A/N. I'm sorry it took me so long to update. On Saturday, I received an anonymous review that kind of took away all of my inspiration for several days. Needless to say, I deleted the review and disabled anonymous reviews altogether. I've found that they can be a way for people to be nasty to others and I'm not looking to get hurt again. I also encourage my fellow writers to do the same thing because it's totally not worth it. Thanks to my friends, Lauren and Alex and Rieley for making me feel so much better and helping me out this week. You guys are the absolute best and I'm so blessed to know you all. Also, thanks to Oddbeliever for your sweet review that also made me feel a whole lot better. I love you all! I don't own anything.

"Of all the things I still remember
Summer's never looked the same
The years go by and time just seems to fly
But the memories remain

In the middle of September we'd still play out in the rain
Nothing to lose but everything to gain
Reflecting now on how things could've been
It was worth it in the end"

'September' by Daughtry.

Kendall shivers a little when he first wakes up. It's mid-September in Minnesota and the temperature has been dropping at a steady rate every day for a while now. He doesn't want to move from underneath his sleeping bag to take a look at the outdoor thermometer by the window though so he's content to remain oblivious. He tilts his head to look up at the clock and sees that it's almost 7:30 in the morning. Still early.

A quick glance to his left shows Kendall that James and Carlos are both still fast asleep on the floor and he grins thinking of how today is a school day but none of them are going. Not that he and Logan would be going anyway. Logan had braved one trip back to school and ended up going home before lunch. He didn't bother trying again and insisted that he could home school himself. He had also tried to convince the parents that he could home school his friends but so far, Kendall's mother was the only one to give in. Today, none of that matters though.

Kendall yawns sleepily and stretches out the kinks in his back that have become a part of his daily morning routine from sleeping on Logan's bedroom floor. He could care less though. It's all worth it as long as Logan is with them. With a small frown, Kendall can't help but remember the nights he spent laying in Logan's room when Logan was still missing.

"Morning."

The voice interrupts Kendall's bad memories and he looks up to see Logan watching him from the bed. The frown is exchanged for another huge grin. "Hey, Logie." Kendall inches out of his sleeping bag, careful not to disturb James and Carlos, and then joins Logan on the bed. He wraps an arm around the smaller boy's shoulder and pulls him close in a one armed hug. "Happy Birthday, Logan." He whispers.

Still sleepy, Logan simply shuts his eyes and rests his head on Kendall's shoulder. "Thanks." He finally says. "It sure is."

Kendall laughs in appreciation. "Now you know how James and I felt."

"He and Carlos really shouldn't be skipping school already." Logan shakes his head but he's smiling at the same time.

At that, Kendall snorts. "You really expected them to go today? On your birthday?"

Logan pretends to consider Kendall's question and then shrugs. "Nope. Not really. I'm glad too. I miss them when they're not here."

Kendall nods in agreement and then impulsively grabs Logan's pillow and bounces it off of Carlos' head. "Wake up, sleepy heads!"

As one, Carlos and James bolt upright, startled by Kendall's voice. Carlos catches on first and bounds to his feet and over to the bed in one quick movement. "Happy Birthday, Logie!" He sings out, stealing Logan away from Kendall long enough to give him an enormous hug.

"Thanks, Carlos." Logan smiles, happy that he no longer tenses with any unexpected contact from his best friends."Sorry that Kendall woke you up."

"It doesn't matter." James mumbles as he rises unsteadily to his feet. He stumbles over to the bed and sits on the edge and gives Logan a goofy smile, still half asleep. "Happy Birthday, buddy." Instead of trying to wrestle Logan away from Carlos, he simply pulls both of his smaller friends into a tight embrace. "How's it feel to be an old man of eighteen?"

Logan looks at him questioningly. "I'd think you would know by now. But in answer to your question, it feels exactly the same as being seventeen felt. Wait, scratch that. This is a million times better than being seventeen. I'm with you guys." He decides against telling them that he considers it a miracle that he's eighteen in the first place and simply smiles in contentment.

"We couldn't agree with you more." Kendall says seriously. Then, disliking the somewhat heavy mood around them he makes a suggestion. "Hey, before we go downstairs and the girls make us forget, let's do presents."

Before Logan can open his mouth to protest or agree, Carlos pulls out of the hug and jumps of the bed. "Great idea, Kendall!" He cheers enthusiastically. "Stay here. Don't go anywhere. I'll be right back." He walks backwards to make sure none of his friends are moving and then disappears down the hallway. He's back seconds later with an armful of wrapped presents.

"Guys, you didn't have to. . ." Logan murmurs in slight embarrassment. "I didn't really get Kendall and James that much and-"

"You mean besides getting you back?" Kendall interrupts, shaking his head. "How many times are we going to have to tell you that you're all we ever needed or wanted?"

Despite his best efforts, tears brighten Logan's eyes. "I'm sorry." He whispers. "I just wish I could have given you more but I never really had time."

This time, James speaks up. "Logie, you went ice skating with all of us for Kendall's birthday. Combining his two favorite things, best friends and skating. I know he loved it. And it meant even more to him before we all knew that it took a lot of courage for you to go out." He pauses and glances at Kendall who nods with every single word. "And me? I look at those pictures every single day. I can't tell you how much they mean to me. The only thing that means more to me are you guys and my family."

Logan nods and smiles a little through his tears. "When did you become such a sap, James?"

James grins at the teasing. "Old age I guess." He says softly. "So anyway, will you suck it up and open our presents? We didn't even get you that much."

