.:Chapter Ten – Big Time Problems:.

Part 1

"Faster, Patrick, faster!" Sydney cried gleefully, his small hands holding tightly onto the seat buckle that was across his lap. Patrick smiled and did as he was told, pressing his foot harder onto the cart, holding onto the steering wheel tightly.

Noah was sitting at Patrick's side in the passenger seat, Sydney was sitting in the back, and Riley and Rhuben were holding onto the back of the cart as they sat on the tops of the backseat. All of them were whooping and hollering with excitement as Patrick did doughnuts across the standing area of the arena floor. Julius and Brittany were walking around with the stage hands, instructing them for what they needed later that night while taking Big Time Rush on a tour of the arena along with Jo, Camille, Stephanie, Katie, and WayneWayne. While that was going on, Ronan was looking over the lighting and keeping an eye on the Jacksons at the same time as they were easily bound to get in some sort of trouble if they were bored enough.

They were in the Capital Stadium in Cheyenne, Wyoming getting ready for the concert that night. It was going to be one of the biggest concerts that they have because that morning they had gotten the news that it was the first concert that had sold out for them. Everyone was really excited when they heard that news, Gustavo especially; he even went out and bought two cakes for them to have after the concert, one for him and one for everyone else. Plus it was going to be their last concert before Thanksgiving which was coming up in the next week. No one was sure whether or not they were going to be in Minnesota for Thanksgiving and none of the boys wanted to say anything against it, just in case they jinxed themselves.

"Aren't you going to stop them?" Ronan looked over at Mrs. Knight with surprise as she walked over to him, her purse hitched up over her shoulder and her eyes filled with concern trained on the Jacksons. Ronan looked at her for a second and then smiled and shook his head as he turned and watched his sons and daughters as they drove around. "Don't you think they're going to get hurt?"

"Maybe," he replied with a short shrug. "But not that badly. But there's no point in stopping them because they're going to be stopped," he held up his hand where three of his fingers were in the air. "Three, Two, One." He lowered a finger each time he stated a number and then pointed when he said one. Just as soon as he finished counting the screaming started.

"Patrick, put on the brakes!" Riley was shouting. "The brakes! The brakes!"

"I'm heard you the first time!" Patrick replied as he slammed his feet down on a pedal. "And I'm trying!"

"That's the gas pedal, you idiot!" Noah shrieked and moved his feet in Patrick's way, trying to find the brakes himself.

"I'm going to die!" Sydney held his hands over his face. "And I'm only ten!"

"Look out!" Rhuben screamed.

Riley, Rhuben, Patrick, Noah, and Sydney screamed as the cart shot forward and crashed into the wall, ejecting the Jacksons like they were a bunch of torpedoes. They all easily climbed back to their feet and once they made sure that each other were ok, they hurried over to the cart, with smiles on their faces and laughing a little. They continued to laugh as Patrick and Noah pulled the cart away from the wall, revealing that the front part was completely crushed.

"I can just hear my bank account crying with agony," Ronan joked as he turned around and sat down on top of a chair behind him as he looked at Mrs. Knight with a contemplative expression on his face. "So what brings you by?"

"You don't have to act that way with me," Mrs. Knight stated as she dropped her purse to the ground, being careful that no popcorn or gum got stuck to it. Ronan looked at his nails and Mrs. Knight placed her hands on her hips. "Just tell me how you're feeling." She smiled a little, trying to relieve the tension. "Sometimes you act just like your kids."

"Yeah, they rubbed off on me," Ronan stated and looked scared of the thought. "I wish it was the other way around though." He paused. "I'm not acting like anything." He shrugged. "I'm just getting ready for the concert; it kind of has been eating up my time."

"Yeah," Mrs. Knight nodded slowly. "So you just so happen to be avoiding me since the last time we talked."

"If you want to be completely honest, we didn't do much talking." Ronan pointed out with a twitch at the corner of his mouth.

"Did I run everyone off?"

Mrs. Knight looked up to see Ronan standing beside her, getting his coat and his wallet off of the table. He pulled out a ten dollar bill and dropped it onto the table before sliding his coat on over his shoulders.

Mrs. Knight smiled. "No, they just wanted to get back to the hotel before someone blows it up." She replied.

"My first guess to that would have to be Patrick then," Ronan replied with a short sigh. "Seeing as he once almost blew up the kitchen trying to make me breakfast." He made a face. "I really didn't think that it was possible, but he's probably the one who can do it." He flicked his head to the side. "C'mon." he led her out of the coffee shop and the two started to walk back to the hotel. "I didn't think that anyone would be waiting for me."

"Is something wrong?" Mrs. Knight questioned as she peered at him.

"Nah, my stomach just started feeling funny." Ronan replied, looking straight ahead. "No big deal, I'll just have Logan or Riley look at me later." He laughed a humorless laugh. "I mean, since they want t be doctors and everything, they might as well get the practice."

