A/N: Okay, guys, so this is the first story I've ever posted on here. I'm gonna go ahead and say that I don't own anything except the plot. Slipped Away is by Avril Lavigne, and Wherever You Are is from Winnie the Pooh. Hope you enjoy! :D

Slipped Away

"The day you slipped away was the day I found it won't be the same."

"I don't think it's a good idea for you to be on the road alone."

Logan Mitchell joined his friend by the window and watched as the Los Angeles rain came down even harder. The once sunny California sky was darkened to an ominous, deathly black, the only light coming from the streaks of lightning piercing the sky. Logan shook his head and turned to stare at his blond friend. He understood the concerns his best friend had. He'd feel the same way if it was one of his friends deciding to do something so life threatening. The storm had caused most of L.A.'s natives to hide away in their homes until the weather cleared up - if the weather ever cleared up. The conditions that the roads were in, flooded and slippery, made it way too dangerous for anyone to try to drive on them, especially a fresh teenage driver. Logan knew this, yet he argued with the boy by his side. "Kendall, James and Carlos need me."

Kendall Knight looked at his younger friend. Sure, Logan had a point, but they didn't even know where their two friends were when the storm hit. All they knew was that James Diamond and Carlos Garcia, who had spent the day lounging by the pool, had mysteriously gone missing, and until the storm hit, no one thought anything of it. Unlike the other kids at the Palm Woods, who insisted that James and Carlos were probably safe and sound somewhere, Kendall and Logan knew better than to believe that it was that easy. James learned over the years that in situations such as these he had to stay strong for Carlos's sake, but eventually, James would crack and start to panic, especially if Kendall wasn't there to keep him grounded. Carlos was simply terrified of any kind of bad weather. That's why Logan was always there for the smallest member of the group - to be his shoulder to cry on, to tell him that everything was going to be alright, to actually make sure everything turned out alright. Without Kendall and Logan there to keep the other boys in check, there was no doubt in Kendall's or Logan's mind that the pretty boy of the bunch was on the verge of a panic attack, while the Latino was probably drowning in his own tears. He was truly worried about his friends and with a cough, Kendall pleaded, "At least let me go with you. I'm not so sick that I can't sit in the passenger seat and look out the window for them. It's too dangerous for you to be on your own. I don't need my three best friends getting hurt."

"You're never going to get better if you keep leaving the apartment, Kendall. I can find James and Carlos and get all three of us back here in one piece on my own. You're going to stay here and rest. Got it?" It was rare for Logan to be authoriative, especially to the leader of their foursome, but Logan knew how stubborn Kendall could be when it came to the protection and well-being of his friends. The fact that James and Carlos were missing should've counted as an excuse to let Logan leave without all of the nagging but not with Kendall. No, Kendall decided that the exact moment their friends went missing would be the perfect opportunity to act as if he was Logan's mother. Without waiting for Kendall to reply, Logan turned to leave. He made it to the door when he heard, "What if you don't find them?"

Logan released his grip on the door knob and faced his friend. "They couldn't have gotten too far, Kendall. You know how Carlos gets when he's out in weather like this. Once the storm hit, he and James probably found shelter somewhere." He saw Kendall open his mouth to say something, probably another protest, but quickly cut him off. He didn't want to do this, but he had to make Kendall realize the urgency of him leaving right away. "Then again, maybe they didn't, which is why I have to go look for them. They could be sick or lost or hurt or even worse. I have to go find them because if I don't, who will? You're sick, Mama Knight's at a job interview. and Katie spent the night at a friend's house. They're depending on me, Kenny. Don't you get that?"

"I just don't want to lose my best buds. You guys are all I have." Despite his best efforts, even Kendall heard his voice break. His eyes were already watering with unshed tears.

"That's not true. You still have your mom and Katie." He walked over to Kendall and pulled his friend into a hug. "Besides, we're all going to be home before you know it. I'm not going to let anything bad happen to us. You can count on me." Being the natural born leader that he was, it was rare to see Kendall break like this, but with his best friends' lives being thrown in harm's way, it was understandable. Logan knew he had to be strong for Kendall even when he was just as worried by the fact that he was about to drive in hazardous weather to try and find two of his best friends. He was not going to let Kendall down. He was not going to let James and Carlos suffer another second. Logan was willing to do whatever he had to do to get his friends back safely.

