A/N—Welcome back to the story. We're still at James' video shoot, and this chapter wraps that up. Thank you again for reading, and I hope you enjoy this! :)

Hair and make-up went well. After donning the tuxedo delivered to him by the wardrobe department, James looked himself up and down in a full-length mirror. He nodded in approval.

Needing to hear what he already knew, he spun around to face Kendall and asked, "Well? How do I look?"

Kendall's searing gaze traveled from James' face to his shoes and back up again so fast James barely noticed his eyes move. "Different."

"Different? I'm not sure that's a compliment. I need to look good."

"You look different than what I have seen so far. The suit makes you appear more mature."

"Oh. So you're saying I usually look immature?"

"I'm simply telling you that it is a different style."

James rolled his eyes, feeling like that's all he ever did around Kendall. "You can't just tell me I look good and be done with it?" A scary thought occurred to him. "Or is it because you can't lie, so you're just not saying anything at all? Do I look hideous?" He faced the mirror again, panic taking over.

"James, you do not look hideous. It is quite pleasing to the eye."

"It?" James met Kendall's stare in the mirror. "You mean me? I'm pleasing?"

"The look is pleasing. Why are you so concerned with your appearance?"

"Because millions of people might see this, dude. This video could make or break me. I have to look good. Just tell me I look good."

Kendall offered a rare smile from over James' shoulder. "You look good."

"You'd better not just be saying that!"

James turned on his heel and stormed away, more worried than ever. If he bombed this video, there went any hope of real stardom. He'd be laughed out of the scene before he could even release a second single.

Kelly's reaction was much better. "James, you look so handsome! I've never seen you dressed up before."

"Thank you." That helped—at least until he realized that Kelly's comment was the wrong thing to say in front of Kendall.

Sure enough, when he glanced back at the angel's face, it was filled with suspicion. "Relax," James muttered. He waited until Kelly was distracted to continue. "She's nothing to me. Just someone I work with."

"She finds you attractive."

"No, it's the suit. Saying someone is handsome doesn't mean you want to jump their bones. Chill out, Kendall."

Kendall frowned. "I am not warm."

"Oh my god, I don't have the time or the patience for this right now. Just...shush!"

The director approached next with Gustavo in tow. They explained the scene to James, telling him exactly where to walk and how. He was given a prop handgun that he'd be holding up as he furtively snuck around corners in search of his enemy. James listened carefully to every word, nodding to show he understood what they wanted.

"We shoot in three minutes," the director informed him. James nodded again.

Once left alone with James, Kendall asked, "Are guns not dangerous?"

"It's fake, Kendall. Just for looks. It doesn't have bullets in it."

"Ah. So you are pretending to be in pursuit of someone?"

"Yes. It's the whole James Bond idea. Turns out the girl is the head of the criminal organization, and I have to take her down. Which is why it's so stupid that we're not filming together. How do they even make that work?"

"It's best that she isn't here."

"Whatever."

A hand suddenly fell to his shoulder. "Why are you tense?" Kendall wanted to know.

James hadn't realized his anxiety was visible. "What? I'm not tense."

"You are. You cannot lie to me, James—not about what you are feeling. I sense it. You are tense. What is your fear in this moment?"

"Nothing. It's nothing." James tried to shake off his nerves. Kendall's hand moved so that his palm was pressed to the back of James' neck, and it helped. Damn Kendall for being able to read him and know exactly what he needed.

"Tell me what it is that is upsetting you."

"It's just...what if I screw this up?"

"Screw this up?"

James sighed, hating that he had to explain everything so literally with Kendall. "What if I mess up? I uh...the acting."

"Acting?"

"Acting isn't my strong suit, okay? I suck at it. I took some classes for it a few years ago and I ended up dropping out every time. I'm a really bad actor. And stop looking at me that way."

Kendall had been studying James intently as if trying to understand. "Forgive me. You're saying that you fear you will not be able to pretend well enough to be convincing?"

"Yes. That's exactly what I'm saying. And then Gustavo will yell, and I'll look stupid, and—"

"If you do not wish to do this, you do not have to."

"Stop talking like that. You know I hate it." Nerves were making him lash out.

Making a conscious effort to speak in a less stiff manner, Kendall said, "I'm sorry. I'm attempting to help you."

"Yeah well, you're not. You're just making my life hell."

"You don't know what you speak of. Hell is—"

"Kendall, not now!" Jesus, did the guy ever shut up? He was saved more inane conversation by Gustavo pointing him to his mark. It was time.

