~I Like It When You Think Out Loud~

"So how are your kids doing?" Kacy asked as she blew on her steaming coffee mug. "I mean, they must be getting antsy, not helping out Kendall, Carlos, James, and Logan."

"They deserve a break though," Kelly replied as she stirred her sugar into her tea with a small spoon. "They've been working hard for years." She then elbowed Gustavo, who was making faces after drinking his green tea, in the side. "Even Gustavo's starting to miss them."

"I am not," Gustavo grunted. He peered into the glass and frowned. "How do people drink this stuff?"

"You're the one who said they wanted to lose weight," Ronan commented, staring down into his cup of coffee. "Which you're doing a great job with by the way."

Gustavo slapped his hands down on the table and glared at Ronan, but stopped, blinking. "Did you just compliment me, McGuire?"

Ronan sat up in his chair, blinking rapidly for a few seconds. "I must be getting sick," he commented, putting a hand to his forehead. "I think I did."

"Or you could just be starting to appreciate each other's thoughts and advice?" Kacy asked, a hopeful look on her face. She frowned and rolled her eyes when Gutavo and Ronan, quickly and loudly shot it down. "Just wondering."

"Ronan, you look really out of it," Kelly commented, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Are you ok? I figured with your kids taking a break, you would've been more relaxed."

"I don't think I've been realized since I met the Jacksons," Ronan commented, although he had a smile on his face. "Plus, I'm still helping Gustavo come up with a new sound for Big Time RushI mean, Elevate will be released soon and you already have a summer tour in the works for the album, but it doesn't hurt to get a head start on stuff like that."

"Ronan, you deserve a break as well," Kacy commented with a small shake of her head. "Since I've met you all you do is work."

"In my line of work, you don't ever really stop," Ronan replied, letting out a yawn. "Besides, I've been dealing with a lot of stuff lately. Rhuben had a movie date with Dak Zevon the other day."

"That boy's been chasing after her for years now," Kelly said with a small laugh, shaking her head. "It's pretty sweet actually, but I honestly didn't think she'd ever go out with him."

"Nah, she's liked him the whole time," Kacy replied with a shake of her head. "She just didn't know if he was that serious about his feelings for her or hers for him, so she kept turning him down."

"Oh, is that why girls are so hard to read?" Gustavo asked, sarcastically. "Why can't you ever just tell I like it is? I mean, either you like us manly men or you don't." Ronan silently nodded in agreement. Kacy and Kelly exchanged glances before they burst out laughing. "Why is that funny?"

"You know, we could easily shoot that back in your faces," Kelly commented. "For example, why do guys act like such big shots when that's not who they are?"

"There's a simple answer to that," Ronan commented, leaning back in his chair. "All guys are stupid. We always have been and we always will be."

"That's true," Kelly replied with a smirk as Kacy chuckled before taking a long sip of her coffee.

"Looks like something else is bothering you," Kacy commented, setting down her mug to peer at Ronan. "Is Robert still sending you those letters."

"Yeah, and he won't stop until my kids go and visit him," Ronan commented as he grabbed the container of sugar, dumping it into his coffee cup. "I think they should. I mean, it's really the only way to get the letters to stop."

"Is it?" Gustavo asked with a grunt. "That guy never knows when to stop. He may continue to send those letters. As long as you don't open 'em, you're fine."

"I just think it'll be good for them to see him," Ronan replied slowly, choosing his words carefully and gauging his friends' reactions. "I mean, they're all doing a good job getting over their past, but I think it'll really help them if they go, although, I'm worried it'll start up their nightmares again. Or it'd trigger their PTSD."

"That bastard beat them around so much they have PTSD?" Gustavo asked, rising to his feet. "Hell, I don't care if he doesn't want to see me, I'm giving that guy a piece of my mind."

"Sit down," Kelly hissed, standing up to push down on his shoulders, causing him to sit again. "You're making a scene." Gustavo crossed his arms over his chest, grumbling. "Trust me though, I don't blame you."

"From what you've told me, they haven't really shown any signs of reverting back to it," Kacy replied as Ronan took a sip of his now sugar filled coffee. "I know that they're mostly worried about being like Robert; taking their anger out on others."

"Well, they're planning on announcing to their fans about their past in the upcoming year," Ronan replied, tapping his finger nails against his coffee mug. "I'm just worried about the possible backlash they're get. Plus, their friends could get it by association, which means Gustavo, you may have to do a lot of damage control."

