A/N—Happy Monday! I managed to write a bunch yesterday, so you get another chapter. :) Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy!

Brooke greeted them at the door wearing a bright blue sweater and a wide smile. "Welcome home, boys." She hugged each of them, Logan getting a whisper of "Thank you for bringing him home" along with it.

If she only knew how close he'd come to letting that slip away. "You're welcome."

"I've got the dining room set up for us. I'm afraid the decorations are all gone, but we've still got plenty of food and cake. And of course the mountain of presents everyone brought over. Come on in."

It was nice to see Brooke so full of life and happiness. When Logan glanced over at James, he saw the same thing—James was grinning, his eyes sparkling as he followed his mother toward the dining room. How long had it been since they'd shared a moment like this, one without anger or resentment or even sadness and fear?

James was right—he deserved this on his birthday. Logan wouldn't push him for the heavy talk with his mother, at least until the following evening.

"Logan, you have to try this manicotti. If you think tortellini is good, wait until you taste this! James, did you eat anything last night?"

James waited until they were all seated to reply, Logan across from him and Brooke at the head of the table. "Not really. I think I grabbed some chips, but...no. I had other things on my mind."

"Did you at least enjoy the party? Here, have some of these chicken strips Jennifer brought over from the restaurant. I reheated them, but you can heat them up in the microwave again if you need to."

Remembering Carlos' love of them, Logan reached for a few.

"Um..." James thought over his answer to her previous question while loading up a plate. "It was nice to have everybody here. People I thought didn't care actually showed up, you know? Or who knows, maybe they only came because it was a cool party. But it was still great to see everyone. I didn't really talk to a lot of people at Jenny's party, so I'm glad they came to mine."

Logan thought that even if James had talked to people at Jenny's party, he probably wouldn't remember due to his state of inebriation.

Brooke shook her head. "Nonsense, James, they were here because they like you. And Logan would've come if you'd allowed it. How did you end up at his place anyway? Did you finally come to your senses and call him?"

His mouth full, James looked to Logan for an answer. "Actually, I crashed the party. I forced him to talk to me."

Brooke raised a brow at Logan. "You mean, you did what I've been telling you to do all week? You cornered him and made him face his feelings for you?"

James choked on a piece of chicken, his face going red. "Mom, please."

"I don't have time to be delicate, James," she reminded him. "No sense in beating around the bush."

"So that's your excuse to just embarrass me whenever you feel the need?"

Brooke sighed and set down a cloth napkin. "James, I'm sorry if I embarrassed you. I didn't say anything Logan doesn't already know. I'm tired of walking on eggshells, especially with my son. There's no reason to at this point. I want us to be open with each other."

"You didn't three months ago," James pointed out. "I tried to talk to you and you just shut me down."

For once, Brooke was speechless. The truth of James' accusation shamed her.

"Look, I don't want to fight with you. I came home to celebrate, not be an asshole. Can we just enjoy this and not argue?"

She sipped at a glass of water before replying. "Fine. But for the record, the reason I didn't talk about it back then was because I couldn't accept it. I didn't want to. I told you because you're my son and you have a right to know that I'm dying, but I wasn't ready to even think about it, let alone talk about it. It's...scary. You know?"

James set down his fork to reach out for his mother's left hand, which was resting near her plate. "I know that it scares the shit out of me, and I'm not even the one..." He bit his lip, still unable to say it. "So I can only imagine what it's like for you. Are you...still afraid?"

"Of course I am. I don't want to die, James. I'm doing what I can to fight it. But I have to prepare myself for the reality that it might not work. And what scares me even more than dying is the thought of leaving you alone. I'm worried about you."

"Don't." James licked his lips and settled back into the chair. "I'm gonna be fine. I mean, you are leaving all your money to me, right?"

"Most of it, yes. Some of it will be going to the company. I don't want it to fold once I'm gone. I put a lot of hard work into that place and I want it to succeed."

"Mom, you've done an incredible job with it. I know it wasn't easy for you to give up the reins and stop working. But it'll be okay. You left Jonathan in charge?"

"Like I'd let anyone else run that place?"

