A/N. Here it is! The next chapter of 'Little Hollow'! Thank you so much for all of your patience while I slept and wrote one-shots. lol. You guys are the best. So without further ado, I present chapter 25. I still don't own anything.

Katie Knight didn't understand why all of this was happening. She was ten years old. She wasn't supposed to be wondering why one of her older brother's best friends was so sick with a life-threatening disease. She was supposed to be playing pranks on her brother and his friends or maybe even helping them out of one of the crazy predicaments they got themselves into. She was supposed to be looking forward to the end of school in two weeks so she could do whatever she pleased.

But school was a welcome retreat for Katie. It kept her busy so that she didn't have to think about Logan. She ignored the sympathetic looks her classmates gave her and buried herself in her work. It had paid off. Since Logan had gotten sick, she had gotten nothing but A's. Logan would be proud of her. But Logan wasn't there like he should have been. He was in the hospital fighting for his life.

Up until Katie was five years old, she had always thought that she had four older brothers. Kendall, Logan, James, and Carlos were together so much that it made perfect sense in her young mind, regardless of the fact that their birthdays were all within three months of each other and that they all looked completely different. But they might as well have been brothers. Either brothers or one quarter of the same person.

Because despite their extreme differences the four boys completed each other. Katie would never tell them that she ever thought that. They were in the Anti-Tom Cruise club after all. All four members of the club. Anyway, Katie had designated each boy a part. Kendall was the protector just like he was for his mother and his sister. He could be a passive person as long as his family and friends were okay. But when someone used a racial slur against Carlos, or stole James' lucky comb, or checked Logan too hard at a hockey game, it was almost like he was a different person. One could say anything they wanted about Kendall. But when they said something against anyone close to him, Kendall was almost the father of the group.

James was The Face. But he was also much more. He was sweet, sensitive, and caring. He was the one who always made sure that nobody was left out for better or for worse in their schemes and pranks. But then he wasn't afraid of taking the blame for something he didn't do. His friends never let him of course, but James would rather that he take the fall than any of them.

Logan was obviously the brain. He was always there to try and rein in his crazy friends with his sensible thinking. And when they didn't listen to him, which was practically all the time, he still followed along so he could make sure that he could get them out of the trouble that always followed.

Finally, Carlos was the life of the party. He never missed an opportunity to make people smile or laugh with a lame joke or some absurd prank he came up with. But there was another side to him that only his family and closest friends knew about. Carlos was incredibly in tune to another person's feelings. He almost always knew the words to say or when no words were necessary. And he always made sure that his friends' needs were supplied.

Together, they made a dynamic team. Katie called them the Fantastic Four, the Four Musketeers, the Brotherhood of the Traveling Pant, and most recently, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. She called Kendall was Leonardo, James was Raphael, Logan was Donatello, and Carlos was Michelangelo. Their friendship was something you only read in books or saw in movies. But it was real.

But when they were apart, they were no longer for teenaged guys full of confidence and excitement for the days ahead. They were like lost little boys, and that scared Katie.

Feeling incredibly alone, Katie wandered from her bedroom to the family room area. Her father had taken Kendall and James to their support group but Carlos was stuck at home with a bad cold. At the moment, he was laying sound asleep on the large red couch. Longing to talk to him, Katie just sat across from him and watched. She didn't want to wake him up. He hadn't been sleeping well since his nightmare at the hospital. It was like he was afraid to go to sleep. But now he was sleeping peacefully, probably because of the cold medicine Mrs. Knight had practically force-fed him before she left that day.

Then as if he heard her silent cry, Carlos opened his eyes and blinked sleepily. "Katie?" Instantly reading her thoughts it seemed, he sat up and patted the cushion next to him.

She crossed the short distance between them and flopping down next to him, started to cry. It was amazing that she had any tears left. Carlos, having five younger sisters of his own, pulled Katie into a hug and waited patiently for her tears to run dry. "Why?" She finally managed in a choked whisper.

Carlos shook his head sadly. "I don't know." He answered helplessly, his voice cracking. His dark eyes were filled with sadness. "It's not fair is it?"

Normally, when one person complains that something isn't fair, the common response is something like, "Life's not fair." Carlos and Katie were both very well aware of that fact. But this was a different kind of unfair.

"He doesn't deserve any of this." Katie said softly. She saw Carlos stiffen slightly and knew that she had meant Logan's father.