Kelly was right there to hold Kendall back, because of course he'd attempted to follow. She laid a hand on his arm and squeezed. "We stay here."

"I need to be able to see him at all times."

"Relax, he's not going anywhere. They're going to shoot him moving up and down the hallways."

"Shoot him? With the gun?!"

Kendall started to move. Kelly held on tighter. "Film him. They're going to film him! With the camera."

Eyes following James' every movement, Kendall nodded. "Shoot is another term for film."

"Right. Are you...James said you're from Minnesota?"

Kendall was still uncomfortable lying. He spoke truth instead. "James did say that, yes."

"And you don't know how this works?"

"I'm not familiar with the process."

"Clearly. Just relax, Kendall. He's safe. He's not leaving the building, and the only people allowed in are crew members."

Kendall still wasn't sure he could trust Kelly, but at the moment her words seemed to be correct. He did his best to keep an eye on James from a distance, using his power to scan when James was out of view.

An hour into the shoot, Gustavo's temper was about to boil over. Kelly kept jumping in with encouragement when she could, but it wasn't really helping. Even the director was losing patience.

James had been right. His acting sucked.

He tried to keep in mind the advice his coaches had given him during his sessions, but just as before it wasn't doing much to improve his skills. James had never been able to figure out why acting was so difficult for him. He just didn't have it in him to let go and adopt a different character—even a cool one like James Bond. He'd seen the movies, he knew how he was supposed to act. But when the time came, he couldn't pull it off.

He could hear their comments upon watching playbacks. His facial expressions were wrong. His body language was wrong. Even the way he held the gun was wrong. He looked great until they called out "Action!" and he had to move, then something inside him took over and kept him from just slipping into the role.

Finally Gustavo called for a break. James was relieved until the next thing called out was "James! Over here, now!"

Here it comes. The yelling. Fuck me.

With a heavy sigh, James set down the gun on a prop table in the fake hotel lobby and followed Gustavo into a corner of the large set. He felt Kendall on his heels, and for once wasn't annoyed by the angel's presence. Kendall wouldn't let Gustavo yell, right?

Then again, he'd been a dick to Kendall just before the shoot. Who knew what Kendall might do?

"James," Gustavo started, obviously trying to be patient. "What's the problem? All you have to do is walk down hallways with a gun in your hand. You're on the hunt for your prey. You've seen the movies, right? You know what we're going for here?"

"Yeah," James answered. He couldn't meet Gustavo's questioning glare. "I do, I just...I'm trying."

"Try harder. I'm paying these people a lot of money to be here today. Your scenes should be done by now. We're not asking a lot of you."

"Right, I know. It's just..."

"What?" Gustavo pressed. "It's what?"

He couldn't admit that he was a failure. "I'll do it right this time. I promise."

"Thank you. Take two minutes to pull yourself together and then get back to set."

James nodded. He swallowed hard once Gustavo moved away, shocked that there hadn't been any yelling. Kendall's hand immediately moved to the back of his neck again, and James closed his eyes to let out a long breath as warmth traveled from their contact point.

"Better?" Kendall murmured.

"Mmm," James hummed. It was better. It didn't solve his problems, but it sure did feel nice.

"Do you wish to leave?"

Part of him did. He'd been so excited to film his first video, and it was turning into a disaster. Why couldn't they have just let him have his way and make the entire thing a performance video? He was great on a stage. He knew how to move, how to smile, how to dance. How to be a star.

An intelligence agent? Not so much. And it sucked because it was a cool role. If he could pull it off, he'd have girls falling at his feet. But he couldn't. He didn't know how.

Kendall's thumb was caressing his skin in a way that made his body hum. Waves of comfort radiated through him. Suddenly all he wanted was to be back in his bed with those wings around him, keeping him safe from the world.

"It has been two minutes. If you're going to return, you must now. If you'd rather leave, I can take you from this place with no effort at all."

God yes, just take me home and rub my neck and let me hide my face in your feathers.

"James! It's time!"

Kelly's call from across the space brought James back to the moment. He shook himself and moved out of Kendall's grasp. What was he thinking? He had a video to film. He had fame to strive for. He could do this.

"I can do this," he said under his breath. He repeated the phrase, telling himself that over and over as he took his place again.

Kendall stopped next to Kelly, eyes not on their surroundings but on James because he was concerned. James met the gaze and mouthed, "I can do this." Kendall offered an encouraging smile that outshone Kelly's by a thousand watts.

I can do this.

