April promised herself. No. She vowed to herself that she will do her best on day two of working at The Dojo. No messing up and looking like a fool in front of her idols and her boss. Controlling herself when she sees her favorite stars. No getting in trouble, and certainly no putting celebrities in danger with their crazy riled up fans and starting a riot.

"Today I'm going to do this right!" April declared in her family's kitchen, slamming her hands on the table as she and her father had dinner.

Her father, Kirby O'Neil, was an oddball of a man with his bright red hair and beard, having a few gray streaks making its appearance more known as the years go by. He happily read the newspaper as he listened to his daughter ramble on about her promises on her second day of work.

"I'll make sure that Mr Hamato knows what a good and hard worker I am! He'll forget all about last night's incident!"

"So much ambition," Kirby chuckles to himself, "Just like your mother..."

"Hey, Dad?" April's attitude switched to one more calm as she sat down in the chair next to her father. "Do you think I got what it takes, you know, to be a famous singer? Like the Hamato brothers?"

"One day working at The Dojo and you are already dreaming big," her father smiles as he sips his coffee. "Focus on the job you have now."

April sighs, slumping in her chair. "So that's a no?"

"I didn't say that. I want to see you succeed in life and follow your dreams, but if those dreams are too high to reach, I'd hate to see you fall."

Of course he would phrase it like that. As much as April loves her father, he's been the type of man to never take risks. He's always been supportive of her, but never fully understands the layers of it all. April wasn't lying when she told Donatello he was the first to hear her sing. Not even her own father knows of her hidden talent. Donnie is the first to ever truly hear her sing, and to her luck, be so supportive of her, too. April remembers the other night when he caught her on stage singing her heart out, being so flustered but honored to hear him tell her she has a beautiful singing voice. To tell her she has what it takes. Despite Donnie's confidence that Mr Hamato would give her a chance, April fears the risk of being laughed at and rejected. To have her dreams crushed. Perhaps that is what her father is trying to warn her about.

Mr O'Neil proceeds to get up, folding his paper and placing it on the table. He cleans up his plate then goes to give his daughter a kiss on the forehead.

"Have a good time at work tonight," he tells her, heading off to the living room to listen to the evening news on the radio.

April's dad is right about one thing. It's too high of a reach for her. Right now at least, but it is not impossible. She just needs to take her time climbing up that high mountain. If you try to climb that mountain without the supplies and knowledge you need, you won't make it to the top. She already made her way to working at one of the most popular jazz clubs in the entire city, that's a good start. Though April did hit a road bump with her not so great impression on her first night, she knows with some hard work she can get on her boss' good side again.

"If my dad heard you sing, he'd give you a shot!" The purple turtle's words echoed through her head.

Donnie's support and hope for her was sweet. She's grateful for it, but April knows it isn't enough. She can't guarantee she's a good singer, she needs to be sure she's the perfect singer before taking her chance at talking to Mr. Hamato for an audition. She needs to continue to work her way up that mountain and Donnie could be the key to help her reach the very top.

When time came to begin heading off to The Dojo, April entered through the back door entrance as the bouncer, Slash, brusquely advised her to do so.

Looking at the clock, it read 7:45 PM, plenty of spare time for April before the club officially opens. She decided it would be best to talk to her boss and try to start off on a clear slate.

As April approached Mr. Hamato's office, she noticed his door was wide open. His voice speaks to someone softly. Curious, she carefully peeked inside, spotting her boss at his desk in the middle of a phone call. He looked distressed, as if someone had a gun pointed at the back of his head.

"Did you receive the payment I sent?"

Mr. Hamato is quiet for a moment as he listens to the other end of his call. He soon sighs in relief, almost as if a heavy weight was off his shoulders, "Wonderful. Huh? Y-Yes, I'm aware it's a smaller amount compared to last time, but there was an incident the other night and most of the earnings had to go into repairs."

"Who's he talking to?" April thought to herself as she listened in, "A bank? But I've never seen a bank have someone worry like this..."

"No! I am not deceiving you! I speak the truth, I didn't make enough money the other night!" Mr. Hamato panicked, quickly sitting up from his seat with worry. "I promise the next payment will be greater! My son, Raphael, is performing tonight and I'm certain with him on stage again, I'll be making more than I ever had! I'll have enough to cover the rest of this month and even the next!"

Splinter listened to the other end, nodding to himself. April could assume he was hearing good news based on his stance slowly fading to relief once again.

"Thank you. I knew you would understand. Goodbye." He hangs up.

