.:Chapter Thirty–Five – Rockstar Part 1:.

"I lead two totally separate lives. There are times when I have to slip into rock star mode." ~Martin Gore

"Blazing Phoenix Records?" Carlos questioned, tilting his head back to look up at the large building. He wrinkled his nose as he tilted his head to the side, studying the building. Looking around him, he noticed that Kendall, Logan, and James looked just as confused as he did. "What are we doing here?"

"Yeah," Kendall agreed, turning to his mother. She stood next to the boys, her purse hitched up her shoulder, a pleasant smile on her face. "Shouldn't we be at Rocque Records?"

"Well, Gustavo said that he and Kelly had to meet up with Griffin today," she laughed lightly when Kendall, Logan, Carlos, and James made sounds of agreement. Everyone knew how much Gustavo hated Griffin, so if he was willingly meeting up with him, something was up. "And Gustavo said that I should take you guys to Blazing Phoenix Records so you can go over your new rules with Ronan while they're at the meeting."

"Ok, but why did we have to get up so early for it?" James asked. "You really cut into my beauty sleep you know." He started to think. "It's going to take me ages to get back on my sleep schedule."

"Your sleep schedule will be fine," Mrs. Knight said as she walked over to the front door. She grabbed onto the handle and pulled the door open with a quick yank. She motioned for the boys to follow her as she walked over to the receptionist.

"May I help you?" The young woman greeted the five of them with a warm smile. "Oh wait," she held up a finger before Mrs. Knight could answer and leaned forward. She flipped through a few papers on her desk and then picked up a small sheet of paper. "You must be Kacy and Big Time Rush, here for a 9 o'clock meeting." She looked up and nodded when Mrs. Knight told her that it was what they were there for. "You can go ahead, the conference room is on the third-"she suddenly leaned to the side and waved a hand. "Miss. Riley, you can take them up to the conference room."

The boys turned around and smiled when they saw Riley stop in her tracks, looking at them oddly. They had gone to the police station to get questioned the week before, and since then, they hadn't seen much of their friends. Ronan said it was because they were starting to write songs again, but the boys were sure if it were true at that point. But they didn't take it to heart either. Riley had a large brown box underneath her right arm, a stack of envelopes in her left hand, and the corner of another envelope in her mouth. Her eyebrows lowered when she saw the boys and Mrs. Knight in front of them.

First, she turned to the receptionist, opening her mouth ad dropping the envelope, catching it in her left hand. "I've told you before, you can call me Riley," she said patiently. She then turned back to the boys. "What are you blokes doing here?" she asked, her accent clearly ringing through her voice.

"Didn't Ronan tell you that we were coming by?" Logan asked, looking at his friends in confusion.

Riley took in a breath as she shifted her weight, balancing the large box on her hip. "I must have forgotten," she said simply. She tossed her hair over her shoulders. "No matter, we can just go now." She quickly turned on her heel. "Follow me."

James pushed Logan out of his way as he hurried to Riley's side. "Ronan says that you guys started to write some new songs," he said, matching her stride.

"Ah, not really," Riley walked over to the elevators and pressed the button to call it down. "Just got some melodies and stuff to listen to while we think about what we want our new album to be about." She shifted the box to both of her arms. "Especially since we're still waiting to hear how our last ones did."

"I'm sure you guys did fine," Kendall reassured her, standing on her other side.

"I'm sure it did too, Kendork," Riley replied. "Back home at least, but here, not so sure." She looked over at Mrs. Knight and then gave her an apologetic look. "I didn't see you there, how are you doing today, Mrs. Knight?"

'I'm fine, Riley, thanks," Mrs. Knight replied, giving her a nice smile.

Riley blinked. "You got my name right," she commented.

"She has a card in her pocket," Kendall said quickly. "And would you please stop calling me Kendork?"

"Would you rather, Hockey-Head?" Riley asked innocently. She looked over at Mrs. Knight, who's smiled widened and her eyes started to sparkle with laughter. She moved a hand up to her mouth as Kendall turned and gave his mother an incredulous look.