They laughed together at the mere thought, and though Logan didn't get the joke he was pleased to see them bonding. Her hand was still tight in James'.

"So don't worry about the company," he continued. "It's in good hands."

"I know," she nodded, "but are you?"

Now James' eyes cut away to Logan, who suddenly couldn't breathe. It was that intense stare again, and it stole his air every time. "Logan says I'm gonna be okay. I'm not so sure, but he seems to believe it."

Logan offered a soft smile.

"And he's smart, so...I guess we have to trust him."

Brooke's lips curved up. "I trust him. He cares about you, James, and if you let him, he'll take care of you."

"I know. We uh...we kind of made a deal." James' hand dropped away from hers in order to pick up the fork again. "He's gonna help me pass my classes and graduate."

"Good. That's wonderful." Brooke patted Logan's hand. "Thank you. I'm sorry that your parents had to pass for this to happen, but I'm so glad you came when you did. The timing couldn't be more perfect."

Yeah, that was the plan. Logan looked away from her and focused on his manicotti, which was just as good as she'd promised.

"What I want to know is, which of you boneheads made the decision to just be friends?"

James groaned and let his head fall back. "Mom, can you drop it? That's none of your business."

"All I'm saying is that it's obvious you two belong together. I don't understand why you're fighting it. Unless..." Brooke turned a suspicious gaze to her son. "Is this about your image? About your plans to be a star? Are you afraid that having a boyfriend is going to ruin that somehow?"

James squirmed under her stare, avoiding her eyes. "No. I mean, maybe in the beginning it was, but I'm past that. I mean..."

Seeing that James was at a loss, Logan took over. "Brooke, the decision was actually mine. James fought me on it, he wanted us to be more. But I think it's best to focus on his studies right now and to get him where he needs to be academically. That's the priority."

"So you can't do both? Help him study and be his boyfriend?"

Why was she so relentless? Logan was going to have to be truthful, at least to a degree. "I can't believe I'm about to say this to his mother, but...I don't trust myself. It's not so much James I'm worried about as me. I'd get distracted by...other things. My focus wouldn't be on his academic progress, it would be on..." He couldn't finish.

Brooke seemed to get the gist, though, enough that she rolled her eyes. "Are you telling me you can't keep your hands off my son?"

"Mom, let it go. You're making him uncomfortable. Yeah, we're attracted to each other, and it's...hard to fight. Now it's my turn to say I can't believe I'm about to say this to my mother, but all I'd ever want to do with him is make out when we're together if that was an option. So we've agreed it's better that it's not. Logan said once I graduate we can talk about it again and see how we feel, but for now we're friends and off limits to each other in that sense."

Brooke blinked at James a few times. "I think that's the most mature thing I've ever heard you say. I'm impressed. You made an adult decision rather than just giving in to your immediate needs." After a quick glance at Logan, she added, "You are in good hands. I feel a little better about all of this."

Knowing what she needed to hear, Logan stated, "I'm not going anywhere. I know that what you both are facing is not going to be easy, but I want you to know that I'm always here for him. For both of you. We can talk more another day about what's to come and how we'll deal with it, but for today just know that you're not alone. You have each other, and you have me, and I'm going to take care of you both."

Neither said a word; they were simultaneously overwhelmed with emotion. Logan took Brooke's hand in his, then reached across the table for James; he offered his own willingly.

"I live with the Garcias but for the next few months at least, I'm going to be here every second I can. Anything you need, just ask and I'll find a way. You two are what matters most to me. You just have to let me help."

It was Brooke who finally found her voice. "James, I swear to God if you don't marry this boy I'll come back from the grave and haunt you until you do."

It was the moment of levity they needed to break the intensity, and it worked. Though James' eyes were wet, he laughed. Brooke did the same. Logan joined in as well, but his was partially forced.

He knew it wouldn't come to pass, and the knowledge grew harder to accept each day.

Once everyone had eaten their fill of leftovers, they moved on to the cake. Brooke insisted on lighting candles and singing to James, to his embarrassment. At Brooke's urging, Logan joined in with a huge grin and couldn't resist a kiss to James' red cheek after he'd blown out the candles. The cake was still surprisingly good considering it was a day old, and when that was finished they watched James open all of his gifts. Logan reveled in the lightheartedness of the moment as he witnessed the two of them laughing so much; he was grateful to be part of it all.

