Disclaimer: *Sigh*. I don't own Big Time Rush. If I did, I'd probably be helping James celebrate his birthday right now. But I'm nowhere near the guys, so I obviously have no claim over them.

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Per usual, a HUMONGOUS THANK YOU to everyone who has read, followed, favorited, or reviewed this story! I always appreciate it and I always get so excited when I see a new alert or review, so thank you :)

A/N: First of all, I just have to say...Happy Birthday to James Maslow! Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know the chances of him ever reading this are less than zero, but whatever, I had to say it ;P Second off...well, okay, there's not really a lot to say about this chapter, just that I hope you enjoy it :) Oh, and James, if you ever read this, consider it your 23rd birthday present from me, okay? ;)

Warnings: Language and sexual innuendos

Enjoy the chapter :)

Chapter Seven – All's Fair In Lust and War

Katie's POV

I couldn't get the feeling of his lips against mine out of my head – or off of my skin.

It had been a touch, not even that, but it was like a tattoo, impossible to get rid of without extensive surgery and a hell lot of pain and money.

And what was strange was that with just that half touch, I was left gasping for air, craving more desperately, needing him to come back out and kiss me until my lips were so swollen I wouldn't be able to speak.

In all honesty, it was probably a good thing that he didn't, because while I blatantly refused to constitute that mere half touch as cheating, making out with him would definitely count as two-timing and I was morally against that.

Big time.

That didn't stop me from staring helplessly at his dorm room door, wishing I had the guts to knock on said door and throw myself into his room while pushing him onto his bed and…Oomph. This was not something I should've been thinking about in the middle of a hallway. I really needed to get out of there.

I hustled out of Bastille Hall and to my own dorm, considering the pros and cons of telling Camille what had just happened with James.

I could still feel his bare skin under my hands, smooth and warm to the touch, muscles flexing with every movement.

Oh, God…those muscles…my hormones…I was a horrible girlfriend.

But I couldn't help it! He was so…oomph. I needed him naked and on top of me right then and there.

And wow, was my mind going into the gutter. I was pretty sure my mental cherry had been popped the second he had opened his dorm room door half naked.

His fault.

Not mine.

All his fault. Him and those muscles and that smirk and amazing hugs and just everything about him.

I wanted him.

That was all there was to it. I wanted him, plain and simple.

But what was I supposed to do about Zach? I loved him. Maybe I wasn't in love with him, but I did care about him, and he was a huge part of my life. I couldn't imagine not being with him, I really couldn't.

But at the same time, I couldn't imagine not having anything to do with James…

But, I reminded myself, I have a couple of days away from Zach, so maybe I'll be able to get something figured out on the James front.

Something to hope for, anyway.

I slowly made my way back to my dorm room, where Cami was waiting for me. "Hey, what took you so long?"

"Got held up a little…" I admitted as I closed the door behind me and collapsed on my bed.

She immediately perked up. "By James? Do tell."

"He…um…he was shirtless…really hot…I asked him…we hugged…and then he kinda…kissed me. Not like a real kiss!" I added quickly as Camille sat straight up, mouth hanging wide open. "Like, his lips barely touched mine."

"Dude. He came onto you." She grinned widely at me. "The sex god came onto you!"

"First of all, please don't call him a sex god," I begged. "It doesn't do anything for my sanity. "And second…I know…"

"And do you want him to continue coming onto you?"

"Honestly?"

"No, I want you to lie. Yes, honestly!"

"Honestly…yes…God, Cam. If he had pulled me into his room, I probably would have started ripping his clothes off. Or, well, his sweats off, because that's all he was wearing."

She smirked. "You animal, you."

I whimpered. "It's not my fault! He just has this…thing…about him. It pulls me in and I can't get away and I don't want to and I want more and I need more and what am I supposed to do? I have a boyfriend, Camille."

"Yeah, a boyfriend who's both a dumbass and a prick. Honestly, you're better off without him," she informed me.

"But James…he's got that reputation…"

"Do you honestly believe his reputation is warranted?"

I shook my head. "Not really."

"Look, from what I've seen of him, he's a nice guy. The fact that he's smokin' hot doesn't hurt either. But my point is, despite what he's done and who he's done – "

I winced.

