Chapter fourteen! Woo!

I would have posted it yesterday, but I wanted it to be perfect. And, after rewriting Douglas' part a couple of times – I'm still not totally happy with it – I just figured I better post it. Otherwise, I probably never would.

So I'd like to thank everyone who reads and reviews on the story. :3 *waves*

AllAmericanSlurp: It's not that great, either.

gg180000: *Sigh* And here I was, hoping that you'd drop it and not kinda spoil this chapter for those reading the reviews. :P Oh well. Clever, clever girl.

Mia-Teresa-Davenport: "You're gonna miss…well, you'll see. But it's cute! You can't leave now!"

DarkestKing: I don't think the army's gonna make a move. Their leader has gone silent, which I take as a refusal to attack. Guess the army either went soft or was scared off by your defense. :3

So, everybody, let's do this. Josh?

"Zara doesn't own Lab Rats or anything you recognize. If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers."

"Wickedness never rests easily so, in a way, one might almost feel pity for the wicked, for they are destined to live their lives in fear, in a prison of the heart."

John Connolly, The Infernals

"It is strange how you shall hate a man, and yet pity him from the depths."

Richard Llewellyn

Tasha

In her years as a reporter, Tasha had never made waves. She never ruffled feathers, she never made problems, and she never made enemies.

In the course of that career, she had accumulated a few favors.

Honestly, she had never thought she would cash them in for something like this. Destroying the reputation of small-time politicians wasn't something she ever wanted to do. But desperate times called for desperate measures. It was how she was standing behind a cameraman rather than in front of him, watching a co-anchor of hers – Joshua Banks - standing in front of Sandra's home, waiting for her to come out.

Tasha was standing with her arms crossed, tapping her foot irritably. She wanted to throw a few more punches at Sandra, but that would only make the situation worse with Adam. Besides, Donnie was holding her shoulders to make sure she behaved herself. If she messed up, the entire plan would be ruined.

In the upstairs window of Sandra's home, a curtain shifted, indicating that she was now aware of the presence of the media outside. Tasha ground her teeth, going over the plan in her head just to make sure that it was as full-proof as it sounded.

Douglas had provided the birth certificate and the certificate of abandonment before he completely vanished while Donald had given the station every available article that he could find in which Sandra denied having children, even though she never said that out right. He even threw in the article with a picture of Adam with her. The kids would make sure that Adam watched the report by any means necessary at home.

Tasha felt herself smirk a bit. Everything was set to go off perfectly. All she had to do was sit back and watch the fun. Hopefully, everyone else was set to watch, too.

When Sandra opened the door, Josh introduced himself and started firing questions at her before she could think. If she saw Tasha or Donald at all, she didn't acknowledge it.

"Is it true that you're a mother?"

Sandra gave Josh an incredulous look. Dang, Sandy could act. "Absolutely not! I'm not even married!"

Actually, she's right, Tasha thought. No one who treated Adam like she did could call themselves a mother.

Josh was undeterred. The microphone was back in Sandra's face almost immediately. "Who is this kid you've been spending time with? What's his name?"

Sandy was becoming visibly annoyed now. "An inner city kid named Adam that needed help."

"The same Adam as Adam Davenport, an heir to the multi-million dollar Davenport Industries?"

Sandra glared at Josh. "No."

Tasha smirked. The station editor would put up a family picture when the story aired.

"Is it true that Adam isn't an inner city kid at all?" Josh pressed. "Are the reports of him being a Davenport true?"

"No," Sandra growled.

"Is it true that Adam is, in reality, your son? Is it true that you abandoned him when he was born?"

"Absurd," Sandra scoffed. "I've never had children."

"Do you have any comments regarding the birth certificate and certificate of abandonment that you signed, both with the name 'Adam Davenport' on them?"

The blood suddenly drained from Sandra's face. "They're fake-"

"The documents have been confirmed as authentic," Josh interrupted. "Why do you not want anyone to know you have a child?"

Sandra wasn't looking at Josh or the camera anymore, though. She was glaring at Tasha and Donald. So she did notice them. To be honest, the look Sandra was shooting her made Tasha a tad nauseous. There was no remorse in her eyes. No guilt or shame. Nothing that could possibly make Tasha see her in a different light. Instead, all that flashed in those brown cesspools - which, unfortunately, Adam had inherited - was rage and hatred.

