Okay so, yes, if any one is still confused, Taylor IS Sarah, Douglas' daughter. Anyways, thanks for all the reviews and support for this story!
Short Warning: The last half of this chapter has some more adult themes, but nothing is explicitly said or done. So, take that as you will.
Disclaimer: I do not own Lab Rats.
2:30 am, Douglas' room,
Douglas was violently ripped from his sweet dreams by a dreadful scream. He jumped up and rushed towards the door to see what the emergency was. But before he could leave the room, Douglas realized that the sound came from his own room. And that he had woken up on his couch. And that his teenage daughter laid on his bed, trembling and sobbing.
Douglas rushed to her side, concerned. "What's wrong?"
When Douglas didn't get a response, he realized that she was still asleep. He sat on the edge of the bed. "Taylor, it's just a nightmare," he said gently.
Unable to watch her suffering, Douglas put a hand on her shoulder, aiming to gently shake her enough to wake her up. But the slightest touch sent Taylor into a frenzy, she screamed and flinched away from his hand.
"Taylor, Taylor, it's okay," Douglas assured her.
"D-Douglas?" Taylor sniffled, attempting to sit up against the headrest.
"I'm right here. Are you okay?" Douglas asked gently.
"Ye-Yeah, I think I'll be fine," Taylor responded, trying to compose herself and not burst into tears again.
"Do you need some space then?" Douglas asked.
Taylor just shrugged, reaching out and finding his arm. "Do you have to go?"
Douglas shook his head. "No, I can stay right here. Whatever you need,"
"I'm sorry," Taylor murmured. "I'm sorry,"
"Taylor, it's fine. None of this is your fault," Douglas assured her.
"B-But, I've t-taken over your room and am waking you up," Taylor whimpered.
Douglas shrugged. "It's no big deal. I'm fine with it,"
Taylor nodded and leaned against Douglas, still trembling.
"Hey, you're okay, you know that," Douglas cooed.
"I guess I'm just still a bit shaken up," Taylor muttered. "Sorry,"
"No, it's okay. I told you that," Douglas replied. "But you know what might help? Talking about it. Do you feel comfortable enough to tell me what got you so upset?"
Taylor buried her face into his shirt. "It was about him,"
"Him?" Douglas asked. "You mean Krane?"
Taylor nodded. "Yeah,"
Douglas instinctively held her tighter. "What was he doing in your dream?"
"It, It was about this one time, wh-when I broke a weapon of his and he freaked out at me," Taylor whispered.
"Freaked out at you?" Douglas asked.
"Oh yeah, he yelled all these things about me. How I was useless, a trial and error, some other choice words I'd rather not repeat, and then-"
"Taylor?" Douglas asked, looking down at his daughter.
Taylor swallowed back the tears. "Then I told that I was useless, that I was his kid, and he laughed at me, told me that I was just an experiment, and then he gave me this," she whispered, pointing to a mark three quarters of the way up her arm.
"Is that a scar?" Douglas asked, angered. "Did he hurt you?"
"I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't have been messing around with advanced weaponry-"
"Taylor, I'm not mad at you," Douglas assured her. "Krane's the one who's to blame. You did nothing wrong. He had no right to lay a finger on you,"
Taylor only nodded in response holding Douglas' arm with one hand and the sheets with the other. She squeezed both tightly.
"Taylor?" Douglas asked softly. "It's okay now,"
"No, it isn't okay. I'm a teenage girl, I shouldn't be having nightmares. Much less ones that freak me out so bad," Taylor whined.
"I'm sorry that you have them, but it isn't something you should be ashamed of," Douglas told her. "You were hurt, and it takes time to heal from that. I'm a grown man, and even I get nightmares,"
"About what?" Taylor whispered.
Douglas shrugged. "It depends. Sometimes about you kids, sometimes about other things,"
"You kids? The students would never-"
"Let me clarify, my kids," Douglas corrected. "You, Adam, Bree, and Chase,:
"Me?" Taylor asked.
"Well, baby Sarah. I haven't dreamt since I found out, so," Douglas shrugged.
"So... my real name is Sarah, huh?" Taylor asked.
Douglas nodded. "Sarah Giselle Vickers,"
Taylor crinkled her nose. "I have to admit, I don't really love that,"
"That's okay. No one is going to start calling you that. You can stay Taylor Krane," Douglas told her.
Taylor shifted uncomfortably. "I don't love half of that either," she murmured.
"Huh?" Douglas asked. "Oh, the Krane part,"
Taylor nodded. "The others may not remember him, but I do. He didn't want to be my father, why should I have to carry his name? Why should any of us?"
"That's a good point," Douglas said. "But I guess when you guys turn 18, or go through the paper work, you could change it to whatever you want to,"
"Anything I want?" Taylor asked, a rather large smile on her lips.
Douglas nodded. "Whatever you want. You could be Taylor Bond or Taylor Einstein or-"
"Or Taylor Davenport?" Taylor asked, hope creeping into her voice.
"Taylor, I think-"
She interrupted her hesitant sounding father. "It's okay. It was just an idea. I can handle being Taylor Krane," she said quickly.
"No, Taylor," Douglas smiled. "I was going to say, I think that if you want to be Taylor Davenport, we should go to the county office on Monday to get the paper work,"
"Really?" Taylor grinned. "You would really let me do that?"
"Of course," Douglas answered. "You are my daughter, you should have my name. Well ,if you want it,"
"I want it, I really do!" Taylor insisted.
"Then it's a plan then," Douglas grinned.
"There is just one other thing..." Taylor muttered.
Douglas looked at her. "And what is that?"
