A/N: Arrrgh, this chapter is soooo long! But I didn't want to break it up, or else it would have lost its intensity. Also, the holidays are coming up, so a new update might be a while unless I suddenly get a ton of motivation. Which reminds me, please review! It totally motivates me! So, before I make this chapter any longer with my author's note, I want to thank you all for reading! Happy holidays! :)

Chapter 12
Smiles and Lies

James ducked into Logan's bedroom and closed the door behind him. "The coast is clear."

Logan let out a sigh of relief. "Good." He walked over to his desk and seized a clipboard and pen before plopping down on the edge of his bed. "Let's go through this again."

"Alright," James agreed. He pulled up the desk chair and flipped it around so the chair's back was between his legs. It was time to put the plan into action.

Logan's eyes scanned over the clipboard. "Envelopes?"

"Check," said James, pointing to a box on the floor.

Logan made a checkmark with his pen. "Paper?"

"Check."

"Pens?"

"Check."

"Stamps?"

"Check."

"Addresses and phone numbers?"

"Check."

"Lying to Kendall about a plan that probably won't work anyway?"

"Che - Hey, wait a second!"

Logan tossed the clipboard aside and crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't like this," he said. "Lying is bad. Lying to each other is… the worst kind of bad. It's evil, James! That's what it is!"

James rolled his eyes at his friend's overreaction. "Dude, calm down, alright?"

"No!" cried Logan. "I will not calm down! Do you realize what's going to happen if Kendall catches us? He will never trust us again. I don't know if I want to risk that, James."

James held out his hands, wondering why Logan was making such a big deal out of the situation. "Then we'll find a way to foolproof our plan," he said casually.

Logan groaned exasperatedly and grabbed at his hair with both hands, obviously on the verge of freaking out. "And how are we supposed to do that? This is too much pressure, man, and you know I can't think under pressure!"

Keeping his nonchalant composure, James said, "Then we'll find someone who can."

"Oh, really? Like who?"

James smirked mischievously.

"So what do you need me to do?" Katie Knight asked. She sat on the end of Logan's bed while the two boys stood in front of her. Logan still looked edgy and nervous, but James was calm.

"Well," said James, "to make a long story short, our company's founder, Mr. Fujizaki, is like a billion years old and is… Uh, Logan, what was that word Griffin used?"

Logan made his famous 'you are such an idiot' face. "Senile."

"Oh, yeah. Senile. So, he has some crooked CEOs working for him, and the CEOs want us to either start recording songs as a trio, or get rid of us altogether."

Katie raised her eyebrows in shock.

James looked over at Logan, waiting for him to continue the story. But Logan only went on pacing the floor with his hands on his head, looking like a cat on a hot tin roof.

James sighed and continued his explanation to Katie. "So, Griffin came up with the idea to fight fire with fire. If the CEOs in Japan are trying to convince Fujizaki to change or get rid of our band, then we can try convince him to keep Big Time Rush and to put the band on hold until Carlos gets better."

Katie nodded slowly. James could practically see the gears turning in the ten-year-old's head as she pondered the state of affairs. "Okay, so how can I help?"

This time, Logan answered. He stopped moving and faced Kendall's sister. "Well, Kendall has been a little… unpredictable lately. Gustavo thinks Kendall is taking this the hardest and is the most 'touchy' on the subject, so he doesn't want Kendall to know about our plan incase it doesn't work."

James bitterly laughed, then abruptly stopped when he remembered the deal he made with Kendall. The two needed to act like friends around Logan. The last thing they needed was Logan to stop eating and sleeping again.

But to James, Gustavo's notion was ridiculous. How could Gustavo think that Kendall, of all people, was taking this whole thing the hardest? Kendall hardly talked about Carlos, never visited him in the hospital, and never even shed a tear in the eight days since the accident. Kendall was acting like he didn't care about him. So why would Kendall care if the plan worked or not?

"James," said Logan, "let's not get into that right now, okay? We need to focus on the plan."

The taller boy gave a gruff nod before freezing at the realization of Logan's words. Did Logan know? Did he figure out that James and Kendall still weren't friends?

