening. He knew that April was very hurt by Casey's actions; she had confided in Donatello that she was finished with the man. Because of his closeness to April, Don empathized with her and had no desire to be anywhere near Casey.

The current situation was painful for everyone and watching Casey pour his heart out on his sleeve made Leo feel sorry for their friend. It wasn't Leo's policy to get involved in Casey and April's arguments, because normally they were simple flash fires that the two humans were able to put out on their own.

This time Leo felt he needed to do something. He wasn't necessarily going to attempt to put their relationship back together, but it was important to the Turtles as both friends and colleagues that the two former lovebirds manage to at least be in the same room together.

Going to the lab, Leo tapped lightly on the door and then entered. Don was seated at his desk, a thick book open on his lap. He looked up when he saw Leo and smiled.

"Hey bro'," Don said. "Did you need something?"

"Actually I was just curious about why you weren't out there watching the game with Raph," Leo said. "You two normally watch football together."

"Is Casey still here?" Don asked.

"Yes."

"Then I'm not leaving the lab," Don said as he turned a page in his book.

Leo pulled up a stool and sat down. "How long are you going to stay mad at him?"

"You didn't see April that night, Leo," Don replied. "You have no idea how upset she was. What he did was beyond thoughtless and inconsiderate; it put her at risk."

"Casey is a loner, Don," Leo said. "He didn't have his father's guidance for very long and he grew up with a need to protect what his dad stood for. Casey couldn't get close to anyone because the people he knew wouldn't have understood his fight. Meeting Raph was good for him, but meeting April was even better. Deep inside she's a fighter just like him and they need each other."

Don shifted in his chair. "That may all be true," Don admitted, "but that still doesn't get around the fact that he left her standing by herself in the middle of a street at night."

"He didn't realize that's what he'd done," Leo explained. "Casey is used to seeing April in a setting that involves us. He's used to seeing her kick butt right alongside the rest of us, including him. When he saw that gang trying to steal a car, Casey forgot that she wasn't dressed for a fight."

"What excuse does he have for doubling back to get his motorcycle and driving off to meet Raph?" Don asked.

"He heard the police sirens and didn't see April, so he thought she stayed behind to give the police a description of the guys that you were chasing. When he got to the motorcycle and discovered she wasn't there, Casey figured that April had caught a ride with the police," Leo said.

"He's a real bone head," Don said in a dark tone.

"Yes he is," Leo agreed with a small laugh. "He needs training, but for the most part he's been as chivalrous and protective as he knows how to be with April. That night was a little too far outside of Casey's comfort zone and he got a big case of nerves. Seeing those gang members cracked his egg shell thin veneer and gave him an outlet for his anxiety. It was too easy for him to slide back into a mode that's comfortable and he jumped at the chance."

"April told me that he once admitted to her that he was afraid he'd do something to mess up what they had," Don said. "It was when he first told her how special she was to him. She was very touched."

Leo slid further forward on his stool and looked at his brother intently. "Don, if you could do something that might bring those two back together, would you?"

Don slowly closed his book, his return gaze searching. "If I thought that Casey really cared about April then I might," Don answered. "April is heartbroken; I think she's probably in love with that lunatic. Do you have any proof that he feels the same way about her?"

A smile grazed the corners of Leo's mouth. "If you had spent any time around Casey the last few days you'd have the answer to that question. Raph is digging at him for being an idiot and Casey is just taking it. When he's here all he does is shuffle around moaning about how he blew the best thing that ever happened to him."

Don pursed his lips and then opened them to say, "It might not be a total loss, but I'm not going to ask April to talk to him. That would be a betrayal of her trust."

"Actually, I have something else in mind," Leo said, the slight smile still lingering, "but I can't do it without your help. Will you trust me?"

Leaning forward, Don set the book on his desk and then turned back to Leo. "I always trust you bro'. Tell me what you need."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxx

April was sitting on her couch ostensibly watching television, but the fact was she had no idea what program was on. She'd turned to the cooking channel earlier because it was the only channel she could think of that wouldn't include any types of human interaction, especially anything depicting romance.

It had been a long day in her shop and she was both tired and depressed. April did not want to think about Casey Jones, but he kept coming into her mind uninvited. Once she'd closed up for the night, April had taken a long, hot shower and then opened a bottle of wine.

Staring at the tv screen, April thought once more about going to bed. Sleeping was the only respite she got from thoughts of the man who infuriated her to no end, but who captivated her as well. This wasn't the first break-up that April had ever experienced; it was just the worst.

A tapping sound at her window made April jump and nearly spill her wine. Casey had been trying to talk to her, but he hadn't attempted to get her attention from the fire escape before. Positive that it was him, April set her mouth in grim determination and refused to get up.

Once more someone tapped on the glass, but this time there was a definite pattern, and April recognized the code that her friends the Turtles used. Setting her glass on the coffee table, April walked over to the window and pulled aside the curtains, expecting to see Donatello.

Instead it was Leonardo who looked back at her. April opened the latch and pushed the window up, stepping aside to give the blue banded ninja room.

"Leo!" April said with some surprise. "Is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine, April," Leo responded. "I'm sorry I didn't call first, but I was pretty sure you'd be home."

April's laugh had a slightly bitter sound to it. "Not like I have any place to go," she said dismally.

