The school doors creak as students rush into the building to escape the chilly winds that swirl and taunt them, blowing leaves at their feet and rustling the dead trees in glee. Students drag their feet, bodies slouching and eyes dull as they wander to their destinations. Principle Perry cackles and squirms in delight to see their sunken faces.

With a bounce in your step, you walk into the building and ignore everything but the garland and bright red bows that decorate the walls and the ceiling, adoring the way fairy lights trail up the staircase, weaving between glittery white cutout snowflakes.

Hot chocolate bursts onto your tongue, warming you from the inside out as you hum all the way to your locker.

Christmas, The snow’s coming down

Christmas, I’m watching it fall

Christmas, Lots of people around

Christmas, Baby please come home

Your locker screeches with a creeeeaaak as you mouth along, gathering your supplies for your first class.

Christmas, The church bells in town

Christmas, All ringing in song

Christmas, Full of happy sounds 

Baby please come home

Eyes shut, you sway in place with your tumbler until it gets taken out of your hand and you turn to the culprit, who - with a smug smile - takes a sip with a hum of delight. "Leo!"

Although scrawny and all gangly limbs, he's quick as a mouse; light on his feet, and sometimes shifty with his beady bright eyes when not up no good. Though, sometimes not as quiet. 

He scrunches his nose and hums with satisfaction. Cute, but shifty. 

You give him a look. "Leo, come on."

"What are you listening to?" Adam plucks an earbud out of your ear. He puts it in his ear and gasps in excitement. "I love this part! Baby, Please come home!" He raises to a higher pitch, voice breaking to hit higher notes. He gathers the attention of the surrounding students.

"Hey, that's one of my favorites!" Leo exclaims as Adam takes your drink from Leo.

Bree walks up with Chase and says to Leo, "You say that about all Christmas songs."

"What can I say?" Leo shrugs, holding onto his backpack straps. "They're all so good!"

Bree rolls her eyes at Leo as Adam finishes your hot chocolate in one gulp. He burps as he hands it back to you, shaking the empty tumbler. "Here you go."

Chase looks at Adam with indignation. "Adam! You can't just finish other people's drinks without asking, it's rude!"

"It's okay, Chase." You wave away the concern as the first warning bell echoes through the halls. You put the tumbler in your locker as everyone shuffles to class. You and Chase walk to English together. You drop your voice to a whisper and ask, "How was the mission last night?"

"It went well, considering that we all fell into a frozen lake." You wince in sympathy as he shrugs. "Luckily our mission suits are made to withstand extreme temperatures. Tasha made us cookies and hot cocoa when we got back." Stopping before the classroom, he shuffles through his backpack for a moment before pulling out a small container filled with chocolate chip cookies. "Tasha made some for you."

You can't help the smile that crosses your face as you take the container. "I can't wait to have a sleepover this weekend." You lean in to press a kiss to his cheek. "Thank you."

His cheeks become rosy as he smiles. "It was all Tasha." 

You smile at him as you both walk into the class and take your seats. 

Lunch period was always exciting because you shared the period with the Davenport siblings and Leo. Sitting together around the table, Adam and Leo fight over your earbuds to listen to music as you, Bree, and Chase discuss your plans together over the weekend. 

"Mr. Davenport converted each of us our own rooms so that we can have our own space and privacy." Bree pops a chip in her mouth as she continues; "It'll be great because we can sleep in my room without the boys othering us." She narrows her eyes at them, however, her look gets dismissed by them.

"You can't hog her the whole weekend," Leo says, crossing his arms. "Tomorrow we can all camp out in the lab or the living room. We can binge Christmas movies and cause chaos." He wiggles his eyebrows. "Truth or dare, prank calls." His eyes go wide in excitement. "We can prank call Trent!" he whispers.

Adam punches Leo's arm, making Leo yelp. "Dude! That’s a great idea!"

Chase puts up a front and sighs. "Guys, no."

"He tripped you in the boy's locker room." Leo looks over at Chase. "We can get a little payback." He arches his brow at him.

Chase agrees instantly, a smile blooming on his face. "Okay, let's do it!"

Adam nudges Bree with his elbow. “We can prank call Caitlin.”

