A/N—Wow, I think this is the longest I've ever gone without posting a chapter. It's been almost two months. I'm so sorry! I'm still not feeling a lot of inspiration but hoping to get it back, so this might help. I miss writing, just can't seem to find the spark lately. Thank you for coming back if you're here now. :)

So a quick reminder of where we left off: James and Kendall shared their first kiss in the last chapter, and Kendall thought James would be upset about it the next morning but he wasn't. They agreed that it's okay to satisfy their needs with each other, and Kendall promised to try not to be aggressive. James said he'd let Kendall know if it was ever a problem. Now they're on their way to Rocque Records for a day of recording.

After teleporting to Rocque Records and then back again because he'd forgotten the tux, James held the suit over one arm while holding onto Kendall with the other. They appeared in the sixth floor stairwell, which was thankfully empty.

"You know, one of these days we're going to show up here and not be alone. We should go back to taking the shuttle."

Kendall actually shuddered in revulsion at the mention of it. "There is no need." He licked his lips, but not in the usual manner one would do so. Instead, it was like he was trying to taste them.

"You keep doing that," James commented. "What's going on?"

"I can still taste the paste you made me scrub my mouth with. Does it go away?"

It took James a moment, then he laughed. "Toothpaste? Yeah, it'll go away soon. You don't like it?"

"It is minty."

"Yep. But I told you, it's necessary to have clean teeth. Can't believe it took me this long to realize I hadn't made you brush your teeth yet."

Kendall's lips twisted in disgust. "In the future, I can clean my teeth myself as I have been. I do not like the lingering taste."

James' gaze narrowed. "You mean like...the way you cleaned us up after..." Don't think about that, James. Not in public. "Are you saying we don't even need showers? That you can just snap your fingers and we're clean?"

"If you wish me to, yes."

"That would've been nice to know the day I taught you how to shower. Or even today, when you were gagging so hard on toothpaste you almost hurled." James rolled his eyes and peeked at his phone. "Come on, we're already so late. Gustavo's gonna kill me."

The look in Gustavo's eyes was indeed murderous when they stepped into the conference room. "Well, how nice of you to grace us with your presence, James. Hope we didn't inconvenience you at all, asking you to join us today."

Kelly closed her eyes as if begging for patience before standing to approach with her hands held out. "Here, I'll take the tux and run it by the studio on the way home." She almost ran into the wall that was Kendall on her way out, and nodded at him curtly. "Morning."

"Good morning," he said politely in return before steering James to a chair far from hers, then taking one at James' side between them.

James cleared his throat. "I'm sorry we're late, Gustavo. The truth is I forgot to set—"

"Please spare me your excuses. You were supposed to be here early to discuss the tour with Lucy. How are you going to handle that if you can't even manage to be here on time?"

"It won't happen again."

Gustavo sat back in his chair and studied them both. "I believe that's what your bodyguard said to me last week. 'In the future, he will not be late.' And yet here we are, thirty minutes after you were told to be here. Is this going to be a habit now that your friend here is living with you?"

"No," James sighed. "It's my fault this time. I forgot to set my alarm. From now on, Kendall's in charge of that. And trust me, he'll make sure it gets done."

Kelly returned with two cups of coffee and a bowl of assorted creams and sugars. She set them down with a smile. "Thought you could use this to start your day."

"Thank you, Kelly," James replied with gratitude. She could be annoying sometimes, but overall he was glad to have her on the team. He noticed that Kendall was leaning forward to sniff the beverage. "For the coffee," he added abruptly for Kendall's benefit. Kendall shook his head slightly and James continued, "He doesn't drink coffee, though."

Kelly was about to sit but hesitated. "Oh. Should I get him something else?"

"He's fine."

Kendall smiled at her and nodded once. "I am well."

When Kelly's response was a strange look, James changed the subject. "So...the tour. I can't believe you actually got me on it. This is gonna rock!"

"Not if you can't learn to be on time," Gustavo scolded. "We can't have this on a national tour, James. I won't put my name on something destined to fail."

James wanted to pound his head on the table. Why did Gustavo always get stuck on the things he did wrong? While adding cream to his coffee, he tried to think of words that would convince Gustavo there was nothing to worry about.

"James is not a failure," came from his left. "Humans make mistakes, they are not perfect beings."

Gustavo rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well your friend here makes mistakes more often than I change my socks. Which is at least three times a day," he added to make his point. "He needs to show me that he actually cares about his career."

