I'm on a roll here! Lol thanks so much for the reviews, you guys made me feel way better about ma writing. I love you all! I've had this chapter half-written for ages, before I even started chaoter 5 or 6. I decided I'd finish it off tonight and post it. Hope you like it, though it is sadder than the last 2 chapters...

James didn't really have much intention of going back to Kendall's house. After what had happened last time, he was unwilling. And no matter how nice Mrs Myers was, he couldn't help but resent her a little. How could she be so oblivious to what was going on in her own house? And it was worse if she did know what was going on, and wasn't doing anything about it.

Despite his loathing for this lack of consideration, James was happy. There was still those nights when the pressure was too much and his blood would drip down the drain again, but during the day there was a spring in his step.

But maybe it just wasn't meant to be. It started with a Sunday afternoon. Kendall and James were lying on a picnic blanket in the park, Kendall's head on resting on James's chest, his arm draped over James's waist, one leg draped over James's. James had both arms slung around Kendall's slim body, breathing softly into Kendall's hair as he caressed little circles in Kendall's sides.

As cheesy as it sounded, the sky was clear, the sun was shining and James felt a soothing summer breeze ruffling his hair as he smiled at nothing in particular. "This is such a good day," James sighed in spite of himself.

He felt the vibrations when Kendall laughed, before leaning up and kissing his jaw. "I agree. I love it out here." He snuggled closer to James. "I feel . . . I dunno, free."

He figured anyone who was assaulted by his family would feel free anywhere other than at home. However, he settled with pressing his lips to Kendall's hair and murmuring, "I know what you mean. I wish we could stay here forever."

It was just his luck that he felt a drop of rain land on his nose as soon as he finished the sentence. He sat up with a sigh, pulling Kendall up with him. "Wanna go back to mine? No one will be there."

"Ok, great." They both got to their feet. As they made their way back to the house, they ended up using the blanket as an umbrella and by the time they dashed through James's front door they were both breathless with laughter.

"You wanna watch a movie?" James asked, leading Kendall into the living room.

"Sure. Which one?"

"Whichever." James knelt on the floor next to the pile of DVDs in front of the TV. All neatly stacked. His dad was weird like that. After pondering for a few seconds, they were left with a sci-fi and a horror.

"Let's watch this one," Kendall said, picking up the horror.

"I thought you hated gory stuff," James said, puzzled.

"Oh, I do." Kendall smirked at James. "But I've got you here, so I'm all good."

James grinned at this, and quickly grabbed the DVD, putting it in the player and sitting down on the couch. Kendall sat next to him, folding his legs up and curling up with his head on James's shoulder. James wound an arm around Kendall's shoulder, grinning to himself.

The movie was half ignored; at least every twenty minutes James would tilt Kendall's chin up and kiss him. James loved this movie, though. He'd always had a thing for gory horror stuff. It was only better when Kendall was here with him, especially since Kendall buried his face in James's chest through all the scary parts. The movie eventually ended, but Kendall didn't move from his place snuggled up to James. "You know," James murmured in his ear. "If my dad gets home and sees us it may be very awkward. We should go upstairs."

Kendall didn't reply, he just held onto James tighter. James chuckled and grabbed Kendall by the waist, standing up and lifting him over his shoulder. "Let's go, blondie! I hoped I wouldn't have to do this."

Kendall giggled hysterically as James hurried up the stairs, carrying him like a fire-fighter as he kicked the door open and all but threw him onto his bed. Kendall landed on his back, laughing harder as James sat next to him and started tickling him. Kendall squealed as James tickled the sensitive skin of his sides, then without warning, grabbed James by the sides of his face and kissed him. James sighed and kissed back, momentarily distracted.

Kendall pulled James down on top of him, kissing at his neck. James moaned at the sensation, shivers running up and down his spine as he felt Kendall's fingers under his shirt. But when Kendall's hands gripped the hem of the shirt and started to pull it off, James reached out and took his hands in his own. "Kendall, what are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Kendall asked, keeping his tone light. But James could detect the nerves underneath.

"Kendall, I don't want to make you do anything you don't wanna do."

"I . . . I want to do this," Kendall said firmly, pulling James's shirt off the rest of the way. "I'm ready, really I am. I want you."

"I want you too," James murmured, deciding not to argue anymore. He was so eager to get Kendall's t-shirt off that he ripped the sleeve in two. He stared at it for a second. "Oh. Um. I just ripped your shirt. I'm sorry . . ."

"It's just a shirt," Kendall grinned, winding his arms around James's neck and pulling him in for another passionate kiss. James kissed him back, hands moving to Kendall's jeans and quickly opening them. Kendall did the same to James's pants right before they kissed again. Then they got ready for what was about to come.

When a tear slid down Kendall's cheek, James kissed it away. He wanted Kendall to know how he loved him, how his life had been dark and cold before she'd shown up. Putting all that into words was a lot harder than showing him. Even as they finished, James kept his eyes locked with Kendall, saying whatever he could with that one gaze as they curled up in each other's arms, once they'd come down from the high of what they'd just done.