"Sorry. Katie, he's a good person. How does he treat you? He's nice to you, right?"

"Yeah, so nice. He's an absolute sweetheart to me – well, except for tonight."

"Eh, tonight doesn't count. Just blame sexual tension on that." She waved it aside.

"I can't have sexual tension with someone!" I cried, sitting bolt upright. "Not with someone besides Zach!"

"Forget Zach. Forget him, just for the weekend. James and Carlos are coming with us to Winchester, right?"

"Yeah," I nodded. "They're both excited."

"So use this opportunity to get to know James a little bit better. Figure out if you can see yourself dating him. Find out more about him. See if he'd be a better boyfriend for you than Zach could ever be. Give yourself a free for all this weekend," she continued on. "Anything goes, and whatever happens in Winchester stays in Winchester."

"But…what about Zach…?"

She sighed. "I wasn't going to tell you this…But I saw him flirting with Tiffany Shepherd today."

I gasped. "That cheerleader with the implants?"

"That would be her."

"Are you sure he was flirting with her? Maybe he was just being nice."

Camille snorted. "He was touching her arm, her hip, I even saw him squeeze her ass at one point. And he was whispering something in her ear, and I'm pretty sure it wasn't can I borrow your chemistry notes."

I bit down on my bottom lip, tugging at it. "I should probably ask him about it…"

"He'd deny it," she pointed out. "But Jo can vouch for it as well."

"Why weren't you going to tell me?"

"Because we didn't want to upset you and it's not technically any of our business. We weren't sure you'd want to know."

"I didn't want to know. But if he's going to flirt with other girls, then I should be able to flirt with other boys. This relationship isn't one sided," I added furiously. "And he was being such a jerk about me being in detention with James…what an ass."

"Yes he is."

"I wonder if he's cheated on me…"

"Hard to say," Camille shrugged. "But he's definitely looking at other girls, at the very least."

"I know." I ground my teeth. "Jerk."

"Agreed."

"Well, like you said, I'll have a weekend away from him, and maybe I can clear my head about him and James."

"Exactly. And just have fun for once in your life, Katie."

"I do have fun – "

"Bullshit. You haven't had fun since you were eleven. And I know why, but it was five years ago. You need to let yourself breathe, for once in your life."

"I will. I'll do it this weekend."

"Good." She leaned back against her pillows. "Now, can you help me study for my ethics quiz tomorrow? I still can't figure out what relativism is."

Just as I had thought, the image of shirtless James made an appearance in my dreams that night. And every single thing I had wanted in the heated moments following our half-kiss was acted out.

I didn't want it to end.

When I reluctantly opened my eyes, I caught Camille smirking over at me as she buttoned up her shirt. "You're loud," she informed me. "You moaned, you groaned, you whimpered, you whined, and you cried out James' name. You move a lot too," she added, nodding to the covers, which were pretty much crumpled at the foot of my bed. "Must've been one hell of a dream."

I whined. "Damn him!"

"More like fuck him."

"Shut up. You know, it would be so much easier if my body reacted like this to Zach."

"Yeah, but if it did react to Zach, than that'd be really gross."

I rolled my eyes. "It would be natural since he's supposed to be my boyfriend."

"Yeah, whatever. Katie, look. I know he fits into your life plan and everything, but has it ever occurred to you that you relationship with him has run its course? You two have changed, your relationship has changed. There's a reason why you're feeling these things for James but not for Zach. And that reason is that you two don't really have anything anymore. You don't have any chemistry. And you should probably consider that."

I sighed. "I'm just not sure I'm ready to let that part of my life go. And there's nothing really wrong with our relationship."

"Except for the lack of feelings and chemistry. Face it, that isn't a relationship. It's a fucking arranged marriage."

"Look, we'll see what happens this weekend. If anything happens between James and me, then I'll break up with Zach. But if nothing happens…And besides," I continued on, "James probably doesn't even want a relationship."

Camille shrugged. "It wouldn't hurt to ask."

"True…"

"You should find out. At the very least, you should see if he's a good kisser or not. But I bet he is."

I shook my head and got to my feet. "I'm going to go shower. I'll meet you at breakfast."

