It's finally here: my first multi-chapter! I've been really excited to post this story. It's another AU about the Lab Rats having a mom. But before you say it'll be just like the others, I believe Reunited is unique. The plot line is different - more mysterious - you could say. Additional genres would include a bit of HUMOR and SUSPENSE. It was a lot of fun to write, and I think it turned out well. Naturally, since the Lab Rats don't actually have a mom, this story includes OCs. I strived to not make them annoying as some OCs have the custom; I hope I succeeded. There are only two OCs, though. So, for those of you who don't favor additional characters, this story shouldn't overwhelm you.
For a long time I wanted to do an AU about the Lab Rats' mom. Then, in early August, I finally got a decent idea for one. I just... AH! I'm so excited! This author's note can't contain my joy!
Breathe... breathe... I'm good. Anyway... I hope you all enjoy!
I do not own Lab Rats.
Chase slid open his eyes and was met with unfamiliar surroundings. The pastel colored room that welcomed him was soothing to the six month old, although he couldn't remember why. White, wooden bars enclosed him on all four sides, but he didn't feel confined. He felt secure.
Soft, warm blankets cushioned him. Polka dot elephants and striped giraffes aligned the walls, appealing to his young eyes. Stuffed animals of all kinds accompanied him from inside the wooden bars, their stitched on smiles suggesting a friendly atmosphere.
Suddenly, the hazy vision of a beautiful woman appeared in his line of view. She had shoulder-length, wavy, brown hair and hazel eyes not unlike his. She was leaned over his crib, looking down on him with adoration and love.
Chase immediately became happy upon seeing her, but he wasn't sure why. As far as he knew, the woman was a stranger to him. Yet, he was still compelled to stretch his small arms out to her, trusting her like he'd known her his whole life.
She readily reached down and hoisted him from the crib, cradling the infant in her arms. She looked him up and down, taking in every detail. That wasn't too hard; they resembled each other quite a bit.
"I'm going to miss you too, my Chasey," her pleasant voice cooed. "But, don't worry. I'll be back home before you know it."
"I mean, I'd have to be. Baby's don't have a sense of time," she mused to herself matter-of-factly, rocking the child in a soothing rhythm.
"Eliza!" called a manly voice. Chase automatically recognized the voice. The woman responded to the sound of her name by turning her head toward the source of the call. "They're here to pick you up."
"Be right there, Honey," the woman, apparently named Eliza, replied.
She looked back down at Chase with a solemn face.
"Well, I guess it's time to go," she said, placing a kiss on the child's forehead.
Eliza then gently laid him back in the crib.
"I love you, Sweetie," she spoke softly, and with that, exited the room.
Chase's eyes shot open again, this time seeing familiar surroundings - the lab. He blinked a few times, trying to clear his blurry vision. Confusedly, he looked left and right, finding his siblings sound asleep in their capsules.
Hums of machinery could be distantly heard as his eyes fell upon the cyber desk, Leo's Mission Specialist desk, and various control panels. Chase finally understood. He was home.
He sighed in relief and leaned against the back wall of his own capsule.
"It was just a dream," he whispered, "A weird, oddly recognizable dream."
Who was that woman? Why'd I feel so comfortable around her? Why was I a baby? Where was that room that I was in? Chase wondered.
Exhaustion threatening to overwhelm him, he, for once, decided not to mediate on something. His head was still foggy, and he wasn't even sure if a simple dream was worth contemplating. But, important or not, that's one he'd definitely be telling during breakfast.
"You guys would never believe the dream I had last night," Chase told his family as they gathered at the dining table.
"Well, I guess there's no point in telling us, then," Adam replied, taking Chase's comment literally.
Chase stared at his older brother with a baffled look.
"Never mind him, Chase," Donald excused. "What was your dream about?"
"Well, for starters, I was a baby," Chase began.
"Oh, so, just like now?" Adam joked with a grin.
