Yay, Chapter Eleven!

This one gets a bit intense. Anyone else think Chase is still peeved over "not" being looked for?

Even though he ran away himself…and didn't want to be found….

Chase is weird. Just sayin'.

It's why he's so great. :3

Thanks for all the reviews and readers still reading, keeping to themselves. :3

AllAmericanSlurp: And you didn't invite us?! D: Sad day! Lol thanks. :3

Moonlit: Hang on, I haven't got my insanity bunker finished quite yet. O_o Thanks. :3

Vampire Girl: D'aaw, stop it, you. ;) Douglas would also like me to point out that he thinks he is cuter.

So, who's up for angry/awkward demonic family reunions!? Because this chapter isn't quite as funny as the last one. It gets pretty intense towards the end there.

Let's do this!

So who's got this?

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

Thanks, Miss Bree.

"Strong preys on the weak, and nobody does a thing."

Matthew Li

"Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it."

Mark Twain

Chapter 11 – I Am Not Weak

Chase

Have you ever gotten in trouble?

Sure you have, you little delinquents.

But have you ever done something that your parents instantly knew about – and you knew that they knew – but you tried to hide it anyways until they come out with it?

Imagine that kind of situation with a bunch of demons and a slightly dysfunctional family prone to petty vengeance.

Because it was probably going to get crazy.

The first people in the room were three imps I hadn't seen before. And, upon seeing me, they all started to cower.

I mean throwing-themselves-at-me-feet, almost-crying, full-out cowering.

At least something respects you.

"Don't eat us!" one begged, almost kissing my shoes.

"It was Yahn!" another cried out, his words muffled as he was almost flat on his face.

"Have mercy, Half-Breed!" the third implored, actually hiding behind the other two but bowing anyways.

It was awesome.

I glanced at Douglas while everyone else piled into the room, taken aback by the random demonic display of fear. Except Adam, who actually just picked me up and squeezed me to his chest while Yahn yelped and jumped off of his shoulder. "Chasey! You're home!" His voice turned from exceedingly joyous to stern. "You're not allowed to leave ever again."

"Can't breathe," I gasped, struggling for a bit and pinning my ears back. "Seriously, Adam." As much as I wasn't expecting this more-than-relieving reaction – I figured that something along the lines of what Leo did would play out – I wasn't pleased that Adam had decided to throw some of his strength into the impromptu hug.

"You know what he just freaking loves?"

I could almost hear Douglas' smirk. He wouldn't dare.

"When you rub his ears!"

He was about to have a lot more than a broken rib and an estranged brother to worry about. Especially now that he was laughing.

"Don't touch my ears!" I protested.

Bree, however, had already taken up that suggestion. She was scratching at the base of them, cooing excitedly. "You're like a kitten!" I had to stop myself from kicking her square in the stomach. Did I mention how much I hated people touching my ears? I hated people touching my ears. However, she stopped and caught my right one, her finger running along the missing tip. "What happened to you here?"

"He ran his mouth and couldn't back it up," Oly called from her perch on the cabinet.

"I recall lighting your tail on fire," I snapped before growling loudly, flicking my ear.

Bree jumped back in alarm.

"What are you doing here?"

Mr. Davenport's voice caused Adam to turn around – still holding me in the air - so that we both could see Douglas and Mr. Davenport watching each other. Douglas threw his arms up in surrender. "Hear me out before you send me away this time."

You could probably cut the tension with a butter knife. Seriously, everyone was probably holding their breaths as we waited for Mr. Davenport to say something. Not taking his eyes off of Douglas, he asked, "Are you all right, Chase? Did he hurt you?"

I sighed. "No."

"Didn't he turn you into a half-demon thing?" Bree suddenly asked.

I smiled. "That was the stupid portal's fault."

"How did a shock from a portal turn you half-demon?" Leo wrinkled his nose.

"Look, if I knew how it worked – "

"You know how everything works," Adam interrupted.

"Not that," I admitted, nodding towards the burnt-out shell of a machine that had started it all.

"There's some blasphemy right there," Leo declared.

"Right?!" I responded, glancing at him.

"Why would you know how everything works?" asked one of the demons, tilting her head. For the record, blue, scaly dogs were not a pet of choice for me.

"He's a super – genius," Adam started to explain helpfully. Oddly enough, all five imps seemed to listen to him more than they usually would listen to someone. Hell, his words were fascinating me, even though I didn't honestly need to hear it. It was strange, to say the least. He lifted me up a bit. "This guy right here can – "

"Adam," Mr. Davenport warned, causing Adam to go silent. "You have thirty seconds," he then growled, poking Douglas in the chest.

Douglas winced visibly, but didn't say anything. "All right. A summoner named Lovett was hired by Krane to murder us. It's going to look like an accident. Probably going to involve a big demon, like the one that burned down the house after Chase and Oly decided to steal Azazel's Bane." He paused, frowning. "Actually, it's probably going to be pretty public, too, since he's trying to take out some of the Council."

"What council?" Davenport demanded.

"Summoner's Council," Douglas explained. "Anyways – "

"Wait, that's a real thing?" I cut in, a tad surprised. "I thought you were just messing with me."