"So, anyway," Logan said to Katie, "we need your help to distract Kendall and keep him in the apartment for a few hours while we put our plan into action."

Katie bobbed her head up and down. "Sounds doable. What's your plan?"

James shook away his thoughts about Kendall. He could worry about that later. "See those boxes by the door?" James said, gesturing. "They're full of paper and envelopes. We're going to recruit kids from the Palm Woods to write in letters and stuff to the RCM/CBT GlobalNet Sanyoid headquarters in Japan asking to put a hold on BTR until Carlos gets better."

"And we think," Logan continued, "that by doing that, Fujizaki will realize how much of an upset it will cause by cutting our division or excluding Carlos from the band, and ultimately not go through with it."

"And Griffin is extending his trip to Japan to further help out the cause," said James, feeling proud. He thought the plan sounded pretty darn good. Not to mention he had come up with the sending letters part himself. Logan only helped with the specifics, like spreading the message on social networking websites, as well as the official BTR webpage, and collecting the materials to send the letters.

"So will you help us?" Logan wondered.

Katie smirked. "Well duh. Like I'm going to let that stupid old man and his CEOs disregard Carlos because he's hurt. Or get rid of Big Time Rush."

James grinned happily.

"But we're gonna need cool codenames, a good cover story, and a megaphone," said Katie.

James and Logan snapped their fingers simultaneously. "Right!"

"Attention, attention!" Logan shouted into Katie's megaphone. "This is a special Palm Woods announcement! Please come this way. Attention! Special Palm Woods announcement!"

James struggled to carry the heavy boxes of supplies as he followed his friend. They meandered about the Palm Woods pool area, earning some confused looks from the residents.

"Please come this way for a special Palm Woods announcement!" Logan repeated, making his way towards the lobby.

James grunted, fearing he would lose his hold on the boxes. At long last, he reached the front desk and slammed the materials down with a relieved sigh. He turned around to survey the area, and smiled. Nearly the entire Palm Woods had crowded into the lobby, curious about the 'special Palm Woods announcement'.

Camille and Jo were in the front of the mob of teens, as well as the Jennifers, Guitar Dude, and Tyler.

"What's going on?" Camille asked over the buzz of confused voices.

"You'll see," said James. He took the megaphone from Logan. "Ready to give this a shot?"

Logan shrugged. "I guess."

His response was good enough for James. The brown-haired boy hoisted himself up on the check-in counter and stood looking over the crowd. He could hardly believe all the kids who had bothered to see what the announcement was.

"Hey, hey, hey!" an angry voice scolded. James whipped around, careful not to lose his balance, and saw a red-faced Mr. Bitters emerging from his office. "What do you think you're doing? Get off of my desk!"

"No, wait," said Logan. "Please, this is important."

James never knew Mr. Bitters to be a very understanding guy. But there must have been something in Logan's voice, or a look on his face, that made the man change his mind. "It better be," Bitters muttered, stepping back to see what the boys had to say.

James took a deep breath as the lobby began to quiet down. Kids began to shush one another, looking to James expectantly.

Finally, silence.

And suddenly, James wondered if Logan was right. If there was any hope of being friends with Kendall again, it would all go out the window if James opened his mouth. Kendall hated being lied to. After Freight Train dragged James and Logan back into the conference room and the plan had been conceived, the next step was to think of something to tell Kendall. James was ultimately the one to say to the blond, "We were talking about CJ and how you got so mad at him."

To which Kendall replied, "…He's not coming back, is he?"

Kendall bought it. Which meant he had no idea James and Logan were about to go behind his back and try to keep the band alive. James knew Kendall wouldn't be upset about trying to save the band; Kendall would be upset that he didn't have the chance to become involved.

Logan hit James's leg, snapping him out of his thoughts.

Now or never, James thought. He cleared his throat. "Uh, hey, everyone," he started, feeling slightly awkward. He instinctively reached up to fix his hair before straightening his t-shirt. "For those of you who don't know, I'm James." He pointed down. "And that's Logan. We're in a band called Big Time Rush -"

Annoyed groans emerged from half the gathering. The other half rolled their eyes, no doubt assuming James was just trying to advertise the band.

"Do something!" Logan cried as a few kids started to leave. Camille and Jo were the only two to stay put.

