Writer's one-shot challenge, day 7 for the BTR Plot Adoption Forum. forum/BTR-Plot-Adoption-Forum/153090/. Voting poll will open tomorrow, so please check out the great stories there and vote for your favorites! More challenges are coming so check them out and submit your stories!

Gustavo was screaming again, telling the boys, in particular Kendall, what a waste of space they were. They had gotten back late from lunch and then Carlos and James had kept missing lines in the chorus of their new song and they would all erupt into fits of giggles. Logan disappeared at one point and Kelly had found him in the lounge talking to Camille on the phone.

It had been a long month of ten to twelve hour days with extra vocal and dance practices, in preparation for their next big concert. The boys were all exhausted and their nerves were on edge. It didn't help that Mama Knight had to go back to Minnesota to help her aunt who had fallen and broken her hip, so the boys were pretty much on their own for meals, laundry, etc. Kendall automatically assumed the position he had always had at home, he took charge and tried to take care of things.

Kendall stood there, eyes staring ahead, jaw set, as his boss yelled, "YOU ARE THE TOP DOG! YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS BAND! NOW YOU MAKE YOUR FRIENDS GET THEIR HEADS OUT OF THEIR BUTTS OR YOU CAN ALL KISS YOUR CAREERS GOODBYE!"

"It's not like I control them! They do what they want in case you haven't noticed!" Kendall replied angrily.

"JUST FIX THEM!" Gustavo shouted as he left.

"Sure, blame us," Logan snapped.

Kendall shot him a glare. "I'm not the one who can't keep in step with everyone else."

"Cheap shot," Logan muttered.

"What do you expect? He thinks he's perfect and can't see his own faults," James said.

"Since when do I think I'm perfect?" Kendall asked.

"Well, you kinda do think you're right a lot," Carlos said.

"That's because I AM right a lot!" Kendall told him.

"You also expect us to do what you want because you think you're right," Logan said.

"Maybe that's because you guys don't LISTEN! Gustavo comes down on me because of something that happens, what am I supposed to do?" Kendall asked, shocked by the fact his three best friends seemed to be turning on him.

"Maybe if you didn't talk back so much?" Carlos supplied helpfully.

"Oh, you mean like when Gustavo wanted to throw your helmet in the trash compactor at the last concert?" Kendall asked angrily.

"Well..." Carlos said looking down, he had forgotten about that.

"Or maybe when he said that he was going to make Logan go to dance rehearsal through every weekend because his timing was off? Or, when I covered for James when he was out chatting up that blonde girl and was an hour late for the soundcheck at the San Diego concert!" Kendall yelled.

"Well maybe not those times," Carlos said, his cheeks turning red.

"Of course not, it's never THOSE times. How about when you three were afraid to go up against WayneWayne? You expected me to deal with that too!" Kendall yelled in frustration.

"Come on, who else could have taken him on? You're the only one crazy enough to stand up to someone like that," James said.

"No, you only want me around to FIX things for you and when I try and freaking reason with you so that these things don't happen, you jump down my throat. Well, you know what? You can do it yourselves from now on, I'm done!" Kendall yelled, his voice breaking. He couldn't believe how near tears he actually was and it was making him angrier. He turned and stormed out of the room and the minute he reached the hallway, he took off at a dead run for the elevator.

"Figures, now we're going to have to find him and tell him we're sorry," James fumed.

"I'm not sorry," Logan stated. "He's always trying to tell us how we should be living our lives and he doesn't like that we're standing up to him."

"Guys...I don't think that's it," Carlos said shaking his head. Something had been off with Kendall since the day before and he hadn't been able to figure it out.

"Really, now you're going to side with Kendall again?" James asked.

Kelly had been standing there quietly and had heard enough. "You guys better figure this out. Kendall is right, why should he be the one to always intervene between you and Gustavo?" Kelly asked.

"Because Gustavo likes him for some weird reason," James said.

"Exactly!" Logan agreed.

"In case you're all forgetting, Kendall is the one who wanted you all here because he didn't want to leave his best friends behind. He refused to come without you. Do you really think that he would have made this choice for himself? As I recall, he had other dreams," Kelly told them, looking pointedly at James. "Gustavo's right about one thing, you three need to get your heads out of your butts or you're going to end up losing more than just your singing careers. Fix this!" she ordered as she walked out.

"What are we supposed to do?" James asked.

"I, for one, am going back to the apartment and hitting the pool with Camille," Logan said.

"That sounds good to me," James agreed.

"Guys, Kelly said we need to fix this. Maybe we should find Kendall and talk," Carlos said anxiously.

"Forget it, I am not apologizing. If Kendall wants to run away and act like a baby, let him," James said, grabbing his jacket.

"Come on Carlos, don't you ever get tired of Kendall telling you when something isn't right or that you should or shouldn't do something?" Logan asked.

"Isn't that because he wants the best for us though?" Carlos asked, unsure of the way things were going.

"No, it's because he wants everything his way. Now he's run off to pout about it because we all stood up to him," Logan said.

"Wasn't it more like Gustavo getting mad at Kendall because WE weren't doing what we were supposed to be doing?" Carlos asked.

Logan and James looked at their friend. "Maybe Gustavo wouldn't be so hard on us if Kendall lightened up," James said.

"Kelly's right though, we wouldn't even be here if Kendall hadn't wanted us."

"Yeah...well who asked him? I would have been happy back home in Minnesota, getting ready for early entry into the University of Minnesota's medical program," Logan told him.

"But you love singing, we ALL do, and because of that now you can afford to go to any school you want."

"W-well y-yeah, but James is right, he still needs to lighten up sometimes," Logan stammered as he realized that what Carlos had said was true. He could afford to go to any medical school because of what they'd already earned.

Carlos shook his head and looked at his other friend, "James, you know the only reason he came out here was so that you'd have your chance at being famous."