Carlos watched her sadly. Seventeen was already far too young to hear that a best friend was dying. But ten was even worse to hear that someone who you looked up to as a big brother was dying. Katie wasn't a little girl anymore despite her young age. She had been forced into growing up a lot lately and her innocence was fading.

"Did I ever tell you about Sparky?" He asked out of the blue. Katie gave him a puzzled look but shook her head and he went on. "My whole family, except me, is really allergic to pet hair and I had always wanted a pet. So when I was ten my mom brought home a turtle. I named him Sparky." Carlos laughed a little. "I know, Sparky the turtle. Everyone made fun of me but it was my favorite name and I couldn't have a dog."

"Anyway, one day I was playing with him a little bit and then I forgot to put him back in his cage. Kendall, Logan, James and I spent all day looking for him in my house and even outside. And then my mom was emptying the dishwasher and. . . there he was."

Katie choked on a laugh. "Poor Sparky." She said, trying to appear somber.

Carlos sighed. "Yeah, the poor guy. So the guys and I had a funeral for him the next day. Logan even stayed up all night making a turtle coffin for Sparky. He was pulling splinters out of his hands for days afterward. And then after we buried him, Logan stood up and made a speech. Two years later I found out that he was quoting from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan." He shook his head fondly at the memories.

Katie laughed out loud at the thought of a ten year old Logan standing soberly over a turtle grave, quoting possibly one of the geekiest franchises ever, while his friends watched, wide-eyed. She frowned at a sudden thought. "Carlos, was there a point to this story?" She waited for him to tell her something stupid and cliched about how death was just another part of life and-

"No, not really." Carlos said, shrugging. "Honestly? I guess I was just telling you more about Logan and trying to make you smile again. You don't smile much anymore, Katie."

"Neither do you." Katie whispered.

"Good point." Carlos smiled then, but it was sad. "There hasn't been a whole lot to smile about lately, has there?"

"No." Katie shook her head. "Carlos?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm scared."

Carlos wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Me too."

Camille stood nervously at Logan's door. She clutched an envelope in her hands and concentrated on not tearing it into tiny pieces. James had handed it over to her with strict instructions not to open it and not to rip it in any way. "Just give it to Logan before you leave." Camille hadn't been back since she and Jo had first visited Logan. Hospitals scared her. The cold, white walls reminded her of what she lost. No one had pushed her and when Jo told her about Logan's father she had become even more afraid. She was afraid of what she would see when she finally went back.

That morning, James had knocked on her door and asked if she could stop by the hospital and give Logan something for them because they wouldn't be able to make it there that day. She had sensed that the envelope was something of a plot to get her to visit Logan but she had nodded and taken the envelope from James. Now, as she stood at the hospital door, all she wanted to do was slip the envelope underneath and run.

Instead, she took a deep breath of air like she always did right before and audition. Then, raising a shaking hand, Camille knocked on the door softly, then opened it.

Logan looked up from reading a thick book and smiled. "Hey, Camille. Come on in." She was distressed to see that he did look sicker than when she had last seen him. To someone who didn't know him or for that matter, somebody with cancer, the change might be imperceptible. It was hard to explain. There was a weariness in his normally bright eyes that didn't come from not sleeping the night before. It was much deeper than that.

"Are you okay?"

Camille gave herself a mental shake and brought herself out of her gloomy thoughts. She looked at Logan who was watching her in concern. He would ask her that. Nothing got by him. He would also know if she lied. No one caught a lie quicker than Logan. So she shrugged her shoulders and tried to smile. "I'm okay," She said emphasizing the second word.

"Are you thinking about your dad?" Logan's voice was so gentle and caring that tears came to Camille's eyes and she nodded. Logan felt uncomfortable. He was never very good with girls like his friends were. They made him awkward and nervous. Especially Camille. But it wasn't all that uncomfortable today. Camille was different. She was gentle and subdued and even vulnerable. But it still surprised both of them when Logan reached out and took her hand in his. Before he could pull away in embarrassment, Camille closed her hand around his and squeezed.

"I can't help thinking about him here. It brings back so many memories, both good and bad."

"What was he like?"

Camille smiled. "Funny, caring, gentle, and proud of everything I did." She laughed. "He always called me his little drama queen. People call me a drama queen a lot and I guess it's true. But I was his drama queen. And that made it special." She brushed a tear away.

"I'm sorry, Camille." Logan apologized. "I didn't mean to upset you."

