Warning: The following extra-long rant consists of Zara's personal opinions and case points that she feels provide evidence. Feel free to disagree. Or skip it. Whatever works.

Rant mode: Engaged!

I recently saw "Bro Down" again, and surely I wasn't the only one disturbed when Chase said, "See that? Bruise free. I can finally wear short sleeves again!" I mean, god damn. And still Davenport did nothing. See? This is why Chase needs to join the dark side with both middle fingers in the air!

That still bothers me. A lot. Along with Adam wanting to kick Chase off the team in "Taken". Seriously, Adam? There's a difference between teasing and being an ass-basket. Learn it.

And then, Chase shoved Adam to the floor in "Jet Wing". We need more moments like that. Go, Chasey!

Also, everyone complains that Chase stealing Davenport's technology in "Scramble the Orbs" to make Cheddy was out of character.

No…not really. :/

Allow me to present the following:

"Smart and Smarter" and "Spy Fly", where we see how competitive he is. How much more cut-throat would he get if he wasn't competing against Adam?

"Spike's Got Talent", where he stole Leo's act for his own gain.

"Air Leo": Evil laugh. Need I say more? :D

"Bro Down", where we see him taking advantage of Adam's fear until he's told not to.

"Avalanche!", not because he "joined" Douglas, but because he's capable of acting/lying so convincingly; under no circumstance is a "double agent" good. They are always deceitful and can't be fully trusted. Even though we still love Chase. :3

"Memory Wipe", where the whole thing started out as his idea.

"My Little Brother", in which Chase actually spent time thinking of ways to torture Adam when he was two inches tall.

*Insert missed examples of Chase's less-than-honorable actions*

Long story short: Chase is capable of underhanded, petty plots and misbehavior. Him stealing Cheddy was far from OOC. He was desperate to win and swung low to do it, just like in "Spike's Got Talent," when he was desperate to be noticed. So don't give me any of this "they're changing him too much" business. The only thing they've really changed to a noticeable degree is him standing up for himself a bit more often in a more proactive manner. (See both "Jet Wing" and "Zip It.")

Just because we love him enough to turn a blind eye to his motives doesn't mean he's just perfectly behaved or that his actions were never wrong. Cheddy just happened to be in our faces because Bree and Davenport tore into him for it. He's always had a dark streak that pops out on occasion.

I've been waiting for a while to say that. Finally got around to it.

Rant mode: Disengaged!

So, Chapter Fifteen! Here we are, people!

Thanks for your reviews and you less vocal readers out there. :3 You're the air I breathe. Kind of. Anyways, it's helped lead to this: A bit of back story!

Yay, back story!

But only a small bit of it. :D Because I like to drive you crazy. It's my weapon. It's my petty revenge against you sarcastic trolls. :D It's to bother all you obsessed people.

Because I'm evil like that. MUA HA HA HA HA HA!

Seriously: My guinea pig tried to eat my finger today. I'm so evil, I have a man-eating guinea pig. O_o Let that sink in….

AllAmericanSlurp: More irony: If you read back, you'll find that Team Chalas was never more than a mile from the Davenport residence. By the way, Chase is missing. You don't have him locked in your basement near your Demon Chase Fangirl Shrine, do you? O_o He might not be too pleased with that….And neither would Douglas, since Oly and Yahn were supposed to be watching him….

DisneyXDGirl: Take charge Adam must. Oldest is he.

Vampire Girl: Oly's still trying to decide how she feels about that proposal. The friends one, though? Sure. Oh, and Douglas, you have back up! "Wait, really? Yay!"

Moonlit: Me glad. :D

StealthySerpentineShadows: But, but…demons aren't sweet… D:

Sorry for the sucky chapter title. :(

And remember, I'm taking questions. Zara might be able to give you the answers to life. :D Or not. Who knows?

Mr. Davenport, set this thing on fire!

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

"There is no such thing as a "broken family." Family is family, and is not determined by marriage certificates, divorce papers, and adoption documents. Families are made in the heart. The only time family becomes null is when those ties in the heart are cut. If you cut those ties, those people are not your family. If you make those ties, those people are your family. And if you hate those ties, those people will still be your family because whatever you hate will always be with you."

C. JoyBell C.

"It's a commonly expressed and rather nice, romantic notion that we are all "sisters" and "brothers." Let's be real. Fact is, we might be better served to accept that we are all siblings. Siblings fight, pull each other's hair, steal stuff, and accuse each other indiscriminately. But siblings also know the undeniable fact that they are the same blood, share the same origins, and are family. Even when they hate each other. And that tends to put all things in perspective."