As it turned out, he couldn't. One more hour passed and James got no better at adopting the role. The director offered advice, at first nicely but then in a more impatient tone. Gustavo looked like he wanted to murder James. When the director finally turned to Gustavo and said something in his ear before calling for a break, James' heart sank.

This was it. He'd officially ruined it.

James set the gun down again and waited for the inevitable yelling. Gustavo took three steps toward James before noticing that Kendall had somehow beat him there and was standing behind James in a menacing manner, a warning in his gaze. They watched as Gustavo spun on his heel and headed for Kelly instead. He muttered something in passing before continuing out of the building.

"James," Kelly began, "let's go sit down somewhere and talk."

Oh god, this is it. They're gonna tell me I suck and they don't want to work with me anymore. They're gonna send me back to Minnesota.

He couldn't make his legs move. He was frozen to the spot. Kelly strode toward the area where James had eaten earlier, expecting him to follow, but he just...couldn't.

Then there was a hand on his shoulder again. "James? Are you well?"

All he could do was shake his head and pray that the tears burning behind his eyelids didn't fall.

And then, before he could even blink, his surroundings changed. He was in his apartment at The Palm Woods. He stared around in shock. "What...Kendall, what...where are we?"

"In your home. I know you did not want to be there."

Despair quickly shifted into panic as James spun around with wide eyes. "What the fuck?! I can't leave! That's my job, I have to go back!"

"You were unhappy there."

"So what? I can't just disappear! I'm supposed to talk to Kelly!"

"You did not wish to."

"So?! There's a lot of things I don't want to do, but I have to do them. That's just life! Take me back there! Now!"

"I don't understand," Kendall frowned. "You were upset. You were trembling. Why would you want to return to a place that scares you?"

"It didn't scare me! I just don't want to be a failure! But I'm also not a coward, so I have to face this. Take me back there now!"

Kendall did nothing right away. He studied James as if trying to see inside his mind.

"Stop staring at me like that. Please, Kendall, I have to go back. I have to see this through."

"Are you sure that is what you wish?" he asked softly, a hand coming up to cup James' cheek. His thumb caressed like before, this time just under James' eye. The feeling was enough to have James forgetting where he was for a moment; warmth and peace threatened to carry him away. His bed and those wings were calling out to him again.

Kendall wouldn't judge him for that, right? For running away and hiding in the safety of that cocoon? Kendall would understand.

But Kelly wouldn't. Gustavo sure as hell wouldn't. And everyone hired to work on the video would remember this; they'd all know James Diamond was a coward and word would get around Hollywood. This could surely ruin his career much faster than being a bad actor might.

James let out a long sigh. "I'm sure. I have to go back, Kendall."

"If you must."

In the space of time it would've taken to snap his fingers, the quiet of his apartment was replaced with the sounds of the video shoot in the large, echoing space. Kendall had smartly chosen to return them around a corner so that they didn't appear out of nowhere. Together they stepped into the facsimile of a lobby. James heard his name being called out by Kelly and followed the voice.

Halfway across the sound stage, she spun around and gasped. "There you are! Where the heck did you go? You were right behind me and then you just...weren't."

"Sorry, I had to pee. Nerves do that to me." He put on his most charming smile, hoping she'd buy it.

Instead he got a roll of her eyes. "Well, can you tell me that next time so I don't walk around yelling for you like a lunatic?"

"Yes. Sorry."

"Fine. Just...go. And you go first this time, so you don't run off on me."

"Of course." James went in the direction she'd gestured and once there, sank into the same chair he'd used to eat in earlier. Rather than take a seat, Kendall stood behind James' chair with the ever-present hand on his shoulder. He felt Kendall's thumb, warm against the back of his neck where it had slipped inside the collar of his dress shirt.

Seeing that Kendall wasn't going to move, Kelly picked up his chair and angled it to face James before sitting down in it. "James...we need to figure out what the problem is. Gustavo's about to blow. The director's losing patience."

"I know." He hung his head. "I'm trying, I really am."

"I see that, but...I don't get it. Why is this so hard for you?"

At least Kelly was being nice about it. James was thankful Gustavo had sent her over to talk instead of screaming at him. He just didn't know how to come out and say it.

"James?" she prompted.

Kendall's voice was suddenly at his ear. "Tell her. She will understand."

"Understand what?" Kelly frowned. "Is there some childhood trauma at work here that we don't know about?"

"No, nothing like that," James sighed. "It's just...I've never been good at acting, okay? I suck. My coaches tried and tried with me, but I never got any better. That's why I wanted to stick to a performance video and not do all this. I can't act."

