Authors Note: This was inspired by the shot of Donald staring at the empty capsules in "No Going Back." He just looked so sad! Hal Sparks really managed to convey a lot with no words there.

Three Simple Rules

By 88Keys

2/7/14

Donald Davenport looks sadly around his secret lab. It is so quiet now, the usual hum of electronic machinery silenced. Nothing is working except the lights. There are no noisy teenagers down here, talking and laughing and getting into things they know they are supposed to leave alone. He sees a pair of discarded tennis shoes in the corner. Potato chip crumbs on the floor. Three cell phones, stacked neatly on a corner table.

Their presence still lingers, even though they are absent.

His eyes fall upon the empty capsules at the front of the room. And stay there. Once he starts staring at them, he finds he cannot look away.

Three empty capsules.

Three missing kids.

An entire business empire, built upon years of hard work and diligence, gone in one day.

His mind is still trying to work out the details, trying to figure out how almost everything he loved and had worked so hard for could disappear in less than 24 hours.

How could this happen?

The destruction of Davenport Industries was shocking, and upsetting, but could be dealt with. It would take time and investigation and would probably end up being a massive headache, but he could eventually get back what was stolen from him.

But when he saw the message from Adam, Bree, and Chase, saying that they were leaving and weren't coming back, something deep inside of him had broken. His stomach had turned over, his knees had weakened. Fear gripped him and would not let go. He could barely breathe, could barely speak the words.

"I've got to find them."

An empire can be rebuilt. Money and possessions can be replaced. But people can't.

Why did they run away?

They said they were trying to protect him. But he was the one who was supposed to protect them. That had been his mission since the day he rescued them from Douglas. None of them remembered it; they were all still in diapers at the time.

Taking on the responsibility of caring for three young children all at once had been overwhelming and terrifying, so he had immediately come up with three rules to keep him grounded and sane, especially during that challenging first year.

Rule One: Keep them hidden at all times

Since he lived alone, this had not been too difficult, at first. They stayed together, at home, all the time. It was overwhelming, but being at home so much did help him to focus on building new inventions and programs without the help of his brother. The new Davenport Industries began to flourish, and so did the kids.

As they got older, it became more and more apparent that they would eventually need to get out and experience the real world, especially if they were to be tasked with someday saving it. But not until Leo came along did Donald truly attempt to let go of his fears and let them take a tentative step into the world at large.

And now, because of that choice, their secret was on the verge of being exposed.

Rule Two: Don't tell anyone about their 'special abilities'

When the kids were kept hidden at home, rule two was fairly easy to enforce. If no one knew about the kids, then obviously, no one knew about their abilities. The first time that rule had been broken was when Leo inadvertently discovered the team of super-heroes in the basement. Thankfully, he had been very diligent, both about keeping quiet and helping the others keep quiet.

Still, Donald knew that, while they did not come out and tell anyone about their bionics, the kids sometimes used them when they shouldn't. He knew that this was partly to be expected. Bionics were a part of who they were, and it was not fair to expect them to suppress that part of themselves forever. Still, he felt a twinge of fear every time they went out the door, not knowing what situation they might get themselves into and how they might inadvertently reveal their powers to the world. They were still teenagers, and they still felt invincible in the way that most teenagers do. He wasn't sure they understood all of the terrible things that could happen if their abilities were made public knowledge.

Rule Three: Don't get attached to them

He couldn't say for sure when that rule had been broken, but it certainly hadn't been enforced in a very, very long time.

In the beginning, he tried to tell himself that this arrangement was just temporary. That he was a temporary custodian, a caretaker. Not their father. He was not cut out for that role. He told himself that he would remove their programming and relocate them to a better home as soon as one could be found. That they were, in essence, science experiments.

You don't love your science experiments.

But it didn't take long for him to realize that the programming Douglas had put into them was too complex, and went too deep to be removed without destroying them. And, as they grew and he got to know not just what they were, but who they were, it became clear that these kids were more than just experiments. They were human beings, wonderful human beings, with or without their abilities. And there was no one else who could care for them the way Donald could. No one else who understood who they were as well as how they were programmed.

They needed him.

If he didn't love them, who else would?

And he does love them, in spite of himself. And it is clear, now, how much they love him back.

They ran away, and gave up everything, to protect him. To ensure his survival as much as their own. Maybe even more.

And now, as he stares at the empty capsules, he realizes what is truly at the root of all his fears. That the kids, his kids, will be out of his life forever.

They need him, but he needs them even more.

He hears Leo's voice behind him. "The guy from the bank says we need to leave now. They're changing the locks on all the doors."

He takes one last look.

Three empty capsules.

Three missing kids.

One broken heart.

END