A/N: Bear with me on this one, guys. It took me FOREVER to write this chapter. It's kind of jumpy; I wanted specific things to be included in this chapter, but I also didn't want it to be super long. So, I ultimately had to do a lot of editing (which made me die a little inside). But, I hope you like the finished product! Here is chapter 11.

Chapter 11
Fire vs. Fire

Kendall nervously glanced at the clock as his mother plopped a sandwich on his plate. "Why isn't he up yet?"

Mrs. Knight delivered a sandwich to Katie and James before walking back into the kitchen. "Because he's tired," she replied simply. "That sleeping pill is just working its magic."

"Yeah, but Logan never sleeps past eight, no matter how tired he is," said Kendall. "It's twelve thirty. Half the day will be gone before he even wakes up."

"He's just catching up on sleep he didn't get," Katie said, nonchalantly biting into her lunch.

Kendall frowned and looked down at his sandwich. He would feel much more hungry if he knew Logan was alright.

Having only James and Katie at the table felt strange. The Garcias were out and about somewhere, and Carlos, obviously, couldn't be there. But Logan should be. Nonetheless, Kendall slowly lifted the sandwich from his plate and brought it to his mouth. It felt good to use his left hand again. The bandage was gone and the stitches had been finally been removed. A pink scar was still visible on his palm, but Kendall's mother assured him it would become less noticeable in time.

Kendall chewed his food, glancing over at James. The taller boy ate in silence, keeping his eyes down.

Kendall couldn't get James's words out of his head: "I will stop avoiding you and form a temporary truce, but only for Logan's sake. Not ours." And James actually had kept his word.

Yesterday, when everyone had returned home from the clinic, Mrs. Knight forced Logan to go change into a pair of pajamas. She spread blankets over the couch in the living room and made him lay down while she cooked him a meal. Logan tried to protest, but Mrs. Knight made herself very clear that he was not going anywhere until he ate everything she prepared for him.

All the attention clearly had Logan embarrassed. His cheeks were set in a deep shade of red and he shrank back into the cushions of the couch. So, Kendall and James sat beside Logan to keep him company as the smell of homemade stew wafted in from the kitchen. They shot the breeze for a while, not really talking about anything in particular. It was evident that Logan relaxed and became more at ease the longer the three talked and joked.

Even Kendall was beginning to feel a little better about everything that had been happening in the last week. But that abruptly changed when he remembered what James had said in the bathroom.

It was all an act. An act for Logan's sake. James still hated Kendall, even after Kendall had apologized and asked for forgiveness.

Kendall wondered if not telling Logan about it counted as lying. He didn't think so, because Logan never specifically asked if the two had made amends. Hiding something and lying were two different things, right?

"Good morning," a cheerful voice sang.

Kendall looked up to see Logan entering the room, a big grin across his face.

"Morning, buddy," Kendall greeted, failing to hide a relieved smile. He looked over at the clock in the kitchen again. Logan may have slept four and a half hours longer than normal, but at least he looked better. His skin wasn't as pale, the circles under his eyes weren't as glaring, and his motions were a little more robust.

"Morning," James and Katie said, eyes following Logan as he strode into the kitchen.

"Good morning, sweetheart," said Mrs. Knight, giving him a tiny kiss on the temple. "How are you feeling?"

Logan took a deep breath and stretched his arms up in the air. "I feel pretty good," he admitted. "I slept really well last night. And you know what? I think I could go for some breakfast."

Mrs. Knight smiled and patted his shoulder as she moved past him to place three bottles of water next to James, Katie and Kendall.

"Don't you mean lunch?" asked Katie, smirking.

Logan blinked in confusion. "What do you mean?"

James laughed through a mouthful of sandwich. "Dude, it's twelve thirty."

Kendall watched in amusement as Logan whipped his head around to the kitchen clock. His mouth opened and closed as he fumbled for something to say, obviously bewildered that he had slept for so long. Mrs. Knight had Logan take his pill at eight PM that night, and at nine made Kendall and James carry Logan to his bedroom because he had fallen asleep on the couch and was practically unconscious.

"I slept for nearly fourteen hours?" Logan exclaimed.

"Out like a light," said Katie, not looking up from picking the crusts off her sandwich.

