Chapter 2! Hope you like! :)

"Carlos, will you slow down!" Kendall yelled, running after his best friend. The Latino ignored him, laughing loudly as he sprinted around the corner and disappeared from view.

"Carlos, give me back my—"

But Kendall didn't get to finish, because as he turned to corner ape crashed right into some poor stranger, both of them staggering backwards on impact. The young man in front of him had been carrying a basket full of groceries, and now they were scattered all over the ground, the basket lying with them.

Kendall bit his lips, eyes wide as he looked up at the taller man. He was very handsome; dark hair, tan skin and quite a strong looking body too. But right now Kendall was too embarrassed to take it all in at once.

"I'm so sorry!" Kendall squeaked, cheeks turning dark red. "I didn't, I didn't mean—"

"Hey, don't worry about it," the handsome man replied with a smile. "You're some little whirlwind of energy, aren't you?"

"Um . . . h-here, let me help you!" Kendall quickly fell to his knees and began picking up the jars and packets, placing them carefully back in the basket.

"Thank you," the stranger replied, bending down and finishing off the packing, before he picked up the basket and they both stood up. "So, who might you be?" he asked, holding out his hand.

"I, I'm Kendall," Kendall just about managed to say without stuttering. "Kendall Knight." Then he suddenly realised this man meant for them to shake and quickly stuck his hand out, taking hold of the stranger's. "Who are you?"

"James Diamond, at your service," the man replied with a wink, before (to Kendall's surprise) lifting Kendall's hand up to his lips and pressing a gentle kiss to the back of it.

Kendall blushed furiously when James let go of his hand, moving his arms behind his back and looking at the ground, pushing a pebble arund with his toes. "Nice to meet you . . . oh!" Kendall remembered why he'd crashed into James and quickly looked back at him. "Did you see a young man run past you, about my height, Spanish. Did you see where he went?"

"Hmm." James smiled as if he knew exactly where, but instead said, "So that's why you were running as though being chased by a bull? What's he done that you need to catch him for?"

"Well, um . . ." Kendall giggled and lifted one foot for a moment, before resting it back on the ground. "He stole my shoes."

James burst out laughing, looking down at Kendall's bare feet, before moving up to the denim overalls he wore, which were rolled up to the knee. "Is that why you're going around barefoot?"

"Well, yes. See, they're my good shoes, for church. I had to get them repaired, but then they were uncomfortable so I was wearing them around to break them in, but then I was resting and Carlos snatched them off me. And I took my socks off because they would've been covered in dirt otherwise. So, did you see where he went?"

James gave another knowing smile. "Yes, I did."

"Great! Where did he go?"

"Well, I said I knew. I never said I would tell you . . ."

"Oh, please! My father will kill me!" Kendall clasped his hands together and pleaded. "Please, please, please!"

James chuckled. "Well, we could make a deal."

"What kind of deal?"

"I can tell you where he went, on one condition." James looked so confident that Kendall certainly didn't expect what came next. "You meet me here, tomorrow evening at six, and I'll take you out for dinner in the village. Or on a picnic, whichever you would prefer."

"So . . . you want to take me out?" Kendall was dumbfounded.

"Yes, I do." James smiled sweetly at him. "You're adorable. And you seem nice. I'd like to get to know you better."

"Oh." Kendall smiled back at him, unable to help himself. "Ok. A picnic sounds nice."

And on it went, just like that.

"Oh, please stop fighting!" Kendall cried, trying to grab at one of the shrieking children. He'd left the children and gone to milk the cattle before they woke up, then come back and given them breakfast. Then as he was washing the dishes, he'd heard the yelling coming from the living room, and knew Camille and Katie were fighting. Again.

"She called me a baby!" Katie screamed, hitting Camille again with her tiny fist. "I hate her!"

"That's a terrible thing to say, sweetie," Kendall said firmly, taking hold of her and pulling her off Camille with an exhausted sigh.

"But she did!"

"She is a baby!" Camille jeered, sticking her tongue out. "She wet the bed again, Kendall!"

"It's not my fault!" Katie wailed, bursting into tears.

"I know it's not, honey." Kendall turned to Camille. "Camille, apologise to your sister. She's not a baby. You know we're in the middle of a war."

"You always use the war to make me feel guilty!" Camille sulked.

"And it should always work."

"I'm sorry, Katie . . ."

"Good girl. Now, you." Kendall turned to the girl he was holding and tickled her sides, making her giggle. "Can you bring the sheets down to me? I'll have to get them washed as soon as possible."

Katie hopped up and ran out of the room. Kendall quickly turned to Jennifer and asked, "Can you give her a hand? The lat thing I need is her tripping over them and falling down the stairs."

