Their footsteps echoed through the tunnels of the sewer. Honestly, the noise probably wasn't that loud, but to April and Michelangelo, it was deafening. It was as though the sound couldn't be any louder, that their heavy breathing would give them away and the sweat could be smelt for miles. But they knew that wasn't true.

After turning a corner, they stopped and caught their breath. April could feel the vial in her pocket, waiting to be penetrated with a needle...the needle she and Mikey needed to get. And soon. Otherwise it'd be too late...

The silence was broken when they heard a light splash of something hitting a puddle. They had found them! They took off again, turning down a tunnel that would lead back to the lair.

April glanced over her shoulder, beads of sweat rolled down her forehead. Her eyes connected with the black orbs that were now her friends' eyes. Rpahael, Leonardo, Donatello...

She whipped her head around, tears in her eyes as she and Mikey ran faster. The last of them...it was hard to believe that this had all happened thanks to a mutated wasp sting. First Leo, then Raph, Donatello...

Splinter had left to stroll through the sewers, and she and Mikey had hoped to run into him but with no luck. The lair came into view, Donatello's lab in sight. She picked up her feet and increased her speed, Michelangelo copying her movement.

They rushed into the lab and slammed the door shut. "Mikey, the garage door!"

"I'm on it!"

Michelangelo ran and slammed the garage door shut. A loud thump came to the window of the door April was leaning against and the red head screamed and stepped away from the door. The angry face of the possessed Donatello filled the screen.

The mutant snarled in such an inhumane way...so unlike the Donnie she knew and loved. April's heart slammed into her chest cavity, her body lightly shaking both from the hard run and the nerves her friends had given her.

"Donnie...it's me...wake up. Please wake up." She knew her voice could be heard through the door. The sound cracked and was barely a whisper. Donatello seemed to stop, slowly blinked as though recognizing her voice, as though the Donnie that she cared about that was lost deep within this monster could hear her.

April took a step towards the door, hope rising in her heart. Donatello looked at her long and hard, his face twisted with confusion and pain as though he were fighting something within him. His head jerked and he lunged at the door, snarling once again, Leo and Raph now at his side.

"April, I got the needles!"

"Good. We'll need to fill them with the cure before it's too late." They both took the needles and stuck them in the vile, sucking in the cure. April grinned, holding the body of the needle up as though admiring the substance.

"Perfect."

"Shh...do you hear that?"

April froze and listened. Nothing. She tried harder, but continued to get the same result. She frowned, not understanding what Michelangelo was trying to point out.

"No. I don't hear anything."

"Exactly my point. It's quiet. Too quiet."

April glanced all around the room, suddenly feeling very scared. It didn't help that the boys were ninjas. They were trained in stealth. They could be anywhere at any given time. She doubted they were in the room, but they had to act fast.

"Mikey, this is what we're going to do: I'm going to begin to open the garage door, and we're going to run. Don't hesitate, just run as fast as you can and don't look back. Let's hope we can get them to chase us so we can somehow trap them and give them the cure."

Mikey's eyes widened and nodded. April shakily swallowed and they both turned to the door. Would the boys be there? Would this do more harm to them all than good? They couldn't fail. April imagined the egg they had brought in, how it was the key to all of their problems.

The red head inhaled and exhaled. She could do this. April walked over to where the automatic button was and hovered her hand over it. She looked over at Mikey who could only nod, fear in his big, blue eyes.

Before she could hesitate, April slammed her hand onto the button. The garage door began to rattle as it ascended up, opening the quarantined room to all that was outside of it.

As soon as the door was at a reasonable height, Mikey dashed, April right on his heals. They skidded under the door and began to run, the air whipping at their faces.

April didn't have to turn to know that the guys were not that far behind them. She could hear them hissing and the sound of their light foot falls as their feet connected with the cement of the sewer tunnels.

Three separate tunnels filled their vision as they continued to run. April glanced at each entry way, an idea brewing in her mind.

"Mikey, you go left, I'll go right."

"What? We're splitting up?"

"If we can get them all to chase only one of us, the other could rebound and try to take them down."

"Awww but they ALWAYS chase me." The orange clad turtle pouted and April would sigh if she physically could at that moment, but already her breath was a burning sensation in her lungs.

"No time to complain. On the count of three, we split. One...two...THREE!"

"BOOYAKASHAAAAAA!"

Mikey darted to the left, taking Raphael and Leo with him. But to April's horror, as she dashed to the right, so did Donatello. Her heart sped up more than it had been before, panic rising in her throat. She hadn't planned on it. She was hoping all three of them would chase either her or Mikey. Not this.

She realized the footfall sounds behind her eased and she slowed enough to look behind her. Donatello had slowed down, the same look of confusion and pain on his face. He stopped and held his head, as though struggling with a fight within him. April slowed down, hope rising within her once more. But as soon as she watched as the warmth of Donatello's soul within his eyes be glazed back over with black, she picked up her speed again.

April could feel the mutant on her heels. She tried to speed up, only to be tripped by her own feet. She could feel the pain of her ankle be twisted from the sudden fall. Donatello was on top of her before she could blink. His face snarled at her, pulled back in a cruel smirk, the goo from the poison within him pulsing in his veins. The shot had been knocked out of her hand and rested right out of her reach.

"Donnie, it's me. Wake up, Donnie. Please. I'm April, remember? April. You'd never hurt me, Donnie. I know you wouldn't..."

The Donatello above her paused, confusion and sadness on his face. She could see his eyes go from the red brown she was familiar with to the black that did not belong to her best friend.

