A/N: Here it is! The final chapter...the epilogue, if you will :) HUGE thanks to everyone who has followed and reviewed. I really appreciate each and every one.

Panic
Chapter 5: Freezing is Better

A while later, after a few hours of mindless video games in Kendall's basement den, the boys were finally starting to feel like everything was back to normal. Of course, it wasn't really: James' dad still wasn't coming home, and his mom was still slightly suicidal, but for the first time in months, James didn't feel like he had to take it alone.

Even now, as he sat between his best friends, yelling as Carlos stole the last life-pack, he couldn't figure out why he had been hiding anything in the first place. Looking back, he felt like he'd had duct tape over his mouth the whole time. When Carlos finally managed to assassinate them all, James decided to ask Logan.

"Hey, so, Logan," he started a little awkwardly, not really wanting to ruin the fun of the moment. When Logan looked at him with an encouraging smile, he suddenly knew it was okay. "So what happened to me earlier? I mean…why couldn't I breathe right?"

Logan's expression instantly became serious, and Kendall and Carlos forgot their game. "You had a panic attack, man," he watched James' expression carefully as his eyes went wide in recognition and nodded. "Have you ever felt like that before?"

Thinking on it, everything started to click in James' mind. "Yeah…a few times. It was never bad until yesterday though."

"During practice?" guessed Kendall.

James nodded. "Yeah, it was weird. I just totally spaced out…then banged into Marc."

Carlos jumped forward. "Wait, so that turd punched you for accidently banging into him?" it suddenly occurred to all the boys that they'd never really found out what happened on the ice.

James just nodded, but Logan knew there was still something left to be said on a medical level. "James, I've seen people deal with panic attacks before. Unfortunately, it's not always something that just goes away," he was trying to find the lightest way to put what he needed to say, but James beat him to it.

"You mean, I might keep getting them."

It was Logan's turn to nod, albeit sadly. "Most likely."

A heavy silence hovered between them for a minute, until an idea struck Logan. "But! You can control it…by letting us in. By talking to us when you feel stuff building up."

Sighing, James ran a hand through his hair. "But that's just the problem. When it gets bad…it's like…" finding words was more difficult than James thought it'd be. "It's like I literally can't speak."

The boys all shared an expression of deep thought at this. No matter how tired they might have been, they were going to solve this, tonight.

Seconds passed, then minutes. James was starting to feel uncomfortable with the deep silence, when Carlos suddenly jumped to his feet. "Ooh! You could give us a sign! Like, some way we would know something is up even when you can't say it!"

They all looked to Logan, searching for his approval as the 'doctor' of the four. "Actually, that could work. Something that you would only do when you felt an attack coming on, yeah. Good idea, Carlitos!"

"Okay, but what am I supposed to do when I feel like I can't do anything?" James argued lightly. Internally, he was beyond frustrated that he really couldn't control his own emotions, but a bigger part of him knew his friends didn't think any less of him for it. And besides, the reality of his life at that moment would probably have half the kids in school paralyzed.

Wait, James thought. Lightbulb.

"What if I freeze?"

The guys stared at him, confused. "Freeze?" asked Kendall.

"Yeah, like if I can't say anything, and I already can't breathe, what if I just…freeze?" abruptly, James halted his movements for a second to demonstrate.

"Well, it is noticeable. And not something you'd normally do," Logan started to nod. "Yeah, that could work."

Then Kendall smiled. "Then it's settled. James, next time you feel overwhelmed, just freeze, and we'll fix it."

Grinning, James nodded, though a little shyly. "You guys are the best."

"Na," returned Kendall. "We're just family."

Logan and Carlos beamed, too, each clapping James on a shoulder.

Kendall reached for his game controller and his grin twisted. "Now, let's quit the love fest and get back to murdering each other, shall we?"

Years later, Gustavo and Kelly were more than a little concerned when Kendall, Logan, and Carlos came running into the Studio carrying James between them. The tallest boy wasn't exactly unconscious, but frozen; eyes wide and face stuck in a look somewhere between faked excitement and panic. His body was rigid and fists clenched and his friends barreled into the Studio calling for Gustavo.

"Dogs! What is going on?!" Gustavo bellowed, hiding his worry with fake anger.

Kendall grinned sheepishly for a second before deciding it better to just tell their boss the truth. "Long story short, James' mom showed up and she wants to take James back to Minnesota, but he doesn't want to go, so he started having a panic attack and froze," he took a deep breath, ignoring the look on Kelly's face. "Don't worry, he's fine, we just need a loud noise to break him out of it."

"Wait," unlike Gustavo, Kelly had no problems showing exactly how worried she was. "Shouldn't we take him to a doctor or something?"

Logan shook his head while struggling a little to hold up his part of James' weight. "No, he'll be fine. This isn't the first time he's frozen."

Exchanging a look, Gustavo shrugged. "Well, okay then. Put him in the booth and I'll get somebody with a metal guitar."

While the boys shuffled into the sound booth, Kelly shook her head. "Logan said this has happened before."

In a rare show of affection, Gustavo touched a gentle hand to Kelly's arm. "Those boys care more for each other than anyone I've ever seen. If they say he'll be okay, then I believe them."

Breaking into a sad little smile as she watched Carlos give the frozen James a quick hug, Kelly shook her head. "Me too."

End.

A/N: Thanks again! I hope you enjoyed reading! Until next time,

~Strider