The final chapter! Hope you people like it! Oh, and the song that is sung in this chapter, if you want to hear just go to YouTube and type in 'Anything goes'. There are tons of different versions with different tempos and everything, but you'll get the idea :)

"Come on, Kendall!" James repeated, tugging the blonde along by the hand.

"Where are we going?" Kendall asked with a laugh as he finally caught up with the brunette.

"You'll realise soon enough!" James replied with a grin, slowing down to a walk at last.

It was a warm midsummer's day, though the sun was currently hidden away by some murky grey clouds. James had taken Kendall out for a 'romantic walk' as he put it, and the two had gone all around the village and some of the quiet country lanes, fingers intertwined. They'd been out for a good two hours and Kendall was enjoying himself, though his legs were getting a little tired. But James had insisted on ending their walk in a certain spot, which they were on their way to right now.

"We're almost there," James smiled as they walked down a very familiar lane.

Kendall looked around, a smile appearing on his face. "Ok, I think I know where we're going now."

They stopped on the corner of the lane, James turning to smile down at him. "Well?"

Kendall giggled, leaning up to press his lips to James's. "This is sweet. A lot of thought put into a simple walk, mind. But very sweet."

James grinned, taking both of Kendall's hands in his. "Well, I really wanted to come here with you anyway. I figured it was the right place to talk you about something."

"Oh." Kendall frowned in confusion. "What is it?" It was just as the words left his mouth that he felt a large drop of rain land on his nose. He looked up, distracted.

James was looking up too. "It's probably only a drop or two. Anyway—"

It was just as he said it that the rain got heavier, and by heavier I mean it fell almost by the bucketful, drenching them both in seconds.

"Dammit!" James cursed as the rain poured down on top of them. "Quick, over here!"

He quickly led Kendall off the path and into the bushes,tugging him to sit down under the trees. The thick canopy of leaves above them kept most of the rain off. Kendall laughed as he looked up, listening to the patter of the raindrops. "I love the rain."

"Hmm, I could do without it in a moment like this," James murmured, smiling when Kendall cuddled up to his side.

"What do you mean?"

"Because. I was going to do it all romantically, you know, in the place we first met, not off the road in a bush when we're crouching down, avoiding the rain . . ."

"Do what, James?" Kendall asked, eyes widening. Surely this wasn't what he thought it was . . .

James smiled a little shyly at him, fumbling around with Kendall's hands in his until he was on his knees, before getting up on one knee and reaching into his jacket pocket. "Kendall Donald Knight . . ."

Kendall could barley breathe.

"I've loved you for a long time now. These past four years have just flown by, and I know I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I never want to give you up, ever. You're my whole life, Ken, and you have been ever since that day you crashed into me on this lane with no shoes—"

Kendall gave a breathless laugh, tears in his eyes.

"Will you marry me, Kendall?"

"Yes, yes!" Kendall shrieked, leaping straight on top of James. "Of course I will!"

He pulled James in for a kiss, arms wrapped around his neck. "I love you," he murmured when he pulled back, giggling when James kissed him on the forehead.

"I love you too," James replied, grinning at Kendall. He couldn't be happier right now as he held up the ring and slid it onto Kendall's finger, pressing his lips to Kendall's hand. He looked up, suddenly noticing the rain had stopped. "Must've just been a quick shower. Come on, let's get out of here before it starts again."

They walked back out to the lane, hand in hand. They suddenly spotted someone familiar walking around the bend and ran over. "Jett!"

Jett looked up, smiling in greeting. "Hello. You two seem happy today. And wet."

"We're engaged!" Kendall squealed, sticking his hand out. "Look!"

"Oh, wow! Congratulations!" Jett said, smiling at them. They both gave him a hug, neither of them noticing that his smile was a little forced.

"So, what are you going to do now?" Jett asked, hoping they wouldn't say what he thought they would.

James chuckled, wrapping an arm around Kendall's shoulders. "I suppose we could go tell my parents."