"Please, I could have made it on my own. I just never got the chance because Kendall had to jump in and play the hero," James said.

"You KNOW that's not true! He jumped in because Gustavo said you have no talent and we all know that you do. He did it for you, he did it for us," Carlos said quietly, trying to persuade his two friends.

"Carlos..." James started.

"No! Now I know things have been hard this last month with all the extra practice sessions and it doesn't help that Mama Knight is away right now. But we all agreed that we could handle being on our own for a couple of weeks. Our parents all said they'd be happy to come and help us out but we told them that we do this on our own," Carlos reminded them.

"Well he doesn't have to be so bossy all the time," Logan muttered.

"You know that's how he is, he just takes charge and does what needs to be done. Otherwise, nothing would get done," Carlos pointed out.

"Well maybe I don't want to do all the cooking," Logan said, crossing his arms across his chest.

"Well, would you rather one of us do it...and set the oven on fire, AGAIN? You're the only one who can really cook and not kill us, that's why Kendall said you should probably do it," Carlos told him. "It's also why he said James should be in charge of the laundry because he knows about all the different kinds of fancy fabrics that he likes to wear sometimes. Would you really want one of US washing your good shirts?" Carlos asked James.

"Well, no," James said quietly.

"That's why he does the vacuuming because of Logan's dust allergies and that's why I do the dishes, so James doesn't get dishpan hands," Carlos said using air quotes as he reminded James of his complaint of wrinkled hands.

"Oh yeah," James said, his cheeks turning slightly red.

"I g-guess that does make sense," Logan said looking down.

Carlos put an arm around each of his friends, "Look, we're all tired, stressed out, and need some downtime. But if we feel like this, how do you think Kendall feels? He not only has to do his own work, but Gustavo, Mama Knight, and WE all expect him to take care of things. He has the most responsibility out of all of us. He's our best friend and our little brother and right now he's hurting because he thinks we're mad at him, maybe even that we hate him."

"I feel awful, this is all my fault," Logan said.

"OUR fault," James corrected him

"Instead of having a blaming contest, how about we call Kendall, I take us all out for a nice dinner, and then we go home and watch some movies. We'll chill out in the crib and have a guys' night at home," Carlos suggested.

"That's a great idea, Carlos," Logan smiled.

Carlos smiled and pulled out his cell. He dialed Kendall's number but there was no answer so he left a message, "Hey buddy, give me a call when you get this. I thought it'd be nice to have a guys' night tonight, to make up for everything."

"You think he went home?" Logan asked as Carlos hung up.

"Probably. So, why don't I go pick up dinner, you guys go get some movies and snacks for tonight and we'll meet back at the apartment in an hour?" Carlos suggested.

"Good plan," James said as they headed out.

Kendall reached the lobby and headed out the doors. He turned left, away from the Palmwoods and started walking, he was so tired of everything. Everybody wanted something from him and if he didn't deliver they got mad. "Well fine, let them figure things out on their own," he said to himself. After a few minutes, his phone rang and he pulled it out, saw that it was Carlos and put it back in his pocket. He continued walking, lost in his thoughts, not paying attention to where he was going or the time. His phone rang again and he ignored it as he continued walking. He finally looked around and realized that he was near a park so he went and found a bench and sat down. He pulled out his phone and saw that Carlos had called again. Instead of listening to the messages, he dialed his sister's phone, he desperately needed to hear a friendly voice.

"Hey Big Brother, what's up?" Katie's cheerful voice answered.

"Hey Katie-Bug, just checking on things. How's Aunt May doing?"

"She's doing better, mom's running some errands for her but she should be home soon," Katie said.

"Good. How's everyone else doing?"

"Everybody's great...Kendall, what's wrong?"

"What makes you think anything's wrong? I call every night to check on things," Kendall said.

"Do you seriously think I can't tell when something's bothering you Big Brother?" Katie asked.

Kendall sighed, "It's nothing, I'm just tired. Gustavo has been working us even harder than usual. He wants the concert at the Roxy to be the best that we've ever done."

"Why is he even worried about that? You guys have never let him down," Katie stated.

"I know, but you know Gustavo. He just wants us at our best," Kendall said.

"Are you sure that's all that's wrong?" Katie asked.

"Yeah, and I miss you and mom," Kendall said smiling a little.

"I miss you too, but mom said that Aunt May should be well enough for us to leave in a couple of weeks. You know you can call me anytime, right?" Katie asked as her concern grew a little. Her brother still sounded off and she knew he wasn't telling her everything.

"I know, thanks, Katie. Tell mom and Aunt May I said, hi."

"I will. I love you Big Brother."

Kendall smiled again, "I love you too Katie."

Kendall sighed and sat back on the bench and closed his eyes. He shivered a little, it was getting colder and he had forgotten his jacket at the studio. His mind wandered back to the argument at the studio and his heart clenched as he remembered his friends' words. He debated on calling to check on them but decided against it, "They probably don't want to hear from me anyway."

He pulled out his phone and saw Carlos had left two messages, but instead of listening to them, he dialed another number instead.

A strong and friendly voice answered, "Hello."

"H-Hi it's Kendall, do you have time to talk?"

Carlos stopped at Romero's and picked up a variety of pasta for dinner. He tried calling Kendall again as he waited, "Hey Kendall, I'm picking up dinner. I got you spaghetti and meatballs but if you want something else, just let me know. I also ordered the cheesy garlic bread that you like...please be okay buddy. We're really, REALLY sorry." Carlos paused and then sighed sadly. "Okay, I guess I'll see you at home."

Carlos hung up and then answered as Logan called, "Hey Litos, we got four movies including the Harry Potter that just came out. Plus, popcorn, chips, Oreos, Cheezits, and cookie dough ice cream."

