Summary: The three times Katie chose her brothers and the one time she didn't.
1.
She was nine the first time she unknowingly did it. Melanie Rogers had invited her for a play date before she moved out of Minnesota and Katie was looking forward to spending their last day together. After all, Melanie had been her best friend for three months and Katie really liked her even if she was too girlish and too proper. Melanie was nice and she was not like the other kids who teased her at school for not having a father, or for having an older brother who was way too protective of her. Melanie accepted her for who she was and even though she was only nine, Katie knew how important it was to keep people who treated you well near you. Just like Kendall and his friends.
She'd walked into her brother's room to borrow a pair of gloves since she had always liked his better when she realised that he was lying on his bed with his sad eyes, spinning his hockey stick in the air as he did so.
"What's wrong?" Katie asked, her eyes wide as she blinked at her brother. She knew that Kendall would have asked her to get lost if not for her eyes because he was a sucker for them. Then again, everyone was.
"Karen Willows is going out with James tonight," Kendall said and Katie's eyes widened as she dramatically gasped and put her small hands over her mouth. Kendall had been crushing on Karen Willows for so long! How could James steal his best friend's girl?
"But you liked Karen first!" she exclaimed and Kendall sat up, his eyes dropping to the floor as he pouted.
"I know. And James knew that too. He's such an as – I mean, he's being very irritating," Kendall said in frustration and Katie resisted the urge to roll her eyes when she had realised that her brother had stopped himself from cursing in front of her. Honestly, it was as if he did not know that she was always eavesdropping on his conversations with his friends whenever they came over.
Katie hugged her brother. Feeling Kendall's arms wrapped around her, Katie knew what she had to do.
"Wanna head to the rink? I still need help if I'm gonna make it into the girl's hockey team this year," she smiled when Kendall's face lit up. Nodding, he ruffled his sister's hair, grabbed his hockey stick and told her that he would meet her at the field.
When he was out of sight, Katie dialled Melanie's number to tell her that she was not going to be able to make it.
"Why not? It's my last day here!" Melanie's pouting voice irritated Katie for the first time. Why couldn't she understand that Kendall needed her?
"My brother's feeling sad. I need to be with him," Katie had tried explaining again and almost lost it when Melanie whined again at the other end of the line.
"But Katie! After tomorrow, we won't see each other again! Don't you want to spend the time we have left together?" Melanie sounded like she was on the verge of tears and Katie softened, feeling bad that she was cancelling on her friend.
She wasn't about to change her mind though, because she knew that family came before anything else.
"I'll see you tomorrow at the airport," Katie promised and she heard a stomp, probably Melanie stomping her foot in an attempt to throw a tantrum.
"Katie Knight! You come over here right now or our friendship is over!" Melanie yelled into the phone.
Katie shrugged before saying, "Okay. Bye Melanie."
A pang of sadness hit her before she even put the phone down. Melanie had been a good friend but she never understood the closeness of the relationship she shared with her brother. And though Katie Knight was only nine years old, she made a promise to herself that day that she would never pick anyone over family. Because friends abandoned you (as Melanie had taught her) and family would always be waiting for you at your doorstep with a warm smile filled with love and adoration on their faces (as Kendall had proven to her when he held out her hockey stick).
2.
She was thirteen the next time she remembered choosing her brothers over a boy. His name was Kyle and he was her first crush, her first movie date and her first smoothie share. What he was not, and never would be, was her first kiss in which her brothers and his friends had made sure of.
Both she and Kyle had been hanging out in the hotel lobby, playing their favourites game when Carlos passed them, shooting both eleven-year-olds not-so-subtle looks. Katie resisted the urge to groan when she caught a glance of her brother's dirty-blonde hair from behind Bitter's desk and almost lost it when James sat beside her with his date.
Kyle had raised his eyebrows knowingly at first, amusement clouding his handsome face before it turned into an annoyed one. Katie did not blame him one bit.
"Dude, we've been together for three days and we've been friends since we were eleven, what is your problem?" Kyle glared at James and Katie had to commend him for standing his ground when James stood up, easily towering above both of them. His date had already sauntered off.
"Our problem," James said and he smirked when Kendall and Logan appeared by his side with their arms across their chest. For nineteen-year-olds, they were so immature. "is that we're not sure that you deserve our baby sister."
"Why?" Kyle asked.
"Because she's smarter than you. And she deserves someone who can actually defend her. Not someone who can barely reach the top cabinets," Carlos said and Katie resisted the urge to smack him. They knew Kyle was sensitive about his height!
"Says the short one with the stupid helmet," Kyle retorted, his face turning red from Carlos' previous insult.
"Dude, didn't your mother teach you to be nice?" Kendall asked.
"Yes, she did. But my Dad taught me to stand up for myself from no-good assholes like you. Didn't your Dad teach you that? Oh wait, he left because your mom was a slut," Kyle smirked and knew that he had pushed all the wrong buttons.
Kendall was seething, his face turning red and his eyes watered from the sheer anger he was feeling. His hands clenched into a fist and they only loosened when he felt his sister's tiny hands calming him down.