"Hey, wait a second!" James called. He raised the megaphone to his mouth. "Wait! Just hear us out!"

The kids paused, and there was once again silence.

"Thank you," said James, lowering the megaphone once again. "Look… As some of you probably know, our friend Carlos is in the hospital."

The throng of bodies froze, suddenly paying close attention.

James took a shaky breath and slowly continued. "He was in an accident… And is now in a coma." He stopped, letting the information sink in. "The accident happened eight days ago and already our record company's founder is trying to either get us to continue recording songs without Carlos, or dump the music division all together."

A few girls had their hands covered over their mouths in surprise. Several guys crossed their arms over their chests.

"So," James declared. "We need your help."

Logan took over, speaking loudly and clearly. "Mr. Fujizaki, the company founder, is a little out of his right mind in his old age, and his consultants and CEOs are succeeding in convincing him to cut our division. Since we're temporarily ceasing our recording sessions due to Carlos's absence, it's not really helping our situation."

An unfamiliar voice from the back spoke up. "So what can we do?"

James began to relax knowing the kids were at least interested. "We've come up with a plan," he said. "We need you guys to write letters, send emails, place phone calls, do anything you can to get in contact with the RCM/CBT GlobalNet Sanyoid building in Japan. Tell them how unethical they're being. Tell them you love Big Time Rush, and you love Carlos, and you want us to keep making music only if Carlos is in the band."

All eyes turned to the boy who had previously spoken. "Okay, I don't mean to sound like a jerk or anything, but what if your buddy doesn't wake up?"

James had no idea how to respond. The kid made a good point. What if Carlos didn't wake up any time soon? Even if they could convince Fujiizaki to put the band on hold, how long would he wait?

"Look," Logan said, voice a little quieter. "I know this is a long shot, but we have to try it. If we don't, hundreds of people could lose their jobs. Or, we may be forced to record as a trio. Because technically we're under contract, so I don't think we can just quit the band -"

James cut him off before he complicated the situation even more. "So just… please, please help us out," he begged the troop of teens. "Help everyone in our company's music division out. Help Carlos out."

He bended down and opened the flap of the large cardboard box he had been forced to carry, revealing stacks of envelopes and paper and packs of pens.

James stood beside Logan as the spectators remained silent. Some looked to one another, some stood motionless, and some looked down at their feet.

His heart sank. He was beginning to doubt that anyone would make a move.

Then, two girls stepped forward. A blonde and a brunette. They smiled, and wordlessly walked towards the box of supplies and pulled out a sheet of paper, a pen, and an envelope. And once their materials were in their hands, Camille and Jo parted their way through the people and seated themselves on the tiny loveseat. Everyone watched as they began to write.

But two letters wouldn't be enough. James held his breath as his eyes scanned over the crowd's unsure faces.

The next person to approach the box was Mr. Bitters. He didn't look up or acknowledge James or Logan in any way. He only snatched some paper and a pen and took them back to his office.

Then, surprisingly, the Jennifers came around, each giving tiny, yet genuine smiles.

Then, Guitar Dude.

Then Tyler.

Then Marcy, the girl with anger issues.

Then the kid who smelled like corn chips.

Then the cast of Teen NCSI, and the kid who referred to himself as Lil' Lee Roth.

Then more, and more, and more kids, some familiar, some not, until the entire audience was reaching for paper and pens and envelopes. The lobby of the Palm Woods was no longer silent, but alive with excited voices and a few claps and cheers.

James clapped a hand on Logan's shoulder, grinning gleefully. "This might actually work!" he exclaimed.

"I know!" Logan laughed.

James patted his friend's shoulder a second time, happy to see Logan so excited and hopeful. He could hardly believe all the kids willing to show their support for the band and for Carlos.

Still beaming, James grabbed the megaphone. "Come see me for phone numbers and emails!" he hollered. Leaving Logan at the front desk, he cut his way through the bodies, stepping over the kids who sprawled out on the floor to write their letters. James entered the pool area, where many kids had already dispersed.

He led the group of teens behind him to the far end of the pool. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out typed note cards containing addresses and phone numbers and other useful information. The kids grabbed them eagerly and passed them around to one another.

