A/N. I have no idea what to say. The reviews for the first chapter left me speechless. I am so grateful for all the amazing words of encouragement. They have made my life just a little bit easier. I love you all. Which is why it pains me to throw this chapter at you. I hate myself. But it needed to be written. I don't own anything. You should be glad.

"We were young, it was fun, and we couldn't lose. Times were right, overnight we were headline news. Crazy days and reckless nights, limousines and bright spotlights. We were brothers through it all. And your song will play on without you. . ." - 'Never Without You' by Ringo Starr.

It was a warm, summer day in Los Angeles, California. Mid-July in the western state can be brutally hot but that wasn't the case today. The sun shone brightly but enveloped the people outside in a gentle warmth and the highest the thermometers reached was 83 degrees. A light breeze was the only sound to occasional break the silence the hung over the Palm Woods hotel. Inside, four boys waited for the end to come.

Kendall's eyes darted around the room taking everything in. The green orbs stared out the window for a brief time before landing on his best friend. It seemed wrong to him that Logan was dying on such a beautiful day. Whoever was in charge of the weather obviously had no idea what was going on in his life and the lives of his friends. But then, none of this had even made any sense.

James sat with his knees drawn up to his chest, focusing every ounce of his concentration on each and every breath that Logan was taking. Every one seemed harder than the last and even though Logan tried valiantly to conceal the pain in his brown eyes, James could see all too clearly that he was suffering a lot. He wondered if the thought deep down in his mind, the thought that Logan's pain would soon be gone forever, was supposed to bring him comfort instead of pull the heavy blanket of despair over his head.

Carlos gripped Logan's hand in both of his as if he was convinced that the contact would keep his friend from slipping away from them. But with each passing minute he could literally feel the life draining from Logan in the weakening pulse that beat beneath his fingers. He wasn't the smartest of his friends. He probably struggled the most. But even he knew that Logan would breath his last that very day.

Logan was glad that he wasn't going to die in the cold, white, hospital room surrounded by machines with strangers walking back and forth just outside his door. It had been his last request that he could be released from the hospital two weeks before so that he could live his life as normally as possible before it came to an end. He was relieved to know that the pain that had controlled him for months on end would soon be coming to a permanent end. It had gotten to the point where nothing helped and all he could do was wait for it to fade from the crippling throb to a dull ache. He was overjoyed because he knew that when the end came for him, it would be a new beginning. His mother would be waiting for him. He hadn't seen her since the day of the accident when he was six. But all of that was nearly outweighed by the knowledge that he was leaving his best friends behind and that when his pain and suffering ended, theirs would begin.

It was just the four of them together. Mrs. Knight and Katie had said their goodbyes about an hour ago and had left in tears. Kendall's mother had adopted Logan after his father abandoned him soon after his first diagnosis of cancer. That day had been one of the greatest days of his life because for the first time in years, Logan had felt a parent's love. She had become his second mother and even though she never replaced his real mother, she had cared for him like he had been her own for all his life. Katie, twelve years old now, had always been a little sister to him. But when he hugged he goodbye earlier that day, he wiped away her tears and wished that he could be there to see her through high school and into college. He wanted to see her get married. But he also knew that Kendall and James and Carlos would be there for her every step of the way and he tried not to feel jealous.

Camille, Logan's girlfriend had stopped by that morning and the two spent three hours together. They shared memories of their lost parents and they talked about the day they had first met right up until the present day. Then they kissed one last time and Camille left. Logan found comfort in the knowledge that even now she wasn't alone. Jo, Stephanie and Julie would be right there with her.

Kendall been trying to convince himself all day long that Logan leaving them meant Logan being freed from his pain. But he was too selfish for that because all he could think of was that Logan was leaving and this time he wasn't coming back.

Carlos flinched when the faint pulse missed a beat and then resumed it's steady, but weak rhythm. He thought back to all of the nightmares he had suffered while Logan was sick. He had woken up screaming, shaking, and in tears. He had woken up afraid to go back to sleep. But all of his nightmares could have never prepared him for the awful reality that he was now faced with. Logan's life was the only thing that held him together. What would happen to him, to all of them, when Logan was gone?

James tried to match his breathing with Logan and only grew more terrified. Because after thirty seconds he felt like he was going to pass out from the lack of oxygen. Logan could not last much longer. He knew that. But he didn't know if he was ready.

"Kendall?"

At the sound of Logan's weak whisper, Kendall's heart sank. He knew exactly what was coming but despite his best efforts, the smile wouldn't stick and his tears began to fall.

Somehow Logan managed to pull himself up into a position propped up against the pillows so that he could see his friends better. "It's okay to be angry right now, Kendall." He said gently. "I would be too if I were you." He looked relieved as he spoke which only made Kendall's tears come faster. "You know what? I am mad. I don't want to die either. I want to stay here with you guys and record some more CD's and go on tour and. . . go to college and do all those things that I've been cheated out of." He paused briefly as he was hit with a fresh wave of pain and he slumped back down, struggling for the air that used to come so naturally. "It's okay to be sad too. You don't have to be the strong one anymore, Kendall. You never had to be. But this time you really have to let other people help you, okay? It's okay to be sad and angry but don't feel like that for too long okay? You still have things in your life that you need to eventually move on for. Don't let me hold you back."