"Please, Logie?" Carlos begs, practically shoving the smallest gift into Logan's hands. "For us?"

"Well, I can't really say no to that, can I?" Logan asks, raising his eyebrows. He smiles and then hurries to oblige Carlos. He unwraps a small light keychain in the shape of a hockey skate.

Carlos takes it from his hand and presses a tiny button. "See? It lights up." He says with a grin. "So you'll always have a light with you."

Logan takes the keychain back and holds it carefully in his hand, studying it intently. "It's perfect." He says sincerely. "Thank you." When Carlos' answer is another present, he sets the keychain aside and opens another present, this one a T-shirt with James' favorite picture of the four of them on the front.

This time, James takes it and holds it up for his own inspection. "Remember that stupid James shirt I used to wear?" He asks, shaking his head. "I thought you would like this one."

"I do." Without bothering to take his plain shirt off, Logan pulls the other one over his head, trying to ignore the way it hangs loosely on his thin frame. He's getting better every day. "This is perfect too."

"We thought you'd like these too." Carlos hands over another small present. "And they're kind of useful. I mean, not really but-"

"Carlos, let him open it and see what it is first." James says with a light laugh. But he turns serious as he watches Logan pull the wrapping paper away. "They're um, bookplates." He explains. "You put them in the front of your book instead of writing your name in them. But only certain books. Actually you can put them in any book. The guy who sold them to us just said-"

"Now who's rambling?" Carlos teases with a wide grin.

Logan is quiet as he studies the bookplates intently. They're thin slips of paper with a simple but beautiful tree design on the front. "Thank you." He finally says when Carlos and James have stopped bickering. "I love them."

"Do you really?" Kendall asks anxiously.

"Yes." Logan answers him firmly. "I really do. Everything. It's all perfect."

"We have one more!" Carlos seems about to burst and then finally tosses the last present to Logan. "Now just so you know, we didn't get you anything individually. All of this is from all of us. Except this one. This one is. . . it's from our fans too." He looks at Logan with worry written all over his face, as if he's afraid that any reminder of their time in LA might upset Logan.

But Logan looks simply curious as he carefully unwraps a box and then lifts the lid. It's a scrapbook, that much is obvious. It's huge though and he struggles a little bit to lift it out of the box. He runs his fingers over the red cover that features another picture of the four of them.

This time they're actually performing at a concert. It's strange to see such a powerful reminder of his life in LA but it doesn't really bother Logan. He regards it with a bittersweet regret that it couldn't have lasted longer while also some relief that it's over and life is relatively normal once more. He smiles at the elation that's practically radiating from their faces in the picture. "Good times huh?" He asks with a quick glance up at his friends. His eyes rest on James and before he can stop himself he blurts out a question that's been nagging him lately. "You're not mad at me for not going back are you? I mean, what about your dream?"

The room is dead quiet at first. James' mouth is hanging open until he realizes it and snaps it shut with a little force. He doesn't answer Logan right away as he struggles with words to say.

But Logan takes his silence the wrong way and his face falls in disappointment. "I'm sorry, James. I-"

"Logan," James says, shaking his head quickly. "Why would you. . . how could you think that? You mean way more to me than my "dream". I'd rather be here with you guys than anywhere else in the world right now. I'm not mad at you at all. You believe me, right? Besides, this. . ." James gestures with his hands around the room. "This is my new dream to live."

It's impossible for Logan to not believe James. He nods and looks down at the scrapbook again, blinking back tears. "Okay." He says in a whisper. Then he clears his throat. "So. . . this is from the fans too?"

James relaxes and nods cheerfully. "Yup! Open it up!"

His enthusiasm is contagious and since Carlos is already close to bouncing off the walls, Logan slowly opens the scrapbook to look at the first page. It's a typical scrapbook but it's also so much more. There's lots of pictures but there's even more letters. Fan letters.

Kendall leans forward and points to some of the letters. "These are. . . um these are from fans when you. . ." He trails off and shivers unconsciously.

Kendall doesn't need to explain though. Logan can tell by the words that the letters are from when he was missing. A lump grows in his throat as he reads the genuine concern and worry his fans had for him. One six-year-old wrote how all she asked Santa for Christmas that year was his safe return. There were plenty of older girls telling him how they had their policemen fathers out looking for him. "Wow." He says, at a loss for anything else to say.

Then as if they bring bad memories to the surface, James reaches over and flips the page. "I like these ones better." He confesses softly.

These letters are happier. They're joyful. Some are just simply get well cards but once again Logan can see that his fans truly did care about him. There's not a single mention of Big Time Rush in any of the letters. All he can see are messages from people he doesn't even know telling him that they love him and care about him and how they're praying for him and that they hope he gets well soon.

Tears blur his eyesight and he blinks rapidly so he can see to read more of the letters. "Wow." He says again. "I. . . I don't know what to say. I mean I always knew that we had the best fans in the world but this. . ." He closes the book and stares at the cover again. "How did you do this?"

"The letters have been going to Rocque Records." Kendall tells him. "Kelly and Gustavo were waiting until the volume of letters died down until they sent them here. We got them last week and decided to do something with them. There's a lot more in the downstairs closet but we wanted you to see this first."

"I wish I could thank them all." Logan says thoughtfully. "Gustavo and Kelly too. I miss them you know. I miss everyone back at the Palm Woods."

"Hm." Carlos says with his lips pressed tightly together. "Wanna go downstairs now?" He asks, trying to keep his voice steady.

