First story. Here it is.

Warning: This goes so far AU that you might find yourself reeling. I'm not kidding. It involves common ideas from other stories or shows - feel free to mention them in reviews. Why not? But, in the end, it is a Lab Rats story. A strange one, but what can you do? It's unique to this place.

Warning 2: This is rated T for a reason. Cussing, demons, yada yada. It gets pretty wild.

And thus: Evil voice, would you care to do the honors?

"Lab Rats and anything you recognize isn't owned by RazaraTheFirst. If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers."

"Learn what you are and be such."

Pindar (522-438 BC) – Greek Poet

"The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated."

William James

Chapter One - Through Another's Eyes

In a gust of icy wind that blew papers around the room, the candles were suddenly extinguished. Frost began to edge and grow along the floor, ceiling and walls as thin tendrils of fog rose from the ground around us, smelling faintly of fire and sulfur.

Hey, it was my first call. I wanted to scare the idiot. I mean, who finds a part-demon bionic entity and says, "Hey, I'll summon this guy!"

It wasn't like I wasn't in a bad mood already today. Exactly three months ago, I had run from home to protect my family after….

Let's just call it "The Accident." I don't want to explain it now. It gets complicated. Just know it involved an old college invention – dubbed the "Daven-Demon Portal" – that both Donald and Douglas had worked on when obsessed with demons (don't ask why), me messing with it and accidentally making it work, and it giving me a hard shock when I was stupid enough to stick my hand in the light it generated, and me finally waking up as a half-demon hybrid. Details beyond that get very sketchy, and since I barely started believing in demons, I honestly didn't really know them myself.

I just gagged a little at that. Me, not knowing something. Ew! I think I need a shower to wash that blasphemy off.

I think I just heard someone ask me why I ran. Well, valued customer – reader, actually – let's think about this: I was part demon. I seriously had a little voice in my head that told me what I should do in some situations. It usually delighted in telling me to cause exceeding amounts of trouble. I tended to disagree with it – unlike Spike – but it was still there. And, since I barely had control over what powers I had gained, I panicked and bolted after lighting the portal on fire with my bear hands. Looking in a mirror hadn't helped, either. Black cat ears where mine used to be, a freaking black cat tail, and raven wings (I hadn't actually discovered the wings until later, when I finally pulled my shirt off to replace it with a new one). Slit pupils and sharp canine teeth didn't make the image easier to bare. I not only heard evil voices, I looked the part. Not something I wanted people to really see. So, not wanting to hurt anyone, I did the most logical thing I could think of at the moment: I bailed.

In the three months on the run, I had gained fairly decent control of my powers – the ones I knew of, anyways – and had learned how to change my form around to look like anything. I could look like my old self again, if I wanted to. (I'll explain more on that one later, though, because I couldn't do it all the time. Not to mention my awesome power to break the fourth wall.) I didn't, however, expect to be summoned.

This, I will explain. You see, demons usually live in this alternate realm I like to call the Underworld because I can call it that. And, there, anyone who searches hard enough can find any demon. However, since I lived in our world, no one should've been able to find me. Only those who knew I existed in the first place and figured out what my name was.

Because when you call a demon, you don't use regular names like "Chase." You used their real names. It's much more descriptive and belongs only to that one demon. Since no one knew about me, though – not even my family – no one should have been able to summon me at all.

Yet my essence – the stuff that makes our form and allows us to shape shift – began to gather inside a Summoning Circle. How quaint.

When I had finally arrived in all my awesome glory, I had my eyes narrowed and teeth bared, arms crossed across my chest to look tough and possibly try to scare this guy further.

But the tough act was quickly exchanged for stunned when I saw my lovely caller in the Summoner's Circle not ten feet away from me: Douglas freaking Davenport.

And he didn't look scared. Just triumphant and excited. "I did it!" he cheered, throwing his arms up like a football referee signaling that a field goal was scored. "I'm awesome!" He paused and gestured at me. "You look awesome!"

I watched carefully. He didn't cross out of his circle, though, which meant I was still stuck in mine. My surprise was quickly giving way to suspicion and mistrust, though. "How did you get me here?"

He rolled his eyes. "I summoned you," he said slowly, as if speaking with an idiot. "Duh."

"I kind of figured that part out," I growled. "Care to elaborate?"

He shrugged. "Donnie's security cameras aren't hard to hack into. I saw your accident. It wasn't hard to figure out why you ran. So I finally discovered your name and decided to call you up." He grinned again and placed a hand on his chest. "A month of non-stop work, and here you are. How great am I?"

Good god, Donald and Douglas were definitely related. "I thought you dropped the study of demons in lieu of reality," I said, beginning to examine the lines of the circles around us for any wobbles or breaks, hoping that Douglas had messed up somewhere. All the patterns, shapes, and runes were perfectly drawn.