She tried reaching for the shot but couldn't. She inhaled, not wanting to do what she was going to do. She tucked her knees to her body under Donnie's and kicked him off, silently thanking Splinter for the tip.

April grabbed the shot and began to run again. She didn't get far before Donatello slammed her into the wall and pinned her to the concrete. His hot breath tickled her face and made her dizzy. The mutant began to lean down in attempt to bite her. April could feel the cracked ribs he had caused, the pain shooting through her body.

"Donnie, it's me, April. Remember? April. When my dad was kidnapped, you were there to save me. You were there to make sure I was safe and happy since day one and you taught me how to trust and love you and your family for what you are. You are my best friend, always looking out for me even when it's nothing serious. You taught me what it's like to have friends. Real friends. Not the fake ones that humans end up being to get what they want." Her voice cracked as tears built up in her eyes. She closed them, inhaling deeply. "It's me, Donnie. Your princess, your sweet angel. It's April, Donnie...wake up...wake up..."

She waited for the bite that never came. April opened her eyes to find Donatello standing there, frozen. His arms still pinned her to the wall harshly and she knew she'd have bruises there when this was all over.

April didn't wait for a reaction from Donnie. She took the hand with the shot in it and reached it up to his neck, injecting the cure into his veins. His body immediately began to relax and she stepped closer to him, placing her hand gently on his cheek.

"It's okay...I'm here. It'll be okay, Donnie. You're safe with me."

Donatello's breathing went from rabid snarling to calm, deep breaths. The blackness that coated his eyes began to slowly clear up and she let the shot drop once the cure was completely injected into his body.

The mutant sagged lightly against her, slowly blinking as though waking up from a dream. April held him until he slowly pulled away from her and placed his hand on the wall to steady himself, holding his head with the other hand.

He rubbed at his scalp, blinked, and gazed down at April. Donatello froze in shock as he eyed the bruises and cuts on her body. She gently smiled, wincing. Was it that bad?

She took his hand in hers and began to lead him back to the lair, trying to hid the hobble that she had earned from her most likely sprained ankle. Donatello happily held her hand back and glanced at her favored foot. He pulled her into his arms.

As much as April was stubborn, she accepted the gesture. Her body hurt and sagged with exhaustion in his arms. He carried her back to the lair in silence.

Passing through the kitchen, the two were met with the sight of Mikey tending to a woozy Leonardo and Raphael. They sat on the counter, ice packs held to their heads. The nodded their heads at the two as Mikey proudly winked at April. His brothers groaned in pain, coming out of their comma like states.

"I got rid of the egg. You could say that it's now...scrambled!"

April and the others rolled their eyes but couldn't help but smile a little. It was good to laugh after what had happened that night. They desperately needed it, and any kind of joke was welcoming right then.

Donatello walked to his lab and April could hear the faint sound of Leo groaning in anger from the kitchen. "Mikey, you used my comic as toilet paper! I'm going to kill you!" followed by some crashing sounds.

"Hey, I totally saved your life! I'm a hero!" Another crashed came after followed by a faint scream from Mikey. "HEROOOOO!"

Donatello slid the door closed with his elbow and sat April down in a chair. Her eyes lightly drooped, thankful her aching body now could rest. Now that the adrenaline was winding down, she could feel the pain more in her body. Her bruises stun and her ankle throbbed.

The mutant looked her over sadly. He himself had many bruises and cuts, but nothing as bad as hers. She wasn't as strong as them yet. As much as she could be strong, she still wasn't quite built for that much action that soon.

Donnie parted from her for a moment and came back with his medical kit. He gently patched up her cuts, cleaned the hurt areas with such care as though he were cleaning an ancient porcelain doll than a human being and wrapped her bruises to prevent any more damage to her skin.

When he was done, he surprised April by dropping his head onto her lap, burying his head into her legs. He slumped and she could feel the sadness and regret radiating from him.

"This is my fault, April. I'm so sorry. I hurt you and it's my fault. If I had been more careful..."

April kindly smiled and placed her hands on his head, lightly dragging her fingers over his scalp in a comforting caress. She repeated the movement, dragging her fingers down his neck and tenderly lifted his head to look at her.

"Donnie, this isn't your fault. You had no control over Raph biting you or when Leo was stung. It was a freak accident, not anything you could have done to stop it. And I know the real you wouldn't hurt me. I don't blame you at all, Donnie. What hurt me wasn't you, it was the venom. Don't blame yourself, okay?"

Donnie searched her eyes but gave her a small smile. She knew it would take a while for him to believe her, but it was a start. He stood up and held out his arms to her. He gave her a nervous look when she tilted her head in confusion. Donnie became flustered and rubbed at the back of his head.

"I need to make crutches for you, but it might take a few days with all that happened. I know it's not the most graceful mode of transportation, but-"

April interrupted him by standing on her good foot and leaned into him, her arms wrapping around his neck. He picked her up carefully and carried her down the hallway and to her room. Opening the door, he placed her on her bed and began to walk away.

The red head grabbed at his hand and held it. Donatello snapped his head to look at her, surprise in his eyes. April opened her mouth to speak but a yawn escaped instead.

"Thank you, Donnie. I know tonight was rough...but don't kick yourself over what happened. And...never change, okay? I love you just the way you are. Never...forget that..."

Donnie felt her hand fall limp in his and opened his mouth to say something, but she was already fast asleep. He tried to pull away, but her sleeping form wouldn't let him go. He sighed and rested beside her. Just until she woke up.

April's words echoed in his head and Donatello smiled at the memory. He may have had hurt her this time around...but he would never do that again. Not if he could help it. He held her to him, gently resting his chin on the top of her head and wrapping his arm around her in a protective embrace. Not if he could help it...