"But you've been acting funny the past couple of days," Mrs. Knight pointed out. "Like there's something on your mind?" she phrased it like a question, trying to get him to talk.

"Of course there's been something on my mind," Ronan looked at her incredulously as he stopped walking. He turned to face her completely and looked down at her. "The fact that I'm now taking care of six kids, one of which who is getting married, the other five are on a world tour and have to worry about practically everything, and you know, trying to keep myself sane." He let out a snort, his breath turning into a foggy cloud. "I'd say that's a lot on my mind, so I would be acting funny."

"Are you doing acting like a little kid?" Mrs. Knight questioned as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"That depends, are you going to punish me for acting like a kid?" Ronan snapped back in reply.

"One thing that I really don't like is when someone patronizes me," Mrs. Knight stated as patiently as she could. "So don't even try it here."

"You know you're starting to sound like my daughter." Ronan remarked off-handedly. "Not that that makes things any better, but it just makes me even more annoyed."

"Well, could at least explain to me why I'm bothering you?" Mrs. Knight looked genuinely confused. "I mean, because out of everyone here you're the one that I'm closest to, and we have a lot in common because the oldest out of our children are both criminal masterminds." She tried to make a joke of it but Ronan continued to stare at her. "At least make it easier for me."

"Do you still love him?" Ronan questioned.

"Who? Kevin?" Mrs. Knight wanted to laugh but decided not to, knowing that it wasn't going to do anything to help how he was feeling. "No, I can't love someone that hurt my children so badly."

"He hurt you too," Ronan pointed out.

"Yeah," Mrs. Knight pulled her hair out f her face. "But I care about my kids being hurt more than myself." She shrugged. "I don't know, I guess I hadn't really thought about it for a long time."

"Just so you know, holding something like that inside and not talking about it will just 'cause you to express it later," Ronan smirked. "I know that the hard way."

"Yeah, I remember." Mrs. Knight nodded, immediately knowing what he was talking about. She licked her lips. "We should be getting back to the hotel."

"Wait." Ronan gently grabbed onto her arm. "Just so you know, I know that you're going to make the right decision for your kids."

"Thank You."

Ronan finally gave an actual smile and stepped closer to her, cupping her face in his hands and kissed her.

"You like to embarrass people don't you?" Mrs. Knight questioned as she crossed her arms over her chest, her cheeks turning as red as her hair. Ronan smiled and nodded like a little kid.

"Next to taking care of them," Ronan pointed over his shoulder, where Patrick, Noah, and Sydney were now in a handstand competition as Riley and Rhuben were counting to see how long they could stay up. "I like to make fun of people." He smiled impishly and then his face fell. "No seriously, "he rubbed his nose. "I didn't want to rush you into anything; you know what with your husband getting into contact with you and everything." He flicked his fringe out of his face and smoothed down his eyebrows. "It's not question when I say that I'm attracted to you." He finally looked up at her again.

"I'm attracted to you, too." Mrs. Knight admitted. "And you're not rushing me into anything. I'm completely over my husband, the only thought that I would have about him is how Kendall and Katie are going to react."

"Yeah, well," Ronan reached out and gently grabbed one of Mrs. Knight's hands, to her surprise. He gently kissed the back of it and then lowered their arms, not letting go of her hand and looking right into her eyes. "I would love to take you out on a date sometime."

"I would love that as well." Mrs. Knight smiled back. "Just one thing," Her smile turned into a look of apprehension. Ronan raised his eyebrows to show that he was listening. "I think it would be a good idea if we kept our relationship, I mean, this dating thing, a secret for now."

"Right, the paparazzi." Ronan nodded in agreement.

"There's that," Mrs. Knight agreed. "But we also don't know how everyone else going to react to it and I would rather have it that we kind of slowly push in the idea that we're dating before we just go and tell them."

"I getcha." Ronan gave a wink.

"Ronan?"

Ronan and Mrs. Knight quickly let go of hands and Ronan turned around to see Julius, Brittany, and Big Time Rush and their friends following behind them. Julius was the one that had called Ronan's name, and had his hand waving over his head, to get his father's attention.

"Yeah, what's up?" Ronan questioned, running a hand over his mouth.

"I need you to check out something that has us concerned," Julius stated as he motioned between himself and Brittany. "It's got the stage hands concerned as well."

"There are some wires back there that we need to have checked out." Brittany explained further. "Some of them look like they could be a potential problem."

"Alright," Ronan nodded and jumped over the seats and onto the standing area. "Come show me where it is and I'll get it marked off and looked at by a technician before the show starts tonight." He looked over at Mrs. Knight and smiled a little before following Julius and Brittany backstage.

"WHAT ARE YOU GUYS STANDING AROUND FOR?" Gustavo announced his presence, his voice echoing all through the arena.

