Kendall let out a sigh of content as he stepped over the threshold of his apartment in sunny California, a blast of cool air hitting him in the face as the familiar hum of the air conditioner reached his ears. He dropped his bags down by the door and smiled to himself when he heard the small sigh of annoyance from Riley as she stepped past him, making her way into their room, adjusting the trap to the bag on her shoulder.

Unlike Kendall, she had a small amount of bags. While he had his hockey bag, two suitcases, backpack, and laptop case filled with everything he needed, she only had a suitcase and her backpack. He was still somewhat annoyed at himself that despite years of touring he still hadn't mastered the art of living out of a suitcase.

He could probably chalk it up to living with James for so long; being drilled over and over again of which shirts and clothes could breathe in a suitcase, and which had to be put in a dress bag was still implanted in his brain. She made it look easy; not that he could really blame her having toured for longer than he ever hand and moving around a lot. It was something that stuck with her as the minute she knew she would be travelling somewhere she would pack at least a week in advance.

"Do you have to leave all your crap all over the floor?" she asked. He could picture her rolling her eyes and his smile widened just a little bit as he followed behind her, his footsteps muffled on the plush white carpet.

"You've never complained about it before, Ruby," Kendall replied in a sing-song voice. He crossed his arms over his chest, slowing his steps as he made his way over to "And have I told you how many times I've tripped over the skateboard you leaving around everywhere?"

"With all the goons that could trip you in any game of hockey, and all those years dancing, you'd think you'd have better balance," Riley replied, deadpan.

"Well, it's either that or you're trying to make sure I don't get away in a hurry," Kendall replied, feeling his right eyebrow twitch upwards. He put a lift to the end of his tone so she could understand that he was kidding.

There was a moment of silence before she let out a short laugh. "You've figured out my secret," she muttered. Kendall leaned against the door jam, scratching the side of his jaw as he silently regarded her. She held her back straight, head level as if silently daring him to thrown an insult her way. Not that he blamed her. He knew what it felt like to anticipate negative comments to your every sentence and to brace yourself for whatever could be thrown your way.

Letting out a heavy sigh through his nose, Kendall bowed his head, feeling his heart drop just slightly. He pushed himself off of the wooden frame and made his way over towards her, sliding his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder. He felt her muscles stiffen for a brief moment before she relaxed against his chest, her small hands grasping at his arms.

"Don't you think I would've left by now if that was what I wanted?" he asked into her ear.

"Just letting you know that you have plenty of time left to change your mind," Riley replied. Kendall pursed his lips before gently tugging at her side. Riley turned to face him.

"Is that what you want?" he asked.

Riley's lips twitched. "No," she replied with a shake of her head. "But, I'm not Rhubes."

"That's mainly the reason why I'm engaged to you in case you didn't know," Kendall commented with a slight laugh. Riley's eyebrows shifted upwards and she sucked her lips into her mouth. "That…was supposed to make you laugh." She blinked. "Or at the very least, smile."

"Boofhead." Riley rolled her eyes before lifting a hand to shove her shoulder. "I meant that I'm not a huge believer of the happily ever after thing, at least not in the fairy tale kind of way." Kendall gave her a confused look. "I mean…" she trailed off for a moment, lifting a hand to twirl a lock of her hair around her finger.

Gone were her trademark pigtails, instead she now opted for braiding her hair diagonally across the back of her head, the rest of her hair lying on her shoulder in what was called, and he didn't understand why it was named this way, a mermaid braid.

The new hairstyle suited her and while it took a bit for Kendall to get used to the change, he understood that the change from the hairstyle she had for years signified her growth. Her pigtails, as he was explained, were from her mom, and it was her way of holding on to her memory as a way for her to keep her happiness.

The more she grew and came to terms with her past—the happier she got—the less often she wore her pig tails. Just the same, the more often she used her natural Australian accent before sticking with it all together. It warmed Kendall's heart to watch her become a more open, fun loving, and trusting person; essentially being herself.

He couldn't love her more.

"I believe that everybody will find that one person they'll spend the rest of their lives with, but all those books and movies don't show people that it takes a lot of hard work and sacrifice and…stuff," Riley replied, counting off on her fingers. "You know how I am with confrontation."

