AN: Hey guys! Thanks for reading, and I hope you like it! :D

Disclaimer: I do not own Lab Rats.

AN: Set in season three around Christmas time.

Bree's PoV:

I walked through the front door of my house, tired but happy. Scott had fired me from working at Tech Town last week, so I had been looking for a new job. Scott fired me because, when he left me and Chase alone in the store for a few minutes, Chase glitched and Spike came out. Luckily, I was able to calm Chase down and get his Commando App to disengage, but I didn't succeed in these tasks until AFTER Spike completely trashed the store. I supersped Chase to the mall bathroom near the food court, and then went back to the store by myself. I got back right before Scott, and when he, accompanied by Chase came into the store, Scott was furious. Chase was just confused because, well, he didn't remember doing any of this.

I guess Chase figured out that Spike wrecked the store though, because when Scott asked who trashed the store, Chase gave me a sad look. He was going to take responsibility for it, but I refused to let this job be taken away from my baby brother. He really enjoyed working there, and it wouldn't be fair to let Scott fire him. So I took the blame. I put on the "bad girl act," and Scott totally bought it. So yeah, Scott fired me. But oh well.

I had found a new job anyway, and I couldn't wait to start. Anything to get out of the house. When I walked in, the first person to approach me was Chase. He had been doing this since the first day I started part-time job hunting. He would always run up to me and ask if I had found a new job. I didn't know exactly why he did this; if I had to guess, I would say that he did it out of guilt.

"Did you find anything?" Chase asked, and I could see in his eyes that he hoped I would say 'yes.'

"Well," I started, using a fake "sad voice" to fool him, "YES!" I exclaimed, my voice now happy.

"That's great!" Chase shouted. He hugged me tightly, and though I was a little surprised, I hugged him back just as tightly. Wow. He must've been feeling REALLY guilty. When we broke apart, Chase spoke again. "SO, where are you working?"

"You are looking at the newest waitress of The Coffee Cup Diner," I said. The Coffee Cup Diner was a little diner (obviously) about half an hour away from our house. Sure, it wasn't necessarily close, but it was better than nothing. (AN:There used to be a Coffee Cup Diner about five minutes max away from my house. Just a little fun fact for ya.)

"You're a waitress? Bree, I'm sorry to rain on your parade, but maybe you should look for a different job," Chase told me, looking like he was afraid that he had hurt my feelings. And while he hadn't hurt my feelings, I was curious as to why he thought that I shouldn't be a waitress.

"Chase, I value your opinion; we both know that. But why do you think that I shouldn't be a waitress?" I asked.

"Well, for starters, it usually doesn't pay well. It's also a lot of hard work, even for beginners. And there are some real jerks that'll go into diners JUST to hit on the waitresses. I just don't think that it's a good job for you. Or anyone else around your age, for that matter," Chase explained.

"Chase, I promise you that I'll be fine. It was the best part-time job in town that I could find, and it actually pays pretty well. And I swear, if ANY jerks hit on me, I'll tell you. Okay?"

"Fine," Chase relented, though he didn't look too happy about it.

"Thank you," I said, giving a sigh of relief.

"So, when do you start anyway?" Chase questioned, walking over to the couch and sitting down. I joined him before answering.

"Tomorrow, actually. On weekends, I work 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. During the week, with the exception of holidays, I work from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. I have to work two days out of Christmas and Easter break, and those days I'll work 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Otherwise, I have holidays off. So all in all, it's not too bad," I lied.

I didn't lie about the work schedule, but I DID lie about my work hours not being too bad. I already knew that I'd be exhausted with school and work, but it would all be worth it in the end.

Chase's eyes grew as wide as saucers. "Bree, that's WAY too much work! You're going to be completely exhausted! You can't over work yourself like that, Bree."

"Chase, I'll be FINE. Don't worry. Anyway, since tomorrow's Saturday, I need to get to bed. I don't want to be tired on my first day!" I told him happily. I stood up and sped to the lab. Climbing into my capsule, I thought about how all of this hard work would be worth it in two weeks.

