A/N—So this chapter digs into religion and Heaven a bit, and I just want to remind you that all of this is based on my memories of the Bible and my idea of Heaven. It may not line up with yours, but I hope that doesn't take away from your enjoyment of the story. Either way, thank you for reading! I'm so glad you guys find this story entertaining. :)

James was to play a James Bond-type character in the music video. He was disappointed at the lack of screaming girls (Kendall probably would've objected to that anyway), but he had to admit the concept was cool. There would be a female counterpart, a model that Gustavo had handpicked, but she wouldn't be available until the following week. Her scenes would be filmed later and separately from James'. He complained about it, asking what sense that made, and was told that it would work with the concept.

James rolled his eyes. Kendall smiled.

There would also be performance shots intercut with the storyline, and those would be filmed first thing in the morning. The last two hours of today's rehearsal were spent perfecting James' lip-syncing skills. Kendall sat next to Kelly, watching James closely as he paraded around the large space normally set aside for bands to record in. Gustavo was on the other side, where he tossed out suggestions (as well as a heavy amount of criticism) from his desk chair that had been rolled into the room. Kendall only intervened once, when Gustavo yelled, "Are you stupid? What did I just say?" Kendall stood, glaring menacingly down at the producer, who held up a hand in apology and said, "Sorry, I didn't mean to say 'stupid.' But James, listen to me."

Appeased, Kendall returned to his seat.

Around two in the afternoon, Gustavo called a halt to the proceedings and freed James for the rest of the day. His parting words were a warning to not be late the following morning, as well as rules about the upcoming party—his office was off limits, as was the recording booth. James was in charge of cleaning up afterward. No alcohol allowed, and if the police were called out, he would deny any knowledge of the gathering.

James understood and accepted all caveats. Kelly hesitated while following her boss out, indulging in a rare hug for James. "Have fun tonight," she whispered. "And don't give him a reason to be mad tomorrow!"

He was ripped out of Kelly's arms by a strong hand pulling him backward. It set him off balance before steadying him. James glared back at Kendall, waiting until Kelly was gone to speak. "I'm allowed to hug people."

"Not females."

"How many times do I have to tell you? I'm not interested in Kelly!"

"Yet. Love can strike at any moment. You must always be on your guard."

"Whatever." James shook himself free of Kendall's grip. "Come on, school should be out by now. I have to meet up with Lucy."

Kendall was suddenly in the doorway James had been heading for. He shook his head. "Absolutely not. Lucy is off limits."

"Dude, she's my friend."

"Many couples begin as friends. It tends to build a stronger relationship, from what I'm told. Friends are your biggest threat."

"Not Lucy," James disagreed.

"James, I witnessed you with her. You attempted to hug her."

"Right, because she's my friend. Just like Kelly. Friends hug, Kendall."

"I cannot allow it."

Irritated, James pushed past Kendall and through the door, not caring if Kendall followed him down the hallway or not.

"James, you have to trust me."

"How about you trusting me for a change, huh?" James called back. "Lucy is not a threat!"

Kendall abruptly appeared next to him. "Do you not find her attractive?"

"What? Of course I do, she's hot."

Kendall hesitated. "Is temperature a factor in your feelings toward someone?"

"Oh my god. You are really annoying." James pushed open the door leading out of the studio.

Kendall blocked his path. "I need to scan the area before you leave this place."

Frustration threatened to bubble over. "Kendall, I can take care of myself!"

"You don't need to. I'm here. All is clear as long as we take the stairs. There is a woman in the elevator at the moment."

"Jesus. You're gonna make me walk down six flights of stairs because there's a woman in the elevator?"

"I am. And why do you keep speaking of God and Jesus? I thought you were no longer a religious sort."

Don't punch him, James. Don't punch him. Someone might see, and then it would be all over social media.

Rather than argue or answer, James bypassed the elevator and opened the door to the stairs.

"You never replied to my question. How does Lucy's temperature affect your attraction toward her?"

"It's a figure of speech, asshole. If someone is hot, it means they're attractive. Extremely attractive."

"Oh. I see. So you do find her attractive. That makes her more dangerous."

"Nope."

"You are honestly not curious about her in a romantic manner?"