"Yes, let's do that," Kendall agreed, leaning into James with a grin. "I'm sure they'll be delighted to hear the news!"

They both said goodbye to Jett and turned to go. "And after that, my sweet fiancé," James smirked as they walked away. "It'll be just you and me."

"I like the sound of that," Kendall giggled, leaning up and kissing James on the cheek.

Neither of them knew Jett heard every word and as walking the other way, trying to hold the tears in.

That was the end of that, then.

They got that telegram a week ago. Kendall was losing himself in his work, trying to heal while coming back exhausted every evening. He was trying not to show that he hurt. That everything reminded him of James, and everything broke his heart a little more. He just couldn't let it sink in. James was dead. Gone. He was never coming back. Kendall would never feel his arms around him again, never feel James kissing him again, never see his smile again, never hear his laugh again . . .

The children weren't sure what to do, but what they settled for was helping Kendall any time they could. Even little Katie took up a job of feeding the hens every morning.

Some evenings Kendall would sit by the fire, looking at the photos of him and James together, other nights he would tell the children stories about him. He just couldn't bear to let him go.

"I never told you about our wedding, did I?" Kendall asked with a soft smile, one evening that they sat there together.

"No," Jennifer replied quietly. Despite how broken his heart was, they all noticed how happy he looked when he talked about James, even for a second. So they wanted him to talk.

"Well, it was in the spring. April 16th, and we had a small ceremony in the village church. It was a lovely day, really warm. I'd never seen James look so handsome, or so happy . . ." Kendall took a deep breath before continuing. "It was the happiest day of my life. I couldn't even believe it was really happening until I was up there at the Altar with him and we were saying our vows. Afterwards we all walked back to James's family home, where all our friends and family had dinner together. All of our closest friends were there. Of course, my family didn't show up. I didn't even invite them because I knew they wouldn't come either way. I didn't need them there. We all danced together for most of the night, and most people didn't leave until the early hours of the morning. We were exhausted by the end of it, but it was amazing."

He looked up at the clock. "Oh, it's bedtime for four of you. I don't know where the time went." He smiled. "You should have told me, you little rascals. Go on, bedtime!"

"Goodnight, Kendall!" the four younger children chorused, running up the stairs.

"Don't forget to brush your teeth!" Kendall called after them. As soon as they were out of earshot he slumped back on the couch, bringing a hand up to his forehead. "Oh God . . .

"Are you alright, Kendall?" Dak asked worriedly.

"I need to stop talking about the past. It's not doing me any good. But it's nice to remember . . ." Kendall sighed, bringing his hand down and sitting up straighter. "I shouldn't be dumping my problems on you, sweetie. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry," Dak said quickly. "There's nothing wrong with it anyway. I'm the oldest. Better me than Katie or Tyler."

'I suppose so." Kendall bit his lip, shutting his eyes. After a second he opened them again and added, "I should just accept it, that he's not coming back and there's no use hoping he will. No point in dwelling on the past so I can pretend he's still here . . ."

"He is still here." Dak rested a hand on Kendall's shoulder, because the blonde looked close to tears and it bothered him. "You still love him, so he's still here. That's what my dad always told me when my mother died."

A knock on the door startled them both. They looked up and Kendall went to answer it. It was Jett.

"Hi, Jett," Kendall greeted with a tired smile, inviting him in. He turned to the boy sitting by the fire. "Off to bed, Dak. Try not to wake the others, ok?"

"Ok." Dak stood up and headed towards the stairs. "Goodnight Kendall, Jett."

"Goodnight, Dak," Kendall called softly, before taking Jett's arm and guiding him over to the couch, sitting down.

"How are you, Kendall?" Jett asked, watching the blonde carefully.

"I'm alright," Kendall replied, giving a small smile. "Well, obviously I'm not . . . but I'm better than I was a week ago."

"Well, good. It's important to make progress."

Kendall nodded with a sigh, leaning and resting his head on Jett's shoulder shutting his eyes, to Jett's delight. "I know. I guess time does heal. But obviously, not fully."

