Title: "In the Dark"

Rating: K+ (compared to my other stories, this is much less… violent, dark, angsty, depressing. Sorry, I'm halfway through reading this thesaurus… anyone get it? Anyone?… Okay, no.)

Genre: Family, drama, a touch of angst (but not as much as the last few stories)

Characters: Leo, with mentions of the bionic trio and a few others

Pairing(s): None

Summary: 'Three years. Three freaking years! And they'd kept it a secret from me that whole time? I was their brother! I thought they trusted me! But apparently, they kept the most important parts of themselves away from me. And I don't think I can ever forgive them for that.' AU. One-shot.

Notes: First off: I said in Pulse and Shatter that I would tell you who was the closest to what I imagine happened (you can still end it any way you want though, remember!). Well, none of you were exactly 'right', but if you put together Dirtkid123, Asori, and PurpleNicole531's responses, you pretty much get the idea. In my head, the chip shutdown destroyed Spike forever, but Chase was sent into a permanent coma. He went brain-dead and effectively, y'know, died. Cheery, but that's how it went down in my head, anyway.

Second: Thanks to Unknowndiva, Stardust16, Dirtkid123, Asori, PurpleNicole531, and three unnamed guests (thanks to the second one—you made me laugh, kid ;)) for reviewing on Pulse and Shatter. Thanks also to daphrose for telling me your concerns, and I did as you suggested (not sure if you saw, but…)—I hope it's all good now.

Third: If any of you readers live in Paris, my heart goes out to you, it really does. I hope you're all okay!

Fourth (and last): I did promise you guys a Leo-centric one-shot on Friday, and hey, it's Friday! So, the real notes: this is a pretty (read: extremely) major AU. I'll explain more at the end in case it doesn't make sense, but it should, vaguely. It takes place during and after the events of You Posted What?! I don't even know where this idea came from, but… yeah. Anyway, people, you know the drill: Read, review, all that. Onward!

It started with that video. I didn't understand. They told me it was special effects, but I knew it wasn't. Then people put it on the news. They confirmed that it was real. And I was in shock. Three years. Three freaking years! And they'd kept it a secret from me that whole time? I was their brother! I thought they trusted me! But apparently, they kept the most important parts of themselves away from me. And I don't think I can ever forgive them for that.

Because of that video, suddenly everything made sense. Why Adam could lift the vending machines at school when he wanted something from it. How Bree would randomly disappear, leaving only a gust of wind. How Chase was a boy genius and knew everything.

It explained how and why they would ditch me at random times, returning late in the night, looking as though they'd been run over by a truck several times, in those weird black suits I'd once caught them wearing during Christmas when Perry had taken over our house.

It also explained why my lab partner, Marcus Henderson, had disappeared last year without a trace, my siblings being the last ones he'd seen. It explained why Big D's bank accounts were once hacked and we lost the house. It explained Big D's 'long-lost brother' who'd moved in a few months ago. It explained the weird noises I'd heard downstairs—when we didn't even have a downstairs—that sounded like people fighting. Everything. It explained everything.

And so there I was, in that weird lab my siblings had apparently felt compelled to show me before we all had to hide from the government, mindlessly watching videos on my tablet with my bag packed and at my feet, when Douglas, my apparent new step uncle, barged in. He said that I was the only one who could help him.

Because now, I knew the truth. They were bionic. My siblings. And they were being hunted. Government agents were in the house. Government agents. To capture them for being… freaks. That was really the only word I could use for them, quite honestly.

So me and Douglas used an escape tunnel underneath the lab to escape to the school. Douglas hypothesized that Victor Krane—some evil bionic guy who was trying to kill us all (yes, even me!)—was behind it all.

Then, the madman himself showed up at the school with the girl who Big D had spotted with his satellite—the girl who'd filmed them on their mission. And she was bionic, too. She knocked Douglas and Perry out, and then… I don't even know what happened. All I could feel was pain, so much pain.

And then I woke up in a warehouse, strapped down to a table. Then Douglas came in. And told me I was bionic.

In just a day, my world fell to pieces, was pulled apart at the seams.

I was a… freak, like they were. I mean, sure, it was cool that I effectively had superpowers, but I didn't want it! People would be afraid of me, maybe even get angry. I'd have to live in the shadows. The government would come after me.

Then Krane and S-1—that girl, according to Krane—came in. I tried to help, tried to get me and Douglas away from them. But S-1 was better than me. I almost died.

Then my siblings came in. That made me feel better. They still cared about me, they came back for me. But then I saw their limits. They fought Krane and S-1, and lost. Badly.

But then—and this is kinda the cool part—I (accidentally, but so what?) blasted Krane with my new laser spheres while Bree took out the girl. Then government agents showed up, but we managed to convince them to take away Krane and S-1 instead, and to let us go. And so we were fine.

That is, we were fine physically, but I don't really think my relationship towards them was left undamaged. No way, not after all of that, not after the lies built on lies, not after that betrayal.

Adam, Bree, and Chase had a world-wide interview later that day, so they left immediately. I didn't watch it on TV, even though I could've. I didn't want to. I didn't even want them to go. I didn't want them to tell the world who they were.

I hated that I had only found out when the rest of the world had. What, had they not trusted me enough to tell me? I had their back! Whenever they apparently had a mission and they just told me that I needed to cover for them because they had to be somewhere—it didn't matter whether it was at lunch or at two in the morning—I just did it! They never told me why they had to leave, but I covered for them anyway.

I know they're sorry. Adam has been playing what he calls 'bionic games' with me, which include blasting things with lasers from his eyes and throwing Chase across the room as far as he can. Bree is showing me all this bionic training stuff and has been almost too nice to me. And Chase is doing all my homework. I guess I'm less mad at them than I was before, but I can't help but feel the betrayal.

They kept the biggest parts of themselves hidden from me. They kept me in the dark from their biggest secret. I could've helped them! Been their Mission Specialist and helped on missions or something, anything! But they couldn't be bothered to tell me.

And they've brought everything upon themselves. Siblings aren't supposed to keep secrets! If I never believe anything they say ever again, then that's their fault. How am I supposed to know if they're lying to not?

Believe me when I say that I'm never going to forgive them for this.

A/N: So there's my Leo-centric AU one-shot. I'm not completely sure about it, and I feel like I could've done a better ending, but I feel like it was overall pretty good.

So, in case you were confused: imagine somehow—somehow, guys—that the bionic trio lived normal lives and went on missions all that time without Leo (and Tasha, by extension) knowing about their abilities. And so when the events of You Posted What?! happened, Leo finds out about it for the first time, along with the rest of the world. And everything from there on goes as normal, except for that Leo obviously feels very upset that they never told him (and that he got attacked by some creepy guy with wires all over his face). So, even though he understands them, he still swears never to forgive or believe them ever again—in extreme circumstances like these, I feel like it's something he'd probably do. In the show, he does seem to hold quite a few grudges, doesn't he?

It's still kinda sad, but hey, at least no one died this time!

… okay, if that's my maximum level of optimism (and it is), I'm in trouble.

I have a two-shot that I might end up posting either tomorrow or next Friday… it depends ;)

Oh, and also: I have a poll on my profile where you can vote on who you want the main character of my next story to be—feel free to do that!

Anyway, read, review, vote, blah, you get it ;) Thanks for reading, everyone!