Carlos smiled as Logan listed some of Kendall's favourites. "Great, I'm getting dinner from Romero's and should be home in just a few minutes."

"We're just getting home now, so we'll get things set up and see you then," Logan told him.

"Okay, see you soon buddy," Carlos said hanging up. A few minutes later the hostess called his name and he went over and picked up his order and headed home.

He got there about ten minutes later and went up to 2J. He went into the apartment and took the bags to the kitchen. "Hey guys, where's Kendall?" he asked looking around and not seeing their blond friend.

"He's not home yet and he's not answering his phone," Logan told him.

"He's probably out just taking a walk and trying to calm down. I'm sure he'll be home any minute," James said reassuringly.

"Still, he always checks in," Carlos said.

"Carlos is right, he always lets us know where he is," Logan said, starting to worry.

"Calm down, he's probably still upset and doesn't want to talk to us right now. Let's just finish putting things away and he'll probably show up any minute," James said.

"Maybe I'll just send him a text, that way he doesn't feel like he has to talk," Logan said grabbing his phone.

Carlos grabbed Logan's arm, "Loges just give him some time, we were pretty hard on him. We'll just put dinner in the oven to keep it warm and eat when he gets home."

"I feel awful though, what if something happens? This is EXACTLY the kind of thing that happens in the movies. Friends have a falling out, then something bad happens, and they never talk again!"

"Logan, you need to calm down. Nothing's going to happen, Kendall's just...feeling bad right now," Carlos said sadly.

"We did say some pretty mean things though. I wouldn't blame him if he did hate us," James said sitting down.

Carlos sat next to him, "Kendall knows that we're all just tired and cranky, he could never hate us."

Logan sat on the other side of Carlos, "I don't know why we've been fighting so much lately, and for such stupid reasons."

"Maybe because we're so busy working and tired of hearing people tell us that we're not good enough, we forget to talk to each other? Then there's school and trying to keep up there," Carlos suggested.

"Probably, I don't know why I get so mad at Kendall though. I don't really get mad at you or James," Logan said.

"Maybe because out of everyone you don't want to let him down and then when you feel like you are, you get mad and either fight, ignore him or push him away."

"I don't ignore and push him away."

"Really? Didn't you not answer when he called you the other day when Gustavo changed rehearsal time?" Carlos asked.

"Well...yeah," Logan said as he remembered the incident. He had finished a big science project and had just wanted some time to himself. When he saw Kendall was calling, he decided to let it go to voicemail because he wanted to finish the book he was reading and Kendall had mentioned something about hanging out at the pool together that morning.

"And then you got mad when you showed up for rehearsal to find out that it had been moved back three hours. You yelled at Kendall for not letting you know when you hadn't even bothered listening to your messages, and then you didn't talk to him for two days. If you HAD listened then you would have known and not made a date with Camille and then have to cancel it," Carlos reminded him.

"Okay, okay, I feel bad enough," Logan said miserably, putting his head in his hands.

Carlos put an arm around each of his friends, "I know it's hard sometimes, but we need to remember that our friendship has to come first, or else we have nothing. We are best friends, brothers, and we need to stick together. If we have a problem, we need to TALK about it before it gets worse and we end up hurting each other."

"Sounds like someone's been taking pep talk lessons from Kendall," James said giving Carlos a smile.

"Well if you're going to learn something, it might as well be from someone who does it well," Carlos smiled back.

"Hey buddy, I always have time for my boys! What's going on?" Antonio Garcia asked.

"Oh Papi, everything is such a mess! I'm such a screw-up!" Kendall choked out.

"Hey, that's not true. Now take a deep breath and tell me what's going on."

"The guys hate me, Gustavo is such a pain in the butt, I'm so tired and I just want to go home," Kendall said, his voice breaking.

"Where are you now?" Antonio asked.

"I don't know, I got into it with the guys at the studio and so I left."

"Kendall, look around and tell me where you are. Are you in a safe part of town?" Antonio asked.

"I don't know, I think it's okay. I'm in a park someplace east of the studio," Kendall told him.

"Alright, it's starting to get late so you need to get home," Antonio said.

"They don't want me there," Kendall said quietly.

"Mijo, of course, they do. You guys are always arguing about one thing or another, but that doesn't mean they hate you."

"You didn't hear them," Kendall said.

"Tell me what happened."

"I'm not even sure. Gustavo was yelling at us like he always does and he told me to make the guys do what they're supposed to. I told him they have minds of their own, and then Logan accused me of blaming them for everything. Then they all started in on how I think I'm perfect and how I'm always bossing them around, and I don't know maybe I do boss them around, but it's only because I don't want Gustavo coming down on them all the time. Then Carlos said maybe I shouldn't talk back so much, and I know I talk back but it's only because Gustavo is so unreasonable most of the time," Kendall rushed out and then stopped to catch his breath.

"Is that everything?" Antonio asked.

"I-It's like everybody wants me to take care of everything and so nothing I ever do is right. Nothing I ever do is good enough and I'm tired of having to fix everything," Kendall said.

"It's not always easy having to be the responsible one, is it?" Antonio asked, sympathizing with the teen.

"No," Kendall said.

"Is that everything?" Antonio asked gently.

"N-No. The other night mom told me that Zack got one of the scholarships to the University of Minnesota and I guess...I just wonder if I made the wrong choice coming here. I wanted that scholarship my whole life and I'm happy for Zack and everything, but I'm the one who trained him and...I just don't know anymore," Kendall said quietly.

"Mijo, you can always come home. You still have your senior year and there's no reason to think you couldn't earn a scholarship next year," Antonio told him.

"We haven't played in so long and if I leave I'll be letting the band down. Mom and Katie love it here and it's okay, but it's not home."

"Sounds like you're more homesick than anything. Why don't you come home for a few days? Take a break and just cut yourself some slack," Antonio suggested.