"Well, that's to be expected," Jett reassured him. "Nobody expects you to forget him."

Kendall sat up again, reaching over to toss another lump of turf into the fire. "Well, good. Nobody should expect that, of anyone like me."

There was silence for a moment or two as they sat side by side.

"Want me to turn on the radio, or something?" Jett offered.

"Yeah, that'd be nice."

Jett stood up and turned the radio on, before sitting down next to Kendall and listening to the music playing. Kendall was smiling softly, obviously enjoying this. Jett heard a new song begin and knew it was one of Kendall's favourites.

"Come on," Jett smiled, pulling Kendall to his feet and resting his left hand on his waist, while taking Kendall's left hand in his right and spinning them around gently. Kendall gave a little laugh, moving his free hand up to Jett's shoulder as they waltzed back and forth.

Chuckling, Jett began to sing along to the song playing on the radio. "Good authors too who once knew better words now only use four letter words, writing pros! Anything goes . . ."

Kendall giggled and decided to sing too. " The world has gone mad today and good's bad today, and black's white today and day's night today . . ."

"When most guys today that women prize today are just silly gigolos!" Jett sang, spinning Kendall around extravagantly before dipping him low, hand moving to the small of his back, and when they straightened up it stayed there, Kendall either not noticing or not caring.

Kendall giggled delightedly as Jett spun him around again. "And though I'm not a great romancer, I know that I'm bound to answer when you propose . . . anything goes . . ." His singing died out as he sighed happily, still dancing slowly around the living room with Jett, listening to the music playing.

Jett pulled Kendall a little closer, humming softly in his ear. They were slowing down, but it was barely noticeable until they were just swaying back and forth, hardly moving at all. "You're a good dancer," Jett commented with a gentle smile.

"Thanks. So are you."

Jett grinned, maybe pulling Kendall just a little bit closer. But he didn't seem to mind. Then he looked up at Jett, eyes large and searching. Jett looked back. Waiting. Then he suddenly felt Kendall's hand slowly drift from his shoulder to the back of his neck. Jett barely dared to blink as he tightened the grip of his own hand, letting go of Kendall's other hand and moving his up to trace the shape of Kendall's cheekbone with the tips of his fingers.

They were both drifting closer, barely noticeable at first. And Jett could feel Kendall's shaky breath against his lips, so close . . .

"Jett, I'm sorry," Kendall stuttered, pulling away from him quickly, stepping back. "I-I know you're trying to help me, to move on. But I can't, not yet. I still love James, and I don't know if I can ever—

"It's alright, Kendall," Jett said quickly. "Honestly, I wasn't even trying . . . I just wanted to cheer you up. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable." He stepped closer to Kendall, gently reaching out and tilting his chin up so Kendall looked him in the eyes. "You shouldn't feel that you have to move on. Not until you're ready."

"I don't know if I'll ever be," Kendall whispered, tears in his eyes. "I love him so much."

"I know you do," Jett replied softly.

At that, Kendall started to cry, finding himself wrapped up in Jett's arms immediately as he sobbed into his shirt. Jett just held him close, wishing his pain would go away, that he would be happier.

Well, that was what Jett was there for.

He'd perk Kendall up eventually.

Three more weeks past, of Kendall working ridiculously hard all over the farm and with the children, pushing his feelings aside and not letting no one know what he was thinking at any moment.

Then Kendall woke up one morning with Carlos, Logan and Jett hovering over him. He squeaked in surprise, pulling the covers up instinctively, though he had no reason to. "What are you three doing here?"

"Get dressed, come downstairs and we'll tell you," Carlos replied with a smile.

The three left the room. Kendall sighed and got out of bed, reluctantly deciding he might as well do what they said.

He arrived in the kitchen a few minutes later dressed in a baggy shirt and pants. Instantly Carlos leaped up and ran upstairs, to Kendall's confusion.

"What's he—"

"Have some breakfast, Kendall," Logan said firmly, pushing him into a seat at the kitchen table as Jett put down a plate with scrambled eggs and toast on it.