"Sounds like a plan."

The rest of the day dragged by slowly, seconds turning into minutes and minutes into hours. At last, it was time for detention. I glanced at my phone once more as I walked down the hall, rereading the text Zach had sent me when he had found out James was "replacing" him on the trip. I had learned some new cuss words from his text.

But at least I would have detention to take my mind off of things…Detention…Great.

My last day.

Thank goodness.

I walked into the detention classroom and immediately spotted James in his usual seat, pouring over the information about Guys and Dolls. My cheeks heated up, but I walked over to him anyway, sitting down beside him. "Hey."

He looked up at me and flashed me a smile. "Hey."

"So, you ready to go?"

"Yep. And Carlos is super stoked about this."

I laughed. "So are the others."

"I'm sure. Your parents are really cool with letting us use their place for the weekend?"

"My mom and stepdad are, yes."

"Are your parents are divorced?"

"They're not married anymore."

He blinked at me, before slowly nodding. "Gotcha…"

"Your parents are divorced, right?"

"Yeah."

"What's your stepmom like?"

Something flashed across James' face, before his expression hardened, his hands clenching into fists. "She's a bitch. She's the reason my dad and I don't get along."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did you guys used to be close?"

"Not super close, but close enough. But then he married her when I was twelve and everything went to hell."

I eyed him, startled by the vicious look on his face. "You really hate her, don't you?" It was a strange thought, that someone could hate someone else as much as James obviously did his stepmom, but there was no other way to describe it. His entire reaction was just too obvious to misread it.

"Believe me when I say you have no idea. She took my life away from me."

"And your dad doesn't know that she's so bad?"

"He doesn't listen to me. She's got him wrapped around her finger. It's pathetic," he spat. "He eats everything she says up, and it's all lies."

"That's got to really suck," I said sympathetically, entwining his fingers with mine. "I don't know what I'd do if my stepdad was like that. It must be pretty awful."

"It is, it really is. I spent most of the summer with them…first time I've done that since freshman year. I'm never doing that again." He let out a long sigh, raking his fingers through his hair. "I'm sorry. I just don't really talk about either of them very much, especially her."

"Why not?"

"No one asks," he said simply.

I opened my mouth to question him further, but at that moment Mrs. Vanderbilt called detention to order and I let the subject drop.

"So, does Zach know I'm coming with you guys?" James asked once Mrs. Vanderbilt had left the classroom.

"I texted him this morning, and he responded very colorfully." I shrugged. "But it's whatever. Camille told me she and Jo saw him flirting with another girl, so I'm not really taking his opinion into account at the moment. I'll talk to him about his flirting habits when we get back, but I just want a weekend away from him. He's turned into such a jerk and it's really getting annoying."

James nodded. "I can believe it. He really is a jerk."

"He can be. Anyway, I have a question for you…It's about Carlos."

He looked at me expectantly.

"Is Carlos gay?"

"You're asking because of his reaction to Logan, aren't you?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I mean, if it makes any difference, I don't think Logan would be opposed to it, if you get my meaning…"

James grinned. "Neither would Carlos. Yeah, Carlos is gay."

"Logan's bi. And he has a huge crush on Carlos."

"And Carlos has a huge crush on Logan. We should totally try to get them together this weekend."

"Oh, agreed," I bobbed my head enthusiastically. "Just call us unprofessional matchmakers."

"We could have our own website," he added in. "Diamond and Knight – Amateur Matchmakers. We'll match you up with the person of your choice – for a small fee."

I laughed. "That could be a Tumblr page."

"Something to look into this weekend," his grin brightened. "Oh, so, what're the sleeping arrangements like?"

"It's two to a room," I replied. "Well, normally. We have seven this weekend, so that might be a small problem, but I'm sure we'll figure something out. Kendall and Jo always room together, and Logan and Zach are always together, while Camille and I bunk with each other."

James gave me a sharp look. "You're not in the same room as Zach?"

I shook my head. "We're not sleeping together."

"Wait, so…you're a…virgin?" He said the word as if it was foreign, unfamiliar in his mouth.

I nodded, almost laughing at his dumbstruck expression. "Could you really imagine me being anything else?"

