Chapter Fourteen...

...is just a filler.

Boo! Oh, well.

As was pointed out, we have passed 75 reviews together! Woohoo!

If you have questions, fire away. Just remember: No personal info, no massive Hybrid spoilers.

:P Have at it, you creative trolls.

Thanks to everyone who's reviewed. Many feels from many people. Squee. ^_^

AllAmericanSlurp: Yay! Hear that, Chase? You have a stalker! :D ...Wait, where are you going?! We have a story to do! D:

gg180000: This just in: There are reports of stalking around the trio of Davenport children. Sources say that it has been going on for years at this point. We have the suspect in the studio with us now. We go live to him with our questions: Douglas, what do you say to these accusations of stalking?

"You call it 'stalking', I call it 'lovingly lurking in the shadows'. Back to you, Zara!"

StealthySerpentineShadows: School happens. :3

DisneyXDGirl: Well, yes, but he's kind of the one who has just the right mentality to not immediately see demons as "evil." He's never met 'em. How would he know?

Moonlit: We've barely scratched the surface of Douglas' back story here. :3 We'll get there soon. And I'm using that word now.

Vampire Girl: Well...Yahn's profile was a bit long, so I did answer your question. But you'll have to go to my profile to see it. As for question two, I don't know about "great," but I can tell you that years of practice pays off.

And so, here we are. Let's just do this thing. Douglas?

"Again, woman?! *sigh* Zara doesn't own Lab Rats or anything you recognize. If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers."

"'Cause you can't jump the track; we're like cars on a cable, and life's like an hourglass glued to the table. No one can find the rewind button, girl, so cradle you head in your hands and breathe. Just breathe."

Anna Nalick, "Breathe (2 A.M.)"

"...If you're scared about the future, I'm scared about the past..."

Eskimo Joe, "Setting Sun"

Chapter Fourteen - Promises and Forgiveness

Adam

Adam and Bree searched everywhere Chase used to like going first.

The public library - why anyone would go to that boring place was beyond him - had turned up nothing. The high school, even though it was Saturday, was fruitless. The various museums in town held no water. The technology-oriented stores bore no traces.

So, after a while, they started searching places Douglas might have liked.

They again found themselves at many of the same places they had gone to look for Chase. It hadn't quite occurred to Adam how similar the two were until they had to think like them. However, they did hunt around a cemetery - maybe Douglas liked ghosts, too - and the still-smoking ashes of Douglas' destroyed home. Aside from a few footprints that could've been made by Douglas - they were about the right size - there was nothing to indicate that Chase was there.

And so, with empty hands and heavy heart, they had started towards home. Mr. Davenport would be calling soon, anyways. The sun had set an hour earlier, and - in the event that Douglas hadn't been lying - Davenport wanted them home by ten.

For the most part, Bree had been silent, lost in her own mind. Though Adam had a feeling that she wanted to share her thoughts - she looked ready to speak several times, but never did unless it was to suggest where they should try next - he just let the silence drag out. It was easier that way. She had been rather hurt that Chase would chose Douglas over then, that he would create a destructive whirlwind that targeted them, and that he would run away a second time. More than that, she was scared. Chase wasn't exactly Chase anymore. He was a demon. That made him evil, right?

And she hadn't quite been able to shake that.

Of course, it had only been a day since everything was dragged into the open and hashed out. Adam figured that she probably needed time to process everything before she voiced her opinion.

As for himself, he just wanted to find Chase. And hopefully, by proxy, Yahn, as well. As much as he missed his younger brother, he missed the imp who had sat on his shoulder for hours the night before. The little gargoyle wasn't evil. Mischievous, sure, but definitely not evil. And neither was Chase; he was just angry at them.

Adam knew that he had some part in generating that display of force Chase had put them through in the Lab that morning. It had been a terrifying blur of color and sound, but never once was anyone hurt.

Because, no matter how mad Chase was, or how much of a demon he'd turned in to, he wouldn't hurt them.

And Adam knew it.

For some reason, this simple conclusion had been overridden in everyone else by fear of the unknown. It was like they forgot who Chase was. Hell, it was like Chase forgot who he was, since he thought he was a danger to everyone. The only ones who weren't worried that Chase would hurt someone were Douglas and Adam himself.