Letting out a loud exhale, Splinter fell back into his office chair. Whoever was on the other end really took the energy out of him. Just from a telephone call he looked exhausted. April couldn't believe the change in his character. Who she first met was a strict intimidating man who would make you freeze from just a glare. Now she saw a frail old rat, scared and tired. She watched as Mr. Hamato leaned on his desk, his fingers rubbing his head as he faced his head down. He was tense, possibly still reliving that stressful phone call.

"Please, please let Raphael's performance go well tonight..." She heard Mr. Hamato pray to himself with sorrow.

"Um, M-Mr. Hamato?" April says cautiously, finally entering into her boss' office.

"Hm? Oh, Ms. O'Neil, I didn't hear you come in." He sits up from his chair, fixing his tie as he gestures for her to enter. "What can I do for you?"

"I just wanted to apologize again for the other night," April says nervously, "and I was able to take care of cleaning up the mess last night."

"I noticed. When I arrived, I couldn't believe all the hard work you did! You did a fantastic job! My club hasn't looked this good in years, not since my wife and I..." he clears his throat. "Thank you, Ms. O'Neil for your hard work. You really proved yourself."

"Thank you, sir."

"Now I just hope Raphael will do the same and keep up with his agreement."

"I'm sure he will."

Her boss scoffs, "You don't know my son like I do, Ms. O'Neil. He's always been troublesome. You saw it yourself when he was more focused on wooing those tarts instead of his singing career." He leans back in his chair. "He says I act more like a boss than a father. Can you believe that?!"

"Have you considered that maybe a father is what Raphael needs?" April asks him abruptly.

"That was a rhetorical question, Ms O'Neil" He says coldly, quickly changing his attitude. "I don't need to be told how to be a parent from a cigar girl."

"I-I'm sorry Mr Hamato, that was out of line for me to say..." April explains cautiously. She has to watch herself, not put herself in any more risks of losing her job. "I'll leave now. Sorry for disturbing you."

Splinter watched as April scurried out of his office. Alone again, he scoffed in annoyance.

"What does she know?" Splinter said to himself, sitting up from his chair. He began pacing around his office. "My business comes first because this provides for the family. I need to be a boss towards my sons. I have to be!"

Splinter then thought it over for a moment. April's words did sound familiar. Raphael told him something similar the other night when they made their deal.

"Can you stop being my boss for once and act like my father?!"

"Was I too harsh on him?" he then thought aloud. Perhaps there is a thing as too much tough love, even if Raphael can be a challenge, he is still his son. He has expressed his disinterest in singing at the club for some time, an unusual change for it was something he once adored like the others. It was the deal they made. Sing one song to earn the money back from the damages the other night. Could there have been another way to handle the situation?

Twice now Splinter has been told to be a father rather than a boss. Was it a sign? It made Splinter wonder. Is he pushing his sons too far?

"I already have one child who despises me..." Splinter says to himself with a sigh. "Perhaps... I should talk to Raphael..."

❖ ❖ ❖

April got to work removing the chairs from the tables in the main room, flipping them over and placing them on the ground to be ready for the arriving guests. One by one, April placed each chair in their positions, but soon someone caught her attention. April must have been so focused on getting her work done and doing a good job before opening she didn't even notice Donatello was in the room. The turtle was at the bar, his head down, intensely focused on reading something in his hands.

"Good evening, Donnie!" April says cheerfully as she approaches the turtle. "What are you reading?"

"AH! Uhh..." Donnie quickly slams the book shut, pushing it off the bar counter, having it fall onto the floor. "NOTHING! I wasn't reading anything!"

April raises her eyebrow. Her curiosity got to her once again. She quickly heads over to the other side of the bar counter and picks up the book Donnie tossed.

Donnie tried and failed to reach over the counter to take the book from her grasp. April teasingly keeps it away from him as she examines the cover.

"A physics book?"

"I-It's not mine!" Donnie says in a panic, "I'm just holding it for a friend!"

"Oh really?" April smirks, "What's your friend's name?"

"Ummm, V-Vernon...? Y-Yeah! Vernon!"

"Vernon?" April repeats.

"...Yup!" Donnie says awkwardly, sweat starting to drip from his face.

"You know, Donnie," April says with a raised eyebrow, "You are a very talented singer, but a terrible liar."

"No, I'm not!" Donnie protests, trying to act offended, "I'm telling the truth! This book belongs to my friend!"

April smirks again, leaning towards Donnie and getting in his face, "Right... Your friend. Burne his name is?"

Donnie began to blush, overwhelmed by how close April was to him, "...Y-Yes."

"I thought it was Vernon?"

