Hey guys. So, this is actually really rushed, and I'm sorry about that. I have to get up early in the morning, and I was having trouble with the chapter, so I'm sorry if it seems like I rushed things. But anyway, I hope you like it.

As the boys exited the elevator and arrived at the door of Apartment 2J, the only thing in James' mind was what Kendall's father had told him. If he called the police, he would hurt Kendall, or even worse, kill him. He wanted to believe that what the man had said was just his way of trying to scare him, but knowing what he had done to Kendall in the past, James knew what he was capable of.

"It'll be okay," Logan said right before they walked in.

But as they walked in through the door, James immediately felt eyes on him as both Kendall and Carlos shouted his name in unison and rushed to his side.

"James, what happened to you?!" Carlos questioned, causing James to groan in response. He really didn't want to talk about it, much less in front of Kendall, who looked like he was about to pass out. The color had drained from his face, and he looked both worried and angry as he saw the bruises on James' face.

When he didn't respond, Kendall got closer to him and lifted his chin with his hand in order to get a better look at the damage that had been done. James had one black eye, a bruise on his right cheek, and his lip was bleeding. "He did this to you... didn't he?" he asked quietly.

Knowing he couldn't lie to Kendall, the brunet gave a silent nod. "I'll be fine. Please don't blame yourself," he said, knowing Kendall well enough to know that he most likely would.

"It's not fine! None of this is fine!" The blond backed away from the others, his heart rate and breathing picking up as he tried not to panic. "He hurt you! H-He hurt you, and I couldn't do a thing about it! How could I have let this happen? You should've never left the apartment! I shouldn't have let you! Now you're hurt because of me. This is all my f-fault..."

"Kendall, you need to calm dow—"

"How do you expect me to calm down?!" Kendall yelled, slapping Logan's hand away as the brunet tried to reach out for him.

"Kendall, please... none of this is your fault. None of it." James neared the younger boy and took ahold of his shoulders despite his struggling. "You need to sit down and try to calm down. I'm fine, okay? I'm okay," he said as he pushed Kendall to sit down on the couch. He took a seat beside him and pulled Kendall close.

"Please stop saying that... You're not okay. Nothing's okay. Nothing's ever gonna be okay as long as he's here. I-I'm such a horrible f-friend. I c-couldn't even help you, and now you're hurt. I'm s-sorry, James."

James sighed, knowing this would happen. "Kendall, no. This isn't your fault. Yes, he hurt me, but I'd rather have him hurt me than you. And you couldn't have known he'd do it. I didn't even see it coming, so no, it's not your fault. I'm gonna be okay, alright? I'm gonna be fine, I promise." He frowned, pulling the boy closer and resting his head on top of shaggy blond hair. "And you're gonna be okay, and everyone's gonna be okay."

Kendall closed his eyes, trying to focus on his breathing, which had sped up in the past few minutes. He hated this – hated how the roles seemed to be reversed now. He was usually the one that was there for the other boys whenever they were hurt or upset, and now he couldn't even do that right. He was completely taken over by fear – fear that his father would come barging through the door, that he'd have to face him, that he'd hurt someone he really cared about. And now, one of those fears had come true, and there was nothing he could do about it.

He felt absolutely helpless.

"Hey, what are you doing up?" James asked as he walked into the living room, only to find Kendall sitting on the couch.

The blond shrugged in response and rubbed a hand over his eyes, trying to hide the fact that he had been crying for the past half hour. "Couldn't sleep, I guess... Too much on my mind."

Frowning, James lifted Kendall's legs and sat down, placing them on his lap. "Wanna talk about it?"

"I wouldn't even know where to start."

"Then start wherever, I've got plenty of time."

"Do you think I'm being stupid?"

"No, of course not. Why would you be stupid?"

Kendall sighed and looked down, not meeting James' eyes. Not that it would make much of a difference if he did, since the living room was for the most part surrounded by darkness. "Me, being so afraid of my d-dad. Sometimes I feel like I should be over it, like I shouldn't let it bother me anymore, but I don't know how to not let it bother me. Even before he came back, I had never really gotten over it. I don't think I ever will..."

"You know, sometimes people hurt us, whether it be emotionally or physically. And it's not easy to get over that. It's not easy to let it go, or to forgive them, or trust those who have wronged you, especially when they don't give you a reason to. So, no, I don't think you're stupid at all. And I think that after all the things he put you through, it's normal for you to be afraid of him. It's okay to be scared, and it's okay to not be okay all the time. It's okay to need others, and I'm telling you this, because I know that you don't find it easy to let us in."

"I feel awful, though," Kendall said quietly, finally looking up at James, tears streaming down his face. "I'm so sorry you got hurt."

"Come here, will you?" James said as he stretched his arms out and waited for Kendall to scoot closer to him. Reluctantly, the younger boy did as he was told, and James wrapped his arms around him, pressing a kiss to the side of his head. "I don't care, okay?"

"But I do—"

"I know, Ken, but you don't have to be sorry. I'm okay, really."

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

"It's just what?"

"I feel so useless right now. I don't like not being able to help, I don't like worrying you guys. I hate it."

"Okay, first of all, you are not useless. And second, you're my little brother, I'm always going to worry about you, whether you like it or not."

"I know... thank you."

"You don't have to thank me. That's what I'm here for."

As soon as James walked out of their bedroom, Carlos grabbed his phone from his nightstand and quietly made his way to the bathroom, careful not to make any noise. He closed the door shut behind him and searched through his contacts, until he found the one he was looking for.

"Hey, it's me. I... I need your help."

So... Any guesses as to who Carlos called? :) Thank you for reading.

~ BigTimeRush-BTR :)