"Ok!" Tossing her blonde hair over her shoulder, Jennifer ran out too. Kendall stood up and stretched, yawning a little.

"Alright, children. Off you go and play. The usual rules apply, mind. You know where you can and can't be."

Camille ran out of the room, and Dak walked after her. Tyler however, didn't leave. He was staring up at the dressed, mouth pouted.

"Is something wrong, honey?" Kendall asked him, concerned.

"When is James going to write back?" Tyler asked. "We haven't heard from him in years!"

"Oh. No, darling. Not years." Kendall walked over to the dresser where he kept James's letters, all tied in a bundle with string. He bent down and showed Tyler the date of the most recent letter. "See? Just a couple of months. No big deal." But in reality, it was. The last letter Kendall got from James was sent in February. Now it was August. Spring and summer had passed without a single word from him. But he refused to lose hope. If something had happened to James, the war office would have told him. He knew that. James was fine. He had to be.

"Now, go off and play with the others, honey. It's a beautiful day today."

Tyler ran off, Kendall watching him fondly. He really had grown to low these children since they'd arrived. He almost felt as though they were his own. He knew he was going to miss them like crazy when they went home to London.

"Here are the sheets, Kendall!" Jennifer chirped, running in with Katie and handing them over, before they both asked out again, eager to be out in the sun.

Kendall carried the damp and slightly smelly laundry into the garden, and left it outside the door before going back inside. He grabbed the large metal wash basin and brought it over to the kitchen sink, filling it up with warm water. He heard movement behind him and turned around to see Dak standing at the door. "Hi, Dak. Are you ok?"

"Would you like any help, Kendall?" Dak asked him, a slight edge of hope in his voice that Kendall immediately picked up.

"Well, if you could give the hens and the pigs their breakfast, that'd be nice. I haven't time now that I've got to wash these sheets." Kendall gave him a grateful smile as the teenage boy jogged off towards the farmyard. James and Kendall had never given thought to buying something like an electric washing machine. Now he sort of wished they had. It would've saved him some time. But he just shrugged to himself and grabbed the rest of what he needed, brought it all outside and got to work.

Twenty minutes later, he was hanging the clean sheets up on the washing line in the back garden, sighing in annoyance when the wind blew and water dripped down his rain boots onto his socks. When he was finished there, he left the garden and passed through the farmyard, heading up towards where the cattle were kept, in a large barn. On one side of the wide lane was the barn, then on the other side was the gate into the large meadow where the cattle grazed.

Kendall loved his home. He knew every little nook and cranny of this farm off by heart. It was his childhood home; he'd spent most of his life here. Except for a couple of years in the middle, because when he was sixteen and after he'd confessed to his parents about his relationship with James, his parents had sent him away, saying they didn't want to be anywhere near him. Kendall stayed with James and his family until he was eighteen, when his mother quickly handed him over the property, saying she finally had an excuse to leave 'that countryside dump' and ran off to London, dragging Kendall's father and sisters with her. Kendall had been left with parts of the farm almost in complete disrepair, with no idea what to do. But James, Jett, Logan and Carlos had volunteered to help him out, and soon the place was fixed up. Kendall and James got parts of it refurnished (the biggest bedroom was their first priority, because Kendall definitely didn't want to sleep in a bed with James that used to belong to his parents) and when James proposed and they got engaged, they moved in to the farm full time and made it their home. And it had been that way for five years now.

Kendall opened the gate to the barn, and straight away the new calves trotted out and made their way quickly towards the field. Kendall followed them, making sure none of them wandered off anywhere, and soon they were safely fenced in with the other cows.

Once he made sure the gate was tightly shut, Kendall walked back down the lane and through the next smaller field in the direction of the farmyard. He trudged through the mud, not sure whether to be disgusted or to giggle at the squelching noise it made with every step.

"How are you on this fine day!"

Kendall looked up to see Jett standing there, smiling at him. "Jett, hi!" As he moved closer towards him, he tried to lift his foot and found he couldn't. He tried the other. Nope. He was stuck again. He burst into laughter, "Oh God, not again." He and James had gotten stuck more than once around this field. It was always wet and marshy here. There was one day when James got stuck and was stuck standing there for twenty minutes before it started to rain, and he had to somehow leap out of his boots and yank them out by hand. By the time he got back to the farmhouse, he was wet and freezing, but Kendall had taken care of him and done his best not to laugh at the situation.

"Is something wrong?" Jett asked, walking as close as he could without actually stepping in the worst of the muck.

"This mud is going to be the death of me," Kendall giggled hysterically, making another failed attempt to lift his foot out of it. "It's always this patch, the only problem. Can you give me a hand out of here?"

