Kendall was at his desk writing vigorously over a cup of coffee, his new article due in… One day. Great. He should spend less time thinking about James and more time thinking about the real world- you know, his job?

But he was worried. He hadn't heard from James since their little quarrel at his new apartment a few days ago. He was sure he had made James so mad he didn't want to even know Kendall anymore.

That was a shame- Kendall really liked James a lot. He was fun an adorable father, not to mention sexy as all hell. He was the perfect man to help Kendall move on from Logan.

Kendall stared at the few paragraphs of the article on his computer he had written. The words just weren't flowing like they usually did…

The phone buzzed, making him jump. James. Maybe this was it. This would determine where they stood.

"Hello?" Kendall answered casually, like he hadn't even thought about James since that night.

"Kendall?" James asked in a panic. "I need you."

"That's what I like to hear."

"You perv. I need a babysitter."

"Katie's out," Kendall said apologetically.

"No I want you to do it. Look, I have work and Mom's out of town. Are you busy?" James pleaded.

"Um…" Kendall looked at his work, which he really should finish… "No. Should I come get him?"

"I'll bring him. Is it okay if he stays the night?"

"Of course."

"You're a lifesaver."

"Kendall!" Oliver smiled excitedly, bursting into the house as soon as Kendall opened the door to his apartment.

"Hey, buddy. Long time no see," Kendall laughed, picking the kid up and sitting him on his hip. James stepped in and smiled, putting a backpack of Oliver's things for the night.

"No seafood," James said sternly to both the boys. "Olly, you know what you can't have. And be good. Stay away from the stairs, and-"

"I've got it," Kendall said soothingly. He still had no idea where they stood, and nothing in James's phone call said anything about how he felt toward Kendall.

"He's been acting a little weird today… I don't know what's wrong," he said, smoothing down Oliver's hair. "I think he might be getting a cold."

"He just missed me," Kendall smirked a little.

James smiled a little and sighed, stepping forward to kiss Oliver's hair.

"I love you," he sang. "Have fun."

He kissed Oliver's lips this time, then turned to Kendall and kissed his cheek, surprising Kendall.

"You're the best," he said seriously. "If you need anything text me."

"You're full of surprises, aren't you?" Kendall smirked.

"I'm sorry about the other night and for not calling," James said, like he was reciting. "I have no excuse. I'll be back at about seven-thirty."

With that, James kissed Kendall's lips and was off.

Kendall picked Oliver up, sitting him at the table before serving him a plate of a hotdog and macaroni and cheese.

"Eat up," Kendall said, sitting with his own plate before him. After a second, he started to take a bite of his hotdog but froze when he noticed that Oliver wasn't eating.

"What's wrong?" Kendall prodded. "Why aren't you eating?"

"Mommy always cuts my hotdog up," Oliver said quietly.

"Oh… No problem, buddy. I can do that," Kendall said. "Anything else?"

"No…" Oliver sighed, obviously bothered by something as Kendall took the hotdog out of the bun and started to cut it.

"What's going on, Oliver?" Kendall asked frankly. "You can tell me. We're friends, right?"

Oliver's hazel eyes rose to Kendall's green ones, and he lay the side of his head in his palm.

"I miss Mommy. When is she coming back from Heaven?"

Kendall paused, feeling panic rise in him. His eyes averted and he finished with his work on Oliver's meal without saying anything.

"I don't know what to tell you, little man," Kendall said awkwardly, sitting back. "This is something you should ask your daddy."

"Do you know?"

"No… No, I don't know," Kendall lied. "I'm sorry that you miss her. But hey, you get to spend a lot of time with Daddy now, right? Don't you like that?"

"But he's always gone."

Kendall fell silent again, looking over as Oliver started to eat.

"Don't be sad," Kendall finally said. "You're here to have fun!"

"I can't have fun."

"Why?"

"I don't feel that good."

"What do you mean?"

"I feel sick."