He knew what Logan was going to say before he even said it, and on certain levels, Kendall believed every word the brainiac told him. Logan was the one with all the answers, wasn't he? Regardless, Kendall was still torn by the fact that this could be the last time he sees Logan, James, and Carlos. Sure, his mom and Katie would always be there for him, but his mom and Katie weren't always there for him. They would never completely understand him. They weren't his best friends. They weren't the ones he told all of his secrets to. They weren't the ones who knew Kendall inside and out. James, Carlos, and Logan were and still are the best people to have ever entered Kendall's life, and he wasn't willing to put them in danger. Returning the hug, finding comfort in Logan's warm embrace, Kendall asked, "Can't you at least wait until the rain slacks up a bit? There's no way you'll be able to see if you go out right now."

"If I don't leave now, the rain may not slack up quick enough, and James and Carlos could be seriously injured. Do you want that to happen?"

Kendall shook his head in defeat. "Please, promise me you're not going to get hurt. Promise me that James and Carlos are okay and that you'll find them."

"I promise." Was it even possible to promise fate? Could he really promise the safety of two human beings if this was their time to go? Logan hoped he could for his, Kendall's, James's, and Carlos's sake.

"Please be careful, Logie."

With that, Logan released Kendall and left apartment 2J in search of his two missing friends. Even with his jacket on, Logan was drenched by the time he made it to the Big Time Rush Mobile. As carefully as possible, he drove through Los Angeles's almost desolate streets. It made Logan more confident in his driving knowing that he wouldn't have to look out for too much traffic. It also made it easier to spot James and Carlos if they were wandering around. Logan doubted that his friends would be that careless to walk around in this kind of storm, but then again, the one thing James and Carlos had in common was that they were both unpredictable and sometimes pretty reckless.

"Where are you guys?" Of course, Logan didn't expect to recieve an answer, but when all he heard was silence, realization finally sank in. "James and Carlos are missing." Logan furiously shook his head, trying to get that horrible thought out of his head. "I'll find them." The determination in his voice had spread its way through the rest of his body, his mind focused on nothing but looking for the tall brunette and little Latino, and his body concentrated solely on his driving. That's why when he heard his cell phone blaring Kendall's ringtone, Logan temporarily took his attention off of the road. He literally had his right hand off of the wheel and his eyes downcast looking for where he tossed his phone for a total of five seconds, but it was enough. It was enough for Logan to lose control of the car and swerve off the side of the road. Logan heard the last few notes of "Halfway There" before everything went black.

"He's not picking up!" Even when he knew he shouldn't, Logan always answered his phone in case it was an emergency. Panic laced Kendall's voice as he practically yelled the shocking statement at James and Carlos, who both flinched upon hearing their group leader's voice. Kendall shook his head. James and Carlos weren't in the position to deal with Kendall screaming like this. They weren't prepared to hear that Logan had gone out looking for them and had yet to return. Kendall glanced at his friends. They were sitting on the couch staring at the television but not really paying it any mind. It seemed as if getting trapped in the storm had done more damage to James and Carlos than Kendall initionally thought. Since changing out of their soaked clothes and replacing them with dry ones, they had hardly said a word, which gave Kendall too much time to let his mind drift back to just ten minutes before.

Flashback

The door to the apartment was openly so quickly that if Kendall hadn't been staring so intently at it, he would've missing it completely. "Kendall!" He knew it was Carlos even before the little Latino had practically jumped into Kendall's open arms. He held Carlos protectively in his arms, similar to a mother holding a newborn.

"Where have you been?" Carlos only whimpered in response. Not being satisfied with the reply, or lack of, he got, Kendall pulled back from the embrace slightly to stare into Carlos's chocolate eyes. His eyes were closed, and he looked as if he was trying to fall asleep right there on Kendall's shoulder. Kendall knew Carlos better than that, though. The whimper Carlos made wasn't one of tiredness; it was simply Carlos's way of saying that he didn't want to talk about it right now. Noticing there was still one person missing, besides Logan that is, Kendall tried again. "Carlos, where's James at?"