"Donnie did," Douglas explained, watching me as I swept my eyes over the perfectly – aligned candles. "I stuck with it. I finally figured out how to summon about a year ago. It's really easy. Anyone can do it, if they pay enough attention." I let out a frustrated growl as I finished eyeing the incense – rosemary, sandalwood, lavender; scents like that which I enjoyed, but would drive a full demon up a wall – and noticed that it was all perfectly set up. Seeming to notice what I was doing for the first time, he smiled. "No, Chasey; you're not getting out. I made sure."

I let my vision filter through the nine different planes I could see, examining the magic barrier that ran along my circle's edge for even the tiniest hole – if he had said one word out-of-order, I'd be able to slip out and run - before, upon finding it air-tight, I just sat down with crisscrossed legs, my tail in my lap and my hands on my knees. I had to admit: The man knew his shit.

Hold up, I hear another explanation coming on! We all exist on planes. The one you see every day is the first plane of existence. Now, imagine that, underneath this plane, there exists another. And another under that. And another under that. And each one, were you to peel away the plane before it, would show something new to the viewer. I could see down to the ninth level of these, if I wanted to. The ring around me? On planes 1 – 4, it was invisible. But from 5 on, it started to get more and more pronounced. I imagined that, if I could go down a hundred planes, it would shine like ten suns. But, on plane nine, it was bright enough that I could check it for flaws.

More on planes later, though, my students!

Anyways, I had finally just sat down in the circle, giving a sigh as I finally asked, "Why did you bring me here?"

"Well," Douglas began, "partly because you're my son and I wanted to see you again. But also because I'm curious!" He pulled a small notepad and pen from his jacket pocket. "Have you been to the demon world? What's it like? And how do you change forms? Does your power have limits? And your essence: Is it –"

"Stop," I cut him off, pinching the bridge of my nose and looking down. "You called me here because you're curious?"

"Well, yeah," he answered. "I mean, I asked regular demons, but they don't like to answer. And the little weak ones that do answer can only explain it in their terms. But you had to learn how it worked, so you can explain it better! And you won't kill me in the process!"

I looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "Are you sure about that last one?"

I smiled halfway when I saw him pale slightly, even though he tried to maintain a bored demeanor. "Listen: I know I went a little far with my Triton App, but I'd rather not order you to do anything while you're in the circle." He actually grimaced a bit. "It looks like it hurts you guys. So this would go so much easier if you cooperated."

I wasn't sure that it would hurt, but I would have to do what he said if he ordered it. The words that created the magical barrier also bound our will to the summoner's, so we would have to obey. However, that didn't stop us from doing it our way. That's where people get in trouble with us. I frowned. "You just want me to answer your questions? Nothing else? Not hurt my family or anything?"

He shook his head. Then, after a second, he quietly asked, "I'm a little curious as to why you ran away from home, though. What, didn't think Donnie would want you around or something?"

I shrugged. "I'm a monster," I informed him. Seriously, how dense could he be? "I didn't want to hurt them."

"But you're not a monster," Douglas said after a few seconds of silence. "Demons aren't monsters, and neither are you. You're an embodiment of power and ancient glory that has reigned since time began. Possibly before that. You're a part of a great and majestic legacy. You're perfect."

I met his eyes, not really all that surprised by this. I mean, the guy might have a soft spot for his kids – Adam, Bree, and myself - but he was still evil. So it came as no shock to me that he thought of demons as less-than-benevolent creatures of beauty. "Demons are evil, and I'm no exception, if I listen to my inner voice," I informed him.

"You're a marvelous being," Douglas informed me, his eyes filled with what I hoped wasn't pride. Sick, sick pride. "Sure, you have the dark, mischievous side of demons, but you have your human conscience countering it. You're a balance of good and evil. Two sides of one coin, yin and yang; literally, however you want to put it."

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't enjoying his praise just a bit. I hadn't actually ever received much before. However, I forced myself to ignore the urge to get him to keep saying nice things. "If I answer your questions, will you let me go?"

Douglas nodded, throwing his hands up in surrender. "Sure," he agreed. Then, he smiled a bit. "Unless you want to stay, of course."

"You'll summon me if you want me again?" I translated bluntly.

He let out a snort of laughter. "That, too. But I'd still let you go."

I frowned deeper. "You'll leave my family alone?"

"Yes, yes," he assured, sounding like he was quickly becoming impatient. "Are you going to answer me or not?"

After a moment, I let out a very dramatic sigh – because I could - and finally gave in. "What do you want to know?"

Oddly enough, I began to enjoy myself. Hours passed, and I explained everything I had figured out to him while he took notes like a mad man on crack.

And I? I was enjoying the attention, honestly. It had been exactly three months, seven hours, twenty-nine minutes and fifty-four seconds since anyone had really been kind to me – no one liked homeless teens, sadly enough – and far longer than that since someone actually appreciated what I had to say when it didn't directly benefit themselves. It was nice. I mean, come on; no one likes to be ignored.

What's more is that I actually started to like Douglas a bit more as each question steered away from my family – which struck me as surprising, considering who Douglas was – and stayed more on me and my demonic half. He was amusing at times, actually enjoyed my intelligence – which only Mr. Davenport used to do, before he stopped really hanging out with me, for some reason – and constantly pointed out how much he liked my strange physiology and that he thought I should, too.