Brooke had kept track of each gift and who it was from so that James could send out thank you notes. After a brief argument over that ("Mom, this isn't the fifties, people don't do that anymore"), they compromised with James agreeing to at least text everyone who'd given him a gift.

Leaving James to that in the dining room, Brooke and Logan put away food and took care of all the dishes they'd gone through. Most of the conversation between them revolved around directives like "Put that one in a plastic container" or "That plate has to be handwashed" but when they stood side by side at the sink, Brooke asked, "Are you sure you don't want to take things further with James?"

This had to be the weirdest conversation he'd ever had with a parent (though to be fair, Logan hadn't had many of those outside of his own mother). "Why are you pushing this? Don't you want him to graduate?"

"Of course I do, Logan. And he will, if for no other reason than to make you proud."

"I think it's more about making you proud."

"You'd think that, wouldn't you? But it's probably both, and that's even better. Now he has twice the motivation to succeed, because he won't want to let us down."

"Either way, he has motivation. Us dating wouldn't add to that."

"I think it would," Brooke argued. "It's one thing to let a friend down—quite another to let a boyfriend down."

Logan shook his head. "With James, I don't think there's much difference in that. Not if it's a close friend. Is that the last of the dishes?" He waited for Brooke's confirmation to close the dishwasher. "James would feel just as horrible letting down Kendall or Carlos as he does me."

"No, you're different." Brooke crossed her arms over her chest and faced Logan. "I knew it the moment we all sat in a car together for the first time. Actually, the fact that he invited you into our home at all told me you were different. The fact that you're here now, that he wanted to spend his birthday with you. Do you see Carlos or Kendall here?"

No, Logan didn't, and he supposed Brooke had a point. But she couldn't rest her hopes on a future for them when Logan knew that wouldn't be the case. "I'm just saying that it's odd for a parent to be so..."

"So what, Logan?" Her tone implied that he needed to choose his answer carefully.

He licked his lips while searching for the right word. "Maybe things are different here, but where I come from parents aren't in such a hurry for their kids to find romance. Especially moms with sons. They're more protective, I guess, than encouraging."

Brooke debated that before stating, "Most parents aren't less than a year away from dying. I need to know that my son is taken care of."

"And I'm promising you that I will. We don't need to be physically involved for me to do that."

"No, but James is human. He's a teenage boy. He's growing up fast and he has needs, Logan. Do you think he won't go looking for that elsewhere? What about his grades then? What about his focus?"

"It's two months."

"Which is a lifetime at your age. I know my son. If he's not getting what he needs from you, he'll find it somewhere else and ruin things between you because no matter what you say, I know you love him."

"I've never denied that," Logan pointed out.

"Then don't let him push you away. Don't give him a chance to be bored or force him to look elsewhere. He needs you, Logan. And I need to know that when I'm gone, he'll have you."

"Brooke..." Logan sighed, wishing he could lie just to comfort her. "I can promise you this—I won't leave him alone until he's ready to stand on his own. As long as he needs me, I'll be at his side."

"So you're saying that you will leave him at some point?" Brooke asked incredulously.

"No, I just..." Roger, help me! I don't know how to explain this without telling her everything! She needs peace of mind! Logan bit his lip hard, wishing he could put her mind at ease and show her all that he knew of James' future. She'd think he was a lunatic, though. And he'd taken an oath of silence on that subject. "Look, I'm saying that there may come a time when my purpose in his life is done. When he'll decide he doesn't want me because there are more important things in life than his attraction to a friend. And if that time comes, I will let him go so that he can follow his dreams. Basically I'm saying that I won't hold him back. My entire focus here is making sure he becomes the best version of himself that he can be."

"But you make him that better person, Logan. Before you he had no focus. He had no goals."

"Hasn't he always wanted to be a star? You said so yourself."

"Yes, I mean since the diagnosis. Since I got sick. He's been lost and spending all his time with that...that..."

"She's gone. I'll make sure she doesn't come back."