A weak reply of, "I'm right here." was heard from the doorway.

At the sound of the familiar voice, Kendall's head snapped up. He gently laid Carlos down on the couch as he ran to embrace James. "Thank God, you're alright!" He wrapped his arms around James's neck and pulled the pretty boy close. When James made a small grunt of displeasure, it took all Kendall had to pull away and let his friend have some space. After the scare they gave him today, Kendall thought he should never be forced to let go of James or Carlos ever again. Regardless, Kendall released his friend and noticed the look of discomfort on James's face. "James, what's wrong?"

James merely shook his head. "I'm fine. You were just squeezing too hard. Hope we didn't scare you and Logan too bad. It really was an accident. We were just down by the pool, but Carlos wanted a smoothie, so we walked down the street. That's when the storm started to kick in. We were safe the whole time. There was no reason to worry."

Something in the way James had told his story, such as the fast pace in which James used to tell his tale, led Kendall to believe that he wasn't telling the truth or at least not the whole truth. "James, is that all that happened?"

"Of course," he replied a little too quickly. "Carlos, we should really get out of these clothes before we get sick." James didn't give either friend the chance to reply before gently grabbing Carlos and pulling him up to his feet and into their respective bedrooms.

As Kendall watched them leave, he couldn't help but realize that while Carlos looked fine physically, James had a bit of limp as he walked down the hall. Kendall remembered how James's words almost sounded as if they were forced out of him. James appeared physically beaten, and Carlos was acting destroyed mentally. He didn't know what was wrong with them, but Kendall was determined to discover what had his friends acting so uncharacteristically.

End of Flashback

He hadn't. It had been ten minutes...twenty now...since James and Carlos came back to the apartment, and Kendall still hadn't figured out what was wrong with his friends. Instead, he called Logan to tell him that James and Carlos were fine. Now, not only was Kendall worried about the two boys sitting on the couch, but he was also worried about the boy that he had let drive in this disasterous weather. "Why didn't he answer his phone?" Kendall murmured to himself. "He always answers his phone." Not expecting to hear a reply, Kendall jumped at the sound of James's voice.

"Kendall, this is Logan we're talking about. He's too cautious on the road; he wouldn't answer his phone to save his life."

Kendall noticed while James was talking that James was starting to sound a lot more like himself. Either that or he was a really good actor. "Logan always answers his phone no matter where he is because he doesn't know if it will be an emergency or not. You know that, James!"

James had turned around in his seat next to Carlos to stare at Kendall. Kendall was right. Logan always answered his phone even if he was on the road. It was one of the assets of being Logan, and it was one of the things people loved about him. He was too selfless to let his own safety get in the way of others. "Yeah. You're right. Maybe he..."

Before James could finish Carlos interrupted him. "Guys!" he screamed to get their attention.

Kendall and James turned their attention back to their Hispanic friend to see him pointing at the TV screen where on the news they were showing the screen of a horrendous car crash. The car had apparently slid off the road and slammed into a tree. The vehicle was a mangled mess, but Kendall and James, as well as Carlos, were able to identify it as the car Logan Mitchell was driving.

Kendall frantically shook his head. "No, Carlos, that's not Logan's car."

Any chance Kendall had of successfully denying that statement was ruined by the news reporter sadly stating, "Driving the car was 16 year old Logan Mitchell. He died instantly upon impact."

James was frozen in shock, but as soon as he heard the sobs coming from the boy sitting beside him, James quickly turned and pulled a crying Carlos into his arms. Carlos's gentle sobs soon turned in to violent cries that shook his whole body. His volume started to get louder, and he began screaming Logan's name. James made quick work of trying to soothe the boy in his arms, but it seemed that his efforts only made it worse. The more James told him that everything was okay, the louder Carlos cried. The more he tried to convince Carlos that Logan was in a better place, the more he desperately called out Logan's name. Maybe Logan really was the only one able to keep Carlos's emotions at bay. Realizing that Carlos's rock wasn't and wouldn't ever be there again, James did the only thing he could think of to do - lean on his rock. "Kendall."