"I do!" James exclaimed. "I did great yesterday, didn't I? The coach you brought in helped, and I got over my fear. I worked hard. I thought you'd be proud of me. Even Kendall was proud of me, and he's never proud of anything."

Kendall remained silent, but under the table he rested a hand on James' knee to show that he agreed. It was Kelly who verbally came to James' defense. "He's right, Gustavo. You said after he left that his performance was really good and—"

Gustavo cut her off quick, waving an arm as he yelled, "It doesn't matter what I said yesterday, today is a new day and I need to know I can count on James every day. Not just when it's a fluke."

The new insult didn't even bother James, because Kelly had let enough slip that he knew Gustavo had been proud the day before. It helped. "Gustavo, I swear. I won't be late again. I have Kendall to make sure I'm awake now. The only reason he didn't today is because I didn't tell him what time I needed to be up. We discussed that and from now on he's going to make sure each night that he knows. It's handled. I won't let you down."

Perhaps sensing the sincerity behind the words, Gustavo deflated a tiny bit and reached for his coffee. Seeing that there was an empty paper plate in front of him, James reached out to push a pink box of donuts closer in an effort to get on his good side.

Kelly waited for Gustavo to choose a donut before clearing her throat and moving them along. "Okay, so the tour." She looked down at a tablet in front of her and said, "It starts in just over a month on the east coast. James will be appearing on the first six dates and should have a thirty-minute set at all of them except the last, where he'll need to play for forty-five minutes because the second act has a prior commitment."

"Forty-five minutes?" James echoed. "Do I even have that many songs?"

"Not yet," Gustavo answered. "We'll throw in a few covers, that always gets the crowd going. And now that you're out of school, we can spend more time in the studio working to finish your album. I want it done by the time you go into rehearsals for the tour. That gives us about three weeks to finish recording. We're also going to release another single next week. Lucy's announcing the line-up tomorrow, so people will be talking about you and we need to give them something they can listen to."

"But what about the video for the current song that's out there?" James frowned. "It's not even done and we're already gonna release something new? Then put out the video for the old one? That doesn't make sense."

"We're filming the rest of the video tomorrow. I'm paying extra for the crew to edit it and have a final cut ready by Friday. We'll post it early next week, give it a few days to make the rounds with the press, then get you some radio interviews and performances where you can perform both songs. What we really need is to get you out there to meet the fans, so we'll have the stations invite them down to interact and watch you sing. It'll be great press for the tour."

It was happening. It was all happening at once. Everything he'd ever dreamed of, this was the true beginning and there was no going back. James' chest felt tight, his body going numb in places that made no sense—his arm, his calf, his shoulder, even his right hand that was wrapped around a coffee cup. He was going to be famous.

As if sensing that it was overwhelming James, Kendall's grip tightened on his knee. It was soothing, at least until it wasn't, because Kendall wasn't letting up; in fact, it was becoming painful now. James hissed out in shock before meeting Kendall's gaze questioningly, and the fire in those green eyes made him realize what he'd missed before—Gustavo wanted him to interact with fans. Female fans.

Right. Kendall's not going to let that happen. His panic attack receding, he discreetly twined his fingers with Kendall's to loosen the grip. "So um...about that. I think it's better if I don't meet fans." Kendall's hand relaxed and James was able to breathe again.

Gustavo, however, was anything but relaxed. "Excuse me?" he laughed. "Not meet fans? The girls who will sink all their money into you? Buy your merchandise and spend their paychecks to come see you?"

James was distracted for a moment. "I have merchandise?"

"You will," Kelly answered. "It's in the works. By the time you start the tour, we'll have plenty to sell at the shows."

"Forget the merchandise!" Gustavo growled. "Fans are what make or break you, James. They shape social media's image of you. It's important to win them over in person so that they create a buzz about you."

James knew that this was true. Kendall's insistence on keeping him away from fans could have a hugely negative impact on his career. But he'd promised Kendall, so he said, "We were talking about it last night and—"

"We?" Gustavo interrupted. "We who? You and Lucy?"

"No, me and Kendall. You're right that fan interaction is important, and—"

"Don't tell me I'm right. I already know that. You know why? Because I've been in this business for twenty years and I know what works. There's a reason I'm a successful producer, James. I know music and I know fans."

"Right, so then you know how important it is to create an image."

"That's what we've been doing for months now. You're not going to ruin it by avoiding fans. That's pop suicide to someone just coming into the scene."