"Ooh, yeah!" She exclaims.

Dooey Dingo (the school's mascot) is dressed in a Santa outfit as he passes students candy canes from a Santa sack, skipping and weaving between the tables. Adam gets up in excitement. "I gotta take a selfie with him. Get back here!"

Dooey Dingo rushes out of the cafeteria as Adam rushes after him.

Bree grabs her candy cane and smiles in surprise at the little decoration tied to the candy. "Is that a mini mistletoe?" She doesn't miss a beat as she dandles the candy cane over your and Chase’s head. "Go on, Chase. Kiss her!"

"Kiss her!" Leo exclaims, tearing open his candy cane. 

You and Chase turn to one another, and you lean in to press your lips to his. You kiss him once, twice, and then pull away. Ducking his head, he smiles bashfully. Even though it's been a year (well, almost a year since you got together on Christmas) he still gets flustered sometimes, sending your heart fluttering and the butterflies swarming in your chest

Taking out the cookie container, you share the cookies and nibble your own with a smile. You couldn't wait for the weekend.

~~~

The wind howls as you make your way up to Davenport's home. Stiff fingers curling, you knock on the wooden door. Shivering in place, you hear the nearby bushes rustle with movement. Glancing, you peer in the dark to look at the bushes to see nothing moving. The door opens and you're pulled inside, the heat of the house warming the chill on your skin.

Tasha greets you from the kitchen, waving her oven mitts in welcome as Chase takes your duffle bag. "Hey, honey! How are you!"

"I'm great! Freezing!" you chuckle as you shuck off your coat. You greet Chase with a kiss as the other siblings come into the living room.

"Dinner will be ready in just a few minutes. Have a seat!" Tasha motions to the couch as the siblings herd you to sit down. "I have hot cocoa ready for you."

"Thank you, Tasha." You smile at her. "The cookies that you made tasted great! Thank you for sending them."

Tasha hands you a mug as she waves you off. "It was no problem! I’m glad you liked them!"

"That's because she made a second batch," Leo says with a mischievous smile. "She burned the first batch to a crisp."

"Leo!" She hits his shoulder with an exasperated but fond eyeroll. 

Bree chimes in and says, "Adam ate the first batch."

"And I will do it again." Adam nods, holding up his pointer finger. "I will also eat raw cookie dough."

Chase pulls a throw blanket over your shoulders and tells Adam, "You got sick last time."

Adam shrugs as he surfs the tv channels. "And again, I will do it again."

Chase rolls his eyes as Leo repeatedly points to the tv. "The Grinch! Put on The Grinch!"

"I love this movie!" Adam exclaims as the beginning credits of the movie play. "Just on time!"

Dinner is fun and delicious, and you all end up watching The Grinch as well as the first two Home Alone movies. It isn't until Tasha and Mr. Davenport head to bed that the rest of you migrate down to the lab where it's fully decorated with Christmas decorations, with three giant air mattresses in the middle topped with many pillows and blankets. The cyber desk is filled with so many snacks and you just know it's going to be a night to remember.

The tv mounted on the wall plays Christmas movies as you all sit on the mattresses and pass the phone around to make prank calls. Bree uses her voice manipulation to pretend to be Principle Perry when she calls Trent. She asks for Trent's parents, and when Trent thinks he can one-up her and pretend to play his father, is when an evil grin spreads across Bree's face. 

Perry's raspy voice flows from Bree's lips in a smooth-like motion. "I just wanted to let you know that Trent hasn't been an honorary student. He's been bullying the other students and has also not been attending all his classes. Just last week he tripped a boy in the boy's locker room.”

Trent scoffs and the imitation of his father's voice wavers as his real voice breaks through. "How can you be certain that Trent did that? How would you know? You have no proof."

Bree smiles as she answers. "There were several witnesses who saw the incident. The boy Trent tripped was no other than Chase Davenport. You will be hearing from Mr. and Mrs. Davenport-"

"There's no need! Trent will apologize to Chase Davenport on Monday! I swear it!" Trent rushes to exclaim in panic, and it makes Leo fall over on his side on the mattress. Adam throws a pillow over Leo's head to muffle his laughter.

"Then I will be expecting Trent to make his apology. You have a nice night." A smug smile filters over Bree’s face. 

