Hey guys. So, this chapter is kind of bittersweet, I guess you could say. I tried to put a bit of humor into it, but I suck at humor, so it probably won't be funny, just not as angsty... until... Well, you'll see. Hope you guys like it. :)

"Everything will be okay, buddy, I promise," Carlos said reassuringly, draping an arm around Kendall's shoulders and pulling him closer against his side. The dirty blond let out a small sigh and let his head fall onto the smaller boy's shoulder, taking comfort in the warmth and reassurance his older friend provided.

"I really hope you're right. I just don't like knowing they're out there, where he could get them at any second," he said quietly, his eyes shifting to the wooden floor. He let his eyes close shut, attempting to take his mind off of the thoughts that traveled around his head at a frantic pace.

"I know. I don't like it either, but I don't think he'll do anything to them. They'll be back soon, you'll see. But... while they're gone, how about we try to take your mind off things?" Carlos suggested as he jumped up and pulled Kendall to his feet.

Kendall rolled his eyes at his best friend, doubting he'd be able to get his mind off the situation. Then again, it was Carlos, and if Carlos was known for anything, it was for being able to cheer people up even when they were at their worst. "And, how do we do that?"

"By baking, duh!"

Kendall opened his mouth to object, but before he could even get a word out, Carlos took ahold of his wrist and pulled him towards the kitchen. "Carlos, I don't see how baking is going to take my mind off things," he said as he was pushed to sit on a barstool. He watched as the shorter boy rummaged through the fridge and practically took out almost everything there was inside it. "Also, I don't think you need all of that..."

"You can never tell," Carlos said with a grin.

Kendall placed his elbow on the counter and leaned the side of his head against the palm of his hand as he continued to watch Carlos excitedly separate everything he had placed atop of it. He was still unsure of what he had planned, and he doubted that the boy's plan would work, but he was willing to give Carlos' idea a chance. He wasn't going to just reject the boy's attempts of cheering him up—it would break Carlos' heart for sure and make him feel utterly useless.

"Cookies, cake, or pie?"

Kendall furrowed his eyebrows at Carlos' question. "Huh?"

"What should we make, cookies, cake, or a pie?"

"Uh..."

"Or maybe we could make homemade corn dogs..." Kendall raised an eyebrow at the smaller boy, who seemed to be deep in thought. "What? You can never have too many corn dogs."

Kendall couldn't help but smile at Carlos' words. "You mean you can never have too many corn dogs."

"That's what I said!"

"No, it's not..."

"Wait, so can we?"

Kendall smiled, reached forward, and ruffled Carlos' black tufts of hair. "Maybe some other time, buddy. You've had corn dogs pretty much every day this week. How about we make cookies instead?"

Carlos pouted, but it didn't take long for a smile to come to his face. "Sure! But can we make chocolate chip?"

"Chocolate chip it is."

"Yay!" The smaller boy frantically started picking out the ingredients they would need and pushed the ones they wouldn't need to the side. He then turned to Kendall, who hadn't moved an inch. "Come on, you need to help me. It's not fun making cookies on my own... Plus, if you don't, I'll end up eating the cookie dough."

"Or end up burning the apartment down," Kendall muttered under his breath.

"What?"

Kendall smiled. "Oh nothing, Los, nothing at all."

"So, are you gonna tell me what's bothering you now?" James asked as he and Logan walked away from the apartment and towards the elevator. He watched Logan's expression, which turned from one of deep thought, to one filled with nervousness. "You can talk to me, you know."

"I know," Logan mumbled. Knowing there was no way that James would let this slip, he pulled the taller brunet into a corner of the hallway, his eyes looking around frantically to make sure no one was nearby. He didn't need anybody eavesdropping on them. "I just didn't get much sleep last night... I was too worried to sleep. Seeing Kendall break down the way he did... broke my heart. I just can't believe he's blaming himself for what his good-for-nothing father did to him. I don't see why he'd blame himself for any of it, but knowing his dad, he must've somehow made him believe that."

"Want to know what I think?" James asked, and Logan nodded in response. "I think, that aside from what his father might've done and said to him, he's blaming himself for something else."

"Something else like what?"

"Well, Kendall's dad was taken to jail because of what he did to Kendall, so... because of that, both Kendall and Katie were left fatherless, I guess you could say, and Mrs. Knight had to look after the two of them on her own, which must have been difficult for her."

"But that's not Kendall's fault," Logan said in a soft tone, sadness consuming him at the thought of Kendall blaming himself for something like that.

"No, of course it isn't, and it never has been. The only one to blame in this whole mess is his dad, but you know Kendall. When something doesn't go right, or when somebody he loves gets hurt, he tends to beat himself up, even if it isn't his fault."

"I know... I just hate knowing that he thinks that he deserved everything his father did," Logan explained. "If something happens to him—if he gets hurt again, I don't know what I'll do."

"Neither do I," James admitted, his voice feeling like it might break. "I promised him the first time this happened that I'd never let that man hurt him again. I'm scared I won't be able to keep that promise..."

"James..." Logan frowned as he wrapped his arms around the taller teen and rested his head against his shoulder. "You won't. We won't let anything happen to him. He's going to be okay. Everything will be alright."

"I know. I just hate this... all of it."

"I do, too."

Hesitantly, James pulled away from Logan's hold and turned to stare at the wall, forcing back the tears that had gathered in his eyes. "I guess we better figure out how to stop this. One way or another."

Logan only nodded, and the two continued to make their way towards the elevator, hoping they would be able to put a stop to this whole mess soon.

"I'm not hungry, Carlos."

Kendall stared at the plate piled high with cookies that Carlos had placed in front of him. For a while, his mood had somewhat gotten better, but now that he wasn't as distracted as before, he couldn't help but let his mind wander to James and Logan, and especially his dad.

Carlos frowned but took a seat in front of the dirty blond, his expression turning serious. "It's okay, you don't have to eat them. I just thought it would help cheer you up a bit."

"It did," Kendall said as he forced a smile for Carlos' sake, but it soon vanished. "It did help. I just... I have this feeling."

"What do you mean?" Carlos asked quietly, his brown eyes filling with concern.

"I don't know, just this feeling... Like something bad's going to happen. I'm probably just overthinking and letting it get to me, but... I don't know."

Carlos was going to respond, but the sound of the door swinging open made the two boys jump and turn their attention to the entrance of the apartment.

The sight that they were met with caused their hearts to drop and left them momentarily frozen in their spots.

"James!"

I need to stop with the cliffhangers, but they're fun to write. :P You all probably hate me by now, though... Hope you liked it, and thank you for reading!

~ BigTimeRush-BTR :)