"Is there any way that he can blow his vocal chords?" Logan whispered into Kendall's ear, causing the leader to smile. "Just once? So we don't have to hear him scream?"

"I wish." Kendall whispered back.

"You and I both." James agreed.

"You guys should be onstage doing your sound check," Kelly added as she looked at her Palm Pilot. "We're already running late as it is and I don't want to have to push back the start of the concert. I mean, you guys are already pushing it for the meet and greet before the concert starts." She added.

"Relax, Kelly," James held up his hands. "We were just taking a tour of the place so we don't get lost tonight."

"Well-"

"WELL NOTHING!" Gustavo interrupted. "GET UP ON THAT STAGE!" He gestured his arm to the stage so violently that it caught WayneWayne in the chest and it caused him to stagger back into his girlfriend's arms. Camille giggled and lifted him upright as Kendall, James, Carlos, and Logan hurried on stage to do their sound check.

"Shouldn't this be the other way around?" she questioned, pulling her locks out of her face as WayneWayne brushed off his clothes. "Shouldn't you be catching me if I fall?"

"You don't have to worry about that," WayneWayne smiled and kissed her forehead and her cheek. "I'm always going to be right behind you, so you don't worry about that." He put his arm around Camille's shoulders as Jo, Stephanie, and Katie 'Awwwd'.

"MOVE! MOVE! MOVE! CITY IS OURS, NOW!"

"I can tell you one thing," WayneWayne continued as he, Camille, Stephanie, Jo, Katie, and the Jacksons climbed up into the seating area and sat down, waiting. "I'm glad that I didn't get into the band or else I would have to be tortured like that."

"Yeah, you say that now," Camille teased.

"Yeah, especially when you were so dead-set of getting into the band in the first place." Katie added as she shook her head, her eyes trained onto the stage.

"And willing to kick Griffin in the gonads," Jo added, laughing at the thought. "Which must have been an amazing feat as it is."

"Think of it this way," Riley leaned forward so she could speak directly to WayneWayne, who raised an eyebrow as he looked at her. "You're not working on the Ziggle Zaggles anymore. And if I were you, I would have lost my mind in the first two minutes of even being on that show."

"Yeah," WayneWayne muttered and rubbed his forehead as he turned his attention to the stage. "Yeah" he repeated, resting his chin in his hand.

"It's still bothering you, isn't it?" Camille leaned close to WayneWayne so he could hear her over the guys' singing. "That you haven't had as much success that they have?" she motioned to the stage where the guys were dancing around.

"Sort of," WayneWayne replied. "I was just so desperate to get into singing in the first place that I would have done anything for it. I guess I paid the price," he laughed bitterly. "If it wasn't for you proving to the others that I wasn't really that bad and that I just wanted to get into the industry I probably wouldn't have the friends I have now." He sat back in his seat." I really don't deserve it," he looked over at her. "Or you."

"Of course you do!" Camille looked shocked and offended at the same time. She reached out and shook his knee. "Hey, everything happens for a reason, Wally. You were meant to become WayneWayne so we could meet again, so you could become friends with my friends."

"And so we could date?" WayneWayne added with a lift in his voice.

"Yeah, that too," Camille laughed. She frowned when WayneWayne didn't join in on her laughter. "The guys like you, ok? Things are going to get better for you; your acting and singing career is going to blow up. Just wait."

"I don't think I can wait much longer to be honest," WayneWayne replied in a sad tone. "My mom and dad and my sisters and my brother-in-law, they're always asking how I'm doing and how my career is going and I'm always embarrassed to say that not much is going on."

"Hey," Camille moved forward and rested her forehead against his lower jaw. "Things are going to turn around alright? You are going to get big in the industry and everyone is going to love you as much as I do." She leaned back and looked at him seriously. "But you're mine and no other girl can have you."

"I know," WayneWayne smiled genuinely at her and put his arm around her shoulders. "Thank You."

"You're welcome." Camille replied and kissed his cheek.

Big Time Rush danced and sang across stage, but not with as much enthusiasm as they would be putting in that night. They were just making sure that they knew their marks and how the cameras were going to be moving around stage as they did the concert. This concert was going to be put onto a small DVD for the DarkElements, to see how it would work out if they wanted to have a DVD made of the tour. Of course they were going to have Big Time Rush and their friends in it; it wouldn't be a deal without them. The guys were so excited about it that they were purposely messing up their sound check to make sure that the cameraman could see them.

"And this is how guys act whenever a camera is put around them," Stephanie stated as she turned her video camera to herself. She shook her head in a 'isn't that awful' sort of way and then turned it towards the Jacksons and Katie. "Hey guys, tell the audience what's going on right now."

"Well," Katie spoke up. "Right now I'm watching my brother and his friends do a sound check." She explained, looking right into the camera. "And right now I have to say that it's not going that well." She shook her head. "No, it's not." She laughed as Sydney giggled into his hands.

