Disclaimer: It's important to state that I do not own Big Time Rush or these characters or the ideas behind them. That all belongs to Nickelodeon and Scott Fellows and the people associated with the television show. I write because it's fun and keeps me sane.

Author's Notes: I first wrote this story three years ago, during the summer of 2010. I'm actually going through and revamping it a little, not so much the story but the format and layout because I was new to FF and had a hard time making everything work well. I considered adding to the story itself, because I read it now and cringe a lot, but in the end I decided to just leave it as it is. A lot has changed in three years and I never could have imagined how much I would go through with and for these boys, how close I would actually get to them over time, and how deeply they would change and affect my life. Nothing is like Big Time Rush. I said it then, in the beginning, and it still holds true today. As the end looms nearer, I wanted to go back to the beginning and remember the magic, remember when it was new and exciting. It's still exciting. James, Kendall, Logan, and Carlos still make me smile every day and take up way more of my thoughts than is healthy, and I wouldn't change anything over the past three years. It's been an incredible ride.

This was my first Big Time Rush story. When I first started writing it, the original intent was to do something different and make it entirely dialogue. It was to be a series of snapshots in time of the boys' lives before Big Time Rush, from birth all the way through to what was then the present. Once I got into it, though, I realized that not only would purely dialogue be confusing, it would most likely get boring after a while. And the more I wrote, the better I got at writing (though I'm still nowhere near where I wish to be), and it evolved. So while this isn't anywhere the style I write in today, it's what I did back then and what started it all for me, and for that reason I'm keeping it the way it was.

Rededicating this to The Brat Prince, because if it wasn't for her encouraging me and giving me confidence and urging me to give myself a chance at writing, I wouldn't have ever written BTR in the first place. Her story "Here Be Dragons" was my first real experience with BTR slash, and she made me want to write it myself. She inspired me. And through long talks at night, she guided me to write this one and beta'ed the hell out of it and pushed me to be a better writer. I still don't think I even come close to her, but at least I now know it's something I love doing and that I want to do for the rest of my life. So thank you, Cassie, for getting me started on a hobby I plan to enjoy forever. And thank you for telling me my ideas were something others would also enjoy.

The reason this fic came about is because there was a lot of demand back then for pre-BTR fic. Minnesota fic. And so I created this backstory of the lives of Kendall, James, Logan, and Carlos, and tried to make it fit into canon. I had a lot more planned for the story, James was going to leave the band and go solo and then five years later he was going to show up in their lives again and none of that ever happened because my heart discovered Jagan and couldn't look back. I remember fighting to finish this story because all I wanted to write was Jagan, and it's funny that three years later my heart is rediscovering Kames and missing it. In truth, Jagan will always be my OTP. Nothing makes me happier than James and Logan together. But the inspiration for that has disappeared, we just don't see it so much anymore. So it's perfect I'm revisiting this story now.

Anyway. A promo for the new season is playing right now on my TV. It blows me away how much they've changed, how much I've changed, how much we've all grown in three years. But it all started here, with four boys who loved to play hockey and get into a bit of trouble, and one boy who had a dream. This is the story of that boy chasing his dream, and the three best friends who helped him get there and learned a lot about themselves, life, and love in the process. This is my story of how Big Time Rush came to be.

1993

"Are you scared?"

"Of course I'm scared!"

"You should be, because it hurts. A lot."

"You know, you're really not helping."

"Don't worry about it. You know exactly what's going to happen because you saw me go through it two months ago with Logan."

"I'm not sure that was a good idea. It made me want to run home and shove a coat hanger up into my stomach."

"Will you stop? You're being ridiculous. And that's not even funny, it's just gross."

"I can't help it. I'm about to have my cervix stretched wide enough to fit a minivan through there. Forgive me if I'm a little off my game."

"Hey, I'm impressed. I didn't think you knew any anatomical verbiage."

"I know what a cervix is. Just because I wasn't valedictorian and master science wizard like you, it doesn't mean I'm stupid."

"I never said you were stupid. Although marrying a hockey player took the words right out of my mouth."

"Will you stop?"

"No, because why would you marry someone who spends more than half the year away from you? Especially when you're pregnant, he should have taken the season off."

"It's not that simple, Katie, he signed a contract."

"Whatever. He'd better be here to see his son being born."

"He will. And it might not be a boy, I told you."

"Again. Whatever." Pause. "Have you picked out a name yet?"

"No, because unlike you, I like to be surprised. I don't know if it's a boy or a girl."

"It's a boy, I told you."

"Right. Just like Logan was a girl?"

"I never said Logan was a girl. I always knew he was a boy."

"But the doctor kept saying Logan was a girl."

"And I kept saying he was wrong. And who was right? Me. That's how I know yours is a boy."

"And I'm sure there's some scientific data that supports this theory of yours?"

"Of course. Logan likes him, so it has to be a boy."

"WHAT?"

"Logan likes him."

"Logan likes my baby. Who isn't even born yet."

"Right. Haven't you noticed that Logan cries whenever a female holds him? Well, except for you and me."

"He cries when I hold him over my shoulder. He's only quiet when I'm like…laying him over my stomach or something, like it's a pillow."

"Right. So when Logan has contact with your son, he's calm. We know he likes men. Women make him fussy. Therefore, your baby is a boy."

"And that's scientific."

"Absolutely." Pause. "So…name?"

Defeated sigh. "Kendall."

"Kendall's a girl's name."

"Yes, but I'm pretty sure it's a girl."

"You need to find a new name. Now. Because it's a boy."

"It's a girl." Pause. "I think."

"Well, your husband may be in absentia, but at least you have your best friend here with you."

"Oh, joy."

"Yep. You'd be freaking out right now if I wasn't here."

"I'm freaking out now."

"Seriously, hon. Pick a boy's name."

"Can we not worry about this right now?"

"I think we have to. They're going to induce labor soon."

"No, they're not. Because my water just broke."

"So, did she pick a name? Because I was thinking Melvin."

"You can't be serious."

"It's my grandfather's name, Katie."

"Oh, well…sorry. Kendall. She said she wanted Kendall."

"Kendall? That's a girl's name."

"I told her it was perfect. Congratulations on your new son. Sorry you didn't make it on time."

"Yeah, thanks for being here with her."

"I always am."

"Logan, meet Kendall. He's your new best friend, baby. Say hi."