Starts With Goodbye- Carrie Underwood

So, yes, I am awful with updating. But I'm back again. :D

And another reason I'm posting is because the whole BTR fandom exploded again last night... and asdflkdfdghalsdjf;l I just can't handle it. That was so much fun. XD

Hopefully Tumblr people will know what I'm talking about.

Anyway, I don't own anything except my OCs.

Everyone knew that LAX was an enormous airport, but in that moment, the four members of Big Time Rush- along with Sam, Jo, Camille, Olivia and Stephanie- had never felt so miniscule in their lives. This was one of the hardest things any of them had ever had to do. Sure, they all casually parted ways at the end of the day, but now, standing at the entrance to the terminal, it was really setting in that they wouldn't be together like this in a long time.

Jo had already said goodbyes to her four favorite guys; she went first to give the four couples more time to talk by themselves. Carlos and Stephanie, Logan and Camille, James and Olivia, and Kendall and Sam stood in their own little bubbles away from each other, knowing that soon enough they would all be separated by an ocean for eight weeks. Jo watched them from where she stood, not being able to hear their conversations, but not really wanting to intrude on their intimate moments. There was no doubt she'd miss those boys as well.

"I love you, Carlos," Stephanie King said to her boyfriend. Like all of the other girls, she was holding back tears, and was extremely close to losing it.

Carlos raised their intertwined hands and kissed the smooth golden brown skin on the back of Stephanie's hand. "I know, Steph, I love you, too." The Latino was the most emotionally sensitive of the four members of Big Time Rush, and she was having just as difficult a time trying not to let a few tears through, but he had to stay strong for his friends and his favorite girl; they'd both been through so much since Stephanie had arrived at the Palm Woods almost two years ago. Looking back at her, he saw several tears leak from her mocha orbs. "Hey, hey hey!" He gently rubbed his thumbs across her cheeks to catch the drops. "It's only a few weeks, Steph! We've been through this before."

"But not when you're across the Atlantic Ocean, Carlos!" Stephanie whined.

To help calm her, Carlos gathered her into a strong hug, which she immediately reciprocated. He ran his fingers comfortingly through her soft hair. "We'll make it work." He pulled back slightly to give her a kiss. "We always do."

They shared a loving smile before Stephanie laid her head onto Carlos' chest, tightening her grip around him as they held onto their last moments together for the next couple months.

A few feet away, Logan and Camille were sharing another passionate kiss. (Camille was one for dramatic, movie-esque goodbyes, after all.) Logan always hated leaving his girlfriend like this, but knew she was strong enough to handle herself. Her passion for acting would keep her busy when he couldn't be there for her. "I'll miss you Cam," he told her affectionately, embracing her lightly.

"I already miss you, Logie," she mumbled into his chest. The couple's one-year anniversary of not being on-and-off would happen during the European tour, and they wanted nothing more than to be able to curl up next to each other and relive their last year as a couple.

Logan realized this as well as Camille. "We'll definitely need to webchat in a few weeks," he said excitedly. He sighed nostalgically and rested his chin on the tope of her head. "I can't believe it's been a year already."

The curly-haired brunette looked up at him, chuckling lightly. "Well, unless you count all that time we were 'just friends'," she held up her fingers as she air-quoted. "We kissed and did everything couples do without actually accepting that we were anything more than that."

Logan didn't really like going back to that time. He had been so down about breaking up with Camille after she 'cheated' on him with James; he had been so delirious he'd said he would buzzcut his hair, join a gym, and nickname himself 'The Island'.

He'd gone completely insane over her.

But if it brought him to where he was now, then he wouldn't change a thing.

Leaning down, he kissed the actress again, smiling his crooked grin. "I love you," he sighed.

Camille retreated into the warmth of his arms once more. She breathed deeply before replying, "I love you too, Logan."

James and Olivia were saying goodbyes as well. They'd only been an item for two days, so they were merely holding hands, wanting to strengthen their relationship before diving into anything too bold.