"Either you talk back or you run away from it," Kendall instantly replied. "Sounds familiar." He gave her a curious look as he referenced himself and Riley allowed herself to chuckle. He laughed along with her before a serious look crossed his face. "Or you push people away. Newsflash, Ruby, you can push as hard as you want, but I'm not budging."

"You do realize the minute Chris Pine comes calling for me, you'll be out on the curb faster than you can say 'Rushtastic'," Riley said, her usual smirk, accompanied with the slight wrinkle of her nose, appeared on her face.

"And here I thought I was second in importance to you; right behind your family of course," Kendall said, twisting his mouth to the side.

"Nope, third," she replied, with a challenging smile. "What're you going to do about it, Hockey Head?"

"I guess it's better than nothing," Kendall said with an exaggerated whining tone before he smiled, kissing her. He gently pushed her back until the soft blankets on the mattress formed around their bodies, enveloping them. Kendall pulled back, putting all of his weight on his forearms, looking down at her. "Do you not want to get married?"

"Of course I do," Riley replied, lifting her hands to run her fingers through the hair at the sides of his head, sending shivers down his spine. "We kinda have to now. Julius and Brittany are coming in all the way from OZ and she can't fly much longer in her condition. I don't want them out here for nothing."

"Well, if that's the only reason," Kendall said, rolling his eyes.

"No, I want the presents, too," Riley reassured him and Kendall let out a loud laugh. She sat up to kiss his forehead. "Seriously, Kendall, I do want to marry you. It's just…three months away."

Kendall could hear the slight hint of worry in her voice. He couldn't blame her; it was three months away and they still had a lot to do. Her dad was paying for a lot of it, but he didn't want to have him spend more than they really needed. He wanted the day to be romantic for her, and she wanted the day to be just as special for him as well, but it was coming up fast and they still had a lot to do.

"Three months and then I get to call you my wife," Kendall said.

"Right," Riley replied, blinking once. She let out a sigh and pushed on his shoulders. "So, we should get going." Kendall didn't budge.

"We just got back from the airport, I think your brothers and sister can do without you for another ten minutes," Kendall said with a small huff. Riley's lips slowly curled up at the corners. A flash of mischief sparked in her yes, making the piercing blues look a little bit more electrifying than usual. He let out a sigh through his nose, waiting for the sarcastic comment that was coming.

"Selling yourself short there, don't you think, mate?" she drawled in her Australian accent. Her eyes drifted downwards for a split second before they locked on his green ones. "In more ways than one, I reckon."

"Funny."

"Aren't I though?" Riley asked, over emphasizing the bat of her eyelashes. "I'm a riot." She then pressed her lips together. "Seriously though, we need to get going. Syd will burst if he has to wait another tick for us to head over. And I'm talking about just seeing you."

Kendall chuckled before pushing himself onto his feet. "Ok, but I'll meet you there?" he asked, his eyebrows lifting. "I need to run an errand first." He shrugged his shoulders. "Plus, I figured you'd like the time alone with your family for a little while. Besides, mom and Katie are having a girl's day or whatever-" He waved his hand in the air, lifting his eyes to the ceiling to show his excitement, "—and will drop by your place later."

"And the minute Carlos knows you're back in town, he'll have the rest of them over, too," Riley explained, lacing her fingers together before cupping the back of her head with her hands. The hem of her shirt rose up slightly revealing her flat stomach and the bottom half of her nautical star tattoo.

"James will undoubtedly go on a tirade about why he should always be the first to know whenever I'm back in town," Kendall continued. He gave a peaceful smile before giving a double thumbs up "It'll be like old times."

"Bonzer," Riley replied with a nod of her head. She stretched out her hand and Kendall took her small hand into his, easily pulling her to her feet. "I'll check the mail and then see you over there, yeah?"

"Yeah," Kendall replied. He crossed the room to his closet and pulled the door open. He grasped the collar of his t-shirt and lifted it up over his head. He tugged on a shirt, pulling it off the hangar before slipping it on over his head.

