A/N: Hello, fanfiction readers! I am back with the chapter that some of you have been waiting for. I asked everyone to review and ask what questions he or she wanted. No one did, so I guess I'm doing it myself. Well, there was one, but I will get to that later. For the most part, you wanted me to give you the information. Fine by me. I wrote mostly every word of this chapter out on paper. This chapter alone without the author's note was more than 6,000 words! I'm proud of that. But of course, before we get to my master piece, I would like to thank the following people for reviewing:
Meloncholy's Sunshine: I don't think I'm going to have Big D and his Multiverse theory. Yes, Leo is going to tell them about Marcus. Not this chapter, though.
Beverlie4055: Touché.
AllAmericanSlurp: Will do my friend, and thanks for being a constant reviewer. You make me enjoy posting up upcoming chapters!
Anime Star99: Coming from a boy, I would have to agree. It was indeed romantic. More Lella is ahead. Read on. You might not like it though.
LabRatsLover: I hear you. We shall see. You might not like this chapter. There's a new fic called Avalanche with loads of Leo and Calla friendship upcoming. Check it out if you haven't done so yet.
Kihonne (even though you didn't review): I'm sure you're anxious to read this chapter after I mentioned the spoiler via PM. You might like this chapter, or you might not. Or both.
Onto the chapter! I have not done the disclaimer yet, so it's far time I do one now!
*Walks up on stage* I do not own Lab Rats. However, I do own Leo's future, Bree's future, Chase's future, everyone's future. I don't know if I own Calla and company's future because the characters belong to Kihonne, but this is all new to her, am I right? *Audience laughs* What I do know is that it is time for the Previously on…
Previously on Lab Rats
"Now that everyone is present, Leo, enlighten us as to why you head over to Calla's ever afternoon after track," Big D said as he set his feet on the coffee table.
"Calla may be in pain right now, but someday, she's going to fully recover and I'm going to be there for her every step of the way. If I could go through hell with Calla, with any of you, I would. That's why I always visit Calla. I want to be there for her!"
Most of the family had accepted Calla as a friend again, except for Chase. No one knew why, but they sensed he didn't enjoy her presence. That was his fault.
"So, are you going to tell me about the future?" I asked, smiling sweetly and holding my hand out to him.
He smiled and took my hand in his. "I am. How about we discuss things over at your place?"
I smiled. "That sounds perfect," I admitted. Together the two of us walked to the elevator.
A stray leaf fluttered past the streets the streets that afternoon. Down below, a boy and a girl walked to their given destination. The boy was holding the girl's hand in a way that suggested he was the boyfriend and she was the girlfriend. In reality, they were just tight friends that cared strongly for each other. Each had gone through a difficult time and was dealing with it in different ways.
Taking a right turn, the girl arrived in front of a two-story house, the name Parker on the mailbox. Suddenly, she stopped and faced her friend.
"Is everything okay, Calla?" the boy asked.
The girl turned to face him. "Something doesn't feel right." On alert for anything, Calla stepped forward. A second later, she cried out in pain and clutched her leg, only to find that the pain had passed.
"What's wrong?" the boy asked.
"I don't know. It's gone now."
Leo walked Calla up to her bedroom and sat down in an armchair directly across from Calla. Presently, Jaden's game today was away while Calla's mother had a night shift. Jaden would be home by eleven, by which Leo was sure he would be long gone by then.
"As you now know, I am from the future. It was a horrifying future. Some parts still haunt me to this day. I will not hold any information back against you, so ask cautiously. Some parts you might not want to know."
Calla understood. She leaned forward and looked into Leo's eyes. He suddenly seemed old. Not in the sense that he was sporting gray hair or anything like that. He looked exhausted. Calla could sense Leo had seen a lot in his life, and that he had been holding it all in. The faraway look in Leo's eyes made Calla worried.
"I don't make it, do I?" she asked.
"I don't know. Last I saw you was ten months ago. Bree, Chase and I learned the location of Victor Krane's latest hideout and we were hoping to finish him. We didn't bring you along because we wanted you to stay safe just in case we never came back. We killed Victor, but we lost both Bree and Chase."
"Who is we? Do you mean I? And who is Victor Krane?"