"No, Kendall, because I've been there. Done that. I tried to date her. It didn't work."

Kendall trailed James down metal steps. "You attempted to be with Lucy?"

"In the beginning, yes. We decided that friendship is better for us."

"What if she changes her mind? I could see her affection for you, James. It showed in her eyes."

"Yeah, and I have affection for her, too. But that's all it is."

"It might change."

"It won't."

"You can't be certain."

"I am."

"How are you certain?"

"Because!" James yelled, finally snapping. Having made it to the third floor, he stopped on the flat platform and spun around to face Kendall. "She's not into dudes, okay? I swore I'd never reveal that secret, and I'm pissed that you forced me to. She can't ever know I told anyone. So you'd better keep your freaking mouth shut."

Kendall was slowly catching up to the meaning of that. "Explain."

"Of course you don't get it," James sighed. He turned away and started down the steps again. "You're an angel. Homosexuality is a sin, right? So it's bad and she's going to Hell."

"Oh! Now I understand. She prefers the company of females over males. In a sexual way."

"Bingo!"

"That is a not a sin, James."

James came to a halt on the steps so suddenly that Kendall crashed into him and had to reach out to save him from stumbling. "It's not?"

"No. Heaven is accepting of everyone whose soul is deserving, no matter preference in that area."

James twisted back to look at Kendall. "Since when?"

"Since Jesus came to Earth, I believe. Everything changed then. It has since been accepted that humans are born with a predisposition to one preference or another. Sometimes more than that."

"Okay, but...wasn't there something in the New Testament about homosexuality being wrong, too? It wasn't just the Old Testament."

"You are probably referring to the words of Paul."

"Right. I remember that story, we learned it in Sunday School. He was a bad guy that turned good, right?"

"In a sense, yes. But he retained human prejudices and worked those into his teachings. He used the Lord's name to give credence to his beliefs. You forget, James, that not everything in the Bible was the word of God. It's a book written by humans."

"Yet inspired by God."

"Mostly, yes."

"Mostly."

"Correct."

"Huh. So...you don't go to Hell for being gay?"

"Not unless you use it to hurt others."

"Interesting. That's...good to know."

"You are thinking of your friend Logan, are you not?"

James' head whipped up. "How do you know about that?"

"It was in the file. He confessed his secret to you, and you were touched by his trust. It brought the two of you closer. And you swore to defend him to the death, if need be."

Guilt crashed over James. He had sworn that, and then abandoned his friend for a life of fame. Ignored Logan's calls. What if something had gone wrong? What if someone found out his secret, and he was attacked? "Is um...is Logan okay?"

"He is not my responsibility. I don't know."

"Can you check? Is that like...one of the things you can scan from here?"

"No."

"Oh." James sighed, disappointed. He turned to continue his descent toward the first floor.

"I can travel there, though. To Minnesota. I can check on his well-being."

Now they'd reached the second floor. James stopped and turned back to grip Kendall's arm. "Would you? Please? I just need to know that he's okay."

"I can't leave your side."

"Right. Damn."

Kendall surprised James by taking his hand. Less than a second later, the poorly-lit stairwell was gone. They were standing in a building that was familiar to James, though he hadn't spent much time in it himself. Fluorescent lighting shone over shelves of books, a row of tables, and a desk where his old librarian, Mr. West, was currently bent over a computer screen. "Oh my god," James whispered. "We're at my old school."

Kendall nudged James, then pointed his attention toward one of the tables. James almost wept with relief when he spied his friends seated at it. Logan was leaning toward Carlos, enthusiastically explaining something from the open textbook between them. Carlos, as usual, looked bored.

"You cannot speak to them," Kendall whispered into James' ear. "There's no way to explain your presence here without telling them that truth you insist would get you locked up in a cage."

"Right," James breathed. "Can they see us? Can anybody?"

"No. I occluded us both. Do you feel better now? I know that you were worried about them."

"I do, actually. Thanks, Kendall."

"Good." Kendall nodded. "Then we shall return to—"

"Wait. Just...give me a second. Please. Just...one minute."

"As you wish. But we cannot be absent for long or I will be reprimanded. I'm not supposed to transport you unless it is to save you from a threat."