"You're just going to sit there and let her call me names? What kind of a mother are you?" He demanded.

"A good one, apparently," Carlos teased.

Kendall groaned, turning back to Riley. "Do you have to call me that?" He asked in a pleading tone.

"Does it bother you?" Riley rolled her head to the side as the elevator doors dinged open. She stepped inside, holding her arm out so the doors wouldn't' close, and then picked the button labeled '3' after being sure everyone was inside.

"Yes!"

"Then yes."

Kendall smirked as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Just watch, I'm going to give you a nickname that bugs you."

"I'd love to see you try."

Logan laughed, practically seeing the smoke coming out of Kendall's ears and nose. There were a lot of things about Kendall that people didn't know unless you got to know him; he was a bad liar/faker, he didn't like fine arts or ballet, and he obsessed over sour candy. But the one thing that made him Kendall was that he hated to lose and he hated to be challenged with something. And up until they met the Jacksons, Logan wasn't sure that he had ever seen Kendall so annoyed by one person. It was a welcome change; finally there was someone that could put him in his place.

"Don't laugh at me," Kendall declared, turning to Logan and shoving him on the arm hard enough to knock him into the side of the elevator.

"Sorry, it's hard not to when you have that stupid, stunned look on your face," Logan replied, reaching out and shoving him back. Kendall stumbled and was knocked into Carlos, who pushed Kendall back into Logan.

"Boys," Mrs. Knight warned, causing the three boys to immediately settle down. The elevator doors dinged open and the group left the elevator, following Riley into a conference room. Her siblings were already sitting in a few of the chairs, talking to each other. They looked up, confused, when Riley walked in, followed by Big Time Rush.

"What are you-"Patrick started to say.

"Long story," Riley interrupted as she sat down, pushing the box in front of Noah. "I think these are shoes," she said as the others entered the room and sat down as well.

In a flash, Noah had stood up, pulled a pocket knife out of his shorts, and started to stab at the tape that held the package closed. He closed the pocket knife and replaced it in his pocket before ripping open the box. He turned it to the side and studied it for a moment before nodding as he pulled out a small pair of Pumas. He handed them over to Sydney before giving Rhuben a pair of Punkrose shoes, Patrick a pair of Nikes, Riley a pair of Vans, and for himself grabbed a pair of Adidas.

James sighed longingly, fogging up the black table with his breath as he watched them. "That's the kind of stuff that we're going to get when we become famous," He said in a low voice. He then reached his hands out onto the table and groaned. "Why do things have to move so slowly for us?"

"Work even harder than you already do and things will move faster for you," Ronan said as he walked into the room. He sat down in a chair at the head of the table. He set down a folder before he pushed his chair in, clasping his hands together. "I'm sure you all are wondering why you're here today." He said pleasantly.

"Well, Mama Knight said that you guys wanted to go over some new rule with us," Carlos said as he sat up straight in his chair, giving Ronan his full attention. He couldn't keep a smile off of his face. Anything that had to do with their music career excited him. Even if he was told that he had to do more homework just to perform, he would do it.

"Right," Ronan nodded and reached over to the side, grabbing onto the folder and opening it. He slid a sheet of paper in front of him. "So, I've already told my kids these rules," he nodded over to the Jacksons. "But it'll be a good refresher for them as there may be some things that we can have a compromise on." He cleared his throat as he looked over the sheet of paper. "Alright, first things first; the rules that haven't changed. We, Gustavo, Kelly, Kacy and I," Ronan lifted his eyes and looked at Mrs. Knight, who nodded at him to continue. "Have agreed that keeping your grades up to perform is a rule that we want to keep. You have a curfew as well, to be sure that you stay healthy. No drinking or drugs." He lifted his gaze to the two bands this time. "Is that fine with you all?"

"Yeah, sounds good." Kendall spoke up as he nodded, speaking for everyone.

