A/N: I apologize for this taking so long to update :) I won't waste time with a long author's note. Just, please- hopefully- enjoy! :D

Disclaimer: I don't own Big Time Rush, but I do own Sage and Elliot.

-waterwicca


CHAPTER 54: BIG TIME TRIAL AND ERROR


Kendall cupped the water in his hands, coolness spreading over heated palms and calloused skin at his fingertips as it spilled into the sink right before he splashed the remainder onto his face. The ends of his bangs grew damp in a few spots, droplets dripping onto his cheekbones once he swung his head up to look in the mirror. There were circles beneath his eyes, which contrasted by being fiery and vibrant as his jaw set into a well-practiced countenance of determination.

"Everything will be okay." He spoke the words to himself, watching his lips move with the sound but somehow not fully believing that it was real despite the visual.

It had been the better part of four weeks since Elliot had barreled his way back into his existence, and he was feeling it every hour. Every minute was slower than average and more precious yet agonizing. But they were winning now- sort of. Things were still to be determined, but they were headed in a good direction; Sage had made the right choice when she decided to fight back. The battle wasn't going to be a quick one, though, and they had already been on edge for so long.

"Kendall?"

He jerked away from the mirror and gripped the marble counter tightly, swinging his head to see Carlos at the restroom entrance.

"You alright? I called you a few times…" he wondered as he stepped a bit further into the room, his dress shoes clicking against the shiny, black tiles. The door went to swing shut but it stopped when it met his shoulder.

"Sorry." Kendall moved his head back and forth, all of his senses returning slowly. He reached and shut the running water off, shaking his hands out at his sides. "I was just thinking."

Carlos nodded and offered a smile of condolence and care, something as well-practiced as Kendall's determination.

"We wanted to know if you were ready to go in. There's still some time before Ell- before we have to get started, though… Sage is with Gabriel now."

Adam Gabriel: the new lawyer- a lawyer Kendall actually liked. And, more importantly, Sage trusted him.

The man was handsome and a little cocky, but he had a right to be. He came highly recommended from Laura Mitchell, who had called in some favors at Logan's request. She and Gabriel had met in law school, and he went on to Los Angeles to take high profile cases with more personal clients while she had decided on corporate law. Gabriel had a way of intimidation that went beyond anything Kendall had ever seen, but he used it for good rather than personal gain; charming clientele and officials but turning dark and frightening when met with an opponent. He always smiled, though; always smirked. He played nice on the surface, and he played to win.

He wanted to sit down with Sage and BTR as soon as he heard about the possible case from Logan's mother, and he was absolutely sold when he heard the victim herself speak. Sage's story of abuse, captivity, and torture struck a chord with him. Perhaps it was because Sage was so honest- Kendall called it brave- with the details. She was done hiding, Elliot had forced her hand, and Gabriel seemed to respond well to her courage. It also didn't hurt that he could do something good with the case; an officer of the law like Elliot Henderson shouldn't be invincible, and he was looking forward to "outing the bastard".

Kendall definitely approved.

The steps to success, as Gabriel called them, were numerous and treacherous, and he wasn't afraid to say so while also assuming the stance that they could win with the right moves. That was why Sage trusted him. He was honest, like Ms. Harvey had been, but he also had passion and a fire. Sage was petrified but, with Gabriel in the lead, her chances of getting Elliot out of her life for good were better than ever before even if they were not a sure thing.

First step: a restraining order.

Sage already had a protective order placed on Elliot the day after their encounter in the alley, and today was the day they would meet with a judge to see if a more-permanent restraining order could be granted. Today was the day they'd have to see Elliot again.

"Is she okay?" Kendall glanced over to Carlos, who still held the door open with his body, and then back to the mirror, smoothing down his hair and grabbing a disposable towel from the stack beside the sink to dry his face.

"She's fine," Carlos answered a little too quickly, getting a quirked brow and a sigh from Kendall. Sage was never fine. None of them were lately, not as much as they used to be. "Well, she's just as nervous as she was ten minutes ago… But she's not crying." Carlos smiled optimistically, and Kendall smiled faintly back.

Their list of "positives" was getting a little pathetic.

"You coming?" Carlos tilted his head backwards and shifted aside to unblock the doorway. Kendall could see James and Logan waiting across the hall, the taller leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and his foot tapping while the shorter attempted to peer over Carlos' shoulder but also feign relaxation.

"Yeah…Can't hide in here forever, right?" Kendall chuckled uncomfortably and balled the towel up. He walked past the row of empty pristine stalls and tossed the cloth into the wastebasket beside the door as Carlos let him through and into the main hallway of the courthouse.

"Let's go see Sage, man. That always makes you feel better," James suggested coyly, punching at Kendall's shoulder and getting snickers from his three best friends as he began moving down the hallway toward the room they were set to have the hearing in.

"Who says I feel bad?" Kendall wondered, shoving his hands into his slacks and moving step for step beside James while Logan and Carlos glanced at them from their position behind the duo.

"You look… edgy…" James admitted.

"Not that you can't be!" Carlos jumped in for his brother when Kendall opened his mouth with a gleam in his eye; he'd been looking for a fight lately, anything to get his mind off of reality. "We're just…"

"Concerned." Logan finished for Carlos with more seriousness in his tone when they stopped at the double oak doors closing off the courtroom. Kendall narrowed his gaze at Logan.

"I'm fine. Everything's okay." He blinked, stare falling to the gleaming floor beneath his feet for a moment before he brought them back up to the others.

"Yup, sure," Logan murmured with a disapproving closing of his eyes. "What's the game plan, Kendall?" he asked abruptly. He really wanted to ask the question much sooner, wondering what they were going to do when they actually saw Elliot again, but Kendall had been hard to get alone in the last few weeks; always with Sage.

"Plan?" Kendall squinted and anxiously scratched the back of his neck, his vision on the closed doors.

"Are we gonna behave ourselves, or…" Logan started, trailing off and peering over to Carlos.

"Are we gonna freak out when we see him?" the boy finished. Kendall just looked more confused, staring at the group.

"We're a team. So, what one of us does…" James elaborated.

"The others get dragged into," Logan sighed and crossed his arms.

Grinning sluggishly, Kendall understood. It was how they always were; avoiding trouble and also finding it as a mostly-cohesive unit, the "mostly" coming in when Logan was sure they were all insane, or if Carlos was actually crazy, or when James was oblivious to the others in a bout of his conceited nature, or if Kendall lost all control. Their teamwork, strong or fractured, wasn't just for the ice; they had made it a part of their lives.

"I'm not going to get you three locked up for brawling in a courtroom… I can be calm," Kendall assured them. He titled his chin in the air and pulled his shoulders back in confidence, taking a step away from them for show, but then he bumped into a group of suits walking behind them and he instantly morphed into an aggressive stance, irises twinkling with anger.

"Like I said: edgy," James whispered to Carlos and Logan while Kendall smiled apologetically at the group of strangers.

He grunted to himself and hung his head once they were past, tugging at the bottom of his shirt and kicking one of his feet in the air out of frustration. He moved his legs then, moseying across the hall to press his back into the space of brick between two large paintings of the founders of the building; male judges, looking ancient in the dated portraits.

"I'm fine." Kendall repeated and frowned at his brothers.

"Don't say that just to make us feel better..." Carlos rolled his eyes and went across the hall to plop down onto the bench beside where Kendall was standing.

"We just wanna know what you want to do. I mean, Logie already told us if we caused a shit-storm in there that the charges wouldn't be huge," James proclaimed, nonchalantly gesturing to the courtroom before sitting on the arm of the bench on Kendall's other side.

"I said we could afford the bail," Logan corrected and stood in front of Kendall.

"Whatever. Either way, we've got your back, and Sage's. But…" Carlos straightened in his seat, scooting close to the edge to get a better view of both Logan and James.

"We were hoping that we could all walk out of here on our own; no handcuffs or escorts…" Logan added.

Kendall bit his lip and concentrated instead of keeping his body moving or giving himself a pep talk; he really thought for once. He thought about seeing Elliot again and what he would do, what he was capable of. When he was in that alley last month everything went red. His body had burned with fury instead of pain and grief, and Elliot became the outlet for every bad feeling he and Sage ever had; like those feelings could be erased if he made the man bleed enough.

Really, they all had that desire; they wanted to beat Sage's stepfather until he was unrecognizable. They could have gotten themselves killed for it though, all having moved towards the gun Elliot had at one time or another when they should have been more cautious; only stopping when the weapon was directed at Sage. That night stayed with them. Any one of them could have perished by Elliot's hand, all it would have taken was something as small as a finger pushing a trigger. They had gotten off lucky.

Logan had been the first to understand that, to regret it and quickly develop a "play nice and behave" agenda, something Gabriel highly supported. Now that the law would be involved, matters couldn't be placed in their own hands anymore. Everything was beyond them for the most part. Carlos had been livid with Elliot, for manipulating him into getting Sage, but he was willing to do things the right way. James was a little tougher; jumpy and agitated like Kendall for days after the encounter even once they met Gabriel and got the ball rolling on the restraining order. With encouragement from Logan and Carlos, as well as Sage, who remained relatively calm herself as long as she stayed busy, James had decided they should be "good" too; focus on the things that mattered. But that all fell back on Kendall; he could change their plans, and for a while they were almost positive that he would.

The only thing Kendall could have been described as was "dark" when he thought about Elliot, which was the majority of his waking and sleeping time. It reminded Carlos, Logan, and James of how he was when they first reunited in Sherwood, when they weren't always certain that he could be him again. But Sage could calm him down with a touch or a few words or with a smile when he grew rigid and silent.

Her effect on him wasn't a surprise, however, because she was "Sage"- Kendall had her neatly placed on a pedestal he built just for her. He put her there even though she had never asked for the spot, even once having actively tried to make him shove her off of the platform, and it was challenging for her to even tell when she was up there anymore because it had become so normal. The fact that she also had a pedestal made in her mind just for him exacerbated the situation. It put them in a never-ending cycle of saving and sacrificing for each other; their lives hinging on one another's irrevocably. Romantic- sometimes. Foolish- always.

"This is just the first in a long set of days..." When Logan spoke, Kendall blinked the haze out of his mind and refocused on the present, staring down at the brunette. "If Sage is going to be brave, then we can be too… We just have to remember that Elliot's the bad guy, not us."

Kendall nodded and swallowed thickly, his spine tingling with the old but never-retreating fear of becoming something like Elliot; becoming the monster that sometimes felt so similar to his own personality when he looked deeply.

"I wish we could kill him," Kendall admitted softly, a dangerous edge creeping into his tone. Ridding the world of Elliot felt like the natural solution to both his fury and his internal dilemma; if he could erase his darker counterpart, only the light would exist- if only things were that simple.

"I asked Logan about that too!" James piped up enthusiastically, swiveling on the arm of the bench gracefully to knock his feet into Kendall's shin for emphasis. "Those charges would be huge."

"But we could still afford the bail," Carlos added smartly, deflating when he got a smack on the shoulder from Logan, who pressed his lips together thoughtfully.

He stepped closer towards Kendall to neurotically, but methodically, grab the sleeves of his shirt. They were damp at the hem from the sink.

"If we committed murder- and this would be premeditated, mind you- we probably wouldn't get offered bail at all." He spoke solidly, but his pitch rose after every pause while he continued rolling up the sleeves. Kendall felt a little like a child, but he didn't make Logan stop; sighing as he creased the fabric just the right amount to neatly reach his elbow while he kept talking. The only time he faltered in his movements was to admire the tattoo on Kendall's forearm. "And have you seen us?" Logan questioned squeakily, looking around their closely gathered group before unrolling Kendall's right sleeve and restarting the folding process when it wasn't to his liking. "We are in a damn boy band-"

"Man band." James' correction went unheard.

"We'd be like bait on a silver platter, just sitting there for our fellow, burly prisoners. And I don't know about you, but I like living." Logan blew out a heavy breath and moved onto Kendall's askew tie. "And I also like choosing my sexual partners." Carlos cringed and James nodded.

"And you called me edgy…" Kendall mumbled to James and glanced down at Logan's fingers, which were matching his tie's lengths of fabric with concentration so that they fit perfectly. Once he was satisfied with that part, he grabbed at the knot and pushed upward, pressing snugly against the wearer's throat and making the boy cough. Kendall grabbed his wrists and lowered them deliberately to Logan's own sides, getting a sheepish smile from his friend.

"He's not wrong, dude," James countered, smirking at Logan. "I could probably run that place," he flexed, and the trio around him looked on with a disinterest he chose to ignore, "but look at these two." He tilted his head to Logan and then to Carlos across from him. "They are way too pretty and tiny."

Logan was confused, about to open his mouth to protest with the fact that James was the "prettiest" of them all, but he shut up once the boy reached out for his cheek.

"Especially Logie. Look at his innocent, little face," James cooed, trying to pinch the skin.

"James, don't joke about things like that!" Logan hissed, swatting the hand away. James just chuckled.

"Yeah, can we stop talking about this? I'm gonna have nightmares where I'm some guy named Spike's bitch; I just know it," Carlos groaned and rubbed at his temples while James snickered. Logan showed his agreement by stepping closer to Carlos and patting his shoulder.

The exchange made Kendall laugh, really laugh for the first time in weeks, and he felt lighter. It was normal and calming- comforting if Kendall admitted he needed such a thing- for the four of them to go from serious to crazy in mere minutes.

"So, no murder… Got it," he insisted playfully but honestly, still smiling.

"Promise?" Logan wondered, leaning in eagerly for the confirmation.

