OH MY GOSH. I am so sorry you guys! I know I promised an update like a week ago, but life just got the best of me last week, so I never even got the chance to complete the story, let alone update. But, I finally sat down today and told myself that I would finish the story and upload the new chapter, so I did. I have to say, I really like how it turned out, and I hope you guys do too. I really hope it was worth the one-week wait.

Lots of Douglas and Chase father-son bonding in this chapter. Just putting that out there.

Disclaimer: I do not own Lab Rats, or any of its characters.

"Sooo," Douglas drawled. "What did you bring me?"

"Well, I was kind of short on time, so I didn't get the chance to pick up much; just some essentials," Chase replied, kicking the bags towards Douglas, who reached down to pick them up.

"Oooh, you bought sour cream and onion; score!" Douglas looked up at Chase with gratitude in his eyes. "How did you know all my favorites?"

Chase looked down at the worn out, wooden floor of the tree house and replied, "I didn't. I kinda just grabbed all of my favorite stuff; I guess we have similar tastes."

A heavy silence settled down in the tree house, creating an awkward barrier between father and son. Chase looked up at Douglas, "I'll try to bring you more stuff later, maybe like a laptop and other stuff, you know, so you can start looking for Krane and how to beat him and stuff."

Douglas had grown quiet, studying his potato chips with a thoughtful look on his face, giving no indication that he had heard any of what Chase had just said.

Well this is awkward, Chase thought, looking down, kicking an invisible piece of dust on the ground. He looked back at Douglas who still hadn't broken eye contact with his food. "Umm…I guess if that's it I should get going. The others are going to start wondering where I am. I'll check up on you later in case you need anyth-"

"Why did you save me?" Douglas asked suddenly, effectively cutting off Chase.

"What are you talking about?" Chase asked, knitting his eyebrows together in confusion.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about Chase. Why did you save me from Krane?" Douglas asked forcefully.

"Why not?" Chase countered just as forcefully.

"Why not?" Douglas laughed disbelievingly. "I'll tell you why not. Because you could have died Chase. If you had reacted one second too late or if Krane has been one second earlier, you would've gotten hit and you would've died. Instantly."

"Why does it even matter to you?" Chase questioned

"Because I care about you!" Douglas uttered, springing up from his place on the couch to stand face-to-face with his youngest son. "I really care about you," Douglas repeated, softer this time. "And I don't want to see you getting hurt or risking your safety, especially if it's just to save me."

"Have you ever considered the fact that maybe I care about you too?" Chase asked, staring hard at his father. "Did you ever maybe realize that I saved you because I didn't want you to die?"

"But why?" Douglas turned away from Chase's hard gaze. "Why would you want to save me, especially after all I've done to you and your family. Your brother and sister didn't try to save me."

"Because you are my family, whether you, Mr. Davenport, Adam, Bree, or anyone else realizes it or not. You're my father, and sons don't just sit around and let their fathers get blasted by crazy psychopaths that can create fireballs with their bare hands." Chase said grinning at Douglas. "And besides, I owed you one anyways, you did save my life twice."

"Twice?" Douglas asked in confusion. "I only saved you guys once yesterday."

"Does the avalanche ring a bell?" Chase said. "You may have forgotten it, but I haven't. You saved me from that avalanche, even after Mr. Davenport, Adam, and Bree gave up and went home. If it weren't for you, I would've frozen to death. You saved my life, and that's something I don't forget easily. Besides, I figured it was the least I could do. I mean, I did freeze you in a block of ice afterwards."

"Yeah, I really didn't appreciate that. I had ice in places that ice should never, ever be."

Chase snorted, covering his mouth with his hand to hold in his laughter, but the effort was futile and he burst out laughing; a loud, happy sound of pure joy that reverberated throughout the entire tree house, lighting up the dim, gloomy atmosphere.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh at me all you want," Douglas replied, trying to sound annoyed, but the effect was ruined by the huge grin that was overtaking his features at the sight of his gleeful son, who was in near hysterics. His joy was so contagious, that Douglas couldn't help but join in.

"Oh my gosh, okay, I'm sorry. I don't really know what came over me," Chase apologized, all the while wiping away the tears of laughter from his eyes. "It's just, I haven't really laughed like that in a long time. It felt pretty good to do it again."