The children were all sitting around, watching him (pretty much guarding him) as he ate. He still had no idea what was going on, and as soon as he was finished and had gulped down the tea Logan gave him, he asked again. "So what's going on?"

Carlos appeared again, holding a bag and handed it to Kendall. "Some clothes and other necessities to last a few days."

"Huh?"

"Here's what's going to happen, Kendall," Logan said firmly, pushing Kendall towards the door and handing him his coat. "You're going to leave this farm and go stay with Jett for a few days. We'll stay here and look after the children. It'll be good for you to get away from here for a little bit."

"But I have to look after the farm and everything," Kendall protested.

"We'll take care of everything, Kendall. You need a break, and you're going to get one."

"He's right, Kendall," Carlos said firmly, Jett nodding in agreement. "A change of scenery will do you the world of good."

"Fine," Kendall sighed. "But please look after everything!"

"We will!" Carlos and Logan called right before the door slammed shut and Jett was leading Kendall down the yard towards the path to the village, an arm looped through his.

"Do you really think I should stay away from the farm?" Kendall asked Jett.

"Well, it was Logan's idea. But I agree with him. You could do with a bit of change. Not just of scenery, you've been working so hard. A little relaxation could do you good. I'll be gone morning and afternoon, so you'll have the house to yourself. You can sleep in, read, do whatever you like. It's only a few days, they're going to let you back on Saturday if you want to."

"Ok. I guess this could be nice." Kendall smiled. "It'll be nice not to get up at dawn for once."

Kendall did sleep in when he stayed at Jett's. When he woke up and left his guest bedroom, Jett was always gone to work. Kendall just stayed in the house, reading mostly. Jett had a lot of books, so there was no shortage of them. He would eat breakfast and lunch alone, but made it his business to cook up a dinner Jett loved and have it ready for when he came home from working on the local breeding farm. Then they would eat together in Jett's cosy kitchen, chatting amd laughing before settling down in Jett's living room with a glass of wine. It was fun, it was carefree. And it did make Kendall feel much better. It felt good to take a break.

"This is delicious," Jett complimented on the third night as he tucked into his meat pie and vegetables. "Damn, those children are lucky having you cook for them."

Kendall laughed, Jett noticing the blush colouring his cheeks as he replied, "Thanks. I'm glad you like it."

"I'll miss your food when you go home, that's for sure."

"I'll miss your books. You have so many of them, they're all wonderful." Kendall only had a few battered old books at home. It wasn't because he or James didn't enjoy reading. But they often didn't have the free time and if they did, they were busy with something else.

"Have you looked at 'Call of the Wild' yet?" Jett asked. "It's one of my favourites."

"'Call of the Wild'? Is that the one about the dog?" Kendall asked.

Jett nodded.

Kendall smiled. "I like dogs."

"I know you do, that's why I suggested it," Jett grinned. "After dinner I'll show it to you. It's a good book."

They finished eating and washed up together, before moving into the living room. Kendall sat down while Jett searched the bookshelves for the right book. "Aha! Got it." He sat down. "Ok, 'Call of the Wild', by Jack London." Then suddenly he didn't know what to do.

Kendall chuckled, turning to face Jett. "Go on, read it to me. It's one of your favourites, after all."

Jett laughed back, opening the book on the introduction. "Alright. So we begin." He took on deep, dramatic voice as he began to read. "Buck was Judge Wheeler's favourite pet dog. He had just been fed and was lying at his master's feet, in front of a blazing fire. How was Buck to know that his easy life in California was about to come to a sudden and violent end?"

"Ooh, how gripping," Kendall teased, even though he knew Jett knew he was interested.

Jett rolled his eyes, handing Kendall the book. "Here, read a bit."

Kendall took it and started to read, biting his lip in concentration. Jett watched him with a smile on his face. Kendall read a few pages of the book in silence, finishing off chapter 1 before shutting the book. "It's good. I like it."