"Promise." Kendall's smile faded as he grew more serious, looking to the courtroom doors across the hallway again. "We can- We'll be the good guys like we're supposed to be. Just, um… I can't really promise anything when it comes to actually seeing him in there, though… Look out for me, okay?" He looked to each of his brothers, sweeping his eyes from James to Logan and then to Carlos.

"Always, man." The boy hopped up from the bench and wrapped an arm around Kendall's shoulders, struggling because of the height difference but going full-force anyway, resulting in the blonde crouching down slightly to return the gesture before Carlos rushed forward to open the closed doors. Logan was still a bit fidgety, wringing his fingers together for a few moments and then stopping to walk beside Kendall again, leaving James to hurry over to Carlos' side to grab the handle on the matching door.

"I'm really glad you decided to go pro-freedom," Logan sighed to Kendall with relief, pumping a weak fist into the air in front of them. He secretly enjoyed being a little outlandish with the group, but not to the extent of real jail time when it could be avoided by more logical actions. Kendall rolled his eyes but smirked. "And if things get tough for you in there, just remember the engagement ring you have waiting for Sage. Conjugal visits would get real old real fast..."

Kendall nearly nodded, but then he widened his eyes at the bumbling boy for mentioning the future proposal, which was still a secret between them, in front of James and Carlos. Even worse, the two now-shocked boys had opened the doors halfway.

"A what for who?" James yelped, he and Carlos both stopping with their fingers locked around the handles of the doors. Kendall could see Sage talking to Gabriel briefly, their heads turned towards the shouting, and he would have longed to rush to be beside her at the sight, but the panic of her hearing the current turn in their conversation froze him in place.

"You're gonna propo- Whoa!"

Carlos stumbled when Kendall wrenched him forward by the collar, avoiding the looks of confusion from Sage and Gabriel. James squawked as Logan yanked him as well, huffing indignantly when the sleeve of his blazer was stretched.

"Why didn't you tell us you were gonna ask Sa-"

"Stop it!" Kendall hushed Carlos again, this time by tackling the shorter boy, making both of their bodies flail until he successfully hit Carlos' shoulder against the ajar door and swung it shut. It was on a spring, though, and not quite fast enough for Logan or Kendall's liking.

"I'm fuckin' offended, Kendork! How am I supposed to be your best man if I don't even know there's a damn wedding?" James complained, voice thankfully not too loud, but his lack of tact frustrated a nervous Logan and caused the boy to lash out and cover his mouth. James grumbled and tried to elbow him, but Logan ducked, and Carlos whined when Kendall tugged him into a headlock, silencing his protests about being a "better best man than James".

"Boys?"

Four heads snapped to the two courthouse security guards inching towards them with apprehension, hands near the batons at their belts as they moved from their station at the front entrance. The quartet immediately calmed down, Logan ripping his hand from James' mouth and making a show out of smoothing down the taller's jacket while James held a thumb up for the men. Kendall kept his grip on Carlos but struggled to make it look like a hug, loosening his hold on his friend's neck and resting his chin on the top of his head. They sent four dazzling smiles the security guards' way. The two men raised their eyebrows but wound up strolling back to their position at the main doors.

"Ew! You taste like hand sanitizer!" James' smile dropped when they weren't being watched anymore, sticking his tongue out and frowning at Logan.

"Cleanliness is not a crime, James!"

"Poisoning is!"

"Ssh!" Kendall reprimanded after releasing Carlos, who cracked his neck by tilting his head back and forth.

"Why should we shut up?" he pouted at Kendall, moving to stand beside James as Logan took his previous place beside the blonde. Carlos and James crossed their arms in tandem, a move creepy to most but common for the pair studying them.

"We were just spewing a bunch of shit about being a team! How could you not tell us you bought a ring? That you're gonna… propose." James' annoyance faded as fast as it came, practically squealing the last word at Kendall and failing to contain himself. He raised his fist to bite at his knuckles and he giggled, bending his knees and then straightening his body in a little dance that Carlos didn't hesitate to copy.

"When's the wedding? When can we taste cake?" Carlos wondered, still bouncing in a rhythm with James. Kendall stared at the ceiling and fought both not to smile and not to groan.

"You guys look like a bunch of girls right now," Logan deadpanned, squinting and putting his hands in his pockets.

"Zip it, Logan. You already had time to react because apparently you're special enough to be let in on the secret," Carlos argued childishly and stopped his dancing for just a moment to glare at Kendall.

"I didn't react like this," Logan mumbled with a nod towards the dancing James and Carlos, but he was ignored.

"I didn't tell you yet because… Well… Look at you." Kendall smiled awkwardly, but his body was still relaxed since his brothers had worked their unknown magic a few moments earlier.

"Touché," James commented, knowing that Kendall had made the right call. His dancing slowly came to a stop but his smile didn't fade.

"When are you gonna ask her? Can we be there?" Carlos clasped his hands together as he spouted off more questions excitedly.

"That'll be real romantic..." Logan rolled his eyes and Kendall smirked, shaking his head.

"Are you four done with your odd powwow?" Kelly opened the door to the courtroom, raising a slim brow at the group. Their happiness diminished visibly when they remembered where they were, wishing they could be in 2J with Sage; wishing they could be home. Kendall's relaxation ran away, out of grabbing distance before he could even think about holding onto it with a death-grip.

"Y-Yeah," James nodded and took the first step, holding the door open for the rest of the group after sharing sorrowful glances with them. "We are talking more about this later. We're gonna be celebrating anyway…" he whispered to Kendall as he passed through the archway, elbowing him slightly to jostle his too-stiff body. Kendall nodded after a second of hesitation, brain working slower than usual to acknowledge what James had said. He smiled a little when he noticed how James was assuming victory.

The atmosphere had changed instantly, though, going from celebratory to angst-ridden once the doors shut behind them all.

Adam Gabriel sat with Sage at the plaintiff's table, talking calmly and quietly. Camille stood beside her best friend, a hand on her shoulder and her fingers coming up to play with her hair every now and then when Sage would stiffen or frown. She insisted on being there for support, ignoring Sage's protests that she should be doing something better with her own time- her successful movie was just getting started on building its increasing popularity- instead of worrying about her. Gustavo and Kelly stood right behind the banister separating the seating area from the front of the room. No one else was there except for the stenographer preparing near the judge's bench and a man in a suit placing files on the desk.

"Hey, baby. How're you holding up?" Kendall didn't hesitate to enter through the half-doors separating the area Sage was in from the one he was supposed to take a seat in, slinking past Gabriel to kneel beside her. Camille grinned and patted his shoulder, taking her leave and walking the way he came to be near James, who was still not her "boyfriend". Nevertheless, they held hands as soon as she was in reach.

Sage smiled affectionately at Kendall's question. It was just like the ones he asked all the time lately, nonstop. She knew he was looking out for her, and she also realized that he kept giving her opportunities to back out of the whole legal process. But she had meant what she said weeks earlier when Kendall held her; she wanted to fight back. Things could have resulted in much worse than a few scrapes and loads of tears in that alley, and she was determined not to force them to live through any of the possible alternative endings. She had to stop doing nothing, even if it was petrifying.

"She's fine, Knight. She's strong. Stop worry-warting," Gabriel teased, knocking the boy's leg with his dress shoe and smirking when Kendall glared playfully as he regained his balance using Sage's knee.

"So nice to see you again, Gabriel," Kendall raised his brow at the man, eyes still narrowed.

"It's always nice to see me." The lawyer winked at Sage when he got a laugh out of the nervous girl and then busied himself with a few folders in front of him so she could talk to Kendall.

"I'm okay, but I just wish this was over already… I wish Elliot was just gone." Sage inhaled shakily and gripped at Kendall's hand when it rested on the thigh of her dress, twisting her palm upward to squeeze his fingers. The idea of seeing Elliot again in only a few minutes was terrifying. Seeing him at all had always made her nerves quake, but this time was different. The setting was disorienting; so many people and unfamiliar surroundings. She and Elliot weren't in their own world anymore. She had successfully pushed them out of that "comfort" zone.

"One day at a time…" Kendall kissed her wrist repeatedly, dropping peck after peck to the soft skin with brave words inspired by Logan. "You'll win. Right, hotshot?" He turned to Gabriel, knowing that he was listening.

"I always win; it's what winners do," he insisted, not looking up from the files he held. Kendall and Sage rolled their eyes. Adam Gabriel had the fierce attitude of Kendall, the ego of James, and the brains of Logan, all tied neatly together with a heart of gold similar to Carlos'. He was as close to unstoppable as they could get. "It also doesn't hurt that Elliot is a natural-born loser," Gabriel added quietly but smugly.

"Gustavo, give Mr. Gabriel a raise." Kendall grinned, getting up into a standing position behind Sage and rubbing her shoulders as he looked to his producer.

"Kendall, stop telling me what to do," Gustavo parodied his commanding tone. Kelly shook her head with an eye-roll beside him, and Kendall was thankful for the routine; the soothing quality the interactions had. He felt Sage's body relax beneath his hands.

Gustavo, despite his loud mouth and strong attitude, loved "his dogs and Blondie" and he always did what was best for them. They still had a few more show dates, mostly local, but after that BTR would be on hiatus when it came to promoting their second album so that they could focus solely on the upcoming court battles without being too lit up by the spotlight that followed the young heartthrobs. The first goal was winning the motion for a restraining order. After that, Gabriel had plans to launch an official investigation with the police in Ramsey, North Dakota to look into Sage's "alleged" rape and imprisonment. Gustavo was determined to get Elliot out of their lives. They all were, and everything else could wait until they were safe again.

"It's almost time…" Carlos announced grimly, glancing at his watch and then to Kendall and Sage. He took a seat behind them on the nearest bench, letting Logan slide in first to be right beside him. James and Camille, who were still connected by their hands, took the space near the aisle. Gustavo and Kelly sat in the second row, all eyes darting anxiously towards the doors.

"It's gonna be okay. I'll be right behind you" Kendall assured Sage, leaning down to whisper in her ear when her shoulders shook under his palms.

She nodded and leaned back with her eyes shut, feeling him kiss her cheek and exhaling at the touch. He stepped around her chair, cupped her face, and pressed his lips against hers- chastely when Gabriel cleared his throat and murmured something about not "making out when the judge comes in". Kendall waved vaguely in his direction and detached from a stiff Sage, prying her fingers regretfully but firmly off of his forearms.

"You'll be great. He's not even going to be able to talk to you here," he reminded her softly, kissing her just one more time and hushing her attempted "thank you" before hopping over the banister rather than walking around.

"Classy…" Gabriel sighed. Kendall just shrugged, wiggling his way between Carlos and Logan so he was directly behind Sage.

They all jumped- Sage even caught the composed Gabriel moving quickly, with a flash of gelled brunette hair swishing through her vision- when the main doors opened, their heads snapping back to see the newcomer. It wasn't Elliot, though. It was a woman, dressed in black and blonde hair clipped neatly to the top of her head, giving off a sophisticated vibe. But her lips were painted red, and her eyes shadowed darkly, making her look even younger than the beauty already was. She clutched her purse to her lap as she sat on the bench located right behind the table that would be Elliot's, being the only person there to support the defendant. Her vision met Sage's defiantly after having been looking straight ahead for so long.

Sage shuddered at the cold look. But, despite its context, the direct view of the woman reminded her of her mother; it reminded her of herself in just the next breath. And then she felt nauseous. She understood who the woman was then. It was Lily. Sage didn't know her name, but she gathered that she was Elliot's girlfriend, and it was devastating. It crushed her that she knew Elliot wouldn't appreciate that young woman, that he couldn't be what anyone deserved, not when he had been so obsessed with his stepdaughter enough to seek her out in Los Angeles with a gun just weeks prior. Sage didn't have to know the details to predict that Lily wouldn't end up happy, that she wouldn't avoid being used if she hadn't been already. The mere fact that she was there to support Elliot told her that the woman was deluded by the man that, by definition, should be honest with her.

Elliot only ever told the truth to Sage, only ever put that burden on her.

"Who's the girl?" Gabriel whispered, hazel eyes interested but calm as he titled his head towards Sage. She could feel the others watching behind them, listening to the exchange.

"I think she's his girlfriend," Sage murmured back, wriggling in her seat under the hard stare Lily was still giving her, having a vague idea that whatever she was angry about came from a tale woven by Elliot. "I've never seen her before…"

"I'd wonder if we could use her, but something tells me that he's got her wrapped around his finger." Gabriel waved mockingly at Lily, causing the blonde to finally stop glaring; choosing to redirect her focus onto her lap instead.

Sage, and everyone else, forgot Lily when the doors swung open again. Elliot's lawyer, a man older than Gabriel with graying cropped hair, stepped in first. Sage hardly had time to register him before she saw Elliot and her eyes widened and dropped to a random point at the end of the row her family sat in. Elliot had looked at her right away. It made her stomach revolt; him gazing directly into her like nothing had ever changed since she left Ramsay; he was still in control and he wasn't letting her go.

But he didn't look angry, and that made her even more nauseous as her hands shook. It meant he was sure he could win, sure that he was going to walk out of this encounter unscathed. Elliot always won. She had almost forgotten that, almost believed she had the upper hand for once, but he could always manage to somehow get at least two steps ahead of her. He always knew what he had to do to make her give in, to break and shatter her before his eyes so he could remold her.

"Buck up, Sage."

Startled, she bit her tongue so she didn't shout when Gabriel whispered at her side again, bringing her back to the present.

"This is the easy part…" he continued lowly, eyes shifting sideways to smirk at Elliot boldly before looking back to her with a mixture of care and ferocity. "Keep your head in the game. Don't let him take you off the board before we even start playing."

Sage smiled at that, not fully but genuinely, and Gabriel grinned as warmly as he could back.