Logan glances at him and then at Kendall and James. All three of them seem to be trying to hide excitement about something. "Okay." He agrees, watching as they all sigh in relief. They stand up and before they leave the room, he hugs each of them individually. "Thanks again, guys. I love everything. Really."

"Well, I bet there's some more to come." Kendall says mysteriously. "Let's go find out!" He leads the way out of the room and to the stairs where they can smell breakfast cooking in the kitchen. Downstairs they greet Mrs. Knight and Katie and Camille.

"Happy Birthday, Logan." Katie says a little shyly. She hugs and then presses something into his hand. "I made this for you. I hope you. . . like it."

Logan sits down and opens his hand to find a braided leather bracelet in his palm.

"I made it." Katie repeats, now a little nervous.

"It's beautiful, Katie." Logan says, slipping it on his wrist right away. "Thank you so much. I love it and it means a lot that you made it." He hugs her again and the releases her so his mother can steal him for a short time.

"Eighteen." Mrs. Knight says to herself. She releases Logan from her hug to look at the other boys. "How did you all grow up so fast?" When they all blush, she smiles and presses a kiss to Logan's forehead. "Happy Birthday, sweetie. I'm afraid. . ." She lifts her head and glances meaningfully at Kendall over Logan's head. "I'm afraid that my present for you won't arrive until later this afternoon."

Logan turns even redder. "That's fine." He mutters, rubbing the back of his neck. "You didn't-"

But Mrs. Knight shakes her head. "Don't be silly. Of course we did."

Camille steps forward than and embraces Logan. "Hi." She whispers softly. "I love you." She looks up at him and then at everyone else before leaving the kitchen, beckoning to Logan so he follows her. "I wanted to give this to you in private even though. . . hopefully everyone will see it." She slowly withdraws something from her pocket and hands it to Logan, keeping her hand in his for a few seconds.

It's another braided piece of leather but this one has a ring around it. Logan fingers it carefully. "They match, don't they?" He asks softly.

Camille smiles and holds up her hand to show him the ring that she hasn't taken off once. "Yes. It took me a while to find the jeweler but once I did. . . I thought you might like to wear it around your neck for something a little different. You don't have to-"

Logan cuts her off with a quick but gentle kiss and then he slowly lifts the necklace over his head and drops it. "I love it. That way if we're ever apart I have you close to my heart."

That's exactly what Camille meant it to be and she smiles. "Yes. But we never will be apart again."

The words bring an incredible amount of comfort to Logan. He smiles and leans in for another kiss. "We should get back in the kitchen before they come to see what happened to us." He says as they pull quickly apart.

Camille studies Logan carefully. He's still smiling but it's obvious there's something bothering him. "Wait a minute, Logan." She says gently. "Are you okay? Is something wrong?"

Logan looks ashamed. "I just. . . I love you so much, you know that right?" He sighs in relief when she nods right away. "I'm sorry I'm. . . afraid then. Of having a deeper relationship with you." He clarifies when Camille looks slightly confused. "It's just that. . . the last time. . ." He trails off, struggling with his words.

Understanding lights up Camille's face and her eyes brighten with sudden tears. "It's because of him isn't it? The way he. . . hurt you." Some days Logan is fine and comfortable with hugging and kissing but there are other days when he's tense and uncertain with any kind of intimate contact. When he nods, she hugs him gently. "It's fine, Logan. None of this is your fault. We'll take things slow, okay?"

Logan nods and the pain in his eyes eases a little bit. "You're incredible." He murmurs, shaking his head. He fingers the ring around his neck and then drops one last quick kiss on Camille's forehead. "Thanks for everything."

"Are you guys okay?" Katie peers tentatively around the corner and smiles in relief when she sees them. "Breakfast is ready."

After breakfast, Camille gives Logan a kiss and then leaves with Mrs. Knight and Katie to pick up his birthday present. Logan is too confused by the odd behavior that overtakes his friends than to be very reluctant to see them go. "So what's gotten into you three?" He asks suspiciously.

"Nothing." Carlos straight up lies and then stops right there because he doesn't like to lie even if it's for a surprise. "You'll see."

James laughs at the careful evasion. "What do you want to do until then, Logan?" He asks.

"Um," Logan glances out the window. "Want to go for a walk?" He suggests. "It's looking a little cloudy out there but. . . I kind of want to be outside right now."

They never think to refuse Logan any of these things lately. Kendall nods and they all pull on shoes and light jackets before stepping out into the chilly air. "Everyone dressed warm enough?" Kendall asks casually.

Logan isn't fooled though. "I'm fine, Kendall." He says with a roll of his eyes. "Thanks though."

The comforting thing is, Kendall believes him. It's been three months since Carlos' dad found Logan and he's made an incredible amount of progress in that time. He still struggles with nightmares and borders on panic attacks every once in a while but therapy along with the constant support from his family and friends has helped.

Kendall drops slightly behind Logan so he can study him without looking obvious. It's such a relief to see that he's finally getting better. He's not as thin and he's happier. It hasn't been easy at all. But they're healing. All of them. With each passing day, Kendall becomes more and more convinced that they'll make it through together.

"Are you okay, Kendall?" Logan stops and turns around to look at his friend in concern.

Kendall doesn't answer right away. He grins instead and catches up to Logan in a few long strides. "I'm great, Logie. I was just thinking."

"Can't you walk and think at the same time?" Carlos teases and he and James backtrack to join the other two.

Kendall laughs and shrugs. "Sorry, I guess I'm not very good at multitasking. Where are we going?"