"Victor Krane is a rogue billionaire that was bent on taking over the world. His main targets were Adam, Bree, and Chase. In order to match up to their level, Victor injected himself with bionics, permanently scarring his face. His partner was Douglas Davenport, Donald's brother who at the time wanted to use his bionic creations, Adam, Bree, and Chase as bionic soldiers to do his evil bidding."
"So, Donald isn't the father?"
"No. Donald stole them from Douglas early on and raised them as his own. The true father was Douglas. Needless to say, Douglas's plan failed and Victor took over. After Victor Krane killed all three bionics, I convinced Douglas to turn against Victor and Douglas killed Victor.
"I wanted to head back and tell you of the loss, but losing my wife, Bree, was just too much. That was part of the reason I never came back. The months prior, I forgot about you and worked with Douglas on a time machine, though he was the one that put it all together. Despite being the bad guy, he and I formed a relationship. When the time machine was finished, I got in and came back to the day I met Adam, Bree, and Chase."
"So… where's the past Leo?"
"The time machine was specifically designed so I would take control of my past-selves mind."
"Cool! What was our relationship?"
"I was good friends with you and had thought about taking it to the next level, but with the battle against Krane, I figured I'd wait until after. Chase was your girlfriend during a portion of the war and asked for your hand in marriage. You said yes. The two of you would have had a good wedding had Chase not perished during the fight with Krane."
"I end up with Chase?! Ahh!" Calla cried out in pain again, reaching for her leg.
"I'm sure. Are you okay?" Leo asked.
"I'm fine. I think it's just leg cramps," Calla said. "I end up with Chase? Why?"
Leo could tell she wasn't thrilled with that. He gave a shrug, indicating he could not help answer the question. "I actually don't know why. If I had to guess, it is because you were both nerds. You went for the brainiest, I guess. It also could have been his bravery. He saved you from a fire and then asked you to marry him. He also sacrificed himself so Bree and I could go face Krane. I'm not sure why."
"Future Leo said that I invented the holophone. Did I invent it in the timeline?"
"It was never an invention in the timeline when we went to face Krane. I don't know."
Calla was slightly disappointed, but didn't say anything about it. "So I'm possibly alive. What about Jaden?"
"Remember what I said about not wanting to know?"
"Leo, what about Jaden?"
Leo's eyes averted their attention to the floor. Calla waited for Leo to answer, but after five minutes, he had yet to utter a sound. She started to grow worried. What horrible thing could have happened that Leo could not answer her question? She was about to ask again when Leo met Calla's gaze. The following two sentences would haunt Calla forever.
"Jaden is dead," Leo stated. "He committed suicide."
Calla's hand flew to her mouth as she fought back a strangled cry. Her own brother had taken his life because he thought his life wasn't worth living anymore. She was Jaden's brother. He knew she was there for her, yet he did it anyways. What would drive him to do such a monstrous thing? A pair of arms wrapped themselves around her and started to rub her back.
Calla lost it and relented tears as she and Leo bereaved of Jaden's lifeless form. Calla had to figure out why. Once she had the why, Calla was going to do everything in her power to make sure Jaden did not commit suicide in the future. There was a strong bond between the Parker's and Calla was going to make it stronger, as she did not want fate to repeat itself. She heard that fate could be a fickle bitch, and she hoped it wouldn't be so.
Wiping away the tears in her eyes, Calla whispered, "Tell me why!"
"You might need these," Leo suggested as he handed Calla a box of tissues. "I didn't know about it at first. I was at my house playing Pig Zombies III, Invasion of the Werecows. The house wasn't the mansion, but a different house that Bree had bought for us. Victor Krane had blown up our mansion. You were Chase's girlfriend at the time. Anyways, it was about ten at night on a school day. You asked if Jaden was there. I knew something was wrong so Bree, Chase and I headed over to the school since that is where you called.
"When we arrived, we learned from you and your mom that none of the players had seen Jaden since lunch. He missed both practice and the game. When we saw his car, every last one of us was aghast. His car door was unlocked and his keys were still in the ignition. All the fans and players on both sides had been asked to be on the lookout.