"Sure," Jett chuckled, moving forward on his patch of dry grass and holding his arms out. "Wrap your arms around my neck." Kendall leaned forward and just about managed, still laughing. Jett leaned forward and grabbed Kendall's waist. "Ok, one, two, three!"

Jett took a step back and yanked Kendall up out of the mud, the sudden weight causing him to lose his balance and topple down onto the grass. Kendall fell down on top of him, cheek on Jett's chest. He leaned up so he was looking Jett in the eyes. "Thanks," he said, smiling at him. He didn't realise anything.

Jett smiled back, wanting nothing more than to kiss those soft lips only inches away from his. "No problem, Ken."

Kendall sat up and got off Jett, much to the other man's disappointment. "I have to go make lunch for the children. Would you like to join us?"

Jett hopped up eagerly without hesitation. "I'd love to."

Jett and Kendall walked back to the house together, chatting away. Jett was only to happy to spend the entire afternoon with Kendall, even if it meant cleaning the house with him or working in the back garden. At this point he would probably do anything for him. At about five in the evening, they were outside the front door, Kendall sweeping the path of fallen leaves and Jett cleaning one of the windows.

"There are clouds gathering overhead," Kendall commented, looking up. "I think I should bring the cows in for tonight. It's always unpleasant when they've been out in the rain all night."

"You're mean!"

"Yeah, well you're a baby!"

Kendall heard a crash from inside the house and groaned. "No, not this again."

"Hey, relax," Jett said with a smile, pushing him gently away from the house. "You go deal with the cows, I'll take care of them."

"Thank you," Kendall smiled, before taking off towards the fields. He wanted to get there as fast as he could. Unfortunately, just as the last of the cattle were being herded off into the barn and Kendall was shutting it, the rain began to pour down. Squealing at how cold it was against his skin, Kendall sprinted back to he house and dived in through the front door once he got there, soaked through and shivering.

"Kendall!" Jett rushed towards him, leading him into the living room, where the fireplace was lit. "Dak, put some more turf on the fire, will you?" He turned to Kendall, gently resting the back of his hand against his pale arm, which was covered in goosebumps. "You're freezing!"

"I noticed," Kendall said softly, shaking a little as he clung onto the pocket of his denim overalls with an almost numb hand.

"Go get changed, and when you come down we'll warm you up," Jett told him, pointing towards the stairs.

When Kendall came back, he was wearing dark trousers and a baggy shirt, the sleeves long and covering most of his pale hands. He walked over to the window, glancing out when he heard a rumble of thunder in the distance.

"Oh dear, that's quite a storm," Kendall sighed, looking out the window. "Jett, don't walk home in that. You should stay the night."

"Oh, that's nice of you," Jett replied quickly. "But, I don't want to be a bother."

"Don't be silly! You wouldn't even be here right now if you hadn't watched the children for me. This is my thanks. I'm not letting you walk back and catch pneumonia in this weather." He paused, frowning thoughtfully. "I would offer you a bed, but I don't have any spare. Some of the kids are sharing as it is. I can make you a bed on the couch, I suppose."

"You really don't have to—"

"Jett, shush. You'll stay warm and dry, right here."

The seven of them sat around the fire in their chairs, talking amongst themselves while sipping hot cups of tea that Jett insisted on making for them, especially Kendall, since he needed to warm up. At eight o'clock Kendall sent Katie and Tyler up to bed, then half an hour later it was Jennifer and Camille, and then Dak went up at nine. Neither Kendall nor Jett noticed the subdued look Dak gave them as they sat there, before he went upstairs to bed. Kendall and Jett say together for another while and talked in low voices, though Jett could see that Kendall was having trouble staying awake. Of course, he wouldn't have minded at all if Kendall had fallen asleep there with him. But to his disappointment, Kendall was half leaning on him and drifting off to sleep when he seemed to realise and quickly shook himself awake.

"Sorry . . ." He rubbed at one eyes sleepily. "I'll make your bed now," he said with a smile, disappearing for a moment or two before appearing with a pillow and patchwork blanket. He fixed them up on the couch before straightening up and giving a weak yawn. "I'm exhausted. I'm off to bed. Sleep well, goodnight."

"Goodnight," Jett said softly to Kendall's retreating figure disappearing upstairs.

When Kendall got upstairs, he washed and then changed his clothes quickly. But before he got into bed, he knelt down in the floor beside it with his elbows on the mattress, hands clasped together. He shut his eyes. "I know I'm asking this every night for months, but I have to ask again. Please let James be alright. Please bring my husband back to me. I'm just praying for him and as many other soldiers as possible to come home safely, like they deserve. Please, please . . ." Tears in his eyes, he added, "Amen," before standing up shakily and crawling into bed.