"The pond?" Logan suggests hopefully. He can't remember the last time he's been there and that's not a fact he appreciates very much. But he's not prepared for the reactions he gets.

James stops walking so suddenly that Logan bumps into him. Kendall and Carlos seem to trip each other up at the same time. It takes a few seconds for all of them to steady each other and when they do, three boys seem to be struggling with something.

"Is something wrong?" Logan asks in confusion.

"N-nothing." Carlos says right away. "It's just. . . nothing. Let's go."

Logan stares after his friends for an instant as they walk off. Then he decides to keep quiet and follows them without another word. They reach their destination fairly quickly and he sighs in perfect contentment. There's something about the familiarity of the place where they all first met and it gives him a sense of peace. "We should go skating on here when it freezes over." He says quietly. When he's met by silence, he glances over at his friends. "What's wrong? And don't say nothing. You all look upset about something. What is it?"

James looks at Carlos to see a tear slide down the younger boy's face and then he glances at Kendall. His other friend's jaw is set firmly like it gets when Kendall is trying his hardest not to show his weakness in front of them. "Logan," He says softly because someone has to tell him. "We. . . the last time we were here. . . you weren't with us."

"Oh." Logan looks like he understands a little more but he waits for a better explanation.

Kendall takes a deep breath and then wraps an arm around Logan. "The last time we were here was in November. We weren't the only ones here. The whole neighborhood was here too. We were here for you. We. . . lit candles and everything." He stops and takes a shuddering breath as the memory comes flooding back. He shuts his eyes and sucks in another deep breath, trying to hold himself together. Logan is doing so well. It's his birthday. He doesn't need Kendall to-

"It's okay to cry." Logan says quietly. His own eyes are filling but he wipes the tears away and smiles encouragingly at Kendall.

Kendall sinks to his knees because he's not sure if his legs will hold him anymore. The memory is hitting him with frightening force. His body starts to jerk with sobs that he's held back for so long and when he feels Logan's arms around him, he cries freely. "I'm sorry." He chokes out. "I'm okay."

"You're fine." Logan tells him. "We're all fine." He looks to James and Carlos who have gone from being on the verge of tears to in tears as soon as Kendall started crying. "Maybe we shouldn't have come here."

"No." Carlos shakes his head. "I'm glad we did. Now. . . now we have good memories again."

Kendall sits up slowly, his breathing becoming regular once again. "Carlos is right." He says after a while. "I didn't want to come here because I was afraid. Now, I don't really know what I was afraid of. I don't- We don't have to be afraid anymore."

Logan's face brightens and he nods. "Exactly." He says softly."Come on. We'd better head back. It's looking like rain." He stands up and then pulls Kendall to his feet as well.

Kendall glances up at the sky and blinks as a drop of rain lands directly in one of his eyes. "Shoot." He mumbles. He pulls of his jacket and shoves it into Logan's hands, only to have to shoved right back at him. "Logan, just take it." He tries to insist.

"I don't need it." Logan shakes his head, slightly annoyed but relieved to see that Kendall is back to being his overprotective self. The sky chooses that moment to completely open up and within seconds they're all soaked. He glares at Kendall who is more soaked than the rest of them. "Well, let's go"

James takes a handful of steps forward before he promptly slips and falls into an especially large puddle. "Argh!" He exclaims, jumping to his feet. He sees Kendall smirking at him and opens his mouth to retort but something stops him.

Carlos is the first to laugh at the expression on James' face. He hasn't laughed since before Logan disappeared and the sound startles him but not enough to make him stop. It's like he's making up for lost time as he collapses to the ground, laughing so hard that his sides ache and tears stream down his face. "S-sorry." He gasps out a pathetic apology to poor James who is probably wet and miserable. .

But James isn't miserable at all. If he knew that falling in a puddle would make Carlos laugh again, he would have done it ages ago. And just when he thinks that today can't possibly get any better, it does.

Carlos has always had a contagious laugh. His whole sunny personality was infectious. And even though a cloud was hung over that sunshine, it was only a temporary cloud. So before Logan knows it, he's laughing too. It surprises him as much as his friends but he doesn't bother to ponder the revelation. He's determined to simply enjoy the moment. "Y-you should s-see y-your face!" He tells James in between gasps of air.

James glances at Kendall and at the same time, enormous smiles split across their faces. James has been aching to hear the sound of pure and joyous laughter for so long. It's everything he's dreamed of and hoped for and so much more.

Every time that Carlos and Logan start to get control of themselves, they look at each other and dissolve into uncontrollable laughter once again. When they finally get to where they can talk and breathe properly again, they stand up, clutching their aching sides. "Are. . . you okay, James?" Logan can barely meet James' gaze as he fights to keep a straight face.

James laughs and throws an arm across Logan's shoulders. He looks up at the sky, suddenly remembering that it's still pouring and as healthy as Logan seems, they should get him warm and dry as soon as possible. "Never better, Logie." He promises before stepping forward again, this time with his friends at his side.

They hurry back to the house and get inside just before it starts raining so hard that they can't even see. Mrs. Knights' van is already sitting in the driveway and Kendall exchanges worried glances with Carlos and James as they open the door.

"Kendall Knight, where on earth have you been?" Mrs. Knight demands as soon as they walk into the family room. Before any of the boys can answer, she notices their soaked appearances. "Why, you're all absolutely soaked!" She says in alarm, already advancing on Logan. "What happened-"

Logan ducks away and walks slowly over to the small group of people sitting on the couch. He stands in front of them, shy at first, unsure of how to greet them. But then he doesn't have to say anything because the woman there stands up and embraces him as tears stream silently down her face. "Hi, Kelly." He says softly, hugging her back.

