A/N—And we've made it through another week! Here's hoping everyone is still safe and healthy out there. I know it's a lot to deal with (mentally more than anything else), but hopefully this provides a temporary escape from the world. I know reading and writing always does for me. Enjoy!

James played even harder than he had the previous Saturday. It was no wonder he'd end up earning the trophy for MVP this season, as he was unstoppable on the ice. At one point he seemed to visibly search Logan out in the stands before whacking the puck hard, and Logan thought he knew what James was thinking.

"Imagine that puck is the cancer, and it's ruining your life. Unleash your anger. Release it."

They were his words and now they were being used against him. No doubt he'd taken the place of cancer in James' mind, at least for today. It was disheartening.

But he played better than he ever had before according to Jennifer and Brooke, and Logan couldn't help but be proud. He cheered with the crowd when James scored six goals, beating Kendall's previous record of five in one game. Kendall cheered right along with the rest.

Still, it wasn't enough for the win. The game was a close one but by the time the last buzzer sounded, their team was down by two and therefore out of the running for the state championship. Though everyone was disappointed, they had to admit the other team played fair and deserved the win. The mood was buoyant among the families as they waited for the boys to finish up in the locker room and join them.

Logan caught a flash of blonde in his peripheral vision and his heart sank. Mandy was hovering nearby with her cohorts, obviously waiting for the same thing. There went any hope of James joining them for pizza.

For the first time it occurred to Logan how strange it was that she never interacted with Brooke at these events. Clearly Brooke couldn't stand the girl, and perhaps Mandy knew that, but it still seemed odd that she made no effort to even acknowledge the mother of her boyfriend—especially since she seemed so determined to keep up on James' whereabouts and well-being. The idea that she had ulterior motives returned, bringing along with it suspicion of Mandy as a possible suspect for the enemy.

Carlos was first to rush out from the locker room. Logan would have expected him to be down after the loss; instead, he ran at his parents and yelled, "Did you see how many times I blocked that puck? I think that's a new record!"

Papi caught him up and hugged him hard. "You were incredible out there, son!"

"I mean, I know I didn't stop all of them and we still lost because of it, but—"

Sylvia interrupted while dragging Carlos away and into her own embrace. "Don't you even say that, it's not your fault. You were on fire, Carlitos. I'm so proud of you!"

"Thanks!" Carlos pushed away from her. "Logan! Did you have fun?"

Other than the moments where Logan was sure James was imagining shooting his head across the ice? "Actually, I did," Logan smiled. "You really were great today." He started to high five Carlos, but Carlos changed that to a bear hug and lifted Logan off his feet. He laughed at the gesture before catching hazel eyes watching them as James approached slowly; the steel in them was enough to kill Logan's amusement and he sighed as Carlos set him down.

Mandy intercepted James first. James stopped to converse with her while Denise and Mindy glanced around in opposite directions—Denise looking for Carlos most likely, and Mindy for Kendall. Logan would've found Mindy's futile attempt at bagging Kendall sad if he wasn't in a similar situation with James.

"I think Denise is waiting for you," Logan said quietly to Carlos. "Guess we aren't doing pizza today."

Carlos shook his head. "Today's the banquet since we lost. No pizza anyway."

"Banquet?"

"Yeah, at the end of the season we always have an awards banquet! We get Sizzler today! All you can eat, it's my favorite time of the year!"

It figured that Carlos would enjoy an all-you-can-eat buffet more than Christmas. "So...do you think the girls will come to that?"

"Not unless someone invites them. And I mean, Denise is nice and all, but this is hockey. I just want my family there."

Logan nodded. "Well, she's looking over here at you, so you should at least go say hi and thank her for coming."

"Yeah yeah. Don't let Kendall leave without me! I want to ride over to Sizzler with them."

"You got it."

A hand settled on Logan's shoulder as soon as Carlos moved away. "I'm saving you a seat next to us at Sizzler," Brooke informed him.

Logan spun around. "Brooke, you know that's a bad idea. Why are you determined to make him angry? He probably won't even stay once he sees me there."

"Oh, he'll stay. James won't leave an awards ceremony. And after the way he's played the last two games, they'd better be giving him something. He was the best out there today."

"He'll get something," Logan grinned. "I have a good feeling about it." He really was going to witness James receiving that MVP trophy. Today might be the best day of Logan's life. "Are there tables at this thing, or...?"

"There's always one huge table in the center of the room, and booths spread around the perimeter. I'm leaving now to save us all seats at the big table. I'll make sure to seat the Garcias on the other side of you, so it isn't obvious that I'm trying to bring you and James together."