"You can borrow it if you want," Jett said softly. "When you go home."

"Thank you. I think I might."

Kendall turned to look at Jett, giving a small smile. Jett smiled back without hesitation. But then Kendall's smile fell a little as he stared at Jett with wide green eyes. Jett's blue eyes stared back at him, blurring a little as their heads came closer. They watched each other for one more second before their eyes shut and their lips grazed together lightly. Which simply turned to them moving together and kissing again. Jett tilted his head and deepened the kiss, resting a gentle hand on Kendall's cheek.

Kendall kissed Jett harder, bringing a hand up around his neck. In response Jett took hold of him in his arms, lifting him up out of the chair and carrying him like a bride out of the room and up the stairs. Not once did they break the kiss until Kendall was placed on Jett's bed, Jett moving to press soft kisses against the blonde's neck.

"Mmm, Jett," Kendall moaned softly, lying down and pulling Jett down with him by the collar of his shirt. Before he knew it he was pulling the older man's shirt off completely, kissing him again as he felt himself being wrapped up in strong arms. Something he'd missed so much.

They found themselves lost in a long night of passion, their clothes strewn across the room as they held each other close and made love for two hours straight. But there was never a moment when Kendall didn't think of James as he lay in bed with this other man.

Not even one.

Kendall woke up in Jett's arms, the other man spooning him. A gentle arm around his waist, a strong chest pressed up against his back, soft breathing fluttering the hair on the back of his head. He sighed, almost able to pretend it was James holding him. But it wasn't.

He shut his eyes again, his mind involuntarily taking him back to last night. He could still feel his body tingling everywhere Jett had touched him with his gentle hands. Hands that were worn and rough from outdoor work, but still so soft when they held him. Truthfully, he didn't know what had come over him. But there was no going back and changing it now.

He suddenly felt Jett's arms moving and looked over is shoulder to see the man stirring, opening his eyes slowly. Kendall smiled at him as their eyes locked. "Morning."

"Morning," Jett smiled, leaning forward and pressing a soft kiss to his lips. "Sleep well?"

"Better than I have in weeks," Kendall replied honestly.

"Well, glad to hear it."

Kendall rolled over so he was facing Jett, snuggling into his broad chest. "Do you have to go to work soon?"

Jett shook his head. "Not today. Boss told me I wouldn't be needed so there was no point in showing up."

"Oh." Kendall smiled sweetly. "Well, good." He paused. "You know what this reminds me of?"

"What?"

Kendall chuckled at the memory. "That camping trip the five of us went on last March, remember? The second tent got trashed off a branch and we all had to squish up in the one tent for the night."

"Hey, it worked out in the end though!" Jett laughed. "We all kept each other warm." He stopped. "I think I have pictures of that trip."

"You do?" Kendall looked up. "Where?"

"I have a photo album downstairs," Jett said with a smile. "All the photos of when we first met, you know? The five of us out in the fields, or those times we went out of town to visit London."

"Really?" Kendall sat up. "Can we look? I'll go down and get it."

"No, I can—"

"I insist," Kendall replied with a wink, getting up out of bed and searching the surrounding area for his clothes. He reached for the white shirt lying by the bed and pulled it on, covering himself up to his mid thigh and buttoning it shut.

"That's my shirt, Ken," Jett chuckled.

"Oh!" Kendall turned around, blushing. "Sorry, I didn't realise."

"It's fine, wear it. The book is in the desk down in the living room," Jett said, smiling and sitting up.

"Ok, I'll go get it." Kendall walked around the bed and towards the door.

"Hold on," Jett called, beckoning him over. Kendall walked over and knelt down on the bed, and Jett wrapped an arm around him, pulling him in for a slow kiss before letting him go again. "I'll be waiting."

Kendall smiled at him, before turning and leaving the room, walking downstairs. He walked into the living room and straight to the desk in the corner. It was a desk that closed up completely and opened out to make the desk itself. He and James had a similar one back home.