Elliot didn't look pleased at the interaction, his lips setting in a line as he stepped into the front area with his lawyer when Sage's attention was off of him. He knew this wasn't the place to take center stage, though. He ignored his ex-lover for the time being, focusing on smiling politely as his lawyer gestured him towards his seat and acknowledging Lily when she stood to kiss his cheek. She went for his mouth, but he turned away from the contact smoothly, not even catching a frown from the woman let alone detecting any curious stares from the rest of the audience, who had all been hushed since his entrance.

"He looks so… normal," Camille admitted to James, shivering as she got her first real glimpse of Elliot. Tightening his arm around her shoulders, James nodded and pulled her firmly against him. He knew, knew how deceptive and confusing Elliot's demeanor could be. It was infuriating, and James, along with the other three members of BTR, felt like they could go back on their promise to control themselves at any second if their resolve snapped.

Gustavo mumbled a curse in the row behind them, making the boys turn to see the producer and Kelly glaring at the man with murder in their eyes; a look that the band thought was only ever reserved for them when they got into their antics. But this one made all of the others in the past look like a friendly smile.

Kendall could feel Logan and Carlos shift harder against him, essentially locking him in place when he growled at the sight of Elliot. He sighed when Logan nudged him, a reminder to behave, and decided on smirking instead when he really took a look at Elliot's face; faint cuts and still healing and bruises a faded purple and yellow where he had struck him solidly.

"Nice to see you're still aiding the wicked, Perry," Gabriel leaned back in his chair and raised a brow along with the corner of his lips at Elliot's attorney.

"Innocent until proven guilty, Adam," the older man countered, peering over his black-rimmed glasses at Gabriel and then grinning at his client.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night," Gabriel snorted and stood when the single door at the corner of the room opened.

Judge McHough, a middle-aged woman that exuded power and poise, walked out with a soft smile and murmuring the end of a few words of a conversation with a girl that followed, the stenographer that seemed mousy in comparison to the tall redhead beside her. The bailiff came in too, shutting the door behind them and stepping towards the bench as the judge took her seat and opened the file folder at the top of the stack.

Perry Quinlan pulled a face at Gabriel for his last comment but sealed his mouth shut when the bailiff called the court to order and introduced the judge with a blur of names and docket numbers.

Everyone quieted; a swish of papers in files and taps from the stenographer being the only noises before the judge began speaking.

Sage didn't hear her when she started, didn't even realize she had stood herself up with Gabriel until her legs were shaking under her. She was too focused on not looking at Elliot while still somehow being aware of where he was. She wished he never came back, stayed away like he was supposed to. Things were too hard now, too out-of-control.

Elliot turned his head to the side, his brown eyes right on her again, and she didn't look away this time. She was frozen, but her brain was working. Elliot wasn't saying anything but she knew his message loud and clear: stop this. It wasn't even a threat; he was begging, pleading. No one knew him like she did, and she could tell he was depressed.

"Miss Henderson?"

She jerked her head back, feeling the rest of her body above her feet go with it for a fraction of an inch before she stopped herself; her mind having to dominate her frightened instincts to keep control of her muscles. She realized that everyone was looking at her now, including the stenographer who had her hand hovering above her instrument in anticipation. Sage could feel her family watching her back, especially Kendall; she could always feel him.

"Miss Henderson, do you need me to repeat myself?" Judge McHough wondered, leaning forward at her station with a curious expression, green eyes peering from behind red bangs.

"Yes, please, Judge," Gabriel answered for her, smiling stiffly and then stepping a little closer to Sage in hopes of comforting her. He was careful about not touching her too much when she was nervous, easily learning her quirks and ticks through well-practiced skills of perception and sympathy. She wasn't the first rape victim he'd taken under his wing.

"I was saying, Miss Henderson: I understand that the motion for this order was instigated- partly- by a recent assault. Are you pressing charges for that assault on you committed by the defendant?" Judge McHough stayed focused on Sage, who squirmed under the gaze and took a deep breath.

"No, I'm not…" She lowered her chin towards her chest and lifted a hand to play with the pendant at her neck, refusing to look Elliot's way but knowing that he was narrowing his eyes in thought. Gabriel patted her arm and looked forward again.

After their encounter with Elliot, when they went to the police station to report the incident, Sage refused medical attention but they took note of the abrasions on her shoulders from when Elliot pushed her into the wall. With four eyewitnesses, she could have easily gotten him on an assault charge, but Gabriel advised against it because, unfortunately, the police also took note of Kendall's mangled knuckles where they had met Elliot's face. It would be just as easy for Elliot to charge Kendall with assault in retaliation, a move that would hurt Kendall's credibility as a witness when they would eventually need him for a rape trial. They had to be patient about where and when to strike, think clearly rather than with simple vengeance so they could be on top in the end and Elliot would be in jail for a long time.

"Your honor, after what happened, my client just wants the defendant to stay away from her. However…" Gabriel began confidently, like only the present moment and the future mattered; he didn't get bogged down by nasty looks or fear, even when Judge McHough glanced up at the interruption with a hint of dissatisfaction. "I believe it's worth mentioning that, although we are not pursuing assault charges for this specific incident, we are pursuing charges against the defendant on domestic abuse, abduction, unlawful imprisonment, and rape. We'd get him on murder too, but he's apparently very good at covering his tracks…"

Sage stared at Gabriel, mouth agape. He didn't waste any time with his attempts to show Elliot's true colors. Then again, he insisted he had to play hard. They had a built-in deficit already because of Elliot's honorable position as a police officer.

"Your honor, he can't just-"

Judge McHough interrupted Mr. Quinlan's outrage with a raised hand. Sage looked past Gabriel and over to the defense lawyer anyway, seeing beyond him and locking onto Elliot. He appeared hurt, baffled; with his eyes searching hers before he huffed, an audible sound in the room to her, and rolled his eyes like she was being the ridiculous one.

"Those are serious charges," Judge McHough narrowed her gaze on Gabriel. He didn't flinch.

"They are serious crimes," he replied without missing a beat.

"Alleged crimes, Mr. Gabriel." It was clearly a warning. The charges he mentioned were myths as far as she had to be concerned because they weren't officially filed yet, so they had nothing to do with her decision.

Sage saw Elliot grin. She dropped her eyes to the table in front of her.

"I'd like to get to this case, if that's alright with you." The judge looked to Mr. Quinlan briefly and then more directly toward Gabriel, who seemed satisfied when he caught a quick peek at Perry glaring at him with aggravation.

"Absolutely," Gabriel smiled politely. Even if he was out of line, he knew that he had made the impression he needed to of Elliot.

"Now, given your standing in society, Miss Henderson, I promise I'm going to put as much thought into this hearing as possible. You're more of a high risk case compared to some others."

Sage frowned at the judge. It always seemed off when people reminded her that she was in the spotlight. It wasn't true. BTR was in the light. She was tucked snugly in the background where she belonged, writing and producing under Gustavo's guidance. The boys themselves wondered about seeking a restraining order of their own against Elliot, to make a show of the whole ordeal, but Gabriel insisted that they should keep the focus on the main victim; if she won this small battle it would look good later in a possible trial. And, regardless of her personal opinion of herself, Gabriel had told her that her own "standing" in the tabloids and among fans would work in her favor in matters like these, so she didn't protest the judge's statement, she just nodded once and refused to make eye contact.

"We'll start with the absolute basics," Judge McHough continued, either oblivious to or ignoring Sage's frown. "Are you scared of your stepfather- the defendant?"

Bringing her eyes upward to the front of the room, Sage clasped her hands together at her waist when she got a chill. She chanced a look towards Elliot, gazing at him shakily before she continued to remind herself that nothing would happen while there were so many witnesses.

"Y-Yes…" Her voice was too small at first, cracking as she fixed it and increased the volume. Gabriel had practiced with her a bit, coaching and throwing possible questions at her to get her used to the inquiry. This was the easy part- supposedly. A rape trial would be much more invasive.

Elliot hadn't been looking at her before she answered, keeping a straight, unaffected demeanor, but his concentration zoned in on her when she spoke. He looked so… crushed… and no matter how crazy it sounded, Sage knew the feeling was genuine. He asked for her love again and again. He may have beaten abused her and threatened the people she loved, but he never wanted her to hate him. He wanted her to love him back more than anything else in the world. He wanted her to choose a life with him.

"Do you fear for your life when you're in his presence?"

It was a fair question, but not a simple one.

Physically, no; she didn't think Elliot would end her life. Sage believed him- call her insane- when he claimed that he didn't want to hurt her, and he definitely never wanted to kill her. In Elliot's mind, he didn't even want to hit her; he was "forced" into it by a series of choices. But, more figuratively, Sage feared that he would inevitably destroy the life she had. He could ruin them all.

"Yes."

Elliot actually scoffed that time, air hissing as he exhaled and struggled to stay still. His body curled and then straightened along with his face as he forcibly clenched his jaw and remained calm. Judge McHough's eyes landed on him for a moment, studying- analyzing- before she turned back to Sage with a swivel of her chair.

"Granting a restraining order is a serious task. By telling Mr. Henderson where he can and cannot be in relation to you, I'm limiting his civil liberties as a U.S. citizen. It's a decision that needs to be made carefully… You understand, don't you, Sage?"

The addressed felt Gabriel shift on his feet beside her, an air of delight radiating off of him; shoulders widening and height increasing just a fraction of an inch at the judge's informal speech when it came to Sage's name. It was a good sign. It meant she was sympathizing, caring.

"I-I do, your honor."

"Good. Let's focus on Mr. Henderson and the specific incident that brought this on." Judge McHough turned so she faced the direct center of her bench, peering down at papers in front of her and lifting the top page to read the second almost distractedly; refreshing her mind with the details she had already learned. "And I want to talk about facts here, not allegations or slander. Is that clear, Mr. Gabriel? Mr. Quinlan?"

Both attorneys nodded together, a quick movement Sage would have missed if she hadn't been watching so closely.

Elliot stood taller with a pleasant countenance glued into place, not chancing a look at Sage as he prepared to put on a show. It was a quality she hadn't fully seen in a long time, not since before he locked her in her bedroom. Any microscopic speck of good she saw him capable of grabbing onto dissipated, faded into black as he became a shell; speaking and moving like a real person but not very human at all.

It didn't surprise any of the plaintiff's side that he was confident. He had started preparing for something like this the second he ran from the alley and Camille caught a glimpse of him. The kid who let him into the actress' party wouldn't speak a word about him, he knew the teen wouldn't risk his job there and the money he had given him even if he somehow found out that Elliot was bad news. Besides, no one actually knew that bribery was how he got in.

The real problem was the gun, something he bought on the nastier streets of the area, and his location; him not being in Vermont on the other side of the country like he should have been. The first thing he had decided on was staying, choosing not to flee; he might as well have admitted guilt if he had. Instead, he went back to the expensive hotel room he had booked himself and waited, making a pit stop beforehand to ditch the gun. He just watched television and ordered room service until the police knocked on his door, easily finding him in the room he unashamedly paid for under his own name with a credit card. He wasn't "hiding" from anyone. In this case, getting caught was the easiest thing to do.

They took him in for questioning a little more than 24 hours after the incident that Sage and the boys based their witness statements on. He sat there in the station with a bruised face and slightly swelling eye- he had cleaned himself up at the hotel- and cooperated fully with the aid of the recently acquired Perry Quinlan. He'd found him on the internet at the hotel, selecting him from a list of elite defense lawyers. He was expensive, but that meant he was good. Mr. Quinlan had him in and out of the station with in an hour. Elliot considered leaving town, but his attorney had advised against it- he smelled something fishy with the lack of charges, knowing that it was some sort of tactic. And he had been right. Not three days later, an official served Elliot with a no-contact order regarding Sage, and he was due in court just weeks later for a restraining order hearing.

So, he worked every day with Perry to create his own version of the events that happened that night in the alley. He told his lawyer a lot, knowing it was confidential, but nothing incriminating him directly. He made himself seem like the victim.

Whatever happened, though, he wasn't going down without a fight. He'd been battling with Sage and everything that went along with her for a decade; he'd keep going until he was forcibly stopped. And that was a fact that both himself and Sage were finally starting to comprehend.

"Mr. Henderson, you have a permanent residence in Vermont. Is that right?" Judge McHough questioned, fingers locking together over the folder in front of her.

"Yes, and a home in North Dakota."

It wasn't anything menacing or hurtful, but just hearing Elliot speak again made Sage sway on her feet. Instead of steadying herself on the table, she chose to latch onto her pendant again; that gave her more balance somehow. But she couldn't take her eyes off of Elliot. They were stuck there, seeing him talk but not look at her. It was like watching a film, like she wasn't really in the same room as him.

"Why were you in Los Angeles three weeks ago?" Judge McHough continued calmly, not giving away any hints of accusation or confusion.

"I actually started in Vegas on a vacation with my girlfriend," Elliot laughed lightly, honest and charming like he couldn't believe all of this was happening on his "vacation".

He turned to Lily by pivoting to his right; eyes sweeping across Sage's for just a fraction of a second. Lily smiled sweetly, obviously fooled by her "boyfriend" because her demeanor was genuine and loving. It was a look he didn't return sincerely back. Sure, he was convincing; his smile was full, even reaching the corners of his eyes. But Sage could see the rigidness in his body everyone mistook for poise. He was still acting, never missing a beat other than blinking in her direction right before turning back to Judge McHough.

"Lily and I were in Nevada, and the plan was to be there for a while, but I was so close to Los Angeles…" Elliot trailed off like he was nervous, but Sage knew it was faux nerves. He had no guilt or apprehension about what he had done. "I wanted to visit my stepdaughter, wanted to check in on her."