"We all assumed it was a kidnapping. We were all wrong. A couple of days went by, but there was no word of Jaden. The only fingerprints authorities found on the car belonged to Jaden. Your mom was in a panic. She spent days looking for him, not getting any sleep. She was working so much on the case that she almost never went back home.
"Finally, you find him and called us and the cops. Jaden was at the park about five miles from the school. He was dead, a glock in his arms and blood seeping out of his chest." Leo sobbed onto Calla's shoulder while Calla sobbed onto Leo's shoulder. Five minutes later, Leo continued. "In his other hand was an envelope with specific instructions to open it the day of his funeral. The day of the funeral, everyone learned who had caused all this. It was me."
Leo sobbed into his hands. Calla opened her mouth to ask how, but quickly realized that Leo would answer that question soon. She opted to rub his shoulders and offer words of encouragement instead.
After apologizing for the delay, Leo continued. "He did it," he said it as a replacement word, "because he felt unloved. His family wasn't there for him as he put it. He talked about how his mom was always away and how it felt as if his relationship with her was nonexistent. He also talked about how you never helped him understand others and how you never helped him with his life because you were too busy with your own. Jaden talked about his monster crush on Bree that consumed a good part of his high school life and how he thought she was the missing piece. When he learned of my forced marriage with Bree—"
"Hold up. Forced marriage?" Calla questioned.
"I'll get to that in a bit," Leo promised. "As I was saying, when Jaden learned of my forced marriage with Bree, it was too much for him. He never recovered. He thought he was in some sort of hell as he put it. He faked his own kidnapping and killed himself. Jaden blamed me, saying that if I had let him be with Bree then none of this would have happened. I felt guilty about it for a long time.
"Anyways, as I told you, Victor Krane planted a bomb in our mansion. It killed Adam and Mr. Davenport. Bree, Chase, and I were in the living room and managed to escape. A day after we lost Adam and Mr. Davenport, Victor Krane attacked Mission Creek High and set most of the building on fire with his pryokinesis. Janelle had school that day so we rushed over there. We were too late; Janelle, my girlfriend and the love of my life, had been strangled to death and beaten severely.
"That was one of the worst days of my life naturally. Having to explain what happened to Janelle's mom was downright impossible. We thought the chaos was over. We were wrong."
"Wow. Now I can see why you wanted to change the future," Calla whispered. She handed Leo the box of tissues, which he gratefully accepted. "Did Tasha make it out of the explosion?"
"She was tortured to death earlier," Leo sniffed. He then blew his nose, sobbed, sobbed some more, and then finally after about ten minutes, Leo wiped off his tears. "Sorry," Leo apologized.
"No need to. It sounds as if this is your first time talking about this, am I right? I thought so," Calla said when Leo turned his head away sheepishly. "You don't need to answer anymore—"
"Nonsense! You deserve to know what you want to know. Now, where was I? Oh, right. We thought the chaos was over. We were wrong.
"Social Services came by the next day. Bree was the only one of adult age. They were going to send Chase and me to foster care tomorrow. The only way to avoid getting sent there was if one of us was married. Chase and Bree couldn't marry because they had the same bionic genes, which made them brother and sister. Since brothers and sisters can't marry, she was forced to marry me or else I would be sent away to foster care with Chase."
"I thought you said that brothers and sisters can't marry."
"They can't. However, they allow stepsiblings to marry because they don't share the same blood. So, I married Bree."
"So you never fell in love with Bree?" Calla asked.
"During the marriage, I actually did fall in love with her. At one point, all the love and stuff was real."
"And Chase?"
"All you need to know is we got him back, but we had to break a few laws."
"Why do you think Chase is so different than he was in your timeline?"
Leo shrugged. "I can't say why. No one in our family knows why."
"How about you invite Chase over tomorrow and I ask him about it?"
Leo agreed. One was because he himself wanted to know, and two, Chase and Calla should really connect. It was time to end their foolishness.
"One last question before you head home."
"Only one?" Leo teased.
"Only one that is relevant. The others have to do with trivial things like the stock market and relationships and stuff."
"Okay then. Fire away."
"When did you become friends with Jaden and I?"
Leo looked guilty as he looked at Calla. "When the fight with Victor Krane was going on. We were never friends this early on."
Calla stopped to process what she had heard. When the implications of what Leo had said hit her, she gasped.