James . . . Kendall felt a stab of guilt but pushed it away. He didn't want to feel this until he was back in his house and could let all his feelings out if he wished.

Kendall opened up the desk, and as he did, an envelope fell out onto the floor. It was yellow. Kendall bent down to pick it up, and glanced at what was printed on it. He frowned in confusion when he saw that it was from the war office. Why was Jett getting a telegram from there? He had no reason to.

He knew he shouldn't, but his curiosity was too much for him. It was already torn open so he just carefully slid his hand in and took out the folded piece of paper. He quickly opened it up, reading through it quickly.

No, that didn't make any sense, that didn't make sense at all.

Kendall quickly glanced at the date of the telegram sent. Ok, that made even less sense! The date of this telegram was three days after he received his! How did the war office get that kind of information wrong?

How could they tell him James was dead, and then three days later tell Jett that he was missing?

Hold on. Kendall read it again and for the first time saw the name it was addressed to. Kendall Diamond. Not Jett Stetson. They'd sent it to him, but Jett had it. This was just getting weirder by the second.

"So Kendall, did you find—"

Kendall jumped out of his skin and turned to see Jett standing at the door, only wearing his trousers. The other man's eyes were wide when he saw him, and what he was holding.

"Jett, what is this?" Kendall asked quietly, walking over to him and holding it out.

"Kendall, I-I'm so sorry—" Jett looked close to tears.

"Jett, I'm not angry with you. Just . . . please explain this to me."

Jett shut his eyes, taking a deep breath. Then he opened them again. "James is missing," he whispered.

"Jett, I can see that," Kendall sighed. "What I want to know is why you didn't give this to me, and why I got another one before—"

"It was a fake!" Jett blurted out, running a hand through his hair. "I-I gave you a fake telegram and then I got that and I hid it and—"

"WHAT?" Kendall stared at Jett, unable to believe what he was hearing. "Why would you do that? Y-your best friend, and my husband! Why would you tell me that?"

"Because he's always been in my way, and I just couldn't help myself!" Jett wailed. "Alright?"

"What are you talking abou—" Then Kendall stopped, and looked up at Jett with wide eyes. He suddenly understood. "Oh. Um . . . Jett, I—"

"I know, you're flattered but you don't love me, I get it," Jett choked, looking so miserable it almost made Kendall cry. "And now you hate me too. I'm so sorry."

"Jett, I don't hate you. I'm not mad."

"Huh?" Jett stared at him in amazement. "You're not?"

"No. I mean, I know I would never do that, I just wouldn't be able to. But, I can understand why you did, and that's why I'm not angry. I know what it feels like to love somebody so much it kind of hurts a little."

"Well, I'm no stranger to that."

Kendall gave a small smile. Then it suddenly fell. "Wait. So, last night . . . you were taking advantage of me, of how upset I was?"

"No, no Kendall. I'd never . . . I wasn't expecting you to act like like this, at least, not so soon. But I would never take advantage of you, I promise! I shouldn't have done any of it, but you know that, Kendall."

Kendall stared up at Jett, tears in his eyes. "You're right. I moved on . . . so quickly, it's like I didn't care—"

"No, it wasn't like that at all, Kendall," Jett persuaded, resting a hand on his shoulder. "You were hurt, and you needed comforting. That was it, you know that. You love James. You really do." He gave a sad smile. "Every time someone mentions him I can see it in your eyes."

Kendall gave a little sigh, his eyes drifting shut for a moment or two. "So . . . James is missing? Not dead? You . . . you haven't hidden his letters, or anything?"

"N-no, of course not!" Jett replied quickly. "And, yes, that's what the war office says. But you need to understand, that might not mean he's alive. It just means that he's not dead for—"

Jett didn't get to finish, because Kendall grabbed him by the back of the neck and pulled him in, kissing him hard on the mouth. Jett sighed into the kiss, bringing his hands to gently hold Kendall's waist for a second or two. And then it was over, Kendall pulling away and stepping back. "Jett, I'm only going to say this once." He smiled up at him. "You're a wonderful man. Obviously, you've made a few rash decisions, but it doesn't matter. Any man or woman would be lucky to have you."