"Bullsh- umph!"

Kendall began speaking out of turn but Carlos elbowed him pretty hard in the ribs, taking the air out of his lungs and bending him forward slightly. Judge McHough glared at them for several seconds of silence. Gabriel didn't even dare turn around to acknowledge the utterance, and Sage hunched her shoulders, waiting for something to happen. James squinted at Kendall, leaning to see all the way down to Logan, who was raising a brow; wondering if things weren't going to go as planned with them. But then Kendall coughed lightly as if that had been the problem all along and he forced a smile at the judge after sending a murderous stare towards the side of Elliot's head.

"Why did you want to see her then?" Judge McHough continued like the incident hadn't happened, Logan sighing in relief loud enough for all of them as the stenographer began typing again, filling the room with little clicks as Elliot responded.

"I haven't seen her since she left home when she was seventeen. I just wanted to make sure she was doing okay."

"She's been doing just fine since she got you out of her life, asshole."

James spoke that time, but very softly, just enough for Camille and Carlos to clearly hear him by his sides. Carlos went to move a little closer to him but then seemed to think better of it, deciding he should probably spend his time smashed against Kendall to keep the blonde in his seat instead. Camille hushed James quietly, running her fingertips along the back of the hand he had wrapped in hers, nails tickling the skin until he relaxed. She shook her head faintly at Logan when he leaned forward to check on James, unsure if they were going to have another problem. Logan softened and sat back after he saw James lean into Camille, his jaw visibly clenched but determined to stay behaved like they agreed to.

"So I rented a car in Las Vegas and made the drive out here," Elliot went on, slight fluctuations in his speech, making it not appear robotic at all; just honest. He'd had so many years to practice deceit that he'd made it an art form.

"You didn't call your stepdaughter first?"

"I didn't have her number." His answer was rapid, rehearsed.

"She didn't give it to you." Judge McHough did not make that sound like a question. It was an assumption. She was quick, jumping the gaps Elliot left, but he was just as fast.

"She ran off years ago..." He added a twinge of regret this time; sprinkling the information with sadness.

"And she hasn't contacted you since?"

"Sage wouldn't even know where to reach me. I bought that place in Vermont, and I haven't been to the home we shared together since a little after she left. It just sits there." Elliot's façade broke slightly, a shuffling of his shoes as he frowned at the floor and then looked back up with more strength to wait for further questions.

Judge McHough was silent, hands unfolding and eyes dropping back down to the folder in front of her as she shifted a few pages around.

"Why were you at…" she trailed off and searched for the right name," … Miss Wyatt's party?"

"It's like I said before, you honor. I wanted to see Sage. I don't have her address, but she and her friends are all over the internet. I didn't want the drive there to be a waste, so I researched a bit first and found out where I might find her. If I didn't have any luck, then I figured it still would have been worth a try." Elliot shrugged sorrowfully. "I needed to let her know that I was reaching out, hoping to touch base again now that I wasn't so far away."

"I understand what you're saying, Mr. Henderson, but I have to wonder…" Judge McHough sat back in her chair, leveling her stare at Elliot, "Why did you bother at all? When it comes right down to it, you're not her father, and she obviously didn't have the best feelings towards you since- you admit- she ran off."

"You're right, she's not my blood," Elliot agreed, pausing for a moment before looking over to Sage. "But she's mine; she's family." Sage's eyes stung and the muscles in her legs felt weak, but she didn't budge an inch. "I took care of her no matter what she did. And she's been so troubled since her mother committed suicide, but I stayed with her. I didn't give her away. I love her."

A twinge of anger built in her gut from the insane notion that she owed him anything at all, and it gave Sage enough energy to look away again, and Elliot's own trance was broken. He cleared his throat.

"Anyway," he started more casually, licking his lips and staring solely at Judge McHough in order to get his focus back, "since her mother died, I swore I'd look after her."

Sage sighed and Gabriel patted the hand she had closest to him resting against the tabletop. Julia's death, her murder, would have to go un-avenged. Unless he decided to randomly confess to cutting her wrists open, they'd never have any evidence to get him for it.

"She's an adult, and I know she's established a life here. She has a job I'm proud of her for- she's always been so talented." Elliot softened again but remained centered. "But I still feel responsible for her… And I feel terrible for how that night ended. Everything got out of control…"

"How did it escalate to violence with Kendall Knight?" Judge McHough changed gears, moving one of her papers aside in favor of reviewing another.

"Mr. Knight doesn't like me very much…"

"Understatement," Carlos whispered with an un-amused eye-roll, pushing more firmly against Kendall when the boy angrily writhed in his seat, eyes never leaving Elliot.

"He's known Sage since they were sixteen. He's highly involved in her life. And even back in North Dakota, he never respected my position as her parent-"

"Fuck you!" Kendall shouted, using all of his leg strength to jump up. Logan and Carlos had been trying to keep him so secure between them that they toppled into the empty space on the bench. "Parents don't rap-"

Logan found his balance first, grabbing at the back of Kendall's shirt and cutting off his words as Carlos rose to his feet and took him by the arm that was waving viciously in Elliot's direction. The defendant just stood there, motionless and emotionless save a glimmer of amusement in his eyes.

"Let me-" Kendall was muffled again, James moving in this time to cover his mouth like Logan had done to him earlier. The four were ungraceful, all tangled together and noisy.

"Order!" Judge McHough shouted loudly and smacked her gavel while the bailiff stood prepared, moving more towards the threatened Elliot.

"Hey!" Gabriel hissed, turning to glare at the group.

"Order!"

"He has Tourette's!" James insisted with an uncomfortable but dazzling smile at the judge after Kendall knocked his hand away.

Logan looked at James incredulously, shaking his head when the boy awkwardly shrugged back.

"Kendall, chill out, please," Carlos begged and Kendall stilled once he realized how much of a commotion he was making, every gaze in the room on him directly. He rolled his shoulders in the silence, noticing that Sage was the only one not looking his way. He knew that she was trying not to break down right along with him.

"Your honor, I represent Mr. Knight as well, and he's a very-" Gabriel began apologetically but closed his mouth when Judge McHough placed her gavel down and waved the bailiff back to his original position so that he wasn't blocking her view of Kendall.

"This is Kendall Knight?"

"Yes," Gabriel answered slowly, unsure where she was headed.

"I'd like to hear his point of view," she confessed thoughtfully, leaning forward.

"With all due respect, Mr. Knight is not a part of this hearing," Mr. Quinlan objected. Elliot let him do the talking, but he obviously agreed.

Judge McHough didn't.

"Respect noted, Mr. Quinlan, but your client said it himself: Kendall Knight is 'highly involved' in the plaintiff's life and in the incident we are discussing, for that matter." She ignored the lawyer after that, and he didn't have anything to respond with other than a quick glance at Elliot. "Step forward, young man."

Kendall looked flustered at being addressed, clearly not having thought his outburst through, but he brushed off the nerves with a polite smile and shuffled away from his brothers, who all hesitated but sat back down as Kendall leaned against the banister separating him from Sage.

"This should be good," Gustavo mumbled and huffed. He knew first hand that Kendall was a wild card when it came to dealing with authority. Kelly shushed him and then stared forward hopefully.

"I'll keep this brief because I'm pretty sure I already know where you stand," Judge McHough glanced at Kendall and then back down at her file.

He nodded tersely even though she wasn't really looking at him.

"Do you admit to assaulting Mr. Henderson?"

"Yeah, he had a gun," Kendall responded like it was a fact she should have known, still riled up from his gust of anger. Gabriel lifted a brow in his direction, but it went unnoticed.

"According to the police, he had no firearm in his possession," Judge McHough reminded him assertively.

"I don't care. He-"

Gabriel mumbled a "stop" out of the corner of his mouth, gaze full of warning. He couldn't argue with evidence they didn't have. There was no point in pushing. It wasn't like Elliot had fired the gun; no casings or bullet holes or gunpowder residue.

"You know…" Kendall began with a tight grin and a quirk of his shoulders, "honestly, whether he had a gun or not, I would have still happily beaten the shit out of him."

"Language…" Gabriel complained faintly, hardly moving his lips at all. Kendall pretended not to hear him.

"I hate Elliot for what he's done to Sage." Judge McHough opened her mouth, but Kendall interrupted. Gabriel rolled his eyes and let it go, figuring he wasn't going to stop him no matter what he did. "The things he's done are things you apparently don't want to or can't hear about, but they're real… They're real to her, and to me… to us." Kendall gestured to the family behind him.

Elliot stared at his competition for a moment, face unreadable, and then he looked forward while Judge McHough sat in a short silence, absorbing what Kendall had said.

"Thank you for your comments, Mr. Knight. You can sit down now if you think you can act civilly. If not, I'll have you removed from my courtroom," she waved vaguely in his direction.

"Got it, your honor." Kendall thanked her by immediately obeying, unwilling to aggravate her anymore and not be there for Sage for the rest of the hearing. He smiled reassuringly at his soul mate, who finally turned around to see him after being unable to resist the urge for so long.

Sage wanted to reach out and hold his hand but knew she shouldn't. She curled her fingers inward, pressing her nails against her palms in a tight fist at her sides instead. She swept her eyes across the group, seeing nothing but more reassurance from her brothers and Camille. Kelly was beaming encouragement behind them, and even Gustavo was pulling a face that could pass for his strongest attempt at genuine feeling and comfort; eyes focused rather than his normal disinterested gaze that came with practice and his lips almost curved rather than dissatisfied. Sage nodded to herself and slowly spun on her heels to face Judge McHough as she spoke again.

"And your version of the events on the night in question, Miss Henderson?"

Sage grew anxious at the rapidness with which the attention was placed on her again, but she recovered as much as she could; her unpredictable fragility got a little better every day.

"Um, Elliot came to see me, yes. But he wasn't just checking in on me. He wanted me to go away with him," Sage maintained shakily. Her mouth went dry with nerves as she looked over to Elliot again. "He's not- I don't think he's well… He has an- He's not like a dad to me…" She looked to Gabriel for help, the topic growing uncomfortable for her, especially since she wasn't sure what she should or shouldn't admit at the time.

"My client means to say that her stepfather has more-than-fatherly feelings towards her. He's obsessed with her."

"Your honor, there's no evidence of that. If anything, Miss Henderson is the one who's keen on harming my client. She likes to act out. She's accused him of horrific things even before this," Mr. Quinlan interjected effortlessly.

"She was just a kid," Gabriel argued just as smoothly, making Perry's argument seem not only invalid but silly.

"So I see," Judge McHough picked up a sheet of paper, a pink page filled with writing. "Several years ago you had what doctors described as an 'episode' consisting of acts of 'severe agitation and self-harm'. At that time, you also accused your stepfather of physically abusing you. The charges went unproved and you, Miss Henderson, were placed on a psychiatric hold and later released back into Mr. Henderson's care after the incident was diagnosed as a result of your mother's suicide. Is that right?"

"Ye- Yes," Sage responded, a stutter taking over as her hands and spine shook again.

The 72 hour hold, something she went through well before Kendall entered her life, seemed like a lifetime ago. It had been traumatic at the time, yet somehow, now, it felt like nothing compared to the prison Elliot put her in. Her mind was trying to force her back into the bedroom as the memories connected together like rusted links of a chain.

"I can tell you've had a more-turbulent adolescence than most, but I'm also assuming that you've changed."

That made Sage's mind a little clearer because, of course, she had changed. She was still changing and, hopefully, getting stronger. She stood taller, hands still not quite motionless but her spine just tingling now.

"You seem like a peaceful young woman for the most part. Timid, if you don't mind me saying so." Judge McHough grinned in a friendly way and Sage smiled a bit, looking down shyly and only proving her point. "Do you think it's safe for me to also assume that you've outgrown your… unlawful behavior? The false accusations and the drugs?"

Sage recoiled, momentarily forgetting the time Elliot injected her with heroin.

"I…" she began quietly but then gave her response some thought.

She remembered what that night had led to, aiding Elliot yet again with a lie. It was so many lies from her own mouth that had gotten her to this moment, that helped make her journey so damn long.

"The drugs were not my choice, Elliot made me take them. And I know what the doctors said, but my accusations against him weren't false…" Sage replied brazenly, defying what she herself had just claimed to be- "timid". She swallowed the growing lump in her throat. "…Ma'am," she added more softly, attempting politeness.

Gabriel turned beside her, staring down at her with a mix of shock and amusement despite the fact that she had just basically argued with the judge. Sage just looked at him in confusion about her behavior, not exactly knowing where she got it from. The only times she ever felt that confident or comfortable was when she was alone with the people behind her.

Elliot gazed right at her unashamedly from across the room, head fully turned. She couldn't tell if he looked more impressed or betrayed.

James snickered behind her in delight, and Kendall murmured a faint, gleeful "I love you".

"Okay," Judge McHough sighed, and Sage didn't know if it was directed at her or just a general release of tension. "As far as the present is concerned, focusing on this recent event that instigated the order, I think there is sufficient evidence of wrongdoing, of intent and violence-"

"Not on Mr. Henderson's part," Mr. Quinlan asserted.

"Your own client's statement admits to pushing the plaintiff, and I think it's safe to accept the idea that Mr. Knight didn't go unprovoked," Judge McHough replied.

"That kid-" the defense attorney cleared his throat, mentally retreating when he realized that he was losing ground by the glare he got from the judge. It threw him off, but he stood firm again. "Kendall Knight has anger problems. He's rash and violent"

"Evidence?" Judge McHough exhaled tiredly.

"My client's face," Mr. Quinlan shot back, gesturing to Elliot's healing injuries.

