Chapter 7: The Celebration
Donald feeling as though he has been neglecting his wife, gathers up all the kids to help plan a surprise baby shower for her.
A/N: Net was down for a while! And I've been busy with school... Oh and I've nicknamed The Mighty Med People "The Supes" (pronounced like soups, as in Superheros). Will try to keep it in the Lab Rats and not Elite Force fandom but will have allusions to it. If you have name suggestions, please send them through PM for my next chapter, and by Chapter 9 we'll see which name gets to be Princess Davenport's middle name. On to the long overdue chapter!
I own nothing but this story.
It had been over a month since he had been in Mission Creek, and while he was happy to finally be back home with his beautiful pregnant wife, he couldn't help but feel guilty for leaving for so long. He also hated the fact that he missed out on his daughter's development whilst in Centium City. Even though she made sure to send him pictures and call him every night, he couldn't help the immense regret of not actually being with her. He knew how important it was to make sure the transition into the elite team happened smoothly, and Tasha always tried to remind him of that. He had just got off the phone with Douglas, who was letting him know of his arrival at the tower to make sure the kids didn't get into too much trouble, which he knew wasn't guaranteed when it came to his younger brother. After retrieving his bags and getting through customs, he walked out to see his wife in a lovely floral dress next to Adam, a big smile on both their faces. Tasha walked over, or more like waddled over, to greet him with a kiss and a hug, the latter with difficulty due to her seven month belly. "Welcome back honey!" she grinned as she pulled away and looped her arm in his. They walked over to the Adam, holding what looked like a handmade sign reading 'Welcome Back Mr. Davenport'. "Wasn't expecting to see you here," Donald asked of the oldest bionic, still happy but surprised to see him. "Well, Tasha didn't feel like driving, Grandma Rose didn't feel like coming, and Leo still only has a learner's. Plus, it's been a while since I've seen you in person, so it kinda worked out." Adam explained. "Well, thanks for coming for me, wasn't expecting a welcoming committee." Donald said, despite how they may have felt about his leaving and the project back in CC, he was glad that his family still rallied around for him. "How is Leo by the way?" he asked as he and Tasha walked to Adam's car hand-in-hand, Adam effortlessly carrying all of Mr Davenport's luggage. "He's calling himself the Supreme Mission Leader and Specialist back at the academy. Got business cards and everything. He made this committee of mission leaders from each team and helps me co-ordinate the missions. Even though he sometimes lets his ego get in the way, he's really good at what he does. You'd be proud." Adam smiled full of pride for his brother and now partner-in-crime. "Wow Adam, that's great to hear! How are things with you?" "Well, I'm good. Just looking out for everyone. Making sure everyone is safe. I kinda understand why you were so hesitant to send us out on missions. Every time the former students go on a mission, I'm always worried something might happen to them even when I know they're more than capable." Adam replied thoughtfully. "I see." Donald replied, stunned at how grown Adam appeared to him now. It had been close to two months since he'd seen him last, and the young man currently loading his suitcases in the trunk of his car was nothing like the boy he had last seen. "I'm proud of you two. You and Leo really took control and stepped up to the plate. You're shaping up to be a great man Adam." Overwhelmed by his kind words, Adam went and hugged Donald tight, and Donald felt as if he had just had a true father son moment with him, something he regrets not doing much of with him growing up. He focus was usually on Chase as the youngest and the one he had the most in common with, or Bree being the only girl at the time and required a different kind of attention from him, or Leo, as he was constantly trying to be a father figure to him since his marriage to Tasha. He couldn't help but feel as if he hadn't spent enough time with Adam one-on-one. "As much as I don't want to break this cute father-son moment," Tasha began, "I for one would really love to get home." The Davenport men grinned at Tasha's frankness and got in the car. Adam drove alone up front, letting Donald and Tasha sit in the back in order to catch up on the drive home. "I've missed you." Tasha said in a hushed voice, her head on his shoulder, tired from the day. He kissed her forehead and then her cheek, his hand resting on her belly, "I've missed you too. Both of you." As if his daughter could hear his words (which at this point, she probably could), Donald felt a little kick hit his hand, making him gasp. "Tasha! She kicked! She kicked for her Dad." "Mmhmm, trust me this little one moves so much throughout the day, I'm starting to think she's already bionic." He chuckled at his wife's joke, laughing even more when he felt even more kicks. "Man, you're not kidding! This kid's got legs!" Adam smiled while watching his parents in the rear view mirror. He couldn't help but wish that he too would get married and have kids. It had been on his mind a lot for the past week, but considering how out of the four of them, he was the one who hadn't even gone on a date, let alone have a significant other, he was unsure of his odds. Someday he thought to himself.
