Hey guys! Welcome back to Just Another Girl. Hope you guys like this chapter!

Oh, and before I forget, shout-out to RissA15 for being the first to guess the chapter-title-thing. Chapter 19 says: Who I am? Chapter 20 says: You're Our Sister. Question asked, question answered. Fairly easy, but still, congrats RissA15!

Also, thanks to Brooklyn Harper for creating the new cover for this story.

On to the chapter! Enjoy, you guys! I don't own lab Rats.

* * * Chapter 21: Watch the World Crumble * * *

Chase and Adam entered the lab slowly. Bree's arms were slung over their shoulders. Chase stared intently at his sister's face, making sure nothing else was happening to her. On the ride back to the Davenport household, she had been complaining of a headache and nausea, which Chase had quickly identified as symptoms of a concussion.

"Thank goodness you found her," Mr. Davenport said as he rushed up to them. His face paled when he saw Bree being supported by her brothers. The middle bionic gave a weak grin and a slight wave over Adam's shoulder.

"I think she has a concussion," Chase said, getting to the point quickly.

"Someone hit her on the head," Adam added, a bit proud to be helping relate some important information.

"What?" Mr. Davenport yelped.

"It's kind of a long story and I don't really feel like explaining it all right now," Bree said all in one breath. "Can I sit down?"

"Sure," Mr. Davenport said, pulling up a chair. Adam and Chase helped her sit down in it.

That was the moment Leo decided to come into the lab. "Oh, yeah, sure!" he shouted as soon as he entered. "The couple of minutes I decide to take a bathroom break are the minutes you come back!"

"Leo, please don't shout," Bree whispered hoarsely, covering her ears.

"What?" Leo asked, dropping his voice a few decibels.

"She's got a concoction," Adam said.

"Concussion," Chase corrected. "And technically we don't know that."

"I feel like a train ran over my head!" Bree said. "Does that tell you anything?"

"You want to get in your capsule?" Mr. Davenport asked. "I might be able to tell for sure. Plus it may help you feel better."

"Sure," Bree sighed, standing up. She nearly fell over and Adam and Chase were at her side instantly. "I'm good!" Bree snapped indignantly. Reluctantly the boys let Bree go. But they still stood nearby, ready to help if they were needed.

Bree began to open the door to her capsule. She turned to look back at Mr. Davenport, but her mouth dropped open as her eye caught something else beyond her father. "A-April?" she stuttered.

Chase turned to see his girlfriend still lying motionless on the cyberdesk. He bit his lip as his concerns were once again torn between Bree and April. But right now worry for Bree was prominent; no matter how much he loved April, Bree was still his sister.

"She hasn't woken up?" Adam asked.

"No," Leo said. "We're pretty sure it's just a glitch, though. Other than being unconscious, we can't find anything wrong with her."

"Good," Chase whispered to himself.

"What happened?" Bree asked.

"We can explain later," Mr. Davenport said. "Into your capsule, young lady."

Bree obeyed. She hopped into her capsule, leaning slightly on the side of it. Mr. Davenport began to run a few quick scans.

"Yup," he sighed, running a hand down the back of his neck. "Concussion. You're going to have to take it easy for a little while, Bree."

Bree groaned. The she bit her lip and whispered meekly, "Mr. Davenport, it hurts."

"I know, sweetie, I know," Mr. Davenport mumbled in a barely audible voice. Then louder he said, "Just stay in your capsule for now. It will help the natural healing process."

Bree nodded. "Can I go to sleep? I'm really tired."

"Isn't that a bad thing?" Leo said. "I thought you were supposed to keep someone awake and not let them fall unconscious."

"Actually," Chase replied, his voice getting that superior tone it did when he used his super intelligence, "it would be good for Bree to rest. Sleep is part of the body's healing process. It restores your energy. If she wants to sleep then we should let her."

"So that's a yes?" Bree clarified from the interior of her capsule.

"Yes," Mr. Davenport said. "It's pretty late, anyway. Feel free to rest."