"He's not worth it," Katie smiled sadly and she cast a nasty look at Kyle before dragging her brothers back, not wanting to make a scene. Once they were in their apartment however, she rounded on them and full on glared at them.
"Okay, what did they do?" Logan asked from his position on the dining table where his books were everywhere. He was currently taking a few online courses and Katie had no doubt that those were extra credits.
"They provoke Kyle!" Katie bellowed and felt a sense of satisfaction when Logan winced and the others involuntarily took a step back as she walked closer to them. "I can bloody well take care of myself! In case all of you have forgotten, I've been more mature than any one of you for more than three-quarters of my life! I never want to speak to any of you again!"
Logan raised his eyebrows at his guilt-ridden friends and when he had heard their story of what had went down in the lobby despite their one-sided views, he fully understood Katie's anger. He also knew that Katie could not be mad at any of them for too long.
"She's not going to be mad at you guys long," he grinned. "She chose you over that little weasel. She wouldn't last two days without talking to you."
And he had been right. Three hours later, Katie berated them for being thick-headed idiots, hugged them for their protectiveness and volunteered to make dinner. None of the three suspected the itching powder she had put in their pillows until they woke up the next day.
3.
She was twenty when she chose Logan over her life.
They were driving from towards Minnesota from LA so that they could visit their families. Big Time Rush had disbanded two years ago and every one had gone their separate ways. Kendall had continued his dream of playing for the Minnesota Wild, Carlos had managed to become a superhero by opening up an orphanage in Minnesota, whereby the kids were only to be adopted under strict probation that they were being taken care of well, through his earnings from Big Time Rush and James was the biggest movie star in Hollywood. As for Logan, he had continued his dreams of being a doctor and he was amazing at it.
Katie had remained in LA to continue her studies, having got into Harvard University. She was making everyone proud with the progress she was attaining. Logan had picked her up a few hours ago so that she would avoid the bus or the plane. Katie hated those things.
"Can I drive?" she asked as she gave him her puppy eyes. Logan tried turning away but sighed when he realised that it had been too late. He gave her a stern look, the one only an older brother could give, and told her to be careful. Katie huffed, jumped over to the driver's seat and started driving as carefully as she could.
They rode in silence until a familiar Christmas song blasted from the radio.
Put down the video games,
Pick up some candy canes
And hang the wreath on your door
"They're still playing this song?" Logan asked, his eyes wide and Katie laughed before singing along.
"This song is a classic, Logie," she said and Logan just smiled as he turned his head to the road.
"Watch out!" he yelled as an oncoming truck came into their view. Katie swerved to the left and both student and doctor screamed as their car skidded off the road and into a large tree. Logan groaned as he clutched his head, wincing when he felt a sticky liquid on his forehead.
Why in the world had she swerved left? A normal person would have swerved right, because in the regular incidents that Logan was very familiar with, the driver would swerve to the right if he or she was right-handed. Katie was right-handed.
"Katie? You okay?"
Tears sprang into Logan's eyes as he took in Katie's state. She was far worst off than he was. Blood smeared all over her face and her lips and forehead was bruised and swollen. Her shoulder was positioned at a very awkward level and Logan knew her ribs were broken from the way her hands were rested protectively over her chest.
"It... Hurts," she wheezed and Logan struggled even harder to get out of the car. When he finally did, he raced to her side and opened her door, pushing the air bag out of the way. "Logie... sorry."
"Katie Cat, you need to listen to me, alright? You cannot fall asleep."
"You... Safe?"
"I'm fine, Katie. It's you I am very worried about."
"Sleep."
"No," Logan cried desperately. "No sleeping Katie! You have an obvious concussion. Please just – "
"You... safe... Want sleep," she slurred and Logan helplessly carried her out of the car. From a distance away, the ringing sound of the ambulance could be heard. Relief flooded though him and he clutched Katie closer and tighter to him. In his hands lay the girl who had saved his life, the girl who had adopted him as her big brother, as her protector, when his own family had told him to fuck off when he revealed his plans of being a doctor instead of being famous. Instead, she had been the older one, his sister, his protector.
"Stay with me, Katie. Please."
4.
She was twenty-five when she could no longer choose between her brothers or her boyfriend. Andrew Wilson was smart, patient and understanding. He understood why Katie had felt the need to remain in Minnesota after college (her mother was battling cancer and Katie had put her life on hold for her) and he put up with her brothers' antics. After all, Andrew was an older brother himself.
Instead of being exasperated with them like all her other boyfriends did, Andrew found them amusing. His eyes always twinkled whenever Kendall provoked him, when James tried to shove one of his ladies into his arms or when Logan asked him the most awkward questions Katie had ever heard. Surprisingly, Carlos was the more mature one out of all them when it came to Andrew. He was friendly, and he saw that Andrew was her life.
"Logan is glaring at me again," Andrew grinned and Katie rolled her eyes before raising her eyebrows at Logan. The young doctor sheepishly smiled at her and turned away from the couple, muttering furiously under his breath to Carlos. Katie watched as Carlos chuckled at whatever Logan had said.
"Honestly, when are they going to grow up?"