Vera Nazarian, The Perpetual Calendar of Inspiration

Chapter Fifteen – Brothers

Douglas

This is crazy.

Or so Douglas kept repeating to himself until it was a mantra, ringing in his head constantly as he stood just outside the gate to the Davenport Mansion.

He had been staring at the lock for five minutes.

Usually, he had no qualms about breaking in. It hadn't ever bothered him before. However, this time was different. He wasn't plotting anything remotely villainous, going to save the lives of his kids or try to convince them that there was mischief afoot.

No; this time, he was going in to repair a family relationship that had been broken for years.

Without backup, too.

He couldn't help but feel intimidated, like he was standing before an army of guards again.

The Guards Regiments, to be exact.

What a mental image to get one's nerves in check, he thought, smiling slightly. However uncomfortable the prospect of asking forgiveness was, Donnie would never be on par with the danger of the Queen's Guard.

Ah, the memories. London was a blast.

Douglas let out an involuntary chuckle that made him wince as his chest burned from his broken bone – the cause of his deportation from England was just the stupidest thing, in his opinion – and realized that facing them seemed easier than facing his brother. Maybe because he didn't care what they thought of him – when it came to strangers, he never did - where as it did matter to him what Donald thought, oddly enough.

Douglas swallowed hard, pessimism running rampant through his thoughts. Donald would never listen. He was better off just turning around and trying to save everyone on his own.

This is for Chase, he reminded himself forcefully, actually shaking his head. And Adam and Bree. It's for everybody.

Because if everyone was worried about the Davenport sibling rivalry, then who would worry about Lovett and Krane? Yahn was right; like pulling a splinter from one's hand, it had to be done.

Setting his jaw, Douglas sighed – again, fucking ow - and tapped the little screen by the gate. "Eddy," he said quietly. When no response came from the security system, Douglas rolled his eyes. "I know you can hear me, you pixellated piece of -"

Suddenly, the screen turned on, revealing the more-than-irritated Eddy. "We don't take visits from hobos."

Stung, he forced himself to ignore the crack at his less-than-perfect appearance – alleys didn't have mirrors, after all – and settled for rolling his eyes. "Just tell Donnie that I'm here. Alone."

"What's in it for me?" the emoticon sassed. "Why should I?"

Douglas poked the screen again. "Because I know how to disable you. And I'll activate your cookies, so that when you get back online, you'll be trading so much data with the internet that your ones will look like zeroes to you!"

Eddy immediately popped off of the screen. For a moment, Douglas was worried that he had been left to break in on his own.

Again.

However, just when Douglas was about to break out his mad infiltration skills, the screen lit up again. Only this time, Donald was on it. "What is it now, Douglas?"

Douglas rested his hand on the pole above the screen and leaned in a bit, lowering his voice. "Listen: Chase is sleeping in an alley right now because we can't get along," he began, pointing between himself and the screen. "We need to talk before this escalates any further."

"You left Chase alone in an alley?!"

"No," Douglas protested indignantly. "Oly and Yahn are there."

Donald's face was turning red now, his eyes almost bugging out in anger and worry. "He could get mugged or gang-raped or kidnapped or killed-"

"Are you implying that he can't take care of himself?" Douglas asked, cutting his brother's hysteric ranting off. "He was alone for three months. He'll be fine for one night. Besides, Oly and Yahn can be pretty protective when they want to be. Especially Ajiiyahn. Remember him?"

Donald sighed heavily. "You know that I never believed those stories, right?"

Douglas smiled slightly. "Yet just this morning, Ajiiyahn was perched on Adam's shoulder."

"Yahn is Ajiiyahn?" Donald asked quietly. "The same Ajiiyahn Dad used to tell us about?" When Douglas nodded, Donald sighed again. "If you try anything, I'm getting Eddy to burn a hole in you with a laser," Donald warned before the screen went dark. Seconds later, the lock buzzed and the gate swung open.

Not fond of the idea of having any part of himself singed off by a snarky computer – his physique was perfect already, thank you – he cautiously walked up the drive, jumping a bit at every sound just in case Donald decided to take him out anyways. Needless to say, the trip to the front door was nerve-wracking to the point where Douglas almost made a diving leap for the front door when he was close enough. Instead, he forced an appearance of composure and gently knocked.

