So Christmas is coming up and I've decided to do a little advent calendar for you guys! :D

Each day I'll post a new chapter (a new oneshot) based on a word in alphabetic order. December 1st = a word on A, December 2nd = a word on B, December 3rd = a word on C, and so on. Though considering there's 26 letters but only 24 days until Christmas Eve, I'll skip two letters, probably Q and Z since there aren't that many words starting on those that I feel I can use ;)

Rated T because... well, not all chapters will be that cheerful... Like this one for example *nervous laugh* ENJOY! :D

[1] Always

Always: forever; all the time; without exception.

The grass was wet and slippery under his shoes as Chase Davenport, the guy who always pretended to be strong, sprinted across the football field. He could hear the shouts behind him getting louder. His breath hitched in his throat and he pushed off harder from the ground as he could feel the hockey team close in on him.

He regretted the decision to walk home alone so much right now. He hadn't done that in weeks! Not since things with Frank had started getting out of hand. But Adam had a meeting with his football team, Bree was having a study- date with her latest boyfriend and Leo had detention, for calling his teacher a fart-head, among other things. So Chase had decided to walk home alone. He had handled bullies before after all. His entire life in fact.

He had always been the butt of the joke. Adam and Bree had always teased and picked on him. You might even say they had bullied him several times... and they still did. They always made fun of him, his height and his smarts. They always punched, threw and disregarded him. They always laughed at, embarrassed and insulted him. They called him weak. They called him tiny, a nerd and boring. They called him useless.

But it was always okay. Not that he didn't mind it, every bit of it hurt more than the one before. But that was just how they were. That was how things were, and always had been. So he was okay with it, even though he hated it. Because it was Adam and Bree, and Leo too now. It was his family. And he knew that they, deep down, didn't really mean it. He knew it was just how things were.

Then when they started school the bullies become more, they become real bullies. Bullies he wasn't okay with. Because they didn't appreciate him; they didn't care for him. They weren't his family. But he always managed them. He always handled the insults and the punches. And if someone asked, he always denied it. He always denied the gravity of it. He always denied the affect it had. He always denied how it bothered him. He always pretended to be strong.

But the truth was Chase Davenport wasn't always strong, and he couldn't always handle the bullies. Apparently... So he was fleeing over the field, praying they wouldn't catch up and seriously regretting doing what he always did. He regretted pretending to be strong. He regretted hiding the bruises and the pain. He regretted not telling anyone. He especially regretted it as he felt something hard hit him on the backside of the knee, causing his leg to give out and him to fall to the ground harshly.

The shouts turned to laughter and mockery as the four jocks gathered around him. Spitting out the dirt from his mouth, Chase spun around and stared up at Frank.

"Well, well, well." Frank jeered with his signature smirk. "Gotten ourselves in quite some trouble now, haven't we little Davenport?"

Frank Parker had only been in Mission Creek for almost two months, but he still had managed to become the captain of the ice hockey team, gained his fair share of mindless followers and turned Chase's life into a living hell. Just as much as Trent bothered Leo, Frank hurt Chase. From the slightest insult to the hardest kick. And to make things worse, Frank took the day as it came. He didn't go by routine as much as Trent, and therefore wasn't as easy to keep track on. Like today for instance. Chase had thought the coast had been clear to just go home... alone. But boy had he been wrong.

The laughs echoed through the cool afternoon air as one of Frank's henchmen delivered another, particularly well-aimed, kick towards Chase's ribs. The smaller boy cried out in pain and struggled to get up and away, but the group had him surrounded. When he finally managed to get up on his feet, several punches was delivered, sending him back and forth between the guys in the small circle, before one of them kicked him back down.

"Where do you think you're going?" one of them mocked as he aimed a kick towards Chase's head, that he just barely managed to avoid.

"Yeah, we're just getting started!" another one exclaimed and hit him with his hockey stick as his friends cheered him on with laughter and applause.

And so the assault continued. Kicks, punches, insults and laughter. Everything was sent hurling at Chase as he felt the tears brim his eyes. He struggled, he fought back, he begged and he pleaded... But to no avail. It just kept coming... Everything hurt. He was bleeding from nose and lip, as well as other places. A split lip, a definite black eye, some possible bruised ribs and several bruises for sure.

All he could do was try to shield the worst of the abuse and hope the group would tire as he felt the tears sliding down his checks. Suddenly he felt someone grab his hair, yanking his head upwards, causing him to hiss in pain.

"Oh, look guys!" Frank laughed and Chase could barely make him out to his left through his swollen eye. "He's crying!"

Another wave of laughter was heard from the guys and for a moment the kicks stopped. Chase took the opportunity as he saw it and tried to kick Frank. Stomach, ribs, private parts? Chase didn't care, he was desperate. But he was also tired and in pain, and Frank saw it coming; so he easily grabbed his foot, stopping it mid- kick.

"Oooh!" the other three cooed as Chase was shoved - or rather thrown- harshly to the ground again, hitting his head in the process. Shakingly he pushed himself up on all four as a sob tore through his throat.

"Your weak! You hear me, Davenport?! You're weak!" Frank yelled and, as if to put emphasis to his words, kicked Chase in the stomach. Hard.

"Aah!" Chase screamed and fell to his elbows as more tears burned his eyes. "P -Please..."

