Bree didn't know what to think of the uniformed man standing on her doorstep - leaning heavily on his crutches.
"Can I come in?" he asked nervously.
She wordlessly stepped aside, motioning to the couch. "Should I go get everyone else?"
The man - he was truly a man now, no longer a boy - paused for a moment, thinking hard. "Probably," he finally said.
Bree nodded sharply and raced off to find her brothers and parents. As they filtered into the living room, they each wore a different expression. Douglas looked pleased, and somewhat relieved. Donald seemed to be hiding his emotions, as did Chase. Tasha simply gasped at the sight of him. Leo was the only one who looked truly overjoyed, complete with a cry of "Adam!" and a hug that just so happened to land on his shattered ribs.
"Where did you go?" Donald finally asked.
"Where I was needed," came the response.
Chase trembled with rage, but his words came flat, biting. "And not once did you think that we might have needed you?"
"Of course not. Weren't you the one who told me you didn't?" Adam looked up at Donald and Douglas, hoping for some recognition from his fathers. "I made sergeant. I helped people. And I didn't reveal my bionics."
Douglas, at least, let pride show on his face.
"We didn't know where you were," Donald said. "How could you just leave like that? For six years, no less!"
Adam's gaze hardened, and he picked at his bandaged side. "We were over in the Middle East. There was a local riot, and we weren't supposed to get involved. A bomb was about to go off, and there was this little tourist boy with spiked-up hair..."
Chase simply turned and walked away.
"I can't fight anymore," Adam continued. "I was made to fight for good. I went where they needed me, but now I can't fight anymore."
"So all of this is because your brother said some hurtful things to you?" Tasha asked, genuinely trying to understand.
Adam seemed to stare past her, to a place only he could see. "I can't fight anymore. I'm not strong enough."
And suddenly, something clicked for Bree. Her brother was broken - more inside than out. She put a hand on his shoulder and poked a finger into his chest. "You're strong here. You're strong where it counts."
Adam smiled sadly. "I want Chase to understand. I don't blame him. I don't think it's his fault. I saved the boy because he reminded me of him, but it's not his fault."
Bree shook her head. "He knows, Adam, he knows. But you broke him when you left, and only you can fix him."
...oOo...
Chase heard Adam coming from a mile away. His wound left him unbalanced and out of breath. The fact that he'd decided to take the stairs didn't do much for him, either. "You know, you could've taken the elevator."
Adam glanced over his shoulder at the metal contraption. "Sorry, force of habit." He carefully lowered himself into Leo's desk chair.
Chase sighed. "So. You left."
Adam nodded, waiting.
"Why?"
"I don't know."
"The truth, Adam."
Adam sighed. "I didn't want to."
"But you still did. You left our team, you left our family - You. Left. Us." Chase drew in a ragged breath. "Why? Were we not enough for you?"
"No, no."
"Then why?"
Adam looked down at his hands. "I just needed... a break."
"A six-year break with no contact?" Chase asked dryly, trying to reign in his emotions before Spike decided to come out. "We thought you were dead! We thought you were gone - forever!"
"I know what dead is," Adam said, so much weight in his voice. "I know what dead is," he whispered.
Chase wiped a few tears on his sleeve, coming to stand on the other side of the desk. "I had nightmares," he finally said.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. Then I'd wake up - "
"And the nightmare wasn't gone," Adam finished.
Chase nodded. "We missed you."
"I missed you, too."
"I wanted you to come back."
"But I didn't."
"I wanted my brother back."
"But he's not coming back."
Chase looked up and nodded. "I saw you and I saw you're different, and I don't want you to be different."
"I'm sorry." Adam reached over and held his brother's hand. "I'm sorry I left. I'm sorry I'm different. I'm sorry I can't go on missions now. But you know what I'm sorry for the most?"
Chase shook his head.
"I'm sorry I couldn't be here to protect you guys. I'm sorry I couldn't be here to chase away your nightmares. I'm sorry I couldn't be here to keep you from getting hurt last mission."
"How'd you know?" Chase asked.
"You're right-handed, not left, and the statistics are it was probably a mission. That's not my point. By leaving, I failed you, and you have every right to hate me."
"But I don't," Chase said quickly. "I can't hate you. You're my brother."
Adam smiled sadly. "Am I really?"
"Yes! You're just... different than when you left. You're grown up."
Adam laughed. "Oh, Chase, I've always been 'grown-up'. It's just easier to let you be the smart one."
Chase smiled weakly. "I'm glad you're back."
Adam's smile faded. "You're never going to let me out of your sight now, are you?"
"You think any of us will? I'm also going to talk to Douglas about unlocking some sort of defensive ability for you."
"Like your forcefield?" Adam murmured thoughtfully to himself. "A lot of guys I know would love to have one of those."
Chase's eyes lit up. "A force-field gauntlet! It wouldn't provide the same degree of control as mine, but it would still be worth a lot of protection."
Adam nodded. "I know some people who would be willing to field-test it for you. And I kind of want you all to meet them, anyway."
Chase nodded, deep in thought.
"So what happened while I was gone?"
"Well..." Chase launched into an extensive list of everything Adam had missed: Perry's retirement, Bree's fiancee, the discovery of some place called 'Mighty Med' that Chase was partnering with to make his dreams of becoming an astronaut-lawyer possible.
Adam listened intently for the first few minutes, then he just leaned back, smiling contentedly. It was good to be home.
...oOo...
A/N: I saw a lot of these done for Chase (or maybe it was just one - when something gets me really thinking, my mind kind of goes blank about the circumstances) - Anyways, I wanted to do one with Adam, so here you go.
Any OOC-ness on Adam's part is completely intentional. Others? Meh. Not intentional, but I did my best.
...oOo...
IMPORTANT SHOUT OUT: To all those who serve in the military. Thank you for all that you do, whether it's picking up a rifle and heading overseas or filing paperwork to keep everything running smoothly. And may those who gave the ultimate sacrifice rest in eternal peace.
...oOo...
About that last bit with Mighty Med, I had a burst of inspiration about the bionics need a hospital, yes, but superheroes also need lawyers, especially the ones from another planet, right? So: lawyer + frequent journeying to other planets (to meet clients, etc.) = Chase's astronaut-lawyer dream! (I really do hope they put something about that in the crossover episode, because after a certain amount of thinking, it's just one of those things that you're like, "Oh, that should've been blatantly obvious from the beginning!" [Another thing I'd want to see in the crossover would be Adam walking into a room, seeing Philip, and being all like "Oh, my gosh, that guy has a ginormous head!"])
Anyways, hope you enjoyed, please review. Constructive criticism? Yes, always. Flames? No, never.
-River