The pretty boy was still confounded as to how Livi had changed his whole outlook; he used to be the conceited yet lovable member of BTR, but with her, he seemed to be a whole lot calmer and subdued. He thought it must just be the shock of the sudden burst of emotions, but he figured they would even out once she was exposed to more of his life, and vice-versa, as time went on.

Their nerves were evident on both of their faces, neither really having been in this kind of situation before. But for now, they would make the most of it since it would be the last time they could do anything physical (which meant only holding hands and kissing) for two months.

James settled for draping an arm over his new lady friend, kissing her temple gently as she snaked her thin arms around his torso. He snuggled his cheek into her dark locks and returned her embrace. Although they had gotten together knowing James would be overseas days later, the goodbyes weren't any easier.

The two stayed silent- a combination of being a bit choked up and not knowing exactly what to say- but what could they? Young love being practically ripped away just as it was beginning was not an easy thing to handle.

Livi decided to break the silence. "Can you say something?" she whispered into his shirt.

He waited a few seconds for dramatic effect, and then, he simply said, "Something."

The ravenette gently swatted at James' muscular chest, laughing along with him. He rewrapped his arms around her. "Is there anything really to say?" he wondered out loud.

"Well…" Livi hesitated. "I guess one thing is goodb-" She was silence when James put a finger to her lips.

"Shh, it's not goodbye," he cooed. "Just…it's more of a 'talk to you later' deal."

Livi couldn't really argue with that, so she gave up and just tried to memorize everything about him she could: his beauty, his style, his smell.

The pair swayed back and forth as they held each other, too caught up to care about the rest of the world. Eventually, James tilted Olivia's chin up with his fingers and connected his lips tenderly with hers. Though it would seem the situation would call for it, there was no urgency; they didn't want to get to serious too quickly.

Breaking away slowly, James opened his eyes to look at his azure-eyed wonder. "Call or text me, or whatever, anytime. 'Kay?" He gripped her even harder to his torso, not wanting to let her go.

"Of course," she responded without hesitation. "Every day. And I want updates on everything: concerts daily happenings…I just want to know all about what you actually do when you're involved in something like this." Her cheeks turned a light pink when she realized how controlling she sounded.

Sensing this, James rushed in to her rescue. He grinned at her. "Sure thing. But…we should probably make sure our calls coordinate with the time zones." He chuckled, imagining a four a.m. phone call when it'd be only seven or so in the evening in California.

Livi's goofy laugh rang out, making the tallest BTR member's eyes light up. "Alright." She paused, then hugged him again. "I'm gonna miss you, James."

"And I you, pretty lady." Livi blushed again at his smooth talk, but he suddenly turned serious. "But we'll make it through this. I know it."

Over from them a couple feet were Sam and Kendall, sharing heartfelt farewells. Now was a true test to their relationship: three months together, and now two ahead on separate continents. Their bond remained strong, and each of them knew that their trust in each other would encourage their faithfulness to continue.

Around his neck Kendall wore Sam's key necklace she had given him the night before; he honestly hadn't taken it off since then. While he would be over in Europe he would always make sure to keep it safe when he wasn't wearing it.

Sam had given a bit more thought to the events of last night, and sure enough, the brushed metal rose ring adorned her left ring finger, and Kendall assure himself that he had never seen a sight so beautiful- even though the subject had rivers of tears streaming down her red cheeks.

No words were shared for a while, neither teen knowing where to start. For some reason, each of them feared that if they spoke goodbyes here, there would be no doubt that Kendall might lose it and stay. But he knew that they both had duties, and while they wouldn't be able to actually see and touch each other, the next two months would be the time to test and strengthen their relationship; it wasn't really long-distance, per say, since this was the boys' job and they were all coming back in several weeks. It was a small price to pay for happiness.