"There's no way Gustavo will let me leave, we have the concert coming up in two weeks. After that we have finals and then promotions and interviews," Kendall told him.

"Why don't you let me talk to Gustavo about this? I'm sure he'll understand that everyone needs some downtime."

"You don't know Gustavo, he doesn't believe in downtime or being understanding," Kendall said.

"Well I'm sure a reasonable discussion reminding him of the California statutes regarding the employment laws of minors might help," Antonio said, smirking.

Kendall smiled, "Yeah, that might do it."

"Alright, now how about heading home? The other boys are probably wondering where you are," Antonio said.

"Yeah I better, it's starting to get dark and Carlos already left a couple of messages," Kendall said as he got up and started walking back the way he'd come.

"Stay on the phone with me until you get home," Antonio said.

"Papi, I'm not nine you know."

"I don't care if you're thirty-nine, you're walking around in a big city and you aren't sure where you are," Antonio said firmly.

"Yes Sir." Kendall smiled.

"Do you know how far away from the apartment you are?"

"I'm not sure, I think I walked for nearly an hour," Kendall told him as he looked around for a familiar landmark.

"Kendall! Don't EVER do that again," Antonio admonished.

"I won't, I'm sorry," Kendall said.

"Maybe you should call and have the boys pick you up," Antonio suggested.

"I don't really want to get off the phone right now," Kendall said as he noticed three older and larger guys watching him.

"What's going on?" Antonio asked, concerned by the sudden change in Kendall's voice.

"Nothing, just some guys watching me," Kendall said as he picked up his pace.

"Are they just watching?"

"So far," Kendall said as he crossed the street.

"Can you give me a street name or a landmark?" Antonio asked.

"Um, De Longpre Ave, near Hudson. Papi, they're following me now," Kendall said in a hushed voice.

"Stay on the phone, I'm going to get on the landline and call the police there to have them pick you up," Antonio said as he quickly dialed from his home phone.

"Hey! Where ya going so fast?" one of the guys called out.

"You new here?" another one asked as they caught up with Kendall.

"Papi..." Kendall whispered.

"Kendall just keep walking," Antonio instructed.

"We asked you a question," the third one stated. He was the largest of them at about 6'4" and 220 pounds.

"Just out for a walk," Kendall said as he continued walking. Kendall could hear Antonio speaking to someone and he was trying to keep a poker face on as he tried not to panic.

The big guy stepped in front of Kendall with his hand up "Got any cash?"

Kendall was forced to stop as the other two guys took positions on either side of him. "No, sorry. I don't."

"You sure, cause you look like you should have some money," the guy said as he looked Kendall up and down.

"I don't have anything," Kendall repeated looking the guy in the eyes. He was no longer holding his phone to his ear and had curled his fingers over the top of it.

"And I say you do," the guy growled. His two friends pushed in closer and Kendall was effectively trapped between them.

"Kendall, the police are on their way!" Antonio yelled into the phone, He was frustrated that he was so far away and couldn't get to his godson.

"Look, I don't have anything. I forgot my jacket and my wallet was in there," Kendall said as he tried to push past them.

The other two each grabbed one of Kendall's arms and he yelped. "Let go of me!"

"You say you have nothing, I say you do," the big guy said.

"I don't have anything!" Kendall yelled as he tried to keep a grip on his phone.

"Well, that makes me VERY unhappy," the big guy said as he pried Kendall's phone from his fingers.

"Ow!" Kendall yelled as his fingers were pulled back.

"Kendall, just stay calm!" Antonio yelled.

The big guy looked the phone over before putting it to his ear, "Sorry, he's busy."

"DON'T YOU HURT HIM! I SWEAR TO GOD I WILL HUNT YOU..." Antonio shouted into the phone.

"Aww, daddy's upset," the big guy smirked as he snapped the phone in half.

"What'd you do that for!?" Kendall yelled.

"I tend to break things when I get disappointed," the big guy smirked. Kendall could hear police sirens in the distance, "Guess what I'm gonna break next?" the big guy asked as pulled back his fist. Kendall closed his eyes, bracing himself for the blow.

Katie hung up after speaking with her brother and dialed the home phone in 2J. "Hello," James' voice came over the line.

"Hey James, I'm just calling to say hi."

"Hey Katie-Kat, how's everyone there?" James asked

"They're fine, how are you guys doing?" she asked sweetly.

"Well, you know...busy, busy. Gustavo's trying to work us to death but we're having a guys' night tonight," James told her.

"Cool! Can I speak to Kendall?"

"Kendall?" James squeaked.

"Yeah, you know...my brother. You're having a guys' night so he's there, right?" Katie asked.

"Um, here's Logan!" James said tossing the phone to his friend.

Logan shot him a dirty look, "Hey Katie, I really have to check on dinner. Don't want it burning, here's Carlos!" he said as he tossed the phone to Carlos. Carlos tried to hand it back to James who backed up and shook his head.

"Hi Katie," Carlos said as he glared at his two friends.

"Alright, what did you three idiots do?" Katie asked.

Carlos sighed as he glared at his friends again. "We kind of got into an argument with Kendall, but we're trying to fix it."

"What did you do?" Katie asked again.

"Gustavo was yelling at us because we were late and then we kept making mistakes. He was kinda blaming Kendall for not making us do our jobs right. Gustavo told him to fix it and then Kendall said something, and then we said something, and I told him maybe he shouldn't talk back so much, and he told me that we only want him to talk back when we need something fixed, which I guess is pretty much true. Then he told us we can do it ourselves from now on and left and we don't know where he is because he hasn't answered his phone," Carlos said in one breath. He felt his eyes tearing up and started sniffling.