"I told you I was serious," Douglas responded. He paused before finally shrugging. "That's about it, actually."

"You expect us to just believe that?" Davenport asked harshly.

"Pretty much," Douglas shot back.

Mr. Davenport rolled his eyes. "That is a psychotic story even by your standards."

"My standards?" Douglas huffed. "At least I don't scare a kid so much that he runs away when something bad happens to him!"

"Hey, I ran away to keep from hurting them!" I protested.

"Details," Douglas said, waving my words off.

"You just try to turn my kids into slaves," Mr. Davenport shot back. Wow, a minute in and they're already taking swings at each other. "At least I let them think for themselves!"

"You locked them in a basement for fifteen years!"

This was popcorn-worthy.

Adam started to absently rub my ears as we watched, mildly entertained.

Which I suddenly didn't mind. What was going on here?!

Leo stood up on his chair. "Taking all bets!" he declared loudly. "One is a psychotic, unstable sociopath who summons demons while the other is a self-obsessed inventor with only a computer for a friend! Who will emerge victorious?"

"Twenty on the big one!" I immediately said, grinning.

"They're the same size," Leo pointed out, shooting me a look and gesturing at Douglas and Mr. Davenport, who had fallen silent and were just glaring at Leo now.

"I don't have twenty dollars anyways," I responded.

"They're both small to me," Adam observed. "The only thing smaller is Chasey here."

I growled and started struggling again. "I am not small, damn it!"

"Watch your language!" Mr. Davenport immediately chastised.

"He can say whatever the hell he wants," Douglas huffed.

I finally got Adam to release me by flicking my wings out, catching him by surprise. I dropped about a foot to the floor and dusted myself off. "Yeah," I growled. "Don't tell me what to do."

Good, my voice hissed. Now claw his eyes out for even trying!

"You don't tell me what to do, either!" I snapped aloud, rubbing my forehead and closing my eyes. "Stupid little voice."

"What?" I heard Bree ask Adam.

"He has a crazy evil voice in his head," Leo explained.

"I'm not crazy," I hissed.

Mr. Davenport gestured at me, looking at Douglas. "You're not even cut out to be a father! You almost got Chase killed!"

"It's not his fault!" I found myself defending. "He told Oly and I not to draw attention to ourselves, but we stole Azazel's Bane anyways."

Douglas nodded. "We had no idea that someone would track Azazel's Bane that fast. I don't even know how they pinned it to us."

"What is Azazel's Bane?" Leo asked.

"Powerful protection amulet," the cat-human imp explained. Geez, I'd have to learn their names later.

"Master?"

Yahn's little voice caught everyone's attention. The little guy was hiding behind Adam's leg, actually shaking. "You know the house fire? It was my fault. I let the spy get away."

The silence was deafening. Douglas narrowed his eyes at Yahn. "You let the spy get away," he said quietly.

Yahn nodded. "It was an accident." He hid his face behind his wings. "Please don't feed me to the half-breed!"

I wasn't partial to eating demons, anyways, but whatever worked, I supposed. "So that's how they found us," I mused aloud as Adam picked Yahn up and started scratching between the imp's wings. I broke into a grin and threw my hands up. "I wouldn't keep them around if they weren't good for something," I said mockingly, trying – and failing – to sound like Douglas when he had used that explanation on me.

Douglas reached over and ran a finger along my left ear. "Smart ass."

I hissed and pinned my ears, rubbing where he had touched. "Really?"

"Enough," Mr. Davenport snapped, holding up his hands. He pointed at Douglas. "You get out. And take your demons with you! Every time you get involved with this family, you almost get everyone killed. We'll handle this problem ourselves."

Douglas hesitated, looking ready to say something else, but decided against it. "Come on," he said. The five imps flinched but immediately trotted up to Douglas. Adam's face fell when Yahn jumped from his arms and joined them. And, as Douglas turned to leave, I followed.

Yes; I followed.

Because this was the second time Mr. Davenport wouldn't hear Douglas out. Even when I was on his side. See, this was yet another problem with this family: Nobody let anything go. I was guilty of that, as well, but I felt that I had a reason. I tried to let everything go.

The insults.

Being unappreciated.

Slowly being pushed out of the family for some unknown reason.

I honestly tried to forgive them for it.

And it had worked, too. Up until I vanished for three months and no one seemed to care.

"Chase, you don't have to go," Bree was saying.

I glanced at her. "I actually do. He kicked the demons out, remember?"

Douglas stopped and sighed, resting his hands on my shoulders. "If you want to stay here –"

"I don't."

I could hear some gasping behind me.

Douglas didn't question it further. "Your choice," he said gently. He did smile, though.

"Really, Chase?"

I glanced behind me at Leo. "After everything that he's done, you're going to leave your family for him?" He snorted, rolling his eyes. "What else could you expect from an evil demon?"