"Logan," She whispers right before pulling away. She cups his face in between her shaking hands and looks at him closely before she allows herself a smile. "It's so good to see you again. We've missed you so much. How are you?"

"Better." Logan answers honestly. Then he looks at her clothes and blushes. "I'm sorry, I got you all wet."

Kelly laughs and wipes away her tears. "Logan, don't worry about that. They're just clothes." As if to convince him even more that she doesn't care, she hugs him again before finally stepping away.

Kelly's boss, Gustavo Rocque stands up then, looking extremely uncomfortable with all the emotion in the room. He clears his throat in the awkward silence. "Logan," He begins and then stops.

Logan isn't at all hurt by Gustavo's behavior. He knows that his former manager is glad to see him again but he's not used to such a delicate situation. "Hi, Gustavo." He finally says, hoping to put the man at ease. "It's great to see you too."

Gustavo gives a jerky nod. "Yeah. You too. Um. . . happy birthday."

"Thanks." Logan smiles. "And thanks for coming." He then turns away from Gustavo and Kelly to greet the third person who is still sitting. "Hi, Jo."

Kendall's girlfriend bounds to her feet with a big smile on her face and disregarding his wet clothes, hugs him tightly. "You look great, Logan." She says happily.

"I feel great." Logan tells her, earning another another huge smile.

"Okay," Camille swoops in then and hands Logan a pile of clean and dry clothes. "You need to get a shower now. By the time you're done, everyone else will be here and we can eat lunch."

Logan laughs and gives his girlfriend a quick kiss before obediently heading up the stairs with his friends at his heels. "Who wants to go first?" He asks, turning just in time to see three pairs of eyes roll at his question. "Okay then, I'll go."

After his shower, he feels so much better. He waits in his room with his friends until all of them are ready and then they head back downstairs. Everyone else is indeed already there. James' parents and Carlos' big family as well as Kendall's father. Even Justin and Luke are there.

When the cake is served without a single candle adorning the top, Logan sneaks a glance at Camille who shakes her head and nods in Kendall's direction. Logan feels a rush of gratitude toward his friend and tries to catch his eye to thank him for the quiet gesture of protectiveness but Kendall has already turned bright red and pretends to be busy, handing out napkins.

Later, Logan is given some more presents. Jo presents him with a beautiful collector's edition of his favorite book series, The Lord of the Rings and Kendall's dad gives him new hockey skates. He unwraps a leather journal from Justin who takes him aside to explain the importance of writing in it so that he can read the progress he's making. But it's what Gustavo and Kelly present him with that renders Logan speechless for several long seconds.

"I. . . I can't take this." He finally says in barely a whisper. "It's too much." He stares at the check in his hands and counts the zeros again, baffled when it comes out to the same number as before. "Gustavo. . . Kelly. . . this is a hundred thousand dollars."

Gustavo shifts uncomfortably in his chair. "College is expensive." He mumbles. "We know how much it means to you. Now you don't have to worry."

"But. . ." Logan tries to protest again. "It's too much."

"Logan," Kelly says gently. "It's not enough." She doesn't mean that the amount of money isn't enough. She means that nothing they could have given them would ever be enough to convey how grateful they are that he's back with everyone safe and sound and healing.

Logan has no choice but to understand and accept the gift. "Thank you." He says with feeling. "This means so much."

Gustavo turns scarlet but simply gives another short nod. "You deserve it." He says so quickly at quietly that his words are barely coherent.

Luke glances at Mrs. Knight and after receiving a smile, he stands up. "Logan, I'll be right back with my present." Before Logan can protest the offer, Luke disappears down the hall and down the basement.

Logan waits in an uncertain silence. He looks around the room but can tell that Mrs. Knight and Carlos' father are the only ones who know what Luke is up to. Just before he thinks he might go crazy with the anticipation, Luke reappears and Logan's mouth falls open.

Luke is holding a tiny German Shepard puppy in his arms as he approaches Logan. "He's sleeping." The detective apologizes as he kneels in front of Logan to hand him the sleeping puppy. "I spent the morning playing with him so that he was nice and tired for today but. . ." He smiles as the puppy sighs deeply after the careful transfer. "I might have tired him out a little more than I meant to."

"Where. . ." Logan trails off as he stares at the dog. He's a tiny mass of soft dark brown fur with a black nose that pokes out, just visible against that hair. He opens his eyes and stares up at Logan before licking his hands with a rough pink tongue and going back to sleep, perfectly content.

"Our dogs." Luke answers quietly, gesturing to Carlos' father. "Some of us on the force are assigned a dog as an extra partner. Mine is this little guy's mommy. Her name is Shadow and she's been crushing on the chief's dog Scout for a while now. He grins at Mr. Garcia. "Almost four months ago they, uh, had an unsupervised meeting."

"Six pups." Mr. Garcia says with a shake of his head. "I blame Shadow. Anyway, they're Luke's but he can't keep them all of course."

Luke leans closer to Logan and whispers. "I would if I could but my apartment complex only allows one pet for each tenant. I had to work hard enough to convince my landlord to let the puppies stay until they were old enough to leave. My brother is a dog breeder so I gave him the three girls. And my sister took the other boys for her twin sons. I thought you would like this guy."