Kendall's brows bunched and he pressed his palm to Oliver's forehead, finding that it was burning. Now that he was looking, Oliver's cheeks were flushed and his eyes were dull.

"I'm done eating," Oliver said, pushing his plate away, mostly full.

It was rare that Oliver have no appetite, and even rarer that he wasn't in his usual chipper and hyper mood. Especially around Kendall.

"Let's go watch TV," Kendall suggested, picking Oliver up and carrying him to the couch. "You'll feel better after a little rest."

"Will you lay with me, Kendall?" Oliver asked.

After an hour of Oliver laying in Kendall's lap wrapped in a blanket, Kendall felt that Oliver's forehead was still burning and his nose was running.

"What does your daddy usually do when you're sick?" Kendall asked. He felt like a bad person for having no idea what to do with a sick kid, but he really had no clue.

"He gives me my special medicine."

"What medicine?"

"It's purple and really yucky. But mommy was scared that other medicine would make me have allergies like when I have shrimp."

Though he was confused, Kendall nodded a little. He called up his mother to come help. He knew she loved taking care of sick kids anyway.

"Well," Kendall said to his mom, pulling the thermometer from Oliver's mouth. "The cold bath hasn't helped at all. He's still at 103.3."

"Oh my… That usually works wonders…"

"What do we do?" Kendall asked in a panic, staring at Oliver sitting in the bathtub full of cold water. Oliver wiped his nose silently, sniffling.

"Maybe we should go to their house and look for the medicine. You don't wanna give him anything his mom didn't want him to have, you know? That or we take him to the ER."

"No. James has crazy trust issues… He wouldn't like us rummaging through his house or taking Oliver to the hospital without his consent…"

"Then call him. He'll make an exception."

"I've tried. He's working."

"Well… It looks like all we can do is wait, then," Mrs. Knight sighed. "He'll fight the fever himself, but it won't be easy. Sleep will help."

"Thanks, Mom."

Mrs. Knight pulled Oliver out of the water and wrapped him in a towel, carrying him to Kendall's big, fluffy bed and burying him in blankets.

"How about some ice cream or a Popsicle?" Mrs. Knight asked as she turned on the TV for Oliver. Oliver looked up at Kendall and his lip quivered.

"I want Daddy."

"Daddy's working, little guy," Kendall answered softly, going to sit on the bed. "How about you try to sleep? He'll be here in the morning."

Oliver reluctantly snuggled into the blankets and closed his eyes. Kendall looked up at his mom worriedly.

"So I take it you and James are okay again?" she asked softly. Of course Kendall told her everything that happened. He had to tell someone.

"I hope so."

"Well you said he's got trust issues, and God knows he's protective of his baby… He must really like you a lot if he's leaving Oliver here alone with you," Mrs. Knight smiled.

"Which is why I wanna do the right thing here. I can't mess it up."

"Have you ever considered that you might be this child's other parent figure soon?"

A pit formed in Kendall's stomach and he looked down at Oliver with wide eyes.

"That's scary… I'm not ready for that," Kendall whispered in panic. "Besides… It's too early to be thinking about it. James and I aren't really anything right now."

"But you want to be."

"Of course I wanna be."

Mrs. Knight grinned knowingly and got up, habitually tidying up the bedroom. Kendall stared at Oliver, who was sleeping now. If he and James became serious sometime soon… Did that mean Kendall was Oliver's "other daddy"? Was Kendall ready to be responsible for a kid?

Two hours later, Kendall was pacing the apartment with Oliver in his arms, the child screaming and crying for his dad.

"Mom! Help!" Kendall pleaded to his mother, who was sitting at the table with a cup of coffee. "What do I do?"

"You let him tire out and fall asleep," she said with a shrug. "It always worked with you and Katie."

"It's been half an hour," Kendall snapped. "I need a better plan."

"It's your only option."

"The hell if it is," Kendall grumbled as Oliver paused to wipe his nose and eyes on Kendall's shoulder before continuing to cry noisily.

"What're you gonna do, then?" Mrs. Knight asked.