James sighed. This was going to be harder than he'd thought, because Gustavo wasn't wrong and trying to convince him otherwise would be nearly impossible. He tried again. "So Kendall and I had this idea that—"

"I don't care about your ideas. You and your little bodyguard know nothing about this business and—"

"But I do know about girls!" James blurted, surprising Gustavo into silence. Kendall's hand squeezed his in encouragement, and wasn't it crazy that he hadn't even realized Kendall was still holding his hand? He was becoming way too comfortable with that. Focus, James. Now is not the time to think about this. He had to convince Gustavo that their idea would work, because otherwise Kendall would refuse to let him take part in this tour. "Gustavo, I've spent most of my life studying girls and how to attract them. I may not know the business as well as you, and I might not be good at many things, but one area I excel in is attracting girls. I know how to get their attention and keep it."

Gustavo didn't yell, which was a good sign. He stared at James as if trying to see where this was going. Kelly hesitantly said, "He's right about that, Gustavo. Watching him with girls is both disgusting and fascinating at the same time. They're putty in his hands."

Except of course Jo. But she didn't matter right now. Taking advantage of Kelly's support, James pressed on. "In all my years of studying girls, you know what I've learned? They love a mystery. It keeps them enthralled. Sure, they want to meet their idols. That's the dream of every fangirl. But giving them that too soon can easily kill the infatuation. It's better to draw that out. Create the mystery. Think about it, Gustavo. In most boybands, there are two fan favorites. One is the guy who comes across as the leader, the hot one that's most accessible and friendly to fans. But the second?"

"The one who keeps to himself," Kelly replied. She was warming up to the idea. She sat up straighter and said, "The mystery guy. Gustavo, he's absolutely right. Remember when The Fireboys broke up and went solo? Three of the guys put out music within the next year, but one took some time off and disappeared from everyone. Jason was always the most private of the group, and that break actually helped his career when he came back because fans were dying to see him again. He was the mystery."

"Exactly," James nodded. "So Kendall and I were thinking that it might actually be better for me to remain a mystery to fans, at least in person. They listen to my songs, they watch my video, and they see me on stage. But what they don't get is one-on-one interaction. And that just fuels their infatuation a thousand times more."

Gustavo sipped his coffee while thinking it over. Finally he said, "But you can't drag that out forever. They'll eventually get tired of never having their dreams realized and move on to someone they can interact with."

"Right, we wouldn't do it forever," James replied. "I was thinking maybe...a year? Just long enough to build up the fanbase, you know? We put out the album, I open for Lucy, and hopefully that will lead to more shows down the line. I can do press, just not with fans present."

"They'll just wait outside the stations for you, James," Gustavo pointed out. "Fangirls are persistent and clever. They know how to find you."

"Yes, but my bodyguard—" James gestured toward Kendall with his head "—will keep them at a distance. They can see me. Just not...you know. Meet me."

Kendall nodded firmly. "There will no meeting and greeting."

Kelly gave him another strange look, and James had to bite his lip to keep from snickering. Kendall really did have a ridiculous way of talking.

"You're saying no meet and greets at the shows," Gustavo confirmed. "Or the stations. Or...anywhere in public."

Kendall said, "That is correct. No interactions."

"Just for a year," James added. "Then I'll start doing events where fans are invited. Imagine how desperate they'll be to get to me." Having made his point, James sat back to let Gustavo ponder the idea. Kelly was making notes on her tablet. Kendall was still holding his hand, and James could feel the tension pouring off him. He was ready for a fight with Gustavo. James prayed it wouldn't come to that.

After two full minutes of silence in the room, Gustavo spoke. "This could backfire. It could ruin you and everything we've worked for."

"I know," James sighed, wishing there was another way. But with Kendall not leaving his side for the next year...

"Kelly?" Gustavo grunted. "Your thoughts?"

"Me? Oh. Um..." Thrown off by the fact that Gustavo was actually asking her opinion, she stumbled over her words before finding her stride. "Well, I mean...you're right, this could...but also...Gustavo, if it was anyone else saying all this, I'd side with you. It really could work against us. But James is right—he knows girls better than any man I've ever met. He knows exactly how to talk to them and when not to; I've seen him win a girl over without saying a word. If anyone can make this work, it's James. He can play that mystery angle and end up being the hottest thing to come out in years. But I also agree that to play it out for too long would be suicide, so I say let's try it. At least for six months, and if it's working we'll extend it to the full year. By then they'll be falling all over themselves to get anywhere near him. We can do a headlining tour then and add on VIP meet and greet to a limited amount of fans. It's genius."

