Hey guys. I had a lot of trouble with this chapter, so it's quite short. I had made it longer, but I decided to keep certain things for the next one. I already have the next chapter planned out, and it should be a lot better than this one. This one's basically just a filler chapter, I guess, so not that interesting. I hope you all enjoy it, though. :)

Just a head's up, the first part of this chapter (with Kendall and James), takes place just a few hours after where I left off on the last one, aside from the flashback at the beginning. The part between Logan and Carlos takes place even later (just a bit later). I feel like it would have been kind of confusing if I didn't explain it. Or maybe it's still confusing... I'm not very good at explaining. If you have any questions, let me know.

"Why do you flinch whenever I come anywhere near you?"

It was just a simple question, but as the words slipped from James' lips, Kendall was left feeling paralyzed. He couldn't move, couldn't think, and could not come up with an answer that would excuse his abnormal behavior. It wasn't the first time one of the boys had realized that there was something odd about the way he had been acting, and he had a feeling it wouldn't be the last. He knew that there would be a time in which he would no longer be able to hide the truth, but he knew that for now, he had to do his best to not let it slip. It was either that, or be beaten to death, which, if he was being honest, didn't seem like such a bad idea – not considering the life he was living.

"I..."

James raised an eyebrow, waiting for Kendall's response, but the blond looked utterly terrified, so he let it go. But deep down, he knew that he shouldn't have.

"I'm so sorry, Ken," James whispered as he stared at the younger boy laying by his side, who had his eyes closed, in what appeared to be a peaceful sleep. I should've protected you, he though sadly.

Even though deep down, he knew that what Kendall's father had done to him wasn't his fault, he couldn't help but blame himself. He always wished he could've done something to prevent it. If he had only questioned him further, maybe he would've been able to put a stop to it. Maybe he could've saved Kendall before he had gone through the hell his dad had put him through.

"Don't be." Startled, James watched as Kendall's eyes fluttered open. "Why are you sorry?" he asked quietly, frowning at the brunet, who didn't seem to know what to say.

Seconds of silence passed before James spoke. "I thought you were asleep," he said, ignoring the question.

"I was, kind of, but I heard you apologize... Why are you sorry?" he repeated, concern for his best friend overtaking every other emotion.

"It doesn't matter, just go back to sleep."

Kendall sighed as he untangled himself from James' hold and sat up on the couch. Seeing how there was barely enough room for the two of them, James sat up as well and moved a bit to the side, allowing Kendall to sit beside him.

"Don't do that, please."

"It's really not important. I'm just sorry all of this has been happening. I'm sorry he had to come back and ruin everything."

"James... please tell me the truth."

"What do you mean?" James asked, pretending to be confused in hopes that Kendall would just change the subject, but he knew it wouldn't work. Kendall was stubborn, perhaps even more stubborn that him. If he wanted to find out something, he wouldn't give up on trying to get it out of him.

"I've known you for most of my life. That's not going to work, you know. Whatever it is that you're sorry for, please just tell me. I don't know why you're apologizing... It shouldn't be you who should apologize."

"He hurt you," James started, tears gathering in his eyes as he looked over at Kendall, who stared back at him with guilt in his eyes, "and I did nothing to stop it."

"But, that wasn't your fault. Why are you blaming yourself for that?"

"The signs were there, Kendall. It was obvious that you were hurting, and I think all three of us noticed that something was not right. You were hurting, and instead of trying to get you to tell me what was going on, I would brush it off whenever you'd get upset. I shouldn't have done that."

"That was my decision. I could have told you, but I didn't. How is that your fault?"

"It just is... Can we just drop it? It's not important anymore. What's important right now is that we don't let him come anywhere near any of us, and that we find a way to get him out of here."

Frowning, Kendall nodded his head and turned away from James. "Just know that none of this is your fault, none of it. He hurt me, not you. You've done nothing but be supportive and helped me get through life after everything he did. And for that, I'm so thankful... You have no idea how thankful I am to have you, or Carlos or Logan. Without you guys... without you, I don't think I would've made it this far."

Looking up, he was met by the sight of a teary-eyed James, who had tears running down his face. "We're family. That's why we're here, you know."

Kendall smiled as he wrapped his arms around James' torso, and rested his head against the boy's shoulder. "Thank you... for everything. It really means a lot to me."

"Anytime, Ken."

"I'm nervous." Carlos paced back and forth in his and James' room, his hands tangled in black tufts of hair. "What if I made a mistake by calling my dad? What if James hates me? What if something happens to Kendall?" he said quietly to Logan, who was sitting down on James' bed, watching him with worry.

"He's not going to hate you. He may be upset, and he might get worried and panic a bit, but he won't hate you," Logan said softly.

"I really hope so. I really hope I'm not just making things worse."

"You're not. I'm sure that once your dad gets here, he'll figure everything out. He always does."

"Yeah, but—" Before Carlos could continue, there was a knock on the front door. "He's here!"

Shaking his head, Logan held a finger to his lips, motioning for Carlos to be quiet. Slowly, he walked towards the bedroom door and twisted the doorknob. "They're asleep, come on."

"They're going to wake up..."

"Just come, it'll be fine."

Being careful not to make any noise, Carlos followed Logan as he made his way towards the apartment's entrance. After looking back to make sure that Kendall and James were still asleep, Carlos unlocked the door, and quietly opened it to reveal his dad on the other side.

What did you guys think? I had originally planned to have Carlos' dad more on this chapter, and not end it with him getting there, but I'm leaving that for the next chapter, since more will happen on that one. It should be... interesting.

Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter. :) Thank you for reading and for the feedback, it means a lot.

~ BigTimeRush-BTR :)