He moved to his dresser and pulled it open, glancing up briefly to check that Riley wasn't in the room before reaching under a stack of his underwear to pull out a small velvet box. He tucked it into the pocket of his jeans and reached for his deodorant, quickly applying a new coat before tossing it back into his drawer, using his hip to close it.

He made his way out of the apartment, remembering to lock the door behind him, before making his way down to the lobby, spotting Riley in the "post office" area, head angled downwards as she read the unfolded paper in her hands. "What's that?" Kendall asked, stepping up beside her. Riley handed him the mail that had his name on it.

"It was for the person who had the box before us," Riley replied with a single-shoulder shrug, folding the paper back up before sliding it into her back pocket. "Internet bill." Kendall glanced down at the envelop, his eyes narrowing just slightly when he saw that it was a plain white envelope.

"Ok," he replied after a brief moment of silence, moving to kiss her on the cheek. "I'll see you at your place in a bit." He reached into his pocket for his car keys and made his way outside into the bright California sunlight.

"I'll call you as soon as I'm done with work today."

"Mhmm."

"I should be there in time for dinner, but if not I can stop and get something to eat."

"I'll tell Patrick to save you a plate."

"And tell Riles I'll be seeing her and Kendall later."

"You got it."

"And—"

"Hey!" Rhuben Jackson-McGuire, otherwise known as Rhuben Zevon, put a hand over her husband's mouth, setting the dress shirt in her hand, down onto the sink counter before facing Dak. "Would you relax? I've got it covered. Riles knows you have to work today and if Patrick tries to eat your food we'll just sit on him, yeah?"

She slowly removed her hand from his mouth, the light catching the diamonds in her wedding ring for a split second. Dak Zevon gave her a smile before turning to smile at his reflection in the bathroom mirror, working on tying his tie with shaky fingers. "What about-?"

"I'm working on the last few music files today, I'll have them sent over as soon as they're done," Rhuben replied, reaching for the shirt again. She gently shook it out before holding it out towards him. "You really need to take a chill pill, mate."

"I can't help it," Dak said with a sigh, his shoulders slumping as he removed his hands from the tie. "Today's a big day."

"For both of us," she replied. She shook the shirt, lifting her eyebrows as she waited for him to slide his arms through the sleeves. "You're going to launch your record company, and in turn, I'm going to sell a few songs I've produced for you." She lifted the shirt up over his shoulders before he turned to face her. "It'll come good."

"You sure about that?" Dak asked, starting to button up his shirt as she slid his tie around his neck, under the collar of his shirt, tightening it for him.

"You've proven that to me time and time again," Rhuben replied as she took a step back from him, smiling. "Haven't doubted you yet. Not since we've been married, anyway." She blinked slowly. "You're awesome."

Dak smiled before leaning towards, pressing his lips to hers in a sweet kiss. "I love you, too," he replied, pressing his forehead against hers, his nose pressing on the bridge of her glasses. Rhuben closed her eyes, breathing in his scent. "Wish me luck."

"You won't need it," Rhuben replied. "But, good luck."

Dak chuckled before making his way out of the bathroom and towards the apartment door. Rhuben followed him, bidding him farewell as he stepped over the threshold and into the hallway before she closed the door behind him. Letting out a sigh, she scratched the back of her neck, making her way over to the couch. She grabbed her computer from the table and curled up on the cushions.

Ten minutes later, Rhuben looked up from her computer, tilting her head back, the back of the couch cradling the back of her neck as her spilled down the back. She squinted at the front door of her apartment, slapping her thumb against the spacebar instantly cutting the music that played through her headphones. A light knock sounded on the door.

"Come in, Kenny," she called, sitting up straight, her hair flying forward, grazing past her ears before settling on her shoulders. The door to the condo opened and Kendall sauntered in, closing it behind him.

"How'd you know it was me?" Kendall asked, scratching at his hairline as he made his way over to the couch. He jumped over the back and landed on the cushions, jostling her, bouncing slightly before they settled, holding up his weight.

"You're the only one that knocks like that," Rhuben replied, pushing her glasses up her nose with her index finger. Kendall tilted his head to the side, giving her a questioning look. She held back a grin. "You've been spending too much time with my sister."