Why, though? Was she mad that she had been exposed? That anyone had dared to call her on everything she was trying to do? Was it because Adam was now associated with her? Was it because the world would know how much of a deadbeat she was when the story aired?

Was it for Tasha, Douglas, Donald - the Davenports in general?

Tasha desperately clung to the naïve hope that it was because Sandra knew that Adam would never want to see her again, and that Sandra was so volatile because she had lost the only contact she would ever have with her son. Tasha wanted to believe that no mother could be so cruel, so selfish.

In the back of her mind, though, Tasha knew she was wrong. Sandra was nothing but a bar whore that Douglas had the misfortune of finding nineteen years ago. She hadn't wanted a kid then, and she didn't want one now.

Tasha had to bite back the urge to hug the woman out of pity. Sandra had every opportunity to experience the sheer joy of motherhood, but she had run at every turn. She would never know what it was like to love someone more than she loved herself, even if they messed up severely.

Finally, Sandra hissed, "No further comments." She stormed back in her home and slammed the door, ending the interview.

Tasha felt pity for Sandra again. Adam was one of the most cheerful, optimistic, creative people Tasha had ever had the privilege of knowing. He seemed to brighten any room he walked in and had a talent for diffusing volatile situations. He could take someone's bad mood and cure it almost instantly.

And Sandra would never, ever know that. Would never know what a gift her son was to the world.

It was a shame, really.

"Doubt isn't the opposite of faith; it is an element of faith."

Paul Tillich

"Of all the words of mice and men, the saddest are, "It might have been."

Kurt Vonnegut

Adam

He had been staring at the paused security video on the Lab's computer screen for the past hour. He could see the front door about to close behind him while Chase was sitting in front of Sandra as calmly as...

Well, as calmly as a content cat.

Adam wanted to press play. The little mouse pointer was on the arrow, just waiting for Adam to actually click.

He couldn't, though. Adam sat frozen, his hand on the mouse.

Don't be so weak, he huffed at himself. He had to watch the video to prove everyone wrong. He only needed to see it once. He only needed to see Chase lunge at her, and that would be all the proof he needed. Everyone would stop coddling Chase like he was the victim when it was really his fault.

But Adam still couldn't play it.

In the back of his mind rose doubt. What if he was wrong? What if Sandra really had attacked Chase? What if his mother really was capable of such a violent act? If she was, what did that make Adam? Could he be twice as mean as Douglas could be, since he had twice the genes for it residing throughout his body?

Did genetics work like that? Because math did. So genetics had to work like that, too, right? It couldn't just ignore math.

Worse than that was that he would have to admit that he failed as a brother. He had been the one that brought Chase out to see Sandra. He was the reason she had come to the house that day at all. If she had attacked Chase, then Adam felt like it was as much his fault as hers.

Douglas had warned him, after all.

So had Yahn.

Tasha even tried to tell him that she was no good.

Were they all right, or were they paranoid? Would he be wrong to listen to them, or ignore them?

So he hesitated, not wanting his world to come crashing down.

Adam debated going upstairs for a while to clear his head, but decided against it in the end. He had seen the painful-looking burns on Chase that morning, had felt his throat close at the sight. He didn't want to take the chance of seeing them again. Adam had snuck upstairs after that and located the weapon on Mr. Davenport and Tasha's dresser. The only reason he found it was that dried blood still clung to the necklace, making it stand out. He had stared at it for a long time, trying to remember if he had ever seen Tasha wear it before.

He kind of wished that he had paid more attention to her jewelry before, because he couldn't remember.

It prompted him to wait until the Lab was empty. He had discreetly uploaded the security footage from yesterday and found the time when he had been outside with Sandra and Chase.

An hour later, he was still staring at it.

Eddy popped up on the screen across the Lab. "What's your problem?"

"Fuck off, Eddy," Adam muttered. He wasn't in the mood.

"Aw, is muscle man too scared of a little video?" Eddy taunted. Adam glanced at Eddy, a bit surprised. Eddy grinned at him. "I'm the security system, remember? I know what footage you're looking at. What's the deal? Too much of a bitch?"