Logan let out a tiny gasp and yanked open a cupboard door, rummaging around for his bottle of sleeping pills. "What's in these things?" he said, scanning the label. "A tranquilizer or something?"

"Logan, relax," said Kendall. He stood from his chair and wandered over to his friend in the kitchen. "These pills are supposed to make you sleep." Kendall took the bottle from Logan's hand before looping an arm around his shoulders. "That's why they're called sleeping pills."

"Yeah," said Logan, "but for fourteen hours? I've never slept that long in my life!"

"Well," Mrs. Knight said, "when you haven't slept in days and your body is exhausted, I'd be concerned if you didn't sleep for fourteen hours."

Kendall gave Logan's back a brotherly pat as Logan pulled away from him and began to nervously pace the kitchen floor. "I guess you're right," he murmured.

"Good." Mrs. Knight smiled warmly, and Logan smiled back. "So would you like me to make you some breakfast? …Or lunch?" She stopped. "Brunch?"

"That's alright, Mrs. Knight. I'll just make myself a PBJ or something…" his voice trailed off, as if he was thinking. "Hey, have you guys went to the hospital yet this morning?"

Kendall felt his mouth go dry. He dropped his eyes to the ground in hopes of missing the glare James would surely throw his way.

"We were waiting for you to get up," Mrs. Knight answered. "We'll head over there as soon as you eat something."

Logan nodded. "Okay. Sounds good."

As Logan began to rifle through the fridge for some jelly to make his sandwich, Kendall slowly backed out of the room, passing James and Katie still eating at the table. A familiar guilty sensation fluttered inside his chest, but somehow, Kendall managed to force it away. He didn't want to think about Carlos in the hospital or James not forgiving him. Kendall just wanted to focus on the positives. Logan was okay. He had gotten sleep, and he was hungry. He looked better, he sounded better, and he acted better.

And at the moment, that was all that mattered.

Logan and James sat in the backseat of Mrs. Knight's van as she drove them to the hospital to visit Carlos for the day.

Logan sipped on a juice box, feeling like a two-year-old. But it was delicious. And he was thirsty.

He smiled as he sucked some fruit punch through the tiny bendy straw. Logan felt great. Better than he had in a week. His muscles were still a little stiff and sore, but no where near as painful as they had been yesterday. His eyelids weren't as heavy, his stomach wasn't as empty, and if he wasn't sitting in the car, he probably would be laughing and doing a back flip.

And best of all, James and Kendall were back to being friends again!

Logan had felt absolutely miserable the day before. All he could think about was how much worry he had put everyone through. But later, as Mrs. Knight practically force-fed him a bowl of hearty stew, Logan wondered if going to the doctor was a good thing. After all, it had forced James and Kendall to forget about their pointless quarreling. And now they talked and joked with each other like nothing had ever happened.

Logan sighed contentedly, settling into his seat as buildings and cars blurred by out the window. He finished the rest of his juice and held the empty box in his lap. His stomach growled. Maybe he should have eaten more than a peanut butter and jelly sandwich before he left the house.

"Mom?" said Katie. She sat up front in the passengers seat, eyes focused out the windshield. "How come Kendall never comes with us to see Carlos?"

The tiny smile that was still curving Logan's lips instantly vanished as he waited for Mrs. Knight's response. From beside him, James shifted positions in his seat.

"Well, honey…" said Mrs. Knight. She checked her blind spot, flipped her blinker on, and changed lanes as if stalling for time to think of a response. "Everyone has a different way of handling tough situations," she began. "Kendall will come around eventually."

Katie turned her head and stared out the window. "Yeah, well, by the time he comes around it might be too late."

Her voice was soft, and it sent a chill running down Logan's spine. She was right, he knew. At any moment they could get a phone call from the doctors saying some complications popped up and Carlos was…

Logan didn't want to finish his thought.

Of course, then there was Mr. and Mrs. Garcia, who Logan knew were debating whether or not to take their son off of life support, anyway.

Silence descended in the vehicle. Logan looked over at James, who had his head resting against the glass of the window.

And suddenly, Logan didn't feel like doing back flips anymore.

Mrs. Knight pulled the vehicle into the hospital parking lot, and the four exited the van and started for the doors. Logan disposed of his empty juice box in a trashcan at the building's entrance.