Yes, I craved kindness and attention. Yes, I craved intelligent conversation. Yes, I craved acceptance. I craved at least one day where someone I spoke with didn't pick on me, but rather enjoyed my company and actually worked to build me up. He offered all those things. Kind of wish I'd seen it after that stupid avalanche – that would've spared me a lot of grief - but better late than never, right?

So I was a bit sad when he finally put his notepad back in his jacket. "That wasn't so bad, was it?" he asked with a grin. I rolled my eyes and jumped to my feet as he crouched a bit, raising his hands to chest-level theatrically. Could someone please get in here and appreciate this man's showmanship with me so I didn't look like a foolish, lone fan girl? "All right," he said. "You helped me. Now it's my turn." He began to recite a Dismissal, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration.

I felt my eyes widen. Douglas really was going to free me. Wow, someone who kept promises? I felt myself begin to fade slightly. He would just summon me again when he wanted me, right? So….

"Wait," I hissed loudly.

He broke off instantly with a frown. "You know, interrupting someone is –"

"Dangerous, I know," I interrupted. "But it was just a Dismissal. Besides, if you'd just summon me again…." I looked at my feet, feeling myself blush a bit with embarrassment as I mumbled out the rest.

"Didn't hear that," Douglas informed me.

"I…I want to stay?" I said more loudly, looking as him this time. It came out as more of a question, but whatever. And I felt my cheeks redden more at the idea that I was probably breaking major demonic laws by even requesting to stay at all.

But Douglas just smiled at me. "It's nice to feel wanted, isn't it?"

I swallowed hard and nodded. "Is there a way to release me, but I stay here?"

Douglas, however, just held a finger to his lips to signal that I should be quiet. Then, as I watched, he began to recite something similar to the Dismissal, but slightly different. For starters, the binds that held my will to his fell away. I was free to do whatever I wanted. Then, as he continued, the magical wall that held me in the circle began to waver and fade away. As much as I was glad that he was letting me go, I was a tad worried at this point. That he hadn't set up any type of protective spells around himself was a major show of trust on his part. Seriously; what he was doing was akin to pulling on a tiger's tail with a steak tied around his neck. I mean, when that barrier was down fully, I could incinerate him in seconds and go on about my day.

And don't say I didn't because I'm too sweet to attack him.

I am not sweet.

I am the shadows of hell.

I haunt nightmares.

I kick puppies in my spare time.

I eat babies for breakfast.

Not really.

But don't call me sweet. Demons aren't sweet, I tells ya!

With a small whisper of sound, the barrier fully dissipated. "There you go," Douglas said, stepping out of his circle.

You'll be doing the world and yourself a favor if you kill him now.

Great. My little demon voice was back. He saved my life twice, I informed the little pest, remembering back to being dug from the avalanche and then later to Krane's attack on the Lab.

He's a wicked man, it countered. He travels in the demonic world.

I'm half – demonic, I argued. He travels in my world. Possibly more than I do.

He only wants a slave.

Yet he set me free?

He doesn't appreciate you.

No, I found myself thinking with a shocking amount of bitterness. My family didn't appreciate me. Last I checked, no one bothered to look for me. It was true. I hadn't even seen a lost kid poster or anything. It was like they didn't want me back at all. Besides, Douglas listens when I talk and likes my demonic side. He isn't scared of me at all.

Kill him, the voice ordered. Now! Show your power to this foolish mortal! How dare he even summon you at all?

That little voice was all over the place. I shook my head hard to dispel it and stepped out of my circle as well, my hands clasped behind my back as I closed the distance between Douglas and myself. He smiled a bit and rested a hand on my shoulder. I was surprised to find him trembling a bit. A few more details – how pale he was and the obvious relief in his eyes – made me finally realize that he had been afraid that I would charge. So he actually did respect how powerful I was. Any other demon would've caught onto it instantly. They can smell fear. I had been denied that ability, sadly, so I had to get a bit close to him to see it. (Sue me; the only light was coming from the candles I hadn't put out when I made my entrance.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a bit pleased with that feeling of power.

I was snapped from my thoughts when Douglas, with a gentle smile, said, "Welcome home, Chasey."

There you have it. Feel free to review.

Or don't. Whatever works. But if it's about grammar mistakes, feel free to not. That's just getting irritating with how it's flooding this site.

English is hard. Live with this fact. I could probably nit-pick your stories apart too, nay-sayers. :D But I'd rather enjoy reading it instead of annoying myself hunting punctuation and syntax errors. (These reviews will most likely be deleted to spare everyone the annoyance.)

Flames welcome. I'll most likely ignore you, but whatever makes you feel better about yourself. (No, flaming will not be deleted. Have at it!)

Hopefully, my special brand of bluntness doesn't offend. If it does, I would say sorry, but I'm not. Toughen up, Buttercup.

And enjoy.

*Bows and exits*