Kendall snorted without hesitation. He'd do it again and more. Perry Quinlan turned quickly to narrow his eyes at him.

"And Mr. Knight's record," he added for the judge.

"What record?" Gabriel jumped in with a chuckle.

"The one that says he assaulted Officer Henderson four years ago."

"Charges weren't filed and an official investigation wasn't even launched. Officer Henderson," Gabriel argued right to his opponent's face, completely disregarding the judge as he spat Elliot's title, "was the one who made sure of that, wasn't he?" He smirked at Mr. Quinlan, practically begging him to keep retaliating so he could butcher him more.

"Excuse me?" Judge McHough finally spoke up, getting both lawyers to snap their focus to her. "If you two are finished, I'd like to give you my ruling."

Both men glared at each other covertly, Mr. Quinlan coldly and Gabriel more entertained.

"Mr. Gabriel is right; there were no charges filed against Kendall Knight for an assault. And that tells me that, for some reason, Mr. Henderson didn't want to bother. He's not fighting back this time either…So, Kendall Knight's record is technically clean…"

Mr. Quinlan looked towards Elliot with "I told you so" plastered all over his demeanor¸ but Elliot didn't look back at him. Despite his attorney's urgings, he refused to press charges against Kendall for his battered face. It would have hurt Sage too much.

"Regardless…" Judge McHough continued, "I think it's fair to say that there's far more to this group than what I can see on the surface." She eyed Kendall, then Sage, and then- briefly- Elliot. "But I can only rule on what's been presented. A gun wasn't found in Mr. Henderson's possession despite the claims of the four eye witnesses, whose validity I question because of the intense emotional reactions I saw right in this courtroom…"

Kendall stared at his lap in shame, face heating and heart beating too fast to be healthy. Gabriel shifted almost nervously at the table in front of him. Sage was still.

"However…"

Elliot breathed deeply, solid face falling before he could catch the sliver of honesty and seal it away again.

"Combined with the defendant's own admittance to pursuing his stepdaughter, I think the tumultuous past and this severe tension between him and the people closest to the plaintiff, the people she's chosen as her network of supporters, is sufficient enough to make me believe that Mr. Henderson is capable of posing a threat to her. Her fear, although not fully understood because of legalities that have yet to be sorted through, is genuine in my eyes… It would be best for all individuals involved if Elliot Henderson stayed away."

Sage wasn't breathing correctly, but, for once, it wasn't a side effect of panic. She moved her wide eyes to Gabriel, who grinned like he knew the outcome all along.

Elliot looked right at Judge McHough as if he hadn't heard her or as if what she said meant nothing to him. He didn't even blink when she stared directly at him.

"She left your home years ago. I think she's shown you what she wants… I'm granting the restraining order requested by Miss Henderson." Judge McHough told him softly but sternly. Elliot narrowed his eyes and then dropped them to a random spot on the floor before he said something he'd regret, and then the judge stood up.

"Court is adjourned. Parties are excused." The bailiff spoke clearly, voice full of more volume than Sage had expected. She jumped as everyone started moving, the judge returning to the door she had come from earlier and the stenographer finishing up her work.

"Congratulations, kid." Gabriel bumped his shoulder into hers and smiled triumphantly as he shoved paperwork into his briefcase and snapped it shut. "And, Knight," he added, turning to Kendall with a roll of his eyes when the boy once again hopped over the banister keeping him from Sage again, "you were effective. An annoying loose cannon, but effective."

"I do what I can," Kendall smirked as he pulled Sage into him, wrapping his arms around her snugly and kissing the top of her head. She buried her face in his chest just after she saw Elliot making his exit with his lawyer, both in hushed conversation as Lily followed.

"You were awesome!" Carlos cheered, tugging Sage away from Kendall once the couple had stepped through the partition separating them. Kendall pouted but wound up smiling when Carlos squeezed Sage tight enough to make her laugh as he lifted her into the air.

"Remember, there's still a hell of a lot more to go," Gabriel reminded them dutifully, still grinning when he slid his briefcase off the table and turned to see James and Logan taking their turns hugging their pseudo-sister.

"Yeah, yeah," Gustavo waved him off as he and Kelly stood behind the group, between them and the doors. "You did good, Blondie." He reached out, awkwardly patting the girl on the shoulder after she nestled back under one of Kendall's arms.

"Thanks, boss," Sage sighed and nodded gently. Gustavo took his sunglasses out of the pocket of his jacket and slipped them over his face.

"Kelly, call security and make sure they have the car ready. I want it to be there when we step out the door, not a little after," Gustavo ordered his assistant, mushy moment gone and attitude in place.

Security guards and their exit from the courthouse were important, though. They'd have to go through the private entrance because of paparazzi littering the front steps. The public didn't know anything about the case with Elliot, didn't even know who Elliot was, but word got around that BTR was meeting with Gabriel, a high-profile lawyer, numerous times. And the tabloids had buzzed about way less than that before.

"On it," Kelly stared at the ceiling with a smile as she responded to her boss. "Give me a minute to check on the car situation and then we'll all get going," she told the group, stepping forward to give Sage a quick hug before she whipped her cellphone out when Gustavo loudly called her name again from the doorway to the hall.

"You should go too," Sage suggested to Camille, turning to the brunette beside her. The actress stared at her in confusion. Sage grabbed James' wrist, the one attached to the hand holding Camille's, and showed her his watch. "We finished just in time for you to get to your meeting."

Camille's film was doing wonderfully in the box office, and she had an engagement with her director that afternoon about the script for the sequel. She had decided to skip it, though, and go to court instead, much to Sage's disapproval, but no one could argue with Camille.

"I really don't have to go…" Camille shook her head stubbornly, swaying slightly when Sage let go of James' connected arm and its weight swung between them.

"You came, you supported, and I love you, but please continue living your life too, alright? You're the star of the movie. Go be dazzling," Sage insisted, pushing Camille lightly towards the door. James didn't argue, even letting her hand go.

"Fine, you win. But I'm coming by 2J later with dinner." Camille pulled Sage into a hug, holding the embrace a little longer than necessary; arms squeezing in silent conversation: "I'm proud of you. I love you".

"Keep bringing food over, and I'm gonna have to start loving you too," Carlos exclaimed, going towards Camille, but James quickly tugged him back by the collar of his shirt, getting possessive.

Camille detached herself from Sage and raised a brow at James, smirking. He just grinned boldly back.

"Anyone wanna place bets on when they're finally going to jump each other?" Logan whispered as Camille left the room.

"I'm going to be the better person for once and not make any comments." James held his head dramatically high and began marching to the doors Camille had exited through.

"I'll put twenty bucks on three months," Kendall mumbled to Logan, who made a mental note of the wager, nodding his head as they followed James at a distance.

"I'd put fifty on tomorrow," Gabriel interjected, having been quiet, and received stares from the entire quintet. "What? The sexual tension is crazy. I know people, and those two are going to have at it." He shrugged and stepped through the group, edging past a scoffing James to go through the door while Logan and Carlos laughed.

"It's like you guys think I have no shame at all. I have fuck-loads of shame, okay? I can be innocent! I can be chaste!" James gestured to his body and donned an expression daring anyone to argue.

"I believe you, James," Sage assured him when he pouted after everyone else ignored him and stepped into the hall. She caressed his forearm as she and Kendall moved by. James didn't look very satisfied, like he was hoping for more of a following, but he took what he could get with a theatrical sigh.

"Good."

He went after them, letting the door swing shut behind him, but then he bumped right into Logan. Everyone had stopped, with Gabriel in the lead, because Mr. Quinlan was just across the hall with Elliot and Lily, all standing near the benches the boys had conversed on earlier. The trio began walking towards them.

"The mere idea of rape charges is ridiculous, Adam. You'll get nowhere," Mr. Quinlan claimed with a grin as he brought up the most severe accusation Gabriel made during the hearing. "There was no rape."

Gabriel actually laughed and put a hand out to keep Kendall at bay when he went to lurch forward.

"So you're gonna tell me that your client just thinks of himself as Sage's father-figure? That's not really the picture of their relationship that was painted for me," he chuckled with bravado.

"Anything that happened between them was consensual," Mr. Quinlan countered, just as smug.

"Real cute, Perry." Gabriel rolled his eyes, thinking the man was getting desperate. "She can't consent to sex with an adult at 17… Are you getting senile already or are you just playing dumb with me?"

Mr. Quinlan looked more irritated than insulted, but then that look was replaced altogether with a smirk to match Gabriel's.

"I said nothing about sex. Elliot Henderson loves Sage. Yes, as more than a daughter, but that isn't illegal. They had a relationship."

Sage inhaled sharply, bending forward and feeling Kendall's arm tighten around her shoulders. She breathed deeply, focusing on her shoes as an anxiety attack threatened; realizing that this is what Elliot would make his case with. Things like "love" and "care". He was going to make it about emotions and stories, about "he said" vs. "she said", and that was everything that ruined her in her years with him. He always won that game.

"I don't think-" Lily attempted to comment, but Elliot quickly cut her off.

"Lily, you can wait outside."

He turned to his girlfriend, staring at her like he not only forgot she was there beside him but also like he didn't remember she existed at all. His gaze was cold, but not threatening; almost tired and indifferent. Lily parted her glossed lips to argue, but Elliot dismissed the idea before it was even given thought by turning his head back to Sage and Gabriel. Lily clenched her eyes shut and ground her teeth together before spinning on her heels and walking briskly out the main doors, sending a callous glare at Sage over her shoulder right before she was out of her sight.

"You guys seem so in love," Kendall grinned. "You smack her around too?" he questioned as he tugged Sage closer to him by the waist until she was pressed all along his torso, knowing that the proximity and affection would bother Elliot.

"Fuck off, Knight," Elliot groaned, annoyed- not irate like he could have been. It made Kendall want to push harder. He glanced at Logan, Carlos, and James quickly for confirmation, that he was indeed allowed to behave however he wanted for now, and they gave him the go-ahead; twitches of the hands and eyebrows.

"No, I don't think I will. I like the view I have of your downward spiral from here." He persisted with his snarky attitude, placing his cheek on the top of Sage's head. "How's your face doing?"

"You-" Elliot stopped his body from going towards Kendall and Sage with an amazing amount of restraint, something he wasn't sure he had too much of left, and settled back into place when Perry rose his hand. Kendall looked a little deflated; he was just getting started. But he couldn't blame Elliot. The restraining order was official and active after they stepped out of the courthouse. He wasn't allowed to go anywhere near Sage or attempt to contact her, and keeping himself in check right now was good practice.

"You should really learn how to lower the volume on your background noise," Mr. Quinlan remarked to Gabriel, gazing at Kendall, who smiled teasingly in return. He knew the attorney had a sore spot when it came to him because his "noise" helped grant Sage the restraining order. "To take your term from earlier, Adam, this display is nothing but 'cute'. The histrionics will only work so much. So, let me tell your client about the real world…" Perry turned away from Gabriel and stared at Sage. "It's never about what really happened, and how much your heart wants to scream it to the world. It's about what you can prove. And you can't prove the absurd allegations you're spouting about your stepfather."

"To a jury of his peers? I think we can," Gabriel spoke for Sage, refusing to let Perry get to her. "And we have more proof than you think."

"Like what?" Elliot sighed, seeming unimpressed and weary. If he couldn't talk to Sage, he kind of just wanted to leave.

"Well, during one of your- what I understand to be- classic woe-is-me phases, you wrote a letter to the love of your life. Didn't you, Mr. Henderson?" Gabriel wondered, feigning curiosity.

"I don't recall what you're referring to, Mr. Gabriel," Elliot shot back, more alert but unshaken. He knew the letter wouldn't be enough to send him to jail or even get the case to trial.

"Of course you don't," Gabriel chuckled like he was being silly and then brightened. "But a certain private detective, Discher, with an office based just outside of Ramsey, North Dakota, does. He recalls you asking him to get that envelope to the Palm Woods apartment complex very well. Oh, and another intriguing tidbit, he also holds onto his old files- the guy's a regular packrat- and there are quite a few captivating reads from when you paid him to follow Kendall Knight."

Elliot had nearly forgotten about the P.I., he stopped using him so long ago, but Sage hadn't; the information the man had given Elliot on Kendall years earlier is what lead to her gaining enough strength to get out. She never knew the investigator's name back then, but Gabriel was every bit as good as he claimed to be, calling in favor after favor and digging around until he got a name. He had only talked to Detective Discher on the phone, and the man was a little skittish about discussing Elliot, but he admitted to delivering the letter when Gabriel asked him directly.

Elliot looked a little nervous, but what he didn't know was that Gabriel was too.

After that initial conversation with Discher, he disappeared. Maybe he was on a job somewhere in the country or maybe he was actively avoiding anything to do with Officer Henderson, but, either way, he was avoiding all calls and attempts at contact. But if they did find him again and get their hands on the files he had saved like he said, then the information would be more than enough to hint at stalking and proof of the somewhat-incriminating letter. And that would mean earning a warrant to search Elliot's North Dakota home, hopefully leading to more evidence. All of it would most likely be minimal, but intriguing enough to get them into a trial; where Gabriel and the family of five could fight their battle.

It all hinged on getting the detective.

Elliot stared at Sage pleadingly, taking the bait Gabriel had given him but not necessarily in the way they would have guessed. He didn't care about what evidence they did or didn't have, not really. He was more bothered by the fact that Sage was pushing so hard to hurt him, to keep him away and ruin him. He wanted it to stop. He looked at Sage with so much emotion, so much honesty, that she almost broke. She almost felt a little bad, like she used to.

Mr. Quinlan saw the weakness come over her expression.