Speaking of jobs…Sam pulled a small plastic case out of her purse and handed it to her boyfriend. Kendall took it hesitantly and looks slightly confused. "What…" As he studied the case, he realized there was a CD inside it that had 'Samantha Wayland' typed along the op. a track listing took up the left side, and there seemed to be a rough but colorful disc art on the CD. A thought suddenly dawned on the blond. His eyes widened and his mouth hung agape. "No! this isn't…it's not-"

"Yeah, it's my CD!" Sam couldn't help herself and let out a small shriek of excitement. Kendall whooped and picked her up around the waist, swinging her around gleefully, earning a few strange looks from the passing people. He finally set her down gently and brought their lips together in a celebratory kiss. All thoughts of the tour disappeared, for now he was so proud of his girl.

"Oh my god, I can't believe it! This is amazing!" Kendall exclaimed, pulling away. "But how? I mean, it doesn't come out for a couple weeks!"

"I know! But I begged my producers to get me an early copy for you," the brunette exclaimed just as ecstatically. "Sure, there are just a couple minor adjustments with the little things that need to be made, but for you," she tapped the case in his hands, "it's just about as finished as it could get."

There was not a thing on earth that could break Kendall's pride, not even the tour; his girlfriend was one step closer to living her dream. His face softened as he spoke to her again. "I love it," he whispered sincerely, almost on the verge of tears.

"Well, I'm glad," Sam replied happily, embracing the taller boy again. Tears of joy and sadness flowed from her chocolate orbs, sending her on a path of confusion; she was so ecstatic that Kendal was just as excited as she was, but she only had a few more minutes to bask in each other's warmth.

"Flight 758 to New York/JFK will begin boarding in twenty minutes."

Speak of the devil.

Sam sighed warily, suddenly feeling defeated. "Well, this is it, I guess."

Kendall immediately caught her drastic change in demeanor. "Hey, don't you think like that!" He pouted playfully. "I hate seeing you so sad. But…I've got a secret that might cheer you up!"

"Oh really?" Sam played along.

The emerald-eyed teen beckoned her closer, wiggling his finger at her until her ear was in line with his mouth. He took a monstrous breath before whispering, "I love you."

Sam could only giggle, and she shook her head at his childish antics. But nevertheless, she shared one last kiss with her jokester.

Another thought crossed his mind. "Oh, I almost forgot." He reached around his jacket pockets until he found what he was looking for, and held it up for Sam to see. It was a set of keys. "Since we're gonna be gone, feel free to go over to the mansion anytime. You practically live there anyway," Sam smiled knowingly, "so…yeah. I just want you to be comfortable- and don't hesitate to bring the other girls over. You're all welcome. Our only rule…is no 'other' boys." He looked so innocent when he said that, and Sam could hardly bring herself to chuckle at his insecurity.

"Don't worry," she assured him with a chaste peck. "It's only you, honey."

Kendall had never smiled so brightly as on that day.

The couple kept their hands interlocked until the four boys were gathered together. One of their other managers came up to the group of teens. "Come on guys," he said. "Our flight's waiting." He ushered them away from the girls, hating to see such sadness all around him.

And with that, Kendall, James, Logan and Carlos began their European tour. Taking one last look behind them at their girls (and Jo, whom they still considered a sister), the quartet finally took a step toward their private jet that would stop in New York to refuel before hopping across the pond. They boarded their plane in no time, and as they began their ascent, Kendall fiddled with the stereo, taking the CD out of its case.

"Whatcha got there, K-dawg?" James asked curiously

Kendall could only smirk at his friends. "I guess we'll all just have to see." And he pushed play.

"When I was younger I saw my daddy cry and curse at the wind."

The three boys around the blond leader all gaped at him in awe. They all knew that voice, and could hardly believe they were finally getting to hear the great Sam Wayland live her dream.

"And that was the day that I promised I'd never sing of love if it does not exist.

"But darling you are the only exception…"

Kendall gasped inwardly; Sam had hinted a while back that she may have been writing a song about him. This must've been it.

It was a beautiful melody, an acoustic guitar strumming softly as Sam's graceful vocals floated around the cabin. The moment was amazingly surreal, so everyone settled in to the tune of Sam's confession of her love for her Only Exception.

"Oh, and I'm on my way to believing."

Review, please?