"Thank you," James said to each person who accepted a card. "Thank you so much."

He sighed contentedly as the last of the kids was handed a card and inspected the area. Kids sat on pool chairs or at the edge of the pool itself, some with pens and paper, some with cell phones pressed to their ears, and some typing away on laptops.

He ran a hand through his hair in bewilderment before he started to laugh. He wasn't even sure why he was laughing; he just was. And it felt good.

But all his mirth vanished when Logan bolted out of the lobby. "Code red!" he shouted, holding up his cell phone. "James, code red! Go!"

James gasped and bolted to towards the building. It hadn't been fifteen minutes! Katie was supposed to be in the apartment distracting Kendall. How could she have failed so quickly?

James barreled past Logan and to the elevators. He skidded to a stop in front of the doors, nervously tapping his foot as he waited for Kendall to emerge.

Ding! The doors slowly slid open.

Kendall was about to step out, when James barged in.

"Hey, what - ?" Kendall cried as James shoved him back against the wall.

"Oh, oops! Oh no, my bad," James said as he blindly searched for the 'close door' button on the elevator.

"James, what are you - ?" Kendall tried to ask. The elevator doors shut and James took a step back.

"Sorry 'bout that," he said, trying to be as casual as possible. "So, uh, so what are you doing?"

Kendall gave James a strange look and spoke slowly. "Just… going downstairs."

"Ah. Weren't you, oh, I dunno, spending the day with Katie? Or something?"

Kendall narrowed his eyes. "What's up with you?" he asked.

"What? Nothing. Nothing's wrong with me." James turned around and hit the button for the second floor. The elevator began to ascend.

"Hey, I'm actually glad I ran into you," Kendall started.

James tensed. He didn't want Kendall to start apologizing again. Unless Kendall was agreeing to go see Carlos in the hospital, James was not interested in any sort of reconciliation.

"I've been thinking about Logan lately… And you've been spending a lot of time with him these last few days. So I was wondering if you think he's feeling better."

"Why don't you go ask him?"

"I was about to until you -"

James cut him off, suddenly angry. "I don't get you, Kendall. I just don't get you." The elevator arrived at the second floor and the doors opened. "You act like you're so concerned about Logan, but then you barely acknowledge the fact that Carlos could… could die." As hard as it was, James forced himself to say the last words. Maybe Kendall needed him to be blunt about it.

Kendall closed his eyes and took a deep breath, stepping out of the elevator and into the hall. James stayed in place.

"I'm not going to fight with you again," Kendall said, quietly. "And I just… I can't see Carlos, okay? I can't."

James was so sick of Kendall saying that. So sick of Kendall not giving a reason why. Was there even a reason why? Or did he think seeing Carlos was a hassle? A waste of time?

"You've always been like the leader," James said as unexpected tears pricked in his eyes. "You've always been the one to watch out for us, and keep us together when things fall apart. You've always been the most reasonable one, the most honest and the most reliable out of all of us." James lowered his voice to nearly a whisper. "And, Kendall, you've always been the person I looked up to the most." He stared hard into Kendall's eyes, anger gone and replaced with sadness. "How come you've stopped being the leader? How come you've stopped being Kendall?"

Kendall looked like he was on the verge of tears. But James knew that was impossible. Kendall hadn't cried, and probably never would.

Looking away, James pressed the button for the lobby. The elevator doors slowly closed, leaving Kendall alone in the second floor hall, and James by himself in the elevator. He wiped furiously at his eyes, feeling a tad embarrassed.

When the doors opened again and James was greeted by the voices of the kids still talking on cell phones and writing their letters and sending emails, the sadness in his heart didn't lessen.

He pushed his way past a girl on her phone. "I'm just saying that Big Time Rush is, like, the best band ever," she said to the person on the other line.

James then passed a group of boys huddled together around a piece of paper. "I think 'immoral' has two 'm's," a kid said.

As he made his way to the pool area, his blurry eyes searched for Logan. His friend was spotted leaning over a girl's laptop, most likely rereading her email.

James waited patiently for Logan to finish. "Looks good," said Logan. "Thanks so much for doing this." He looked up when he saw James. "Oh, hey! Did you stop Kendall?"