The phone call ends and you all erupt into fits of laughter. Soon afterward Truth or Dare is played; Leo takes two bites of a raw garlic onion (he spits up and gags), Bree smells Adam's armpit (she also gags, "Dude, that's disgusting!" "My armpits have been marinating just for you"), Chase gets drawn on in permanent marker, Adam wears a full face of makeup (which Bree does as horribly as she can), and you pretend to be a bird and eat straight from the snack bowl without using your hands (you all end up clutching your stomachs from hard laughter).

Leo's eyes light up in excitement. "We should play hide and go seek in the dark!"

The first few rounds are really fun; you squish beside Leo behind the barrels in the lab, Adam helps you boost up on top of the capsules, Bree is found curled underneath the bathroom sink, Adam hides behind the Christmas tree (it takes you all almost fifteen minutes to find him), and you stumble into the guestroom room closet where you almost let out a blood curling scream only for a hand to wrap around your mouth.

"It's just me," Chase whispers into your ear.

He lets you go and you turn around to face him. With the closet being pitch black, you can't see anything. You reach for him, holding onto his arms for assurance. "You scared me to death."

"I know, I'm sorry," he says. "I didn't think anyone would hide in here."

"Neither did I." You shake your head. "That's why I came in here." His hands find purchase on your waist. "How long did it do you think we have?"

"With Bree being it, probably not long. She's fast, I think this would be one of the last places she'll look."

"Hm, I wonder what we could do in the meantime," you tease with a smile, even though neither of you could see. Your hands travel upwards to hold his face in your hands. You drop your voice to a soft murmur as you ask, "Can I kiss you?"

"Yes." He leans in and you kiss; sending a pleasant tingle down your spine and all you want at the moment is to stay rooted right there with his warmth surrounding you. Pulling away for a moment, you feel his warm breath on your lips as you ask him; "Would you date me if I was a worm?"

You break out into quiet giggles as he sighs with fondness. "Rationally and realistically, that would be impossible."

You swipe your thumb across his cheekbone and smile. "Good thing I wasn't shooting for realistic."

He squeezes your waist softly and says, "Of course, I would date you if you were a worm. I would always take care of you and carry you around with me."

You can't help your smile from getting bigger. And in the darkness of the closet, your heart beats faster and your stomach twists in on itself out of nervousness.

"What is it?" He asks, his hands never wavering as he holds you. He leans in so that his cheek is lightly pressed to yours as he whispers in your ear. "Your heart is beating fast."

You pull away about an inch so that you're facing him. You can't decide if not seeing his face is for the worse or for the better; perhaps it's both. It's quiet, save for your quiet breathing. You squeeze his arms and exhale your profession; "I love you."

Your heart hammers against your chest and the blood rushes to your ears and you're frozen to the spot because you're in love with Chase Davenport and you're scared he won't feel the same way but you had to tell him, let him know-

You're backed up until you're against the wall and you're being kissed. Your brain short circuits and your heart is still beating away as Chase pulls back a breath and whispers back; "I love you, too. I've been meaning to tell you, but I've been scared because I thought…"

"That I wouldn't love you back?" He's quiet, and your heart breaks at his admission, and now more than ever do you want to see his face. "I do love you, Chase. I've been in love with you for what seems like forever now. I know we're still teenagers and that we may not know everything, but what I do know is that I love you and that will not ever change."

He presses closer and together you embrace, holding each other tight. You know that no matter what, you won't just walk away from him or leave him  (nor the Davenport family) and that you can't ever be pulled away from them because he and his family are everything to you. However, everything gets thrust into chaos when on the very next round of hide and seek you're taken away into the night to never be found.

~~~

You're brought back to another unfamiliar place, this one being primarily dark and mildewy. It takes you a minute to scan the place and the surrounding equipment to realize that it's a lab. The major giveaway is the large cage-looking capsule in the middle of the back wall. 

You pull at the metal restraints against your sides and try to shuffle your feet, but find no leeway to slip free. The steel table is cold to the touch, only being warmed by your body heat. The air is cold and airy, sending goosebumps along your skin. 

"Look what we have here."