Two Weeks Later:

Chase's PoV:

I looked up from my place at the table, (where I was working on homework,) to see Bree dragging herself through the front door. As usual. She had started working at The Coffee Cup Diner two weeks ago, and ever since her first day, she had been exhausted. And I could understand why. Her schedule nowadays went like this: eat, sleep, go to school, go to work, come home, stay up until midnight or later doing homework, and repeat. Well, that's how it went at first. As of a week ago, she usually didn't eat or sleep that much anymore.

While no one at her work or school could see how much Bree was suffering, my family and I could. At school and work, Bree wore makeup that was simple and nice, but yet enough to cover up any imperfections. But she didn't wear makeup at home anymore, so we all saw the dark bags under her eyes, her pale face, and her (kind of) sunken in cheeks.

My sister seemed to just go through the motions these days instead of actually enjoying anything. It was horrible to watch, and my family and I wanted to know what conditions Bree was working in. So Adam and I went to her work one day, a Saturday to be specific. Bree didn't know that we were going to the diner that she worked at, of course. But she would notice, and it wasn't like she could kick us out of the diner without getting in trouble with her boss.

Adam and I walked inside the diner on a rainy Saturday morning. Bree had been at work for about four hours when Adam and I showed up, but we didn't have to be there at seven in the morning to get the full, horrible effect of Bree's job.

We walked in and took a seat at one of the corner booths. We looked around for Bree, but we came up empty. A few minutes later, the door to the kitchen pushed open, and Bree walked out, wearing her uniform and carrying a tray. On the tray were two cups of coffee, steaming.

We watched as Bree walked over to an old couple and set the drinks down in front of them. They smiled at her, and she returned the smile, showing off her pearly whites. Bree talked with the couple for a few minutes before bidding them goodbye and starting to walk back to the kitchen. Suddenly, Bree stopped walking. She visibly tensed, and then relaxed a little bit.

At first, we couldn't figure out why she had just done what she did. But when I saw her walking towards a table filled with jocks, I immediately understood. Adam and I exchanged a worried glance before fixing our eyes on Bree again.

Bree stopped at the table of jocks, which wasn't too far away from us. The diner was quiet, and there weren't many people there that day, so Adam and I could hear what the jocks said to Bree.

"What can I get for you?" Bree asked kindly, but I could see nervousness in her eyes.

"Well," started one jock, sliding his arm around Bree's hips and pulling her to him, "You could give me your number."

"I've already told you multiple times," Bree replied, still sounding nice but obviously struggling, "I will not give any of you my number. Is there anything that I can get you?"

"Fine, I don't have to have your number," the same jock told Bree. His eyes then fixed on her, um, private area. "But you could give me something to eat."

Bree pushed away from him roughly, and her face grew red. That meant two things. One, she was mad, and two, she was close to crying. "NO," Bree responded coldly. She turned and walked away, but not before the jock slapped her butt. Bree didn't even turn around; she just kept walking. I watched as she walked away, and suddenly, I caught her eye.

She turned to look at me and Adam, whom I was holding back from attacking the jocks. Bree walked over to the counter quickly and told someone named Mary that she was taking her break. Then she walked over to us just as quickly.

"What are you two doing here?" Bree asked, though she didn't sound mad or even nervous. She sounded...relieved.

"We, as well as the rest of our family, wanted to see what your work was like. SO, Adam and I went on a 'mission,'" I explained.

Bree smiled, surprising me and Adam. "Well, I'm glad to see you guys. It's refreshing to see two boys that WON'T hit on me in here." Then Bree pulled out a pad of paper and a pen. "So, you guys want anything?"

"Nah, neither of us brought any money," Adam said.

"Well, at least let me get you some coffee. I get two free cups of coffee a day here. I already drank coffee at home, and I don't need any more of it, so you two can have my free coffee for today."

"Bree, we're not going to take your food," Adam argued.

"It's not food, Adam, it's coffee. And you're both going to have some, on me. You both look exhausted, so just sit tight. I'll be right back." And before we could protest any further, Bree walked back to the kitchen to get the coffee.