After helping Donald unload his luggage from the car and getting him settled back at home, Adam made his way back to the Academy to make sure Leo and Perry didn't kill each other. Tasha's mother was still at the mansion in Mission Creek, and while she was happy to have another grandchild, she still had her reserves for Donald. It hadn't helped that he had left for so long, but Donald made sure to remind her that the safety of his child came first, which is why he had to leave. But as much as he convinced himself that leaving was the best idea, he still felt as if he should have put more effort in wanting to be home. If he was being completely honest with himself, being back at Centium City reminded him of his bachelor days, when he was a young technology mogul with his own tower, before bionic kids and a wife came into the picture. Admittedly he enjoyed being back in his old place, overlooking the technological metropolis, but every night when Tasha would call him, a cloud of guilt would rest on him. So now that he was home he made sure he would shower his wife with affection and gifts and make her and their daughter the centre of his attention. And as they went to bed that night, he came to his eureka moment, and knew that the best way to celebrate the two was with a baby shower. He knew one event wouldn't make up for the months missed but it was a good place to start.
He started by calling Douglas back in Centium City, telling him to arrange for Bree and Chase to come home and help plan the baby shower for Tasha. Douglas said there was no way they could leave 'The Supes' (Kaz, Oliver and Skylar) alone in a mansion and allowed them to come along too. He then went on to contact Adam and Leo back at the Academy to tell them of his plan. Lastly, he spoke to his mother-in-law, and they found that they were in agreement for once, and went on to call Tasha's sister and workmates to get the party planning in order. Donald made the necessary arrangements to rent out a restaurant, while Bree, Rose, Skylar and Janice (Tasha's sister) bought decorations and props for the games. Adam, Kaz and Oliver were in charge of getting all the gifts to the venue, while Leo and Chase tried to keep Tasha occupied and prevent her from figuring out what was being organized for her and Princess Davenport. "Do you guys have everything ready? She's starting to wonder where we're taking her." Leo spoke to his stepfather on the phone, trying to be as discreet as possible. Donald could hear his wife chatting to Chase in the background, asking why he was back and how things were. "Just try to stall her for about 15 more minutes, my brother and Daniel are setting up the music, Adam says he's struggling to find the venue and Bree just called saying the caterer had gone to a bar mitzvah by mistake." Donald reported. Leo sighed, "Okay, we'll do our best to stall. Call us when you guys are ready for us." With that Leo ended the call and went back to where his mother and the other two guys were. It had been quite the surprise to have everyone back, and Leo was sure his Mom was catching on. He was happy to see Chase again, and the two caught up on what's been happening in each other's lives. Tasha smiled as she saw them interacting after being apart for so long. Meanwhile at the venue, all of Tasha's friends and co-workers were present, while , after many failed attempts to get the caterers to show up, Bree and Skylar decide to use their abilities to transport the food, which at first ends up being disastrous, until they discover a way to carry the food safely without it flying off to the sidewalk, and then proceeded to put up decorations as fast as they could in the neatest way possible. "Wow!" Margaret, one of Tasha's friends from work, remarked, "You girls are, really, really fast." she said in wonder. Just then Adam, Kaz and Oliver arrived, "We come bearing gifts!" Adam said excitedly, placing the gifts on their designated table. "Looks like everything is coming along," Rose said to her younger daughter Janice, surprised but happy that the family came through, everyone managing to get their tasks accomplished, despite the few mishaps along the way. Douglas and Daniel finished setting up the sound system and played some music for the patient guests. The party was ready to be started, all they were missing was the guest of honour. Donald called Leo to alert them to bring his pregnant wife to her surprise baby shower, just to have Leo call him before he had the chance to dial the number. "Hey Leo, was just about to call, we're ready to start you should bring Tasha over to the venue, can't wait to see the look on her face." "Awesome, cause we're just about to come in!"
