Title: "What Comes Next"

Rating: T

Genre: friendship

Characters: four familiar characters + two OCs (one only mentioned)

Summary: AR where, instead of the Elite Force, a different team is formed by a covert organization to investigate the mysteries on Earth and protect it from those trying to harm it. (or) It's the morning after their toughest mission yet, and the team sits down for breakfast.

Note: Written for the What If? Fanfiction challenge at Shadowplay. I've been playing with this alternate reality idea for a while, like a 'What if a different team has formed, under much different circumstances and with different consequences?' Not at all meant to diss Elite Force; it's really just something that took shape out of a random idea. :)

Thanks in advance for reading it.

Disclaimer: I own none of the Lab Rats and Mighty Med characters and anything in their canons. However, I do own the characters and canon materials of this alternate reality.

Leo wondered how sound this idea was. It was 8:02 on a weekend morning, with snowflakes descending graciously and bountifully outside the wide windows of the Atlas, and instead of sleeping he was right there standing over the stove, waiting for the third omelet to cook.

He really should've just stayed in bed. He should've just slept in, just like the rest of his team had wisely done. He should just forget about making breakfast for everyone.

To say that that assignment in Harbin had been difficult would be an understatement. It was by far the toughest mission they had ever gone to. Those J'oisuan bounty hunters had been a nightmare to go after. They were very strong, very fast, very cunning, and incredibly gigantic. The freezing temperatures and endless snowfall in the Chinese city didn't help either.

He usually found it fascinating whenever they get to meet an alien race, but after all the things those criminals made them go through, he could've really done without crossing paths with them.

Maybe that was why Delgado took pity on them and gave them the next three days to recover. Maybe that was also the reason why he decided to get up early and cook breakfast for his teammates. The other four especially bore the brunt of the mission. As the person who was least hurt, he thought a small gesture like this would at least be of help.

After perfectly flipping the mat of eggs and vegetables, Leo sensed someone enter the room. Looking behind him slowly (because doing things quickly only hurt more), he found the newest member of their team watching him. "Bonjour, Ran," he said, taking out a plate from the oven then depositing it on the counter for her. "Ça va?"

"Je m'appelle Ranavalova," the half-French, half-Malagasy responded curtly.

Leo grinned. "Je sais," he said. "I just figured you should have your own nickname now. You've been in the team for almost a month."

"Nous ne sommes pas amis," Ranavalova replied, crossing her arms, "so I don't need a nickname."

"Sadly, we don't have to be friends for you to get a nickname," Leo said. "Agent Delgado became 'HD' the day after we got here at the Atlas."

"I'm not Agent Delgado."

"Obviously." Leo pulled out the drawer to get a fork but stopped. After debating it over for a minute, he took one out anyways then placed it on Ranavalova's plate.

The ex-mercenary found that interesting. "You're giving me a real fork?"

"Yeah. I figured, even if I just handed you a plastic one, it won't stop you from using it against me if you really wanted to."

Ranavalova's brows hitched at that. She smirked then hopped up one of the chairs.

"So, I'm guessing from the outfit that you haven't just gotten out of bed," Leo observed, pointing to the active wear that the twenty one year old sported. "Aren't you sore from the mission?"

"I'm used to it," Ranavalova said. "A person only feels pain if they sit idly."

"Maybe we should call you Fortune Cookie instead."

Ranavalova glowered at him.

After finishing off the third omelet then starting the next one, Leo found her staring at the food he offered her. "See, that's why you gotta chill with trying to one-up us," he said. "You're always afraid that we're going to hurt you because you're always trying to do something to us."

"You tricked me into wearing these locators, didn't you?" she said, gesturing to the small devices on her fingers guised as silver rings.

Leo smiled sardonically. "Again, that's because you're always trying to get past us even when you already agreed to work with us," he said.

Ranavalova locked her jaws. If not for the kid, she would have never been caught and would have never been stuck in this mess. "What did you put in this?" she asked instead.

"Oh, you know, the usual things you find in an omelet," Leo said. "Eggs, salt, pepper, onion, a little garlic, bell peppers. There's mushroom in there. A bit of milk, some cheese." He grinned teasingly. "And for you, I also put a whole lot of my love, just to make it special."

Ranavalova stared at him witheringly. The kid really knew how to grate on her nerves.

Just as Ranavalova started eating, Oliver, the usual early riser, ambled out into the kitchen scratching his head. He yawned. "It's so early in the morning," he commented, his voice a little hoarse. "You guys are already awake?"