"But sound checks never go that great," Patrick spoke up, coming to the guys' rescue. "I mean, they're never that great when we do them." Patrick smiled as Stephanie moved the camera towards Riley and Rhuben who harmonized 'speak for yourself'. "Just telling the truth."

"Since when were you one to go and tell the truth?" Noah questioned as he looked at his brother with a raised eyebrow, twirling drumsticks around his fingers.

"I tell the truth all the time," Patrick replied as he placed a hand on his chest, trying to look humble. "For instance," he eyed Noah's shirt. "That's a very hideous shirt."

"You have a hideous face." Noah shot back quickly.

"You do realize that you just insulted yourself, right?" Katie muttered to Noah. He paused for a second, looking like it hadn't occurred to him at all.

"Shut up" he replied, sliding low in his chair. He waited until Patrick had turned his attention to Rhuben, who was telling him something and reached up and slapped him on the back of the head, quickly returning his hand to his lap as Patrick whipped his head around to see who it was. He laughed quietly as Patrick rubbed the back of his head, looking confused.

They continued to watch as Big Time Rush went through the rest of the songs that they were going to perform that night, and then it was the DarkElements' turn to go up and work on their stuff. Things went smoothly at first, they went through a few of their songs as Riley and Patrick switched off guitars from time to time, with the help of Jo, who was working as their stage-hand. She checked to make sure that the microphones were ok, that their headmics were on line, and that the guitars were perfectly tuned as well as making sure that all of their instruments and accessories were offstage where they needed them to be.

"Ok, um, Pat, how about we work on some of our harmonies while playing?" Noah suggested as he pulled a silver guitar around his neck, thanking Jo with a smile as she handed to him and hurried offstage. "I haven't played in a while and it would give Riley a chance to work on the bass."

"Are you saying I suck?" she questioned as she turned to him with a hard stare.

"Only in the nicest way possible." He replied with a cheeky smile, causing Rhuben and Sydney to crack up laughing.

"Only you can insult someone with class," Riley stated as she ruffled his hair with a fond smile. "Why not, you're right, I haven't played the bass in a while." She stretched her fingers.

"What song?" Sydney questioned from behind his piano/synthesizer.

"Um," Patrick rubbed his chin. "How about the Sum41 song, Still Waiting?" he looked around at his siblings with raised eyebrows and waited until they nodded in reply. "Cool, Rhubes count us off please."

"Mhm" Rhuben nodded and twirled her drumsticks through her fingers before she counted off with a few sharp clacks of her drumsticks, launching the song into the start.

Patrick, playing the rhythm guitar for the song started to play as Noah stepped up to the microphone. "So am I still waiting, for this world to stop hating? Can't find a good reason, can't find hope to believe in."

Noah, Riley, Rhuben, and Sydney launched into playing the melody to the song as Patrick played the lead, moving to the microphone to sing. "Drop dead a bullet to my head. Your words are like a gun in hand." Patrick half sang, half screamed into the microphone as he stood on the balls of his feet, keeping himself balanced as he leaned his upper half towards the microphone and his lower half back to have space to play the guitar. "You can't change the state of the nation, we just need some motivation. These eyes have seen no conviction. Just lies and more contradiction, so tell me what would you say? I'd say it's time to wait."

Noah moved to the microphone, in the same stance as Patrick as he started to sing along with his twin, their voices matching perfectly. "So am I still waiting? For this world to stop hating? Can't find a good reason, can't find hope to believe in."

They played through the small instrumental portion and as Noah went up to sing again, sparks suddenly blew up in his face. "Yikes!" he cried, backing away quickly. Patrick and Riley also let out sounds of shock as they jumped backwards, trying not to get hit in the crossfire.

"What? What happened?" Ronan asked as he, Julius, and Brittany hurried onstage, hearing their sharp cries. He looked around wildly. "What's going on?"

"Nice to know that you would come really fast if any of us were ever in trouble." Rhuben remarked as she stood up, setting down her drumsticks. "Sparks just went flying out of Noah's microphone." She explained.

"Hm," Ronan frowned as he went over to the microphone and flicked it with his thumb and index finger. Some more sparks went flying out and he jumped backwards just in time. He stuck his thumb in his mouth, having been a little bit shocked.

"Yeah, I wouldn't do that, it could hurt." Riley commented sardonically as she pulled the bass guitar off of her neck. Ronan shot her a dirty glare and she just shrugged in reply. "Can you get it fixed?"

"I can," Ronan replied with a nod. "But there's some other stuff that needs to get fixed as well, so you guys have the rest of the time off before you have to be back here for the meet and greets." He waved his arms. "Go have fun."

"Yay!" Sydney cheered as he ran towards the end of the stage and jumped off. He ran over to Katie and grabbed her hand, spinning in a circle. "Let's play a game!"