Adam ground his teeth. "Shut the hell up," he snarled. He wished that he knew where the off switch was for Eddy. He hadn't been able to find it in the new Lab.

"You know, I could just play it for you," Eddy started. "It's not –"

Adam rapidly pressed the play button with a loud snarl. He felt his split-second smug triumph fade as he was suddenly watching Sandra change. She went from the kind woman he had seen before into a violent bitch instantly, her expression twisted with disgust and hatred as she kicked Chase.

And all he was doing was standing there.

The longer Adam watched, the worse he felt. Guilt and anger rose up in him until he was shaking, his jaw aching from being clenched. They were right. Sandra had attacked Chase.

What kind of monster could attack Chase unprovoked? He was the sweetest demon alive. Except for maybe Yahn. How the hell could she even know he wasn't a cat? Adam had never said anything about demons being around the house. Why had he let her talk him into believing that Chase had attacked her first? Why hadn't he listened to anyone? They tried to warn him.

When Chase took off across the yard, yowling in pain, Adam heard a faint cracking sound. He glanced at the mouse only to find that he had crushed it subconsciously in his hand.

A breeze tore through the room, startling him. Adam jumped and glanced at the door only to see Bree standing in the tunnel. "There you are," she exclaimed. "There's some cute puppies on the news! You have to see them!"

Adam did want to see the puppies, but…. "Is anyone else up there?"

Bree shrugged. "Hellcat, Leo, Oly and Ysthry. Tasha and Mr. Davenport aren't home, and Douglas and Yahn went somewhere earlier."

He winced. "I don't want to annoy them. They probably don't want to see me. Especially Hellcat."

Bree rolled her eyes. "Come on, Adam." She zipped across the room and grabbed Adam's arm, instantly transforming everything into a blur. It was disorienting until he arrived in the living room. Bree dropped him off behind the couch, letting go of his arm and shooing Oly out of her seat. Adam was glad that Chase was his normal self now, because the clothes he was wearing hid the injuries very well.

However, Adam found himself watching something that wasn't about cute puppies. Rather, he was watching Sandra deny multiple times that he was her son.

What kind of mother could do that?

Adam sighed heavily. How could he have been so stupid?

"...Here's to us, here's to love, all the times that we fucked up. Here's to you, fill the glass, 'cause the last few days have kicked my ass. Oh, let's give 'em hell! Wish everybody will. Here's to us..."

Halestorm, "Here's To Us"

"...Here's to all that we kissed, and to all that we missed. To the biggest mistakes that we just wouldn't trade. To us breaking up without us breaking down, to whatever comes our way!..."

Halestorm, "Here's To Us"

Douglas

Even half drunk, the news story made him grin.

Honestly, no one else was even watching the news with him. Everyone was too absorbed in their dinners or drinking themselves into oblivion early. Hell, the guy beside him looked like he was trying to escape from some problem or another. He was shooting Douglas a confused look, as a matter of fact. He held tight to his glass of…whatever he was drinking…and nudged Douglas with his elbow. Great. Just fantastic. A talkative douchebag. "Why're you smiling?"

Douglas nodded towards the television. "That stupid bitch was a pain in my ass. It's satisfying to watch her eat it."

The guy chuckled a bit. "What did she do?"

Why did he have to be so damn curious? Stupid guy with his…stupid brownish-blonde hair that came down to just below his jaw and wonderful hazel eyes. Douglas shrugged. "She just refused to acknowledge that her kid was hers."

"Why would that be a pain in your ass, then? Unless he's your kid, too."

Clever guy, Douglas acknowledged grudgingly. Douglas took another long drink of his tequila, remaining silent. The guy seemed to get the hint, because he didn't press it. He just went back to his drink, looking a bit more depressed than he was earlier. About thirty minutes and several drinks later, Douglas found himself sighing. Maybe it was the alcohol talking, but he kind of wanted to talk to someone. He nudged the man. "Yeah, he is."

The guy shot him a strange look. "I'm sorry?"