"Ok," Ronan made a check mark next to the first bullet on the sheet of paper. "We have also lifted the rule that you guys can't come to Blazing Phoenix Records whenever we're working," he smiled when he heard Kendall's, Logan's, Carlos's, and James' surprised sounds. "That goes for Rocque Records as well, both bands can visit each other's studios when they please, working or not."

He could tell that they were really excited for this rule change, as Robert wanted to keep the Jacksons from being distracted with them coming by. The Jacksons agreed with that rule, only because they didn't want the guys to know about them being abused, as Robert did it more when they were working on their music. Now that he was put in custody, it made sense that they were able to go over when they wanted.

"Only thing is," Ronan continued. "No outside visitors." He looked serious. "The only people that we have allowed to come over here, for now is you guys, Mrs. Knight, Gustavo, Kelly, Katie; because it would probably be when she needs to be watched, and Dak. Anyone else, you have to get approval through me." He insisted. "I know that this job is exciting, but you all still have to be able to be serious when you need to work."

"Sounds fair," Logan agreed.

He tried not to grimace; he could only imagine what would happen if any of their girlfriends had come over when they went to Blazing Phoenix Records or vice-versa. He could guarantee that there would be no work getting done, whether it being that they would spend too much time with their girlfriends or if it was because they would try harder just to impress them. It wouldn't work. They were guys, and it was in their nature to try and be the best and to outdo each other.

"If there's any special equipment that you need, get permission first, blah blah blah," Ronan turned the page over and then leaned back in his chair. "I'm sure that you will find this rule change interesting." He then paused for dramatic effect, smiling to himself.

He looked over at the Jacksons, Riley and Rhuben shook their heads, Patrick and Noah merely smiled, and Sydney looked like he could care less. Dating had no interest to him, but he did admit that he liked to be in the know with things like that, especially when it came to his brothers' and sisters' happiness. Ronan didn't mind, at that point, he didn't care about what Sydney thought as long as he didn't get stuck in relationship drama at his age. He knew that kids were getting into 'committed relationships' younger and younger and thought that Sydney was above them.

Ronan took a breath and turned back to the boys, catching Mrs. Knight's eye. She shook her head, a laugh tugging at her lips. Ronan smiled to himself before turning to the boys. "We have lifted the 'no dating between bands rule'," he said casually. "I was never a fan of the rule in the first place because it wasn't realistic. So that rule is no more, but," he held up a finger. "the change is that if there are any events that you guys have to go together to boost PR Riley and Rhuben will cycle through each one of the guys to be their date for the night." He quickly went on to clarify. "For example, one event they have to go to together Riley will 'go with' Kendall and Rhuben will 'go with' Logan. And then the next time Riley will 'go with' Logan and Rhuben will 'go with' James and then cycle from there."

"And the events where you all don't have to go together," Mrs. Knight spoke up. "Where it doesn't matter about PR or anything, you can go with whomever you want."

Carlos's lower jaw moved to the side as he looked over at Riley and Rhuben. He remembered when they were first getting to know each other; James had constantly asked the two of them if they had a boyfriend, getting on their nerves about it. Now Rhuben was, sort of, dating Dak for all he knew and Riley didn't seem interested in anyone. "Are they ok with this?" he asked, pointing at them.

"Yeah, it's fine with us," Rhuben shrugged as she leaned forward and rested her elbows on the table. "For PR and because they're trying to capitalize on our rivalry and everything. It makes sense." She cracked her knuckles before examining her nails, looking bored. "Lots of people do it in the music industry to get their name out there."

"It's alright," James said with a charming smile. "You don't have to hide your excitement that you can date me, Beautiful," he said to her. "I'll treat you like the princess you are."

Rhuben smiled as she dropped her hands to her lap, shaking her head as she started to laugh lightly. "And I'll be sure to treat you like a prince, Handsome," she flirted back.

"Would that go to sitting with them at award shows and things too?" Patrick asked, raising a hand in the air, his other hand resting on his cheek. "What if I want to bring a date?"

"We can talk about it then," Ronan said dismissively. He then gave his friend a knowing look. "Not like I can't figure out whom you'd want to ask."