Douglas frowned at the boy's confession, "Why not?"

Chase shrugged his shoulders, "I don't really know. I guess I haven't really had a reason to. I mean, I like spending time with my siblings, you know, when they're not insulting my face, or my height, or my hair-"

Douglas cut Chase off, "What's wrong with your hair? I think it looks fantastic."

Chase gave Douglas a look, "That's because it looks like yours."

"Exactly why it looks fantastic!"

Chase rolled his eyes. "What I'm trying to say is that… I mean, I really wish that my siblings, I don't know, I wished that they appreciated me a little more. That they could see that I'm more than just intelligence. You know, I can fight, I'm capable of doing more than just bossing people around. I just wish they realized how important I am to the team." Chase looked up from his place on the couch to his father, who was uncharacteristically silent, listening intently to his son. Assured that he was listening, Chase went on, the words tumbling out of his mouth. He found himself unable to stop, "I mean, that's the whole reason I went by myself to Antarctica in the first place. I wanted to prove to all of them that I can get a mission done myself, without hustle and muscle. But I just ended up in trouble and Adam and Bree had to come save my sorry butt anyways. I don't know, sometimes I wonder if they're right. Maybe they would be better off without me." Chase, unable to go on, looked down at his hands, ashamed for admitting so much weakness in front of Douglas.

Douglas looked down at his son, who was staring at his hands in silence. He sighed; it seemed as if looks weren't the only thing Chase inherited from him. Looking at Chase, Douglas felt like he was looking into a mirror, seeing a perfect reflection of his past self. The same hair, same eyes, same fears, same desperation for a chance to prove yourself, the same insecurities…

Looking down at Chase, Douglas felt an unexplainable surge of anger directed straight towards his older brother and his two elder children. Donald, Adam, and Bree were doing the same thing to Chase that his family had done to Douglas when he was younger. Made him feel worthless. His parents had spent Douglas's entire childhood making sure Donald always overshadowed him, and now Donald was spending Chase's youth making sure Adam and Bree overshadowed him. Maybe it wasn't on purpose, but it didn't matter. The damage was still being done.

Douglas reflected on his own life in the past couple of years. The anger. The bitterness. The incessant craving for revenge. It was a lonely life to live; no real companion but the festering hate in the core of your very being. And it was all for nothing in the end. At 40 years old, he's achieved nothing in life. He doesn't have a family, he doesn't have his kids, and he doesn't even have a house anymore. He's left living in a musty, old tree house, dependent on his son and said son's minimum wage salary at a tech store to get him the basic necessities he needs. His life is one big failure. And I don't want Chase to end up the same way, he thought grimly.

Douglas knelt down so that he was eye-level with Chase, who was sitting on the couch, and placed a hand on his shoulder. Chase cast a side-glance at the hand placed on his shoulder. He looked up and was greeted by Douglas's concerned face. He sighed, great, now even Douglas feels sorry for me. And he's living in a tree house. I really am pathetic.

"Chase," Douglas prompted, steel kneeling down to face him. "Chase look at me."

"Look Douglas, I don't want your pity," Chase replied.

"Chase, let's be real here," Douglas said sarcastically. "I'm living in a tree house. I don't even think I'm allowed to give anyone pity.

"Huh, that is true. I don't think you get any worse than this." Chase said, a thoughtful look on his face.

"That's not the point," Douglas said defensively. He sighed, "Look Chase, I know what you're going through. I'm not here to offer you pity, or even sympathy. I'm here to let you know that everything that you're thinking; it's not true. None of it. You are useful, you are powerful, and you are strong. You are so much more than just a regular person with above average intelligence. You have no idea just how much potential you have. You have no idea about the things you can do; the things you're capable of. You can do anything your siblings can, and more."

"You're just saying that to make me feel better. You don't have to lie; I know you don't really mean it," Chase replied.