Logan rolled his eyes. "Your son is not stupid, no matter how much he doubts that himself. And what if he invites her?"

They both turned to glare at Mandy, who was now holding James' hand and chattering away about...well, they didn't care. In fact, James' eyes had glossed over as well, showing his own lack of interest. "Why is he even with her?" Logan questioned, though James himself had told him the answer. "He doesn't like her."

"I have my theories about that," Brooke sighed. "But he won't invite her today. Which works well for my plan, which is to seat you two next to each other."

"What?! Brooke, no, at least put yourself between us. Then it makes sense. He'll refuse to sit next to me and just trade seats with someone."

"It's perfect, Logan. He misses you but won't allow himself to be near you. This way he has no choice, which is only going to make him miss you more; you'll be right there and it's going to kill him that he can't talk to you."

Logan shook his head. "You're wrong. It's just going to make him more angry. He's supposed to miss me, remember?"

"You're not listening. What better way to make him miss you than to put you right in his face where he can't ignore you?"

James was doing a good job of that at the moment; Logan sensed that he wanted to come share his victory with Brooke, yet was holding back because of Logan's presence. "I'm going to let you go talk to him."

"I'll see you at Sizzler. Who's the girl talking to Carlos?"

"That's Denise. She's a friend of Mandy's. Trying to date Carlos, I think."

Brooke rolled her eyes. "These girls never learn, do they? And before I forget, don't even think about skipping the party tonight. I put a lot of work into it."

Logan didn't bother replying to that. Once left alone, he returned to his family. Kendall was in the midst of the Garcias and the Knights, reliving the game play by play it seemed with Jennifer and Papi while Katie stood by.

"This might go on awhile," Katie whispered to him. "I'm hungry. Don't they know we've got all-you-can-eat chocolate mousse and tacos waiting? I swear they do this every year."

"Let Kendall have his moment," Logan smiled. "I'm surprised Carlos isn't over here joining in."

"He usually is, but apparently he's finally discovered girls."

Logan snorted at that. If she only knew. "Have you met any of them yet?"

"Those girls? Nope. And that's fine with me. When Kendall starts dating, he'd better pick someone cool. Girls like that annoy me."

Logan's lip curved up. "Between you and me, they annoy me, too."

"That's because you're smart." She suddenly yelled, "Hey guys! Can we talk about this at Sizzler? I look forward to this all year."

The enthusiastic conversation broke up before everyone laughed. By the time they'd made it to the parking lot, there was no sign of James or Brooke. For a moment Logan feared James might've taken off with the girls, but then he spotted them walking toward the familiar pink convertible and let out a breath of relief. At least he wouldn't have to deal with that during the ceremony.

Now he just had to figure out how to not make things worse with James.

James was already seated at the table when Logan arrived with Sylvia and Papi. He was conversing with Brooke, but Logan watched his shoulders stiffen when Papi's loud voice carried through the room.

This wasn't going to be easy.

Logan was tempted to let Sylvia take the seat next to James, but at a warning glance from Brooke he sighed and hesitantly slid into the chair she'd saved for him. James stared straight ahead, the tension rolling off his body and his hands clenched together in his lap.

Surprisingly, he spoke to Logan first. "Not a word. I'm here because I have to be, and I refuse to speak to you. Not one word, are we clear?"

Logan could've pointed out that James had just spoken to him, but in the interest of keeping the peace he nodded. James still hadn't turned toward him. "Understood. Can I at least say that—"

"Nope. Nothing."

He went for it anyway. "You were incredible today. I've never been so proud. Of anyone."

James turned his head to the left in an apparent stab at ignoring Logan and pretending he hadn't heard the comment. Logan knew he had, though. It was enough.

It was Sylvia who sat at Logan's right, and on the other side of the Garcia family were the Knights (situated of course so that Kendall and Carlos sat side by side). Logan kept waiting for James to make some excuse and switch seats with Katie in order to join them, but he never did. Instead he made a million trips to the food bar and used what little words he did utter with Brooke. At one point their shoulders brushed together, sending electricity shooting through Logan but having the opposite effect on James—he immediately scooted his chair farther away, and Logan wanted to cry.

There was no sign of Mandy, though, and that he counted as a win. James never even took his phone out. As determined as he was to ignore Logan, he seemed to want to be present in the moment and enjoyed the actual ceremony once the coaches started to speak.

Logan wondered if the enemy was in this room right now, studying James and making plans to change the future. He still felt that James was safe until receiving the trophy, as even the enemy knew he'd have to win it in order for them to pinpoint James' location in the past. Once that was done and James had taken it home, all bets were off. Logan studied every face in the banquet room and searched for anyone who stood out, but that was an impossible task; he didn't know these people. Hopefully they didn't know him, either.