"Sorry," Noah called as he and Patrick jumped off the lip of the stage as well. "I already asked her to come get some ice cream with me." He reached out and mussed his hair. "But she can play with you later, go bug Patrick."

"Alright." Sydney replied and ran over to Patrick and jumped onto his back, wrapping his arms around his brother's neck. Katie waited until they were far enough away before turning back to Noah and speaking.

"When did you ask me for ice cream?" Katie asked with a sly smile as she crossed her arms over her chest. Noah blushed, the contrast of it with his dark hair and light colored skin made his blue eyes stand out even more.

"Uh, I didn't yet," he replied, wiping his hands off on his jeans. "But I was hoping you would." he looked down at his feet. "You don't have to if you don't to," he added quickly. "If you're busy, I understa-"

Katie placed a hand over Noah's mouth to get him to stop talking. Sure she liked the fact that he was shy and even thought it was cute sometimes (not that she would ever admit that out loud) but sometimes there was only so much of it that she could take. Noah looked at her quietly as Katie grinned. "Let me just tell my mom where I'm going and then we can go."

Noah nodded and smiled gently as Katie pulled her hand away and turned on her heel to go talk to her mother. Patrick walked over to Noah and tilted his head, looking at his brother quietly, smiling a little and motioning for Sydney to be quiet.

"So what is this I hear about you going for ice cream?" Patrick asked, causing Noah to jump. "And why wasn't I invited?" Noah caught his breath and started to explain but Patrick cut him off. "Belt up, No, I was just joking." Something unrecognizable flashed through Patrick's eyes as he jumped a little to keep Sydney on his back. "Bring me back some, yeah?"

"No worries." Noah replied with a lift of his eyebrow.

Patrick would tell him if something was bothering him, wouldn't he?

"So something is definitely bothering Hockey-Head, but he won't tell me what it is." Riley stated as she sat down behind Rhuben on the couch, placing her legs on either side of her sister as she grabbed a lock of her hair and started to braid it.

"And there's something going on with Carlos," Rhuben agreed, nodding slowly so she didn't mess Riley up (the result of it being that her hair would be pulled hard.) "He isn't as happy as he usually is. Everyone has noticed it." She cracked her knuckles. "Stephanie is trying to cheer him up, but nothing seems to be working. Then James-"

"James has been going to the gym a whole lot lately." Riley commented.

"That's what Jo said," Rhuben agreed. She tilted her head back to look at her sister. "How did you know that?"

"Don't tell Hockey-Head, but I noticed that his arm muscles have gotten bigger." Riley replied, causing the two of them to laugh as Riley finished braiding her twin's hair and then the two switched their seating positions so Rhuben could braid Riley's.

The two of them were using their free time for some rest and relaxation (the small amount that they were going to get) before the concert by hanging out in their hotel room. The two girls looked up as Patrick sighed loudly from his position of lying on the floor on his back, arms behind his head and starting at the ceiling.

"Bored?" Rhuben questioned.

"No," Patrick replied and turned his head to look at her. "I'm just waiting for Katie and Noah to get back." He replied and looked at his watch. "They've been gone for a while."

"They've been gone for only a half hour," Riley repeated and reached her leg out, lightly poking him in the cheek with her big toe. "What's on your mind, bro?" she frowned when Patrick didn't reply. "You know you can't just lie there all day."

"Stop earbashing me," Patrick moved an arm over his eyes. "If I wanted a lecture I would talk to Julius or Ronan." Riley blinked once and it was her turn to lilt her head back and look at her brother with concern. Rhuben narrowed her eyes as she looked back at her twin. Patrick groaned when he realized what he was doing and turned onto his stomach. "Please don't do that silent conversation thing with me."

"Sorry," Riley and Rhuben replied in unison, Patrick wasn't sure if they meant it. "Can't help it." Patrick smiled and shook his head as he rested his head on his arms again. He looked up there was the sound of the doorknob turning and got to his feet when Noah and Katie strolled through the door. "Dude, finally!" Patrick cried, getting to his feet and hurrying over to his brother.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to make you wait so long," Noah replied with just as much enthusiasm, giving his brother a quick hug. "Here's your ice cream." He handed him a small tub. "And guess what?" he lightly hit Katie on the arm. "Kates, tell him."

Katie looked at him oddly and then turned to Patrick. "We found this balcony over the outdoor pool," she explained quickly. "And we nabbed these tubs of yogurt," she pulled a few cartons out from behind her back. "So what we're thinking of doing is-"

"Taking spoonfuls of yogurt and dropping them onto people to see if they really believe that its pigeon poop?" Patrick questioned at the same time Noah explained it. The two grinned at each other and high-fived each other. "C'mon, Kates, let's go!" he grabbed onto Katie's arm and dragged her out of the suite.

"See you later guys!" Noah waved over his shoulder before running out after them.