Katie took pity on him as she heard his voice start to break. "Okay, okay. First of all, he's fine. He called me to see how Aunt May is doing and I knew something was up, but he wouldn't tell me what. Second, he is always looking after you guys and maybe it's time you started looking after him a little. I bet he didn't even tell you that Zack Payne got the hockey scholarship to U of M, and he's probably a little depressed about that."

"Zack got the scholarship? He's not half as good as Kendall!" Carlos said.

"Exactly. He gave up a lot to be there and I think he's realizing just how much. Then you monkeys coming down on him didn't help," Katie said.

Carlos looked over at James and Logan, "Don't worry Katie, we ARE going to make this right."

The blow never came.

Kendall was suddenly jerked backward and then his arms were free. He fell to the ground and opened one eye to see the big guy lying unconscious on the ground in front of him. He heard footsteps behind him and turned and saw the other two running away at breakneck speed.

"What the?" he mumbled in confusion as he was suddenly pulled up off the ground.

"Are you alright?" a deep voice asked.

Kendall smiled in relief, "Freight Train! How did you know where I was?"

"I saw you run out of the studio and knew you were upset. I didn't think it was a good idea for you to be out here on your own, but I didn't want to intrude either," the gentle giant said.

Kendall hugged him, "You have NO idea how happy I am to see you!"

Freight Train smiled a little and patted the teen on the back, "You're not hurt are you?"

"No, I'm fine, my phone on the other hand..." Kendall frowned as he picked up the broken pieces.

"At least that can be replaced," Freight Train said as he pulled out his own phone and handed it to Kendall. "You better call Officer Garcia and let him know that you're alright."

"Thanks, Freight Train," Kendall smiled gratefully as he quickly dialed Antonio's number.

"Hello!?" Antonio answered.

"Hi Papi, I'm okay. Freight Train showed up and took care of them," Kendall said.

"Thank God. You are NEVER to go off by yourself like this again, do I make myself clear?" Antonio said, as he tried to keep his voice from breaking.

"I won't, I'm sorry Papi," Kendall promised.

"Sounds like the police are nearly there," Antonio said as he listened to the sirens getting closer.

"I think so," Kendall said, suddenly feeling very shaky.

"Are you alright, you look a little pale," Freight Train whispered.

Kendall nodded and then his eyes got wide as he saw something behind Freight Train.

Freight Train noticed the look on Kendall's face and turned quickly. The guy he had knocked out was up and running towards them holding a switchblade. Freight Train grabbed Kendall with one hand, holding him behind him, and used the other to grab the thug's arm.

"I'm warning you to stop," Freight Train growled.

The guy didn't say anything but slammed his body against Freight Train and managed to twist his arm free. Freight Train was a sturdy guy, but between holding Kendall behind him to keep him safe and trying to keep the other guy from stabbing him, he stumbled backward.

"Kendall, what's going on?" Antonio asked as the boy had stopped speaking and he could hear scuffling in the background.

"Freight Train!" Kendall screamed as the big man went down, pulling the boy along with him.

Someone was frantically pounding at the front door of 2J and Logan ran to open it. Kelly stood on the other side looking frazzled. "Get your jackets we need to get to the hospital," she ordered.

"What? Why? What happened?" Logan asked.

"We got a call from the police, Kendall and Freight Train have been taken to Los Angeles Memorial Hospital. Now come on, let's go!"

"Well do you know what happened?" James asked as he grabbed the jackets and handed Carlos and Logan theirs.

"All I know is that there was a mugging, the police got there, and they're in the emergency room. Gustavo is already on his way there," Kelly told him as she tried to usher them quickly out the door.

"Wait, what was Freight Train doing with Kendall?" Carlos asked, as they headed for the elevators.

"His job," she said.

They arrived at the hospital about twenty minutes later and the boys raced inside. Kelly followed close behind and found them at the nurse's station, each of them asking the nurse what had happened and where their friends were.

"Boys, sit!" Kelly ordered pointing to some chairs in the waiting room.

"But..." Logan started.

"Now! I'll get the details," Kelly said firmly.

The boys reluctantly went to the waiting area and sat down. They sat there in silence, waiting for Kelly to come and tell them what the nurse had said.

Logan started bouncing his leg up and down nervously. "This is bad, this is SO bad!"

"Loges we don't even know what happened yet, so calm down," Carlos said.

"How can I be calm? If they admitted Freight Train then it HAS to be bad!" Logan said, his voice rising in panic.

The outside doors opened and someone came running through. The boys stared in amazement as Gustavo sprinted to the nurse's station. "What's going on? Have you found out anything?" he yelled at Kelly.

She shushed him as she looked back at the boys and then thanked the nurse. She took Gustavo's arm and led him over to where the boys were sitting.

"Well!?" the boys all asked at once.

"The doctor will be out to speak to us in a few minutes," Kelly told them as she pushed Gustavo into a chair.

"But did she say how they are?" James asked.

"She just said they're both in with a doctor at the moment," Kelly said.

"But that could mean anything!" Carlos said, nearing tears.

"It's going to be okay buddy," James said, putting his arm around his friend's shoulders.

"But we were so mean," Carlos sniffled.

"I know," James said.

"What if we never get to tell him we're sorry?" Carlos asked.

"Look, I'm sure they're both fine, so don't panic," Gustavo snapped.

"You were mean to him too," Carlos pointed out.

"I know!" Gustavo yelled, putting his head in his hands.

"Boys, I'm sure they're both going to be alright, but maybe this will help us to realize exactly what is and what isn't important," Kelly said.

"Like our friendship needs to come first," Carlos said.

"Yes," Kelly smiled. "Logan?"

"That if we're upset we need to talk about it before it gets too bad," Logan sighed.

Kelly smiled again. "James?"

"That no matter what we do, we're a team and we need to stick together."

"Very good," Kelly said.

They all looked at Gustavo, "Well?" Kelly asked.