"I guess not. It's just…you and Zach have been together for awhile, so I figured…"

"Nope. We've never had sex."

"Oh. Wow. Okay. Are you just not interested, or – ?"

"I think it's both of us. He doesn't really seem to have a huge interest in sleeping with me, or maybe he just wants to be responsible."

"And you?"

"I originally thought I was waiting for college," I said slowly.

"And now?"

I looked up into his face, biting at my lip as I met his gaze. "Now I'm not so sure I want to wait for college. There might be someone else who I want to be with, and he's graduating this year, and probably won't be going to the same university as me."

His eyes widened as my words sank in. "Fuck, Katie," he whispered out.

"But we'll see," I continued on. "And there's Zach…I'm really hoping this weekend helps me figure stuff out when it comes to him."

"I – yeah. Let's hope so." James nodded, face a little flushed. "I still don't see why you're with him."

"It's kind of…complicated. Let's just say Zach fits the standards I set for myself when I started looking at boys."

"And I don't?"

"You're everything that goes against my standards."

"But you still want me."

"Against my better judgment," I admitted. "You're everything I should hate…but I can't even work up any animosity towards you."

"So…okay. Let's get back to the room situation. I imagine Kendall and Jo will want to be in the same room. We could probably get Logan and Carlos together…"

"Camille has always hated sharing a room," I added, my voice turning quiet. "And we have enough bedrooms for her to have her own…"

"That leaves us," he pointed out.

"I know. Fuck." I ran my fingers through my hair while thinking that our little exchange the night before had really thrown me off my game.

"Did you just say fuck?" James suddenly asked me.

"Yes. Yes I did. Because it's insane. We only met on Monday, and now this whole…thing…is just growing bigger and bigger. It's like a ball that rolls down a hill. As it goes, it moves faster and faster, picking up momentum. That's what this thing with us feels like. We didn't even have a thing yesterday. And we shouldn't now, because I'm with Zach."

"Until you realize that maybe he's not actually up to your standards."

"We'll see."

"Yes. Yes, will."

"I still can't believe you said the F word."

"That makes two of us. I don't think I've ever said it before."

"Hey, there's a first time for everything."

I shook my head. "You're corrupting me, you know that? You're seriously corrupting me."

He grinned. "And you're loving every second of it."

"I shouldn't be…"

"But?"

"But…I totally am."

"Good." He leaned back in his seat, looking very proud of himself.

James' POV

"How was detention?" Carlos asked me when I returned to our dorm. He was doing some last minute packing, but he paused when I walked in through the door.

"It was…interesting."

His eyebrows shot up. "Interesting, how?"

"She…um…pretty much told me that she wants to sleep with me."

"She what?"

"She implied that she wants to have sex with me." I sank down onto my bed, raking my fingers through my hair. "Fuck, Carlos. She has a boyfriend…But I can't even respect that because he's such a possessive and arrogant piece of shit."

"So, why is she still with him if she wants to sleep with you?" He sat down beside me, eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

"Basically he fits into the standards she set for herself a few years back. But she's wondering about him now, she's wondering if he's really worth it. And she's confused because she can't figure out how there can be so much chemistry between us when we've only known each other for a few days. And I can't say that I blame her – I'm confused as hell, too. It doesn't make any sense…"

"Do these things ever make any sense?" Carlos pointed out. "Come on, you two have insane chemistry and you've kind of been…attracted to each other since the moment you first saw each other, it was so obvious. You're into each other, and you need each other. I've never seen you like this around a girl. And I'm sure Katie's never been like this when it comes to a boy. She's with Zach for safety purposes, and because it's convenient. But something's going to give, that much is obvious."

"I just…This is killing me. Practically kissing her last night and then just closing the door almost did me in. I was about ready to jump her in detention. I don't know what to do."

"Just play it by ear," he suggested. "Don't worry about her boyfriend – that's her job."

"She thinks he might be cheating on her. At the very least, he's been flirting with other girls."

"Really?"

I nodded. "Yeah. She told me in detention. Camille and Jo saw him with another girl."

He let out a low whistle. "Wow. What a prick."

"I know, right?"

"Well, I doubt she's going to care too much about what he thinks of her for a few days, at the very least."