They walked the familiar halls, en route to room 116. Logan stopped when he noticed the door-less room to the side of the hall which contained a wall of vending machines. Still pretty hungry, Logan told the gang that he would catch up with them in a second.

He stepped into the room and reached in his back pocket for his wallet. Logan's eyes scanned the rows of candies and chips as he contemplated his choices. He fed his last dollar to the machine and was about to press a code for a Twix candy bar, when a pack of fruit snacks caught his eye.

Fruit Smackers. Carlos's favorite candy.

Logan inwardly smirked and punched in a number on the panel. A small bag fell down from the display, and a few coins clattered into the change bin. Logan collected the snack and the coins and hurried out of the room.

James was leaning against the wall outside of Carlos's room. Mrs. Knight and Katie were presumably inside.

"What did you get?" James wondered.

Logan held up the package. "For Carlos."

James raised an eyebrow. "You're not supposed to bring anything in there."

"Eh." Logan shrugged. "I don't really care anymore."

James chuckled quietly, and the two patiently waited for Kendall's family to finish their visit. When Mrs. Knight and Katie eventually shuffled out of the room, James and Logan entered.

"Hey, Carlos," Logan greeted, plopping down in a chair beside the bed.

James maneuvered to the opposite side, not bothering to sit down. "Hey, buddy."

Carlos looked slightly better than he had eight days ago. The swelling on his skin had went down dramatically, and the cuts and scrapes on his face were healing nicely. But the cast on his leg, the brace on his wrist, as well as the thick tube sticking down his throat still remained.

"I brought you something," Logan said to Carlos, sneaking a glance behind him at the door. He held up the packet of candy. "Fruit Smackers. Your favorite. They're only eighty-five cents at this vending machine." Logan smiled softly as his eyes misted over with tears. He gingerly took Carlos's hand in his own and placed the fruit snacks in Carlos's palm. Logan closed Carlos's fingers around the package and held on for several seconds, almost expecting to feel Carlos squeeze back. But, of course, he didn't.

Logan gently repositioned Carlos's hand, now clutching the Fruit Smackers, where it had been and leaned back in his chair. "You can't let the doctors see these," said Logan, wiping at his eyes. "We're not supposed to have them in here."

From beside Logan, the ventilator machine wheezed. The IV dripped. The heart monitor beeped slowly but surely. All the machines and tubes and wires were frightening to him, but also strangely fascinating.

"So…" James said, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. "Logan is taking sleeping pills now. And vitamins."

"Don't tell him that," Logan chided.

"Why not?"

"Because. It will make him feel bad."

James rolled his eyes. "It's not Carlos's fault." He looked back down to his unresponsive friend. "Don't worry, though. He's better now. Right, Logan?"

Logan nodded, then realized Carlos's eyes were shut. He cleared his throat. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm better now. I was just… I don't know. Scared, I guess."

A long pause. Logan stared at Carlos's closed eyes. He looked just like he was sleeping. It was frustrating to know that Carlos could not just be shaken awake.

"Logan, I'm sorry," said James, interrupting Logan's thoughts.

He tore his eyes away from Carlos and looked up. "Huh? For what?"

"Just…" James sighed and shook his head. "For everything. For ignoring you, and not talking with you and stuff. I'm sorry."

Logan shrugged. "It's okay. You and Kendall are friends again, that sleeping pill knocked me out last night, I'm actually really hungry right now, and," he rested his hand over Carlos's for the second time, "Carlos is going to get better. I know he is."

Logan's hopeful comment was intended to lighten the mood a bit, but James just stood with an expressionless face, unmoving, eyes trained down on Carlos.

He was about to ask James if he was alright when the taller boy turned. "Well, if you're hungry, we should probably get going," he declared. He reached down and rested a hand on Carlos's arm, just above the brace on his wrist. "See you later, Carlos. Wake up, okay? You've slept longer than Logan."

"Haha," Logan laughed sarcastically, getting to his feet. He followed James to the door, then stopped and turned around. "Oh, and Kendall says hi. And he hopes you wake up soon, and he cares about you, and he misses you. So, you know. Get better."

As Logan stepped into the starkly white hall to meet James, James leaned over and asked, "Did Kendall really say that?"

"No," Logan admitted, proceeding to reunite with Mrs. Knight and Katie, who were likely in the waiting area. "But I know he means it."