"Well, what?"

"What have you learned?" Kelly asked.

"That I need to install remote-controlled locks in the doors at the studio so the dogs can't run out and get themselves into trouble!" he yelled.

Kelly whapped him on the back of the head. "Ow!" he yelped.

"Try again," she ordered.

He looked at the four of them, swallowing hard and tried to think of what to say. His family had never been what you would call close, and he was shocked at how much these four boys had drawn him into their lives. While he would never admit it to them, he loved his boys, and right now he was scared out of his mind. He had never thought about losing one of them. Hell, they're just kids, why would he even consider that? And Freight Train...he was one of the few people Gustavo knew he could count on, no matter what. One of the few people he knew he could call a friend.

"We're waiting," Kelly said. The boys leaned forward a bit, wondering what their boss was going to say.

Gustavo took a deep breath, "I learned that if the dogs tell me something, like they need a break, that I need to listen," Gustavo said.

"And?" Kelly prodded.

"That they're just kids and that their feeling DO matter and sometimes I go a little too far," Gustavo said in a pained voice.

Kelly smiled, "Very good. So, when the police called they told me that three guys were trying to mug Kendall and Freight Train intervened. He chased two of them off, after knocking out the first guy, who was trying to hurt Kendall."

"But how did he even know?" Carlos asked.

"He saw Kendall leave the studio and followed him to make sure that he stayed safe."

"But if Freight Train chased them off, what happened?" Logan asked.

"The first one woke up and tried attacking Freight Train with a knife. Apparently Freight Train was holding Kendall behind him, trying to keep him safe, when the other guy body-slammed him and he kind of fell back over Kendall. The police got there just as Freight Train went down and stopped the guy from really hurting them," Kelly told them.

"Then why are they here?" Logan asked.

"Freight Train twisted his leg pretty badly and he landed partly on Kendall, trapping his arm between Freight Train and the concrete bumper. So they're x-raying Freight Train's leg and putting a few stitches into Kendall's arm," she said.

"Freight Train landed on Kendall and he only needs a few stitches?" James asked, trying to picture his slender friend landing under the large man.

"And probably quite a few bruises," Kelly said.

"Wait, you KNEW this? Why didn't you tell us this before?" Logan asked.

"We were scared to death," Carlos said.

Kelly smiled softly. "Because now you know exactly what you could have lost."

The boys looked at one another. "I hate lessons like this!" James said.

"Yeah Kelly, we were really scared," Carlos pouted.

"Well then maybe next time you'll THINK before you speak so we won't have to do this again," she told them.

"That sounds fair enough," Logan agreed.

Kendall still wasn't sure exactly what had happened. He had seen the big guy get up and run at them holding a knife and then Freight Train had become a human shield. When Freight Train had fallen, Kendall landed in-between the concrete bumper and the curb, Freight Train over him. His right arm had become pinned under the large man. He had felt the phone shatter and could feel pieces of it cutting into his skin. He couldn't move because of his arm and for a minute he was worried he would suffocate, but then he heard voices, and Freight Train was pulled off of him.

A policeman had tried to make him stay where he was but seeing Freight Train lying prone had freaked him out and he fought to get to his friend. "Please be okay!" he chanted as he pulled himself over to his protector.

He only calmed down when he heard Freight Train chuckle. "I'm okay," he said, trying to comfort the boy. "Just twisted my ankle a bit is all."

"He didn't stab you?"

"With that tiny little thing? Nah, it probably couldn't have cut through my suit," Freight Train laughed.

Kendall arched an eyebrow and looked at him. From what he had seen the knife blade was at least six inches long. "You're sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine. A little ice and I'll be back to work in no time," Freight Train reassured him.

It had taken four EMT's to get Freight Train onto the stretcher and into the ambulance, Kendall had ridden in one of the police cars after his arm had been bandaged.

A police officer had accompanied him into the E.R. and loaned him his phone so he could call Antonio, for the third time, to let him know that he was alright. After reassuring Antonio that both he and Freight Train were safe, the officer had taken his statement. The officer gave Kelly a call to let her know what had happened and then left his number with Kendall in case he needed anything.

After a few minutes, the doctor had come in, pulled the pieces of the broken phone out of his hand and arm, sutured where the cuts were deep, and cleaned up the abrasions on his face. Now he was just waiting to hear if Freight Train's leg was broken or not. He laid back on the bed feeling completely exhausted, but his mind wouldn't allow him to rest. He felt an immense amount of guilt for Freight Train's injuries and had no idea how he was going to make it up to him. "I'm so stupid," he told himself.

"You're not stupid," a voice came from the doorway.

Kendall looked over and saw Gustavo standing there and felt himself tense up. He was really in no condition to get into it with Gustavo again. "Right," he said as he rolled over on his side, facing the other way.

Gustavo went in and closed the door behind him. He walked over to the bed and stood there a moment before clearing his throat. "Look, I'm not very good with words sometimes. I mean, I can put them into a song and have them make sense, but not so much when I'm trying to actually communicate with someone," he said.

When he received no response he continued, "Kendall, I know you're just a kid and I guess sometimes I forget that. It's possible that I put too much pressure on you to get things done because I KNOW you can do it The fact is, you're very good at taking care of everyone and making sure that the other boys stay on track and...I-I appreciate that. I guess getting the gig at The Roxy got me worked up, but it's only because I want you boys to do well because you're THAT good."

Kendall didn't look at him. "Then why do you keep saying that we're terrible?"

Gustavo felt his cheeks heat up and sighed, "Because I want you to keep working hard and if I tell you that you're amazing, then you'll start to slack off."

"Haven't you ever heard of positive reinforcement?" Kendall asked.

"Yes...I've just never been very good at it," Gustavo admitted.