Riley and Rhuben laughed, used to Patrick and Noah acting all hyper when they were around each other after having been apart for a while. They continued to talk about their friends and what could possibly be bothering them when there was a small knock on the door and it pushed open. Logan poked his head in and looked around.

"Oh, hey!" He smiled and waved as he closed the door behind him. "The other guys are at the arcade trying to see if they can make it so they can get a lot of tickets from this one game to win an inflatable baseball bat." He chuckled at the thought. "And I was wondering what you guys were doing." He paused. "What are you doing?"

"Uh," Rhuben hesitated for a second and looked over at Riley, who nodded, as Logan sat down in between the two girls, resting his back against the couch. "We're talking about what's been going on with the guys." She explained.

"We know for sure that something is bothering them, but we don't know what exactly." Riley replied and waited for Logan's reply. She was expecting him to look intrigued and rub his chin and nod in agreement, not-

"Why didn't you guys tell me?" Logan asked in a whining tone.

"Uh, newsflash there Logie-Bear," Riley smiled a little at her rhyme before turning serious. "We figured that you have been helping us so much lately that we could all help you. I mean, I could see how stressed this tour has been making you lately and we, we being the five of us, thought that we could help figure out what's going on with you guys and fixing it."

"Pat and No and Syd know too?" Logan's eyes widened as his pitch turned to a screech.

"Wait," Rhuben lifted her head from her boyfriend's shoulder and looked at him with an amused expression, laughing a little. "Are you really that upset that we didn't ask for your help as soon as we figured out that there was something really bothering them?" She waved a hand in the air. "Like when we definitely knew that something was wrong?"

"Yes!" Logan threw his hands up into the air, causing Riley and Rhuben to duck out of the way, making sure that they didn't get hit in the head. "I know the guys, I'd think that I'd be able to help you guys help them."

"Sorry." Riley muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Sorry," Rhuben repeated and rolled her eyes as well. "Ok, what if I said that next time I promise to include you on whatever I need help with." She sighed as Logan continued to pout. "You're not going to stop pouting until we sweeten the deal somehow, aren't you?"

"Nope," Logan replied, shaking his head. Riley laughed and ran her fingers through her hair. She raised her eyebrows as Rhuben thought for a second, leaned forward and whispered something into Logan's ear. His eyes widened and he turned and smiled widely at her. "That's good enough." He stated, causing Rhuben to laugh and kiss his cheek.

"God, can you guys be any more annoying?" Riley questioned, shaking her head.

"We could try." Logan and Rhuben harmonized, without trying to.

"Please don't." Riley stated and looked up as Sydney burst into the room and hurried over to them. She didn't look too concerned, grabbing onto his shoulders, to get him to calm down a little. "What's up, Little Man?" she questioned. "Why the rushing?"

"Something's wrong with Pat." Sydney replied solemnly. His chin trembled as he tugged at the bottom of his shirt. "I don't know what it is exactly, but Noah told me to come get you."

"He probably just fell and hit his head or something." Riley stated, allowing Sydney to pull her to her feet and drag her out of the room.

"That'd be right." Rhuben stated with a snort before turning to Logan. "I can't tell you how many times that he'd come running to one of us crying because he fell and hit his head or split it open."

"I could guess," Logan laughed and turned his body so his legs were around Rhuben and she was pulled back against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her stomach and she rested her arms on top of his as he gently laid his chin on the top of her head. A perfect fit. "He's just like Carlos like that, yet he's like James when it comes to how he cares about his looks."

"You know he wasn't that bad before we met you guys," Rhuben pointed out, playing with his fingers. "We may have been around you for too long."

Logan could practically see the teasing smile slide onto her face and her eyes light up and sparkle the way that showed that she was really smiling. He tightened his grip on her and thought about when he had realized that he was falling for her.

"And it was nice to meet you, until you pushed me off the swing!" Logan stated as he glared pointedly at Rhuben, who merely shrugged in reply. "Why were you thinking about that?" he added gently.

"Because it was probably only one of the few moments in my life where I didn't have to worry about my dad," Rhuben replied and made a face. "At least from what I can remember. I don't know, I kind of blocked out everything from being nine on back." She sat up and grabbed the DVD box and motioned it towards the TV. "Do you want to watch a movie?"

"It better not be a chick-flick, Bell-Bell." Logan warned.

"It's not, Logie-Bear." Rhuben replied as she raised an eyebrow. "Since when have you known me to watch a chick-flick? They bore me to death." She added as she made a fake gagging sound, along with pretending to stick her finger down her throat.

"Logie-Bear, Bell-Bell," Logan mused to himself. "What nickname was it that I gave Riley?" he asked as she got off the couch to put in the DVD.

"Landy, I think." Rhuben replied as she looked at the ceiling in through. "Obviously short for Rilandon." She turned around, holding onto the remote and stopped when she noticed Logan looking at her oddly. "What?" she asked as she went back to the couch.