"No." Camille said quickly. "It's okay. It's fine. Sometimes it helps to talk about him. He was the kind of dad every kid should have." The words came out of her mouth before she could even think to stop them. Logan flinched slightly and Camille felt terrible. "Logan, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean-"

"Don't worry." Logan shook his head. "It's not really that big of a deal. He wasn't always like that you know. For the first six years of my life he was great. Pretty much like your dad I guess. He and my mom were great parents. We were happy together."

"What was your mom like?" Camille asked softly.

"The best." Logan answered. "She was always so nice to everyone she met. We lived in a small town back in Minnesota and everyone knew and liked her. She really cared, you know? Like she didn't asked somebody how they were just because it's common courtesy or whatever. She asked because she cared. She was always going out of her way to help people too. But she always made sure that she had plenty of time for me and my dad too."

"I wish I could have met her." Camille said truthfully. "Then I could tell her that she did and awesome job raising her son."

Logan's face turned bright red and Camille couldn't help smiling because at least for the few seconds he was blushing, he wasn't such an awful pale color. "Thanks." He muttered. Then he smiled. "I guess the same goes for you and your dad."

"I think our parents would have gotten along well." Camille said thoughtfully. "They seem very similar. Almost related or something."

"Man, that would be weird." Logan laughed and Camille couldn't help but smile. When Logan laughed, it was so easy to forget how screwed up things were.

"I have to go." She said suddenly remembering the time. "I have auditions."

"That's cool." Logan said easily. "What kind of auditions?"

"Um, you know the usual. Commercials, a few plays at the theater near Palm Woods, and extras." She stood up, gathering her things. "I'll come by late in the week and let you know how things turn out." She promised. She was still terrified of coming to the hospital but when Logan smiled at her words, she decided that it was well worth it. "Oh!" She said on her way out the door. She walked back to Logan's bed and handed the envelope to him. "James asked me to give this to you."

"James?" Logan asked curiously as he took the envelope. "What is it?"

Camille shrugged. "I have no idea. He came over this morning and told me that Kendall and Carlos had delegated him to giving it to me to give to you." She didn't tell him that had it not been for James, she wouldn't have even come to the hospital.

"Okay. Well thanks, Camille." Logan was already inspecting the envelope closely for clues.

"You're welcome." Camille stood at the door uncertainly. "I should go now."

Logan looked up and set aside the envelope. "Thanks for visiting, Camille." He told her. "I've. . . missed you." The words rushed out and he blushed again. "And Jo and Stephanie. And well, everyone at Palm Woods. It can be pretty boring and lonely here."

Camille blinked back tears and cleared her throat. "We miss you too." She said softly. She crossed back over to Logan and gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek. "Get better and come back home, okay?" She smiled when he blushed yet again, but this time not very much. Then with another goodbye, she left.

Logan watched her go. He wished she could have stayed longer but he was also glad that she was back to auditioning for anything that came her way. Jo and Stephanie had visited and told him that Camille hadn't done much practicing for anything lately and that had worried him. He knew that change was inevitable but he didn't want that kind of change.

The kiss had been purely platonic. There was nothing romantic about it. And it was on his cheek. Still, Logan thought it was a very nice kiss. He wondered what his friends would say if they knew. Regardless of the intentions of the kiss they would have found it hysterical and teased him about it. Not that he minded. It was all in good fun and it would have been nice to see them more like themselves. But Logan decided not to say anything about the kiss. Friendly or romantic, he wanted to keep it to himself.

He shifted his position on the bed and his fingers brushed against something. The envelope. Thoughts of Camille were chased out of his head by the strong curiosity about the mysterious envelope. He picked it up and studied it. He couldn't help smiling when he saw that his name was written three time across the front, each in different handwriting. It felt slightly thick and Logan could tell that there was more than one piece of paper inside. He slid a finger underneath the seal and carefully tore it away. Pages fell into his lap and Logan tossed the empty envelope into the trash can. Picking up the first page, he began to read.

A/N. First let me apologize for the long wait. Can you say, "Writer's Block"? Also, I'm sorry if this chapter sucked. It really needed some other characters in it besides the four boys and I blame Katie and Camille on my problems. LOL. I guess I liked it okay. At least I got it out of the way. Updates should be more frequent right now especially since I have a week off from work. Still, reviews are the motivation that keeps this story going. So give me some motavation, huh? All right then. Carpe Diem!