Bree smiled weakly and closed her eyes. Within a few minutes her breathing had slowed and indicated that she was fast asleep. Chase smiled sadly as he watched his sister's chest rise and fall steadily.

"I'm going to soundproof Bree's capsule so we don't wake her up," Mr. Davenport whispered once Bree was sleeping peacefully.

"Sounds good," Chase agreed.

Mr. Davenport proceeded to press a few buttons on the control panels. "You guys can go to bed too, if you want," he said. "It's really late."

"No way!" Adam and Chase chorused.

"Well now you're making me feel bad if I take up that offer," Leo muttered.

"I just want to make sure my sister is okay," Adam pointed out. "You can do what you want, Leo."

"But she's my sister too!" Leo protested.

"Don't you need, like, ten hours of sleep for that 'Leo glow'?" Chase said.

"Well, yes," Leo said, his face twisting in thought. "But . . . will Bree be okay?"

"Yes," Mr. Davenport replied. "It's just a concussion. Not even a bad one at that. Go on up to bed, Leo. Your mom will kill me if I keep you up all night. Besides, I'll be making these two go to bed very soon as well."

Leo opened his mouth to say something, but appeared to change his mind and said instead, "Okay. Goodnight."

The other Davenports echoed the "goodnight" as Leo headed upstairs in the elevator. Chase saw the way that Leo's eyes never left Bree's capsule until the elevator doors closed in his face.

For several seconds there was silence in the lab. Mr. Davenport went back and looked over the scans of Bree again. Then he broke the silence by saying, "I need you guys to tell me everything that happened."

Chase was instantly suspicious. "Why? Is she okay?"

"Yes," Mr. Davenport assured his son. "At least, she will be. I just want you guys to tell me everything. How did you find her? What happened to her, anyway? Who kidnapped her?"

Chase sighed. He shared a look with Adam. The two of them took turns relating the story. They told how they found Bree, how she didn't remember them, and about the kids they met while they were there.

"So she was kidnapped by bionic kids from the army April has been telling us about?" Mr. Davenport asked.

"Yeah," Adam said. "Some really mean kids."

"We've established that, Adam," Chase said, rolling his eyes.

"I don't know what established means," Adam groaned.

"It . . . never mind," Chase sighed.

"And they know about April?" Mr. Davenport asked tentatively.

"Yes," Chase replied quietly. "Now I'm a bit worried. Mr. Davenport, if they know about her . . . and us . . ." Chase trailed off, not sure what to say.

"We need to talk to her as soon as she wakes up," the tech mogul said.

"When will she wake up?" Adam asked.

"I don't know," Mr. Davenport admitted.

Chase bit his lip and walked over to where April was lying on the cyberdesk. Her brown hair was spread out around her head and her eyes were shut tight. "She actually looks kind of peaceful," Chase observed.

"Once she wakes up, she'll be good," Mr. Davenport assured his son. "I think, at least."

Chase stroked April's arm, then watched in surprise as it began to move. He grinned as April's face contorted and she let out a soft groan. "April?" Chase whispered.

April's eyes fluttered open. Her expression was one of pain and her hands immediately flew up to her head. "Ow," she muttered softly. Then louder she repeated, "Ow!"

"Are you okay?" Chase asked.

"No!" April shouted. Tears began to leak out of her eyes as she continued to yell, "Get away from me! Please! D-Don't stand near me! Please!"

Chase was about to question her, but thought better of it. He quickly backed up and motioned for Mr. Davenport and Adam to do the same.

April continued to lie on the table, her breathing labored and her hands firmly pressed to her head. She squirmed a little, moaning quietly. Each noise made Chase's heart feel like it was breaking. He had seen enough pain for one night.

Suddenly April's hands left her head. She became quiet and slowly she sat up. With a weak grin at the Davenport boys, April swung her legs over the side of the desk and remained seated on the edge of it. "Hi," she mumbled meekly.

"Are you okay?" Chase asked again, rushing up to April and giving her a quick hug.