"Okay, I get it. Just let me..."

James moved closer to the table so that he could hear his friends. Logan's severe tone piped up first.

"Carlos, you're not even paying attention. You'll never pass this test if you don't try."

"I know, but it's so boring. At least with James here it was fun."

"Well, James isn't here anymore, and he's not coming back anytime soon. So—"

"You don't know that. He could bomb out there."

"He's not going to, Carlos. His single's already getting radio play."

"I know," Carlos sighed. "I mean, I'm happy for him, but...I miss him. You know?"

Logan nodded. He set down his pencil and sighed. "Yeah. He made his choice, Carlos. It's his dream."

"It just sucks. It's his birthday and we can't even celebrate with him."

"Well, I'm sure he has new friends out there to celebrate with." The thought of that seemed to make Logan sad. "We'll see it all on his Instagram, right?"

"Yeah." Carlos didn't sound excited about it. "I wish you'd let me call him."

"He's busy. Probably in the studio or in class or doing something he'd rather not be doing on his birthday. I'll message him later and let him know we're thinking about him."

"How come you're the only one allowed to talk to him?"

"Because I won't be annoying and text him constantly like you used to. He's busy, Carlos," Logan said again. "He told me just yesterday that he misses you."

James frowned. "I didn't talk to Logan yesterday. Why the hell is he lying?"

"He said that?" Carlos' eyes shone with happiness. "Aww, he's the best. Maybe I'll send him a birthday card. It'll be late and all, but he'll get it eventually, right?"

"I'm sure he'd love it. Give it to me and I'll send it, like I sent your postcard from Minneapolis when we were there last month."

"I didn't get any postcards," James hissed. "Kendall, what the fuck's going on?"

"Thanks, Logan!"

"Sure, buddy. So, about photosynthesis. Which, for the third time, does not have to do with pictures..."

James turned away. Kendall grabbed his hand again, and just like that they were back in the stairwell of the skyscraper. "I don't get it, Kendall. Why is Logan lying to Carlos?"

"That I could not tell you."

"He never sent me postcards. He didn't talk to me yesterday. Why does he want Carlos to think he did?"

Kendall suggested, "Perhaps he does not want Carlos to know that you're ignoring his attempts at communication? Would that upset Carlos, if he knew?"

It would. Greatly. James sat down on the steps and let out a sigh. "I'm an idiot. I don't know why I'm ignoring them. They're my best friends in the whole world."

"How do you feel when you do speak to them?"

"I don't know. Good, I guess. But also sad. I miss them a lot."

One corner of Kendall's mouth lifted. "I believe you told me the opposite just this morning. That you don't miss them."

"I lied. It's hard to talk to them. Makes me feel..."

"Yes?" Kendall prompted.

"Alone. Which is dumb, because I have so much more here than I had there."

"A wise angel once told me that quantity cannot light a candle to quality. Or perhaps it was hold. Hold a candle. I'm not good with human phrases."

James didn't know which it was either, but the meaning behind the words came through. Kendall was telling him that more friends here didn't mean better friends. "Logan's not gonna call me tonight. He's just saying that, isn't he?"

Kendall joined James on the step. "I can't predict the future, James."

"You don't need to. I already know. And it's my own fault. My best friends aren't gonna call me on my birthday, and it's my own fucking fault."

"You could call them."

"Oh, how pathetic is that? Calling someone just to beg for attention on your birthday? I shouldn't have to."

"It's your choice." Kendall pulled James up with him. "Let's get you back to the safety of your home."

"Sure." His phone chimed. He pulled it out and smiled. "Lucy's wondering where I am."

"I'm still not positive she can be trusted."

"I'm positive. Because as much as I love her, I'll never love her."

"I'm not sure I follow that logic."

"Don't worry about it, buddy." James patted Kendall on the back. "You'll learn humans along the way. Lesson one starts now."

"Oh, so you have decided it's your job to teach me?"

"Why not? Gotta make sure you're not such a dork on your next mission, right?"

Kendall wasn't quite sure what a "dork" was, but James' smile was proof enough that the word was not meant to be an insult.