The true genius here was coming up with a way to make both Gustavo and Kendall happy at the same time. James held his breath waiting, but he thought he'd managed to accomplish the impossible.

"Fine," Gustavo snapped. "We'll try it your way. Kelly, get in touch with Hunter and let him know James won't be doing any personal appearances on the tour outside of interviews with Lucy. No meet and greets either. If he wants to just stay on the bus for two weeks straight, that's his lame choice. We'll keep him away from the fans."

James wanted to stand up and scream in victory. He'd done it. He'd actually won a debate with Gustavo. And this time without Kendall having to jump in and do it for him. He grinned over at Kendall, whose face remained impassive, but Kendall's fingers did tighten around his briefly. No doubt Kendall could see in his aura how relieved and happy he was. He deserved a donut for his win.

James pulled his hand free from Kendall's and snatched the box back toward him to pull out a frosted chocolate donut. He offered Kendall half, unsurprised when the angel merely shook his head. "It's really good," he promised. Kendall wasn't swayed, though, probably worried he'd have to use a toilet again if he ate or drank. That was fine—more for James.

"Don't eat too much," Gustavo warned. "I need you in top shape for the studio today. We're recording a new song."

James nodded, then asked through a mouthful, "Which one are we releasing next week?"

"We're putting out 'No Shame'. It's a little slower than the first one, so we can show you're capable of more than dance music. That one has heart."

"Smart," James agreed. He'd always liked "No Shame" best lyrically, as it dealt with a subject he'd struggled with for most of his life—the ability to express deep feelings without fear of embarrassment or shame. When he'd recorded it, the song had hit him hard for that reason; it was a reminder of all the times he'd kept his feelings bottled up so that no one would laugh at him. While recording, he'd sung it from the heart because he wished he could be like the person who wrote the song. Had it been Gustavo who wrote it? Everyone knew he had no issue expressing himself, especially when angry.

"I would like to hear the song."

Kendall had been quiet for so long that when he spoke, James jumped. Kelly and Gustavo joined James in staring at him. "Excuse me?" Gustavo said in a tone that made it clear he was already annoyed with whatever Kendall would say next.

"Yesterday we discussed allowing James to use his true voice in the future."

"This one's already recorded," Gustavo stated. "It's in the past."

"Yet the world will hear it in the future. Is it tuned like the previous song?"

Kelly frowned, her face scrunched up in confusion. "He means autotune," James explained. "And yes, Kendall, it is. But it sounds fine."

Not satisfied, Kendall said again, "I would like to hear it."

Gustavo looked like he was barely containing a volcano about to erupt, most likely in the form of furious shouting. "We don't have time. James needs to record the rest of the album."

"He will not continue to record it in the manner you have been forcing him to do it. His natural voice will shine through."

The volcano was spilling over. Gustavo's face was growing more red by the second. His hands were clenching and unclenching near his empty plate. His chest rose and fell in quicker succession. James glanced at Kelly in panic, silently begging her to do something because it wouldn't end well if Kendall and Gustavo really went at each other's throats.

Kelly cleared her throat and said, "You know, Gustavo, it wouldn't hurt to play the song for him. It's three minutes of our day."

Gustavo thundered, "So now we're taking orders from this guy?! He says jump, we say how high?"

Looking like she wanted to eat her words, Kelly tried, "No, Gustavo, I was just saying that it won't disrupt our plans. I can play it while you're getting the studio ready for the new song you wanted him to record today."

Gustavo flashed her a warning with his eyes before standing. "Do what you want. You'll both meet me in the studio in three minutes." With a glance at Kendall, he said, "I don't care where this guy goes, but he'd better not interfere with my schedule."

Kendall's narrowed gaze followed Gustavo out of the room. Once he was gone, James and Kelly released breaths they'd been holding. "Thank you," James whispered to her.

She wasn't appeased. "Look, I went along with it because we don't have time for Gustavo to explode and destroy the studio today. But you guys have got to stop arguing with him about everything. He really does know what's best for your career."

"I know," James sighed. It was just the added struggle of trying to keep Kendall happy, too. "But even you said a few weeks ago my voice sounds better without the autotune."

She had, just not in Gustavo's presence. Kelly glanced behind her now, panicked that he would be standing there. "I just meant that he uses too much of it. In the right amount, it helps."