"I. . . I do." Logan stammers, still stunned by the gift.

"You couldn't ask for better breeding even if it was accidental." Luke muses. "Shadow and Scout are the two bravest dogs I've ever known. He'll take good care of you, this one."

"I believe it." Logan replies, softly. "Thank you, Luke." He sets the dog on his lap so he can pet it. "I love him already. Does he. . . does he have a name?"

Luke shakes his head. "I've been calling him pup. I wanted his owner to name him.

His owner. Logan smiles. "I've never had a pet before. What should I name him?"

"That's up to you, Logie." Luke tells him. "But you know. . . Baldwin is a name of German origin. It means "brave friend". Someone that will lay down his life for his companion. A big name for this pup to live up to but it's in his blood."

The puppy wakes up and blinks sleepily. Logan strokes the top of its head and smiles. "Look, he knows his name already. Baldwin. It's perfect."

Just then Carlos' father clears his throat and looks at his wife and James' parents. "Well, Logan, now that me detective has stolen the spotlight I think there's one more present for you. And you can mostly thank my son for this one."

Carlos looks up from staring at Baldwin. "Me?" He asks in confusion.

"Yes, you." Mr. Garcia tries to look stern but ends up smiling. "You and your school work."

"Oh?" Carlos looks like he knows what his father is talking about but he's still confused. "What about me and my school work?"

"How about the fact that you haven't turned in any homework assignments this year?"

"Carlos!" Logan exclaims, looking appalled. "You haven't done any of your homework?"

Carlos blushes and frowns at his friend's disapproval. "I don't want to go to school." He says quietly.

"We've noticed." His father says, rolling his eyes. "And according to James' parents he could be doing better as well."

"Why haven't you guys asked me for help?" Logan shakes his head. "School is important and-"

"I think they were trying to make a point." Mr. Diamond finally says. "And we've all decided that if you're up to it, we'll put them in a homeschooling program and you can help them."

Right away, Logan's eyes light up. "Really?" He asks hopefully.

Mr. Diamond nods. "We know that you've been wanting to do so but. . . well we wanted them in school and we weren't sure that it would be fair to give you such a work load. However, if you're feeling up to it and if our sons promise to work a lot harder than they have been, then we think it would be okay to at least try it."

James and Carlos say nothing but merely look at Logan for the answer. Logan doesn't hesitate. "Of course I'm up to it." He replies confidently. He grins when James and Carlos exchanged high fives with each other. "I'll make sure they'll get all their work done."

"Trust me." Kendall says with a laugh. "Logan is better than any teacher I've had at making sure I get everything done. Of course, he's also better than any teacher I've ever had, period."

Logan turns bright red at the praise but grins. "When can we get started?" He asks eagerly.

"Next Monday." Mrs. Garcia replies promptly, smiling to see how excited all of the boys are. Even though she's not thrilled with the way her son has been neglecting his homework, it seems like it all worked out for the best. Because when she looks at Logan and sees how alive he is after the horror he's dealt with, it makes it all worth it in the end.

"Can we go home now?" Carlos pleads. It's his eighteenth birthday and his friends forced him into a long walk to get him out of the house. He doesn't mind walking with his friends and they have Baldwin too so that's even better. But he's practically dying of curiosity.

Logan grips the leash with both hands and quickens his strides as his puppy strains against the red nylon material. He glances over his shoulder at Kendall who checks his phone before shaking his head. "Not yet, Carlos. They um, they're not ready."

"Logan, do you want me to take him?" James eyes Baldwin who is looking like he's going to break into a run any second now. He's only three months now but he's grown a lot and is pretty much dragging Logan down the sidewalk.

But Logan shakes his head and finally manages to stop the dog. "No, I've got him. Thanks though. Where do you guys think we should go now?"

Kendall looks in concern at his friend. Baldwin is young but Logan has him trained so well already. Still, the walk, or rather run, seems to have taken a lot out of Logan who is still recovering. "How about we head home and hang out there for a while?"

Logan gives him a pointed look because he knows exactly why Kendall made that particular suggestion. But he shrugs and nods. "Sounds good to me." He says casually. "Come on, buddy." He says to Baldwin who promptly leaps forward with a giant bound that nearly takes Logan off of his feet.

James shakes his head and catches up to the pair in a few long strides. He doesn't take the leash from Logan but he wants to be sure that he's okay. "So Logie, can I ask you a question?" He says with a grin.

Logan glances at him. "Well," He begins. "By asking me if you can ask me a question, you have already asked me a question. But you can ask me another one if you want." He laughs when James stares at him in confusion. "What's up?"

"Um," James tries to remember what his original question is and then laughs when it comes back to him. "So are you taking your dog for a walk or is he taking you for one?"

Logan rolls his eyes but laughs. "That's a really old joke, James."

The taller boy shrugs. "Well, I'm sure Carlos would have something funnier to say but Shortie is having trouble keeping up with the pace being set by your crazy dog."

Carlos comes up behind them, jogging to keep up. "Don't make fun of the birthday boy, James." He protests with a grin. "I can't help it if I'm. . ." He pauses.

"Vertically challenged?" Logan guesses lightly. He laughs but stops when he nearly trips over Baldwin who has come to a sudden halt. "What is it, boy?" He asks. He watches the sudden stiff posture come over the young dog and then follows his gaze. "Oh." He says softly.

Kendall frowns at the small cluster of news reporters waiting outside on his own front lawn. "Should we-" He begins to suggest that they try to sneak through the back door but it's too late. They've been spotted. He steps directly in front of Logan and tries to stay calm while memories of their last encounter with the press, flash before his eyes.