He wasn't the only one in the house praying. Downstairs, Jett was kneeling by the couch, saying his own little prayer.

"God, I know this is selfish of me," Jett whispered. "Because James is my best friend. But, I love Kendall. I love him so much, more than anybody. Ever since I met him, I've longed to hold him the way James does, but it never worked out. And I know it's a terrible thing to ask for, but if there was any way he could be mine, any at all . . . I can't help whom I love. And I do love him, I just can't help it. I want James to be ok, of course I do. But he'll always have Kendall before me." Jett paused briefly before murmuring, "Amen."

Upstairs, Dak was lying in bed, hands clasped together as he whispered words so softly not even the other children in the room would hear him. "Please bring James back soon. For Kendall. Not just because if he doesn't come back, his heart will be broken. I know Jett is trying to steal him away. Don't let him, please." Dak sighed and shut his eyes, trying to get to sleep at last.

The next day, the sun was beating down from the very moment it rised in the morning. By late afternoon, the grass was all dry again, so Kendall decided to take the children it for lunch in the meadow. Jett left in the morning, oddly grim and quiet, but Carlos and Logan called up at around noon, and helped him make a picnic for everyone and pack it all into the large picnic basket.

"I missed these," Logan said cheerfully as he made some more sandwiches. "We haven't had a day outside like this for a good month or so. It's so unpleasant, being cooped up in the doctor's office all day."

Carlos rolled his eyes at him. "Don't complain, Logie. You're doing some good at least."

Wondering what Carlos was implying with that, they finished getting ready and called the children. They went up to the meadow and found a good spot for the picnic, sitting in the long grass and spreading the blanket out.

"Look, it's Jett," Carlos said suddenly, pointing across the field. They all turned to look, and sure enough, Jett was walking across the grass towards them.

"He doesn't look very happy," Dak commented, looking worried. "What's he got in his hand?"

Jennifer squealed, jumping to her feet. "It's an envelope! I think he's got a letter! Do you think it's from James?"

"I hope so," Kendall replied, smiling as Jett came closer to them. Finally, after all this time. Instantly he was thinking about all of the things James might have said in his letter. Maybe he'd switched locations, or maybe—

"Kendall," Logan said slowly. "The envelope is yellow."

Kendall turned to look at Logan, not getting it. "And?"

"It's a telegram," Logan continued, frowning at the approaching Jett.

Kendall still didn't understand.

"From the war office."

Kendall froze, turning to look at Logan at last. "W-what?"

Logan nodded grimly as Jett finally arrived in front of them. Kendall quickly stood up as Jett held out the envelope, his face unsmiling.

"Well, there's no need to assume the worst," Carlos said quickly, smiling. "Be positive."

"Yes, of course," Kendall agreed quickly, nodding as he took the envelope from Jett. "We have to be positive. This might be good news, it could be—could be anything . . ."

Kendall opened it up, eyes quickly focusing in on the small print. His smile fell immediately. "No . . ."

The keywords stood out. He noticed hardly anything else.

. . . regret to inform you that James Diamond was killed in action . . .

He hardly noticed he'd dropped the telegram until Logan was picking it up and quickly reading it. "Oh God . . ." He showed it to the others before taking a step towards the distraught blonde. "Kendall . . ."

Kendall turned and ran, sprinting through the grass away from all of them. He couldn't breathe, he had to get away. He just had to.

My Jamie,

The children are well. Though they're trying to take care of me now, rather than the other way around. I got the telegram. I haven't eaten since then, or slept. I just can't. It's too difficult. It's funny, when I was wondering whether or not you were alright and I genuinely had no idea, I was able to keep going. Now I'm just . . . breathing. Barely. I can do nothing else but sit, and remember you. I love you more than anybody in the world, and I always will. You don't have to worry about me. You should know that I'll never love another man again, ever. You are the only one for me, and you always will be. I'll always love you.

Forever yours,

Kendall.

Sitting in the chair by the fireplace, the seat he hadn't left since then, Kendall folded the letter in half. He slid it carefully into the envelope, sealing it with shaking hands. Then with an angry sob, he flung it straight into the fire, watching it shrivel up and burn away. He cried for the first time in days. He cried so hard he trembled from head to foot, face hidden in his hands. The children watched from the door with wide eyes, not knowing how to react. Then the older children walked over to where he was sitting and just stood beside him. Dak reached a hand out and rested it on Kendall's trembling shoulder, squeezing it gently. He didn't even respond.

Jett felt guilty, of course he did. But he couldn't help whom he loved.

Chapter two over. Some of you may kow what's going on, others won't. Carlos and Logan will be in it more in the last chapter, but they're not really that important through this fic, so... Please review and tell me what you thought! XD