"Gustavo goes overboard with it sometimes," James agreed. "And I get it, that I'm not always pitch perfect. But my voice isn't horrible on its own."

"Your true singing voice is divine," Kendall tossed out. "The world needs to hear it."

Though the compliment flattered him, James blushed from the praise. Something about Kendall's worship of him hit deeper than when anyone else admired him.

Another puzzled look came from Kelly before she shook her head. Clearly having decided Kendall was just an odd person, Kelly said, "Okay, well we only have a few minutes. I'm going to help Gustavo get ready for the new track. You two listen to this and then meet us there. Immediately after," she warned while clicking at her tablet. She set it down on the table between them and pressed play on the file she'd pulled up, then disappeared.

Kendall's attention was glued to the device as if he could see the sounds coming from it that made up the song's intro. "This is a lovely combination of instruments," he commented.

James nodded; he'd always liked the arrangement of "No Shame" as well. "It's one of my favorites. I like the piano sound."

"It is soothing." Kendall closed his eyes to let the melody seep into him, and a tiny smile curved his lips. James watched, proud that a song of his could make an actual angel happy.

Then the vocals came in and Kendall's face changed. He cringed, the sound affecting him like nails on a chalkboard. Before he could say a word, James argued, "Come on, it's not that bad! It's a great song!"

"But it is not your true voice! This is false!"

"It's still me, Kendall."

"It is an altered version of you." He rose from the chair with determination and stormed toward the exit. "The world will not hear such a beautiful song in this manner."

"Shit," James muttered. He quickly stopped the playback and scooped up Kelly's tablet before jogging after Kendall, who was halfway to the studio by now. Had Kendall always been that fast? "Kendall!"

He arrived at the sound booth just in time to hear Kendall interrupt whatever Kelly had been saying to the audio engineer. "You will not release that trash to the world."

"Don't call me trash!" James yelled.

Kendall spun back with an apologetic expression. "Forgive me, James, I did not mean to imply that you are, or that your voice is. It is the treatment done to your voice that I will not allow the world to hear any longer." He whirled toward Gustavo. "Remove the treatment before releasing the song."

It took Gustavo a minute to understand what Kendall was talking about, and when he did, the volcano started to build again. In the cramped space of the control booth his anger seemed more explosive when he shouted, "I've had enough of this guy! Get out of my studio!"

"Gustavo, please," Kelly tried. "He just wants—"

"I don't care what he wants! We have an album to record and a tour to prepare for and I don't need some hooligan from Minnesota to tell me how to do my job!"

"Mr. Rocque," Kendall said in a quiet, polite tone that surprised everyone. "I am merely asking you to consider that the song you are intending to release, which is beautiful, would be better received with a natural sound. The instruments are natural, and quite calming. Would James' untreated voice not blend better with that, and augment the tone of the song?"

Gustavo was surprised into momentary silence, either by the fact that someone had called him "Mr." or just that Kendall was using a respectful approach. He stared at Kendall, who looked patiently back at him, for at least ten seconds before saying, "You think the song is beautiful?"

"It is heavenly."

James couldn't resist adding, "He doesn't say that lightly. He really means it."

Sensing that Gustavo was actually considering Kendall's opinion, Kelly offered, "We still have the original vocal track. James wouldn't have to re-record the song, we could just mix it with that track instead of the autotuned one." Gustavo sent her a betrayed expression, and she shrugged before saying, "You were a little heavy-handed with the tuning on that one."

Gustavo continued to ruminate. James saw an opening and took it. "The thing is, Gustavo, that this song is all about being honest and expressing the truth without shame. Holding nothing back and just being yourself. How can I be myself if it isn't even my true voice?"

"But it is your voice!"

"Right, but it's not...you know. Natural. A song with such brilliant lyrics should be presented in the same manner—honestly and with nothing false about it. Even if my voice isn't perfectly in tune every millisecond."

"Actually," Kelly piped up, "I think it is. I remember watching you record that one and thinking I'd never heard anyone hit every note in a song like that. I um...Gustavo, I hate to admit it, but it felt like a crime that you altered his voice so much on this one."

Gustavo's gaze shifted from Kelly, to James, to Kendall, and then finally to the engineer, who'd been present during the original recording. He nodded at Gustavo in silent agreement with everyone else.