Patrick stuck out his tongue.

Ronan stuck his out in reply.

Mrs. Knight watched the exchange with a sense of relief washing over her.

She wasn't sure how they would be reacting to each other with the trip to the police station the week before. It was hard on her too, over and over again; they asked her what kind of things she had seen that could possibly help their case. She told them about the sleepover that they had when Patrick had helped Sydney when he was scared; she told them about the many times they had flinched whenever one of them moved quickly, about how quiet they could be. It stumped her though, when they asked how long she thought that the abuse had gone on as well as if she thought that Robert had been intimidating to her at all. He wasn't that bad, from what Kelly said, he was very charming around her, and she could vouch for that. Robert never gave her any problems that she could think of. But then there were the stories that the boys told her, that he would push them hard. Even Ronan told her some things like that, when Gustavo wasn't too busy hating Robert, he would say the same thing. But she couldn't even begin to guess how long they had been living through pain and terror that Robert had inflicted upon them.

It actually made her feel bad; she hadn't helped them at all. Part of her 'job' was that when she went out to LA she would watch over Logan, Carlos, and James, to keep them safe. She ended doing it to the Jacksons, without noticing it, when she had first met them, as it was her motherly instinct that told her that something was wrong with them. She didn't know it then, but she knew that something was wrong. If everything had been going on for them for a long time and she didn't know or do anything about it, she probably wouldn't be able to forgive herself. The same way the boys felt.

It was a horrible feeling.

But now that things were starting to get better, and the chance of Ronan adopting them was up in the air, she knew that she wouldn't have to worry about them for long.

"What's with the smile on your face, Mama Knight?" Sydney asked, clasping his hands together as he looked hard at her. He tilted his head to the side, his dimples appearing in his cheeks. "Did you just think about how much easier your Momager job should be now?"

Mrs. Knight hesitated, not sure how to respond. She couldn't tell them about Ronan wanting to adopt them, not until he told them first, at least.

"She's just thinking about the other thing that I have to tell you guys," Ronan quickly butted in. He looked over at Mrs. Knight, as if he knew what she was thinking, before turning back to the teenagers that were in front of him. "Blazing Phoenix and Rocque Records are throwing a party tonight, to celebrate your guys' success with releasing your CDs and everything, and you all are invited."

As Kendall, Logan, Carlos, and James cheered, Riley, Rhuben, Patrick, Noah, and Sydney groaned, slouching in their seats. James was the one that asked them why it was that they weren't excited for it. "This is the kind of thing that normal people live for. A party with the biggest names in the music industry and all of that food. It's going to be fun,"

"Yeah," Rhuben gave an overly-exaggerated head nod. "Sitting around with a bunch of old farts that try to talk to you about what kind of music is good." She made a face. "Clearly you guys have no idea how to have fun," She dead-panned, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You gotta throw your balls to the wall and let loose, you know?" Patrick added. He then turned to Ronan and pointed at him, his eyes narrowing. "And this is not my idea of throwing my balls to the wall or letting loose."

"That's practically impossible," Riley reminded her brother, reaching up and smacking Patrick on the back of the head.

"Too bad, you're going," Ronan said shortly. Noah opened his mouth to protest, but Ronan held up a hand, cutting him off. "And don't even try to use the 'we have work' excuse; I already called them to ask for time off." He then gave them a pleading look. "And I know you don't like these kinds of parties or many parties in general, but please humor me on this one. This is really going to help you."

"The attire is casual-formal, there's going to be a lot of food," Mrs. Knight spoke up, crossing her legs as she leaned back in her seat. "There's going to be some press that's outside the venue where they will take some pictures and only ask you about your music and your future plans. At that point, if you have a date, they have to go straight inside so questions about your relationships don't get in the way." She looked at the ceiling as she thought about what else there was that needed to be said. "Umm, both bands will be sitting together with your guests, and you can bring whomever you want."

"The more the merrier," Ronan added.