Hearing the gentle call of his name, Kendall set his phone down and turned to James and Carlos. "Yeah?"

"How do you get him to calm down?" James asked in an almost desperate tone.

` "Ask Logan," he snapped. 'What are you doing, Knight? It isn't James's fault that Logan's dead. It was a car accident. No one caused it.' Kendall shook his head at himself. "I'm sorry, James. Let me call my mom first, and we'll both try to comfort Carlos."

James was confused at Kendall's outburst but nodded his head nonetheless. 'He's just stressed, that's all.' James resumed his previous task and held Carlos even tighter. The tallest of the boys continued to whisper sweet nothings into his friend's ear, but it did nothing to soothe the boy. Guess that's why they're called sweet nothings.

Kendall's POV

Logan was like a son to my mom. After Joanna and Eric Mitchell passed away, my mom took care of him. She gave him a roof over his head, food on the table, and even a brother and sister who loved him. Katie and I really do love Logan. Even at such a young age, my baby sister was practically fit for college. It was nice for her to have another brain in the house because it sure wasn't going to be me.

I've known Logan, Carlos, and James since Pre-K. They're my brothers. Now one of my brothers is gone. I'm barely hanging on to my emotions right now with James and Carlos. James hasn't broken down yet. Yet being the operative word. I'm not sure how much longer he can go without the realization of the situation catching up to him. Carlos, poor Carlos, he still hasn't stopped crying - no, bawling - since he heard the news reporter say Logan's name. Ever since, he's been an wreck. Sobs racked his body to the point where it looked like he was having a seizure. Logan's name had become a mantra that was coming off Carlos's tongue in ear piercing screams. That is until he starting losing his voice. Then he turned Logan's name into a desperate plead. I had yet to spare a glance at my hyper friend, but hearing him was enough to break my heart. Now I had to call my mom and tell her that her son had been killed in a car accident. Then she would have to get Katie and tell her the bad news, and Katie would officially lose one of her brothers. I pressed number four on my speed dial - one, two, and three were taken by James, Logan, and Carlos - and waited to hear my mom's soothing voice.

"Kendall? Honey, is something wrong?" Leave it to my mom, even miles away in Sacremento, to realize that something's wrong. Don't they call that mother's intuition? Logan would know. Logan knew everything. When I didn't answer her back, I noticed her voice became even more panicked. "Are you alright? Is James, Carlos, and Logan okay?" I hesitated again, and my mom was getting beyond worried - if that was even possible. "Kendall Donald Knight, talk to me! What is going on?"

This was it. I had to tell her. "Logan was in a car accident." Like ripping off a band-aid.

"Oh, honey." She said it with sympathy, as if she had never known Logan at all. She knew what Logan and I had been through together, but she's been through a lot with Logan, too. In an instant, I was reminded of her motherly nature. Always caring about her boys' feelings than her own. "What hospital are you boys at?"

"We're at home, Mom. Logan died on impact. He lost control of the car or something and ran off the side of the road and into a tree." I didn't hear my mom reply after that, but I did hear her soft cries. I didn't want to make my mom cry, but she was going to find out eventually.

She sighed on the other end of the line. Through her tears, I heard her ask, "Are you alright, sweetie?"

"I'm fine." I wasn't fine, though. I didn't want my best friend to be dead. I didn't want James trying to comfort Carlos on his own. I didn't want Carlos to have to be comforted at all. I was nowhere near fine. It was all an act. I was staying strong for James and Carlos. Besides, I didn't want them both to see me cry. Crying was a sign of weakness, right? It made me less than a leader. Right now, James and Carlos need their leader, so I can't cry.

I knew Mom didn't believe me. She knew it was all part of my facade, but she didn't question me on it. Instead she asked, "How are James and Carlos doing?"