It was funny to her; she noticed how much Big Time Rush had rubbed off on her and her brothers and sister the more time she spent with them over the year, but she never thought the boys would pick up some of their mannerisms. The head tilt was practically a trade mark of Riley's, the lopsided smile Patrick's.

It was still hard for to realize at times that people looked up to her, wanted to be like her, and wanted to be around her. She bowed her head slightly, using her shoulder to brush her hair from her face. It was an even weirder thought to have as her one year wedding anniversary was coming up. A part of her just still couldn't believe she had found her Prince Charming in Dak Zevon, and that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. She was the happiest she could ever remember being and wished the same for everyone else…including her sister.

"You're acting like that's a bad thing," Kendall said with a grin, straightening the angle of his head.

"Alright, mate?" Rhuben asked, throwing her ear bud headphones over her shoulders. She made a brief face at him. "Apart from your jacked up hair cut." She clicked her tongue shaking her head back and forth. "Now's the time to go back to beanies. Seriously."

"Ha, ha," Kendall laughed sarcastically, running his fingers through his shorter hair cut.

"How are you doing, Kenny?" she asked, moving forward in her seat, stretching out her arms to give her a hug. "How's hockey?" As she settled back into her seat, she got a good look at him.

She could admit that it made him look older, and more handsome. He had also allowed his facial hair to grow out a bit more with stubble connecting his side burns to the hairs on his chin, finishing the shape with light fuzz on his upper lip.

"Hockey's great, but I'll explain all that later so I don't have to repeat it so many times," Kendall replied, rubbing his hands together. Rhuben gave him a curious look. "I wanted to run something by you, Benny." He paused for a moment. "Before I tell Riley." Rhuben nodded her head, setting her computer aside. "What's that?"

"Uhhh, just working on a wedding anniversary gift for Dak," Rhuben replied, using her hands to brush her hair back behind her ears. Kendall shifted his eyebrows upwards, giving a half smile, prompting her to go on. "You know how I gave Dak my journal stuff about him for our second anniversary last year?"

"Yeah," Kendall replied, nodding his head.

"Well, I didn't actually give him each one," Rhuben explained. "There are two I still have, one I'm going to give him for our first anniversary, and one for our fifth." She gave him a small smile. "I'm deciding on whether or not I want to add like a voice over to this picture slide show, though. I'm picking out music right now."

"That's cool," Kendall said, giving her a warm smile.

"Hey, your wedding is coming up soon," Rhuben said, leaning over to gently slap his knee and Kendall's smile grew wider.

He and Riley had gotten engaged less than a month after she and Dak had gotten married. Dak had proposed to her in between Christmas and New Year's of 2014, getting married around the same time the next year. That January, in 2016, was when Kendall proposed to Riley.

A lot of fans thought it was weird and thought he was stealing their thunder, but he had gone to the two of them ahead of time and asked if it was ok for him to do so. Who was she to stop her sister from being happy? They were getting married in a couple of months in October, and it was coming up fast.

"Is that what you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Kind of," Kendall replied with a nod of his head. "I haven't told you this, but, right before I had proposed to Riles, I had told her about my abuse and everything." Rhuben slowly nodded her head, her eyes squinting just slightly.

Kendall had told Rhuben the news first when he helped her with a photography project. He didn't want to do it at first, but knew he really couldn't move forward with her if he didn't tell her. Rhuben's project was the perfect time to get a gauge on how Riley would react. Kind of. He knew that the two of them thought differently about things, had different reactions, but he figured it'd be the best way to get an idea of multiple reactions.

She was surprised that he had entrusted her with something so important partially because she never really thought that they were that close. Nevertheless, she was glad he told her. After hearing the news, looking back on his actions in trying to get them help, it had all made sense. It was comforting in a way to know that someone she knew had gone through the same thing and understood her actions and thoughts and feelings without long winded circulatory explanations.

"And?" she prompted.

"There's something else I hadn't told her, or anyone else," Kendall slowly replied. Rhuben lifted her arm and placed it on the back of the couch, propping her head up with her hand. "James, Carlos, and Logan don't even know."