"Don't you think we want to succeed? We gave up a lot to be here, we left our families, our homes, our friends. Do you really think we would have done that if we didn't want to make it? We might goof off sometimes, but that's just who we are. It doesn't mean that we don't care," Kendall told him.

"I know, I know. I'm making some changes and hopefully, that will help," Gustavo said.

"Like what?" Kendall asked suspiciously.

"Like if you boys really need a break, I'll listen and give you one. I'm also adding a few things at the studio for when you boys need some downtime and I'm reserving the ice rink once a week for three hours. You boys will have it all to yourselves," Gustavo said quietly.

"You're what!?" Kendall asked sitting up and looking at his boss.

"You heard me. There's no reason why you should give up everything to be here. I know how much hockey means to you...and what you gave up to come back here after Griffin tried to end the band. It's also a way for me to say...I'msorryforeverythingandI'lltryanddobetter," Gustavo rushed out.

Kendall looked at Gustavo, still not certain he had heard right and smiled. "That means a lot Gustavo, thank you."

"You're welcome. But, if you EVER run off like that and get yourself hurt again..." Gustavo yelled, his voice breaking.

"I won't, I promise," Kendall said.

Gustavo reached over and suddenly pulled the teen into a hug. He released him just as quickly. "If you ever tell anyone I hugged you, I will kill you myself!"

Kendall smirked and held up his hands. "Not a word! It's not like anyone would believe me anyway."

"Good! Now Kelly's going to be staying with you dogs tonight and Carlos' parents will be here in the morning and staying until your mom gets back. That way some of the pressure will be taken off of you all. I'm giving you two days off and then I want you back in the studio and ready to rehearse your butts off. Any questions?"

"None." Kendall smiled.

"Alright, now Freight Train will be staying at the mansion with me until his leg heals. They said it's just a nasty sprain, but because of his size he's in a wheelchair until he gets the doctor's okay to be up." Gustavo told him.

"Thank God," Kendall sighed in relief.

"Now if you're ready to go home, the doctor said you're free to go," Gustavo said.

"How are the guys?" he asked quietly.

"They're fine now that they know you and Freight Train are alright. I told them to wait in the van while I came and got you."

"I feel bad, I really didn't mean to worry anyone. I just needed to try and clear my head," Kendall said as he stood up.

"Yeah, well maybe that's exactly what everyone needed," Gustavo said as he opened the door.

They stopped at the nurse's station and Gustavo signed the paperwork and they picked up the prescriptions for antibiotics and pain killers for Kendall and Freight Train. They walked out to where Kelly had pulled the van around and Gustavo handed her Kendall's prescriptions, "Get these filled and make sure he takes them tonight."

She smiled and nodded, "I found a private nurse and she'll meet you and Freight Train at the mansion. I'll be back as soon as I drop the boys off to switch cars with you because there's no way Freight Train will fit in yours."

Gustavo nodded and opened the door for Kendall. "Get some rest and do what Kelly tells you, understand?"

Kendall nodded as he climbed into the front seat, "Thanks Gustavo," he said quietly.

Gustavo closed the door, "Yeah, yeah. If you need anything, just tell Kelly."

Kelly smiled over at him. "I'll be back soon."

Gustavo nodded and gave her a wave as she pulled away.

They rode back to the Palmwoods in silence, Kendall was leaning his head against the window and nearly asleep by the time they got home. Kelly parked in front of the building and turned to look back at the other boys, "Okay, I'm going to go switch cars with Gustavo, pick up Kendall's prescriptions, and stop and grab an overnight bag. You boys are to go straight to the apartment and STAY there. No pool, no lobby, no hanging with friends tonight."

They nodded and Carlos gently shook Kendall's shoulder, "Come on buddy, we're home."

Kendall groaned as James opened his door. "Come on," he said as he took Kendall's arm.

"I should be back within the hour, make sure you lock the door," Kelly instructed.

"We will," Logan promised.

The boys got to 2J and went inside, Logan double checked to make sure the door was locked. He knew that two of the guys had gotten away and they didn't know if they knew who Kendall was or not. It was well known that BTR lived at the Palmwoods and he didn't want to take any chances.

"I'm going up to bed," Kendall said quietly as he headed for the stairs.

"But you haven't had dinner yet and none of us have eaten since this morning," Carlos said

"You guys go ahead, I'm not really hungry Carlos."

"But I got your favourites and we were going to have a guys' night, we got movies and snacks and... I know you're tired so I should shut up now," he said looking down.

Kendall looked around and saw the movies on the stand, snack bowls that had been filled, and the table was partially set. "When did you do this? I thought you guys were mad at me?"

"It was Carlos' idea. We all felt pretty bad and he suggested getting dinner and then just chilling tonight," Logan told him.

"I left you a message," Carlos said.

"I'm sorry Carlos, that guy broke my phone before I had a chance to listen to it," Kendall said.

"It's okay, I know you're tired. Maybe we can do it tomorrow?"

Kendall smiled at him. "No, I'm going to go jump in the shower and clean up. I am kinda hungry and a movie or two won't hurt."

Carlos grinned. "Okay, I'll warm up dinner..."

"NO!" Logan and James said.

"...Logan will warm up dinner while I finish getting things ready. There's more than enough for Kelly when she gets here too!" Carlos finished, without skipping a beat.

Kendall nodded. "It's a plan."

Carlos smiled again and then hugged Kendall tightly, "I'm really sorry for what I said, I didn't mean it. You're my little brother and I don't want to ever make you run away from me again."

Kendall hugged him back," I wasn't running away from you, I just needed to get away from that place for a while. I didn't mean to scare you guys."

"We're really sorry too, we need to all promise that if we start feeling tired, stressed out, or angry that we talk about it. Not fight or ignore the problem, " Logan said.

"Agreed," Kendall said, giving him a smile.