"Pfft," James muttered under his breath, turning his head away.

Logan stopped walking. He was about to ask James what he meant, but the ring of his cell phone cut him off. Logan dug around in his pocket until he located the device.

Kendall's name appeared on the screen. Confused, Logan pressed the phone to his ear. "Hello?"

"Hey, it's me," said Kendall. "I just got a call from Kelly. She wants us to go to Rocque Records."

"Really? Why?" Logan turned to look at James who was mouthing, 'Who is it?', but ignored him.

"She said we're having a meeting with Griffin or something," Kendall replied. "About the band and Fujizaki."

"I thought Griffin was in Japan?"

"He is. We're going to talk through video chat. Can you have my mom come pick me up? Then we'll head over there."

Logan agreed, and slapped his phone shut.

"Who was that?" asked James.

"Kendall," answered Logan, slipping the phone back into his pocket. "We're supposed to go to Rocque Records for a video chat meeting with Griffin to discuss the band."

"Fun," James muttered with a sigh.

Logan's good mood lessened. "Yeah. Fun."

The three boys were led into studio A, a large room within Rocque Records that Gustavo reserved for special conferences. A generously proportioned flat screen television hung from the wall, a tiny camera mounted on top.

Gustavo sat at the head of the table. Kelly had pulled up a chair next to him and had her clipboard and pen ready.

Kendall was seated by himself on the left side of the long table, and Logan and James were on the right. James had his hands in his lap and was nervously wringing them together. He never liked going to meetings. And for some reason, he had a bad feeling about this one.

"Griffin said to be online by two," said Gustavo as he pulled back his sweatshirt sleeve to squint at his wristwatch. "Where is he?"

As if on cue, the TV flashed blue for several seconds before Griffin appeared on screen. His short, grey hair was neatly combed, and his suit and tie were crisp. He was framed from his shoulders up, but James could see the RCM/CBT GlobalNet Sanyoid logo on the wall in the background, as well as some unreadable Japanese characters.

"Hello," he greeted, grinning and giving a tiny wave. "Isn't this neat? Can you see me?"

"Yes, we can see you," said Gustavo. "Tell us what happened with Fujizaki. What did he say about the song?"

Griffin raised his eyebrows. "Aren't you going to ask me about my day?"

"Not now, Griffin."

The CEO blinked slowly, obviously noting Gustavo's rare seriousness. He sighed. "Fujizaki loved the song."

Everyone exchanged glances. James found himself grinning as he whipped around in his chair to give Logan a high-five. Even Kendall looked pleased.

But Gustavo and Kelly did not.

James turned his attention back to Griffin, wondering why the adults didn't seem excited about the news. Griffin just said that Fujizaki loved the song. That's what they wanted to happen. Why was there little celebration?

"And?" said Gustavo.

James inwardly cringed and his smile disappeared as quickly as it came. There always had to be an 'and.'

"Well," started Griffin, "let me first tell you that Mr. Fujizaki sends his deepest condolences and is praying for Carlos's recovery." Griffin grinned and held up a banana that he obtained from somewhere off screen. "He also sends fruit baskets."

"And?" Gustavo pressed, no doubt losing his patience.

James held his breath as he waited for a response.

"And… he's still thinking about cutting our division."

James dropped his shoulders. All that for nothing. All that drama, all that arguing, all that stress about finishing the song… For nothing. He knew he should feel angry, but utter disappointment was the only thing he could feel.

Gustavo let out a growl and smacked his hand against the table, looking defeated.

"What? He can't do that!" cried Kendall, sitting on the edge of the seat. "Griffin, you can't let this happen. You have to do something."

"Believe me, I have been," Griffin replied. He glanced over each shoulder before leaning in closer to the camera. "The CEOs here in Japan are trying to take over this company. They're well aware of Mr. Fujizaki's senility, and let me tell you all, I've been doing a little…" He paused, and lowered his voice even more. "Investigating."

The way Griffin said it made James think of the man dressed in black with a tree-hat on his head, ducking behind plants and corners as he sneaked through the RCM/CBT headquarters. James didn't doubt if that was actually what Griffin had done.