Adam sighed. Once again, everybody was over thinking the situation.

"You know that they're probably long-gone now."

Adam was so surprised to hear Bree's voice that he jumped a bit. "How do you know?"

"Think about it," Bree explained. "They have to know that we're looking for them. If they want to maintain their freedom, why would they stick around?"

"We're not going to imprison them, Bree," Adam reminded her, pursing his lips.

Bree stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. "We didn't lock Chase up this morning, and look at how that turned out."

Adam stopped, turning to face her with a sigh. "Bree, we're not going to lock Chase away."

"Why not?" She tapped her temple with one hand. "Open your eyes, Adam. He's not Chase anymore! He's Vânăto or whatever that thing called him -"

"Yahn, and Chase is still Chase," Adam interrupted, feeling some anger stirring in his being.

"Chase is a demon," Bree hissed, throwing her arms out wide. "You were there this morning. You saw him tear everything up. What if it's not a trick next time, Adam? Then what? And your little demon friend - Yahn or whatever - is probably just as evil!"

There that word was: Evil. Adam tried to stop her rant before he unleashed his frustration on her, too. "Bree-"

"And you know how much everyone suffered when he left three months ago!" Bree continued anyways.

"Bree-"

"And then, he just wants to come back with Douglas and some demon pals like everything is normal?!" She rolled her eyes before throwing her hand up in the air to eye level and gesturing in circles with it, pinching the bridge of her nose with the other. "Oh, hey," she began, her voice an exact replica of Chase's, "I know I drove you crazy when I abandoned you, but I'm back, so we can all go back to our normal lives! By the way, here's Evil Uncle Daddy; I've been living with him. Oh, and he just so happens to summon demons like me! Hope that's cool!" She then held her arms out in front of her, palms open in a "hold-up" kind of gesture. Still sounding like Chase, she went on. "Wait, you don't want Douglas or demons here? My bad. I'll just leave you again to stay with then, even though you're my family."

Adam felt a wave of realization wash over him. It wasn't the demons, Douglas, or even the fear that Chase was evil that was bothering Bree so badly.

Under everything, Bree felt like Chase had abandoned them. Had abandoned her. That he had done so willingly; happily, even.

Adam caught Bree by the shoulders, forcing her to finally hold still and look at him. "Bree, he didn't leave us because he hates us," he said firmly. "I think he was scared. I think he still is. He thinks he's going to hurt us on accident. You heard what he said this morning: He left to protect us from himself. He left because he loves us; not because he hates us."

Bree swallowed hard. Despite the shadowy darkness that surrounded them, Adam could still see unshed tears in Bree's eyes. "But what if you're wrong?" she asked quietly.

"What if I'm not?" Adam countered.

"If you're right," she started quietly, her voice thick, "and he's scared, then why didn't he come to us? We would've helped him."

"We pushed him away," Adam answered. It wasn't normal for him to have so many answers. He kind of liked it; it was a nice feeling to help his sister understand something for once instead of the other way around. "We targeted him to the point where he didn't trust us enough to come to us when he was afraid. He still doesn't." Adam finally let go of her and sighed, sliding one hand down his face, exhausted. Neither he nor Bree had slept in over twenty-four hours. "We have to find him, Bree."

"But...but why would Chase choose Douglas over us?" Bree asked slowly.

"Did you see Douglas when Chase was freaking out?" Adam asked. "He wasn't even scared; he walked right up to Chase and hugged him. Douglas actually made Chase stop. I mean, if Chase is scared of himself, then he needs someone who isn't scared of him around, telling him that he isn't a terrifying monster. Kind of a self-esteem building, confidence boosting thing, I guess."

"We pushed him away, didn't we?"

Bree had asked so softly that Adam barely heard the question. "There's nothing we can do about it now," he responded, avoiding the outright "yes" that was the answer. "We just have to hope that he'll listen to us."

After a long silence, Bree nodded. She wiped her eyes before any tears escaped. "Right," she admitted. "You're right." Then, she smiled slightly and chuckled. "Never thought I'd tell you that."

Adam ignored the veiled insult. "It's easier when you don't over think things," he explained casually, his sentence ending with a large yawn.