"That's a nice thing to say, but I don't know if—"

"Let me finish. I'm not the right person for you, Jett. Because if it was meant to happen, it would have. But you can move on from me, Jett. I know you can. You're one of my best friends, I know you." He paused. "And, if you don't want James, Carlos or Logan to know about this, then they won't know. We can say the office got their information wrong, or something."

"Thank you. I'd appreciate that."

"But, there's one other thing . . . I, I don't want them to know about us. About last night. Especially not James . . . it would break his heart. I couldn't stand that."

"Truthfully, I don't think I could either," Jett said softly. "You can go get your clothes, go back to the farm to see the children. They need you, and I think you could do with them around too."

"I'm going to miss them so much when they leave," Kendall sighed. Then he gave a small smile, before leaning up and kissing Jett on the cheek. "I'll see you later, Jett. Do you want to come over for dinner?"

And because he would never refuse, Jett smiled and nodded. "I'd love to. I'll see you at six?"

"Definitely." Kendall smiled one more time at him, before walking out of the room and going upstairs.

Jett sat down in an armchair, letting out a long, exhausted sigh. Wow. He genuinely didn't know whether to be happy or unhappy by now. He decided he could settle to be both. Happy that Kendall wasn't angry with him, happy because last night he finally had a chance to hold him the way James did. Unhappy because Kendall still loved James and always would. But the truth was that he really expected nothing less.

A few minutes later he heard footsteps on the stairs again, and Kendall walked into the room, fully dressed and holding his bag. "Bye, Jett."

"Bye, Kendall."

The front door slammed shut, and Jett spent what was probably the next hour in that armchair. Just thinking about everything.

Kendall quickly settled back into working on the farm, sending Carlos and Logan back to their home. The children were all eager to have him back and helped him any chance they got. He was back there for only a week and it was as if he never left.

Kendall lifted up the pail with a huff, pouring some more water into the trough. His family had set up the troughs for food and water under a little roof that some of the cattle could fit under in bad weather if there were only a few there. It meant the sun wouldn't dry up the water on hot days, but it also meant rain wouldn't fill it up. And that meant Kendall had to. He carried the empty pail down the field again, hopping over the fence and going back to the tap, turning it on again and getting ready to refill the pail.

"Hi, Kendall!"

Kendall looked up to see that the five children were coming out of the barn, walking over to sit on the fence near him. "Hi, children. What are you up to?"

"We just went to see the cows," Jennifer replied, beaming. "Gave them some hay. They're so cute!"

Kendall chuckled. "Yeah, they are . . ." When the war eventually ended, he was going to miss these children when they went home to London. "I'll be letting them out once the trough is full."

"Jett, Logan and Carlos are coming," Dak said. "We saw them earlier, they were coming up the lane."

"Ok. I'll see them when they get here." Kendall switched the tap off again and carried the heavy pail towards the gate, opening it and walking through before shutting it again. He was walking across the long grass when he caught some movement from the corner of his eye. He looked up.

Someone was walking over the hill, trudging through the grass. With brown hair, grown a little longer now, and tan skin. Dressed in a soldier's uniform, his left arm bandaged up in a sling. He stopped for a second on top of the hill. Looking at Kendall. Then he saw him smile and start walking again, faster this time.

Kendall felt the pail slip from his fingers, water splashing all over his shoes. But he didn't care anymore. He took off, sprinting across the grass towards him. He saw James pick up his pace and then he was running too—

And then they were touching, Kendall's arms thrown around his neck with James's free hand wrapped tightly around his waist like he would never let him go. Kendall felt tears sliding down his cheeks as he pulled James's face to his, kissing him tenderly. "Jamie," he choked out when he pulled back only a centimetre or two. "I'm so happy to see you . . ."

James just kissed him again to quieten him down. "I'm happy to see you too, love," he whispered when he pulled back. "I've missed you like crazy."

