The end has come to us my friends.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Big Time Rush or any of its characters.
"Logan!" The brunette looked up to see Chris walking across the park to where Logan was waiting for him at one of the tables. Logan smiled and waved.
Chris took a seat across from Logan. "Hey, I'm sorry about those articles, kid," Chris apologized before even saying hello. "I tried to avoid the photographers, but shit, they are persistent. How do you handle that every day?"
Logan shrugged. "It's part of my job, I guess. Plus, we've got Freight Train whenever it gets too intense. But I don't blame you for that, Chris; I should have known they'd notice you sooner or later."
Shaking his head, Chris sighed. "Well…I asked you to meet me here to let you know…I'm leaving."
Logan felt his chest tighten. "You're…I'm sorry?"
"I've gotta go home, I mean," Chris quickly clarified. "God, no, I'm not leaving your life, not when I just got back into it." Logan sighed with relief and Chris continued. "I've already been here for more than a week. I cashed in all of my vacation time to come out here, but it's just about up."
"Yeah…" Logan murmured. "I guess I didn't think about you having to go home ever."
"I know," Chris agreed. "I wish I didn't have to, but…well, I've got a life back in Oklahoma. I'll call you, and I'll come back and visit when I can. Maybe you can even come visit me sometime—my buddies would love to meet you, kid."
Logan nodded. "When do you go home?"
"I've got a flight booked for tomorrow," Chris told him. When Logan only nodded and looked at the table, Chris leaned forward. "You trust me to come back, don't you?"
Logan hesitated. "I…I guess it's just kind of terrifying," Logan admitted. "The last time you left, it took you seventeen years. I just…I don't want to lose my dad for a second time."
Chris placed his hand on top of Logan's. "Kid, I'm not leaving your life. You should fully expect regular phone calls demanding updates on your life. I'm past the days of googling your name to find out what you're up to, you hear?"
Logan smiled. "I hear you, Dad."
~~~~~~BTR~~~~~~BTR~~~~~~BTR~~~~~~BTR~~~~~~BTR~~~~~~BTR~~~~~~BTR~~~~~~BTR~~~~~~BTR~~~~~~
September 14, that year.
Logan slipped his arm around Camille's waist as they walked down the hall towards the crib. "You know, I've had a lot of fun this afternoon," he commented. "We went to the beach, window shopped, even went to the arcade. And I can't for the life of me figure out why you were so insistent that we spend the entire afternoon away from the apartment. I mean, it's like you were trying to distract me or something." Logan looked at Camille with a mock questioning expression, his eyes wide and "innocent" looking.
Camille groaned. "You know about the party, don't you?"
"Camille. Please. Carlos can't keep a secret. He's mentioned it twice in front of me, and last night he tried to hide the decorations in the bathroom—in my cabinet." Logan laughed.
"Nooo," she moaned, coming to a stop in front of the door. She turned to face Logan and put her hands on his chest. "At least act surprised, okay? The guys think you have no idea and they're really excited."
Logan wrapped his arms around his beautiful girlfriend. "Of course," he murmured, leaning in close to kiss her.
She offered him only a quick, chaste peck before she wiggled out of his arms and went to open the door. Giving a disappointed sigh, Logan straightened his shoulders and prepared for his surprise party.
"Gee, I wonder where everyone is?" Camille wondered out loud as she opened the door. She flipped on the lights.
"SURPRISE!" Logan jumped back in pretend surprise as all of his friends jumped out from behind furniture. His grin was very genuine as he laughed and looked around. There were the Jennifers, Buddha Bob, Jo, Mama Knight and Katie, and the guys, who were all quickly approaching him.
"You guys did this for me?" Logan asked.
Kendall threw an arm around Logan's shoulders. "Happy eighteenth birthday, Logan!"
"Were you surprised?" Carlos asked excitedly.
"So surprised," Logan lied smoothly, and smiling at his friend's happy reaction.
"I bet you'll be even more surprised in a minute," James said slyly as someone turned on the music and the party guests started dancing and mingling.
"Why's that?" Logan asked, now genuinely confused.
Someone covered his eyes from behind. "Guess who, Logie bear?"
Logan felt a new grin, bigger than ever, fly on his face. "Mom!" he exclaimed, turning quickly to face her. Yup, there she was, grinning just as wide as him. He hugged her tightly. "Wow, I can't believe you're here! I haven't seen you since-."
"Since the tour stopped in Minnesota in August? I know," Joanna said with a raised eyebrow. "I thought you were supposed to be skyping me every Sunday."
"Yeeah, well…I skyped you last Sunday."
Joanna smiled and shook her head. "Oh, I'm not going to lecture you on your birthday, sweetie," she told him, planting a kiss on his cheek.
"Well I don't know, maybe he deserves it." Logan felt his eyes widen as he turned to see someone else standing behind him now. "He hasn't exactly called me recently either."
"Chris!" Logan exclaimed. Chris Mitchell smiled and held open his arms for a hug, which Logan gave him, quickly. "You're here!"
"Of course I'm here!" Chris laughed. "It's not every day a man's son turns eighteen…and the last birthday of yours that I was at was the original so…I can't exactly afford to miss anymore, can I?"