I'm pretty sure she had her own picture of what was going on here at the apartment, and I'm pretty sure she was right. Regardless, I knew I had to answer her, but I couldn't do it in front of the two boys she asked about. I quietly excused myself, but neither James, who had just started letting silent tears fall from his eyes, nor Carlos, who hadn't stopped crying, seemed to hear me. I walked out into the hallway and explained to my mom that James and especially Carlos were taking the news hard. She told me that she was on her way home and that she was going to get Katie and inform her of the current situation. I hung up my phone and walked back in Apartment 2J. Expecting to see my two friends sitting on the orange sofa, I was shocked when only James was left in the room.

"Where's Carlos?"

James turned around to look at me, and I could tell that he was crying twice as hard as he was before I left. He still wasn't making much sound - probably too concerned about upsetting Carlos even more if he did - but there were definitely tears in the brunette's brown orbs. James didn't answer; instead, he just pointed to the room Carlos use to share with Logan. I felt my heart break a little more. Logan was everything to Carlos - his best friend, his roommate, his brother, his rock. What was Carlos going to do without Logan? I was making my way down the hall to Carlos's room when I heard James, still on the couch, say, "He wants to be alone."

"Do you really think that's what's best for him? He doesn't have to deal with this alone - none of us do, James. We still have each other."

"Carlos doesn't want us; he wants Logan." James paused, but I could tell he still had something he wanted to say. I sat down beside him on the sofa and remained silent until James found the words to voice what he needed to say. He shook his head before he looked at me through glassy eyes and said, "Kendall, we never got to say goodbye."

Carlos's POV

I don't know what came over me. James had me wrapped in a warm embrace, whispering what he thought were comforting words, when, all of a sudden, I bolted. I jumped out of my friend's arms and ran away. Running away from what, I didn't know, but regardless, I ran.

Everything in our apartment, even James and Kendall, reminded me of Logan. Reminded me that he was gone. I ran to mine and Logan's shared room and instantly regretted it. I slammed the door shut and locked myself in a room filled with thousands of memories of Logan Mitchell. Unlike mine, Logan's bed was neatly made. I found no use in tidying up a bed that would get messed up later on in the night; Logan just thought it gave the room a nice appearance. Just like his bed, everything on Logan's side of the room was clean and in order. His desk was organized. Homework assignments were stacked neatly on his laptop in the center of the desk. There were postcards from everywhere we had gone together as Big Time Rush. Several pictures of the four of us, individual and group photos alike, were positioned around the edges of the wooden workplace.

Logan always had a fascination for pictures, whether he was present in them or not. A picture is worth a thousand words, right? In fact, Logan kept a camera in the top drawer of his desk. He took it wherever we went and was able to catch nearly every Kodak moment the world had to offer our brainy friend. I made my way over to the pictures Logan had set up and picked up one of my favorites. It was a picture of Logan, Kendall, James, and me. Kendall and James were at each end of the picture with Logan and me in the middle. Kendall had his arm around me, but seeing as how his arm is so long, he was able to stretch it out further so that he could lay his hand on Logan's shoulder. James had his arm around Logan. Just like Kendall, he was able to reach not only Logan but me as well. Meanwhile, I had one arm wrapped around Logan's slender waist and my other around Kendall's. It was a simple picture, and to any bystander, it would seem as if it was just another picture considering we had many more that resembled it. However, to us it meant so much more.

Flashback

It had only been a week since the passing of Joanna and Eric Mitchell, or as we liked to call them, Logan's parents. They were killed in a car crash when a drunk driver rammed into the side of their car causing them to swerve off the side of the road and land in a ditch. They died instantly due to the impact. Logie wasn't taking it very well, and being his best friends, Kendall, James, and I felt as if it were our duty to make him feel better again. We talked for hours about what we should do to cheer up our depressed friend. I suggested a carnival, but Kendall said that it would be too loud and crowded. James agreed, stating that waiting in long lines wasn't exactly the best way to help a person get over depression. Then again, what did three ten year olds really know about depression? Regardless, James thought it would be a good idea to have a picnic, just the four of us. No one would be around, and it would give a us chance to talk to Logan about what he was going through. I considered it, but then found a major flaw in his plan. Logan's mom and dad used to take him out for family picnics all the time. It was an opportunity for the three of them to be a family, and it was special to Logan. I highly doubted that he would want to do something that reminded him so much of his late parents. Kendall came up with the idea to spend the day at the library and remind Logan of his passion for reading, but that plan wouldn't have worked either. There was only one library in our small Minnesota town, and since the librarian died, they decided to temporarily close the old building down until the town healed and a new librarian was found. Therefore, unless Kendall's plan involved trespassing, there was no way we were getting on to the property. We went through what felt like a thousand ideas before we finally agreed on a stable plan: hockey.