James nodded slowly. "Yeah." He cleared his throat when his voice came out low and hoarse. "Yeah," he repeated. "He was going to talk to you or something…"

Logan's excited smile disappeared. "…You okay?"

He swallowed and turned his head to look at all the kids. All the kids working to help them. To help Carlos. But then he thought of Kendall, and his world darkened. "No," James whispered. "I don't think I am."

Logan's joyous mood was instantly gone. James's eyes were bloodshot from repressed tears, and he looked a little forlorn. Logan had to find out what was going on.

"Hey," he said, putting a comforting hand on James's shoulder. "Do you think you can handle everything down here for a while?"

James shrugged. "Sure."

Logan gave him a weak, half-smile and turned, making his way to the lobby.

"Hey, Logan," a girl said. "What should I do with my letter?"

Logan kept walking and spoke to her over his shoulder. "Put a stamp on it and toss it in the box on the front desk. We'll bring them to the post office later."

She nodded, and Logan proceeded to the stairs, which was a faster way to the second floor than the elevators.

He took them two at a time and eventually made it to apartment 2J. He didn't see Mrs. Knight or Mr. and Mrs. Garcia anywhere, but Katie was sitting on the orange couch in the living room. She stood when Logan entered.

"You couldn't have kept him up here?" said Logan.

"Sorry!" Katie said. "I tried to get him to play a game with me or watch a movie, but he wouldn't." She bit her lower lip. "He didn't find out, did he?"

"Relax," Logan told her, smirking in amusement. "No, Kendall didn't find out. But I need to talk to him."

Katie nodded towards the hall. "He's in his room."

Logan twisted around and proceeded forward, mentally going over in his mind what he wanted to say to Kendall. He took a deep breath outside the closed door, then knocked.

"Come in," said Kendall's voice.

Logan slowly turned the knob and entered. Kendall was on his bed, laying on his back and staring at the ceiling.

He looked up for only a second. "Hey."

"Hey." Logan decided not to beat around the bush. "James says you were coming downstairs to talk to me."

Kendall sighed and slowly pulled himself upward. "Yeah. I was."

There was a tiny pause between the two as Logan waited for Kendall to say something else, but he never did. "Well," said Logan, "do you want to take a walk or something?"

Kendall kept his eyes on the floor for a few seconds. Then he looked up. "Sure."

As Kendall got to his feet, Logan pulled out his cell phone and typed a quick message to Katie, asking her to help James downstairs. When Kendall and Logan entered apartment 2J's main room, Logan could hear the tiny beep from Katie's phone, signaling she had received a text message.

Kendall stepped out the front door. Logan followed, sneaking a quick glance over his shoulder to Katie, who nodded and gave him a thumbs up.

The two friends walked to the elevators in silence. Maybe taking a walk wasn't the best idea. The only way to get out of the Palm Woods was to go into the lobby, where all the kids were working on their letters or emails or placing their phone calls.

Logan gulped as the doors slid open. He grabbed Kendall's shoulders and began to guide him to the right, to the side doors of the building.

"Why are all these people in the lobby?" Kendall wondered. He attempted to shrug off Logan's hands. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, you know," said Logan, laughing nervously. "Kids today. Must be some sort of social gathering or something, hahaha." He picked up his pace.

Logan was surprised when Kendall didn't press on. The two made it out of the building with no problem, and crossed the parking lot. It was a fairly nice day. Mid-seventies, no breeze. Even so, not many people milled about. The sidewalks were pretty deserted.

Logan watched as Kendall stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"So…" Logan started, suddenly feeling awkward. "You and James are friends again, huh?" He kept his eyes on Kendall as he walked, searching his face for a reaction.

"Yeah," Kendall said, not looking up. "We are."

Logan made a 'hmm' noise under his breath. "Doesn't seem like it." The truth was, Logan had been suspicious all afternoon, especially when him and James were in the hospital and Logan received the phone call from Kendall. Logan could see the detestation in James's eyes and knew that something still wasn't right between the two. Logan wasn't sure if they had lied about making amends, or if they really had made amends and then had gotten into another fight.