"So what else is new?" Gustavo asked and Kelly, Kacy, and Ronan couldn't help but nod in agreement.

"But, good could from it as well," Ronan added. "Rhuben had her first date with Dak Zevon last night." The two women instantly looked interested and Gustavo rolled his eyes, busying himself with his phone. "I'm just worried that the extra attention from the press, as it'll eventually get out no matter how many connections I have, will put a toll on them."

"I don't know, Dak could be a good thing for her," Kacy commented. "Like, someone to take her mind off of her past and to let her finally feel normal, not popular, not a celebrity, just a teenage girl."

"She's already taken advantage of that, believe me," Ronan commented, an amused look on his face. "When I went to pick her up, Katie and Lizzie didn't hesitate to tell me that the two of them had caught Dak and Rhuben making out in his living room." He chuckled before taking a sip of his coffee. "I don't know whether I should be happy that she's making progress with her life or be paranoid that something's going to happen."

"Have you had the sex talk with your kids?" Kacy asked suddenly, causing Ronan to choke on his coffee. He reached for a napkin and dabbed at his mouth, coughing. "It's just a question."

"That you caught me off guard with," Ronan replied, thumping his chest with his fist. "And, yes. Robert put a lot of stuff on me. I had to give all of them the talk; except for Sydney because he's so smart. Hell, Rhuben came to me when she first got her period."

"Do we have to talk about this here?" Gustavo asked, rubbing his temples.

"You can go if you want," Ronan commented, wiping the table with a napkin, trying to get the mix of coffee and spit off the table. "I'm thinking about going back to visit Robert. If I need some muscles to back me up, I'll give you a call."

"Right-o," Gustavo replied, getting to his feet, letting out an exaggerated groan. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to sit through calling arenas around the US to set up shows for the dogs." He bid his friends farewell as he left the building.

"Are you worried that Dak and Rhuben are going to have sex?" Kelly asked, turning to Ronan, asking him point blank.

"No, she's too smart for that," Ronan commented with a shake of his head, "and self-conscious. Even if they did, she knows all about safe sex so I'm not worried about that."

"Then what are you worried about?" Kacy asked.

"I'm worried that she'll get so much good attention, that she'll get too attached too soon," Ronan replied, suddenly looking tired. "I've heard from a few people that Dak has been offered a spot in the Broadway musical Next to Normal."

"Well, that's great for him," Kelly commented. "He's a fantastic singer and a great actor. That's a great play for him to be a part of if he chooses it."

"I see your problem," Kacy said with a sigh. "While the Jacksons are always working on their music, Dak is more hit or miss with whether or not he's working. I'd hate for him to take the roll and suddenly uproot his life to move to New York."

"Exactly," Ronan agreed with a nod. "They have a hard time trusting people because they always end up leaving one way or another." He pushed his coffee cup aside and rested his chin on his arms. "Rhubes knows that I know about her and Dak making out, but she doesn't want to talk to me about it. I just never really realized how shy she actually could be. They've just come so far, I'm worried the smallest thing will knock 'em back. On one hand I truly think it'll help my kids if they go visit Robert, and on the other hand, god knows it'll turn around and bite me in the ass."

"I think I know what you're really worried about, Ronan," Kacy commented, a serious look crossing her face. Ronan and Kelly peered at her. "From what you told me, Robert wants to meet with your kids alone, I think you're worried that he'll brainwash them."

"You mean, like, turn them against him?" Kelly asked and Kacy nodded.

"He had them longer than Ronan did," Kacy explained with a sigh, looking worried. "For years he's trained them to know that the instant they do something wrong, they could get hit. I'm worried that even a five minute conversation could get them back under his thumb."

"They all love Ronan, and they always have," Kelly said with a shake of her head, patting Ronan on the back. "And they really respect him. I don't think they'd just sit by and let Robert do that to them." He then turned towards Ronan and gave him a hard look. "You're their parent now. You can put your foot down and tell Robert that you're not going to leave them alone in his company."

"Something tells me this is going to get a lot harder before it gets easier," Ronan said with a sigh, closing his eyes.

This was more dialogue driven than anything, but you'll get more description and stuff next week. You'll be seeing more of Riley and Wayne in the next chapter as well as Patrick, Noah, Sydney, Katie, and Lizzie. You'll see Robert again in the chapter after that. Hope you guys liked this chapter.

Cheers,

-Rhubes