Lo and behold, this will be the last chapter of Hybrid.

Sad day, right?

But all good things must come to an end, and this very short chapter is it.

And read the bottom before reviewing! I'm serious.

If you want to review, that is. Still not caring up in here. :3

Ironically, now I'd like to thank all my reviewers, my favorites listers, my followers, and my silent readers for running this very strange course with me. :3

Moonlit: Just one.

DisneyXDGirl: Chase wants to talk to you in the bottom note.

Vampire Girl: I don't know! Let's read and find out! XD

Thewriterswayoflife: It's not wrong to root for Chalas. Many do. :3 Happy to help inspire, by the way. As for how I do this so fast, I work overnight. I have two breaks and a lunch, giving me about an hour each night to write or be bored. So I write. :3

I'm sad that this is it. :( Who wants to do the last one?

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

Thank you, Adam.

"...When my time comes, forget the wrongs that I've done; help me leave behind some reason to be missed. Don't resent me, and when you're feeling empty, keep me in you memory. Leave out all the rest. Leave out all the rest..."

Linkin Park, "Leave Out All The Rest"

"...I am aware now how everything's gonna be fine for me, for me, for myself..."

Seether, "Fine Again"

Chapter Twenty-Two - Second Chance

Chase

Just kill one afrit and dismiss one massive demon, and suddenly everyone wanted to meet the awesome summoner, Douglas, and his three demonic minions.

Seriously; we were surrounded by summoners eager to either learn my name - Douglas kept having to refuse that knowledge - or praise Douglas on his heroism.

It's always the summoner. We demons never got any credit.

He didn't exactly correct anyone, either. He was probably having fun being recognized for being better at something than Mr. Davenport.

You should correct him with your fangs.

Meanwhile, I was occasionally growling at people who wanted to touch me - grabby assholes - and trying to listen to Mr. Davenport as he started talking quietly to Tasha, Bree, Adam, and Leo. It was hard to hear over the crowd, but I got the gist: When we got home, cops were being called, Douglas was being arrested, and Adam was hanging on to me so that I couldn't stop it.

I stopped listening after that. The conversation turned towards how to "fix" me, and I didn't want to hear it.

I thought I was just fine. I didn't think I needed fixing, no matter what they said.

I suddenly jumped a bit, by tail fur fluffing up at that thought. It didn't matter what they said.

I didn't need their approval anymore.

I knew what I knew about me; their opinions didn't change that. The revelation created an uplifting melancholy in me.

How bittersweet the moment was when I realized that I didn't care what they thought about me; I didn't crave their praise, didn't feel the need to strain myself for it any longer. It was my life. I didn't want to live it striving for their approval forever. I knew they loved me - duh; I loved them, too - but I no longer cared that I was kind of the outcast of the group. If I didn't have a solid place in their group, then I lead my own pack of one.

And it was time for this leader to go back to leading his own life.

Yes, leader! Take charge!

I nudged Douglas to get his attention as he spoke with a few men. After a moment, he finally acknowledged me. Not wanting to let political leaders know about his outlaw status, I leaned close to his ear. "He's calling the police as soon as we're home. If we're going to go, we need to do it now."

"We?" Douglas echoed quietly.

I nodded. "We are going. Last I checked, Krane's still out there, and I'm not sitting at home like an idiot when I have a choice. We started this hunt together. We're going to finish it." He raised an eyebrow and swept a hand towards the rest of our family, asking a silent question. "Sure, I'll miss them," I answered. "And this will probably bring heat my way, but who cares? I have a chance to do something about this whole thing, so I'm going to do it."

"Do what you gotta do," Douglas responded, smiling at me as he threw an arm around my shoulders. He basically radiated pride and excited relief, even though he didn't draw attention to it. "But we have to get out of here. If Donnie's calling the police when we get home, then we obviously can't go there."

"Where are we going to go, anyways?" I asked. He never had told me.

"Like I said: Europe," he answered as we slowly started moving towards a door that had been kicked open with the crowd hiding our movements. "Who would look there, right?"

I furrowed my brow. "Wait, you weren't kidding about Europe? Wouldn't New York be...I don't know, cheaper for us to get to?"

He shot me a look. "Again, I have my ways. Besides, you, Oly and Yahn are flying free via summoning."

Oh. That made a bit more sense. He'd get to wherever and summon us. One ticket for all of us.