"As long as he has you, I believe that. I'm just worried he'll ruin it by pushing you away and that you'll let him."

"Did I this time? Think about how desperately he tried to push me away over the past week. Did I even once consider letting him?"

"You were content to just wait, to let him be the mature one. You can't do that with James, he'll just keep running and running and you have to be the one to catch him."

"I did. Look, maybe you're right about that. Maybe I should've forced it sooner. But we're in a good place now and he knows he's stuck with me. I've made it clear that I'm not letting him run. Brooke, you have to trust me on this. No matter what he says or does, I'm not leaving him."

"You just said you might one day."

Logan silently begged for patience. He closed his eyes and reiterated, "I'm not leaving him unless I know he doesn't need me."

"I can't ever see that happening. There's no one he needs more."

Opening his eyes, Logan managed a tiny smile. "Then you don't have anything to worry about. As long as he needs me, I'm here."

The conversation seemed to be going in circles. Logan was relieved when James yelled to them from the dining room. "Are you guys done in there? I want to watch a movie!"

Brooke rolled her eyes. "Have you texted everyone on that list?"

"Yes, Mother. I finished all my chores. Can I go outside and play now?"

"One day I'm going to smack that smart mouth," Brooke muttered under her breath, but she was smirking. More loudly, she called out, "We'll be right out. Pick a movie!" Then to Logan, "How long can you stay?"

"I'm here all day. I just have to be home by nine."

"Perfect. Maybe we'll order pizza for dinner. Or since it's his birthday, perhaps I should make him his favorite meal," she joked.

Making sure James was nowhere within earshot, Logan stepped closer to confide, "I found out why that's his favorite."

Brooke's hands slowed in the act of drying them on a towel. "What?"

"I asked him. About the sandwich and the orange. He told me why it's so special."

"You mean there's an actual reason?"

Logan nodded. "When he was little, you and his dad took him camping."

She blinked in shock. "We did. I haven't thought about that trip in ages."

"James never forgot it. He said that's what you served each day. The meal brings back good memories of a time he was happy and at peace. That's why it's his favorite."

Brooke looked as if she was about to cry, the towel forgotten in her grip. "Oh, James." When she started to head out of the kitchen, Logan grabbed her by the wrist to stop her.

"You can't tell him I told you that. I swore I wouldn't repeat it."

"Logan, how am I supposed to forget I heard that?"

"You have to. Maybe you can get him to tell you himself one day."

"Oh, you're so maddening." She tossed the towel onto the counter. "How does he stand you?"

"Apparently he loves me," Logan replied, unable to hide the smile those words brought on. "But wait, before we go out there, I need to know something."

Brooke raised an eyebrow at him. "Well, I suppose I owe you since you shared that with me. Go on."

"You mentioned that you knew I was different. The first day we met."

"I did," she nodded.

"I'm just wondering...how? What did he say that made you think that? Just the fact that he let me in the house?"

She studied him while deciding how to explain it. "There was that, but it was also the way he looked at you. Or rather, the way he listened to you. In the car, you were saying things he didn't want to hear. Discussing with him about how people handle grief. He didn't tune you out; he actually listened. That was part of it."

Logan nodded remembering that.

"It was also that I could tell he wanted to kiss you once you two got out of the car."

Logan blushed. "Yeah, I figured you saw that."

"But even more than that, it was how much he fought me whenever I mentioned your name. Whenever I'd try to get him talking about you, he screamed at me that he didn't want to hear it, you didn't exist to him, and he never wanted to see you or speak to you again."

Logan frowned. "And that showed you he did care?"

"Absolutely. If you weren't special, he would never have gotten so riled up. Whenever I've asked about his girlfriends in the past, he's answered my questions but done so in a manner that's...how to put it? Nonchalant. Bored, even. Like it wasn't worth talking about. You, though? You were worth screaming and slamming doors and storming out of the house. You inspired passion. That's how I knew, Logan. That's why I pushed so hard to get you two talking again. Because you mattered to him."

Suddenly all of the suffering he'd been through during the past week was worth it—every tear, every second of silence from James, every glare, even those kisses with Mandy he'd been forced to witness. James fought him so hard because he mattered. Choked up, Logan cleared his throat to ask one more question. "And it doesn't bother you that I'm a guy? That he's gay?"