It was just before midnight, after all. Everyone would be sleeping.

Donald opened the door immediately, his expression strained and suspicious as he gestured for Douglas to enter. Stepping inside, Douglas walked to the couch before stopping and facing his elder brother, who closed and locked the door before doing anything else. A tense second of silence passed before Donald sighed. "So…Ajiiyahn was real, then? This whole time?"

"This whole time," Douglas answered, chuckling a bit.

Donnie nodded slowly. "At least we know Dad wasn't crazy."

Douglas shrugged and crossed his arms. "Ye of little faith," he teased.

Donald rolled his eyes. "Fine: I was wrong." He gestured at Douglas. "You had something to say?"

"Yes," Douglas said. Then, he found himself choking on the words. It wasn't something he was used to saying; he usually never said it. Usually never had to say it. And he definitely didn't expect to ever say it to his brother. His mouth opened and closed a few times. This would be harder than he thought.

After a moment, Donald leaned against the wall, crossing his arms as well. In his pajamas – light blue with teddy bears all over – he looked ridiculous; at least, he did in Douglas' opinion. He couldn't at least throw on a shirt for his little brother? "Did you come here just to stand around? Or to get Chase off the streets? Because I don't want him out there any longer than he has to be."

"Me neither," Douglas found himself agreeing.

"But he ran away to you," Donald continued, pointing at Douglas in an accusing manner. "He didn't want to be here. He wanted to be where you are."

Douglas held his hands up innocently. "He's worried that you guys don't want him around after what he did this morning."

At this, Donald frowned. "Why would he think that?"

"Probably because you locked him in a room like he was a prisoner," Douglas replied sardonically, unable to help himself. "But that's just a guess, really."

"So maybe we didn't handle that well," Donald admitted. "But with the whole demon situation – "

"What about it?" Douglas asked, the corner of his mouth twitching. "It's not like Chase isn't Chase anymore."

"Then what did Ajiiyahn call him?" Donald frowned. "It was some strange name, like Vânăto or something like that. Something demonic."

Douglas, however, smiled. "Îngrijirea Vânătoare. That's Chase's real name. If you ever get into summoning, that'll come in handy."

"Wait, his name is Romanian?" Donald's eyes widened. "I thought that it was just some demonic gibberish, like 'Ajiiyahn.'"

"Yes," Douglas confirmed. "Chase's name means something."

Donald was quiet for a long time before he finally sighed. "Îngrijirea Vânătoare. No wonder he went ballistic after what Bree and Leo said." He chuckled dryly. "He pours his soul out and is told to leave. Poor Chase."

"Instead of throwing a pity party for the kid," Douglas suggested, "let's actually figure out some way to work together so that he can have an actual roof over his head, shall we?"

Donald nodded. "Of course, everyone will let Chase come back, but without you, I don't know if he will." He paused and narrowed his eyes. "You haven't been teaching him how to be a criminal, have you?"

"No," Douglas protested. After a second he added, "Chase figured some things out on his own."

"For christ's sake," Donald groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose and looking down. "Just what we need: A juvenile delinquent."

"He's not a delinquent," Douglas corrected. "He's an opportunistic survivor."

Donald deadpanned at him. "Is that a fancy way of saying 'criminal in training?'"

Douglas frowned. "It's a fancy way of saying that he did what he had to because he had no choice, Don." Douglas swallowed a bit before adding, "Like me."

"Wait, what was that?" Donald asked, leaning forward a bit.

Now or never, Douglas thought. "Everything I did to you guys….I thought it was necessary at the time," he explained sheepishly. "I just wanted to see my kids. Wanted them to love me, too. And I did a lot of short-sighted things in an attempt to get that. I shouldn't have. And….I'm sorry."

Those last two words tumbled out of his mouth, stinging more than his rib cage. He was Douglas, for god's sake! Apologizing shouldn't be on the table at all! But here he was, admitting that he fucked up. However, as Donald opened his mouth to say something, Douglas continued anyways. "And using the kids as experiments – giving them bionics – probably wasn't the smartest things I could've done. Because you were right. I wasn't ready to be a father then. But I am now. And, right now, Krane and Lovett and planning something to kill my – " he hesitated before correcting himself – "our kids. And if we don't work with each other, then he'll just pick everyone off, one-by-one, until there's no one left. Please: If you can't forgive me, I understand. But can we at least get along?" When Donald hesitated, Douglas quickly added, "If it helps, Ajiiyahn put me up to this."