"She's pissed, it's pretty obvious."

"So yeah, just play it by ear, let her lead. I'm not saying she'd be right if she ends up cheating on Zach with you, but…"

"Wilder would deserve it."

"That he would. Very much so."

"So, I'll just see what happens."

"Exactly. It's pretty much the only thing you can do."

I gave him a small smile. "Thanks. This whole situation's seriously fucking with me."

"So I see. But hey, that's what friends are for, right? To help get your head back on straight."

"Right." I stood up, stretching out. "You almost ready to head out to meet up with them?"

"Yep, just about." He knelt down on the floor and zipped up his duffel bag. "So, what's the rooming situation looking like? Did you ask her?"

"I did. You might get to share a room with Logan," I grinned at him as I hoisted my own duffel bag up over my shoulder.

He immediately began sputtering.

"And Katie and I might be rooming together…But we'll see what happens."

"Dude…if you two end up in the same room together…I mean, she pretty much said that she wants to fuck you, and you're obviously helpless when it comes to her."

I nodded. "I know. But yeah, we'll see what happens."

"Better bring condoms," Carlos suggested. "Just in case."

I pulled out my nightstand drawer and quickly located the pack of condoms I kept in there, before setting my bag down and stashing them in one of the pockets. I lifted my bag back up and Carlos and I headed out together, locking our room up behind us.

We quickly located Kendall Knight's blue Toyota Yaris. The others, save for Kendall, were leaning against it, chatting away, though the talking died down as Carlos and I approached.

Katie smiled brightly at me. "Everyone knows each other, right?"

"Yep," Camille chirped. "Hey, James, hey, Carlos."

"Hey," we greeted her.

"Kendall should be here in a few minutes," Katie told us, "He's always running late."

"Always," Jo agreed, shaking her head. "I love that boy, but he drives me nuts sometimes."

"Anyway, how should we do the car arrangements?" Katie asked. "I mean, Kendall can take five, and I can go in James' car with him…"

"And leave you two alone together? I think not," Logan spoke up. "I know you're still with Zach, but I can feel the sparks flying between you guys. I'll go with you."

"I'll join you," Carlos added quickly.

"So…okay. That leaves Jo, Cami, and Kendall," Katie said, cocking her head to the side. "I guess that's fair enough."

"Good," Logan said firmly. "Because I have a feeling this weekend's going to be interesting enough without you two getting fined by some state trooper for having sex in the backseat of James' car."

Katie's cheeks burnt bright red, but I just shrugged. "It'd probably be the hottest thing the cop would ever see."

Camille laughed. "Yeah, I like you," she informed me. "Anyway…oh, check it out. Here comes Kendall."

We all turned to find a tall, lanky guy with dark blond hair striding towards us, backpack hitched over his shoulders. "I see I'm the last one to arrive," he commented as he reached us.

"As always," Jo rolled her eyes.

"Aww, but you love me anyway."

"That I do." She reached up to peck his lips. "Anyway, we figured out the car pooling situation. Logan, Carlos, and Katie are going with James in his car, while Cami and I will be in your car."

Kendall shrugged. "Sounds good."

I led Katie, Logan, and Carlos over to my car while the others began loading the Toyota up. I unlocked the trunk of my car, and we piled our luggage in before piling in, Katie in the front with me, and Carlos and Logan in the back.

"So," Katie said as she pulled out her phone, fiddling with it. "I have a GPS app, and I've got it all set up. It should direct us, and if it gets confused I can always take over as navigator. I just think it'd be a little more accurate than me."

I nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

"Cool."

"And if you get us lost, I can redirect us," Logan added teasingly to Katie from behind her. "So we should be good to go."

She stuck her tongue out at him. "Whatever you say, Professor Mitchell."

"I'm not a professor yet."

"Yet being the operative word." Katie rolled her eyes at me and I grinned at her.

We buckled up and I started the car, before backing out of the parking space. I followed Kendall out of the parking lot and down the road, onto the main street.

And that was that. We were off for the weekend.

Well, there ya go. I was originally going to put their first night at the Knights' cabin in the chapter, but James and Katie insisted on having their different says so it got a little too long. Anyway, I hope you liked it, and I'd love it if you reviewed :)