"Listen, do you really know what a rape trial is going to be like for you if you go through with this? I can just hear the questions now: Did you and the defendant eat meals together? Talk casually with one another? Watch movies? Sleep in the same bed on a nightly basis?"

He knew more than Sage had thought, but she was sure that it was a twisted version of the actual truth. Regardless, that part of the truth, the part where she started to give in during her captivity, where she had grown complacent and friendly with Elliot at times, was very valid for the trial. Elliot's defense would make it look like they had an authentic relationship. And her answer to all of Mr. Quinlan's posed questions would have to be "yes" under oath.

She exhaled unsteadily, frowning and blinking away tears. The boys immediately gathered closer to her, and Kendall went to go to her defense.

"Back off…" Elliot hissed at his attorney, just as infuriated by him scaring Sage. Kendall bit his tongue, annoyed at the man yet again. He wasn't supposed to come to Sage's rescue; it fucked with her head too much when he was "nice". It made things harder for her. Elliot was just reacting on instinct, though. No matter how it seemed, and no matter how demented, he loved Sage.

It was Gabriel's turn to spot the Achilles' heel of his opponent.

"That, right there," he pointed to Elliot watching Sage with concern, "is why he'll lose no matter what you do," he told Mr. Quinlan. "He's weak when it comes to her. He cares about her. But she's done caring about him."

Elliot grew uncomfortable, drawing back with pain in his eyes after the unease faded.

"If you really do care for her, you won't put her through a trial. Confess… I'll offer you a deal and it can all end now," Gabriel suggested, coaxing him gently as he continued staring at Sage, who fixed her focus to Kendall's body beside her.

Elliot remained silent, unmoving, so Gabriel pressed on.

"I'm going to get you, Elliot. One way or another you'll end up where you belong…"

They all waited for him to say something.

Elliot knew what Gabriel said was true, but he didn't quite agree with the exact terms. He knew he'd get his in the end, but he wasn't so sure that Gabriel was going to be the one to take him down. It didn't feel right.

"Just make a deal," Gabriel repeated, raising his voice in hopes of shaking Elliot out of his trance.

The man stiffened, blinked, and just like that he was acting again. He smiled at Gabriel.

"I'll take my chances." He began walking away with one last look of longing at Sage, moving out of the building and into warmth of Los Angeles, clouds gathering in random spots overhead.

He had always beaten the odds before, and he was willing to play them again. He refused to consider, though, that he might be running out of luck.


Elliot just wanted to be home. He really had no other ideas, no other thoughts. So that was what he did; he went back to Ramsey. He took Lily with him- he didn't necessarily express an invite but rather assumed she'd follow. She did. They packed up whatever they had in Vermont and brought it to his and Sage's house in North Dakota. They didn't use his old bedroom, though, and Sage's remained shut and locked. He kept himself and Lily in the guest room at the other end of the hall that had been previously used for storage. Elliot refused to have Lily in the bed he and Sage shared.

An official investigation was launched against him, with the Ramsey Police Department leading most of the actions. Adam Gabriel had pushed hard like he promised, but they only interrogated Elliot briefly- his lawyer stopped them from doing much else- while they continuously searched for Detective Discher. They needed him in order to actually do something, to press charges or get a warrant to search the house.

Elliot wished he could get his job back, to be partners with Scott Taylor again, but he didn't even try, knowing they couldn't hire him while the rumors flew about the possibilities of secrets between him and Sage. Although, the majority of the department wanted to believe in Elliot's innocence- he used to be their hero, their leader- and Scott was especially supportive. Elliot never said it aloud, but he loved being back and having Scott around him again. Other than Sage, Scott was his only "family". It was nice to have that after the past years of loneliness, to rewind and revert to a time where things were good. The only thing missing was Sage.

He knew his main concern should have been winding up in jail or being under scrutiny for alleged malicious crimes, but he didn't find himself all that bothered by the law. He couldn't bring himself to even fully fake the feelings after having spent years and years covering his own ass with Sage. He was resigned to the fact that whatever happened would happen, and also driven by the confidence he had that Discher wouldn't give him up when it came right down to it. He'd been sufficiently threatening about his privacy to the detective every time they met, and he didn't think the man would risk his personal safety for a stranger like Sage. Elliot felt secure for now.

"Do you wanna go out for dinner tonight?" Lily leaned against the archway connecting the foyer to the living room. "There's nothing in the fridge," she added with a frown, crossing her arms as she looked to her boyfriend.

Elliot sat on the couch, a computer resting on his folded legs and the television on a random channel for background noise thinking that it was better than listening to Lily. He scrolled down the webpage he was on, reading gossip bits and comments on Big Time Rush and Sage; rumors surrounding their much-anticipated second album's progress mixed in with thoughts on their court appearance three months earlier. His own name wasn't mentioned in conjunction with that; no one knew who he was. However, since he left Los Angeles, he'd become even more obsessed with Sage. After he saw her, it was like he'd taken a drug; every fiber of his being telling him to get back to what they had when she was still with him.

"We can just order in. Get whatever you want." He didn't look up at Lily when he answered, eyes remaining on the laptop screen she couldn't see. The girl sighed.

"Are we ever going to leave the house?" Lily wondered tiredly, strolling over and throwing herself down beside Elliot, jostling his body.

"I'm not stopping you, Lil," he replied tersely, navigating off of the page with Sage near the top of it and onto a generic screen with his email. He was a little too late, though.

"Why are you looking at that shit?" Lily's face turned cold, but not in the way his would; she was too insecure.

"I just wanted to see if they've been saying anything about me." His answer was smooth, no hesitation or uncertainty.

"You mean if they're raking you through the mud yet… That bitch is trying to destroy your life," Lily muttered, snuggling more into Elliot. He wanted to shrug her off, wanted to chastise her for talking about Sage so harshly, but he didn't. He needed Lily's support; having her by his side made him look better in the eyes of all those watching him.

"Stop," he mumbled, knocking her arm gently as if she were being outrageous even though he was the one who had made up a story about Sage for her; one where his stepdaughter was responsible for their relationship. He told Lily that Sage seduced him, using his desire to take care of her against him. Honestly, saying those things made him ill- he didn't enjoy making Sage seem like the bad person when he knew very well that he was the monster- but he had to feed Lily something she'd believe so that she'd stick around. Their relationship was the only thing that made him seem like a "normal" guy.

"Do you love her?"

Elliot clenched his teeth at the question, sitting up straighter and away from Lily.

"You were right about dinner. We'll go out," he changed the subject, closing the laptop and placing it on the coffee table.

"Elliot-"

The doorbell rang, cutting off Lily's argument, and she let it; pressing her lips together and looking like she was happy for the distraction. She didn't enjoy fighting with Elliot; it always made it seem like they were getting farther and farther apart when she wanted to hold onto him. She didn't have anyone else like him. She left her family in Vermont for him.

Elliot stood and walked through the room and to the foyer as if he hadn't heard her even begin to protest, like the conversation hadn't happened at all. He opened the door after the bell rang a second time, this chime paired with knocks.

"Hey… Scott…" Elliot greeted him with joy for a moment, an actual genuine feeling, and then he trailed off uncomfortably when he saw that his friend wasn't alone.

Officer Taylor stood on the porch in his uniform and had three other officers stationed behind him. None of them looked too happy to see Elliot.

"We were just heading out," Elliot informed Scott suspiciously, eyeing Lily when she came up beside him to see what was going on.

"I have a warrant to search the house." Scott shifted on his feet, staring at Elliot like he was already searching; like, for once, he thought he could be guilty of something rather than being above everyone else. Elliot didn't like it.

"You know judges around here will sign those things just for fun, Scotty," he smirked at the man, raising his arm casually on the doorway to fill the space in front of the officer.

"We found the P.I., Ell," Scott told him wearily. "Discher talked, and a judge gave us the order… You have to let us in. You know how this works…" he made a move to go in, to shove past Elliot, but his strong demeanor faltered and he hesitated with his hand on his best friend's shoulder.

He frowned for a moment of thought, crinkling the signed warrant in his fist, and then swallowed thickly.

"I hope we find nothing… I hope they're wrong… I want it to be a mistake," Scott added more quietly so that the officers behind him couldn't hear, couldn't see his weakness. And then his own suspicion and professionalism was back when Elliot didn't look him in the eye but stepped aside, vision on his shoes as he waved them in.

It was a slow storm after that, building the more the officers searched the home. Elliot stood by, watching and waiting, and Lily looked on with concern and annoyance; not knowing what her boyfriend understood. She didn't know what they'd find.

The first floor gave them nothing, but their search of the second floor found them in Elliot's old bedroom, what he now used as his "office" when he avoided Lily, and everyone's attention was on the safe behind the desk.

"The combination is Sage's birthday," Elliot folded his arms over his chest and sat on the desk top, gazing at Scott as the man kneeled in front of the safe. Scott flinched and then narrowed his eyes at his "friend". He gave up the information so fast, almost proudly, but his voice was calm, perhaps a bit resigned.

After he entered the combination, Scott pulled out a stack of files, gloved fingers flipping through the materials. It was a bunch of correspondences with Discher. He didn't read through them all, but he saw enough to tell him that the P.I. wasn't lying, that Discher's story would most likely be matched with all of the saved discussions about Kendall Knight.

"Pack it all up," Scott ordered one of the men that came with him, clearing his throat when his voice almost cracked. He looked to Elliot again, silently pleading with him to give him an excuse, to explain himself. Elliot said nothing and his arms remained crossed.

Scott grinded his teeth, huffing as he stood up.

"Taylor, the last room is locked." One of the other uniformed officers came into the open doorway. Scott followed immediately, knowing that if he even glanced at Elliot he'd get nothing anyway.

He hurried to the end of the hall, dread filling his gut with each step. He knew the room from having spent many afternoons around the house with Elliot in their near decade of friendship. It was Sage's bedroom, and there was a heavy deadbolt that locked it from the outside.

"What the hell?" he turned to the first person he saw, Lily having kept close behind him the whole way there. "What's in there? Why is Sage's room locked like this?" The woman bit her lip.

"I-I don't know," Lily confessed, squirming where she stood and gazing at the lock. "He won't let me in-"

"You'll have to break it down." Elliot appeared behind Lily. "I have the only key, and I'm not giving it to you," he insisted quietly, a bit of sadness inching in when he actually met Scott's eyes. He was sorry, sorry for deceiving his best friend, but he wouldn't willingly let him into his and Sage's space. It was sacred.

It was kept like a shrine that he never even went in; he couldn't bring himself to do it without her there. The key still hung on a chain around his neck, though; tucked safely beneath his shirt.

"I can't believe you're doing this," Scott grumbled irately. He braced himself, shoulder angled towards the door, and then he rammed into it with his full weight.

Once.

Twice.

The third time was the charm.

The wood around the lock splintered beneath the force of his strikes and the door swung open. Elliot edged past Lily, who was watching with curiosity and slight fear, and he stopped just behind Scott; dying a bit inside to see the environment again.

Sage's room looked just like it did when she left.

The sheets on the bed were un-slept in, having avoided the mattress at all costs, and unused notebooks remained on the desk along the wall. Most intriguingly, there was a trail of dried blood on the floor, a heavy splotch on one side of the bed and lines and drops going to the bathroom on the other side, where there were disheveled medical supplies and more dried crimson smeared along the sink. The handcuffs she had made Elliot use to lock himself to the bars on the window were still there by one cuff, dangling after he had gotten himself free. The knife wasn't on the floor, though. Elliot had taken that away before he sealed the room; a keepsake of sorts.

"Is that Sage's blood?" Scott looked like he was fighting nausea. His question went ignored.

"Are you almost done here?" Elliot wondered, voice so faint he wouldn't have been heard if anyone else was moving. He walked to Sage's dresser, touching the top reverently and then scanning the rest of the room in the same manor without looking at Scott.

The shaky officer went to the nightstand, opening the drawer to search for what the room didn't immediately offer. Scott found the condoms Elliot had put there, not knowing whether it was actually him or Sage that did so but inhaling sharply either way. His fellow officers entered the room quietly, seeming to understand that Scott didn't want to be spoken to, like they shouldn't get between him and Elliot, and they began to take pictures and place items into evidence bags- including the bloody items in the bathroom- while radioing in for a forensic unit to be brought to the scene for the blood.

"Don't touch that!" Elliot raised his voice, making Lily and Scott jump after having only heard him speak softly in the last several moments.

One of the officers was going for a special item on the desk. It was the engagement ring, Julia's old ring that was truly meant for Sage.

Scott ignored him and picked the jewelry box up after gesturing for the other cop to move away. Elliot got closer but stopped when Scott cracked the case open and examined the ring. It shimmered in the light as he titled the box back and forth, demeanor one of bewilderment mixed with disgust. He snapped it shut, eyes going to the blood on the floor one more time.

"I have to take you in." Scott placed the ring back onto the desk.

"Are you serious?" Lily protested shrilly.

"Just get it over with," Elliot sighed, holding his hands out for Scott with a look of disinterest back on his face. "Be ready to bail me out," he ordered Lily, only turning towards her slightly to see her agree without hesitation while keeping the rest of his focus on Scott, who was shaking his head as he snapped cuffs around one of Elliot's wrists. He turned him by the arm and finished cuffing him without a fight. Lily stood to the side with glassy, wide eyes.

Elliot knew that it was stupid to have left the room the way it was, but he didn't care. It needed to stay the same. When Sage came back home, it had to be exactly the same for her, like their separation never happened.

