Hi. So...fluff. And childishness. And farewells. And tests. Not much to say. Enjoy!

"Do you really think that will help against Krane?"

I turned to Bree. We were sitting on the couch upstairs; the boys were in the lab playing with the new giggle-gun, as Adam liked to call it. "Maybe, maybe not. We'll just have to hope it does help. And besides, it's incredibly funny to watch."

She smiled. "Yeah, it is." Then, her eyes grew distant. "How do you defeat someone who can do all these crazy, inhuman things?"

"With something just as crazy and inhuman, I guess."

She smiled again, but I could tell she was still feeling down. "Hey, you guys will get through this. You'll defeat Krane and settle whatever thing you have with my father."

Bree looked at me and shook her head. "Not 'you guys' anymore. It's 'we.' You're part of the team too. Even if Mr. Davenport isn't your number one fan, he can't deny that you're a valuable asset and brilliant inventor. Plus, you're our sister. Even if you weren't raised with us, you're still our sister."

I was kinda shocked at how our positions had changed. I sighed. "I guess, but it's going to take a lot more than just a giggle-gun and a new cell phone to really fit in with you guys."

"Well, you'll get there. I know you will."

I smiled sadly. "I hope so."

Before I could get too depressed, the boys came up, grinning like little children. "What are you up to?" I asked suspiciously.

"Nothing," they chorused.

They all looked at one another. "Well, we're not going to hit you with the giggle-gun behind Leo's back." Adam gave his signature "I-didn't-just-give-away-our-plan" wink.

"Adam!" Chase exclaimed.

"What? I just made sure they didn't know our plan."

Chase and Leo made exasperated sounds. Meanwhile, we had already stood and backed up. "Oh no, you don't," I said. I picked up a pillow from the couch and threw it at Leo.

"Pillow!" he shouted and ducked. That only meant that Adam, standing right behind him, got a face full of throw-pillow.

At first, Adam looked angry enough to start using his heat vision and incinerate something. But then, he grinned and yelled, "Pillow fight!"

And so, the free-for-all, every-man-for-himself pillow fight ensued. It went on for fifteen minutes, up to the very second Mr. Davenport walked in.

The inventor stopped and stared at us, and we stared right back. Then, a voice broke through the tense silence. "It was her fault!" Adam pointed at me, and everyone else nodded. I may have been new at the sibling thing, but I knew he was just trying to cover up his own guilt. Unfortunately, that didn't stop the sharp sting of betrayal. They may have thought I was as close to them as they were to each other, but I wasn't comfortable enough for that yet.

Mr. Davenport's gaze honed in on me, and I felt embarrassment with a touch of anger flush my face. He walked up to me until we were nearly touching. "Guys, go down to the lab," he commanded.

They didn't protest. I wanted to somehow express how angry and hurt I was, but that wasn't who I was. Nearly a year of never showing my feelings to anyone could do that to a person.

When they were gone, Donald stared down at me. I was only about a head shorter than him. "Emily, what really happened?"

I explained everything. He didn't seem as threatening as I continued with the story, but he never moved from his spot inches from me, making me feel uncomfortable. When I was done, everything seemed to just drain from him. He flopped down on the couch, which was bare of pillows of course. I sat down next to him, confused and concerned. I wanted to ask what he was thinking, but I decided the best thing was to wait for him to speak first.

"I'm really happy you and the kids are bonding and having fun together and all. You've shown them things they haven't seen before, given them opportunities they haven't had yet. I love that, and I really wish you could stay here and become their new sister. But you can't."

I opened my mouth to protest, but I decided again that it was best to remain silent.

"Here are my reasons: first, you've been with Douglas most of your life. I'm not saying you're a spy or anything, though that is a possibility. He could have implanted a tracking device or something in you. Second, I was told Krane has been hunting you. You might be a security risk there as well. Third, I don't know how you'll fit in. Adam, Bree, and Chase just got used to a new stepfamily and school and all this mess. They seem to be handling everything pretty well, but I wouldn't want to put even more complications in their lives. Please don't take offense; it's not personal. It's just that my first priority is to protect my family, and I don't know how you fit into this."

If he wasn't being completely honest and logical, I would have taken offense. But I knew he was right. No matter how much I wanted to stay and how much they wanted me to stay, I had to leave. I was a risk to their lives. I could put them in danger.

I nodded. "Alright, I'll go. I can leave right now." I started to get up, but Donald stopped me, looking alarmed.

"No, not yet. I don't want you to just leave out of the blue. You should stay tonight, and we can have a farewell dinner."

My eyebrow shot up. "Are you serious? It'd be a lot less painful if I just left now, for all of us. And besides, the longer I stay, the more danger I put them in. And I thought you didn't like me."

He shrugged. "I just thought you would want to say goodbye first. But if you really want to go…"

I sighed. "Fine."

His face lit up. "Good. I thought I would have to explain all of this." He patted my shoulder and walked away, back to his cocky self.

But I noticed how he never replied to whether he liked me or not.