You turn your head sideways and look upwards, and you gawk in horror. "Marcus?"

He smiles, arms spread out in presentation. "The one and only."

You knew there was something off when it came to Marcus. Leo clocked him from the moment you met him, and although you agreed that Marcus came off a little creepy, you thought that Marcus was harmless; that he couldn't and wouldn't be able to do much with the Davenport siblings around. Leo was so insistent about him that even when you were the only one to agree with Leo, you thought that even Leo was getting a bit ahead of himself when it came to Marcus.

Boy, were you wrong. "Leo was right, you are a crazy creep."

"And whose fault is that for not listening?" His lips turn upwards. You look away in shame, trying to squirm free and failing miserably. "I would stop struggling if I were you, my father wouldn't appreciate it."

"Father?" You look up to meet his cold eyes. "What are you even doing? Why am I here? What's happening?" You struggle more as the panic sets in. "Let me out! Let me out!" You struggle but you're stopped when another person approaches from the shadows.

"This one is very skittish, much like a bunny, or a baby deer." The man smiles as he stands beside Marcus.

The man is lightly tanned with dark brown hair and eyes, a dark leather coat donned on his frame. You've never seen this man before and it makes you panic. "Who are you?!"

"So many questions." The man reaches above your head where you can't track his movements. A machine whirs to life as he straps a clear mask over your nose and mouth. "All in do time, my dear. Sweet dreams."