Scott led his ex-best friend, the man he thought of as a brother, outside and to his squad car. Elliot had rounds of questioning ahead of him, but he would be offered reasonable bail. While the evidence in the room was disturbing, it only proved deception and foul play, not necessarily rape. And Scott was beginning to think that Elliot would be able to weave a good story for anything. He was beginning to believe, no matter how hard he fought the gossip, that Elliot hurt Sage, the girl Scott looked out for as if she were his niece. And all of it happened right under his nose.

Scott paused, looking at Elliot sitting inside of the car. He was just staring straight ahead.

"I don't-" Scott took a breath. "What did you do, Ell?"

Elliot said nothing, he just kept looking forward. Scott continued anyway, anger in his voice.

"So, Sage isn't lying? You trapped her in that room… You hurt her…" he kept his tone questioning the entire time. He still received no answers, so he pushed further. "You disappear for years, not even an email or phone call after you said goodbye, and now this… Just talk to me. You owe me that…"

Elliot finally turned to him, sadness in his eyes.

"I'm sorry," As quickly as the phrase was uttered, his head turned back and his face was once again emotionless.

Scott just looked at him in shock, not sure who he was seeing anymore; not sure what was real. He stepped back and spoke one final time before slamming the car door shut.

"No, you're not."


"Why the fuck are you guys here?" Kendall almost yelled, but remembered to whisper harshly instead when he saw Sage moving around the store he stood outside of.

"Um, you weren't supposed to catch us…" Logan made the response sound like a question, as if it were a logical answer, smiling awkwardly and scratching at the back of his neck.

"Shut up, Logan!" James hissed lowly at the brunette and then smiled brilliantly. "Kendall, it's so crazy how we bumped into each other! We had no idea you'd be here!"

"In Malibu?" Kendall wondered, lacking amusement as he folded his arms over his chest. "Where you knew Sage and I would be for the weekend?"

"No…" Carlos argued with a whine, saddling right up beside James after shoving past Logan.

"Wow, that's rather conceited of you; thinking I'd care enough to know everything about your life," James scoffed at him childishly like Kendall was delusional.

"They figured out that you were finally going to propose and I couldn't keep them in the apartment," Logan deadpanned. "They wanted to come spy on you."

"That's a blatant lie! We are vacationing in, what I'll remind you, is a free country." Carlos bumped fists with James. "And you're one to talk, Logan. You drove us here." He smirked and Kendall turned his glare onto the boy in the background.

"I made a judgment call! They needed supervision!" Logan maintained loudly.

"Ssh! She'll hear you!" Kendall waved his hands at him with wide eyes, peering into the candy store where he had left Sage.

It was one of the smaller shops along the long rows of buildings right near the beach. Sage was talking to one of their security guards, Shawn, near a wall of colored sugars and gummies, helping him pick out something special for his daughter. Their other guard, Bryan, stood a few yards away from Kendall after following him out, hovering by the entrance and smoking a cigarette as he watched the blonde berate the boys in amusement.

This wasn't how Kendall expected the weekend to go. He was finally ready to propose to Sage after holding onto the ring for so long, deciding to make his own as-close-to-perfect moment rather than waiting for one foolishly. He was also determined to be Sage's husband when the trial began, not just her boyfriend. He wanted that piece of happiness for them, and they deserved to celebrate a little after everything they'd been through.

Gustavo and Kelly helped him get the weekend at Arthur Griffin's beach house, a place they had all been together some summers before as a treat- it was an honor among his employees and investments to even see the massive place. Kendall thought about doing it in the apartment or a nice restaurant, but he wanted something special for Sage, different than the surroundings they were used to. It also didn't hurt to relax for a few days.

The stress of an impending trial loomed over them all. Elliot had been arrested the month before, and both his attorney and Gabriel, working with prosecutors in North Dakota, were compiling pieces of evidence and composing their stories for the trial. Elliot was out on bail, staying with Lily in a temporary home- the one he had with Sage became a crime scene- and remaining under the radar. He had abided by the restraining order without fail, which was what his attorney had argued at the bail hearing, so they didn't think he was stupid enough to make a dangerous move like contact Sage or hurt her. The police tried to keep an eye on him when they could, and Scott wanted nothing to do with him anymore.

The family was once again feeling happy and safe. Things were finally looking up.

That didn't mean security became obscure, though. All of them were more at ease with the guards while Elliot was still out. Plus, there was a lot of buzz about the trial in the media and the tabloids. It became public knowledge, and everyone with a camera went after Sage and BTR. However, no official statements were made, Gabriel having advised them to keep commentary to themselves so nothing could be used against them. They shut their mouths, and the hype died down enough to allow them to walk around outside of the Palm Woods without getting mobbed. Things wouldn't get too insane again for a while, when more details of the accusations against Elliot were revealed. So, feeling comfortable, Kendall let just two guards come with him and Sage to Malibu.

They, like they were supposed to, stayed in the background. They didn't interfere; respected privacy. The boys, on the other hand, did not on this particular occasion.

"You guys are gonna blow this for me, aren't you?" Kendall huffed and titled his head almost affectionately at his brothers.

"It's like you have no faith in us," James pouted.

"We just wanted to be close! Plus, we're being super stealthy. Sage is never even going to know we're here until we ambush the beach house tomorrow!" Carlos smiled proudly.

"You're staying the whole weekend?" Kendall rolled his eyes and uncrossed his arms to throw them in the air.

"We got a room at the hotel along the beach," Logan offered, carefully moving a little closer to Kendall while still protecting himself behind James and Carlos. He pointed to the tall, white building near the ocean down the lengthy hill. It was within a reasonable walking distance from the house Kendall and Sage were staying in. "The two super-spies wanted a good place for 'command central'," Logan told him sarcastically, curling his fingers in the air at the ridiculous words.

"Well, you guys make really shitty spies. I know you've been following me for an hour." Kendall smirked when Carlos and James looked as if they'd been stabbed in the heart.

"43 minutes, actually." Logan cowered again when Kendall glared.

"For your info," James began haughtily, "Bandana Man was born to be a spy."

"Who's Bandana Man?" Kendall quirked a brow in interest.

"Duh, me," James grinned and waved his wrists in Kendall's direction, showing him the two purple bandanas wrapped around his limbs.

"Sure…" Kendall breathed out, looking to Logan, who just shrugged. "Do you have a new name too?" he asked Carlos.

"They're not new names. They're code names," he clarified.

"He's El Hombre Del Flaming Space Rock Man!" James announced for him excitedly. Both he and Carlos rotated simultaneously and pressed their backs together, striking poses akin to Charlie's Angels.

"Why didn't you pick a shorter name?" Kendall squinted at Carlos, brow furrowing.

"Why don't I just rip out my own liver?" Carlos squealed in despair, staring at Kendall like he'd singlehandedly took away his happiness. "He doesn't get it at all." He sulked, turning to James for consolation.

"It's okay, buddy. He's gonna be a married man soon. He doesn't have to be cool." James patted Carlos on the back, instantly cheering him up.

"And what's your name?" Kendall questioned Logan, preparing himself for more asinine behavior.

"Logan," the boy answered as if Kendall had lost all of his brain cells.

"As per usual, Logie didn't want to be awesome with us and have a sweet-ass spy handle." James rolled his eyes.

"We call him Dr. Downer when he's not listening," Carlos added, snickering with James.

"Hey!" Logan cried indignantly.

"Lower your voice," Kendall got closer to the group, nervously grabbing Logan's shoulder as he looked for Sage through the store window. She was still at the back of the shop with Shawn, putting pieces of taffy in a bag.

"Stop freaking out. She won't see us," James declared, yanking off his sunglasses and situating them on the top of his head.

"I saw you," Kendall argued.

"But we were being so inconspicuous," Carlos defended them, pressing his back against James' once again as if it proved their point. Kendall just stared at them levelly.

"You've practically been walking around with a neon sign over your heads. You talked to fans, took pictures with them, and signed autographs on the sidewalk right outside the restaurant during lunch! Sage must have gone blind or something. I really don't know how she didn't see you."

"I saw them. I just didn't wanna burst their bubble. They were obviously spying," Sage interrupted, startling the boys. Kendall and Logan yelped, but James and Carlos recovered quickly.

"See? She gets it!" Carlos smiled cheekily. "What's your problem, Kendall?" he asked his bandmate with a juvenile tone. Kendall gave him a stern look, causing Carlos to take a step back. "He made fun of my code name," he added in a whisper for Sage's benefit.

"What is it?" she inquired casually, like this was all normal behavior, uncurling the bag of taffy she held.

"James is Bandana Man, and I'm El Hombre Del Flaming Space Rock Man." They posed again. Sage giggled, and right then Kendall softened, thinking that the whole ridiculous ordeal was worth it.

"It's very you," Sage commented, holding out the bag of candy for Carlos. He dug through and removed a pink piece.

"That's what we thought!" Carlos agreed, biting down on the taffy and yanking it away from his teeth.

"Oh, candy!" James hopped forward and stuck his hand into the bag to tug out an orange piece and immediately chew on it loudly. Kendall, despite the noise, considered it a win; it would keep James quiet for a while. He was worried that the more time the outrageous twosome spent around Sage the greater the chances of them spilling the beans about his proposal. They had almost blown it in the courthouse months earlier.

Sage held the taffy towards Logan, who looked doubtful about taking one in fear of Kendall.

"There's lemon…" Sage suggested with a grin.

"Sorry, Kendall," Logan caved at the mention of his favorite flavor and quickly took a piece, falling in line with the other two boys chewing happily.

"Good, you guys got sugar. You should go now," Kendall suggested cheerfully, waving them away.

"Aren't you three going to come back to the house with us?" Sage wondered.

"No!" Kendall and Logan yelled, Logan spitting his candy on the ground when he almost choked on it.

"And they're worried about us?" Carlos laughed in disbelief after he whispered to James.

"Spazzes," James concurred just as hushed after swallowing his taffy, leaning down to be level with Carlos. Kendall and Logan sputtered for a retort to Sage, who watched in confusion. James, of course, stepped in.

"We're gonna bust your little vacation up, but not tonight. We got a room at a hotel…"

"And we plan on ringing up the room service bill so high that our stomachs explode," Carlos finished eagerly, popping the rest of his food into his mouth and instantly going to Sage's hands for a second piece.

"Right along with Gustavo's head," Logan muttered about the man who would get that bill, eliciting laughter from Kendall and Sage.

"So, uh… You two lovebirds go and be… lovey," Carlos instructed, pointing to Sage and Kendall. "And call us whenever something… cool happens; if there's anything you wanna… tell us…"

"Or something shiny you wanna show us…" James added, both grinning and emphasizing their words, voices rising and falling. Sage stared at them like they were speaking another language.

"I really am sorry… I should have locked them in the apartment," Logan mumbled, hanging his head right beside Kendall.

"Forget about it. They would have just snuck out and flown in a damn hot air balloon or some other crazy spy-related thing just to get here if you weren't the one to bring 'em," Kendall admitted softly, resigned to his fate.

"Okay," Sage said to Carlos and James, dragging the two syllables out curiously.

"Great!" Carlos cheered, diving in for a hug. "Love you!" he squeezed her and rocked her back and forth.

"L-Love you too," she patted his back, returning the hug as he swiveled her around. She stared at Kendall over his shoulder for an answer as to why they were being so weird, but her boyfriend just shrugged, lifting both palms into the air in a cheesy fashion. Logan copied him.

"Yay for love!" James cried, coming behind Sage to join the hug with the force of his body jostling them both. Carlos didn't seem to mind, catching them on his feet by widening his stance but not moving his arms, and Sage blew out a heavy breath when she realized that the embrace wasn't coming to an end.

"Are you two alright? You're acting more strange than usual. It's like you-"

"They're fine! Group hug!" Logan jumped in loudly, cutting off Sage's train of thought and hooking his limbs around James and Carlos. He widened his eyes at Kendall, darting them to the huddle. The blonde's face went slack.

"Seriously?" he whispered to himself and then turned to their two guards. Shawn was chewing gum and Bryan was stomping out his cigarette. "Why didn't you guys stop this before it started? You're supposed to keep people away from us…" he complained immaturely, only getting chuckles in return.

"Kendall, I'm not feeling the love over here!" James shouted.

"You're gonna feel my fist on your face in a second…" Kendall grumbled as he sauntered over to the four, stopping at Sage's free side- most of her was still blocked by James and Carlos' arms- and hugged them. He actually didn't mind the family moment, but James and Carlos didn't have to know that.

"Ow!" James mouthed at him when Kendall pulled his groomed hair after several seconds of hugging, jumping away from the boy with a grimace as he patted down the locks.

"Now that that's over, we should be going," Kendall slithered his arm between all of them to put it around his girlfriend's waist.

"Okay, but are you guys sure you don't want to come to the beach now?" Sage asked, getting three vigorous shakes of the head in return.

"Nope, we'll see you tomorrow to celebrate," Carlos insisted and Logan slapped his palm to his own face.

"Celebrate what?"

"The fact that it's Saturday," Logan replied smartly, keeping his expression calm.

"It's one of the best days of the week," James nodded.

"Sure…" Sage smiled awkwardly and turned to Kendall. "We're gonna find out what the heck's wrong with them eventually, right?"

"We always do," Kendall assured her, laughing under his breath as he kissed the side of her head. "We'll see you guys tomorrow, then, at a reasonable time," he told the boys, knowing that they were pretty sure he was putting the engagement ring on Sage's finger that night and already antsy to congratulate them. He was almost confident that, if James and Carlos had their way, they'd be at Griffin's house at sunrise.

"No worries. There's a breakfast buffet at the hotel. We'll be there for a while," Logan grinned at James and Carlos, the latter smiling widely at the idea of rows of bacon and pancakes.