"Hm?" Logan blinked and looked over at her, as if he didn't realize that she was sitting there. "What?"

"You were looking at me funny." Rhuben replied, tilting her head to the side. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, I was just thinking." Logan replied.

"About what?"

"Nothing," Logan shoved his hand into his pocket when he felt his cell phone start to vibrate and pulled it out to see that James was calling him. No doubt it was because he was trying to settle some sort of argument that he and Carlos were having, usually about whether or not something was real or not. "I'll be right back." He announced before going into the guys' bedroom. "What?" he asked as he answered the phone. "What do you need me to prove is real now."

"Absolutely nothing," James replied and Logan could hear something suspicious in his voice. He could practically see the big grin on his face. "So, how are you and Rhuben getting along?"

"Ok, what are you getting at?" Logan asked, not really in the mood for his games.

"Dude, you two are in a hotel suite, alone." James replied, putting the emphasis on the word. Logan rolled his eyes, already knowing what his friend was getting at. "Oh come on, you can't tell me that you haven't done-"

"Bye, James." Logan interrupted and closed his cell phone, sliding it back into his pocket.

He left the bedroom and stopped as he looked at Rhuben from her profile. He studied her as she watched the movie, so engrossed in it that her bottom jaw had fallen open partly. It was hard to believe that she had gotten abused only six months before, as he didn't really see instances of her reverting back to the past in a while. There weren't any more bruises and the only scar that he could see was the first one that he had noticed when he met her. One in her eyebrow, he still wasn't sure where she had gotten it from. Logan couldn't help but smile when he saw Rhuben's lips curl into a smile at a funny part of the movie.

He suddenly blinked, running his hand over his face.

He let out a small curse, which is very unlike him, when he had realized what was going on.

He had fallen for his best friend.

"Ouch," Rhuben winced slightly. "You're squeezing me kinda tight there." Logan quickly loosened the grip on his arms and watched as Rhuben reached a hand up and pulled her hair from her neck to around her left side. Logan looked down at the cigarette burn that was strategically placed on her neck and lightly touched it. He briefly smiled when he realized that Rhuben didn't flinch away from him and thought about how far the Jacksons had come since their dad had gone away.

They barely got anymore nightmares, they smiled a lot more (for Riley and Rhuben that was a huge deal), they didn't keep as many things a secret, and they acted crazier and laughed a lot more than they usually did. It was hard to believe that they were the same people that they had met almost a year ago, that were so closed off and distant that Logan thought that none of them would be friends. He hated to think about what happened to Rhuben and her brothers and sister, but the thought came back almost every time he looked at one of them and it angered him. He should have been able to see what was going on as soon as he had met them, yet he didn't, and he felt partially responsible that he didn't get them help sooner. He kissed the back of her head and the two sat there in silence, just listening to each other breathe.

Rhuben never thought herself to be the kind of person that would have a boyfriend that she would feel this strongly about. With her past boyfriends, who were all jerks, and because of her dad, she didn't have much interest in dating. Anyone that would ask her out she would swiftly turn down, thinking of her brothers first and that if she went out on a date she would get distracted and not be able to protect them as well. Deep down, she was also afraid to even try and start dating again, just because she had known nothing but pain all her life. She didn't trust any guy except for her brothers and those that she had known for a long time, and she didn't believe in dating just for the sake of dating. She believed in dating because the two people had a connection. Rhuben was surprised herself when she realized that she started to have feelings for Logan, the guy that she had seen when he was a goofy haired-dirty kneed-Pokémon obsessed-eight year old, the guy that helped her to forget of all of the pain that she felt when she went home, the guy that could put a smile on her face without even trying, but she did. She felt that he was the best thing that could ever happen to her, he would make sure that he was happy and try and talk to her whenever she was sad, he was her other half and it took a while for her realize it.

"Hey," Logan breathed into Rhuben's ear, gently kissing her cheek.

"What?" Rhuben questioned just as gently, slouching down a little bit. She brought her knees up so they were resting beside Logan's.

"I love you."

"I know."

Logan's heart sank a little bit when he didn't hear her say those three words in reply. He didn't know why it bothered him so much. He knew that she loved her, anyone could see it if they looked at the two. Riley had been saying it for years that the two of them had loved each other before they knew what love was. His chest tightened, his eyes felt pinched, and he suddenly felt very tired. He took a breath and rubbed his nose.

He promised when he first started dating her that he wasn't going to rush her, not matter how much it hurt him, he wasn't going to rush her. In some ways he felt as he deserved it, after having hurt her because he was too nice to tell his ex-girlfriend Britt that he had moved on, he could see how karma was biting him in the ass.

But he also felt that he had been patient enough.

