Chapter Three: 'Tis kind of short filler, I'm afraid. Sad day, right? But it's here.

Anywho, thank you to my reviewers and readers and those aliens that abducted Leo last night but were kind enough to bring him back. :3 Good show.

Mia-Teresa-Davenport: "Other me, control your woman! Damn!"

RissA15: *Eats popcorn and casually watches while fangirls swarm their leader in a scene filled with irony.*

AllAmericanSlurp: Oly, quite simply, did not want to deal with a rampaging Spike at that moment.

gg180000: Don't worry; we've got it covered.

Moonlit: You know I give away very few spoilers, if any. :P

Unknownfornow: I don't know if Spike's coming back. However, it's like you read my mind on the Tasha/Davenport thing.

DarkestKing: Eventually.

DisneyXDGirl: Nah. Just fire extinguishers. :P

So let's do this. Yahn?

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

"...It's a dangerous trail - a difficult quest - if you want to know who you really are..."

Muru, "Who You Really Are"

"...'Cause I'm no angel; I have two faces. I put one on for you; put one on for me. These angels and demons won't set me free..."

Melissa Otero, "Angels and Demons"

Chapter Three - Guard-goyle

Chase

The second I entered the Lab, Adam dove behind Douglas. "Eat him first, Spike!"

"I'm expendable. Good to know," Douglas muttered, crossing his arms.

I lowered my ears shamefully while Mr. Davenport patted my back. "I'm not Spike anymore."

"Oh, good," Adam sighed with relief, grinning as he stepped out from behind his human shield. I couldn't take my eyes off of the white cast covering his forearm or the sling that held his arm across his chest for stability. I couldn't tell if I was dizzy from the concussion or the intensity of the guilt that welled up inside me.

Oly jumped onto the cyber desk. "Pity. I kind of want to hang out with Spike when he's in a better mood. You know: Twist the heads off of small animals, level buildings, so on."

Tasha thumped Oly behind the ear, glaring at her. "Shut up."

"You can't make me do a damn -"

"Shut up, Oly," Douglas interrupted, forcing Oly into a reluctant silence.

"Adam, I'm sorry," I whimpered.

"For this?" Adam asked, gesturing at his cast. "Why? Spike did it. Besides, now everyone gets to sign it."

"Oh, me first!" Bree declared, vanishing in a blur before she reappeared next to Adam with a sharpie, the words Bree is more awesome than me now gracing the cast.

"Ha!" Douglas snorted while Leo high-fived Bree.

"Really, Bree?" Adam huffed.

Bree smirked. "Everybody knows it, anyways."

Leo pushed out from behind me and took the sharpie from Bree. Grinning, he wrote some words after Bree's sentence, changing the meaning of it.

Bree is more awesome than me, but not as awesome as Leo!

I perked my ears, smiling at Bree's annoyed expression.

"You couldn't come up with anything more creative than that?" Ysthry growled, swooping down from her perch on who-cared-what to land on Leo's shoulder.

"I can spend the next hour thinking of fun things you can do," Leo threatened casually.

Ysthry hid her head under one of her wings.

Meanwhile, Douglas took the sharpie from Leo and signed nothing but his name with a flourish, the cursive script looking more like an autograph than a casual signature. "That's how you sign something," he declared.

Beside me, I could image the eyeroll that had to accompany Mr. Davenport's words. "How much time did you spend practicing that?"

Douglas crossed his arms and glared at Mr. Davenport, but didn't say anything as our snickers reverberated around the room.

Tasha took the sharpie with a smirk and wrote a simple get-well message with her name, which Mr. Davenport seconded with his signature. He then held the sharpie out to me. I stepped forward to take it - obviously moving closer to Adam - but I froze before I could take it due to a snarl of warning. Yahn was standing near Adam's feet, his eyes blazing with protective fury.

I told you! my voice declared victoriously.

Oh, right: I almost forgot that I caused Adam's broken arm. I didn't deserve to sign the cast; it would be like I was signing off on a masterpiece.

Yahn snapped his beak warningly, and - my ears and tail lowered - I backed away rapidly. Once I was in my original spot, Yahn cooled it instantly. He even smiled at me.

"Really, Yahn?" Douglas asked. He gestured at me. "Chase isn't a threat."

"He is a grenade poised to blow," Yahn explained casually, like it didn't feel like he had kicked me in the stomach. He was right. Who knew when Spike would show back up? Or what he would do when he did?