Leo shrugged after placing another plate from the oven on the counter. "I figured I could make breakfast this morning."

"Those bounty hunters tossed you pretty hard," Oliver commented, hopping up a chair away from Ranavalova. "You're not sore?"

"I'm dying, Doctor—but I can sleep it off later," Leo said, smiling gratefully. Nodding at him, he asked, "How about you? You alright?"

"I feel horrible. Everything hurts," Oliver said.

"I feel you. I don't even know if three days will be enough."

"I smell food..."

Leo turned away from the stove after finishing the fourth omelet. He grinned as he watched his sister trudge towards the seat next to Ranavalova. "Did the smell wake you up?"

"Not really," Bree answered, her eyes barely open. "I heard talking, and I thought I might check it out."

"You want me to put on coffee?"

Bree thought about it. "No," she replied as Leo slid her plate towards her. "I want to go back to sleep."

"You have the bionic ability to heal quickly," Ranavalova stated. "Why would you want to go back to sleep when you don't need it?"

"'Cause it's my off day?" Bree replied. She took a bite of her breakfast then added, "Plus, healing quickly requires energy, too. I am drained. That's why I need sleep."

Ranavalova, with her ever stoic expression, only resumed eating.

Not long after Leo finished the fifth omelet, the last inhabitant of the house joined them.

"Hey, Skylar," Oliver greeted.

"Hey." Skylar hopped up a chair away from Oliver. Though still relatively sluggish and hurting, her eyes were bright and her expression a little more energetic. She smiled at Leo after he deposited her share in front of her. "Thanks."

"No problem," Leo said, joining them after turning off the stove.

They ate wordlessly for a long moment. Hungry and aching, they were content to listen to the soft whirring of the heater somewhere in the distance and the soft clinking of their forks against the plates. They—especially Leo, Skylar, Oliver, and Bree—had been so used to noise. However, this relative silence wasn't too bad.

It was then that Leo's thoughts drifted to what date it was today. He could still remember the wedding as it happened five years ago. His mother had been very stressed, the wedding planner nearly out of her mind, and his stepfather-to-be outlandishly tense. Yet, once it all began, all the sweat, tears, and anxiety had been all worth it. His mother had always fondly remembered it as a beautiful day, the one that started their new life.

Tasha Dooley became Tasha Davenport that day, and Leo Dooley became a friend then a stepsibling to Donald Davenport's bionic children.

But, that Leo Dooley was gone. He died seven months ago, within the same two days that Bree Davenport went missing during a mission at sea, that Oliver Connely went missing after leaving his home, that Skylar Storm was declared fallen during the attack at the hospital.

Their parents, he knew, didn't celebrate their anniversary this year. How could they, when they were probably mourning over him and Bree?

Ranavalova's low groan snapped Leo out of his thoughts. Looking, he found her gently moving her right shoulder in a circular motion. He smirked. "You were too idle, Ran," he said.

Ranavalova ignored him. Instead, she took a bottle of water from the other side of the counter. "Hey, kid," she called to Oliver. Then, she slid the bottle his way.

Oliver knew what she wanted. After catching it, he held onto the bottle then drew warmth from it. Smoke softly emanated from the plastic as it and its contents froze.

Ranavalova smirked after Oliver slid it towards her. "Thanks," she told him then placed the bottle upon the crook of her neck.

Leo chuckled. "It's not what you were expecting, is it?"

"No," Ranavalova said.

"Yeah. It'll take a while. We've been at this for a couple of months, and each mission still comes with their own surprises."

"Speaking of, has Delgado updated you about those thugs, what's going to happen to them?" Oliver asked Skylar.

Skylar shook her head. "He probably would soon, though."

"Yeah, as soon as he gets out of bed," Leo said, grinning. "Dude got whooped. I won't be surprised if he's still sleeping like a log."

"So today really is an off day?" Bree asked.

"It seems like it," replied Skylar.

Ranavalova hopped out of her chair, depositing her dirty dishes in the sink then taking her frozen bottle.

"Whoa, where are you going?" Leo said.

"Back to the training room."

"You don't want to hang out with us?"

"왜? 우린 친구가 아니야."

Leo rolled his eyes as their newest (and most difficult) member left the room.

"What'd she say?" Oliver asked.

"Something she's been telling me all morning," Leo said.

"If I haven't made it clear yet, having her around us bothers me," Bree stated.

"Agent Delgado agrees with the founders' decision to have her join us," Skylar diplomatically responded. "It's been working so far. She's been helping us a lot."