James couldn't help but notice how perfectly they fit together. There were no limbs sticking out at awkward angles, and he noticed. Kendall's head was resting on his shoulder, his hands on James's biceps, his legs folded on either side of James's waist. He lifted his head a little. "I love you, Jamie."

"I love you, Kenny." James pressed his lips to his hair. "So, so much."

Kendall smiled at him, and James wondered how he could be so beautiful. It seemed almost impossible to him. Then Kendall looked at the clock on James's bedside locker, his smile faltering. "Shit. I really need to go." He sat up and hopped off the bed, reaching for his clothes and pulling them on a rapid pace. James got up and did the same. "I'll walk you home. Do you think your parents will be mad?"

"I hope not," Kendall murmured, pulling his jacket on. He knew what that would mean for him. They left James's house and walked quickly. Kendall prayed his dad wouldn't be home, although if there was one thing he'd learned, it was that praying never did him any good. Kendall stopped James when they got to his front porch. "I'll see you tomorrow, I guess." He kissed him goodbye and hurried inside, shutting the door behind him. He decided to take the silence as a good thing, taking his jacket off and hanging it on the end of the stairs. He went into the living room, and then stopped short. His dad was sitting there, reading the paper.

He looked up at Kendall. But then he kept looking. "What the heck happened to your shirt?"

For a second terror completely took over, and all Kendall could think about was running for the door. Then he managed to stutter out, "Uh . . . I dunno, it must've r-ripped on something . . ."

His dad stood up, eyes wild. "What, did your neck rip off something too?"

Kendall's hand automatically flew up to cover the hickey on the side of his neck. He hadn't realised how noticeable it was. "I . . . I . . ."

"You had sex didn't you?" Kendall had never seen his dad liked this. He'd never looked so furious before. He took a step towards Kendall. "Didn't you?"

"N-no, I didn't . . . you know I wouldn't . . ." Then he made the mistake of stepping back.

"Don't lie to me!" A fist slammed into Kendall's cheek, and for a second the yelling was blocked out. Then he felt the pain. And he was so scared he thought his heart just might stop. His dad was yanking him upstairs by the hair. Both of them were screaming and yelling.

"You're a little slut! Are you trying to ruin me?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, I swear!"

"Do you throw yourself at every fucker you see?"

"Let go of me!"

He did, throwing Kendall against the wall before picking him up by the front of his T-shirt. He was shaking him violently, slamming him against the wall repeatedly. He was practically frothing at the mouth as he shook him harder. Then suddenly he stopped, eyes narrowed. "It was that James kid wasn't it?" he hissed in Kendall's ear, holding him firmly in place when he struggled to get away. "He forced you into it, didn't he?" Maybe there was still some hope. Maybe his son wasn't a complete disgrace.

But Kendall wasn't a liar, and he finally whimpered out, "It—it wasn't like that . . ."

"You fag!" his dad yelled, eyes wide with shock as he shoved Kendall onto the floor.

If Kendall had been scared before, now he was terrified.

The house almost echoed with the screams and shouts that followed. The screams were wild, full of pain and fear. The shouts were angry, bellowing insults as the screaming continued. Thumps could be heard as the shouts and screams got louder. Yelling curses, screaming for help. But there was nobody else around. Then suddenly, everything fell silent.

Mr Myers walked downstairs, his fists clenched, his jaw set. The stupid fag deserved what he got.

Kendall wasn't in school the next day, and James noticed. He was confused. Maybe he was sick? James missed him. He sat with Logan, Carlos and the girls at lunch. He could see how close Logan and Carlos were getting, but his mind was elsewhere. As soon as he got the chance, he pulled out his phone and sent a quick text. R u sick?

He didn't get anything back.

Kendall wasn't in school on Tuesday, and James noticed. This time he called him at lunch. It went straight to voicemail, much to his frustration. So he left a message. "Hey, it's James. Are you sick or something? I miss you." He paused. "Uh . . . call me when you get this, ok? Bye."

He didn't call back.

Kendall wasn't there on Wednesday, and James noticed. He was getting worried. True, Kendall had had been out of school a few days in a row before, but this time James just had a bad feeling in the gut. This only got worse when he called Kendall and it went straight to voicemail, again.

"Hi, it's me again. Are you ok? I'm worried about you. Just . . . call me, alright?"

On Thursday, Kendall wasn't in either. Now things were getting weird, and James couldn't help but wonder why Kendall wouldn't answer his calls. When he called again, what he said in his message was, "Are you mad at me or something? Look, whatever I did, I'm sorry. But I'm really worried now. So, yeah. You know the drill by now."

On Friday, James was raging. Why wouldn't Kendall talk to him? He was both worried and annoyed. This time, however, he didn't call Kendall. He had another plan in mind.

He was momentarily distracted when Logan ran up to him, yelling, "James James James, you'll never guess what!"