'This is all so confusing,' Logan thought as he took in another deep breath and shifted a little so his back wasn't pressing into the corner of the couch. 'I thought that when you went from friends to boyfriend and girlfriend things got easier. But they only seem to keep getting harder and harder.'

"Is something wrong?" Rhuben lifted her head and looked up at her, her black lashes fluttering as she trained her dark blue eyes on him. "You became kind of tense there."

"I was just thinking," Logan paused for dramatic effect and Rhuben waved her hand in an impatient 'get on with it' motion. "About the date that I'm going to take you on tonight." He replied with a proud smile.

"Since when are we going on a date?" Rhuben questioned with a half smile. "And why haven't I been asked first?" She crossed her arms over her chest and frowned. "You know I hate surprises."

"Since now," Logan got up and pulled Rhuben to her feet. "After the concert, I'm taking you out on a date." He pulled her against him. "We haven't been on one in a while because we've been so busy. Let's be spontaneous." He paused. "And I know you hate surprises."

"You?" Rhuben snorted. "Spontaneous? The last time you tried to be spontaneous you had to make an appointment for it." She laughed a little and then became serious again. "And if you know I hate surprises why are you making this a surprise?"

"Because I felt like it," Logan replied simply. "And there's no problem with being organized." Logan stated, removing his arms from her waist and crossing them over his chest. "It becomes a habit that will help you later in life when the stress of work and family causes you eventually become completely disorganized."

"Yes, but there's a problem with being so organized that you have to schedule in eating." Rhuben pointed out.

"Bleep, Blap, Bloop." Logan replied, with a wave of his hand. "Wait a minute; you're making fun of me!" He pointed an accusing finger towards Rhuben who tried to keep a straight face. The girl that normally could master a look of apathy had trouble trying not to smile. "Don't deny it, you are."

"No, I'm not." Rhuben replied with a completely straight face.

"Fine," Logan shrugged simply. "I'm just going to have to tickle it out of you!"

"Don't you dare," Rhuben stated, taking a step away and keeping her eye on him as she slowly leaned over the couch. "I have a pillow," she grabbed it in her hand. "And I'm not afraid to use it." Logan raised an eyebrow and grabbed his own pillow. "Clearly I didn't think this through."

"Clearly," Logan agreed. "Now do you want to fight or do you surrender?" he questioned, using his best British accent.

"A British accent?" Rhuben raised an eyebrow and lowered her pillow. "Really? That's kind of insulting to me you know."

"Sorry," Logan tossed his pillow aside and walked over to Rhuben again, pressing his forehead against hers. "Let me make t up to you." He leaned down; going to kiss her, but Riley bursting into the room caused them to pull away. "You couldn't wait for two seconds?" he asked irritably.

"Not unless you want Patrick to hyperventilate himself into a coma." She replied sharply.

"What?" Rhuben asked, immediately on alert. "What does that mean?"

"It means that we have to get Patrick to a hospital." Riley replied, grabbing her phone and her wallet from the table that was sitting in the middle of the room. "He's having an asthma attack."

"How bad?" Logan questioned, hurrying to get his shoes on. His phone was in his other hand, already texting the others what was going on.

"I don't know." Riley replied grimly…

A/N: Alright so I got Racy (Ronan and Kacy (Mrs. Knight)), Lella, Wamille, and Natie in this chapter. Next chapter will have Kiley, Jameo, Carphanie, and Julittany. More problems arise in the concert in the next chapter and it will only grow from there. Whew, longer chapter. In other news, we gave permission to bballgirl22 to use our characters in a new fic that she's writing and Rhu and I are really excited about it. We like to see how people write our characters and will be willing to give permission to anyone that wants to use them if they ask. Next chapter will be up soon, I'm sorry it wasn't up yesterday like I wanted, but because of that, I'm going to give you guys somewhat of a present, by updating this story again before I update any other one. So you'll get two chapters to this before any other BTR story. (As I'm going to update my Suite Life on Deck fic as well.)

To Anonymous: I already have a plan for the Lella pairing and it's kind of like the idea that you have for the whole Dak thing. But Dak only appears once in this series and that was in the second story. There's really no point of him being put into this story (at least not that I can think of.) But thank you for the input; I'll keep that in mind when I'm writing my next story. :)

Could you guys read my fic 'You Know You've Done Wrong'? It's about WayneWayne and I would really like some feedback on it.

Oh and I need two of you guys to be a part in the story, just review with your name (or an OC's it doesn't matter), physical appearance, and personality and you'll be in it. We need two people for this and they'll be chosen randomly out of those that review and want to be put into it. They're going to be shown in the next chapter at the concert.

Thanks!

-Riley

PS - While you're waiting on it, check out our website for the DarkElements: http:/ thedarkelements . webs . com/ and our twitter for our profile so you can get updates and ask questions: http:/ twitter . com / DarkElements10 (except without the spaces, or just follow the links on our profile.) We've recently updated it.