"I approached you because I knew you would be helpful as a friend if we faced Victor Krane again. I said I wanted to get to know you more, but that was mostly a lie. I—" Leo bit his lip to hold back a sob. "I've been lying to you since day one."
Leo grabbed some tissues and wiped his eyes. Slowly approaching Leo, Calla once again let him cry on her shoulder. "I understand if you never want to talk to me again, and I will accept that. It's just that—"
"Leo," Calla breathed, "as much as I want to be angry at you for that, I don't think I can."
Leo stopped crying. "You can't?" he croaked.
Wiping a tear from Leo's eyes, Calla said, "I can't. Look, you've been friends with me since day one of my accident. You cared for me and you showed up and looked after me more than all of my friends, even more than my brother. I know that we never ended up together, but since you're changing the future, I might as well try to change mine."
Leo raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" he asked.
"I mean…" Calla leaned forward, her face so close to Leo's face that Leo could feel her heart beating against his chest. Or maybe it was his heart. Or maybe their hearts were bouncing off each other. He had no idea. All he knew was that he had a good feeling where this was going to go. Calla was going to kiss him. "Let's take this one step further," Calla whispered.
Leo was indeed right. Calla wanted to take their relationship to the next level. She wanted to take their relationship to the next level even though she knew that he and Janelle were dating. She did know that, right? Even if she didn't and was ready to take it to the next level, Leo wasn't. Janelle was his girlfriend, and Leo didn't want to imagine what would happen if Janelle learned that Calla had kissed him. Knowing Janelle, she would accept it, but later over exaggerate it and then she wouldn't trust him anymore because she felt he was cheating on her with Calla. Besides, Leo didn't feel as if he could juggle the responsibility of helping Calla do a lot of trivial things like cooking and walking and getting herself something to drink, going to the bathroom, and the like. He would be more husband than he would boyfriend. Leo hit the floor butt first.
"L-look, C-Calla," Leo stuttered. "I'm flattered you l-like me and all, but I don't know if I'm ready to take on the responsibility of being your boyfriend. I'm going to have to pass. Goodbye."
Leo exited Calla's house feeling guilty. He was certain Call liked him, and he liked her, but he simply could not do that to Chase. Calla and Chase were so close back in his original timeline. Now, the two seemed as if their friendship had suddenly come to an abrupt halt. If things weren't fixed soon, who knew how the future would be. Leo wanted their friendship to return to normalcy before Calla made her decision. He felt guilty that he held presently stronger feelings for Calla than Chase and he did not want to enter a relationship with Calla with that on his conscience.
"Oh, Leo, you're home," Tasha said. "Janelle called recently. She wanted to know if going to a restaurant instead of going to the movies was okay with you."
'That's odd. Janelle never did that in the original timeline. In fact, she never did! Something is up!' Leo thought. "I'll tell her it's all right."
You know my secret, don't you? – Leo
Yeah and it sounds bizarre! – Janelle
We'll talk about it over dinner. – Leo
Okay. – Janelle
"So, Leo, how was your talk with Calla?" Bree asked.
"Three words: exhausting and awkward," Leo responded as he entered his bedroom and flopped down on his bed.
"Awkward? How?"
"She tried to kiss me. Good night, Bree!"
"Wait, she tried to kiss you? Leo, Leo!" Bree tried to wake Leo up, but he was out like a light. Frustrated, yet feeling the need she had to tell someone this, Bree rushed down into the lab where Adam and Chase were getting in their capsules. She saw Mr. Davenport closing the capsules. Figuring she'd tease Leo about it tomorrow, Bree got in her capsule.
Leo's POV in dream
"Calla, look out!" Chase screamed, quickly pulling her towards him as part of the roof fell off and landed right where Calla had been seconds ago.
"We're almost to the exit!" I cried before I coughed from the smoke. Bree grabbed my shoulder and we limped out of the warehouse.
Turning back, I cried, "Calla, Chase, hurry up! The things going to—"
I felt the explosion before I heard it. The impact of the explosion caused the three of us to be thrown back onto the street. The cloud of fire rose from the ground. Firefighters rushed to us immediately, offering oxygen masks. I looked at the warehouse with glassy eyes. There was nothing but orange flames, licking the burnt wood. It appeared as if Chase and Calla didn't make it.