"Agreed, " James and Carlos said.

"Okay, go get cleaned up and we'll get things ready," James instructed.

Kendall nodded and headed upstairs. He went to the room he shared with Logan and grabbed some pajamas and went into the bathroom. He was starting to take his shirt off when there was a knock at the door and he opened it to find James standing there with a plastic bag.

"Hey, Logan said to put this around your arm so that you don't get the stitches wet."

Kendall smiled and took it. "Thanks, James."

James stood there for a moment and then took a deep breath. "Look, about that crack I made about you thinking you're perfect...I didn't mean it. I know you don't think that."

"I know, it's okay."

"No, it's really not. It was mean and it wasn't true. You may be a perfectionist, but that's one of the things I admire about you."

"James..."

"Just, let me finish, okay?"

Kendall nodded and sat down on the edge of the tub.

James sat next to him. "Ever since I can remember you've worked hard and succeeded at whatever you did. Maybe not schoolwork so much, but taking care of Katie and your mom, your job back home, looking out for us guys, hockey, and now the band. You make it look so easy and even though I know it's not, I guess I get jealous of that sometimes."

"James, I couldn't do any of this without you guys, I wouldn't want to. You're the reason I gave this whole singing thing a shot and I love it," Kendall told him.

James looked at him, "Katie told us about Zack, and Kelly told me about the scout that you turned down when Griffin sent us home."

Kendall looked down. "Oh."

"It should have been you," James said.

Kendall smiled a little and then shook his head. "Maybe someday."

"Kendall, they only give out seven of those scholarships a year."

"Then there's always next year," Kendall said, getting up.

James stood up too. "Hockey is your dream, you should have gone for it."

"James, dreams change. I love being here with you guys. I love singing, the fans, performing, and now I'm learning how to write music. Sometimes you have to give up a dream to find the one you were meant to follow."

"I just don't want you hating me because you missed your chance. This isn't like Logan going to medical school, he can do that at any age. You're kind of limited on time for hockey, most professional players retire in their thirties, and while that might seem like it's a long time off, it really isn't," James said quietly.

"I could never hate you and this was MY choice. I could have stayed home and taken a chance with that scout, but that's not where I was meant to be," Kendall told him.

"Are you sure?"

Kendall smiled again. "I am."

"Okay, but if you ever change your mind..."

"I'll let you know," Kendall promised.

James nodded. "Okay."

"Are we good?" Kendall asked.

"We're great," James smiled.

James went back downstairs to help with dinner while Kendall showered. He went down about twenty minutes later to find dinner just being put on the table. He sat down in his usual spot and Carlos set a plate in front of him.

"Thanks, Carlos," he said looking at the spaghetti. He hadn't realized how hungry he was until he smelled the food.

"You're welcome," Carlos said, taking the seat next to him.

They were nearly finished eating when there was a knock at the door and James got up to answer it. "Hey Kelly," he said as he let her in and locked the door.

"Hey," she said as she dropped her bag by the door. She walked over to the table and set two bottles on it next to Kendall. "Antibiotics and Tylenol 3, take an antibiotic now and a pain pill before bed."

"Thanks, Kelly. How's Freight Train doing?" Kendall asked.

"He's doing great. He's settled in at the mansion with a private nurse and a very grateful Gustavo."

"Good," Kendall said quietly.

"He said to tell you to stop blaming yourself. It's his job to protect you and he's had worse wrestling around with his sisters."

"Freight Train has sisters?" Carlos and Logan asked at the same time.

She nodded. "Four, he's the baby."

The boys sat there for a moment trying to imagine what Freight Train's sisters could possibly look like and then shook their heads to clear the sudden images that came to mind.

Kelly pulled out her phone and pulled up the photo library. "Here," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Wow! Those are Freight Train's sisters!" James asked looking at the photo. Freight Train was sitting with four beautiful women surrounding him.

"Yes, one's a pediatrician, one's a broker, one's in security like Freight Train, and one's a model," she told them.

"Which one's the model?" James asked.

"I'm not telling you that because, for one, you're too young. Two, do you really want Freight Train thinking about you dating his sister?"

James thought for a moment and then shook his head. "No, not really."

"Good choice," she smiled.

"Dinner?" Logan asked setting a plate on the table.

"Please." She smiled.

"What time are my mom and dad coming in?" Carlos asked.

"Their flight arrives at nine, so I'll leave here about eight to go pick them up," Kelly said.

"It'll be nice to see them again. I guess we should have taken them up on their offer in the first place," Logan said.

"It might have made things easier, but they'll be here until Mrs. Knight comes back," Kelly told him.

"With two days off we can show them around a little too," Carlos smiled.

"Yes, you can. We'll go pick up the van so they can have that to drive while they're here."

"Thanks for everything Kelly," Kendall said.

"Anytime sweetie," she said squeezing his hand. "You boys are doing alright?"

"Yeah, we're doing fine," Kendall smiled.

A short while later the boys had cleaned up the dinner dishes and settled in to watch a movie. After watching the Harry Potter movie, Carlos put in "The Wolfman" and Kelly excused herself and headed off to bed. She got up to check on them a few hours later and found the four of them sound asleep in the living room. Carlos had fallen asleep hanging upside down on the couch, his head was resting on Kendall's shoulder. Kendall was sitting on the floor with his head resting against the couch cushions. James was stretched out on the couch, his head next to Kendall's, and Logan was lying on the other side of Carlos, his legs hanging over the side and his head on Carlos' stomach.

She went to wake them but then decided against it. She grabbed her phone and snapped a couple of pictures before grabbing some blankets and covering them all. She went back to bed but before going back to sleep she sent the pictures to the boys' parents. She smiled as she typed a quick text to Gustavo, "Your boys are all doing fine, now get some rest." She sent it along with the photo and then turned out the light. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.