"Hmm?" James turned to look at him. "What is it?"

"Carlos asked me out, like two minutes ago! This is the best day ever!"

James smiled and tried to be happy for him, but it only made him think of how worried he was about Kendall. Throughout the entire day, he could think of nothing but seeing his boyfriend again and getting to the bottom of this.

He got home, did his homework and waited. And waited. And just for some change, waited some more. When his watch read 11:30pm and he was sure his family was asleep, he sneaked downstairs and out of the house. The walk to Kendall's was quick, and the fast pace he was moving at kept him warm. He finally reached Kendall house, walking straight towards the window he knew was Kendall's.

He thanked his lucky stars there was a tree outside Kendall's bedroom window. Teeth clenched in determination, James started to climb. It wasn't long before he was crouching on a bench level with Kendall's window. He peered through the glass. The curtains were open, and through the dark he could just see a figure curled up on the bed at the other end. He reached out and tapped on the window with his knuckles, praying he wouldn't wake anyone else up.

After knocking a second time, Kendall sat up and turned around to look at him with wide, scared eyes. He'd never looked at James like that before. Ever. Kendall threw back the comforter and got up, walking overt to the window and opening it. "What are you doing here?" he whispered, looking terrified. "If my dad catches you—"

"I had to see if you were ok," James replied. "Can I come in?"

"I guess so." Kendall stood back and allowed James room to climb into the room.

Suddenly James noticed the bruises tainting Kendall's pale face. They looked worse than they ever had before, as his the bruises covering his arms and neck. "What's up?" James asked, trying to turn his attention away from his boyfriend's injuries. "You haven't been in school all week. I tried calling you, but . . ."

"I'm sorry about that." He paused. "I need to talk to you," Kendall said in a small voice.

"Ok. What about?" James sat on the chair at his desk, waiting.

"I don't . . . um, I-I don't think we should do this anymore."

James looked up in shock. "What? Are you breaking up with me or something?"

"I'd like to say 'or something', but that would be a lie," Kendall replied quietly. James got to his feet. "Why?" he asked almost desperately.

Kendall looked at the floor. "I don't know how to say it . . ." He swallowed, still refusing to meet James's eyes. "He found out, James."

James didn't have to ask who 'he' was. He knew perfectly well. "When?"

"Sunday night, after I said goodbye to you. It was my fault; I thought nobody was home, and I forgot about the shirt and the hickey on my neck, but he noticed and he got mad at me . . ." All James could do was stare as he continued. "At first he was just yelling in my face that I wasn't to go around sleeping with 'every hooker I saw' but then he figured out that it wasn't a girl I slept with at all, and then he got really mad." He lifted the T-shirt he was wearing, and James thought he might actually throw up. There was all the both new and old bruises, but what really shocked him was the long cuts across his stomach. They formed a shape. Or letters, really. Just three.

F A G.

"Kendall . . . I didn't know. I'm so sorry; if I knew this would happen I never would've . . ." James couldn't talk anymore. He was shaking too hard.

"It's not your fault; it's mine. I wasn't careful enough." Kendall finally looked up. "James, if he finds out that I'm still seeing you I seriously don't know what he'll do. And . . . if I'm not around to hit anymore, he's gonna start on my sister. I can't let him do that." He dropped his shirt back down to cover the marks. "I can't."

"You can't just let him push you around—"

"I've been locked in here for five days, James!" Kendall was glaring at him now. "He took my phone and locked me in here. Every time you called or texted, he came in and hit me. He only let me out for ten minutes a day. If I don't do what he says, he's gonna do things like this to Katie! Wouldn't you do the same for your sister?"

"Yeah, but . . ." He stopped. "So, you're giving up . . . it's totally over for us?"

"What do you want me to say?" Kendall asked. He was close to tears, and James noticed. "Do you want me to lie, and say that I don't love you? That I'm breaking up with you because I want to? That meeting you wasn't the best thing that ever happened to me . . ."

James took the blonde in his arms. "No, that's not what I want you to say. I think Katie has the most amazing brother in the world . . ." He couldn't say anything else, because Kendall had kissed him softly. Just for a second, before he pulled away again. "I'm sorry, James," he whispered, a single tear sliding down his cheek. James reached up and brushed it away, wishing he could just make all the pain go away. Then they both heard a creak from the other side of the bedroom wall, both of their heads snapping towards the sound. "You need to go," Kendall murmured, pushing James back towards the window. "Before you do, will you promise me something?"

"Sure. What is it?"

"Will you try to stop cutting? Like, completely?" James looked at him with wide eyes. They'd never spoken openly about the cutting or the beating. But he nodded. "I promise." He pushed the window back open. He took one last unhappy glance at the blonde boy watching him, before climbing back out into the cold night.

Would things ever get better?

I watched the ad for Big Time Break Up and cried! I'm pathetic. But Kendall looked so sad... I personally don't like the pairing Jendall at all, but I know I'll be crying my eyes out for most of that episode. Anyway, please review!