Suddenly, I spotted a figure coming out of the building. Correction, two figures. By the looks of it, one was female, and the other was male. My heart was caught in my throat. Could Chase and Calla have survived the explosion?
My question was confirmed when Chase came out of the building supporting a burnt and bleeding Calla. Soot covered her entire face. She looked like someone who had fallen down the chimney. She smiled at me when I saw her. I smiled back. It was as if someone had pushed the push button on two separate lives. It was only the two of us in that moment in time.
Calla was my closest female friend, apart from my wife, Bree, but you already know that. The four of us were being treated for smoke inhalation. Chase excused himself and kneeled in front of Calla. He pulled a small, black velvet box out of his jacket pocket. I knew what was happening immediately: Chase was proposing to Calla.
"Oh…my…god," she whispered, letting a tear escape down her cheek. "Chase, are you about to…?"
"Calla, I don't know what I'd do without you. Despite all the horrors, you make everything in my life better, and more meaningful. I don't want to do anything without you. We lost Jaden, and I don't want to lose you. I want you to be there with me every step of the way as we travel, raise kids, buy a house, and do whatever I can to make you happy. Deep down, I think you are thinking the same thing.
"I feel like the luckiest person alive and I want more than anything to spend the rest of my life with you. I know everything is a wreck right now, but when everything dies down, would you, Calla Breana Parker do the honor of marrying me?"
"I… I…" Calla stuttered.
Calla was about to say, "Yes!" when I noticed a horrifying sight. Right behind her was Victor Krane, a fireball forming in his hands. An evil smirk was on his face, and I realized to my horror that this thing was not going to end well at all. Calla would be dead unless I did something about it.
"Calla, look out!" I called.
Calla turned around right as Victor threw the fireball in her direction. I watched in horror as the yellowish, orange mass reached Calla and she collapsed to the dirt ground.
"Nooooo!" I cried. My eyes shot open suddenly, my pounding heart echoing throughout the room. Covered in sweat, I breathed in and out in an attempt to calm myself down. Images of a dead Calla flashed through my head as I scanned my bedroom. As silly as it sounded, I had to make sure this was just some nightmare and not reality. Grabbing my cellphone, I dialed Calla's number.
The phone rang twice and then… "Leo, what are you doing calling at—" I heard Calla sit up in bed before sitting back down. "Three in the morning?"
My mind completely went blank upon hearing the voice. I completely forgot what I was going to ask. "You're awake? I didn't expect you to—"
"To pick up? I figured. As it is, I can't go to sleep at all. What do you want?"
"I don't remember at all. I forgot. Now that you're up—hello? Hello?" Calla must have hung up. I was disappointed until I remember why I had called. It actually was a nightmare. Now, what to do at 3: 10 in the morning? A thought crossed my mind instantly. Sleep.
It felt as if I was out for only five seconds when Bree entered my room and told me breakfast was ready.
No one's POV
At 9: 00 the next morning, the Davenport-Dooley family sat on the couch as the family waited for Leo to tell them about the future. Adam, Bree, and Chase had told Donald and Tasha Leo was from the future and showed them Leo's list of what he was planning to change in the timeline the night before.
"There was once a boy named Leo Dooley. His mom married a rich inventor," Leo began.
"That's me!" Big D announced as he raised his hand like a champion wrestler.
"And Leo met Adam, Bree, and Chase," Leo continued.
"Hey! That's us!" announced Adam.
"I would appreciate it if you would leave your questions to yourself until I finished thanks. Anyways, Leo met Adam, Bree, and Chase. Things went well until Adam, Bree, and Chase exposed their bionics to Principal Perry.
"They exposed their bionics?" Big D nearly shouted.
"Right. Now, please leave questions AND comments until the end. Understood, Big D?"
"Understood."
"That goes for the rest of you as well. After exposing their bionic secret, the Lab Rats fled. They were caught, but escaped needless to say. Later, we faced Victor Krane, a rogue billionaire bent on destroying Adam, Bree, and Chase."
"He didn't succeed, did he?"