"I don't think you should be telling me first, then," Rhuben replied, shaking her head back and forth. "Especially if it's this big, especially when you're going to marry my sister. Your abuse news was one thing but…" She stopped talking when a pained expression briefly crossed his face as he waved his hand in the air. She let out a sigh through her nose. "You're best friends; you should tell her first. You're going to have to be a team on this one; if you can't tell her something like this first…" Kendall gave her a pleading look. "If you're game, mate, I guess I can't stop you from wanting a chin wag."

As the Jacksons had grown over the past couple of years without Robert around, they had shifted back into speaking more predominately with their native Australian accent. Unfortunately for their friends that meant a lot of slang words they didn't understand, but over time they had been doing a better job at understanding what they were saying. Even Ronan was picking up some of their inflections in how they said their words and phrases.

"You know as well as I do that I'm worried I'll end up being like my dad," Kendall explained. Rhuben wanted to protest, to tell him that he was nothing like his dad, but she kept her mouth shut. "I'm really getting worried about it now cause, um…" He cleared his throat, tugging at the collar of his shirt. Rhuben gave him a gentle smile before reaching out a hand to rub his knee in soothing circles. "Um…so, my dad, uh, he cheated on my mom." Rhuben felt her eyes widen. "I don't know…I think the paranoia of getting caught…or he wanted out made him…I don't know. I just don't want to do that to her."

"What makes you think you would?" Rhuben asked him, giving him a confused look. "You're an honest and loyal, bloke, Kenny. You wouldn't do that to her."

"Yeah, because she'd kill me," Kendall replied. Rhuben rolled her eyes.

"You know as well as I do that Riles' bark is worse than her bite, she wouldn't do that," Rhuben said to him. "She'd spit the dummy but she wouldn't kill you." She slowly shook her head back and forth. "I'm sorry, Kendall. Really."

"So…how do you think she's going to react?" Kendall asked, rubbing his hands together. He then brushed them up over his face. "Hockey pucks. I think I'm more nervous about that than when I proposed to her. I don't want to hurt her."

"Honestly, I think she's more worried about hurting you," Rhuben replied with a click of her tongue.

"Really?" Kendall asked quietly. He looked so small as if he had suddenly turned back into a little boy, hesitant to step out into the real world.

"Fair dinkum," Rhuben replied, twisting her mouth to the side. "It's the same reason why I was hesitant about starting anything with Dak…or any guy really. And with her bipolar and everything…" She trailed off, looking around her apartment before settling her blue eyes back on him. "Riley's my twin and I like to think that I know her as well as, and even better than you, but there are times where I really don't know how she thinks or how she'll react to something. You two though…you always found a way to relate to each other." She slowly shook her head back and forth, giving a small smile. "She really loves you, Kendall. She wouldn't be able to forgive herself if she did anything."

"Me either, Benny," Kendall replied, suddenly looking like he was going to cry. From happiness or sadness, she wasn't sure.

"It'll all come good," Rhuben replied with a chuckle. "It took me a while to believe it, but it will."

Kendall smiled.

"Was there anything else?" Rhuben asked.

"Yeah...instead of writing my vows, I wanted to sing them," Kendall replied. "I wanted to sing "You're Not Alone", actually and I was hoping…"

"You want me to choreograph for you?" Rhuben asked with a half smile. Kendall nodded. "I knew it. Of course I will."

"Oh, and what do you think of this?" Kendall asked, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a small box and flipped it around in his hand before lifting the lid, revealing a silver band with alternating diamond and ruby stones around the rim. "I picked it up from the jewelers before we left for Minnesota."

"Well, it's not my color," Rhuben replied, causing Kendall to laugh, "but I think Riles would like it."

"I'm hoping," Kendall said as he snapped the box shut. He gave her a curious look. "Were you nervous before you married Dak?" Rhuben let out a single "Ha."

"Even more nervous than any of the biggest shows I've ever performed," Rhuben replied. She let out a happy sigh. "I was shaking; wondering if we were doing things too quickly, if I was really ready for this, and worried about if I had really learned everything I could about myself before making that commitment. I wouldn't change anything." She blinked. "Are you getting nervous? Riley?"

"It was just a…weird conversation for a bit, today," Kendall replied. He pressed his lips together for a moment. "I was just wondering. That's all."

"Whatever you say," Rhuben replied, waving her hand in the air.