"Probably not anytime soon when it comes to matters concerning you," Andrew wrapped his arms around her and Katie leaned into his embrace, ignoring her brothers' loud coughs. "Besides, after the story your Mom told me about, I can totally understand why."
"What story?" Katie's eyebrows creased in confusion as she looked up at him.
"She was telling me about Christmas five years ago. It seems like Logan has not forgiven himself and the rest of them are blaming themselves for not flying you over," he smiled sadly and her eyes widened at the accurateness of his statement. Funny thing was that she had never thought of it that way for five years.
"You actually analysed them?"
"What? Of course not. Those were your mother's words, not mine," the 27-year-old music producer admitted. "Four broken ribs, both shoulders dislocated and a concussion that put you in coma. It's a miracle you recovered. Heck, it's a miracle you survived. If I were them, I wouldn't let you out of the house."
"Don't let them hear you say that," Katie grumbled and Andrew planted a kiss on her forehead. She frowned when Kendall approached them.
"We need to talk. That is if you can let go of my baby sister for a short while," Kendall snorted and Katie felt the heat rush to her cheeks. It was irritating that even though she was already an adult, her brother could make her feel like a naughty twelve-year-old just by using his 'big brother' tone.
"Actually, big brother, Andrew and I are kinda busy and – "
"Sure," Andrew shrugged and let go of his girlfriend. Katie was about to protest when Andrew just smiled at her, silently reminding her of the promise he had made her three months ago.
Katie sighed and went to talk to her mother, unaware of whatever was transpiring between her brothers and boyfriend in the kitchen.
"Mom told us about what you asked her this morning," Kendall cut straight to the point and folded his arms across his chest. "She said you were going to ask us too."
"I was," Andrew calmly replied. "After the party."
"Well, the answer is no," James said and Andrew blinked.
"Excuse me?"
"No. You don't have our blessings."
Andrew nodded, as though he had accepted their answers before they had given them. "I see. But the funny thing is that you seem to be under the impression that I needyour blessings."
Andrew chanced a glance at Carlos, his only friend at that moment, and when the Latino merely nodded to let him know he should continue, Andrew said, "I love your sister. And I know she loves me too. That's all we need. It would have been nice to get all of your blessings but I have Jennifer's and hers is currently the one that matters to me. While I think Katie would have been happy with your blessings, I know that she would be spending the rest of our lives trying to make sure we got along. I'm willing to make her life easier. As her brothers, are you?"
"What the fuck are you getting at, Wilson?" James spat and Andrew just shrugged again.
"I love Katie. I want to marry her and I intend to ask her tomorrow night. With or without your blessings."
"Well, you have mine," Carlos said and he ignored the glares he was receiving from his friends. Andrew nodded appreciatively and turned to face the other three.
"Katie would never choose you over us," Kendall said confidently. Andrew smiled sadly, a pang of sadness hitting his heart at the truth behind Kendall's statement.
"I don't deny that," he said softly and watched as the three men's demeanour softened. "But I love Katie. And I would never hurt her. I want to keep her happy. Please try to understand."
"You guys are the most irritating men a girl could love," a familiar voice, shaky because it was tinged with tears, cracked. Katie stood at the kitchen doorway. She smiled at Andrew, the one smile everyone knew she reserved only for him, before turning to her brothers, her lips set in a determined line, her eyes narrowed at them as she put her hands on her hips. Andrew left the kitchen quietly.
"Katie – "
"You need to forgive yourself for that stupid accident, Logie," she said softly as she took his hand and kissed it. "It was that drunk driver's fault. Not yours."
"You almost died," Logan whispered and Katie hugged him, smiling when she felt three other arms around them.
"I can't believe you've been keeping this in for five freaking years. That has got to be a record."
Logan laughed weakly and they all pulled away. Katie wiped the tears from her eyes and addressed all of them. "I know we were all in a bad place. But that's over now. I am totally healed. I'm one of the highest managers in Hollywood, and that is saying something since I work from home, my mother is recovering from cancer and I am in love with the most amazing man I have ever met. Please, try to understand."
"You can't choose, can you?" Logan asked knowingly. Everyone gave him confused look and he rolled his eyes. "You can't choose between Andrew and us, can you?"
Katie hung her head and shook it. "No, I can't."
She felt a gentle hand lift her chin and found herself staring into her brother's kind eyes.
"Okay," he said. He let go of her and walked out of the kitchen in long strides, ignoring her calling for him to come back. His friends flocked beside him like they had all their life and as though they were going to battle, their shoulders squared as they stared at the man their sister had given her heart to.
"Break her heart and we'll break you," James warned and Andrew nodded.
"Thank you," the music producer said appreciatively and grinned as Katie leaped into his arms.
And when Katie came home the next day with a diamond ring on her finger, her brothers observed as a beautiful smile graced her young and pretty face when she talked animatedly about her upcoming wedding with Mama Knight. And as Andrew looked at her adoringly, with eyes that practically twinkled just by looking at her, all four of them knew that Katie had made the right choice.
She'd chosen the right person to not be able to choose between them.
A/N: Hey guys! Please review and tell me what you think about this. Thanks! :)