"He succeeded." Leo waited as Big D cried out in anguish. Once he was finished, Leo continued. "But his partner killed him. Together, he and Leo spent the next ten months learning about each other and working on a way to travel back in time. Leo got in the time machine and traveled back here to help train the Lab Rats against Victor Krane. Any questions?"
"Where is the old Leo?" Tasha asked.
"I killed him and disposed of his body in the river. Kidding!" Leo stated after seeing his families horrified reactions. "Eddy, please say you got that on camera."
"I sure did," came Eddy's annoying computerized voice.
"The time machine sent my mind back to September 2012. That was the day I had my seizure."
"Why didn't you just come back to the house?" Tasha asked.
"Because there was no mansion. Victor Krane blew up this place. Adam, Mr. Davenport, you two died instantly."
"What about me?"
"I'm sad to say that you were tortured to death by Victor Krane."
Palpable silence filled the room as everyone reflection upon the realization. Suddenly, "So you're saying someone murdered Tasha? Woohoo!" Eddy cried. Balloons and red and white confetti rained down from the sky. Normally, such an occasion would be over something delightful. Only, Eddy was the only one delightful. "Finally, someone was thinking properly! Ask Victor if he is for hire!"
"Shut off your computer system, Donald!" Tasha ordered as she gave Big D a glare that made everyone shiver.
"I would, but Eddy wouldn't let me down the stairs," Donald responded.
"You're right about that, Donnie," Eddy said. "I've the dodge balls ready to fire!"
"So we're just supposed to let him keep making those insulting comments?" Tasha asked offended.
"Please and thank you, Tasha."
Sensing that things would get out of hand fairly quickly, Bree asked, "Does Adam ever get a girlfriend?"
"Nope," Leo responded.
"That's a go figure. What about Chase?"
"Before he sacrifices himself, he was engaged—"
"Ha! I got a girl!"
"To Calla Parker," I finished.
Chase was dead quiet. Bree was enjoying it. "Are you sure that's not a mistake? You like her more than I do," Chase stated.
"I'm sure. That exoskeleton incident never happened, which as a result led to you not going through your I-hate-Calla-phase."
"But I don't hate Calla, at least not anymore."
It was Leo's turn to be dead quiet. The only noise present was the silence that everyone was hearing. "I'm confused," Leo said. "If you don't hate her, then why do you not like seeing her? On second thought, tell Calla about it. You can go over to my house and tell her while I'm on my date with Janelle."
"Ooh! Stealing Leo's lady, are you?" Bree teased.
"What are you talking about?" Chase questioned.
"Calla tried to kiss Leo last night," Bree said.
"Calla kissed you?" Tasha gasped. "While you were dating Janelle."
"No, Mom. I panicked and ran home," Leo confessed. "Bree, I know what question you are going to ask next, so I'll just answer it. You do walk down the aisle in white."
"Yes! I knew it!"
"With me."
Once again, palpable silence filled the room. Even Eddy was quiet. Suddenly, everyone started talking at once. Most of what was being said involved their opinions on Leo and Bree's marriage.
Finally having enough of the argument, Leo cried, "Everybody quiet!" Much to his surprise, the family quieted down. Leo took the time to explain the events leading up to his and Bree's marriage and explained all the deaths of family and friends, Victor Krane included. When Leo finished, the family was flabbergasted over the draconian events in Leo's life. The family amended to give Leo more deference than they originally gave him.
"Wow. You went through all that?" Big D asked, shocked that someone would still have the will to go on after all that horror. "Oh, that reminds me, who was the person who helped send you back in time and why didn't he go with you?"
"I can't say," Leo said. "I know who and why, but I don't feel willing to share them. Besides, your irascible behavior is getting to me."
"Wow, Leo, using a word like irascible, I'm impressed. Now, how does the stock market do?" Chase asked.
Leo dropped his head in embarrassment. "I haven't watched TV or read a newspaper in four years. I haven't the slightest idea. Sorry."
"So, should I break up with Ethan since he and I aren't going to be together?" Bree questioned.
Leo badly wanted to say she should and become a couple with him, but he did not think it would be fair to end Bree and Ethan's relationship. This shouldn't be the way that Bree falls for him. "It's up to you. I came back here to help prepare you for Victor Krane. I want to prepare you for that maniac. My love of my life was Janelle, and as much as I want to be with her, it is up to fate to decide. As long as the future is better, I couldn't care what happens."