Kendall didn't say anything for a long time. They walked side by side in silence, passing shops and restaurants as the Palm Woods became smaller and smaller behind them.

Finally, the blond spoke up. "Okay, so maybe we're still a little mad at each other." He stopped walking and turned towards Logan, looking serious. "But our bickering isn't going to distract us anymore. Logan, we are so sorry we didn't catch on to your exhaustion. And we are not going to let that again."

Logan shrugged and continued walking. "It's okay. There's more important things to worry about."

Kendall moved quickly to catch up to him. "Come on, man, don't even say that."

"Whatever." Logan didn't want to get on the subject of his sleeping pills or his vitamins. He was sure Kendall was telling the truth and, no matter how bad things got with James, Kendall wouldn't start ignoring Logan again. That was that. Nothing else to talk about.

"Hey…" said Kendall. "Do you think that I'm…" He trailed off.

"What?"

He licked his lips and spoke softly. "Do you think I'm a bad friend?"

"What?" Logan narrowed his eyes in confusion. "No, dude, of course not."

"Don't lie to me, okay?"

The boys rounded a corner and continued walking. Logan sighed. "I'm not lying, Kendall. Come on. Why are you suddenly thinking you're a bad friend?"

"Oh, gee, I don't know," he said sarcastically. "Maybe because I can hardly stand being around James right now?" He removed his hands from his pockets and began to make feverish hand gestures as he spoke. "I'm the one who's always kept us together. I'm the one that you guys always came to when you needed help. And now I'm allowing us to keep arguing! And now I'm just… I'm too afraid -…" He stopped.

Kendall was the one Logan usually came to when he needed help. But Logan didn't decide to hide his illness because he thought Kendall wouldn't listen or care. He hid it because he didn't want anyone to worry about him.

Logan didn't want Kendall to get angry at him, but he had to press on. "So why are you allowing yourself to keep fighting with James?"

They passed at least four more buildings until Kendall spoke again. "Can we talk about something else?"

"Alright, fine." Logan had more things to ask, anyway. "You said you've been the one to keep us together. Why'd you suddenly stop?"

Kendall exhaled loudly and ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know. I guess it's because Carlos isn't here."

Logan asked him to explain.

"I mean," said Kendall, "we've always promised since we were pee-wee hockey players that we would stick together. Since Carlos isn't here, I feel like we're, you know… Not sticking together. Our group is already torn apart. What difference is it going to make if me and James hate each other?"

Logan gaped at him. This was not the Kendall he knew. This Kendall sounded like he was giving up. The real Kendall would never give up. Not on anything. Especially not on his friends.

Tears began to sting at his eyes, but he pushed them away, feeling like a baby. He could barely speak his next words. "So what happens when Carlos wakes up and he finds out you and James aren't friends anymore?"

Kendall didn't miss a beat. "If Carlos wakes up, then the tension between me and James should subside."

"Not if you dig a hole too deep."

Logan sensed Kendall didn't want to talk anymore, and Logan had nothing else to say. They walked back to the Palm Woods in silence. Logan just wanted to go to his room and be alone. Maybe try to piece together what was going on in Kendall's head.

Logan was so absorbed in his thoughts that he forgot about what was happening on the ground floor of the Palm Woods.

But when a girl bounced up to him, Logan was suddenly very aware of his mistake. "Hi," she said.

"Uh… hi." He whipped around to Kendall. "We should probably go back to the apartment -"

The girl cut him off. "Listen, I just want to say that this whole letter thing was a great idea."

"Oh, thanks. Come on, Kendall, let's -"

"Wait, what?" said Kendall, pushing away Logan's hands. "What letter thing?"

"Nothing. No letter thing." Logan forced a laugh, but it came out loud and obviously faked.

But Kendall faced the girl, eyes narrowed in confusion. "What letter thing?" he asked again.

"James!" Logan shouted, hoping that his friend could hear him. "Code red!"

Logan wasn't sure where James came from, but he was suddenly right by their side, practically dragging Kendall away from the dumbstruck girl and to the elevators.

"What are you doing!" cried Kendall, attempting to wriggle free of James's hold. "Let go!"