As they boys are approached, the number of reporters seems to grow from three to six or seven. Logan desperately wants them to go away and leave him alone forever. Their presence is nearly suffocating and even with his three friends and even Baldwin, shielding him protectively, he feels like he can barely breath because of the oncoming panic. But then out of the corner of his eye, he sees an especially bold reporter shove past Carlos in an attempt to get closer to him. Logan watches helplessly as Carlos, caught of guard by the force of the shove, stumbles and then falls awkwardly to the ground. He cries out in pain and then sits up, cradling his left wrist close to his chest. Anger stirs inside of Logan and he forgets all about being afraid. Before he even realizes what he's doing, he advances on the guilty reporter. "What is wrong with all of you?" He demands in a shout.

Instantly, everyone goes perfectly silent. The reporters all stare at him in shock while Kendall, James and Carlos look equally surprised. Carlos struggles to his feet with James' help and looks worriedly at his friend. "Logie-"

"What do you want from me?" Logan asks, ignoring Carlos' concern. He's still shaking but it's no longer from fear. He's furious. "Why can't you just leave me and my friends all alone? It's been months and I haven't talked to you about what happened. What makes you think I'll ever want to talk about it?"

A petite blonde woman steps forward. "The public deserves to know." She insists. The shock has already worn off and they're all back to caring about getting the story of the decade.

Logan shakes his head. "No they don't." He spits out. "It's my life that you all want to world to know but have you ever thought for one second about what I want? Do you even care? Don't you think that I deserve some privacy?"

"We just want to know what it was like." Someone in the back of the group says.

"What do you think it was like?" Logan glares at them until they all take a few steps backwards. He resists the urge to let go of the leash and let Baldwin go because the dog is far from happy. He's barking and growling and the hair is standing up, showcasing the protective aggression that runs in his blood. "What do you think it was like to live in the basement of some psycho who tortured me every day and every night? What do you think it was like for me to have no idea if I would ever be rescued? Do you think I enjoyed it? Maybe I liked it when he beat me one minute and then made out with me the next. No. I hated every second of it and I hated him. I'm glad he's dead. Is that enough or do you want me to go on?"

"Please, go on."

Logan stares at them in disbelief. "Are. . . are you serious? Do you care about anything other than getting your story? Don't you care about me or my friends at all? Fine. Here's what it;s like for me now. I have nightmares and panic attacks every once in a while and I hate that too. I'm sure some of you remember what happened last time when I had the misfortune of running into you." A bitter smile crosses his face when he sees that they're finally starting to look uncomfortable. "I have to deal with idiots with you every single day. People who have no respect for my privacy or my feelings. They just care about what happened to me because they have a sick sense of curiosity. I'm just sick of you. Quit your jobs and take sensitivity training okay? Maybe that will help you become more human because right now you're just horrible and you should be ashamed of yourselves. How do your families stand you? I mean, all you care about is getting paid. You have no feelings."

"Logan," James places his hand on Logan's shoulder. "You don't have to-"

But Logan pulls gently away and hands James Baldwin's leash. "I'm not finished." He says, his tone softening just for James. Then he turns back to the reporters and his voice is hard once again. "Look, right now I'm just trying to move on and all you're doing is holding me back. So just stay out of my life." Logan points at Carlos who is still holding his injured wrist. "You hurt one of my best friends today. If you had any sense at all you would know that you've gone way too far and that you could get into serious trouble now. All I want is for you to get out of my life and stay out of it. Leave me and my friends and family alone. There. You have your story. Are you happy Go ahead and share it with the world."

At last Logan falls silent and for a full minute no one speaks. Then the reporters back off, breaking eye contact while they murmur softly that they won't release any of what Logan has just told them. It's ironic because they finally have what they've been waiting for and now they're choosing to keep it to themselves.

Logan ignores all of them and takes Carlos by his uninjured wrist, pulling him to the safety of the house. He tosses a quick glance over his shoulder to see that James and Kendall are right behind them with Baldwin. Once inside, Logan breathes a sigh of relief and then turns to Carlos. All the anger has evaporated and there's only concern on his face. "Let me see your wrist."

Carlos obeys instantly, letting Logan inspect his wrist which is already swollen. "Logan," He says admiringly "You were great out there."

"We're all really proud of you, Logan." Kendall says in agreement while James simply nods. "That took a lot of courage for you to stand up for yourself the way you did."

Logan frowns as he carefully pokes and prods Carlos' wrist, feeling for any broken bones. "Yeah, well they crossed a line today." He says quietly. "James, can you get me the first aid kit please?"

James nods again and disappears to run up the stairs.

Logan brings his attention back to Carlos. "I don't think its broken, just sprained. Can you move it?"

Carlos tentatively takes his wrist from Logan and moves it back and forth, wincing only slightly. "Yea, and it's already not hurting as much as it was before."

"Good." Logan says in satisfaction. "We'll ice it and then wrap it. Kendall?"

Kendall leaves for the kitchen for an ice pack and for the moment it's just Logan and Carlos and Baldwin who lays at Logan's feet.

"I'm sorry, Carlos." Logan sighs. "You should have never gotten hurt like this and it's your birthday."

But Carlos rolls his eyes. "It's not a big deal. Just think of why I got hurt. I got shoved over by some jerk reporter because he was trying to talk to you. You're back and that's all that matters."

