Many, many thanks to xxWasabiWarriorAlertxx, Lady Cougar-Trombone, AllAmericanSlurp, Swiftie22, Jillie chan, Glee Clue Rock 1251, paquiot899, Adeo1234, AlienGhostWizard14, rockybluewigs,88keys, AngelGoneDevil69, dreams71, and sing104 for your reviews!

Oh! And I meant to mention last chapter that this story has been done since February/early March, and all I've left to do is edit and post the remaining chapters. Unfortunately, because of the schedule I'm on, I can't update as frequently. :)

Please enjoy this chapter! Last chapter, this chapter, and all the following ones are probably some of my favorite chapters to have written.

Ten.

Chase wrapped his fingers tighter around his cup of coffee. The warmth emitted by the porcelain and the strong scent wafting through the air granted him the solace he needed. He cautiously sipped from it, so as not to burn his mouth and throat, before brooding back at his laptop screen. The small dose of caffeine would not do him any favors, he understood, but he required the extra jolt it usually provided. The long day he, his father and his brother spent out in the field in a sorry attempt to catch a presumably dead suspect drained his energy. Compared to other missions, it was less work, but the travel and countless frustrations they ran against had pummeled his body to the point of unbelievable exhaustion.

Of course, a break in their search would have paid off the work—but they didn't find it.

Unfortunately, their discovery of Douglas in the abandoned house was the only highlight of the day. Child Services did not provide any relative information. Jessi's Case Worker, Ms. Till, was kind and patient enough to answer any questions they had. Besides the horrid account of Jessi's life with her last foster family, nothing else was of use.

Although, he did find it interesting that Leo knew something about Jessi that they didn't. She loves drawing, he recalled him saying at one point in the conversation.

Ms. Till had smiled. That's right. Jessi did, she had said. She was a very talented girl. It was clear she wanted to be an artist. I just feel so bad that she had to use her only escape as a way to let us know how her foster family's treating her. She sighed then. If I could, I would take in all these kids. If I have all the money in the world and if I was younger. Jessi and Raymond and Torrance would be living with me.

He did ask about the other kids she mentioned, but she refused to discuss the others with them.

She was bound by the rules, so they understood.

The three of them also visited the prisons where each half of the foster couple was locked in. He and Leo only got as far as the parking lots, while Donald went in to speak with them, which may have been the best idea, since his amplified hearing ability communicated unpleasant conversations carried out in both instances, all coming from the man and the woman.

There were a few more stops but by dinnertime, Donald decided to call it off. After a drive and a plane ride, the three of them came home two hours before midnight.

Chase was determined to turn in and sleep off the unfruitful day when, after taking a much needed shower, he remembered the deadline for a college application. Thankfully, he had saved a half-filled draft of it, including his well-polished essay, and only had to finish and tweak a few things.

Yet, with only half an hour to go, he found it difficult to click the button that would finalize a huge decision.

"Coffee?"

Chase quickly spun around in his seat. He saw Tasha standing a few feet away from the counter, a knowing smile on her face accompanied by a hand on her hip. He opened his mouth to speak but couldn't find the voice to lie.

Tasha's hand dropped before she marched towards the cupboards. She opened a door and drew out a huge blue and yellow mug with a red heart on it, her favorite. "You know your father doesn't want any of you three drinking that stuff. It tends to make you glitch," she said, her voice bouncing off the cabinets.

"It's…decaf," Chase offered unsurely.

Tasha slid out the coffee pot and then poured out the beverage into her mug. After mixing it with a slew of creamers and sugar, she faced him with a soft grin. "I know, sweetheart. I'm kinda surprised you're still awake with how weak this is," she teased.

Chase smiled.

"So. What is our College Man doing up this late?" Tasha asked after taking a seat next to him. "Donald's knocked out on the futon in Adam's room, and Leo's been quiet in his room for a while now. I thought you would have been giving your upstairs room another shot."

"I will. I'm just, you know…" Chase shrugged, "taking care of some things."

Tasha drank some of her coffee. She nodded. "Anything I can help you with?" she asked.

Chase shook his head. "No. I'm good," he said appreciatively. "Thanks."

Tasha turned her attention to the mug in her hands, resisting inquiring further.

"What about you? Why are you still up?" Chase asked, frowning lightly.

The smile on Tasha's face returned. "Just making sure everything's in place," she said. "I had to check on Adam and Bree, and then I turned off the lights in the lab. Responded to a few work-related e-mails." She chuckled. "I, uh…I also started to put together a care package for you."

Chase's brows furrowed more. "A care package? But I won't leave for two more months," he said.

"Do you remember the box that the air conditioner came in?" Tasha asked.

"Yeah?"

"Double that," Tasha said.

Chase's eyes widened slightly. "But that's too big," he protested.

"I know. That's why I'm starting early," Tasha said. She explained further, her tone notably sadder, "When you go to New York, I won't be able to put things together for you like I could every day. I know you're more than capable to take care of yourself, but you're still my child. Or stepchild. Whichever you're comfortable with. I'd always worry if you eat well or you're warm enough for the weather. This box will be the least I can do."