Leo appeared to be a little uncomfortable and April eyed him suspiciously. He noticed that she was staring at him and took a deep breath. This plan of his would either work or it wouldn't, but he wasn't going to know which if he didn't get on with it.

"April, there's something outside that I want you to come down and look at," Leo finally said.

"Out in the alley?" April asked, puzzled.

"In the street," he told her.

"I'm in my robe, I'm tired, and I don't really feel like playing games tonight, Leo," April said just a tad sharply.

"It's not a game, it's important," Leo said, his tone emphatic. "I wouldn't ask you to come outside if it weren't."

She knew that was true; Leonardo could joke around and have a good time like the rest of his brothers, but pranks and nonsense behavior weren't his cup of tea. If it had been anyone other than Leo, April wouldn't even consider leaving her nice, warm apartment.

"Give me a minute to pull on some clothes," April said.

Leo's hand on her arm stopped her. "It won't take long enough to warrant the effort. Just trust me, April. Come outside with me."

Figuring it would take longer to argue than to just get it over with, April took the steps that led down to her shop, pausing to disable the alarm. Through the glass windows that fronted on the street April couldn't see anything, but she went ahead and followed Leo, who was already opening the door.

Standing on the sidewalk, April crossed her arms and looked around, feeling incredibly silly. Fortunately the neighborhood was locked down and quiet for the night, and no one was looking out of their windows. This was a fact she knew to be true because Leo wouldn't have been standing out in the open next to her if there were.

April was just about to ask what was going on when Leo let out a shrill whistle and then stepped back so that he was nearly touching the windows. Turning partway to stare at him, April heard the sound of something coming towards them from around the next corner and her eyes were automatically drawn towards the noise.

The sound became more distinct the closer it came and April recognized it as heels hitting pavement. It was at that moment that a figure turned the corner and came striding towards her.

However, 'striding' was perhaps too energetic a description. As a street light hit the person, April saw that it was Casey, and that he was wearing a dress.

Not just any dress; it was an exact duplicate of the designer outfit that had been destroyed during the night of their disastrous dinner. Long, tight, and sleek, it was hampering his usual manly gait.

The high heeled shoes didn't help much; Casey's feet kept turning sideways every time he tried to take anything other than a small, mincing step. April began to get worried that he was going to break an ankle, but she kept her mouth shut because he appeared to be so determined.

For the first time in days, April felt like laughing as she looked at his face. Someone had pulled his long hair back into a braid and he wore full make-up, including eye liner, lipstick, and eye shadow.

Casey looked directly into her eyes as he drew closer and April saw an exact copy of her misery in them. Stopping in front of her, he held up the small white boxes he was carrying and tried to smile.

"I brought dinner," he said hopefully and then waited.

It was too much for her and April started laughing. Her laughter brought a genuine smile to Casey's lips and he waited for her mirth to subside before saying, "I'm sorry, April. I'm a complete ass, a total idiot, and a first class wack job. Can ya' find it in ya' ta forgive me if I promise ta insert my brain into my head anytime I know we're gonna be together?"

"Why are you dressed like this?" April demanded as she caught her breath.

"Leo said the only way I was ever gonna learn ta treat ya' like a lady was if I understood that sometimes you're one of the guys and sometimes ya' ain't," Casey explained. "He said I had ta walk a mile in your shoes. This is what Donny calls 'an act of contrition'."

"Where did you ever find a dress and shoes to fit you?" April asked.

"I guess sewing up wounds made Don pretty good with a needle," Casey said. "He found the shoes on the internet."

April looked at him for a couple of minutes, her desire to stay angry slowly being overcome by a warm feeling in her heart. Casey Jones was an idiot at times, but he was her idiot, and the only man she'd ever met who would willingly go this far to apologize for a mistake.

With a sigh, she reached out to take his free hand and pulled him towards the door. Leo, who had remained in the background and completely silent, followed them inside, waiting near the door as the pair moved towards the stairs.

Casey stopped at the bottom riser and looked up. "Um, how do ya' climb stairs in this get up?"

April giggled and said, "Lift your skirt just a little and put your weight on the ball of your foot. Go slow; that dress was not meant for speed."

She took the containers of Chinese food from him and watched him make his way up. When he was five steps above her, April's eyes went automatically to his rear, a part of his anatomy she was fond of. Something looked strange and a thought struck her.

"Casey, what do you have on under this dress?" April asked.

"Nothin'," he answered, concentrating on the steps. "I didn't like the panty lines."

April was laughing again as she turned to look at Leo. He was smiling at her and April pressed a kiss to the tips of her fingers and then blew across them in his direction.

Leo reached up and caught her kiss, then waved before setting the alarm and letting himself out of the shop.

Looking through the glass windows, Leo could just see April disappearing up the steps behind Casey. With a feeling of accomplishment, Leo turned towards home.

Wearing a dress and heels to prove to April that Casey was trying to understand her went a long way towards earning April's forgiveness. Willingly allowing Don to stick him in that outfit had almost completely sealed the rift between those two as well.

The picture that Don had taken and loaded onto his laptop helped more. Casey was telling the truth when he told April he was going to use his brain when he was around her. If he screwed up again, Don had promised to make sure that picture went viral.