"Chase," Douglas said, placing both hands on Chase's shoulders, forcing him to look at him. "Look at me. I'm not lying. I literally created you, and I promise, the powers you have now are nothing compared to your full potential. You are so powerful, and I can't wait to see you and the rest of your family realize just how special you truly are. I know it may seem like you're weak or lacking abilities compared to your siblings, but give it a year or two. They'll be apologizing for ever doubting you. You were the third one, my latest and greatest. You have abilities that even Donnie doesn't know about. Adam and Bree were the prototypes, so to speak. You are the masterpiece. I mean, you risked your life to save mine, even after everything I've done to you and your family. I am so proud of the person you've become."

Chase wasn't normally the emotional type, but hearing Douglas tell him that he was proud of Chase, something he'd been wishing Donald would say all the time; it created a warm, happy feeling that spread throughout his whole body. He didn't feel small, inferior, unwanted, he felt loved; and that's all he ever wanted. Maybe he was just caught up in the moment, or maybe it was the long-standing internal desire to know his real father. Looking back on it, Chase couldn't really pinpoint the real reason why he did what he did next. He reached forward and wrapped his arms around Douglas, pulling his father into a tight embrace.

Douglas was caught off guard when he felt Chase hug him. It was definitely a strange feeling, but, in a good way. He slowly wrapped his arms around his son, subconsciously pulling him closer. Douglas wasn't lying when he said he was proud of Chase. He really and truly was. Chase may not be as fast as Bree or as strong as Adam, but he had a good heart. Douglas realized that he was wrong before. No matter what happens, Chase wouldn't end up like him. Because Chase was too good of a person to ever turn as bitter and evil as he had. And that's all he could ever want from Chase. Huh, he's just like his mother….No don't think about that right now, things are already complicated enough as it is, that'll just make everything ten times worse.

Douglas was jolted out of his thoughts, by the vibrating sound coming from Chase's pocket. Chase pulled back from the embrace, and pulled out his phone.

"Uh oh," Chase said. "I've been here too long, already. Davenport says that if I don't call within the next five minutes he's sending Adam and Bree to look for me. I have to go now."

Chase stood up from the couch and Douglas followed. "Umm, I'll probably be back in a couple of days with more stuff. Just try not to call my phone during the day, because someone else might pick it up and that would blow our whole cover."

"So, how long am I staying here?" Douglas asked.

"I'm going to try and convince Davenport that we should give you a chance," Chase replied.

"And if he doesn't listen?"

"He's going to have to. Krane's return is inevitable, and we're going to need your help if we want any chance at defeating him. Mr. Davenport has to trust you."

"Why would Donnie ever even trust me again?" Douglas asked.

"Because I trust you. And that's got to count for something, right?" Chase responded, grinning at Douglas, who grinned back in response.

The father-son moment was interrupted by Chase's vibrating phone. Douglas peered over at the screen and saw that Bree was calling Chase, no doubt, wondering why Chase wasn't responding to any of their messages or calls.

"I have to go now," Chase said, making his way down the ladder.

"But, I'll see you soon. Dad," he called from the ground.

Douglas watched as Chase took off running, probably to get home before Donnie had a panic attack.

"I'll be waiting," Douglas said, although Chase was already out of earshot. "Son."

So? What did you guys think? I don't know, I've just really liked the whole Douglas and Chase father-son relationship ever since Avalanche, and I'm hoping to see more of it in season three as the show continues. I just think they have a lot of potential.

I'm actually planning on writing a full-lenth story, that's sort of a sequel to this one. It's going to deal with you know, Chase hiding Douglas in the treehouse, his family finding out, the return of Krane, their final showdown, and that one little thing I dropped in the middle about Chase's mom? Yeah, well that wasn't out of thin-air. That's going to come into play in my story as well. Also, when Douglas was telling Chase about the powers he has yet to discover. That was more foreshadowing. But don't worry all you Adam, Bree, and Leo fans out there. They're going to have a big role in my story as well. I promise you that it's going to be epic. But, the story won't be out any time soon though, because I want to write the whole thing out before I post it, because I don't want to get writer's block in the middle, and then leave you guys hanging for like a month because I have no idea how to continue my story. But, luckily, summer's coming up, so more writing time, so that's a plus. But, since I'm going to be working on the story, I probably won't be posting anymore one-shots until I finish that.

Anyways, please review, and let me know what you thought of the chapter. I love hearing you guys' thoughts!