"Mom, you knew that we were going to this party and you didn't say anything?" Kendall asked with an amused smile to his mother, who modestly shrugged in reply.

He wasn't annoyed at her, he was happy that they were finally going to their first party. After they couldn't go to Gustavo's party for them last time, he and the other boys vowed that they would somehow get to another one, and now it was happening.

"I'm your Momager," Mrs. Knight replied as if that explained everything. "I was the one that had to make sure your schedule was clear for it," she then winked at her son. "And it wouldn't be a surprise if I told you."

"This is going to be so cool!" Carlos cheered, punching the air with his fists. "Industry party, whoo!"

Ronan laughed, closing the folder that was on the table. Their energy was unbreakable. He could probably tell them that they were going to lose the Big Time Rush mobile and only be ushered around in a limo for the rest of their lives and find the positive side of it. (But the BTR Mobile was a nice car; he wouldn't think they would ever give it up, not even since they can't drive it, legally, yet).

"Well, that was all that I needed to talk to you about," Ronan said as he leaned back, crossing his legs. "Unless you all wanted to talk about your new album," he offered, looking over at the boys. "Have you started on it yet? Any ideas?"

"Well, all we know is that we don't really want to be seen as much of a pop band anymore," Carlos said slowly. His screwed up his features. "Does that make sense? We still want to do pop music, but we want to be-"

"Taken more seriously?" Patrick interrupted. He nodded when Carlos nodded. "No, we get it, that's one of the reasons why we switched from pop music to rock music. A lot more people paid attention to us as musicians then."

"Well, what you could think of is having less of a 'squeaky clean' image," Ronan suggested. "Try suggesting to Gustavo that you want some new clothes, try different kind of music style along with pop, or…I don't know, to try more rock things at your shows." He shrugged.

"Well, we have some time to think about it," Logan said. "Especially if we're still waiting to see what certification our first one gets, it just an idea."

"Yeah, well, don't tell Gustavo I gave you any advice," Ronan said, holding up a hand. "My ears stopped ringing from the last time he yelled at me, I don't need it again." He laughed, lowering his legs to the floor. "I'll see you guys later." He pointed over at Sydney. "Don't forget your dentist appointment."

"I won't," Sydney replied as he got up from his seat. He grabbed Riley's wrist and started to drag her to the door.

"I don't see why he even needs to go," Riley remarked as she allowed herself to be pulled by her brother, who was acting as her chauffer that day. "He's the one with the perfect teeth."

"And I plan on keeping them that way," Sydney replied.

"What are you guys planning on doing now?" Logan asked as he and his friends moved from their seats and left the conference room. "We have all day to hang out." He added.

"Can't," Rhuben grumbled, shoving her hands into her jeans pockets. "I have homework to do." She made a gagging motion. "Math and History."

"I can help," Logan offered. "I mean, if you're going over the same things we are right now, then I can make it easier for you to understand." He gave her a sympathetic look, ignoring the nudge that James lightly pushed to his back. "I mean, you have to keep your grades up to perform, right?"

Rhuben looked at him for a moment before tilting her head back slightly. "That would actually be very helpful, Logie-Bear." She lowered her voice. "My math grade is sitting at a C+ at this point, and Ronan's not too happy." She looked at her watch. "Do you have time now?"

"I have nothing but time, Bella," Logan replied with a warm smile.

"Yes, because math and science are his girlfriend when Camille's not around," Carlos cracked, causing Kendall, James, Patrick, and Noah to burst out into hysterical laughter.

Logan made a face at them before holding an arm out for Rhuben to lead them down the hallway. Kendall, James, and Carlos followed Patrick and Noah as they wandered their way down to the lobby.

"Maybe Ronan has a point," James remarked. "Our music isn't really being taken seriously…and we have some young fans that really like how we look." He rubbed his chin. "But we have some older fans too, and I think that our next album should be catered more towards them."

"Well, everyone changes their image with each CD they put out," Patrick remarked. "We do it for all of ours." He then snapped his fingers loudly. "Maybe we should do a test." He said, as a slow smile slid onto his face.