It was true that Adam and I were tired, but only because we were up half the night, worrying about Bree. I have to hand it to her; even without using her super speed, Bree was fast. Only one minute after Bree left, she was back with two cups of hot, steaming coffee. She set both of the cups down in front of us and took a seat next to me.

I sipped my coffee, and so did Adam. It was great, and I realized that Bree had made it exactly how I liked it. By the look on Adam's face, I could tell that Bree had gotten his coffee perfect too.

"SO," I said, setting my cup down and looking at my sister, "We saw what just happened."

Bree looked down at her hands, which were folded and resting on her lap. "You did?"

"Mmhmm. Bree, why didn't you do something? Why didn't you slap them, or tell them to back off?" Adam questioned.

Bree looked up at Adam. "As much as I wanted to, I couldn't. My boss might be nice, but she has one main rule: you can't do or say anything 'mean' to the customers, with the exception of major circumstances. Like, if someone pulled a gun on me, THEN I could do something. But I can't do anything if a jock messes with me. Basically, unless it's life threatening, I can't do anything. Make sense?"

Adam nodded in understanding, and I snorted. "That's stupid. If a guy sexually harrasses you, then you should be able to tell him off and/or defend yourself," I stated. She lifted one hand off of her lap and started picking at something on the table, leaving her other hand on her lap.

"I agree," Bree told me, looking down at her lap again. I took her hand, causing her to look up at me this time.

"Has this guy been bothering you for awhile?" I asked, looking her straight in the eye. She stared straight back at me.

"Ever since I started working here," she answered.

"Why are you still working here, then?" Adam wondered aloud, taking her hand that was still resting on the table.

"Because," Bree explained, "I need the money. Soon, I won't need that much money anymore. But right now, I DO need a good amount of money. So I have to keep this job."

"Why can't you work somewhere else?" I asked.

"Because there's no other place in town that pays this much." Suddenly, a lady, whom I guessed to be Mary, called to Bree.

"Bree, break time's over, hon." Bree nodded at the lady and got up, pushing some stray hairs that had escaped her high ponytail behind her ear.

"Alright. I'll see you guys later," Bree said, giving us a small smile. And with that, she walked away.

Adam and I watched Bree walk away, waiting until she was out of sight before we looked at each other again.

"We're staying until she gets off of work, aren't we?" I asked, though I already knew the answer.

"Oh yeah," Adam answered.

Six Hours and Forty-five Minutes Later:

Adam's PoV:

Six hours (almost seven) hours later, Chase and I were still sitting in the diner. There hadn't been a lot of business today, but there was enough to keep Bree fairly busy. She would come sit with us for a few minutes occasionally, not being able to sit with us for very long because, well, she WAS at work. We had texted Leo and told him that we would be with Bree until about seven o'clock, and he promised to tell his mom and Mr. Davenport.

At that moment, Bree hurried past us, carrying a tray filled with food. As she was walking past a table that was occupied by cheerleaders, one of the cheerleaders stuck her foot out and tripped Bree. Everything seemed to go in slow motion. Bree fell, and the food splattered all over her work uniform. Bree groaned and rolled over onto her back, putting a hand to her forehead in the process.

Chase and I rushed over and helped her up. I let her lean against me while Chase told off the cheerleaders. Thankfully, they didn't go to our school. Judging by the school name on their uniforms, they were from a different state and had come to California for a competition.

Once Chase finished telling the cheerleaders off, we helped Bree walk back to the kitchen. When Mary saw us come in, she rushed right over and took Bree from us.

"Oh, you poor thing!" Mary exclaimed, walking swiftly around the kitchen to find something. She finally found an icepack and gave it to Bree, instructing her to hold it against her forehead. "I don't know why those kids pick on you so much. You're such a sweetheart, and you never did anything!" Mary started to examine Bree's face, and I could see that a black eye was forming on Bree's face. "Kids can be so cruel."

Bree groaned again. "Well, trust me, I already knew from experience just how cruel kids can really be. I'm not really upset about that cheerleader tripping me; I'm just mad at myself for spilling all of that food. Mary, I can't believe that those people have to wait EVEN LONGER now for their food! I feel so bad."