"You hear that, Frank!" one of the guys laughed. "He's pleading!"

"Let's show him how we treat weaklings at this school!" "Oh yeah! Let's show him just how pathetic he is!"

"As you wish guys." Frank smirked, and the kicking started up again. Each blow followed by an insult or mockery of its own.

The tears streamed down Chase's face as he struggled to breath. The voices echoed in his head and the kicks seemed to just get more intense and painful. By now Chase was sure at least two - probably more- of his ribs were bruised, maybe even broken. But it still didn't stop.

Then suddenly it did.

"Wait, wait, wait guys!"

But Chase didn't feel any relief. First of all, he could barely breath, and secondly, what was about to come next was probably way worse.

"I just came to think about something." Frank declared and even though Chase couldn't see him, he was sure he was smirking widely. "Didn't we all agree on that Jesse needed to work a little on his slap shot?"

Chase's breath caught in his throat as he glanced back at the guy with the hockey stick. His whole body filled with dread as he saw him swing it a few times before reaching it high up, a sinister smile on his face. And that's when Chase realized something...

They weren't gonna stop... They weren't just gonna go home. They were gonna keep going... They were gonna kill him!

Chase shut his eyes tightly and tried to get in the air his lungs so desperately needed, but his throat seemed to have shrunken in size. Another sob tore through him as he did the only thing he could... wait for the blow.

But it never came.

Instead the world seemed to explode with sounds as he heard several shouts and pounds, but none of them hit him. Then one last kick hit his battered ribs, and he cried out as he was sent rolling. He could hear more shots - cries even- and something snapping and... growling? No one was near him now, but he couldn't get up, he couldn't even lift his head. His strength was all gone.

Then he felt someone fall beside him and hands grasping him. He tried to fight back again, to struggle, to do something! But then another sound reached his ears, a sound from heaven. Leo. His brother.

"Chase?!" Leo shouted and suddenly Chase felt himself be able to breathe again. He wasn't alone. "Chase are you okay?! Chase?"

Somehow the younger boy managed to get him up to his feet, basically supporting all of his weight. Chase staggered on his feet as he took in the scene before him.

Two of the jocks -the ones he didn't know the names of- was fleeing away towards the school. He could see Bree, her newly bought clothes - which she had spent hours picking out for this particular date- full of grass and mud smudges, holding two pieces of wood. Jesse's hockey stick, an observant part of Chase's brain provided. He could see Adam too, standing in a fighting stance with his fists clenched. Frank was on the ground, staring up at the two with a bloody and probably broken nose, and Jesse was backing away with a terrified expression on his face, he seemed fully ready to follow his friends' example.

"IF YOU EVER TOUCH MY BROTHER AGAIN" Adam said. "I'll kill you."

The suddenly quiet and soft threat tipped the plate for Jesse and he was gone in a matter of moments. Frank, however, just struggled to his feet and looked directly at Chase, his stare hateful and deadly.

The youngest bionic felt himself start to shake with fear as his throat tightened again. But Adam and Bree moved simultaneously, blocking Frank's view of their brother, as Chase felt Leo tighten his grip on him, but it didn't hurt, it was comforting. Nonetheless, a sob erupted from him as new, fresh tears made their way down his cheeks.

"Shh, it's okay... It's okay, Chase. We've got you. You're safe now. He won't touch you again. Shh..." Leo's soft voice breathed in his ear, tough the boy's gaze, just like the older siblings, were still focused on Frank.

Adam tightened his fists even further as he edged closer to the shorter boy with a low, growling sound. Bree threw the broken stick on the grass and folded her arms over her chest; her posture anything but relaxed.

Frank's gaze shifted between the two oldest and then back to Leo, who once again steadied his hold on Chase as he stared at the jock with an equally threatening glare. The lone hockey player glanced behind him to where his friends had disappeared and then looked back at the Davenport siblings. He swallowed heavily as he took a small step backwards.

"Go." Leo encouraged, addressing the boy for the first time.

"And you better stay gone. Cause if we see you anywhere near Chase again..." Bree continued, her voice low and dangerous. Adam cracked his knuckles as finish and Frank swallowed again and glanced between the siblings, his eyes wide. Then he started backing away slowly, before turning around and finally sprinting across the field.

Not until he was far gone did Chase release the shaky breath he hadn't even realized he had been holding. The sound snapped the others out of their shock and fury, and replaced it with an immense worry. Adam and Bree spun around as Leo tighten his grip comfortingly around Chase, though the weight of him was finally starting to make the younger boy unsteady.

"Chase?" the older two exclaimed and rushed over to the younger, their eyes wide with concern. Chase once again struggled to breathe as he looked at his siblings through watery eyes. Bree opened her mouth, but instead enfolded him in a tight, yet gentle, hug. The others followed suit, and then they just stood there, letting their leader and brother break down and sob.

And in that moment, Chase realized several things. He wasn't always strong. Nor could he always handle everything thrown at him. But he didn't need too. Because his siblings would be there.

Always.

Wow, just wow... This escalated quickly! O.O And maybe it got a bit out of hand..? Well, it sure is one way to start December on!

Hope you liked it! Reviews are always appreciated! :D

By the way, the fart-head thing? Totally inspired by My Babysitter's A Vampire :P

So, I'll see you tomorrow? I hope so... I'll be here at least ;)

Until next time! :) /Libra