"Fine now," April murmured.

"What happened?" Adam asked. "Why were you yelling?"

"Glitch," April said quietly. "When I extend my brain waves out really far – like I did when I was trying to find Bree – it puts too much strain on my system, which knocks me unconscious. Then when I wake up my system reboots itself. For a short period of time my brain is on overload and I get every single brain wave in the room. That causes a massive headache because it's too much for me to handle. That's why I asked you guys to back up; the closer you are, the worse it is."

"Sorry, April!" Adam said quickly.

"It's fine," April replied with a wave of her hand.

"Are you good now?" Mr. Davenport asked.

"I think so," April sighed. "But it might not be a good idea for me to use my bionics for a little while. I'm good though, really."

"Good to hear," Chase said with a smile.

April returned the smile before asking, "So, what happened while I was out?" She glanced around and noticed Bree in her capsule. "You got Bree back! Is she okay?"

"She has a concussion," Mr. Davenport told her.

"Oh no!" April gasped.

"But she'll be fine," Adam said quickly. "She's just got to sleep so she can get better."

"Good," April said. "What even happened? Where was she?"

For the second time that night Chase and Adam shared about the three bionic kids. Chase felt his heart sink in his chest as April's face got paler and paler.

"Yolanda, Zack, and Alyssa," she mumbled to herself once the boys had finished.

Adam started to say, "Yes, and they're–"

"Mean, we got it!" Chase interrupted.

"Very, very mean," April whispered absentmindedly. "The worst. They're rotten and cruel and . . ." April buried her face in her hands.

"We were hoping you could tell us more about them," Mr. Davenport said in an "I'm-trying-to-be-gentle-but-I-still-need-information" tone.

"It means my life is over," April mumbled. She hopped off the cyberdesk and sighed. "I'll tell you more in a little bit. But, um, I think I need some fresh air. Can I step outside for a minute?"

Mr. Davenport nodded his consent and April charged out of the lab.

"She looked like she was going to throw up," Adam commented.

"Do you think she's okay?" Chase asked.

"Maybe she actually has a secret meeting that we don't know about – with aliens!" Adam shouted.

"Where do you even come up with that?" Chase yelled.

"Hey, have you seen the way her ears are shaped?" Adam asked. "Maybe she's an alien in disguise."

"She is not an alien!" Chase insisted.

"How do you know? She might just be fooling you."

"Her ears are completely normal anyway! Why would you think that?"

"Because it's always the people you least expect. Chase, trust me, I'm an expert. I've seen a lot of shows about this on TV. It's always the really sweet girls who turn out to be the alien queens."

"Mr. Davenport, a little help here?" Chase asked his father, who was currently chuckling at this strange argument.

"Adam, April's not an alien," Mr. Davenport said. His face became more solemn as he said, "But I really need her to answer my questions. If there's a bionic army out there and they're coming for us, we need to be prepared. Chase, do you think you can talk to her?"

"Sure," Chase asked. "But what if she wants to be alone right now?"

"I'm sorry, I just can't afford that."

After a pause Chase said, "I understand."

The bionic hurried upstairs to find his girlfriend. The house was dark, as Leo and Tasha had already gone to bed. Chase ran through the living room and out the front door, remembering that April had wanted to go outside. He stepped out onto the patio and glanced around. "April?" he called.

"Up here," a soft voice answered. Chase turned his head upward to see April sitting on the roof.

"How did you get up there?" he asked.

"Go around that corner over there," April said, pointing. "There are enough footholds in the wall to get up."

Chase ran over as April crawled across the roof right above him. Chase got up to the roof with no problem. April smiled at him and said, "Come over to this side. There's an awesome view over here." Chase obeyed and crawled in the direction April was leading him, away from the front door.

Sure enough, there was a fantastic view. The Davenport mansion was situated on a hillside. From the roof all of Mission Creek was visible. The lights flashed in the valley below the two teens and Chase found himself momentarily breathless.

"You've got a great view from up here," April whispered.