"Sweetie, it's not your fault. I'm going to make sure that those cheerleaders pay for the food that they made you spill, and the people who ordered the now spilled food won't have to pay. I'm sure that they saw what happened, and I'm certain that they're not mad. Don't worry." Mary glanced at her watch. "It's quittin' time for you. Go on home. I'll sort everything out here."

Bree gave a small smile and said, "Thank you so much, Mary. For everything."

Mary placed a motherly kiss on Bree's forehead. "You're welcome. You're the best help that we've had for a long, long time. Now go on home."

Bree nodded and handed the ice pack to Mary, who took it from Bree and set it back in the freezer. Bree looked like she was about to drop from exhaustion, so I picked her up in a bridal hold. Bree snuggled into my chest and gave a deep sigh, indicating that she had fallen asleep.

"Thank you for taking such good care of our sister," Chase told Mary sincerely.

Mary gave us a gentle smile and replied, "No problem. She's a good kid, your sister. Kids pick on her every day, even worse than they did today. This job is taxing and hard, but your sister just keeps at it. And I know why she needs the money that she makes here. Such a sweetheart, your sister."

"Can you tell us what she needs the money for?" I questioned, furrowing my eyebrows.

"No sweetie, that's me and Bree's secret. But I can tell you this: you'll know what the money is for very, very soon." She gave me and Chase an affectionate pat on the cheek, and we left after giving her another smile.

As Chase and I walked home, Bree in my arms, I started to think about what Mary had said. "Hey Chase?" I said.

"Yeah Adam?"

"What do you think Mary meant when she said that kids mess with Bree every day?"

Chase looked at Bree for a second, and then he shifted his sad gaze to me. "I think that she meant exactly that; people are messing with Bree everyday that she goes to work. And you know how Bree said that she knows how cruel kids can be? She said that she knew from experience. People are messing with her at school too."

I looked down at my little sister, who was still sleeping soundly in my arms. "We have to protect her," I whispered.

"I know," Chase whispered back. "I know. And we will."

A Few Days Later (Christmas Day):

Bree's PoV:

"Alright," Mr. Davenport said, a smile on his face, "Bree, your turn to pass out your gifts for everyone." Me and my family were sitting around the Christmas tree in our pajamas, laughing, smiling, and giving each other gifts. So far, we had been having a really great Christmas, even though it was only nine in the morning.

"Okay," I replied, a big grin on my face, "Chase, Adam, Leo, Tasha, and Mr. Davenport." As I said their names, I handed everyone their presents for me.

Everyone tore in, and I was nervous. What if they wouldn't like their presents? But that nervousness was suddenly replaced by happiness and relief when I saw everyone's smile grow even larger.

Chase was the first one to tell me what he thought. "An encyclopedia collection?! Thanks, Bree!" He gave me a huge hug, and then he went back to examining the books. So, it wasn't the best present to a lot of people, but Chase had always wanted an encyclopedia collection.

"Woah! You got me pet pig!" Adam exclaimed. I nodded, and he gave me a high-five. "This is great! And I can name him?"

"Whatever you want," I confirmed.

"Sweet! I'm gonna go see him!" Adam shouted, running out the front door and forgetting his shoes.

My family looked at me and I answered their questioning gazes with, "Oh, don't worry. I didn't actually get him a pig. It's a pig at this petting zoo, and they have so many of every animal there that they let kids 'adopt an animal.' It stays there, but he can go see it whenever he wants, and he can name it. It's kind of like getting someone their own star."

My family nodded their heads in understanding and went back to ripping open their presents from me.

"Awesome!" Leo yelled, "You got me that new video game that I've been wanting! Best. Sister. Ever." Leo hugged me, and I returned the hug.

Tasha opened her gift from me and gasped. "Oh, Bree. Diamond earrings to match the necklace that Donald gave me? Thank you sweetie, I love it!"