Logan looked at his friends, who were all smiling gleefully. "Did you guys know they were coming? I had no idea!"
"Of course we did!" Kendall replied. "What, think we can't keep a secret?"
"We kept the party a secret didn't we?" Carlos said smugly.
James and Kendall exchanged a look. "Yeah, Carlos, he totally knew about the party," James said bluntly.
"Aw," Carlos sighed. "I knew it."
Logan shrugged sheepishly. "Sorry buddy."
"Buuut, we managed to keep these guys secret, mainly by not telling Carlos that they were coming until today," Kendall explained.
"You guys are the best," Logan told them, a smile on his face as his mom put her arm around his shoulder.
Jo came up to them then and took Kendall's hand. "Happy birthday Logan," she said with a smile.
"Thanks, Jo," Logan replied. He saw Kendall squeeze Jo's hand and look longingly at the dance floor. "Hey, everyone should go have fun. Dance!" The guys didn't need to be told twice. They all disappeared.
Logan talked with his parents for a few minutes before a slow song came on the stereo. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Camille swaying with her arms behind her back, pointedly not looking in Logan's direction. He excused himself and went over to her. "May I have this dance?" he asked smoothly, holding out his hand.
Camille smiled gleefully. "Heck yeah," she agreed, and Logan spun her before wrapping his arms around her waist. Camille draped her arms over his shoulders, letting one hand explore the hair on the back of his head.
Logan tore his eyes away from Camille for a few seconds to look around. There was Kendall dancing with Jo, Mama Knight with Buddha Bob, Carlos with Stephanie (who had gotten back from the film shoot a few weeks earlier), James with some blonde, and…
He felt his heart skip a beat and his breath catch in his throat. His eyes went wide and he stopped swaying to the music. Camille noticed. "Logan, what's wrong?" she asked worriedly. She followed his gaze, and was also surprised. "Is that…"
"My mom and dad dancing together," Logan croaked out.
There they were. Joanna and Chris Mitchell, swaying to the music with their arms around each other just like everyone else in the room. Logan wasn't sure if he was going to have a panic attack or not. He took a few deep breaths and tore his eyes away from the two of them.
"Logan, are you okay?" Camille asked him.
"I'm great," he smiled. Camille didn't seem convinced. "No, honestly. I'm eighteen. I have both of my parents. It doesn't matter whether they're divorced or together. It matters that I have both of them in my life."
Camille smiled. "Logan Mitchell, that is one of the most mature things I have ever heard you say," she told him as he put his arms back around her waist and they resumed dancing.
"Hey, I'm really mature," Logan objected.
"Okay," Camille snickered. Logan thought about fighting the point but just decided to let her win. Instead he kissed her, making up for the one he had missed out on outside the party.
~~~~~~BTR~~~~~~BTR~~~~~~BTR~~~~~~BTR~~~~~~BTR~~~~~~BTR~~~~~~BTR~~~~~~BTR~~~~~~BTR~~~~~~
"Okay, one…two…three…cheese!" Mama Knight snapped a picture of Logan, Kendall, James, and Carlos all sitting on the sofa, with their arms wrapped around each other's shoulders. The party had ended, and only Logan's parents remained there with the residents of apartment 2J. Mama Knight was continuing the tradition of birthday pictures that had been going on since the guys were little.
"Is that all, Mom?" Kendall complained. "You've been taking pictures forever!"
Mama Knight pursed her lips. "Oh please, I've only taken three. There's just one more."
"Only one?" Logan asked, as the guys got up from the couch. He looked at his parents.
"Only one," Joanna repeated, as she and Chris sat on either side of Logan. He felt his heart rate quicken with excitement. His face shone as he smiled for the picture. For the first time in his life, he was about to have a picture with his mom and his dad.
As he sat there, between them, the grin lighting up his face, he thought about how lucky he was. There, on his left, was his mom. She had been there for him forever. Literally for his forever. She'd done everything in the world to make his life easier and happy. And he couldn't imagine life without his mom.
And on his right was Chris. His dad. He hadn't been there. For seventeen years he'd been gone. But now, here he was. It was hard for Logan to wrap his head around still. A year ago, if you'd told him that he'd meet his dad and they'd be friends, he'd have laughed and told you that you were crazy.
But now…here it was. It was definitely possible. It didn't seem like it could be, but it was. Sure, they had missed seventeen years of father/son relationship, but the friendship that had grown between the two of them was already strong. And Chris was more than willing to do all he could to make up for lost time. In addition to the week and a half he'd spent in California in June, he and Logan had regularly talked on the phone, had some skype conversations, and Logan had even crashed at Chris's house when the band had been in Oklahoma City for their four-week American tour in August. It seemed impossible, but…they were friends.
Before Chris had come, Logan had wanted things to never change. He wanted it to be him and his mom. He didn't think he needed a dad. Well, he didn't need one. In fact, he had plenty of father figures to look up to. But to have someone to look in the eyes and call "Dad" (if only on rare occasion)…it was something else.
It was something Logan had never had—and now he never wanted to lose.
So I know I'm terrible at endings, but I actually thought it was rather sweet! Thanks for enjoying this story with me! Please keep an eye out for my next fanfic, coming soon! Check out my profile page where you can vote on story ideas and also view the trailer for my upcoming story!