"Well, Adam, Bree, and Chase call their 'father' Mr. Davenport, but they call you Douglas. What do I get to call you? If I'm your daughter, do I get to call you Mr. Davenport?" Taylor asked.
Douglas resisted the urge to burst into either laughter or tears. "No Taylor, I don't need you to call me Mr. Davenport,"
Surprisingly, Taylor seemed disappointed by this. "Oh,"
"Why does that bother you?" Douglas asked.
"Well, The other's get to call their dad that, and I thought normal kids did that, and I just wanted to be normal like them," Taylor murmured.
"Taylor, normal kids don't call their parents that. If anything, you calling me Douglas is already more informal than that. Normal kids typically call their parents Mom and Dad," Douglas explained.
"So, can I call you dad then?" Taylor asked hesitantly.
Douglas grinned. "Of course you can,"
Taylor wrapped both of her arms around her father. "Thanks,"
"You don't need to thank me Taylor," Douglas told her.
"Yes, I do. Dad,"
12:30 pm, The supply closet,
"Adam, what are you doing in here?!" Kate demanded upon finding her boyfriend laying in a pile of towels.
Adam set down his tablet, which he had been using to enjoy a few recorded episodes of Funeral Mishaps, "I was just hiding," he murmured.
"Hiding?" Kate asked, a bit taken back. "I've been looking all over the academy for you, you didn't come to training or to lunch. And you haven't been answering our phone. Are you avoiding me? Because if so I don't want to be part-"
"Kate stop," Adam sighed. "I am hiding from Mr. Davenport. I left my phone behind so he couldn't track me. I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings," he mumbled.
Kate knelt down next to Adam in the pile of cleaned towels. "Why are you hiding from your father?"
"While, remember the other day when Tasha caught us?" Adam asked.
Kate blushed a bit and nodded. "Oh, yeah, I remember that. But what does that have to do with you hiding from Mr. Davenport?"
"Tasha insisted that Mr. Davenport needed to "talk" with me about it, and to be honest, I really don't want to have that conversation," Adam groaned. "So, I'm hiding!"
Kate tilted her head to the side. "What kind of conversation? Why is it so horrible?"
Adam shrugged. "Because it's going to be all about how I need to be responsible, especially with girls you know, and he's my father, so it would just be really awkward,"
"Why would it be awkward? It's not like we did anything wrong," Kate said. She then quickly turned to face him, panicked. "We didn't do anything wrong, did we? Did I do something wrong-"
Adam put an arm around her to calm her down. "No Kate, you didn't do anything wrong,"
Kate leaned her head against his chest. "Then why are you so scared?" she whispered.
"I'm not anymore. You're right Kate, there is nothing to be scared about," Adam smiled. "So, how are you feeling?" he asked, changing the subject.
"Oh, I'm fine now. Just some anti-biotics and chip update and I was better within the hour. I was even able to train and everything today," Kate replied.
"Yeah, sorry I missed our session," Adam apologized.
"It's okay Adam," Kate smiled. "I'm sure we can make it up some other time,"
"Like right now?" Adam asked. "If we are both free-"
Kate shrugged. "I was thinking that if we were both free right now that we could something else. Something fun,"
"Like getting a group of students to enact a live game of fruit ninja in the kitchen?" Adam grinned.
Kate smiled shyly. "Maybe something a little more private. You know, just you and I. There are several guest rooms not being used,"
Adam raised an eyebrow. "What would we want to do in- Oh," he realized.
Kate blushed. "Yeah,"
"But Kate, are you sure?" Adam asked, hesitant.
"Of course," Kate insisted. "But, if you don't look at me that way-"
"Kate, you that I think you are beautiful. I just, I just don't want to do anything that you aren't ready for," Adam said carefully.
"I'm ready," Kate whispered into his ear. "Aren't you?"
Adam couldn't help it, her excitement was contagious. "I'm ready if you are,"
Kate wove her hands into his own and helped him off the ground. "Let's go then,"
It took them less than two minutes to get their, but it felt like an eternity to Adam. With each step, his heart beat raced faster and his hands began to sweat.
Just nerves, right? He thought, taking a deep breath before entering the bedroom.
It was all going way too fast.
The kissing, the undressing, the touching.
Kate was beautiful, and he loved her. But she was so small, and fragile. He was terrified.
"Adam, are you okay?" Kate asked.
"I'm-I'm, I just need a second," Adam replied, gasping.
"What's wrong? Are you feeling all right?" Kate asked, taking a step back.
"I- uh, yeah," Adam murmured, kneeling onto the ground. His breath unsteady, vision blurry, muscles shaking, it was getting hard to function.
Kate grabbed her cell phone and stepped behind Adam. She simultaneously dialed the other mentor's number and put a hand on Adam's shoulder. Soothing him until his brother picked up, Kate put her arm across his neck and chest in the shape of a v from behind him to hold him steady.
"Kate, what's up?" Chase asked from across the line.
"Chase, I'm here with Adam, but the guest rooms. He really isn't doing too well. I think I need help getting him to the infirmary,"
"I'll be there soon," Chase replied before hanging up.
Kate turned her full attention back to Adam, who was now crying uncontrollably. "It's okay Adam, you are going to be just fine," she cooed.
But she had to admit, she was now very freaked out herself. What was happening?
That last part, I've never really written anything like that before. But this is always what I imagined would happen between Adam and a girl he truly cares about. And the best part: Now he has to have an awkward talk with Mr. Davenport. Pobrecito. Could anyone tell from my hints what is happening to Adam? Oh, and this chapter is in memory of the ghost of Krane, a man who will haunt many forever. Mainly Taylor and Douglas. But others too.
Please leave a review and tell me what you thought about this chapter. Thanks~AzulaTano