"Dude, that's, like, the evilest smile I've ever seen," Carlos commented, looking at Patrick's face.

"Hm, that's what you think, mate," Noah snarked.

"Dude, I'm being serious," Patrick insisted. "Why not try out your new look tonight. If you want to be taken seriously, you have to make them take you seriously. And if you want to be rock stars, then you'll have to learn from the best." He crossed his arms over his chest as he smiled smugly at the boys.

"You're not good at being modest are you?" Kendall asked.

"Not in the slightest," Noah replied. He looked around the lobby for a moment before walking over to the receptionist's desk. He talked to the receptionist for a moment and then came back with something behind his back. "Alright," he turned to Kendall, Carlos, and James. "You said you wanted to be more like rock stars, right?" Noah pulled his hand out from behind his back, a pair of scissors in his hand. He opened and closed them a few times. "Well, all rock stars start with rocking haircuts." He then closed the scissors one more time and gave a half smile. "No pun intended."

Gustavo glared at the older, graying man that stood across from him. He looked down at the papers that were in his hands. The contracts. The truth was staring him in the face. Griffin had been stealing money from them the whole time that they had been Big Time Rush. Gustavo was concerned about it at first, thinking that something was off, but then pushed it aside as he started to work with the dogs on their album. It wasn't until all of the money that he had thrown around to pay for them, had he started to worry. He looked at the money that they had brought in from the short American tour and thought something was wrong. He talked to Kelly, asking her to look over his numbers and she found the same thing.

They were short on money.

No matter how many tickets they sold, no matter how many CDs they sold, no matter how much they made from appearances, they weren't getting as much as they could. It was the only reason that they had been holding back on giving the boys their paychecks was because of that reason.

Griffin had been stealing from them the entire time.

Now that Gustavo and Kelly had arranged a meeting with them, he had burst their bubble with the news that their contracts said that Griffin was getting more money than Gustavo and Kelly had originally stated. It was right there in the very small print. Of course with the one million dollars that Griffin had offered him to find the 'next big thing' he didn't care about the contracts at that point. He needed to find the fire. Now that they did, it was all starting to fall apart.

Gustavo was mainly mad at himself, because he didn't pay close attention to the contract to see if there were any hidden clauses.

Now it was biting him in the ass.

Gustavo lifted his eyes to Kelly. She looked more tired than he had ever seen her in his entire life. The last time he had seen her like that, it was after the two had spent days auditioning people that Gustavo could work with when he was out of town. At that time, the guys had destroyed his mansion, but still, he stuck by his dogs.

He was going to stick by them now, too.

"I'm going to sue your for all you're worth," Gustavo snarled.

Griffin looked up and slowly smiled. "If anything, I have the rights to sue you. You're not keeping up with your contract," he said.

He reached over and pulled open a desk drawer, pulling out a manila folder before tossing it haphazardly at Gustavo. He then stood up and straightened his tie as he slowly walked around his desk, eyes on Gustavo. Much like a lion would to its prey. Griffin moved his arms behind his back once he was standing across from Gustavo. The two looked at each other, each not saying a word, trying to stare the other down. Finally, Griffin quietly cleared his throat.

"I'll see you in court," he whispered, the menace in his tone not lost on Gustavo.

A/N: After thinking about it for a while, I'm only going to be re-writing the first two stories for this one. Looking over it again, I noticed that Here and Now could be considered a standalone compared to the other two, as it had nothing to do with the whole story plot (abuse and friendship). So, that being said, some of the things that I'm sure people really enjoyed about the third story (Kiley's fight/break-up and getting back together, Racy, Lella saying they love each other) will be put in/re-written into other stories. I hope you guys aren't too upset about this decision.

Also, this part had been split up into two chapters because it would take WAY too long to do what I originally had planned for the whole thing. There's more of Lella friendship in the next chapter as well as more of Patrick, Noah, and Sydney.

The part with Gustavo and Griffin was done short on purpose, you'll see more of it soon.

I'll update again soon.

Cheers,

-Riles