The vibe in the room suddenly shifted, excitement ratcheting up, and Logan tuned back into what was being said. It was time for the last award, which Logan knew would go to James. This was it!

"Now I know this award is special," the head coach was saying, "but all of them are. Let's give a round of applause for the entire team, who played a hell of a season this year."

Everyone complied, along with some whistles and a rather loud yell from Papi.

"Having said that," the man continued, "there is one player who went above and beyond this season, especially during the championship games. We've seen him play for years and always knew he was talented, but this time he really stepped up and made you all better players by setting an example of teamwork and...well, just hard work in general."

Something dug into Logan's left thigh. He started, then looked down to see it was James' hand. James probably wasn't even aware of the gesture; his focus was completely on the coach, as was everyone else's. Logan took advantage of the moment and twined their fingers together, James' squeezing back in hope. He really wanted to win this.

"We couldn't have made it to the playoffs without him. We're sorry to see him go this year, along with all the other seniors leaving us, but whatever this young man chooses to do with his life, he'll be a success. This year's Most Valuable Player award goes to..."

James' fingers strangled Logan's. He didn't mind it one bit.

"James Diamond!"

James gasped as if he couldn't quite believe it. He looked past the row of family to Kendall, who he surely thought would get the prize. Kendall was cheering, nothing but pride and happiness looking back at James, and Logan gently nudged him. "Get up there," he whispered. "You deserve this."

He hated to lose James' touch when their hands separated. It gave him the opportunity to join in the applause, though, and he couldn't stop smiling. Watching James walk up to the coach to receive the trophy was a dream come true. He was witnessing history in action!

After taking the award and posing for a quick picture with the coaches, James cleared his throat. "Uh, thanks. I honestly thought Kendall was gonna get this one."

There was general laughter around the room. Kendall called out, "No way dude, you earned that!"

A pleased flush spread across James' cheeks. "I just want to say how great it's been to have hockey in my life all these years. It gave me an excuse to hang out with my best friends and I'm gonna miss that now that it's over. I probably wouldn't have stuck with it for so long if it wasn't for you guys, and everyone on the team's great. Thanks for giving me a place to feel like I belong."

Tears were coursing down Logan's cheeks. He let them flow along with the emotions running through him like a current.

"Sorry I couldn't get us to state, but I tried my hardest. And...I guess I just want to take a second to thank the two people who motivated me to do that. Mom..." James turned his face to her, and Logan saw naked love and devotion in his eyes for the first time; there was no hiding behind a wall right now. "Thanks for...everything." Now emotion was welling up in James. "You're amazing and I look up to you and...it's for you that I fought so hard this season. I hope I made you proud."

Brooke nodded, too worked up to speak.

"There's someone else who showed me how to focus my energy and channel it into the game. He knows who he is and I guess...thanks for that. I wouldn't have played so well without him encouraging me and believing in me. This trophy goes to him, too. He helped me earn it."

James' gaze strayed nowhere near Logan, and that was a good thing because Logan was already overwhelmed and stunned. Even his tears had dried up in shock.

"I'll treasure this trophy forever. Thanks for the memories, guys." James held it up to the sound of more cheering before stepping away from the coaches and toward the table.

Or so Logan thought. He did round the table's edge but then kept straight on going until he was out of the room. Brooke and Logan watched him disappear.

"Dammit," she whispered. "Go. Right now, go after him, Logan."

Logan didn't need to be told twice. It was probably not the best time to approach James, as he was already emotional (and he wasn't the only one), but maybe that would work to his advantage. Worried about James' mental state, he rushed out of the room to search for him. Most likely James was headed for the bathroom.

Instead Logan spied the person he knew better than himself storming through the lobby toward the exit. James was leaving.

"Shit," Logan muttered. He walked as fast as he could without actually running, praying Mandy wasn't out there waiting. Maybe James just wanted air and to be alone.

He wasn't going to get that. Logan stepped out into the sun and glanced around, relief sweeping over him when he caught sight of James standing at the curb of the parking lot while staring down at the trophy in his grip. "Hey."

James twisted back with wide eyes and tucked the trophy under his arm. "What the...can't you fucking leave me alone?"

The scathing tone was unexpected after everything James had said inside. Logan knew that speech had been about him. "I thought you might need to talk."

"You really don't get it, do you?" James spat. "I want nothing to do with you. Nothing. I don't know how to make that more clear than I already have. Why can't you just leave me alone?"