"I can understand that. So, Leo, how did we do against Victor Krane?"
"Not at all. He had implanted himself with bionics. We had only faced one bionic prior to him. It was three on one and we barely won. You needed a lot more training. However, I think you'll be ready this time."
"Why do you say that?"
"Because you aren't the same person as you used to be. I manipulated the timeline."
Chase was the first to piece it together, Bree shortly after her. "Oh my god!" he cried.
"So, everything about us has been one big lie?" Bree asked.
Leo hung his head in defeat. Both Bree and Chase gasped. "I've been lying to you all since day one," he mumbled. Freshly streamed tears cascaded down his face, wetting his shirt. "But what would you have done in my situation? I mean, really?" Leo wiped his eyes off with his shirtsleeve. "I completely understand if you guys don't ever want to talk to – whoa!" Leo cried as both Tasha and Donald bear hugged him.
"We can forgive you, honey," Tasha said. "We always will."
Placing a hand on Leo's shoulder, Donald stated, "I will support any decision you make. Well, most decisions anyways."
As soon as Tasha let go, Bree tackled Leo onto the couch. She was crying as well. "I forgive you too. And thanks for everything! Going back in time, teaching me to dance, and for trying to help us. I may not be the same Bree, but I like this me better. Speaking of Ethan, what happens to him?"
"He moves away." Leo brushed back a stray piece of Bree's hair and smiled at her. "You always were my favorite sister."
Bree smiled, but before she could say anything, Adam grabbed Leo and hugged him tightly. "You are forgiven. We love you, bro," Adam said.
"Can you let go of me?" Leo rasped.
"Right, sorry." Adam let go of Leo.
"Thanks, Adam. Chase, it's your turn to – where'd he go?" Leo asked. Chase was not in the room anymore. "Where could he have gone? The lab?"
"Eddy, show the inside of the lab," Donald ordered.
Surprisingly, Eddy did as told. The family gasped as they watched Chase don on his mission suit and walk out of view. One look at Bree and Bree speeded downstairs into the lab and head to where Chase had gone.
"Chase? Where are you going?" Bree cried in distress.
"I need some place where I can be alone for a while," Chase answered, his voice distant. "I'll be on the roof if you need me."
Bree nodded speeded back upstairs, and told them that Chase needed some time to himself. Everyone assumed Chase would be up for lunch. They were wrong. Chase had not come down by the time Leo left for his date.
"Chase, I think you've been up there long enough," Donald cried. "You've got to be hungry, so come get something to eat."
Chase's head shot up when he heard food, and he quickly jumped off the roof, using his force field to steady his fall. Chase quickly ate his meal as if he hadn't eaten in hours, which was, well, true. As Big D started the dishes, Chase hesitantly approached him.
"Dad, have you ever had the feeling that your next words can shape the future?"
Big D stopped to think. That was an arduous question to answer for him because Big D wasn't too sure he knew what Chase was talking about. Thinking about it, Donald's memory brought up the day that he proposed to Tasha. Remembering what Chase had said about words shaping the future, Donald nodded and started back up on the dishes. "I can relate."
"How did you go about it?"
"I spoke from the heart. Listen to it because the voice in your heart will never fail you. Sometimes, you have to stop thinking and just follow your heart. Listen to your instincts and ignore everything else. Ignore logic, ignore the odds, ignore the complication, and just go for it. Listen to your heart or you might regret the decision you made."
"Wow, Mr. Davenport. Who knew you had romance in you?" Chase teased.
"Well, I did marry Tasha."
"Tasha! I need a ride to Calla's house!"
"Okay!" Tasha called.
Chase's POV
As the smartest human on the planet, I sure felt stupid. I feel like an utter fool. It was true I thought Calla was less important than studying. I still do. Looking back, I realized how big of an ass I must have been. It was true when I told Leo I didn't hate Calla. I felt pity for her. She had the chance to do whatever she wanted in life, but now she had to have people help her with mostly everything. I wanted to help her, but at the same time, I felt as if the only way for her to get past this was for her to do it herself.
I sighed. I had been thinking of what I was going to say to Calla. Now, it was time. I rang the doorbell.