Tasha walked next to Chase, who was telling her about some science thing she didn't have too much energy to understand at the moment, while Leo was a few paces behind them, on his phone once again. "Who is Leo talking to so much today?" She asked Chase, who seemed to be having trouble reponding, "Uh, he, uh, is probably just making sure things are okay back at the Academy." Not buying his lie, Tasha responded, "Mmhmm, well I'm just happy to have all of you here for a nice family lunch, don't see why Donald had you two drive me here, but it's really good to see you again Chase." Chase smiled, draping an arm around Tasha as sort of a side hug, before opening the door to the venue of the surprise shower, "After you Tasha." "Well thank you young man." Tasha smiled as she walked in, and was greeted with a chorus of "surprise!", seeing all her family and friends, Donald walking up to her, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. "Surprise honey!" He said excitedly. "Wow, Donald, you planned all this for me?" "Of course I did!" He heard the collective clearing of throats from his brother and kids. "Well it was a joint effort, but I spearheaded the entire thing." Tasha's eyes welled up with tears, which confused Donald cause he thought he had gotten everything right. "Sweetie what's wrong? Do you not like the big party? I know I promised a quiet lunch but..." She waved him off, "No, no nothing's wrong, I'm just, overcome with emotion that's all," she then spoke more to the invited guests, "Really guys, thank you all for coming, this is great! Just, trying to get these hormones in check." She laughed, and her tears became of joy. "Well then," Douglas began, "Let's get this party started!" With that the celebrations began, with Tasha getting numerous hugs and congratulations from friends. They ate and laughed and played games and danced, a smile never leaving Tasha's face, which in turn gave Donald a permanent smile too. It made him happy to not only see his wife happy, but his family too. Seeing them all together made his heart swell, and it also filled him with some sadness knowing that they would have to go their separate ways after this event. He watched as Adam, Bree, Chase and Leo stood together, chatting away, laughing and joking about. These four kids had grown up in quite an adventurous and sometimes dangerous environment, and it made him happy to see them so peaceful and content, not facing any immediate threats or dangers. "Hey honey," he heard Tasha say as she sat down next to him. "Hey there, beautiful wife and my little princess," he said, placing an hand on her belly, greeted with a quick he felt on the palm of his hand. "I'm starting to think that you two are high-fiving any time you put your hand there cause she always kicks if you do." Tasha chuckled. "How are you enjoying the party?" "It's lovely Donald, I really love how managed to pull this off, but, I must say I'm feeling quite drained now." "Aww, sorry about that, should have considered that you would want some time to rest." "Eh, it's okay. It's so nice to see them all together." Tasha spoke as she too looked over at the kids, now joined by the other super-powered/bionic/alien teenagers. "And pretty soon she'll join them. Not with superpowers or bionics, I just mean as a kid." Her husband said, correcting his speech in case Tasha thought otherwise. "I think it's time for us to go to bed." Tasha yawned, exhaustion from the day of celebration weighing on her. "I'm sure Douglas can handle things here, we can say our goodnight's, load the gifts into the car and head on home if you'd like." "Okay, but promise me I get a nice family breakfast tomorrow?" "Anything you want dear." The Davenport parents smiled at each other, and went over to the kids to wish them goodnight.
As they drove home, Tasha, in a sleepy voice said, "Thank you for all this. Even though I would've settled for a simple lunch, I appreciate you going all the way to include so many people in the shower. You even got along with my Mom tonight. I only saw you guys argue once!" Donald chuckled, then replied, "Well, I was hoping to make up for all the time I've been away. I'm really sorry about that." "It's okay Donald, just make sure you're here when the time comes for her to be brought into this world. We'll need you more than ever." "I promise."
AN: Sorry for the not so great ending. Okay so to anyone reading this who has name suggestions for Princess Davenport, please send them via PM to be included in the next chapter, where the Davenparents will be discussing baby names and nursery designs.