Sometimes being a half-breed had its perks.

Because two is stronger than one.

"Yay, vacation!" Oly cheered, jumping onto my shoulder as we made it out the door with some people still following us. "It's about damn time we took one."

However, Yahn jumped up onto Douglas' shoulder with a nervous expression, waiting until Douglas shooed the straggling onlookers away before speaking. "Master? May I ask one favor of you?"

After a second, Douglas nodded. "Shoot."

Leo

"What do you mean, 'they're gone'?!" Mr. Davenport cried out.

"I mean that everyone left, and they're not here," Leo explained very slowly for the second time. Beside him, Bree and Adam nodded, their expressions grim.

"But they were totally surrounded by the crowd," Tasha protested, leaning on the family car. "They couldn't have gotten out without someone noticing."

"Well, let's ask," Bree said before looking around. "Oh, wait: Everyone left, remember? The building was closed."

Leo nodded. "They slipped past us."

Mr. Davenport groaned and rubbed his eyes. "Great. Just great. Douglas got away again."

Leo was a bit more concerned about Chase than Douglas, but held his tongue. He wasn't going to be the one to break the awkward silence that had engulfed them all. Besides, it wasn't like Mr. Davenport didn't care about Chase, too. He just didn't want to verbally acknowledge that Chase had gone with Douglas willingly...again.

Bree fidgeted a bit beside Leo while Tasha just sighed, looking a bit distant. Adam was looking back at the building, as if he could rewind time and stop Chase from vanishing. The scene was quite uncomfortable - they shod be celebrating; they had won - but no one did anything to end it.

Until a familiar gargoyle dropped from the sky and landed on the top of Adam's head. "Why is everyone so sad?"

"Yahn!" Adam reached up and took the imp in his arms, finally cradling Yahn against his chest. Yahn had a large grin on his face as he let out some demented - sounding purr.

"Wait, Yahn?!" Mr. Davenport pointed at him. "Where are Douglas and Chase?"

Yahn just shrugged. "Gone. Long gone. They have an hour-long head start. But Master was nice enough to let me stay here. He'll summon me if he needs me, though, so I might disappear one day."

"Where did they go?" Tasha asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I was ordered not to tell," Yahn answered simply. "However, the half-breed wanted me to give you this." Yahn pulled a folded paper out from behind his ear and handed it to Leo.

Frowning, Leo unfolded it fully with everyone watching. Once open, Leo's eyes widened. For a second, no one could react.

Then Leo broke into a massive grin.

In his hand was the picture of the family at the beach - the very one Chase had stolen from Leo's room - and written on the white portion along the bottom were the best five words he had ever read in his life.

Don't worry; I'll be back.

"...Forgetting all the hurt inside you've learned to hide so well. Pretending someone else can come and save me from myself. I can't be who you are..."

Linkin Park, "Leave Out All The Rest"

"Step in front of a runaway train just to feel alive again. Pushing forward through the night, aching chest and blurry sight. It's so far, so far away..."

José González, "Far Away"

"...Tell my mother, tell my father: I've done the best I can to make them realize this is my life. I hope they understand. I'm not angry, I'm just saying sometimes "goodbye" is a second chance..."

Shinedown, "Second Chance"

That's it. There's no more. Some ending, right?

"That's it?! Oh, hell no."

Damn it, Chase. What do you want?

"It can't end there!"

It just did, biz-nitch.

"But my story's just beginning! We're still hunting Krane, and Bree hasn't gotten The Sight yet-"

What do you want me to do, write a sequel?!

"Yes!"

On one condition.

"...I'm a little worried now..."

You do a Q&A with your reviewing fans. If they have questions for you, you have answers.

"Fine."

Hear that? Everyone gets to play "Ask Demon-Chase" in the review section. You can do that while waiting for the sequel to Hybrid, "Hunter."

Coming soon to a theater near you.

"See that? You're welcome, people."

Enjoy, you beautiful heathens. :3

*Bows and exits*

Update: Chase tried to answer your questions, but it was reported as...I honestly have no idea; if it was a violation of the rules, Hybrid is, too...and taken down. Sorry. :/ Thank the anonymous reporting person, because no answers are coming your way; my inner Demon Chase refuses to channel anymore. Might be a while before he even shows back up.

One does not simply interrupt Demon Chase.

That is all.