Kendall laughed, a choked up tearful laugh, and hugged James tightly, head tucked under his chin. "James, your arm . . ."

"It's not serious. It'll heal. But I was still discharged. If that's the right word, I don't even know. All I know is I got back here the fastest I could. I love you, Kendall."

"I love you too, James, so so much." Kendall kissed James again, taking his hands. "You look tired. You need to rest."

"Can I eat first?" James chuckled. "I haven't since last night. I was just travelling."

"Oh, Jamie." Kendall bit his lip, eyes filling with tears again. "Yes, of course."

"HI!"

James and Kendall looked over to see the five children sprinting towards them through the grass, eyes and smiles wide.

"Hey, it's you!" Jennifer exclaimed. "It's James!"

"Hi, James!" Katie squealed, waving eagerly up at him.

"Hi, sweetie," James greeted, waving back down at her. Katie blushed bright red. James turned to Kendall, "Why don't you introduce me? Or can I guess?" He looked at all of them in turn. "Let's see. You're Dak, and you're Tyler, you're Jennifer and Camille." Then he turned to the last child, "And you're Katie, am I right?"

Katie nodded, still blushing. "I think she's got crush on you," Kendall murmured in James's ear.

"Kendall, why are you crying?" Tyler asked, looking concerned. "Are you sad?"

"No, he's happy, silly!" Camille corrected him, ruffling his red hair. "Aren't you, Kendall?"

Kendall nodded, sniffling and drying his eyes. "Don't mind me, children. I'm the silly one, sobbing like a baby."

James wrapped his good arm around his shoulders, kissing his forehead. "Not at all, love. Come on, we'll all go down. What've I missed since I left?"

They all walked down the field and through the open gate, Kendall unable to let go of James and James unable to let go of Kendall. Then they spotted three familiar figures walking up the lane. "Logan, Carlos, Jett!" the kids squealed, running towards them. "James is back! Come and see!"

Instantly Logan, Carlos and Jett were sprinting over to them. Logan was the first to get there, throwing himself at James and hugging him tightly. "I'm so happy to see you!" Carlos said happily as he hugged him next. "We all are!"

Jett nodded. "This is such a surprise!"

"We're so happy you're here!" Logan gushed. "You wouldn't believe what happened! We got a telegram saying that you were dead, but the war office got the information wrong and only recently we got a delayed telegram that arrived only a few days after the original, saying you were missing!"

"We were all in such a state!" Carlos added. "We were so relieved when Kendall told us he received the second one."

James turned to look at Kendall with wide eyes. "Seriously?"

Kendall nodded. "Seriously. We were so worried about you." He leaned up and gave James another kiss. Then he pulled back, looking over at Jett and smiling. "Well James, aren't you going to hug your best friend? Haven't you missed him?"

"Of course I have," James replied with a smile as he and Jett stepped closer to each other. But in the second they stared at each other before they hugged, Kendall saw something in James's eyes and wondered if he knew. But then they hugged, and he assumed not.

"Thanks, for looking out for him," James murmured into Jett's shoulder. "Well, at least I hope you did."

"I always keep my promises."

James was too happy to take the time to look deeper into Jett's eyes and search for an explanation for that guilty expression. So he simply wrapped Kendall up in his arms again and kissed him on the forehead. "I love you so much."

"I love you more," Kendall replied, kissing him on the lips. "Well, now that you're back we can keep going. You're never leaving me again. I won't let you."

James smiled. "Well, you won't have to try hard. I'm never letting you go. Ever."

"Forever and always, Jamie," Kendall murmured happily, hugging him close.

Mushy ending for everyone! XD

You can't hate Kendall. This kind of thing happens all the time with women when their husbands die. A lot of them WOULD hook up with the best friend, like a subconscious way of being closer to them or something. I'm not sure what the actual reason is but that's fact so don't be mean to him! Be mean to Jett if you like, though. The book I referenced is just one I had at home, I don't have that many old books so I just picked that. Leave a review and tell me what you thought! :)