Where we grew up, hockey was a big deal. Everyone did it. We lived and breathed hockey. It only made sense that we take Logan to the hockey rink and let him use the ice to clear his mind. So it was settled. We were going over to Logan's grandmother's house, which is where he was living at the moment, to challenge him to a game of hockey. Besides, we all knew Logan couldn't pass down the opportunity to pick up a pair of skates and hit the ice. As a matter of fact, Logan was as much of a hockey bum as the rest of us.

"Guys, I don't want to do this."

"Logan, playing a game of hockey with us will be good for you."

"I don't want to play hockey, Kendall."

It had been a back and forth argument between Logan and Kendall since the moment Grandma Mitchell invited us into her home. Kendall would attempt to talk Logan out of bed to play a game of hockey with us, and Logan would simply refuse. James and I hadn't said a word, and we really didn't need to. Kendall was saying everything that needed to be said. There was only so much that could be said though. Like I said, we were only ten. All we were worried about was getting our friend back. Not much of anything else was being considered.

After about ten more minutes of back and forth arguing with Kendall, Logan gave up. He broke down. The previous topic was forgotten as Logan launched into a sad and desperate monologue that had us all in tears. If you asked us what Logan had said that day, we would all have the same answer: "I don't know." It's not that we didn't pay attention to him; it was just so sad and upsetting that we, including Logan, eventually just pushed it out of our brains.

I can't remember how it happened, but instead of going to the hockey rink, we decided on something a bit more tranquil. I remember Logan saying something about wanting to go on a walk in the park. Why? We don't know, but we were willing to do anything to make Logie happy again. Looking back, I think Logan wanted to go walking with us through the park for the same reason James wanted to have a picnic. It would give us the chance to talk and just be with each other without any distractions or interruptions. To be honest, it was one of the best times of my life. Do I remember any of the conversations we had? No, but knowing the four of us, they were probably about things only we could understand. Could I give you directions to the park that we went to? Not unless you wanted to get lost. Do I know when we went home? I can't even remember what time it was when we left. Who took the picture that would remain on Logan's desktop until the day he died? I couldn't tell you for sure. Regardless of who took the photograph, it came out brilliantly. Kendall's blonde locks shone with the evening sun. James's smile could be seen from a mile away. The way he and Kendall stood with their arms securely wrapped around mine and Logan's shoulders could quickly show anyone their protective nature. My helmet was perched on the top of my head, but for some reason, it was lopsided along with my cheeky grin. That led me to Logan. He was the most brilliant of us all. It was the first time we had seen him smile in a week, and boy, did it feel good to see those pearly whites shine again! Even after all he had been through, you could practically see the warmth radiating off of Logan. I will never forget how it felt to have the old Logan back once again.

End of Flashback

I set the picture back on Logan's desk, making sure to put it in the exact place I picked it up from. Logan always was a perfectionist. He wouldn't want me messing up his desk. I felt tears start to form in my eyes again. Why was I being so sensitive? I'm supposed to be the fun one. Logan would always compliment me on the fact that I could brighten anyone's day by just a simple greeting. I didn't believe him at first, but standing alone in our room, I understand that Logan was right. Logan's always right. When I started to cry, Kendall and James were forced to put their feelings aside. When I ran away from James after Kendall left, there's no doubt in my mind that James started to release some of those pent up emotions. Kendall probably came back in the apartment twice as worried about me. By not being my usually happy self, I felt as if I was letting Kendall and James down. I was letting Logan down.

A/N: Okay, so if y'all made it this far, I'd like to say thank you. Whether it's positive or negative, I'd like to hear what y'all thought of the story. Should I continue or stop while I'm ahead? Once again, thank you so much, and please review.