Your eyes flutter and although you try to fight the exhaustion, all you hear is his crackling laugh before everything fades to darkness.

~~~

Time is hazy, you're not sure how long you're held, hostage. There are moments when you wake up and everything is foggy, but those moments are few and far between. They make you eat, and make sure you go to the bathroom so that you don't soil yourself (those moments are awkward, the bathroom is very tiny, the size of a closet with only a toilet and a sink inside with everything bare of the cupboard and walls. You make do with them waiting outside the door. You're too weak to try and escape). 

The next time you wake, the back of your neck is aching with terrible, terrible, pain. You cry out and soon you're being put back into a blissful sleep.

The last time you wake is with Leo and Chase hovering above you to set you free.

"We're gonna get you out of here!" Leo unlatches the restraints as Chase pulls the mask off your face and helps you sit up.

Mr. Davenport is fighting your captor while Adam and Bree are fighting Marcus, who tries to laser them with his eyes but is fruitless,

"The others!" Leo and Chase duck underneath your arms and carry you away from the fight. With no strength, you can only stagger along as you three head for the exit.

"I will go help the others." Once outside, Chase gently lets you go and you lean most of your weight on Leo. "Take her home, Leo. Take her to Tasha so that she can help her. Stay with her and make sure she’s safe."

Leo nods determinedly. "On it!"

Chase rushes back inside and you look over your shoulder as Leo helps you get away. "We can't leave them!"

"They're going to be okay," Leo says. "They want you back home safe and sound. You'll only add to their stress and worry if you stay."

And although Leo's right, you both can't help but worry for the others as Leo takes you back home.

At the Davenport's home, Tasha fusses over you as Leo assists in helping her get her things to help you. Once taking a shower and changing into a pair of spare clothes, Tasha sets a steaming bowl of soup on the table for you to eat, and you can't help but smile in appreciation. "Thank you, Tasha."

"Of course." She sits beside Leo in front of you and looks at you in concern. "Now, I know you may not want to talk about what happened, but…" She sighs, shoulders slouching. "Can you tell us anything that they did? It’s important for us to know."

"They put me to sleep a lot." You swirl your spoon in your bowl. "They actually made sure I ate and stuff, and I was able to go to the bathroom in peace. I don't remember a whole lot." You go to scratch the back of your neck and wince at the flaring pain.

"What is it?" Leo asks as Tasha leans in close. 

"Are you hurt?" Tasha asks as she stands from her chair. 

"My neck is killing me." Tasha rounds the table to look as you sit sideways so that she can check your neck. "I remember waking up at one point with my neck aching, it hurts a whole lot." You turn to see a horrified expression cross Tasha's face before she tries to calm her expression, but she was a second too late. "What is it?" Your heart drops to the pit of your stomach.

Leo rounds the table fast so that he can look. "They put a bionic chip in you!"

"What!" You jump from the table and place your hand on the back of your neck, grimacing in pain. 

"Okay, okay, everything is going to be fine." Tasha places her hands on you and Leo's shoulders to try and soothe you both. "Leo, I need you to get the first aid kit underneath the bathroom sink. Honey, I need you to sit back down so that I can apply some cream and gauze to your neck so that you don't get an infection."

Leo is quick and is back in an instant. As Tasha applies the cream and gauze to your neck, you all jump as the elevator doors to the lab open with Mr. Davenport and the Davenport siblings come back. 

"You're back!" Leo rushes from his seat to hug them all. "You're okay! What happened to Marcus and Douglas?"

"Douglas?" You ask, raising a brow.

"My brother," Mr. Davenport sighs, making your jaw drop.

"Your brother?! So Marcus-"

"Is technically a sibling and Douglas is our uncle." Bree nods in confirmation, hands on her hips. "Talk about dysfunctional families."

"Where are they? Are they gone?" You look at each of them.

Chase shakes his head. "Their home came crumbling down; Douglas got away but Marcus didn't."

"Oh." This was a chaotic mess that you didn't want to think too much about. However, you did have one question as you turned to Mr. Davenport. "But why?"

"It's a long story." They all move closer to the table as Tasha closes up the first aid kit. "What happened? Are you guys okay?"

Tasha sighs. "Donald, they put a bionic chip in her."

Mr. Davenport's eyes blow wide as he yells; "What?"

You end up turning in your seat so that they could see the bandages on your neck. "I didn't realize why I was in so much pain until ten minutes ago." You turn back around to face them. "What does this mean? For me? For all of us?"

Chase sits down beside you and holds your hand in his. He looks at Mr. Davenport with a worried look. "Mr. Davenport?"

Mr. Davenport rubs his eyes in stress and it takes him a few moments to gather himself before he speaks, "Taking it right back out isn't an option right now. They did this recently so the wound is still fresh; if we try to take it right back out it can cause permanent damage to your nerve endings and could lead to permanent paralyzation or even death if it didn't heal right, which it won't; it would cause too much trauma to the body if we keep tampering with it."

Your heart is racing and Chase is holding your hand tight as you try to gather your thoughts. "So we leave it for the time being?"

Mr. Davenport sighs in registration. "That's the best option in this case."

You want to cry but you hold it in. After a moment, Bree speaks; "So what do we do now?"

"Get some sleep," Mr. Davenport says. "It's been a long few days and we all need to recuperate so that we can move forward to the next step."

"Few days?" That catches your attention. "How long has it been?"

"Four days," Adam answers. 

"Four days?!" Your breathing picks up at the information. "My mom is gonna freak!"

"I'll talk to your mom, for tonight, you all should head to bed and we'll figure everything out in the morning."

With Mr. Davenport's departing words for the night, the siblings gather all the pillows and blankets from every nook and cranny that they can find inside the house and together you all lay together on the living room floor after everyone has changed and settled for the night. All tucked up and snuggled together, you all fall fast asleep knowing that finally, you're all together safe and sound under the same roof.

~~~

The next morning, Mr. Davenport has you enter one of the capsules down in the lab and scans the bionic chip in your neck as the rest of the family wait with bated breath.

"What's the diagnosis, Doc?" You ask, linking your fingers together as you look at Mr. Davenport through the capsule. 

"I can see most of your chip's data, Douglas encrypted it but I am the smarter brother." His fingers go flying over the cyber desk as he hacks into the chip to reveal what's hiding in the chip. "From what I can see, Douglas added many bionic abilities such as molecular manipulation, thermokinesis, bio-thermokinesis, lightning manipulation…" Mr. Davenport's eyebrows dip worryingly as he continues to read the screen.

"Mr. Davenport?" You can't control the worry in your voice. 

"Donald." Tasha walks up and places her hand on his shoulder in concern. 

"He… Douglas gave her so many abilities, dangerous ones. He was going to use her as his own personal weapon." He looks at Tasha with a frown.

"Like Marcus." Chase purses his lips in a straight line. 

Bree says, "Douglas said Androids don't last long. Marcus was his most powerful weapon. He had all our abilities and more." She motions to herself, Adam, and Chase.