Chase shot him a glare before continuing, "Anyway, I was in what appeared to be a nursery. And then, all of a sudden, this woman peeks over the crib I was in. I remember her exact look. For some reason, I don't think I could ever forget it."
"She actually looked a lot like me. Mid-length, brown hair, hazel eyes, and the most blissful voice you could imagine," Chase raved.
"Sounds like someone has a crush," Bree mumbled to Leo, nudging him in the arm. Leo grew a humorous smile on his face.
"You know, Bree, I'd think one day you'd learn that whispering near someone with bionic hearing is pointless," Chase informed her irritably. Bree scowled at her younger brother.
"And, for the record, it wasn't like that. She was nowhere near my age. I just… felt drawn to her somehow. And, not just now, but in the dream, too. I remember being really happy when I first saw her, and I stretched my arms out to her."
"Then, she picked me up and held me. She was talking about missing me and that'd she be back soon. Although, I never found out where she was going," Chase said thoughtfully.
The three adults present at the table all had different reactions to hearing Chase explain his dream. Tasha was listening, but not so invested that her life depended on knowing what happened next. Donald was rather intrigued by how intently Chase was describing everything.
But Douglas had the oddest reaction. He seemed leery and a little nervous, too. He appeared to be on high alert as to what Chase was saying, as if expecting something dangerous to come out at any minute.
What Chase could say that would be so life-threatening, he didn't know. But, no one was stopping him, so he continued talking.
"Then, get this, a voice that sounded dead-on Douglas' called out her name," Chase said awestruck.
This caught Douglas' attention.
"Do you remember what her name was?" Tasha inquired casually, taking a bite from the cantaloupe in her fruit salad.
"Yea, I think it was Eliza," Chase answered.
Douglas' eyes went wide as he did a comical spit take, showering Leo's face in pre-swallowed coffee. All the family members at the table became tense. Leo, on the other hand, was shocked and utterly disgusted.
"Whoa, Douglas! What's wrong?" Chase asked throwing his hands up in defense.
"Never mind that!" Leo exclaimed. "Couldn't you have aimed for Bree?!" he pointed to his sister sitting next to him. Bree turned to Leo with an appalled look.
"Oh, Sweetie, maybe I should help you clean up. Your face is covered in backwash," Tasha remarked, already standing from her seat.
Leo muttered some inaudible complaints as he consented to follow his mom upstairs.
The remaining family members looked to Douglas, still a bit shocked, for an explanation.
"Uh, Donnie, can I see you in the other room please?" Douglas requested with a trying-too-hard-to-seem-calm smile.
"Sure…" Donald answered apprehensively. "Guys, we'll be right back."
The two inventors exited through the hallway by the kitchen.
Chase turned back to Adam and Bree, "I wonder what I said that made him so jumpy."
"Well, there's only one way to find out. Follow them and listen in," Bree suggested.
"What? I can't do that! That would be eavesdropping, which is a downright invasion of privacy," Chase declined.
"Uuuuuuuuuuuuh," Adam groaned, "I'm starting to lose hope you'll grow out of this kill-joy, goody-two-shoes phase."
"Hey!" Chase exclaimed, insulted. "I'm not a kill-joy. I'll have you know, crossword puzzles can be a real riot."
"Nice going, Adam! Now he's gonna tell us about all his boring hobbies!" Bree scolded him. Adam mouthed an apologetic "sorry."
Chase rolled his eyes, "Look even if I wanted to play spy, they're probably talking in a closed room."
"Well then, maybe you should use your super-senses," Bree suggested like it should have been obvious, "Mister 'Bionic Hearing'."
Chase gave her a look before begrudgingly getting up and following after his father and father-figure.
Chase pushed his hair behind his ear, activating his super hearing. After cautiously walking through the hallway, he located the sound of two voices. Chase quietly approached a door on his right, and, making sure not to be too close, he stood and listened.
"Calm down," came the slightly muffled voice of his adoptive father, "We'll figure this out, Douglas."