"Maybe he'll fall into a food coma and then they won't come until way later," Kendall murmured to Sage teasingly, already beginning to tug her away from the others and down the sidewalk. She turned back to wave one more time, Logan smiling softly and Carlos and James returning the gesture so fast that she was worried their hands would fall off.

"Why are you so intent on keeping them away?" Sage laughed in disbelief, lifting her hand up to touch the one Kendall had at her shoulder while they walked, Shawn and Bryan close-but not too close- behind.

"Is it such a terrible thing to have alone time with me?" Kendall joked, nudging her in the ribs and leaning down to playfully bite at her neck just below her ear. "Besides, we'll see them tomorrow, like every other day. One night's not gonna kill any of us," he added with more laughter.

"I guess…" Sage agreed reluctantly, looking over her shoulder along with Kendall to wave at the boys one last time before the trio began walking in the opposite direction, although they were pretty sure that they saw Carlos make a run for the candy shop before Logan could grab him. When she focused on Kendall again, she smirked. "And I do enjoy alone time with you…"


"We should do this 'alone thing' way more often," Kendall panted the sentence out heavily, inhaling and exhaling as he tried to catch his breath. Sage wasn't having a much easier time of it, and it probably didn't help that he was on top of her.

"Agreed." She separated the two syllabus of the word, shivering beneath Kendall before he slid off of her and onto the empty stretch of blanket to her right.

He shoved himself back into his swim trunks, cock still slick from both of their releases, and then he pulled down the skirt of her sundress for her to give her some semblance of decency even though they had all but trashed that word given their public surroundings, but no one else was on the beach but them in the middle of the night. Shawn and Bryan were stationed far away, at the front entrance to the mansion, so it felt as if Sage and Kendall were the only two in the world.

Sage gasped when Kendall donned a smirk and ran his fingertips near her bikini-covered entrance with fondness, missing when the fabric had once been pushed aside to open her up for him.

"Wh-What was that? Like, three times? Are you aiming for a fourth?" she smiled tiredly, biting her lip when he pressed a little harder between her legs, the pad of his middle finger searching out her sensitive nub through the damp fabric. Her thighs clamped around his wrist as she hummed, hands shaky while she pulled up her dress to make sure her breasts weren't exposed anymore- Kendall liked seeing as much of her as he could when they made love; it gave him more to grope and kiss.

"Actually, it was six for you. I'm that good," Kendall praised himself for the multiple orgasms he doled out during their evening together, pressing just once more on her clit before retreating and smoothing her skirt down again.

"Thank you, but I'm starting to get a little dizzy, so keep your hands to yourself for a while," she ordered, going for strict but landing somewhere near entertained.

"These hands?" Kendall smirked and rolled over onto his side, tickling at her ribs and pulling her close to him as she laughed and struggled.

He wound up hovering above her again, leaning on his elbows and looking down at her face as they tried to steady their breathing. The waves crashed behind them on the shore in what seemed like a steady pattern, soft trickling after every gush of water blasting against the sand, and the moon was full above their heads, mixing with the stars to create gentle light over Sage's face.

"Do you still wanna have kids?" Kendall asked quietly and suddenly, running his index finger down Sage's cheek, which moved beneath him as her eyes widened and her mouth opened.

"Right now?" she exhaled heavily and smiled in bewilderment.

"No, just… in general," Kendall laughed, sliding to one side of her so he could relax his arms, leaning up on one elbow along her body. She rolled over to face him.

"Of course… Probably… somewhere down the line…" Sage shrugged, eyes cast downward in thought.

"You never hesitated before when we talked about this…" Kendall accused delicately, busying his hand with finding the pendant hanging between them off of her neck, the silver heart sliding toward the blanket because of her angle. He brought it upward, tracing the shape with his thumb. They hadn't fully discussed having children since before they were separated, before everything got blown apart and they had to piece it together again.

"I want us to have a family, Kendall. I just worry about Elliot. What if he's not in jail? What if the trial doesn't go like we need it to? He'd be pissed if I had a child with you..." Sage's demeanor grew grim, watching Kendall's hand on the pendant.

"We'd make it work, though. We always find a way," Kendall pushed, glancing up at her. She softened at that, nodding slowly but still saying nothing. "You know, even if Elliot winds up a free man, I'll always protect you… I'd do anything for you."

"You scare me when you say that." Sage grinned, but it was weak.

"Why?" His lips curved in return.

"Because I know you mean it," she whispered.

She slid her hand up to close around his and the necklace, almost frowning as if Kendall protecting her wasn't a good thing; wasn't the right thing or the sane thing.

"Are you really in that big of a hurry to have a baby?" Sage inquired after a silent moment, her smile growing more genuine. Kendall smirked.

"No…" He leaned forward to kiss her forehead. "I'm just thinking about the future." His hand released the jewelry in favor of settling along her hip, holding on tightly as he lied down on the blanket and yanked her with him, settling her body on the top half of his. She put her chin on his chest, looking up at him.

"Good," she shut her eyes with a serene expression. "It's nice to remember that we have one of those."

It was hard to do lately, with so much going on; so much of the past taking over the present.

"We do," Kendall agreed before turning lighthearted. "And it's gonna be full of babies."

"How many kids do you think I'm carrying for you?" she joked, cracking her eyes open and narrowing them up at Kendall.

"It's gotta be three; one for each uncle. You know they'll fight over him or her if there's only one," Kendall declared and Sage chuckled.

"I don't think you're giving them enough credit. They're perfectly capable of sharing; Logan will groom them to be a genius, Carlos will groom them to be willing to try anything twice, and James will just plain groom them," she insisted with a grin.

"I could definitely see that happening… So, what would be left for us to do?" Kendall stared up at the sky while Sage did the same by twisting around to lay with his arm beneath her head. He wrapped it around her, his hand caressing her furthest shoulder.

"Mhm… Well, between them and the doting Grandma Karen and Grandpa David, plus the superhuman Aunt Katie, I'd imagine that we'll be the ones to potty train them, feed 'em, discipline them…"

"No fair. We're gonna have to be the bad guys and do all the dirty work," Kendall pouted.

"It would be worth it," Sage argued softly, watching as a plane blinked overhead, soaring to the east. "Do you think I'd be a good mom?" she asked faintly, working her bottom lip between her teeth.

She didn't really have parents for half of her life. Julia died too young, and before then she struggled to make a decent living for her and her daughter. And Sage didn't even want to think about what kind of "parent" Elliot was. The only good thing she had was Karen, who had all but taken her in permanently with a warm heart and an open mind. She hoped she could live up to that, to raise children as wonderful as Kendall and Katie.

"You are the strongest person I've ever met. You're wonderful and kind, even to the people who don't deserve it… So, yes. I think you'd be a good mom. The best. There's not a single doubt in my mind." Kendall said it all so easily.

Despite the fact that she still held her own doubts, Sage looked at him lovingly.

"Thank you," the words came out in a whisper, full of emotion and holding back tears.

Kendall smiled and held her tighter against him as she laid back down and relaxed with him. They gazed at the stars for a while, content and peaceful.

"We should head up and shower…" he suggested after a loud wave finished echoing off the rocks around them.

"Who are we trying to impress?" Sage laughed but sat up, reluctantly letting go of Kendall, who grinned.

"No one, smartass. It's just getting cold, and we're all sandy… And I may have a gift for you," he finished mischievously. He wasn't nervous about proposing- Sage would absolutely accept- but he was excited, giddy like a kid waking up on Christmas morning.

"I guess we could get up for presents…" Sage stood, dusting herself off while looking at Kendall suspiciously. "If I asked a question about this 'gift', you wouldn't give me a straight answer, would you?"

"Of course not," Kendall replied merrily. He jumped up and grabbed her by the waist, sliding an arm down to her thighs and hoisting her up to carry her, causing her to giggle. "You're just gonna have to be patient."

They wound up taking that shower- together- and Kendall didn't rush. It was like heaven, spending time under the warm water with Sage, kissing and running his hands over what he could call his while she ran her own over him until the liquid got chilly. He had relaxed with every caress and peck of the lips, but he got jittery again once they were finished and back in reality, jumping out of the shower before Sage and drying off hastily as she rinsed the last of the soap from her body.

"Where's the fire?" she called over the shower, turning the knob to shut off the lukewarm water.

"I gotta set up your gift. And there's no time to waste. It has to be tonight if the three stooges insist on visiting tomorrow," Kendall grinned at his own phrasing, grabbing the jeans he left folded by the sink and sliding them up his legs after his boxers, zipping them and buttoning them haphazardly. Sage stepped out of the shower, smiling in thanks when Kendall met her with a towel.

"Visiting? Kendall Knight, there's no way you're actually going to make them stay at that hotel all weekend while we're in a mansion by ourselves," she tilted her head in reprimand, trying to keep a straight face even though Kendall was rubbing the towel along her arms and torso as she stood still.

"It has five stars and a breakfast buffet…" he debated. She just blinked at him. He huffed and rolled his eyes. "I already texted Logan after we ate dinner and told them to bring all their bags and crap when they come tomorrow."

"Great," Sage kissed him softly, holding up her arms when Kendall nudged them to wrap the towel around her. "I don't really understand what it is, but they seemed super excited about being here…" Her face scrunched but Kendall kissed the wrinkle between her eyebrows away.

"They're always super excited about one thing or another," he dismissed their antics and tucked one end of the towel over the other near Sage's collar bone, ignoring the you-don't-have-to-help look she was giving him. "Listen, I need you to dry your hair or something. You gotta give me ten minutes for the surprise." He stuck his thumbs up, already knowing what her reaction was going to be.

"Now it's a 'surprise'? You're not doing something ridiculously romantic are you?" she raised a brow and sighed.

"Maybe…" He lifted his shoulders towards his ears and put on the most adorable smile he could muster.

"Kendall," she dragged his name out as he rubbed up and down her chilled arms. "Don't tell me there's gonna be flowers and chocolate out there..." She stared at him like she really meant "blood and terror".

"Nope," he reassured her brightly. "But there might be candles," he added quickly.

"God," she groaned and frowned.

"Deal with it," he argued in amusement, tilting her chin up to kiss her softly.

"Whenever you do things like this, I feel like I owe you something…"

He knew that, by "things", she meant "things she didn't deserve".

"You owe me nothing, okay? Just be with me forever and we're even," he told her playfully, pecking her lips two more times before pushing himself away as she nodded to appease him.

He got to the door, opening it and slipping through before popping his head back in.

"I will take more sex, though." Kendall pointed at her with a mock face of seriousness, wringing a giggle from her.

"I'll see if we can work something out," she was the one to stick her thumbs up that time, and he grinned from ear to ear.

"Remember, at least ten minutes!" he shouted after disappearing from view again, going to shut the door behind him. "You'll like the surprise! I swear!" he added, voice getting faint as he moved further away and deeper into the bedroom.

"I'm trusting you!" Sage laughed fondly, shaking her head at her reflection.

She was glowing, happy and calm- it felt like she hadn't been distressed in a lifetime- as she dried her hair like Kendall had ordered her too. She took extra time, blowing the hot air against her already waterless locks lazily and combing them extra once she shut off the noisy machine. She slunk into a pair of underwear and a bra deliberately slow, eyeing the clock to give Kendall a few extra minutes for whatever he was planning- he seemed to have a lot invested in it- and then slipped on the silk robe she had left hanging on the back of the door.

"Ready or not, here I come!" Sage called out as she moved through the master bedroom slowly with a smile. Kendall wasn't in there, nothing had been touched; suitcases still in the corner and their cellphones on the nightstand.

The hallway was dark and still too when she walked down the long corridor, seeming endless compared to the one in 2J. She passed door after door; guest room, bathroom, storage closet, and a narrow staircase to the game room in the basement. Then she found herself in the main area of the large house, an open kitchen leading to a sitting space with windows all along the wall showing a view of a pool and the beach right below.

"Wow, you weren't kidding about the candles," she laughed, searching for Kendall in the space.

It was dim, gold light flickering from the flames littered around the tables and a solid pale blue coming from the moon outside. She couldn't see her boyfriend anywhere.

"Ken-" the name caught in her throat. Her emerald eyes widened, emotion gripping at her and mixing with an old friend: pure fear.

She saw his legs first, jean-covered calves just visible in front of the couch. She rushed then, running to get to Kendall. He was unconscious, breathing but bleeding from beneath his head, crimson gathering behind his towel-dried hair and onto the rug below in a tiny puddle.

"Kendall!" she called his name loudly, moving to crouch in the tight space between the coffee table and the white sofa, nearly on top of him.

Sage just reached him, one hand on his bare chest and the other sliding up to his neck, before she was torn away. She thrashed immediately as arms gripped her waist. She knew them too well, that skin and those fingers and muscles were etched into her memory forever.

Elliot whispered in her ear as he placed a chloroform-soaked cloth over her mouth.

"It will all be better when you wake up. I promise…"

Those were the exact words he said to her the first time he did this.

It was a lie then, and it was a lie now.


A/N: I'm sorry for the cliffhanger! (But not that sorry, because I actually love a good cliffhanger lololol) But I hope you guys enjoyed it? And I PROMISE I'm going to make sure that the next chapter does not take me as long to get up as this one. I can't say exactly WHEN it will be up, but keep an eye on Saturdays as always :) There's some... angst planned lol

Please REVIEW and let me know what you thought of this chapter :D As usual, anonymous reviews are enabled :) I appreciate any feedback and I love meeting fellow readers/fans of BTR. Don't be shy :)

The support for this, even when it's been a while since the last chapter, has been AWESOME :) I'm always glad you enjoy reading, and I really, REALLY, thank you for the care and patience and feedback :)

See you next time! :)