Mr. Davenport was the last to tell me what he thought. "Wow! A device that can scan my face onto anything! That's awesome! Just like your truly. Thanks sweetheart."

"You're welcome." I was really happy that my family liked- well, according to them, loved- their gifts.

All of us went in different directions, Mr. Davenport going to scan his face onto everything, Tasha going to put on her necklace and new earrings, and Leo going to play his new game. The only one who stayed with me was Chase, who followed me into the kitchen. I pulled the milk carton out of the fridge and grabbed a glass.

"You want some?" I asked Chase, lifting the milk carton up a little bit so that he knew what I was talking about.

Chase nodded, and I grabbed another glass. I filled them both and handed one to Chase, who was sitting at the island. I took a seat next to him and we sat in silence, both of us sipping our milk.

After a minute or two of silence, Chase rested his glass on the island.

"You took the job at the diner to pay for our presents, didn't you?" Chase questioned, though it sounded like he already knew the answer.

"Yes," I admitted, "Presents cost money, and money is made through hard work. SO, I got a job. That's why I was working such long hours."

Chase, who had been staring into my eyes since the second that we started talking, took one of my hands in his own. He gave my hand a gentle squeeze and said, "That is one of the most self-less things that I have ever heard of someone doing. I'm proud to call you my sister, you know. I wish that I could've worked as hard for your present as you did for mine."

I fingered the beautiful charm bracelet that Chase had gotten me. It was really beautiful. "I love my present, though. It's gorgeous, Chase."

Chase gave me a smile. "I'm glad that you like it."

I smiled back at him. Getting up from my seat, I finished my milk and walked towards the front door. "I'll be back in a few minutes," I called over my shoulder as I walked out the door. I supersped to The Coffee Cup Diner, and slowed to a regular pace once I reached the front of the little diner. I walked into the diner, which was almost completely empty, except for the same old couple who came to the diner every day. I walked up to the counter and rang the little bell that sat by the cash register. Mary came bustling out, probably thinking that I was a customer. She already had a smile on her face, (she was always smiling, it seemed,) but her smile grew even wider when she saw me.

"Hey darlin'. Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas, Mary," I responded, smiling back.

"What're you doin' here, sweetie. We're about to close up early 'cause it's Christmas, and you're off today. Why aren't you with your family?"

"We just finished opening presents a few minutes ago, and I decided to stop by, tell you merry Christmas, and give you this." When I finished my sentence, I pulled out a little, glass turtle dove.

I placed it into her palm, and she looked at it curiously. "What's this?" she asked.

"It's a turtle dove," I told her, "You have one, and I have one. And as long as we both have one, we'll always be friends." (AN: Who can guess the movie that this is from? Hint: It's kinda old, and it's a Christmas movie.)

"Thank you," Mary said, smiling even brighter.

"You're welcome. Mary, do you have a family to go home to?"

"Yes darlin,' I do. But thank you for makin' sure."

"No problem."

"So, I reckon that you're going to quit today?" Mary questioned, looking sad.

"Actually, if it's alright with you, I think that I'll stick around for awhile longer. I won't be coming into work as much as I did these last few weeks, but I'll still be coming in. Is that alright?" I asked.

Mary took my hand from across the counter and gave it a gentle squeeze, just as Chase had done. "That's more than fine. I enjoy your company a lot. Now run on home, sweetie. Your family will be waitin' for ya."

I walked around the counter and gave Mary a hug. "See you soon," I said, breaking away.

I walked to the door and pushed it open. "Merry Christmas," I repeated.

"Merry Christmas, darlin'."

I walked out the door, made sure the coast was clear, and then super sped off. I thought about Mary, who was practically, if not, family by now. She was a Southern, white version of Tasha in my eyes. She was from Louisiana, she said. I thought about my biological family, who meant the world to me. I thought about the past few weeks, and how exhausting they had been. But it was all worth it when I saw the happy looks on my family's faces. God, I loved them. And I knew that they loved me too.

AN: So, there's chapter eleven! I hope that you liked it, sorry if you didn't. Thanks for reading, reviewing, favoriting, and following, if you do! :D Later! :P