"Because I care," Logan answered honestly. "And because you say things like you did in that room. You hold my hand."

"I...that was...it wasn't..." James stumbled over his words, eyes purposely avoiding Logan's face.

"I didn't imagine it, James. I know you were talking about me."

"So? Doesn't mean I want to be friends, or even talk to you ever again. What I really want is just to forget about you."

This time it was Logan who looked away, because that hurt.

"Can you just stay away from me, Logan? Please?"

Logan bit his lip. There was no use in lying. "I don't know how. You can hate me all you want, but I'm always going to worry about you and want to make sure you're okay. I can't help that."

"But why? I'm nobody! I'm worse than nobody, I'm someone who can't stand to be around you. Why would you care about somebody like that?"

"Because you're so much more than you think you are. You just have to believe it."

"Stop it! Stop trying to manipulate me!"

"James, I'm not! I'm telling you the truth, you're—"

"Just shut up. Ever since I met you, you don't know how to fucking shut up. I'm sick of listening to you, will you just shut the fuck up for once and leave me in peace?"

James was yelling by then, but underneath it Logan heard desperate pleading. James truly wanted Logan out of his life, and for the first time Logan considered it. He was making James miserable and he had the power to stop that. So much hung in the balance and depended on him, and yet he'd come here and made his favorite person miserable. How could he continue to do that?

"If you ever start to feel like what you're doing is a bad thing, remember all of the good that will come out of it. Remember that you're saving the population and all future generations, giving them a chance to make the world a better place. Do what it takes to accomplish this for that reason alone."

"I...can't." Logan's voice shook. "I'm sorry. I can't give up."

James seemed baffled by Logan's unwillingness to back down. "Unbelievable. You're so selfish that you'd rather torture me and make my life hell than walk away. I thought you were different, Logan. I thought you might actually care about me, and not just try to get what you wanted from me."

"James, I do! That's why I can't give up! You're too special, you don't even realize—"

An approaching car honked its horn. James spun away with a relieved sigh when he spotted the familiar pink convertible pulling up to the curb. "Thank god. I'm done with you. Done listening to you, done looking at you, done...thinking about you. Get out of my life, Logan. I don't want you here."

"Please just—"

"No!" James was about to hop into the car but turned back to yell. "Stop it! This has to stop, Logan! Just fucking go away!"

From behind the wheel, Mandy smirked at Logan with a smug sense of victory. She'd won and she knew it. "Get in, Jamie. Leave the trash at the curb where it belongs."

James did. He settled the trophy on his lap and let Mandy greet him with a kiss. Logan had to turn away.

If Mandy was the enemy, she was doing a damn good job of weakening her opponent. He couldn't even bear to watch the car drive away.

"Where did he go?"

Logan had no idea how long he'd been standing in front of the Sizzler when Brooke's voice interrupted his melancholy. She'd poked her head out the front door to look for them and found him alone.

"With her," Logan mumbled, arms wrapped around himself. Brooke opened her mouth and he added, "Don't yell at me. I tried to keep him here."

Brooke let out a sigh before stepping through the door to join him. One hand on his shoulder, she asked, "What happened?"

Logan shook his head. "He hates me. He doesn't want me around."

"Too bad. You'll have another chance tonight at the party. He won't want to make a scene in front of—"

"Brooke, stop." After spinning around to face her, he continued, "I'm not going."

"Yes, you are. We've been through this."

"We have, and I think the worst thing I could do tonight is to ruin his party. I need to keep going with the plan, which was to stay away so he misses me and—"

"That was never my plan. I told you it probably wouldn't work since he hardly knows you."

"But it is working. I was getting somewhere in there, I felt it, and then I followed him out here and messed it up again. I need to let him come to me when he's ready."

"Logan, you need to keep on him and force him to face his feelings. The more you let him run from them, the more—"

"The more I back him into a corner and he lashes out! He made it clear just now that he never wants to see me again, and it's because I came after him."

Brooke rolled her eyes. "No, that had nothing to do with it, he was already angry with you."

"Did you hear that speech?" Logan pointed out. "That was about us. About me. It was working, he was missing me enough to say nice things about me. And then instead of letting him think about all of that, I ran out here and forced him to face me before he was ready. He doesn't want me around, and I'm going to respect that."

"So you're just giving up?! You're letting him go, letting that harpy win?"

"No, Brooke," Logan sighed. Suddenly he was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to be home in bed so he could hide away from the world. Part of him would rather it was his bed in the future and that this had never happened, that he'd never given James a chance to hate him. "I'm not giving up. I just need to do this my way. I need him to know that I respect his wishes and that he can feel safe with me. That I won't push."