"I MEAN VERNON!" Donnie panics, "MY FRIEND'S NAME IS VERNON AND I'M HOLDING IT FOR HIM...."

"Okay, yeah, you're right. I'm a terrible liar."

April giggles at Donnie's defeat, seeing his face turn bright red.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of," April assures him, exiting from behind the bar to sit next to Donnie on the stool. She hands him back his book, "I didn't know you were into physics."

"Not just physics," Donnie explains as he takes back his book, holding it close to his chest, "It's all sciences. Physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, everything! I love how there is so much out there for us to study, learn, and discover. Many brilliant men and women discover new things everyday. I would love to be one of those types of people some day."

"You wanna be a scientist?"

Donnie happily nods, "It's always been my dream since I was a kid! That's why I've been working my shell off around here, but it's hard when my stage fright gets in the way..."

"What do you mean?"

Donnie is quiet for a moment, carefully looking over his shoulder, inspecting the area before he looks back at April, "Can you keep a secret?"

April's heart began to race. Donatello Hamato was about to tell her one of his secrets! April takes a deep breath to calm herself before calmly saying, "Of course."

"...The reason I keep performing for my father's club is because I need the money to help me get through school." April's eyes widened as she let Donnie continue on saying, "I've been secretly attending a community college," Donnie explains. "This job is what's helping me pay my tuition."

"You never went to school?"

"I used to," Donnie tells her, "My siblings and I only went to school through kindergarten to 8th grade. I never got to experience high school because by that point our singing careers took off. Dad thought our fame was more important than education..."

"Oh my gosh... So your dad has no idea that you're going to school? How are you able to get away with that?"

"I take classes during the afternoons before we open. I just came back from one of my classes, actually. Dad usually does not question my absence, sometimes he doesn't even notice I'm gone, but when he does Raph usually covers for me. I'm lucky at least one of my brothers has got my shell. Mikey can't keep a secret and Leo is a snitch."

"So... you fight through your anxiety and fears, so you can get a proper education?"

Donnie nods.

April couldn't believe it, she thought she knew her idols from what she's read about them but it seems there's more than what is said in the papers. Perhaps she's wrong about the others, too. From overhearing Splinter's suspicious conversation and now this secret of Donatello's, it makes April wonder...

"What else is this family hiding?"

"It is becoming more of a struggle." Donnie continued, "I know that my dad will start cutting me off if I don't properly sing on stage, but my stage fright has been getting worse with all these expectations, so it's preventing me from going through with it most nights..."

"Maybe I can help?"

"How?"

"Let's make a deal: I'll help you overcome your stage fright so you can finish your semester. And you can thank me by giving me singing lessons."

"But your voice is already lovely."

April shrugs, "I want to properly practice before I ask your dad for an audition, so learning from a star like you can help!"

"So you are gonna try out? That's great! I would love to help you! We can begin your lessons after hours once the club closes. As you already know, I have a spare ke,." he chuckles with confidence. "If you're free, we can start tonight! What do ya say?"

April smiles. When Donnie first heard her singing he was truly amazed by her voice. He said she had potential to make it big. This was her chance. Her next step to climbing that hill to reach her goal. Maybe even one day she could become just as famous as her idols! Not just that, but the bonus to spend time with Donatello Hamato. This is an honor she will not take for granted.

"Sounds like a plan!" April cheers.

"Great! It's a date then?"

April blinks, her face starting to blush. "What?"

"Uh, nothing!" Donnie clears his throat, giving an awkward smile, "I can't wait for our first lesson."

April giggles in agreement, "Maybe while we're at it, I can even give you some acting lessons, cause your lying game is terrible."

"You know, I'm actually a pretty good liar."

"Oh really?" April asked, smugly.

"I am! You just..." he blushes, "caught me off guard..."

April softly giggles from Donnie's word as the two friends proceed to stare at one another, exchanging a warm smile. It's been a while for them both to truly have someone to rely on and share a smile with, so they embraced the moment, locked on each other's eyes, until...

"Hey, uh, April?" A rather aggressive yet unamused voice said, interrupting April and Donnie.

April nearly jumped from the voice as she turns to see the source. The two were surprised to see Raphael Hamato. His expression was dour and sluggish, with his hands resting in the pockets of his jacket. April slightly feared to think what Raphael wanted with her. Perhaps to yell at her for last night's incident, to scold her, but instead to her surprise he gave her a look of reassurances and as he asked her in a polite, but rather bored tone:

"Can we talk?"

~~~~~

Hey~ It's been a while since I've undated this fic, huh? Don't worry! The hiatus is finally over and more chapters will soon come your way! Thank you for all your love and support <33