"From what I've gathered," Griffin continued, "Mr. Fujizaki's business advisors and appointed CEOs want to take up the baton and run the company themselves. And as we all realize, Mr. Fujizaki isn't exactly the most discerning person in his old age. My best guess is that the CEOs heard about what's happened to Big Time Rush and are taking this as their big break. They are trying to convince Mr. Fujizaki to dump BTR and focus on other RCM/CBT GlobalNet Sanyoid products. I suppose it's because by allowing the band to be 'on hold' while Carlos is in the hospital, we're losing money."

James could hardly believe his ears. He slowly turned to look at Gustavo and Kelly. The assistant was scribbling away on her clipboard with narrowed eyes, biting down on her bottom lip. The boss, on the other hand, had his elbow resting on the table and the heel of his hand pressed into his forehead, deep in thought as he absorbed Griffin's information.

"I can't believe this," Kendall muttered to himself, clenching his fists. Even Logan was shaking his head.

Without looking up, Gustavo spoke. "Boys, will you please leave us alone for a minute?"

James shared a look with Logan before obeying. Gustavo sounded earnest, and it worried him.

The three boys slowly rose from their seats and wordlessly exited the room, unsure of how to react to Griffin's findings.

"Griffin, why do I get the feeling you're not telling me everything?" asked Gustavo after making sure the boys left the room.

The man on the television screen sighed softly. "Because I'm not."

From beside Gustavo, Kelly looked up. "Huh?"

"I didn't want to say anything in front of your boys, but some of Fujizaki's consultants think Big Time Rush sounds better as a trio."

Gustavo ran a hand over his face as he felt rage begin to bubble inside him. There was no way anyone was doing that to his dogs. Sure, they had nearly replaced James before, but this was different. Carlos was hurt. The poor kid was barely alive. It was appalling to think a sleazy CEO would even consider forcing BTR to record as a trio after only a few days since the accident.

"A trio? As in without Carlos altogether?" Kelly asked for clarity.

"Precisely," said Griffin. He leaned back in his seat. "I like the guys. I really do. Believe me, this whole situation is making me feel worse than a cowboy without a horse."

Gustavo blinked in confusion at Griffin's analogy, but kept quiet.

"It's been eight days since the accident, correct? Carlos is still alive and this company is already trying to move on without him."

Gustavo stood so quickly from his chair that it shot backwards and rolled across the floor. "THIS IS UNBELIEVABLE," he boomed. "I am not just going to SIT HERE and let Fujizak's loser advisors, or consultants, or CEOs, or whoever the heck is doing this, do this." He twirled around to face his loyal assistant. "KELLY. Book me the next flight to Japan!"

She gaped at him for only a moment before obediently reaching for her phone.

"Actually, I don't think that will be necessary," Griffin said.

Kelly ceased punching keys on her phone.

"Like I said, these days in his old age, Fujizaki is easily persuaded. So, I've come up with a plan. Well, half of a plan."

Gustavo and Kelly stared at the screen expectantly.

"We can fight fire with fire. If we can find a way to sway Fujizaki ourselves and make him want to keep the band, we may be able to save Big Time Rush, as well as our jobs."

Gustavo sighed and plopped back down in his chair. "The boys aren't going to want to keep the band going without Carlos." He removed the tinted sunglasses from his eyes and stared directly into the camera fitted atop the TV. "And quite frankly, I don't either."

Griffin nodded. "I understand. And that is why this is going to be tricky. We'll need to convince Mr. Fujizaki to put the band on hold, and make sure he knows that there is absolutely no Big Time Rush without Carlos."

"Alright, great," Gustavo said. "So what do we do?"

"I have no idea," Griffin deadpanned.

Gustavo groaned and allowed his forehead to smack against the table. "So there's no plan!"

"Wait," said Kelly, suddenly perking up. "Why don't we ask the guys? They're amazing at thinking up plans."

Gustavo immediately picked his head off the table, knowing she was right. The dogs were their only hope. "FREIGHT TRAIN," he bellowed. The door to the conference room opened, and the large man poked his head in the room. "Get the dogs back in here. Now."

"You got it," said Freight Train. As he closed the door, a sudden notion formed in Gustavo's mind. He made a split-second decision.

"Wait."

Freight Train reentered.

Gustavo looked to Kelly, who's expression told him she was slightly confused. Sighing, he rubbed at his tired eyes. This would probably come back later to bite him in the butt.

"Just get Logan and James."