"Hi, Chase. Calla's upstairs," police officer Parker greeted.
"Thank you, ma'am and for your service," I unconsciously added.
"Don't mention it."
I headed upstairs where Calla's bedroom was. She was staring at the ceiling when I entered and didn't look over to greet me. Even though I wasn't entirely friends with Calla, I knew she was upset about something. "Hey, Calla," I greeted.
Calla turned to me, faked a smile, and said, "Hey."
"What's wrong? How are you?"
"Sore, but does that mean to you?" she asked icily.
"I was asking because I'm and—" I hesitated. "I care about you."
"Really? Then why is it you act as if you don't even care about me? Why do you hate me?"
Looking at Calla, my eyes melted. She was so beautiful. Wait, what am I saying? Snap out of it, Chase! You barely know Calla! You've only had one moment together and now you're acting as if she's some sort of angel. Snap out of it!
Taking a deep breath, I said, "I don't hate you Calla. Not anymore anyways."
"I don't understand. Why?" Calla questioned.
"I realized how big of an ass I was. I didn't think there was a way to put my friends before my studying. I still don't. However, what I do think about, is you."
Reaching over, I grabbed Calla's hand and looked into her shocked blue eyes. "I think about how you used to be that smart, sarcastic, beautiful girl that held me onto the dance floor. I keep trying to find that Calla, the one that gave me butterflies when she smiles at me or the Calla that always knows how to make me smile. Now, all I see is you lying here, constantly getting help, and it hurts me to see you like this.
"You had the chance to do whatever you wanted to do in life. Now, with many people having to help you with just about everything, it doesn't seem like that anymore. I feel isolated. You get help from loads of people who do just about everything you can ask for. I want to help, but I feel as if the only way I can do that is…" I stopped, realizing what I was about to say. Fight the battle by yourself. Not exactly supportive.
"I think I understand," Calla said hesitantly.
"Calla, I know I was a horrible friend to you back then and I apologize. I don't hate you. I'm feeling pity towards you. Also, I don't like seeing you like this when you should be doing things yourself. Do you think we could put everything behind us and just start over as friends?"
For the first time since I'd been there, Calla smiled, sat up and kissed me on the cheek. I smiled. Suddenly, the entire room started to melt, Calla included. One second, I was in Calla's room, the next I was in my capsule without a clue in the world how I got there. How did I get here?
The lab doors opened and Leo and Bree entered.
"He's up. You're just in time to be included in a Mortal Kombat competition. Wanna join?"
"Why not? But first, what happened?" I asked, evidently confused as to why I was in my capsule and not at Calla's place.
"According to Calla, she kissed you on the cheek and you fainted. She said yes, whatever that meant."
Stepping out of the capsule, I headed upstairs and grabbed a controller. I quickly chose Scorpion.
"So, how was Calla's place?" Leo asked as he picked Mileena.
I smiled. Calla and I were once again friends. Everything was "Perfect."
No one's POV, a few days later
A stray leaf fluttered past the streets the streets that afternoon. Down below, a boy and a girl walked to their given destination. The boy was holding the girl's hand in a way that suggested he was the boyfriend and she was the girlfriend. In reality, they were just tight friends that cared strongly for each other. Each had gone through a difficult time and was dealing with it in different ways.
Taking a right turn, the girl arrived in front of a two-story house, the name Parker on the mailbox. Suddenly, she stopped and faced her friend.
"Is everything okay, Calla?" the boy asked.
The girl turned to face him. "Something doesn't feel right." On alert for anything, Calla stepped forward. Nothing happened. "I guess I was wrong."
Calla opened the door and the two friends sat down on the couch. The two sat silent for a moment. Right before Calla could say something, the doorbell rang. "I got it, Leo," Calla said as she walked over and flung open the door. "Oh no."
"Calla, long time no see," the male voice commented.
A/N: So, who is the mysterious person? Well, I'm sad to say that you will find out next chapter. In the meantime, you can guess. My new updates for a while will be Tuesdays with the exception of this one. So, I hope everyone was pleased with this chapter? Did you like how the beginning and end were similar? Leave all your thoughts and concerns and I will update next Tuesday with Chip Switch with a lot of original stuff in it. Until next time.