Donald smiled slightly at that. "Dad always said that Ajiiyahn hated to see us fight."

"Apparently, he still does," Douglas agreed, recalling fondly a few stories their dad had told them about their "special guard" Ajiiyahn, who would sit at their bedside at night and quietly mourn when the two brothers were at odds. Those stories of their dad – the late Charles Davenport – speaking of demons as if they were extremely real allies rather than evil creatures of legend was the reason the two had tried to study demons in college and why Douglas had pursued it to the point of learning to summon.

Because how cool would it be to speak to those demons themselves? To prove their father right when everyone else said he was wrong? Though Charles had never summoned a demon himself – it took Douglas a long time to learn that his father was a Charmer rather than a summoner – he had spent most of their childhood telling them about interesting demonic beings he had spoken with.

Douglas shook himself free of the memories. Now was not the time.

"Stay here. Both you and Chase," Donald finally said. "But if you try anything, I swear –"

"I'll behave," Douglas reassured immediately. "I promise. I can't do anything here that Eddy wouldn't see."

Donald nodded. "And this is only because I don't want Chase out there – "

"I know," Douglas acknowledged.

"And don't summon anything else here," Donald said firmly. "I don't need the kids running around trying to call up demons."

"I won't," Douglas agreed.

Donald nodded again before sighing and changing the subject. "That house fire? Did you both get out unscathed?"

"Yes," Douglas lied, trying to ignore his throbbing chest. He'd be fine.

"You're not lying, are you, Dougie?" Donald asked firmly.

"Nope," Douglas said, popping the 'p'. He'd never liked Donald to know when he was hurting. It made him feel horrible inside, like he couldn't exist without his "oh-so-great" older brother protecting him. It had been that way since they were kids. "We're good."

After a long staring match, Donald finally relented. "Then go get Chase. I'll get Eddy to get a couple of rooms ready. Does Chase need his capsule?"

Douglas shook his head, frowning now. "For some reason, he's been doing just fine without it."

Donald frowned, too. "Seriously? Who does he think he is? I built that capsule to be just perfect, and he goes and outgrows it!"

"Right?" Douglas agreed. "I had one made for him, too, but he never used it! Stubborn little punk, always doing his own thing."

Donald snorted, finally pushing away from the wall with his shoulder. "Anyways, like I said: Go get Chase. For now, you're living here. And don't wake anybody up." He grimaced. "Adam's a bear when he doesn't get enough sleep."

"Thank you, Donnie" Douglas said quietly, smiling. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't relieved that Donald had actually let him stay.

Even if it was just for Chase's sake.

Donald waved it off before he shuffled to the stairs, climbing them slowly to go back to sleep himself.

Deciding to quit while he was ahead, Douglas took this as a dismissal and let himself out of the house. Upon closing the door, he punched the air in celebration (he really needed to stop moving so drastically; his ribs were protesting loudly). "I'm the best negotiator ever!" he whisper-cheered with excitement. Not only had he gotten Chase a place to stay, but he'd swung one for himself, too. Besides, with this unknown threat looming on the horizon, there was strength in numbers.

Especially when bionic people and demons were among the ranks.

As Douglas set off down the driveway, the stars adorning the night sky seemed to shine brighter, decorating the dark space around the moon that appeared to be radiating a celestial light of approval from above.

Yick; that ending. I don't like it.

Before we go further, there is a poll up on my profile! It'll be open only today. So don't forget to vote if you want to! Remember, though: You must have an account to vote. :3 So don't forget to check that out! It's more of a highly irrelevant fun Hybrid fact, but why not?

Anyways, feel the half-assed, almost-brotherly, highly tense love, people!

I said feel it.

Their stressed relationship seems to be on the long road to recovery for now.

Yay. :3

Oh, yeah: Did I forget to mention that little detail about Yahn?

That's right: He's been there for many, many years.

By the way, I'm sure someone's going to start flooding the reviews with translations of Chase's Romanian name.

If you feel like looking it up, I know it's a little lame. But I thought it fit because "Chase" means "Hunter". If you don't feel like looking it up, then just enjoy the Romanian goodness.

Anyways, that was Chapter Fifteen. :3

No big deal, really.

Feel free to review. Or don't. :D Do whatever the hell you want.

And, as always, enjoy.

*Bows and exits*