"I never even knew," Chase replied. Then he was reminded of the task at hand. Chase bit his lip and said, "My dad really wants to talk to you about the bionic army."

"I know," April said, her voice not getting any louder. She drew her knees up to her chest and continued, "And I know I'll have to tell him. But I need a second to take it all in. Chase, I took every precaution to make sure they didn't find me. I don't understand how . . ." She trailed off and stared at the land below her.

"Well, they found out," Chase pointed out. "So now we need a plan."

"I can't even think straight right now," April murmured. "Chase, I . . . my life is falling apart! I wanted to get away from them for good, and even though I knew I would have to face them in the end, I thought I could put it off for a while . . ." April buried her face in her knees and shivered.

Chase moved closer to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Hey, it'll be okay," he whispered soothingly.

"No it won't," April protested, lifting up her head. From the light of the full moon above Chase could see the way her eyes were coated with unshed tears. "They made my life a living nightmare growing up. All of them. I . . . I hate them. I shouldn't say hate, but I will."

"Hate is a strong word," Chase agreed.

"I don't care right now. But Chase, that's not even the worst part."

"Then what is?"

"They'll hurt you too."

"No they wo–"

"Yes they will!" April cut him off. "They already did. They gave Bree that concussion, right?"

"I mean, I don't–"

"Don't even try to lie to the girl who has mind-reading!"

"Okay, okay," Chase said, putting his hands up in the air.

"I went to you for help," April said, scooting closer to Chase. "Somewhere along the line I realized that you would have to put yourselves in danger for me. I regret that now. I don't want you guys to get hurt trying to help me."

"Even though I'd prefer not to be hurt either," Chase began, "I wouldn't mind. April, we'll help you any way we can. I know my family will. And I definitely will! April, I love you."

"I love you too."

The two teens leaned in and shared a kiss. They smiled at each other and April pressed herself closer to Chase. He felt a happiness rise within him. Chase could tell that April felt safe when she was with him, and he was happy to provide that safety for her.

"I'll always be there for you," Chase mumbled, kissing April on the head.

"I know," April said. "And for that I am extremely grateful. Y-You don't mind seeing me in my worst. And this is probably my worst." The teen girl let out a weak chuckle.

"I don't mind," Chase said. "You're still beautiful."

"Thank you," April whispered.

"I won't let you go, okay?" Chase asked, rubbing April's shoulder. "I promise to protect you."

"What if I need to go?" April asked, startling Chase a little.

"What?" the other teen asked.

"If – to protect you – I needed to leave, would you let me go then?"

"No way."

"What would you do if I ran away just so I could protect you?"

"First off, I'm not sure you would," Chase pointed out. "Secondly, I would never let you go in my heart. I'll always love you, April."

For several seconds there was a silence. The two teens stared down at the lights of Mission Creek, listening to the wind blow and the distant sound of a siren. They sat side-by-side, arms wrapped around each other. The breeze was cool, but neither noticed. They were each warmed by the presence of the other.

"Chase . . ."

"Yeah, April?"

After a small pause, April said, "Hold me." Then she buried her face in Chase's chest. He felt his shirt get wet with the silent tears that were running down April's face. Her body shook with the sobs and Chase held her close, stroking her gently. In his mind he reiterated his promise: I will never let you go.

Aw, so, a sweet/sappy ending. Don't judge me. It'll be one of the last ones. We're moving into more of the action now! Remember that massive bionic fight that I've been leading up to this whole story? Yeah, it starts in chapter 23. Woo-hoo!

Also, we are drawing to a close on this story. :( Most likely it will end at chapter 26. There may be one or two more, but I'm thinking it will be 26. But forget that for right now! For right now we'll have the most action-packed chapters yet!

Don't forget to leave a review. You guys always cheer me up no matter what mood I'm in. Seriously, you're great. So thank you for anything you guys say! I appreciate it all.

This Saturday we will return to our regular schedule of Just Another Girl. So get ready for chapter 22! Less than a week, guys! Yay!