"I know my son," Brooke said quietly. "We may not be as close as Jennifer and Kendall, he may not come to me when he needs help or advice, but I know him. He needs you, Logan. He hates that about himself, but he needs you. Be there for him."

"I will. I swear, I'm not going anywhere. I already told him that I'm always here for him and he can reach out if he ever needs me. But he needs to be the one to do that, okay? It has to be on his terms or he feels like he's caving or...it makes him weak or something, I don't know. Let him sit there tonight with his friends and that...her...and wonder why he still feels empty, like something's missing. Let him come to it on his own. I'll be home and ready in case he contacts me. Otherwise? The time isn't right." Logan pushed away the thought that he didn't have a lot of time as it was; that reminder made him panicky. "You have to trust me on this, Brooke."

It was clear she didn't. "I repeat that you've known him for a week. You can't know him as well as I do."

"I'm sure that's true."

"But..." Her shoulders dropped and she stared around the parking lot as if gathering her thoughts. "You have gotten closer to him than anyone else in that time, so...fine. Don't come to the party I've worked so hard on for three weeks. Don't come see how amazing it's going to be."

"I'll see pictures," Logan promised with a smirk. "I'm sure plenty of people will post about it, and Carlos will show me if I ask."

She nodded slowly. "I really wanted you there."

For the first time Logan wondered if James hadn't been her sole motivation on that; did Brooke need him there for support? "Hey. You can call me, too. If you need me. Not for James, but for you. I'm always here for both of you."

Behind her glare was the truth—she did need him, at least a little bit. "I've told you, Dr. Mitchell, I'm not an invalid."

"I never said you were. If you need help cleaning up after the party, or even setting it up, I can do that. He's not going to be home for awhile anyway, I'm sure."

"I've hired a team to take care of the party. They handle everything, from set-up to take down. I'm fine."

"Good."

The front door swung open to reveal a few members of the hockey team followed by parents; the ceremony was over. Logan knew the Knights and Garcias weren't far behind. "But call me if you need me," he said. "For anything. Except James."

Brooke got in a silent nod before Carlos spied them. "There you are! We thought maybe you left with—" His face fell. "Where's James?"

Kendall stepped up behind Carlos and laid a hand on his shoulder, the same realization hitting him when he saw Logan and Brooke standing together. His face clouded over. "He left?"

"She picked him up," Logan confirmed. "He must have told her ahead of time to be here."

"Dammit," Kendall said under his breath. "Well, Carlos, guess we're not hanging with him before the party."

"Guess not." Carlos turned to his parents, who had come outside with Jennifer and Katie. "I can stay at Kendall's tonight, right? After the party?"

"Sure, baby," Sylvia answered. "Logan, did you want to go with them or come home with us tonight?"

"Oh, I'm not going to the party. I'll be fine at home."

Papi frowned. "Not going to the party? Why not? James knows you, he won't mind if you come. You're family."

It was Katie, of all people, who offered Logan a pitying look. "Parties aren't really Logan's thing. I'm sure James will understand."

Jennifer backed that up. "Of course he will. Brooke, do you need any help setting up? Sylvia and I can—"

"No, but thank you. I've hired party planners, they'll handle everything. I need to get going so I can meet them at the house. I'll see you all tonight at six!"

Sylvia nodded. "Just call us if you change your mind. Come on, boys." She herded Carlos and Logan toward the parking lot. Logan watched Brooke head toward the car he'd ridden in the previous week, glad she'd parked close as he knew physical activity tended to tire her out quickly. He wondered what it would take to get her a handicapped placard to ensure she could always park close.

Then again, how often did she leave the house these days? How many more trips would she make outside of medical appointments? The realization that she wouldn't even make it to the following year hit him harder than it ever had before. A wall of grief rushed toward him for this woman who, like her son, had come to mean so much to him.

Carlos nudged him in the back seat of the minivan. "You okay?" he whispered, noting tears sneaking silently from Logan's eyes.

Logan nodded.

"Did you fight with James again?"

Another nod. Let Carlos think that was the reason for his tears.

"I'm sorry, man. Kendall and I were talking, and we both think he was talking about you when he got that award. I mean, if it's not us, who else would it be?"

Logan swallowed hard. "It was me," he admitted. "He told me after. He also told me I'm making him miserable and he wants to forget about me." Fresh tears sprouted; this time James was the reason.

"Dude, I'm so sorry. Maybe...maybe his birthday will help. Like he'll look back on his life and realize he misses you. You know?"

"That's what I'm hoping."

"And if he doesn't? What are you gonna do then?"

Logan had no idea.