James refused to let up on his grip around Kendall's arm. Logan raced for the panel on the side of the elevators and clicked a button. The doors opened immediately, and James wrestled Kendall inside, who was still shouting in confusion and irritation.

Once in, Logan fumbled for the button with a number two on it, then repeatedly pressed the switch labeled 'door close'.

James finally let go of Kendall and took a step back. Kendall's face was red as he angrily straightened the collar of his shirt and pushed his disheveled hair out of his eyes.

"What was that about?" he demanded. "What is going on?"

As the elevator slowly rode up, Logan exchanged a glance with James. They were caught. It was either lie to Kendall again, or come clean. Logan knew what option James would chose, so he spoke up before his friend could make the decision.

"We're having kids from the Palm Woods write and call in to the RCM/CBT GlobalNet Sanyoid building in Japan."

Kendall's eyes widened. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

Guilt pounded through Logan, and his heartbeat sped up dramatically. He cleared his throat. "We think we can turn the tables on the CEOs and persuade Fujizaki ourselves to keep the band on hold until Carlos gets better."

Kendall said nothing. James stood like a statue.

"We didn't tell you," Logan continued uneasily, "because Gustavo thought if the plan didn't work you'd… you know, blow up again. And, I don't know… Maybe do something drastic."

Kendall finally found his words as the elevator arrived on the second floor. The doors opened, but no one moved. "So you guys went behind my back? Were you ever going to tell me about this?"

Logan looked down.

"I can't believe you guys lied to me," Kendall said, eyebrows narrowed.

"Oh, come on!" James shouted. Logan jumped. "Like you haven't lied to us!"

Kendall held his ground. "What are you -"

"I keep asking you why you won't go visit Carlos in the hospital, and you keep giving me some lame excuse. Why don't you just admit it, huh? Why don't you just admit that you don't even care about him? Come on, Kendall, say it!" He advanced, looking ready to start another fight.

The elevator doors automatically closed since no one had exited.

"Stop," said Logan.

James immediately twirled around and looked at Logan. "Uh…"

"He knows," Kendall spat.

James turned back to Kendall. "You told him?"

"Logan's not stupid! He figured it out!" Kendall cried, throwing his hands up. "And I'm not lying to you, James! I just can't see him, okay? Why can't you understand that? Why don't you get that this has nothing to do with how much I care about him?" His voice cracked, and Logan pushed between the two incase things got physical.

Kendall ignored him, focusing solely on James. "Why don't you get that I just can't go see him? Why would you think for a second that I don't care about him like I care about you guys?"

"Shut up!" screamed James. Tears rolled down his cheeks.

"Guys, seriously. Stop yelling," said Logan, calmly. He put his arms on James's shoulders, preventing him from getting closer to Kendall.

"Just shut up!" James shouted again at Kendall. "You keep telling me to understand, but how can I if you don't give me a reason? How can you expect me to believe you care about Carlos when you tell me you just don't want to go?"

"That's not lying!" Kendall exclaimed. "It's not telling you! There's a difference!"

"Then tell me!"

"I can't!"

"Well we didn't tell you about our plan to keep the band going!" James growled.

"Calm down," Logan pleaded. "Please, guys, come on -"

"No," Kendall shot back. "You lied. Because when we were leaving Rocque Records today you told me that Gustavo was talking to you about CJ when really you were talking about this!"

Logan stepped away from the two and stomped his foot in frustration. He had enough. "Shut up!"

Kendall and James froze.

Silence.

Logan could feel their eyes on him as the anger and frustration he felt began to emerge. "I don't know if you two realized, but you both lied to me. You told me you were friends again when you weren't." He ignored the stinging in his eyes. "Do you know what it's like to know that two of my best friends can't even stand to be around each other? We've never given up on each other, no matter how mad we've gotten." Logan pointed a finger at Kendall. "You need to stop being so stubborn." Then he turned to James. "And you need to stop getting so angry." Logan pointed to his own chest and let out a tiny, unwanted sob. He lowered his voice. "And I need to stop believing that everything will be okay."

Kendall and James didn't move as Logan reached over and pressed the 'door open' button on the elevator.

Without looking back, he stepped into the hall and made his way to the apartment, hoping that Kendall or James wouldn't follow him.