"You like her?" Oliver asked, surprised.

"I'm...keeping an eye on her for now. I don't know yet what to make of her."

Leo chuckled when he thought of something. "That mission was kind of wild, huh? Makes you wonder what comes next."

The comment was met with scoffs and groaning. "I don't want to think about that until our three days are up," Oliver said, walking over to the sink to discard his dirty dishes.

Leo raised his brows as Skylar then Bree did the same. "Oh, I know you're not expecting me to wash the dishes, too," he said as they moved away from the sink.

Oliver and Skylar exchanged glances. "Isn't it your week?" Oliver said.

"No, it's mine," Bree admitted. She sighed, her shoulders sagging with the breath. "Can I do that later, though? I'm kind of tired still?"

Leo stared unhappily. Those words usually meant that the chore wouldn't get done unless someone stepped up to do it. Of course. Den Mother has to do it again. He came to the conclusion then that he had done this to himself. "Fine. 가."

"What?"

"Go," Leo told them, hopping off his own stool to get started on the chore. "I'll take care of it."

After shrugging it off, the three left him. Once again, it was just him, his thoughts, and now the sound of the faucet running as he worked on the dishwater.

A small smile tugged at Leo's lips as he realized how funny this might look to his mother. Just a year or two ago, she would have to bribe him to do chores like this one. That, or she would have to threaten him with being grounded or having his phone taken away. Now, he would do it for his teammates freely—half the time, at least.

The things you do when you feel bad for others, he thought.

"Hey."

Leo turned then frowned as Bree rejoined him in the kitchen. "Hey. You forgot something?"

"No. I just thought I might as well help since I'm already up," Bree said.

"I mean, like I said, I can do it."

"Here. I'll wash, you rinse and put it on the rack."

Though still confused, Leo eventually acquiesced. When Bree handed him the first plate, he asked, "What's your plan for today? I know you hate being locked up in one place for days."

Bree shrugged. "I might actually stay in. Like I said, I'm still wiped."

"Oh."

Bree hesitated for a few minutes before finally saying what was on her mind, the reason she came back. "It's their wedding anniversary today."

Leo nodded somberly. "Yeah. I remembered."

"You know, I also realized, you're turning 18 in three months. I'm turning 20 right after that," Bree said sadly. "It's just – a lot of things are happening. We're both getting older, and...I don't know. Lately I've just been wondering how long we'll have to stay here."

Leo could understand his sister. While their discoveries and missions had been amazing, he could admit that the past seven months had been the longest months of his life. "I miss them, too," he said.

"We can't even send them a gift for their anniversary," Bree sorrowed.

"Have you talked to Delgado about it?"

"No. I know what he'll say..."

"'You signed a contract,'" Leo said in unison with his sister. The stepsiblings got a laugh out of that. The joy, though, was short-lived. "They'd probably love that, if it was their gift. They'd probably be over the moon if we come back home to them now."

Bree nodded. "At this point, I don't even know what we're fighting for. It's one bad guy after another," she said. "Does anything we do count anymore?"

Leo thought about it. She was right. Did it? A small smile came to his face when he remembered the past few months. "It did for Cassieras," he said, "and those miners, the people being preyed upon by those companies. For the kids in that village in Mongolia who were getting sick because of the Mavet Crystal. For those people in those bounty hunters' ship, the ones getting traded off as slaves. It counted for them."

Bree sighed. "I just wish I could see them again," she said of her family.

"I do, too," Leo said. He did his best to give her an encouraging smile. "Hopefully soon we'd get to go home."

Bree nodded. She rolled her eyes and scoffed. "I can tell right off the bat that the new girl and I will not get along through the rest of our stay here," she commented.

Leo grinned. "She can't be worse than Caitlin."

"Hey, Caitlin was actually decent when we first became friends."

"Then she devolved into a crazed teenager with an obsession for dominos and Chase."

Bree's mouth popped open. She splashed Leo with some dishwater.

"Hey!"

"Caitlin is not crazy." Then, pondering over it, "Okay, she is a little overbearing, but at least she didn't try to hurt me!"

"That's just Ran's way of telling you she likes you and that she wants to be your friend," Leo joked.

"By drugging me?!"

"At least she didn't chain you next to a furnace like she did with Skylar and Delgado."

Bree frowned. "You sleep under the same roof as her now," she muttered while washing the forks. "How can you joke about things like that?"

Leo snickered, worries of their past choices and its present and future consequences gone for the moment. For the first time that morning, the Atlas, to him, felt a little bit more like home.