"We were supposed to have this 'figured out' 16 years ago, Donnie!" Douglas yelled, obviously frustrated.
"I know," Donald said, agreeing, "What I don't understand is how he could even remember that, and with such clear detail. He was an infant at the time."
"Eh, I'm not surprised. Well, yes, I was, but not now that I'm thinking about it," Douglas stated. "It's probably because of his bionics. His intelligence is so good that he practically has an eidetic memory."
"But, it's my understanding that he wasn't really bionic then," Donald said, confused.
"He was. We installed his chip weeks before. His chip must have recovered all the memories he lost."
"Then, why did this one come so late?" Donald questioned his brother.
"Perhaps that memory was so far gone that it took his bionic intelligence longer to bring it back. All these years, his bionics must have been fighting against the natural forgetfulnees of humans," Douglas hypothesized.
"Well, either way, what do you propose we do about it?"
Douglas heaved a stressed sigh, "I have no idea."
"You're wonderful at brainstorming, Douglas," Donald said sarcastically.
"I'm just a little flustered right now. I thought we'd escaped this situation without repercussion long ago."
"I'm sorry, 'we'?" Donald repeated. "Last time I checked, this was your family."
"Oh, sure. When you took them, they were yours. But now that problems arise, they're mine again," Douglas huffed.
"All I'm saying is, technically, I'm not responsible for solving this. You chose to keep it a secret, Douglas. I just respected that. And now that it's coming to light, you have to be the one to make the call."
"Some big brother you are…" Douglas muttered. "I thought older siblings were supposed to clean up the messes of their younger siblings."
"Not this one, Buddy. It's not my business to tell."
At this point, Chase deactivated his bionic hearing, having listened to enough. Questions were speeding through his mind so fast, he couldn't think at all. Now I know what it's like to be Adam, he remarked to himself.
Chase returned to his siblings, who, by this point, were resting on the couch. Leo had rejoined them, spit free.
"So, how'd it go?" Bree asked, seeing her brother re-enter the room.
Chase plopped down on the couch. "I couldn't tell you. I have no idea what they were talking about."
"So, basically, your mission was pointless," Adam verified snarkily.
"No," Chase shot back with annoyance, "I did learn one thing. Douglas is keeping a secret from us, and Mr. Davenport is in on it."
"I'm shocked," Bree deadpanned. "But, what does your dream have to do with this secret?"
Chase shrugged his shoulders, "I'm pretty sure they were talking about me. They kept bringing things up about bionics and intelligence. All I know for sure is that something happened about 16 years ago. And, I think my dream might have something to do with it."
"Your dream has something to do with an unknown event that occurred 16 years ago?" Leo paraphrased.
"I think so," Chase confirmed.
"But, it was just a dream. How could that relate to anything in the real world?" Adam wondered.
"I don't know," Chase replied.
"Did you just say 'I don't know'?" Adam questioned. "Can you say that again for my ringtone?" Adam asked eagerly pulled out his phone. Chase glared at him.
"So, where do we go from here?" Bree questioned, asking no one in particular.
"Well-" Chase began as noise erupted in the hall, "-They're coming! Act cool."
"Might be kind of hard for some of us, don't you think?" Leo commented with a smirk.
Chase shot his stepbrother daggers, then quickly turned towards the approaching adults.
And so the story begins... Some of you may be able to guess who that woman was. Given the plot of the story (mentioned in the above author's note) and the context of the dream, I was pretty obvious about it. But, I practically guarantee you won't be able to figure out what Donald and Douglas are hiding. Not that I want to discourage you! If you have a theory already, feel free to share! I'm interested to see what you guys think. The full reveal won't come for a little while. And, who knows, some people may figure it out. That person could be you!
What'd you think of Chase's dream? About the woman? What was Douglas so jumpy about? What's the secret? Does Chase's dream apply to anything?
On that note, I'll end this author's note (See what I did there? xD.) See you next chapter!