"We'll still see each other. As long as there are missions," Chase pointed out hopefully.

"Only in passing," Tasha replied. "I won't be able to fuss over you like I could with Adam and Bree and Leo. You'd have to go back to your life after every mission. And that's okay; it has to happen." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "I hope you like the things I'm going to put there."

The somber conversation bothered Chase, but he opted to display a somewhat chipper mood. "What's in it?" he asked.

Tasha shrugged, her hand grasping back her mug before she took another sip. "You're going to have to find out once you get there," she said. "Though, I can assure you that there will be cookies. I hope you don't mind. I know you guys don't like it, but I'll try the recipe again."

Chase grinned. "I actually like the white chocolate chip macadamias," he muttered. "They're pretty good."

"Aw. Thanks, sweetie," Tasha said. Then, she made a face. "At least one of you guys like it."

"Oh, I'm not the only one," Chase chuckled. "You should see Leo when he finds them in his lunch bag. He practically inhales them. Adam's always loved them, and I think Bree and Mr. Davenport smuggles them out to school and to work."

Tasha scoffed. "Wha—And no one bothered to let me know about this?" she asked. "All this time I thought I was a horrible cook, and you guys actually like something I make!"

"Should I expect boxes of ramen noodles in there?" Chase asked later.

"Mm, yeah. A few, but it's only for emergencies. They're good, but it's not going to help you out of the impending freshman fifteen," Tasha said. "I didn't get rid of mine until after I had Leo. We can't have you struggling to keep up during missions now, can we?"

Chase shook his head. His eyes snagged upon the blinking cursor on the screen as he looked away, and it inevitably weakened his smile. Suddenly, New York seemed like an imaginary place. It offered many promises, including the very desires of his heart, but, assessed against the dire situation his family was in, it was verily fictitious. "I can't go to Columbia," he said.

Tasha frowned at him. "What?"

"I just can't," Chase said contemplatively. He beheld his stepmother's anxious look. An askew smile emerged on his face. "I can't leave you guys in a time like this."

"Look. Chase, honey. This is going to pass. It's going to end. Don't make a rash decision based on what's happened," Tasha reasoned hopefully.

"I know. And I'm not," Chase said. "But—it just made me realize that I could miss much by not being there at the right time. Two nights ago, I was supposed to sit with Bree and Leo. I let myself get distracted, and Bree ended up almost dying. Last night, I told Adam to go instead of me going, and he ended up in a coma." He paused, replaying the words he uttered in his head. "I just…I have to be here. For Mr. Davenport. For you. I don't want to fail anyone when I'm needed the most."

"Are you scared of failure, or are you scared of losing control?" Tasha asked solemnly.

Chase looked at her. He didn't know.

"We're not supposed to be your cage," Tasha added warmly. "We're supposed to be a branch you learn to fly away from. Isn't that what teenagers always want to do?" She laughed lightly. "Get away from your parents and your crazy siblings as far as possible?"

Chase's chuckle died almost as soon as it came about.

"The last thing we would want is to be the ones to hold you back from becoming what you're supposed to be," Tasha said. "Baby, you can't be afraid for us. You already have too much on your plate. I know you have a good heart, but sometimes you have to think of yourself too. Isn't Columbia University your top choice?"

"Yeah," Chase muttered quietly.

"And didn't you tell me before that this is your dream?"

"Yes. But my mind's made up." Chase stared blankly at the lukewarm cup of coffee nestled in his hands. "We found Douglas today. He's hiding out at the house where Jessi Nash used to live."

Tasha sat up, alert. "So did the letter come from him?" she asked.

Chase shook his head. "As much as Mr. Davenport and I would like to think so, it's probably not him," he replied. "He's completely clueless on what's been happening, and he has solid proof that it couldn't be him." He scoffed. "He's a pretty bad actor, too. If he was lying, we could have easily detected it. But he wasn't. Nothing out of the ordinary, except that he didn't try anything funny. He just let us walk out of his door."

"Which is what worries you."

"Very much," Chase responded. "You know, he's the one who holds me back. He reminded me of what can happen if I start thinking of myself. Even if he's not the sender, he will still try to do something to mess with my life. And I'm not going to give him or anyone else that much power over me."

"You're letting them force your hand into giving up what matters to you."

"You guys are what matters to me," Chase said determinedly. "No way am I going to let anyone take any of you away." Realizing how overly strong his tone must have been, he sighed. His shoulder hitched. "I'm just going to have to do without Columbia. There are still great schools near here. Stanford, I think, is pretty good. Breeds good leaders."

He intended to smile at Tasha to communicate his sincerity when he was suddenly squeezed into a hug. His instincts caused him to tense up, but as his stepmother's warmth registered to him, he gradually leaned into her. Neither of them spoke, and he somehow preferred it that way. He concluded that it was one of the normal things normal kids leaving for college get to enjoy with their mothers, and he, of course, had no qualms about experiencing it.

This distracted Chase from noticing an unexpected listener, who retreated into one of the rooms down the hall as quietly as he had come in when he had heard enough.

to be continued.