Mr. Davenport shakes his head. "That's not all, she also has all your abilities as well."

You feel the bile rise in your throat. 

"Can't she die with all those abilities?" Adam asks, worrying his bottom lip.

"Technically, yes," Mr. Davenport nods. "Douglas has them all disabled at the moment. He can pick and choose what he wants her to have. It's more of an advanced chip than your guy's."

"He was going to use her against us," Chase says as your eyes meet through the capsule. Fingers sliding on the cyber desk, the capsule door opens and you step out toward them. 

"I would never." You shake your head.

"With Douglas behind the wheel and being able to control you any way he wants, he can get away with anything." Chase brings you to his side as you lean your head into him.

You gnaw your bottom lip and say, "I don't want him to control me, or make me hurt you guys."

"Maybe not if we can stop him first." You all turn to look at Leo. "Right now, she's all that Douglas has now that Marcus is gone. If she can keep her abilities and we train her on how to use them, Douglas would never be able to defeat her with the abilities he gave her. She can defend herself more than ever."

"Leo," Tasha sighs.

"Leo's right." Chase says. "Douglas won't give up. He wants her and he will do whatever he can to get her. Realistically we're not all going to be together all the time, and she can train and use her powers to defend herself, it ups our chance at capturing and defeating Douglas once and for all." Chase looks at you and says, "But we won't make you do anything that you don't want to do. It’s entirely up to you."

You never thought you would ever be bionic, especially in the circumstance that you got them in. You thought bionics were cool, and you and Leo would fantasize and discuss the abilities you both would like to have in more so a "imagine if we were bionic" kinda way. Now that it's a reality, it did scare you because you had so much power that you didn't know what to do with it. And if all went well and theatrically taking out the chip was a success, who's to say that Douglas would stop coming after you personally? He wanted the whole family, including you now that he had you and you were out of his hands. He was coming back, and you wanted to be ready for him. 

"I'll do it." You nod to the others as you take a breath. "He won't stop coming and he'll do whatever he must to get what he wants. Now that I have abilities to defend myself, I want to train so that I'm ready for whatever comes our way."

"That would mean living with us for the time being," Mr. Davenport informs. "We have everything that we need here for you. Are sure you still want to do this?"

Heart thudding, you nod. "Yes."

Your mom and Mr. Davenport had grown up together and were childhood friends. She knew about his (technically Douglas' kids) so for the first few years, she did what she could do to help Mr. Davenport. However, when you came along and your mom moved away, their friendship became distant but no matter what happened, they still would contact each other when needed because they were still good friends. 

When your mom moved back to Mission Creek, that's when you officially met Mr. Davenport, Tasha, and Leo, and with them; Adam, Bree, and Chase. As your mom and Mr. Davenport reconnected their friendship, then the real truth about Adam, Bree, and Chase came out. So it all honestly shouldn't have been a huge surprise for you when your mother agreed to let you live with the Davenports.

"I know that Mr. Davenport isn't the most perfect person, but who is? I know that he and the family will take care of you and prepare you for anything that comes your way."

You try not to cry but you do. "I don't want to leave you forever."

"Not forever." She cries too, but she smiles through the pain. "I wish I had everything to help you with your bionics, but I don't. Mr. Davenport and Tasha are the only ones who know how to help you, they have everything you need. I'm always going to call and I'm always going to visit. You're not getting rid of me that easily." You both laugh as you embrace in a hug.

You both pull apart and with a comforting kiss on your forehead, she says, "With great power comes great responsibility."