Carlos' whole body began to shake with silent sobs and when Logan squeezed his hand with more strength than Carlos ever imagined he had left, he gave in and let the tears flow.

"Carlos, hang in there, buddy." Logan whispered his own tears beginning to form at seeing the pain his friends were in already. "Don't let my death hold you back from living your life the way it was meant to be lived. You were always the funny guy and the one who could make us laugh or smile when we needed it the most. Keep being yourself okay?"

It's a truly awful thing to know that death is just minutes away. Logan was helpless to do anything but try one last time to bring some small amount of comfort to his friends. He turned to James who had barely survived his deep depression the first time around, and tried to smile. "James, you're going to be okay. I promise. All of you are going to be okay. But James, don't give up okay? I feel awful telling you this because I have no idea what you're going through right now. But you need to be brave okay? You'll be fine."

James could only nod his head, the lump in his throat making it impossible to speak. How could Logan tell him that he was going to be okay? He was dying. Nothing was okay about that.

"Guys, listen." Logan took a deep breath and for the time being, their tears ceased and they held onto every last word Logan had to say. "You guys are going to be okay but only if you stick together. We don't work on our own very well. You have to be there for each other. If you lose each other than you'll lose yourselves. That's the worst thing that could happen. You have to promise me that you'll stay together."

Words were still impossible for Logan's friends so they all nodded and were rewarded with a grateful smile from Logan.

"Promise me one more thing." Logan said. He seemed to sink further down in his bed as he spoke. Every word was an effort now. "Promise me that you won't put your lives on hold or change the way you are because of me. I know you're going back to Minnesota at least for a while now but keep in contact with the girls and everyone else here. Go to college in the fall. Get married, have families, jobs. . . move on. For me."

Easier said than done. None of them could picture moving on with their lives as if Logan had never been a part of them. College was supposed to be something that the four of them were to face together. As a team like everything else they had been through. And it didn't make it any easier knowing that Logan was the one who had been looking forward to college since he was nine years old. The scholarships would be of no use and he would never experience dorm rooms or professors' lectures or anything of the sort. Because he wouldn't be alive.

Like a bunch of girls, they had often talked about being in each others' weddings. They laughed how they all planned to have three best men. But now, Kendall and James and Carlos would be left with only two best men by their sides. Logan would never hand one of them a ring. What hurt even worse was that Logan would never watch Camille walk down the aisle in a white gown. He would never receive a wedding band from one of them and slip it on her left hand. There would never be a Mr. and Mrs. Logan Mitchell.

Logan would never be a father. He would never be an uncle to one of his friend's kids. Their lives would be altered in so many ways.

Logan would never sing or dance with them again. They would never find him bent over a book with an intense look of concentration on his face. There would be no more birthdays, Thanksgivings, or Christmases to celebrate with him. They would never hear him laugh or call their names again. Because he was going to die when he was just nineteen years old.

In the English language there are words to describe a chile who loses both parents: Orphans. Technically, Logan was an orphan. There are words to describe a man or woman who loses a spouse. Camille's mother was a widow and before his death, Logan's father had been a widower. But there are no words to describe a parent who loses a child or a nineteen year old kid who loses a best friend.

The world was unjust. It didn't make sense. Wars, natural disasters, world poverty or hunger, and society constantly tears families apart. Why did the human race insist on inflicting more pain on themselves when there was always plenty to go around? So many people deserved death. But Logan Mitchell had never been one of those people.

"Promise?" Logan smiled again at their nods. "I know I already told you this before but it's only because of you guys that I made it this far. I can't imagine what my life would have been like if I never met you. You guys saved me and you kept me alive longer than I would have been able to on my own. But I'm just sorry that I couldn't hold on any longer."

"Logan," Kendall choked out. "Please don't apologize for. . . dying. You can't help it."

"I know." Logan said slowly. "Thanks, Kendall." He blinked back a sudden storm of tears. "I almost wish that if I did have to die this young then. . . I don't know. I wish it could have been something quick. Like an accident or something. Maybe it would have been easier on you."

Carlos shook his head fiercely. "Don't say that." He whispered. "We wouldn't have traded the past two and a half years for anything in the world. We were grateful to have so much time." His voice shook but he pushed onwards. "I just wish we could have a little more time."

"Me too." Logan said tiredly. "But you were the best friends anyone could ever have and I'm really glad that I knew you. I know you're not supposed to miss people when you die but it's hard for me to imagine not being with all of you."

"We'll miss you too." James' voice wavered and waiting tears hovered in his eyes. "More than you'll ever know."

With every breath he took, Logan felt his strength failing him. It was fading and leaving his body. But with the strength the pain also eased. One last time he reached out to his friends and felt them draw him into a four-way hug. His eyes closed for the last time and even though they still held him, he felt Kendall, James, and Carlos let go of him. As peacefully as he had hoped, Logan Mitchell breathed his last.

A/N. I'm sorry.