"I'm taking him to James. I'm not ready for this," Kendall said, moving to get Oliver's things. "I can't be asked to take care of a kid with a raging fever."

"Kendall," his mom warned. "He won't like to be taken out of work."

But Kendall had his mind set, and she knew it.

When they arrived at the club, Oliver was still crying.

"Where are we?" he asked with a sniffle, looking up at the neon sign.

"I'll be back," Kendall said angrily. He wasn't very happy with the whole situation, and it was mainly because he was preoccupied with what his mom said earlier about him being Oliver's parent soon.

He got out of the car, leaving Oliver and Mrs. Knight in the back seat. He heard Oliver start to scream again.

Kendall reached out for the door handle and paused. Was he really going to give up? This was his chance to prove to James that he was worthy. That he would do anything for him…

But James would like to know what was going on with Oliver. He would probably like to take care of him himself…

Before he could decide, the door opened and a group of women came out, giving Kendall and glimpse of the inside of the club. There were strobe lights and men in practically nothing…

He had no choice now. He had to go in.

His feet carried him inside, and immediately he was greeted by a short and muscular Latino with a huge smile and a tray of drinks in his hand.

"Welcome!" he shouted over the music as he passed.

Then another waiter passed, making Kendall practically drool in his tight boxer-briefs and bow-tie.

His eyes were then drawn to the stage, where a very muscly man was dancing on the pole. He had on short sparkly boxer-briefs and was working the pole like an expert. Kendall was drawn to the foot of the stage, staring up.

The man caught his eye and fell to his hands and knees, becoming eye-level with Kendall.

"Hey, sexy," the man said flirtatiously, and the voice made a connection in Kendall's mind. It was James. Dear God, this man with the sparkly hairspray and the eyeliner, who was wearing practically nothing and was basically screwing Kendall with his eyes was James…

"Oh, God," Kendall whimpered. James bit his lip and wiggled his butt a little, thrusting forward to press a steamy kiss to Kendall's lips. "Oh, God."

"You can call me James if you want," James purred. "But God is okay, too. How about a lapdance?"

Kendall swallowed hard, trying not to drool. His brain was a haze as he stared and James hopped down from the stage, letting another dancer get on.

"Gosh, you're sexy," James said flirtatiously, running his hands through Kendall's hair. Kendall's hands were drawn like a magnet to James's abs, running up to his chest.

"Wait…" James said, snapping out of his zone. "What're you doing here?"

Kendall's hands froze and he snapped out of it, too.

"It's Oliver," he said.

"What?" James demanded, eyes completely lucid now. "Where is he?"

"He's in my car with my mom," Kendall said. "He's so sick. Running a high fever… I didn't know what else to do…"

"Take me to him," James said, grabbing Kendall's hand.

"It's cold outside."

"GO."

Kendall's hand tightened around James's and he towed him to the door, ignoring the occasional snag of a customer trying to pull James back to the stage.

It was a cold night, but Kendall knew that James didn't care that he was in practically nothing, not even shoes, as he stepped out into the outside air.

"Over here," Kendall said, glad to heard the club music mute with the closing door. "He's really sick."

James broke away, hurrying to Kendall's car and opening the back door.

"Oh, Olly," James melted, bending to pick Oliver up out of the car.

"Da-" Oliver began to sob, but paused, staring at his father and touching his bare chest. "Daddy?"

"It's me, baby," James chuckled a little, hugging him tight and looking at Kendall over his son's shoulder. "What's going on?"

"I'm sick," Oliver said, crying again.

"Really sick," Mrs. Knight said, standing up from the car and looking James up and down. "His temperature is at 103.3 and nothing has helped. We didn't want to do anything that you wouldn't like."

"You did the right thing," James assured, bouncing Oliver a little to shush him. "I should have known he was feeling bad… I should have taken the night off."

"There's no way to know with a little boy," Mrs. Knight said fondly. "They know that if they mention they feel bad, you'll put him in bed and keep him from playing."