"If we don't leave," Bree pointed out while biting back a yawn of her own, "Mr. Davenport will come drag us home himself."

Adam frowned and checked his phone. Seven minutes to ten. "Right," he agreed. But, before she could do anything else, Adam caught one of her shoulders again. "We're going to find him," he said gently. "And everything's going to be fine."

Bree nodded before grabbing his arm. "Come on," she said before taking off at top speed, transforming everything into a blur.

All the while, unbeknownst to Adam, their younger brother dozed under the watchful eye of his father not a block away from where Bree had vented her stress.

"Lady, beautiful, of the sun: If you give to others...should it not also be given to me?"

Olivia Orr, "Mage Pride (unofficial translation)"

"...Recall the deeds as if they're all someone else's atrocious stories. Now you stand reborn before us all...And, not to pull you halo down around your neck and tug you to the ground, but I'm more than just a little curious how you're planning to go about making your amends..."

A Perfect Circle, "The Noose"

Douglas

Chase had fallen asleep on his side with his knees pulled up to his chest to generate warmth. Oly was curled up against his chest like a kitten, her head resting right by Chase's throat. Douglas didn't blame them for huddling; the night breeze was a bit chilling.

Douglas shivered and muttered a curse. The one day he hadn't worn a jacket, and his house just had to burn to the ground. He was better off than Chase - Douglas was wearing a long-sleeved shirt, at least - but it was less than ideal for sleeping under the stars.

Especially in an alley that seemed to double as a fucking wind tunnel.

Yahn shifted a bit on his shoulder, clicking his beak together once before shivering himself. "We can't stay here forever, Master," he reminded quietly.

"I know," Douglas sighed. "We need to find a more permanent shelter and crack down on Lovett again."

"And how would you do that?"

Douglas glanced sideways at the imp. "Let me guess: You have something to say?"

Yahn nodded. "If you would hear it."

"Yahn, we're in an alley," Douglas pointed out gently. "If anyone has an idea, I'm all for it."

"Go back to your brother."

Except for that one.

"You saw how fast he kicked us out," Douglas shot down immediately. "He's not going to listen to us."

"Not 'us'," Yahn said, drawing air quotations. "You."

"Me?! As in by myself? That me?" He shook his head.

"You two obviously have bad blood," Yahn defended. "You can't work it out with those kids or us three around." He gestured towards Oly and Chase. "And, until that's settled, you'll certainly never be able to work together." Yahn jumped onto Douglas' lap and poked his chest. "Master, go beg not for mercy, but forgiveness."

Forgiveness? Now that was a foreign concept when it came to Donnie. Their whole lives had been filled with petty grudge matches that would often last for days. Hell, the current one had lasted for years and was still going strong.

Because he shouldn't have taken my kids, Douglas thought bitterly. He looked at Chase again, who shifted a bit in his sleep. Oly opened one eye, licked Chase's chin as she adjusted a bit, and closed it again with a sigh.

Of course, I almost got them killed, Douglas relented, wincing. He certainly had a hand in their currently dangerous situation. If he had just had the foresight to install the Triton App on Krane before the shit hit the fan, then...

Well, then they would have a shitless fan, wouldn't they?

"I've done a lot of things, Yahn," Douglas said quietly. "Not things that would be easily forgiven."

"Yet the half-breed forgave you?" Yahn pointed out.

Douglas pursed his lips in thought. The imp had a point. Douglas had literally almost killed Chase thrice over: Once through Marcus, once through Adam, and once through Krane. Yet Chase had still forgiven that somehow. And now the kid was sleeping on the cold ground in an alley to support him.

This was no way his son should have to live. If Chase could offer forgiveness, so could he, and, hopefully, Donald.

So, before he lost his nerve, Douglas stood up and dusted himself off. "Guard them," he ordered. "When the sun rises, bring everyone to Donnie's home."

Yahn nodded eagerly. "Yes, Master."

"Good." Douglas cracked his neck like he was about to get in a fist fight. "Because I'm not taking no for an answer this time."

See? Filler.

Crappy, crappy filler.

But it's necessary to set up the next chapter.

Feel free to review. Or don't. :3 Whatever.

And don't forget your questions.

Enjoy.

*Bows and exits*