A/N:

Wow, sorry about the crazy long wait between chapters!

I just want to say thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far and to oliviaotakusama101 in particular for saying so many kind and wonderful things about my little story!

This chapter is pretty damn fluffy, but I promise there will be plenty of fighting and conflict in the next one.

Enjoy!

Raphael opened his eyes to see Karai's smirking face hovering above him.

"You're drooling," she told him.

He wiped at the corner of his mouth and rolled onto his side. "You're annoying in the morning," he said. She snuggled up next to him and he put his arm around her. "Thank you for staying."

"There is nowhere else I'd rather be right now," she admitted.

They lay together in silence for a moment and then Raphael said, "Are you hungry?"

"Are you going to bring me breakfast in bed?" She asked with hope and surprise. Raph nodded. "Then yes, I'm starving," she said and sat up against the headboard.

Raphael got out of bed and headed to the door. "I'll be right back," he said and slipped into the hallway, closing the door silently behind him.

April sat in the pit next to Donnie, both of them focused on their respective laptop monitors. She had arrived early that morning to get some homework done before training with Master Splinter. As she typed away furiously at her keyboard, movement from the corner of her eye pulled her attention away from her homework. She continued to type as she glanced up to see a maskless Raphael slink his way toward the kitchen. She paused for a moment to reflect on the situation and an idea struck her. Once Raph was out of sight, she set her computer down next to her and turned to Donatello.

"I'm going to the bathroom," she told him.

He said, "Mmhmm," in response and April took off down the hallway.

Raphael's bedroom door was closed, but going on a hunch, she slowly turned the handle and opened the door.

"That was quick," she heard a familiar voice say. April poked her head inside the room and Karai gasped and pulled the bed sheet up to her chin.

"Karai!" April half-whispered. She came fully into the room and closed the door. "I knew something was going on!"

Karai slunk down and pulled the sheets right up over her head. "Are you going to tell the others that I'm here?" she asked, her voice muffled.

"No, I won't. Obviously you and Raph have some sort of arrangement and I'm not going to interfere with that." Then as an aside, "But he's going to get an earful from me later."

There was a pause and then a sigh and then Karai squeaked out a "thanks."

"Actually, I want to talk to you about something," April said. She removed a couple of shuriken from the top of a crate in the corner of the room and took a seat.

Karai lowered the covers to expose the top half of her face and said, "What do you want?"

April paused for a moment, choosing her words carefully. "What's it like?" she asked.

"What is what like?"

"Being with Raphael," April attempted to clarify.

"Didn't your parents give you the birds and the bees talk?"

"That's not what I mean. I mean because the guys are turtles, things are kind of weird, right? They're not human."

"He's human enough for me. He's passionate and he cares about me." She paused. "Plus, he's ripped."

April giggled. Karai lowered the sheet to her shoulders and grinned. "Why are you asking me about this? I thought you would be furious that I'm here."

"I'm not furious," April said. "I was a bit shocked to see you here. Have you switched sides?"

"It's complicated," was all that Karai offered as explanation.

"Anyway," April continued, "I'm asking about your relationship with Raphael because I know that Donnie has a bit of a thing for me…"

Karai cut her off. "That is the understatement of the year. That lanky dweeb is full on head over heels."

April looked at the floor and sighed. "I know. I haven't been encouraging him, but I haven't really been discouraging him either. He's so sweet, but I just want to have a normal boyfriend. Not one with a shell and green skin who lives in the sewer."

"Look, your dad was kidnapped by aliens, you're learning ninjitsu from a giant rat and your best friends are mutant humanoid turtles. These things are not normal; why should you expect any other aspect of your life to be?" Karai paused to let April think about it. "Do you care about him?" she asked.

April nodded, "Of course I do."

"Are you repulsed by his turtleness?"

"Not at all. I spend so much time with the guys that they have become normal to me."

"Then there's your answer," Karai said with her usual smugness. "You're welcome."

April smiled and stood up. "Thanks. You know, I maybe don't hate you quite as much as I used to."

"You're lucky you caught me in a vulnerable position, or you wouldn't be so crazy about me."

April left Raphael's bedroom and went back to the living room. Donatello looked up when he saw her approaching. She sat back down next to him and looked him straight in the eye. She saw there what she always had: love and admiration.

"April, I just found this great article about quantum…"

But he didn't get the chance to finish. Every thought in his head left him as April took his face in her hands and kissed him full on the mouth. His laptop slid from his lap and landed on the floor with a crash. This did not deter him from his present situation however, as it freed his hands to wrap around her waist and pull her closer to him. April leaned back for a moment to catch her breath and saw over Donnie's shoulder Raphael standing stock still, mouth agape and holding a tray.

"Tell your girlfriend I said thank you," she said to him.

"Girlfriend? What?" Donnie asked, confused.

"Never mind," April told him and kissed him again.

Raphael ran towards his bedroom, keeping an eye on the tray all the while, trying not to spill anything. He opened the door to find Karai, posed seductively, smirking at him from his bed. He set down the tray.

"Does April know you're here?" he asked her with a tone of urgency and distress.

"It's fine," Karai soothed his anxiety. "She won't tell anyone, she just wanted some advice."

"And she came to you?" He asked. Karai's face betrayed a hint of offense but she said nothing. "I just saw her and Donnie kissing in the living room," he told her.

"Wow, that girl works fast. I'm impressed."

"I wish I could wash my brain."

"I'm sure if I tried hard enough I could make you forget," she replied.

Raph smiled and said, "Not that I'm complaining, but I did just make us breakfast."

"It can wait," Karai told him.