The ride back to The Palm Woods provided more entertainment for James in the form of Kendall again being terrified inside a moving vehicle. James reminded him that they were traveling at a safe speed, but that didn't seem to help. "You have too much faith in the man guiding this box on wheels," Kendall argued. "He is human. He makes mistakes. One of those might get you killed."

"Not gonna happen," James disagreed before nudging Kendall. "It's love that's out to get me, right?"

Kendall turned his head to stare at James. "You should not joke about that. The sooner you accept that it's a real danger to you, the better I will be able to protect you."

"It just doesn't make sense, Kendall. How does love put my life in danger?"

"I explained that. Love will lead to your death."

"Okay, but how? There weren't specifics?"

"I spoke the prophecy to you, James. Would you like me to repeat it?"

"Not here, please." The last thing they needed was to get weird looks when Kendall affected that deep, creepy robotic voice again. "I remember it. But like...there isn't anything more? Just that I'm going to fall in love and my death will somehow kick off a bunch of bad shit in Heaven? I mean, who even says it'll happen the same year I fall in love?"

"That is how it's been interpreted by my boss."

"What if he's wrong?"

Kendall gasped, a hand going to his heart. "My boss is never wrong, James. It is blasphemous to even suggest a thing. He has correctly interpreted many prophecies that have come to pass."

"So then...why have humans never heard of this one? Or is it in the Bible and I just forgot about it?"

"It is not. Not every prophecy was told to man. Some are considered...insignificant, I guess you'd say."

"Okay but something that has the power to ruin Heaven, I'd say that's a big one."

"It's not my place to decide that."

"Whatever." James shrugged, turning to look out the window. His thoughts shifted to the party and how he might get a chance to speak to Lucy alone about sneaking a girl into his apartment. Maybe he could text her. Could Kendall scan his phone the way he did everything else?

"There is one thing about the prophecy I don't understand," Kendall said suddenly.

James waited, leaning his head back against the seat.

"Your voice."

That made him sit up straight. "My voice? What about it?"

"I was under the impression that your voice was one for the ages. Something that would compare to the chorus of angels that rings through Heaven."

James stared at Kendall in silence, caught between shock and offense.

"Have you lost your ability to speak?" Kendall wondered.

"Are you...I'm sorry, but are you insulting my voice?"

"Your speaking voice is rather pleasant. But I expected your singing to please me. To...what is a human word for it? Wow me?"

"I see." James was trying to keep from lashing out in public. "And it...doesn't. It doesn't wow you."

"Perhaps it was just that one song," Kendall mused.

"Um...what the hell is so wrong with my singing?"

"I probably just do not understand what is pleasing to the ears of a human."

"Oh, so it's not even pleasing?"

"It sounded a bit...electric to me."

James licked his lips, confused. "But isn't electric good?"

"Oh wait, I think I mean electronic. They are different words, right?"

"Elec...oh. Oh! You're talking about the autotune."

"I don't know what that is."

"It's this kind of...like...treatment given to vocals. Not that I need it," James added quickly. "I don't. I know how to be in tune. But Gustavo thinks it adds something."

"So that was not your true voice I heard today?"

"I mean, it was me, just...not pure. It was maybe a little altered from what you might hear if I just...opened my mouth and sang right now."

"Oh. Would you do that for me?"

James glanced around. "Not here."

"Why?"

"Because we're in public. You don't just break out into song in front of other people. We don't live in a musical, Kendall."

"A musical...yes, I believe I know what that is."

"That's not real life. So...no, I will not sing for you."

"Perhaps you can later, then. When we're back at your home. Are we close? I really don't like this mode of travel."

"We're almost there," James grinned. "And I've noticed something."

Kendall gave James his full attention. "What have you noticed?"

"You're doing better with your words now. Getting more comfortable with the contraptions."

"James." Kendall offered him a hint of a smile. "The correct word is contraction."

"Don't care, it's not a word I will ever use again if I'm lucky. My point is, you're trying. I noticed. Thanks."

Kendall nodded at him. "I did not come here to inconvenience you, James. I'm here to help."

"Yeah. Hey, this is our stop. Come on."

Kendall rose, waiting until the shuttle stopped moving to enter the aisle. He made sure James was following, then practically dashed toward the exit.