"The question you asked earlier, about why Sandra bothered me? Adam's my son." As the guy nodded, Douglas went on with a bitter laugh. "I mean, she left him on my porch like he was a piece of trash when he was a baby. And then she wants to 'know' Adam, but pulls shit like this." Douglas sighed again.

"You were married to her?"

Douglas shook his head. "Met her in a bar. The relationship lasted all of one night."

The man nodded understandingly before smiling halfway. "But you're in a bar now? Are you running from something, or hoping to get lucky again?"

Douglas rolled his eyes. Fucking smartass. Just because Douglas was hiding from the problem he had caused at home from finding Sandra in the first place didn't mean that anyone was allowed to call him on it.

Even if they were handsome as hell.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Douglas challenged. "Trying to forget your girlfriend?"

The guy shook his head. "No, I'm gay. No girlfriends."

"Boyfriend, then," Douglas corrected himself.

"No boyfriends, either," the guy informed him.

Why that information made Douglas' heart leap was a mystery to him. However, he tried to force it down with another drink. "Then why are you here?"

The guy suddenly seemed embarrassed. He lowered his head a bit, mumbling his answer. "I'm trying to go into the convenience store near my house."

Douglas found himself shooting the guy a quizzical look. "What?"

"The store I usually go to closed an hour ago," the guy answered. "And I can't go into a convenience store sober. The…the ATM scares me too much."

Douglas let out a scoff. "What?"

"Robots are going to take over the world someday," he answered again, his cheeks growing redder. "And ATMs are going to lead the charge." Actual fear flashed for a bit in his gorgeous eyes – wait, not gorgeous; just eyes – for a second. "I mean, they control the money. Controlling the money is the first step in controlling everything."

Douglas let out an effeminate giggle. What a quirky guy. Normally, he wouldn't even have stayed near the guy after hearing that, but something just held him there. Call it strange, but he actually liked the guy. So, when the stranger's face fell a bit, Douglas patted his back. "I'm sorry," he chuckled. "Tell you what: We'll both go to that convenience store. I'll watch the ATM while you get whatever you need."

The guy shot him a look. "Don't make fun of me."

"I'm serious," Douglas insisted. He downed the last of his tequila in one drink. "Let's go."

"But wouldn't your imp convince it to attack?" the guy asked, pointing at Douglas' jacket pocket.

"My who?" Douglas asked, feigning ignorance. Honestly, Yahn was sitting in his pocket as a hamster. He had poked his head out earlier to watch Sandra suck it, but he was curled up inside it now, sleeping.

"The gargoyle imp in your pocket," the man insisted. "I saw it earlier."

Douglas frowned and narrowed his eyes. "How?"

The guy shrugged. "I can see it. It's only a hamster on two planes."

Douglas scoffed. "You can't see planes. No one can."

The stranger shrugged again. "Then how did I know that you have an imp? It's a gray gargoyle."

Douglas nodded. Honestly, he would worry about the "how" later. "Yahn's one of the nice imps. He won't convince an ATM to attack."

The guy made a perfect "O" with his mouth, nodding like he accepted it. "So…you'll watch the ATM?"

Douglas nodded, smiling. "Totally. I won't let it get you."

The guy nodded slowly. He finished the rest of his drink and smiled shyly. "Thanks."

Douglas grinned more broadly this time. "No problem…." He trailed off, tilting his head quizzically. He didn't know this guy's name.

The guy's eyes seemed to light up slightly as he answered Douglas' unspoken question. "I'm Kevin. What's your name?"

"Douglas."

Douglas felt himself shiver a bit excitedly when he heard Kevin's beautiful voice echo him. "Douglas."

Holy hell, did that just happen?

Yes. Yes, it did.

Please keep in mind that Douglas is bisexual. If you read my profile, you'd know that. :3 If not, I kind of referenced it in Halloween, if you were observant.

Unfortunately, only a chapter or two more are left in this story, but at least Sandra's gone. So, if you want to kill her, go for it. :P She's unnecessary for the rest of this. However, she'll come back later, so have some random resurrection power in the wings if you do murder her.

Anyways, we'll wrap this up here.

Feel free to review. Or don't. Whatever floats your boat.

And, of course, enjoy.

*Bows and exits*