Before Logan can reply, James and Kendall return at the same time and he changes the subject. "We'll use the RICE method." He says, handing Carlos the ice pack. "Rest, ice, compression, and elevate." His phone vibrates and he glances at it and then gives James and Kendall a meaningful look. "Then, once you're done icing it, I'll wrap it and he can head over to your house."

Carlos brightens at the prospect of finally figuring out what the big secret it but he knows that no present in the world can compare to the fact that he's celebrating his eighteenth birthday with his three best friends.

When Logan deems Carlos' wrist iced enough to wrap, James hands him the packet of ACE bandages and Logan skillfully wraps the gauze-like material carefully around the sore wrist, apologizing softly when Carlos winces slightly. "There." He steps back to inspect his handy-work.

"Thanks, Logan." Carlos says gratefully. "Can we head over to my house now?"

Logan laughs at the hopeful expression on his face and looks at James and Kendall. "I don't know. . ." He begins slowly. "Do you guys think we should wait a while or what?"

"I think we should wait at least another hour." James says as seriously as he possibly can. "Just to be sure they're ready."

"Guys!" Carlos protests.

Kendall laughs. "All right, let's go. We'll drive." He adds decisively, pulling his car keys out of his pocket. He looks cautiously outside and then wraps an arm around Logan's shoulders, smiling a little when he sees James mimic the protective gesture with Carlos. Baldwin trots at their heels and hops eagerly into the car settling across the third row seat of the van. The drive doesn't take long at all but Kendall would rather not risk any more incidents. He pulls up to the curb and laughs as Carlos and Baldwin spill out of the van and race to the door. The others follow more slowly but arrive just in time to hear Carlos' mother.

"What on earth happened to you, Carlos?" Mrs. Garcia demands in motherly concern. The volume of her voice though attracted the attention of everyone in the house and the boys have to force their way through the doorway.

"We ran into some reporters on our way back from our walk." Logan tries to keep his tone causal but the underlying fear and anger is still all to clear. He pretends to be preoccupied with his dog instead of facing the scrutinizing stares that move from Carlos right to him.

"Are you okay, Logan?" Camille walks over and touches his hand.

Logan nods quickly. "Yeah. Really I am. But Carlos got shoved over and sprained his wrist."

Mr. Garcia and Luke automatically stiffen at Logan's words. "Shoved?" The chief asks in a tense voice. "On purpose?"

Logan shrugs. "I guess. They. . . they were trying to get to me. But I got mad and um, yelled at them a lot."

This time the two policemen look surprised at first and then smile. Luke leans over and scratches Baldwin behind the ears, earning several sloppy wet kisses in return. "What did you tell them?" He asks curiously.

"I told them to leave me alone. . . among other things." Logan grins. "They got what they deserved.. Anyway, can we show Carlos his present now?"

Mrs. Garcia smiles broadly and nods. "I think that's a wonderful idea, Logan. Why don't the four of you head on up? The rest of us will join you in a little while. Carlos, you should know that it was Logan's idea."

Logan rubs the back of his neck an shrugs. "But it's from everyone." He emphasizes the last word and then glances at Luke who is still babying the dog. "Are you okay with him?"

Luke nods. "Of course. Unless you want him up there with you."

"No, it's fine." Logan smiles. "See you all in a bit." He turns and leads the way up the stairs to Carlos' room, stopping at the closed door. "Carlos, close your eyes."

"Do I have to?" Carlos pleads.

"Yes." James, Kendall and Logan say simultaneously.

Carlos rolls his eyes but complies, keeping his eyes closed even when he hears the door open. Then he's very gently shoved forward and into his room. Then instant he hears Logan tell him to open his eyes, he does so and gapes at what he sees. "Swirly!" He finally proclaims and rushes to the slide that has appeared in his room as if by magic. He stops at the foot of the stairs that lead to the platform and spins around back to Logan. "You!"

"Me!" Logan braces himself for Carlos' hug but the younger boy falters at the last minute and is very gentle and careful.

"This was your idea!" Carlos says excitedly.

"Well," Logan gently frees himself from the tight embrace and steps away. "Like I said, it's from everyone so-"

"But it was your idea." Carlos insists, stubbornly.

Logan gives in with a nod. "Yeah. See, because we- I mean you. . . had to leave. . ." With each word he speaks, his voice gets quieter until he trails off and leaves his friends to finish his sentence in their heads.

For the briefest time, the mood in the room is dampened considerably and they all regard the ridiculous contraption somewhat solemnly. Carlos drapes an arm over Logan's shoulder and rests his head on Logan's. "Well," He says quietly. "I think it's pretty cool that I can tell everyone the second best present I got this year was a swirly slide in my bedroom." He releases Logan and gives him the tiniest shove forward. "You get the first ride."

Logan staggers forward and shakes his head. "But it's your-"

"Birthday." Carlos finishes. "Right. So you're supposed to do what I tell you to."

James grins and nods at Logan. "He's got a point there, Logie. Now hurry up so the rest of us can go."

Logan obliges and walks up the stairs with Carlos right at his heels. "Happy Birthday, Carlos." He says over his shoulder.

"It sure is." Carlos says firmly. "The best birthday ever."

A/N. I like how I gave Logan and Carlos wonderful birthdays. Luke is my favorite. Baldwin is a cute puppy. And um. . . oh yeah, Carlos kind of got hurt on his birthday but it was all for a good cause right? Right. Anyway, this was a super long chapter but I'd really appreciate it if you would take a minute or two to review. Thanks so much for all of the wonderful support!