Defeated, Gustavo demanded, "Give me a version of 'No Shame' with the original vocal track. Send it to Kelly. We'll listen to it later. For now, I want James in that booth and ready to sing the one we worked on yesterday without him. Kelly, refresh him on the lyrics. James, do you remember it?"

They hadn't worked on the current song since before Kendall came into his life, which seemed like years ago at this point. "I think so," James said anyway. He did have a fantastic memory for music and lyrics. "I'll be fine once Kelly and I go over it."

"I want better than fine. I want amazing. Get in that booth." He turned to Kendall and pointed at him. "You. Sit wherever you want, but I want no sound from you for the next hour. We need to finish this album, and I can't do that with you interrupting the process every five seconds. Keep that up and I'll banish you to the lobby. Do you understand me?"

James almost laughed trying to imagine Gustavo's attempt to separate Kendall from him. To his credit, though, Kendall only nodded with the same thought clear on his face—try it and die.

"Okay, people!" Gustavo yelled. "Let's record an album! Everyone be ready in three! I'll be back."

He swept from the studio with a flourish. Kelly turned to the engineer and asked, "Can you get me a remixed track of 'No Shame' before we start?" Together they bent their heads over the laptop open in front of him, and James took the opportunity to escape into the sound booth with Kendall. His head was all over the place. They hadn't even been here an hour and James felt like he'd been through a tornado.

"Are you well?" Kendall asked softly, immediately in tune with his feelings.

"Yeah, just...so much happening." He caught sight of the mic and tapped it, then spoke into it. "Can you guys hear me?" There was no response from inside the audio booth. James let his shoulders drop as he relaxed for a second; they wouldn't be overheard. He leaned into Kendall without thought, wishing for the wings but knowing that couldn't happen anytime soon.

Kendall's arms started to come up. James backed away with a scared look, stopping Kendall before he could land the embrace. "Not here."

Kendall frowned. "You are in need of my touch. It soothes you."

God, it so did. It was all James wanted right now. "Not around other people. They'll think..."

When he trailed off, Kendall asked, "They'll think what?"

There wasn't time to explain the details of showing affection in public and how that would affect his image. "Just trust me. You can't hug me here."

"I hugged you Saturday, at the location of your video. How is this different?"

Wow, James had forgotten about that. Had anyone seen? "It just is, Kendall. There were a lot of people there, nobody was paying attention. Everyone was too busy. Here...it's just more..." What was the right word? Intimate? Kendall would never understand the difference. "You just can't, okay?"

"If that is what you wish," Kendall answered, though he clearly thought James was overreacting. "How may I help you here, then? You are not calm."

"Just..." Just what? There was nothing Kendall could do, because at any second the two in the booth could look up, or Gustavo could walk in, and James couldn't risk them seeing something that might look like he and Kendall were...together. But damn, Kendall wasn't wrong; his touch would definitely help.

In a burst of sudden inspiration, James shifted so that his back was to the audio booth and Kendall was facing him. He pulled the hem of his t-shirt up just enough to expose a bit of his midriff and whispered, "Put your hand there. Quick."

It only took a second for Kendall to get the idea, and then he pressed the palm of his hand to James' bare skin. Warmth flowed into James from the contact point, just as he'd known it would. He closed his eyes to let it spread through him, bringing calm with it. "If anyone looks over, drop your hand. Slowly."

"No one will be aware," Kendall promised in that same soft tone that James had decided was his favorite. The hand stayed put for another fifteen seconds before Kendall removed it, gaze searching James' once he opened his eyes. "Gustavo is approaching. Are you well?"

He was. James was done trying to understand how Kendall's mere touch affected him so deeply; all he cared about was that it did, and it helped him face obstacles throughout the day without losing his mind. "Yes. Thank you." He smiled at Kendall, who beamed back with that gorgeous smile, at least for a few seconds. Then it faltered as Kendall seemed to search him. "What?" James worried. "What's wrong?"

"It is that new part of your aura. It just flashed brighter."

"What the hell does that mean?" James whispered.

"I do not know. It has calmed again, but..."

"But what?"

"It is...growing. It is larger than it was this morning."

That couldn't be good. Kendall made it sound like a cancer growing inside him. Before he could ask more, though, Gustavo was shouting demands from the audio booth—one of them being that Kendall leave. After a last look to make sure James was okay, Kendall joined Gustavo and Kelly in the studio. He smiled at James in encouragement, and James nodded that he was fine.

Time to make some music. He could worry about everything else later.