"Half-Breed?" Oly tilted her head at me in consideration before she started laughing. "You're too paranoid, Yahn."

"Yeah," Leo defended. "Chase is mostly harmless."

Mostly harmless. Thanks for nothing, Leo.

"It's the 'mostly' I'm watching for," Yahn stated, eyeing me cautiously.

I lowered my tail and backed away some more. Sometimes, honesty sucked.

"Yahn, stop bugging Chase," Douglas growled.

"Seriously; he's fine," Tasha added.

I was feeling slightly better with each defense of my character when my voice popped up. You're so easily fooled. You shouldn't focus on who is talking or what they're saying. Focus on who isn't speaking: Adam.

I frowned, thinking back over the last five minutes. Amid the strong opposition to Yahn's actions stood a very silent Adam, simply watching everything.

Was my voice right? Did he want someone to protect him from me? Was he really - on some subconscious level - afraid of me now? He had every right to be, but it still bothered me greatly.

See? He thinks you're a monster. How long until the others think so, too?

Was I nauseous from the concussion or that observation? It was hard to tell.

"Chase isn't going to hurt anybody else," Mr. Davenport was saying, pulling me out of my thoughts. "You don't need to -"

"It's fine," I blurted out, interrupting him. Everyone stared at me, slightly surprised at my outburst. "It's fine," I repeated more quietly.

"Are you sure, Chase?" Bree asked.

"Yeah, yeah," I answered, swallowing down the urge to tell them that I wasn't. It wasn't their problem, after all. It was mine and mine alone. I pointed towards the tunnel over my shoulder. "I'll just...clean up the mess I - Spike - made." I turned around - a bit too fast; I was dizzy as hell for a second - and started for the tunnel. It wouldn't accomplish much, but it would assuage my guilt a bit.

I made it to the tunnel entrance when Adam finally spoke. "Wait: Don't you want to sign my cast?"

I paused and gave Adam a smile. I wondered if it looked as insincere as it felt. "I'll sign it later." Before anyone else added anything, I was in the tunnel and around the corner.

I was right, my voice was boasting. They are afraid of you, as they should be!

I pinned my ears and rubbed harder at the soot staining the floor, sighing when bits of carpet came loose. The carpet around the couch would have to be replaced. Damn it.

I was so engrossed in my guilty thoughts that I didn't notice that someone had joined me until they touched my shoulder. I sighed again. "Douglas-"

"-is still in the Lab," Tasha interrupted, rubbing my back. "He's chewing Yahn out."

I smiled halfway. "Sounds about right."

She chuckled a bit before becoming more serious. "Are you all right?" When I nodded, she sighed. "At least let me help you clean."

I sat back on my heels, my lips pursed. "I don't think we can clean it without tearing up the floor," I noted.

Tasha - probably the most serious person I knew - started laughing.

I perked my ears and looked at her, my head tilted quizzically.

She patted my back, still chuckling a bit. "Sweetie, I meant the part that isn't permanent." She nodded at the pigeon bloodstains that were left from earlier. I had already scooped up the vomit from earlier - fucking nasty - so at least we didn't have to bother with that anymore.

"I can get it," I said. "Thanks, though."

"I'm helping you," Tasha said more firmly. "Try to stop me."

I watched as she stood up and went to the kitchen to get a cleaning rag. See? I thought smugly. Tasha isn't afraid of me.

Then she is a fool, came the response. You are a demon, and she is stupid not to see it.

This repetitive bastard was starting to get on my nerves. That's not all I am.

Are you sure?

I hissed with annoyance, catching Tasha's attention. She frowned at me. "What's wrong?"

I stood up, rubbing my eyes until the dizziness passed. "Nothing," I answered.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm fine!" I snapped, anger flaring at the question that I had just heard word-for-word seconds before.

Tasha threw her hands up innocently. "If you're sure." She let a bit of silence pass before she spoke again. "Listen: Why don't I clean this up? You can -"

"I'm helping," I mumbled, anger turning into regret at having snapped at Tasha. "Try and stop me."

Who are you trying to fool with your 'mommy's-little-helper' act? Everyone, or yourself?

Setting my jaw, I resolved to ask Douglas or Oly later if there was a way to shut my voice up for good.

It's about time Chase got pissed at that little voice in his head. It's been bugging him for months!

I think this chapter kind of sucked, to be honest, but shit happens sometimes. What can ya do?

Anyways, feel free to review. Or don't. I have a guinea pig. I don't need your approval. O_o :P

And enjoy.

*Bows and exits*