I growled and turned to face them. "What have you done? Let's see here." I pointed at Adam. "You always have something to say about how I'm small or useless, if you're not throwing me around the room." I pointed at Bree. "And I just love how you always take his side on things, even if he's being cruel." On a roll now, I pointed at Mr. Davenport. "I absolutely adore how you never seem to stop them. You just let it happen!" I pointed at Leo, this time showing my sharp teeth. "You are so quick to judge me because I'm part demon now. I'm not evil." Their stunned, hurt expressions almost made me stop, but I didn't. This all had to come out sometime. I spread my arms wide to indicate them all. "And, on top of all of that, you never bothered to even search for me when I went missing. Twice. You left me behind when I was buried alive under a ton of snow. And then, over the past three months, you just seemed to forget that I existed!" I jerked my thumb over my shoulder towards Douglas. "Meanwhile, he dug me out of an avalanche. And he actually found me after I ran. Moreover, he actually likes me. He doesn't mind that I'm a half-breed demon. He actually appreciates it because I'm his son."

By the way they were looking at me now, you would think that I had begun to foam at the mouth. Hell, maybe I did. My tail was lashing and my ears were laid back. Why not go the whole nine yards and start looking rabid?

"Let him go," I heard Bree say after a moment, her voice actually turning a bit icy. "Do we really want a demon around?"

"Besides," Leo added, narrowing his eyes in rage. "He's too weak to actually do anything."

To my surprise, Adam actually protested against that, but I was so busy seeing red that I didn't hear what he had to say. I felt myself begin to shake. I had just poured my soul out to them, and they wanted to get rid of me?

I didn't know what I had expected. An apology? An admission of guilt? Anything?

Nope. I was instead, once again, labeled as "weak."

You are not weak! My voice spat. Show them!

For once, I actually agreed.

I growled loudly, raising my arms up to shoulder level and holding them out straight, my palms open and pointed towards the walls, my breathing heavy with anger. "I am not weak." My voice had dropped several octaves, somehow acquiring an echoing quality, like three people were speaking through me at once. A few beakers started flying in a circle around the room. Then some Bunsen burners. Small inventions soon followed. Leo jumped out of his chair, ducking towards the center of the room, where Adam, Bree, and Mr. Davenport were already gathering, their faces pale.

Leo's chair was the next to go. Followed by cabinets, the desks, the capsules.

I know: Why are you using your molecularkenesis to destroy the Lab!?

I'll explain momentarily.

"I am more powerful than you could ever imagine!" I snapped, my voice still eerily deep and echoing. Bits and pieces of the walls began to fly around, followed by large chunks of the soil that surrounded the underground Lab. Large pieces of the tunnel and house soon joined the vortex, followed by the street outside, the fence around the property and the neighboring homes. "I can do greater things than you could ever wrap you minds around!" The next couple of blocks vanished into my whirlwind of destruction, painting it interesting colors as everything started to blur together. In the center of it, my family huddled together, Adam taking it upon himself to cover them all with his body. I grinned maniacally, raising my arms over my head towards the now-visible sky. "Even the stars themselves bow to my will!" The clouds overhead, the blue sky, the sun, the moon, the stars: All became blurs of celestial color in my storm of anger as is spun around us all. I watched as my family cowered with joy rising in my chest, causing a laugh to bubble up from me. "You will never call me weak again!"

I felt an arm loop around my shoulders suddenly, followed by a quiet whispering in my ear.

"Chase, calm down. Do you really want them to hate or fear you?"

The rage-tinted lens through which I had been viewing all of this suddenly faded away. Instead of glee at the sight of my cowering family, I suddenly felt guilt and remorse. I had been angry at them for everything, had been hoping that, if I just told them how I felt, they would somehow take me back.

I wouldn't blame them if they didn't want me now. I didn't want to be around me at the moment. I honestly hadn't intended to scare the piss out of them.

I dropped my arms to my side.

Everything was suddenly restored as the vortex instantly died. The Lab was in perfect order; not even the slightest thing out of place from where it was before I had let my demonic temper get the best of me. Everything was perfectly placed, as if it had never happened.

So, why was I using my molecularkenesis to destroy the Lab?

I wasn't. I had created an illusion. Neat, huh?

Of course, a trick that massive took a lot of energy to pull off.

An overwhelming wave of dizziness caused me to slump backwards a bit into whoever had taken it upon themselves to hold my shoulders. Took me a second to figure out that it was Douglas. "You all right, Chasey?" I heard him ask, slightly alarmed.

But, instead of answering him, I growled in my now-normal voice, "I am not weak."

Then, like someone had drawn a curtain over everything, my world went black.

Now that was some Chase-rage!

Talk about pent – up anger! That was years in the making!

Before everyone starts going all, "That was mean, Davenports! You meanies," bare in mine that demons aren't really something they deal with. In fact, they spent most of forever thinking they were evil myths. Keyword: Evil. And that Chase wanted to go with someone who was rather comfortable with these "evil" things wasn't something they were prepared to accept.

So don't hate them too much. ;)

And remember when I warned you that this story would take them into OOC land? Here we are!

What was with Adam and all the demons? Why do they like him so much? :O

Feel free to review. Or don't. Whatever. :3

And enjoy.

*Bows and exits*