James smiled a little and looked at Kendall.

"He's been crying for an hour and a half. I didn't know what to do…" Kendall explained.

"You did the right thing," James repeated reassuringly, putting Oliver, who had subsided into sleepy sniffles, into Kendall's arms. "Let me go get some clothes on and I'll take him home."

As James hurried away to the club, Kendall watched him with great interest, and he knew his mom was, too.

"So it all works out," Mrs. Knight said. "He's not mad that you took him out of work and we got to see… THAT."

Kendall chuckled in agreement. Oliver sniffled calmly and turned his head, nestling into Kendall and hugging a small arm around his neck.

Kendall sighed, looking at the clock and finding that it was midnight already. He sat at his desk, realizing that he was already late in turning his article in. He was sure he had an email from his boss asking for it…

Sitting at the desk reminded him of that afternoon when he was writing and he got the text from Logan.

He couldn't say he didn't miss Logan. He really did. He just didn't allow himself to think too much about it. But he owed it to Logan to at least let him know he was alright.

"Hello?" Logan answered the phone, sounding out of breath.

"Sorry, you're working aren't you?" Kendall said, sitting back in his desk chair.

"It's fine. I can talk," Logan said. "How are you?"

"I'm okay. I moved into my new place. It's… Quiet," Kendall said.

"I'm sure. You've never lived alone."

"What about you, Logan?"

"Logan. It's been a while since you've called me that," Logan chuckled sadly. "I got a cat. I know I'm not there a lot to love it, but it makes the apartment less lonely."

"Have you met anyone?" Kendall asked.

"No," Logan laughed. "Of course not. I hope you don't mind if I don't ask you the same thing. I'm kind of terrified of the answer."

"I know, Loge," Kendall answered. "I hope you're feeling better."

"Work distracts me. I miss you a lot."

"I miss you, too… But it's better this way."

"You keep saying that."

"I just hope you'll believe it," Kendall answered.

"I'm sorry to cut this short but-"

"It's okay, Dr. Mitchell. Go save lives," Kendall said understandingly.

"Okay. Thanks for calling."

Kendall sighed and hung up the phone, staring at his article. Living alone was better for focusing on his work, but now there was nobody to come and tell him when to stop. No Logan coming in from work early in the morning and finding Kendall still up writing, then Logan sleepily pulling Kendall to bed, where they would fall asleep fully clothed. There was no Logan to bring Kendall a cup of coffee and offer words of confidence and encouragement. He missed having a partner to go through life with…

He could have a new partner if he wanted. He just had to decide whether he ready for almost being a parent to Oliver. Then again, did he have a choice after seeing James at work that night? That man was hot. Kendall would be an idiot for passing him up.

"Kendall?" came a soft voice, soft fingers on Kendall's back.

"Hm?" Kendall grumbled.

"You're slobbering on your computer," the voice laughed, and Kendall sat up, confused. He looked up, finding James standing there, makeup residue still present on his eyes.

"What're you doing here?" Kendall asked, running his hands over his face.

"I came to get Olly's stuff... The door was unlocked."

Kendall looked up at James and smiled a little. James grinned back, sitting softly on Kendall's lap and wrapping an arm around his neck.

"What time is it?" Kendall asked.

"About ten," James answered. "Was your bed not comfortable enough?"

Kendall chuckled and rolled his eyes.

"I was writing," he explained. "Next week's article."

"Hm… How about some breakfast?"

"Where's Oliver?"

"Getting his stuff together in the living room."

"Is he better?"

"A little. His fever broke. Are you in?"

"I might need some persuading," Kendall said flirtatiously. With that James chuckled and pulled Kendall's face to his, giving him a long kiss.

"Daddy I'm ready for waffles!" Oliver called from the doorway. In one smooth motion James casually broke the kiss and got to his feet.

"You heard the boy," James said, pulling Kendall up. "Get ready!"

Thanks so much for being so loyal and patient! I know our fandom is kind of dwindling, so thanks for sticking around, too! :)