Kelly sat back in the chair, digesting that. "Why didn't you tell us this before? We could've saved so much time and money."

"I tried! I told you guys what I wanted for a video!"

"But you didn't tell us why. James, you have to start being honest with us. Lies aren't going to help anyone."

Kendall squeezed James' shoulder. "Is that not what I told you earlier, James?" To Kelly he said, "I told him lies are wrong."

James rolled his eyes. "Okay fine, you were right. Lies are bad. Whatever. But Kelly, you know how Gustavo is. It doesn't matter what I say, he's just gonna do what he wants."

"This is true," Kelly conceded, "but if he'd known the reason for your feelings, that you're a horrible actor, he might've been more open to your idea. One thing about Gustavo is that he would rather do something less exciting and do it well than try for something he knows will be a failure. And this...no offense, but this is a failure."

"I know." James hung his head again.

"What's worse is that he's already contracted to pay all these people. So we can't just scrap it and start over." She breathed in and closed her eyes, considering their options. "Is there anything we can do that would make it easier for you? Can we...I don't know, bring in a coach or something that can at least get you through this video?"

"I've tried coaches. They get frustrated with me like Gustavo does and either drop me, or I beat them to it and drop them."

"Look, Gustavo knows the best in the business. No matter what it is, he knows someone who can pull off the impossible. Let me go talk to him and see what we can do, okay?"

"Okay, but don't hold your breath. I really suck, Kelly."

She didn't argue that. Her encouraging smile before she dashed away did help, though—a little.

"Do you see?" Kendall couldn't keep from asking. "Lies cause trouble. They are the Devil's work. Kelly concurs with me that they do not help."

"Oh my god, please don't start this right now. Because you rubbing that in my face? That doesn't help either."

"It is your neck I'm rubbing, not your face."

You are, and it feels so good. James bent his head down to give Kendall better access to his neck. "Now there's something that's helping." Would it look weird if someone noticed another dude rubbing his neck? Maybe. He could play it off as tension relief, though. Celebrities had odd quirks; this could be his.

My bodyguard doubles as a masseuse. That's not too weird, right? It could work.

And just like that, James had a vision of Kendall doing this to his entire body. Warm hands all over him, from head to toe, just radiating comfort and peace to every muscle and nerve. "Oh god," he whispered, unable to catch his breath at the mere thought of it.

"James? Are you well?" Kendall's hand stopped moving and disappeared from his neck. He moved to kneel in front of James, concerned gaze searching.

"I'm...yeah. I'm good." James shook his head to clear it. Clearly not a good idea to be thinking about full-body massages in public. He should look into that, though. In fact, why hadn't he sooner? A well-trained female masseuse could be the perfect way to—

Kendall. He'd never let me do it. Not in a million years would he let a woman touch my naked body. I hate him.

"James? You are tense again. Would you like me to rub your neck?"

"No. Please just sit in your chair and keep your hands to yourself."

Taken aback, Kendall did. "Have I upset you in some way?"

"Kendall, now is not the time. I've got enough on my mind, I don't need to be arguing with you."

"I was not aware that we were arguing. Our voices were not raised at all."

"Oh my god, I can't right now. I can't. Just...please. Sit there and be quiet for five seconds." After a pause, he added, "Wait, because you'll just take that literally. Let's make it two minutes. Two full minutes of silence, okay buddy? Can you do that for me?"

Kendall's reply was, thankfully, nothing more than a look. There was confusion behind it, and maybe even a little of that hurt James wasn't willing to acknowledge. But he stayed quiet.

Kelly returned a minute into that. "Okay, I explained the situation to Gustavo. He's not happy, and he's really mad that you didn't tell him this sooner, but he's going to bring in an acting coach for you."

"Now?"

"No, there's no time. He's paying extra for everyone to come back Monday morning, and that should be enough notice to get someone out here to work with you."

James' jaw dropped. "He's paying extra? For me?"

"Mostly for himself. He'd lose more money if we just quit right now and gave up on this than he will paying everybody to come back for a few hours. And like I said, he's really mad about it. So if I were you, I wouldn't hang around. He's talking to the director right now. If you're smart, you'll disappear before he's done with that."

"Got it. Kelly? You're amazing. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Thank me by working hard with that coach Monday! Now get out of here!"

He needed to return the tux to the wardrobe department. He needed to let the make-up team fix his face and get rid of all the goop. He needed...

As he watched Kelly scurry away in her heels, James knew there was really only one thing he needed. He turned to Kendall and said, "Make me disappear."

Without a word, Kendall did.