Brooke chuckled softly. "Logan, do you know what I do for a living? Or...what I did?"

"You ran a cosmetics company."

"Yes. And do you know how many gay men I've hired and worked with over the years? Trust me when I say that homosexuality is not a problem for me. I left my legacy in the care of a gay man, for heaven's sake. I don't know if James has been fighting this for years or if you're the first male to ever turn his head. All I know is that you make my son happy, and for that I wouldn't care if you're an alien. Just keep doing it."

Logan smiled, pleased when she returned that before wrapping her arms around him in a hug. His mother had known of his interest in men but never really cared to discuss it. He'd always felt like she loved him in spite of it rather than seeing it as something to be proud of. Logan had no way of knowing at this point how the Garcias might react to homosexuality (though he suspected that eventually he'd find out because once Carlos and Kendall admitted their feelings, Carlos wouldn't be able to hide it), and he could only hope that Jennifer and Katie would be accepting for all their sakes. Brooke, though...she'd not only accepted but embraced him, and it felt good. He hugged her tight while fighting to keep tears at bay. "Thank you," he whispered. "I swear to you that your son is going to be okay. I'll make sure."

"I know you will. And like I said, if you don't? I'll come back and haunt you."

By the time James poked his head into the kitchen, they were laughing together. "Excuse me, is it too much to ask that I get some attention on my birthday? I mean, if you two would rather hang out together I can find somewhere else to go, but it is my birthday and—"

Logan rolled his eyes before spinning toward James with a grin. "Oh, I'm sorry, James, is it your birthday? I wasn't clear on that. Maybe if you said it one more time we'd all be—"

"Oh, you are asking for it," James threatened. He advanced on Logan with a gleam in his eye, one that communicated a kiss was on the way. As badly as Logan wanted to succumb to that threat, he held up a hand to stave James off. James' face fell, but he halted.

Brooke came to the rescue, sufficiently breaking the moment. "Did you find a movie?"

"Yeah. It's ready to go."

"Wonderful. Do me a favor and make me a cup of tea? Show Logan where everything is so he knows how. Since he always insists on being so helpful." She said it like it was the worst thing to be.

Logan grinned. "Anytime, Brooke. Just ask."

She left them to it, and James dutifully walked Logan through the task of getting a mug and a tea bag from the cupboard while waiting for a kettle to heat up. Standing at the counter, he suddenly turned to Logan and said, "Can I ask for one more present from you?"

Logan's breath stuttered. "If it's a kiss, no."

James let out a disappointed breath. "Dude, it's my birthday. You're supposed to give me whatever I want."

Logan smirked. "Of course you twist that to get your way."

"Does that mean I'm getting my way? I can kiss you?"

"James..." Like it wasn't already hard enough resisting his own urges? "I thought we talked about this. We agreed it's for the best."

"It is."

"Then why are you pushing it?"

James licked his lips, tipping Logan's chin up with a desperate look in his eyes. "Because I need it. Just for today."

"And you won't need it tomorrow? Or the next day?"

"Of course I will."

"Then why is today different?"

"Because it's my birthday," James whispered. "And all I want is you."

There was no way to resist that. Roger's voice screamed in Logan's head as he lifted up onto his toes to join their lips. James' mouth hungrily devoured his; Logan let it.

"Please, Logan," James breathed between kisses. "Just for today." Another deep kiss. "I swear we'll start tomorrow, I swear on my mother's soul I won't touch you. Just give me today."

Logan's arms wound around James' neck while James pressed him back against the counter. Still it felt like James wasn't close enough. He opened his mouth wider and James took the invitation to explore, Logan shivering in pleasure at the taste and feel of James inside him.

The kettle's whistle slowed their kiss. Logan finally murmured, "Okay. Just today."

Keeping one arm around Logan's shoulders, James used the other to move the boiling water to another stove burner. There was tea to be made, but they allowed themselves another minute to do nothing but hold each other. Logan closed his eyes and rested his face against James' shoulder. He wouldn't have this forever, and he wasn't going to waste the opportunity now.