And oh how right she was.

~~~ 

It wasn't easy being bionic, not at all really. You weren't a super-engineered bionic human from birth (well, created at birth); you had a chip jammed in your neck and Mr. Davenport and Chase had to alter the chip to be more compatible with your human body and after some trial and error, they made it work, however, it came with its own set of issues.

At first, you had terrible migraines and would get extreme physical exhausted from training which wasn't a normal thing for your body to go through. It was emotionally taxing as well, and there were some days that you even wondered if it was all worth it even though you knew it was. 

After a few months came the Bionic Academy and along with the academy came Douglas. No one trusted him when he came back to warn you all about his previous partner Krane and his huge bionic army. You wanted Douglas captured and locked away, but the only person in the family that heard Douglas through and trusted his word was no other than Leo. You knew that you would trust Leo's judgment; he always had a knack for reading people and knew who to stay clear from.

Although you knew Leo's judgment, you held a grudge against Douglas for several months after he made tentative amends with the family and moved into the house. It was after a few months of living at the academy that you formed a friendship with Douglas, and a full year at the academy to forgive Douglas for what he did to you. Douglas was sincere in everything that he did when he reconnected with the family and was sincere when he apologized to you, and he made a complete one-eighty change from when you first met him.

You didn't think you would ever forgive him or befriend him, nor grow closer to him and form a genuine connection, but alas. Were you all stupid to take his word and believe when he came back with his warnings; yes. Were you all crazy for letting him live in the house and forgiving him for what he did; yes. And yet you can't come to regret it when Douglas time and time again shows that he genuinely loves and cares for his family (even when he refuses to admit it.)

Time flies by and soon you realize it’s Christmas. As you flip through the Christmas picture book, you can't help but marvel at the fact that you've been with Chase for four years, three years since you got your bionics. You're far from perfect with your bionic abilities, and only got recently promoted to mentor with Leo just a few months back, but you've come a long way and you can't help but smile as you reflect over the last few years.

"Can you believe we've been together for four years?" You lean into Chase as he wraps you inside his throw blanket. You point to a picture of you and Chase sitting at the table and smiling at the camera. "We were babies," you joke, and you both laugh as you close the book and set it aside.

With the fireplace cracking, you lean your head on his shoulder as you both watch the fire.

"You know," Chase starts quietly, as you snuggle against him, "back when you were taken hostage, I was so worried out of my mind that I would lose you forever." You turn your head to look up at him as he continues, "I was in the lab when Baby, Please Come Home came on the radio. I had to hide in the bathroom so nobody would see when I broke down. After countless and countless of searching with you nowhere to be found, I..."

You sit upright and turn toward him with your heart squeezing painfully in your chest. For him to be so hopeless and scared made your heart break into pieces because he didn’t deserve to feel the heartbreak and loss of losing a person. It all made sense that even sometimes now when the song would play, he would always get solem and you didn't understand why. Tears gather in your eyes as you hold his hand in your lap. "I'm sorry you had to go through that. I never knew, I never-"

"I never told anyone." He shakes his head. "It wasn't your fault. You should never have been taken in the first place, being forced to become bionic. Sometimes I wished I was more aware of what was happening that night to prevent it."

"You can't blame yourself for what happened, we didn't know what was going to happen. We were just kids having fun." Reaching up to cup his face, he leans into your touch. "Even though it happened, I'm still grateful for where it led us. It made all of us grow into the people we are today, made us grow stronger and closer as a family." You smile at him as he closes his eyes. "It led to saving the bionic students and taking care of them and training them for missions and the world, the proper way, the way they should have been since the beginning." He opens his eyes to meet your gaze. "Although the situation sucked, it led us here and I can't help but be grateful. We're here now and that's what matters."

He smiles as he leans in to press a kiss to your lips. "I love you."

You can't help but smile. "I love you, too."

And it isn't until later that night, with you, Leo, and the Davenport siblings all huddled down in the living room quarters at the academy that you again find yourself in the dark whispering truth or dare questions with Chase when everyone else falls asleep.

"Truth," Chase whispers as you lean your head on his chest. 

"Would you love me if I were a worm?"

"I would love you no matter what form you would take. I will always love you."

You smile as Chase asks you truth or dare. "Truth."

"Would you marry me?"

You lean up on your elbows to look at him, and although it's dark, you can see his face. "What?"

"Would you marry me?" He asks, biting his bottom lip in nervousness. "I mean, I know we're still young-"

"Yes!" You whisper-shout, leaning in to press multiple kisses to his lips. "I would love to marry you."

You both can't stop the smiles that stretch on your faces and it's only two years later that you have a winter wedding with Darlene Love's Baby Please Come Home booming over the speakers after you share your first kiss as a married couple. You couldn't wait to spend the rest of your life with Chase by your side. After all, your home was with Chase, and his home was with you.