A/N: Sorry for the late update, I've just been busy working on the later chapters and forgot to edit this one.

[ThEoNeAnDoNlYeLiZaBeTh]: I'm glad you noticed that, and it will be answered in this chapter. As for how long it takes me to write a chapter, it usually depends on how motivated/inspired I am. I usually have a few chapters in a queue, waiting to be edited, and I usually keep them there so that I can go back and change anything to fix the flow of the story. Thanks for your kind remarks.

[Love and Heartz]: Thank you for your sweet words! I am so humbled to hear that you are now more of a Jatie shipper because of this story!

Disclaimer: I do not own Big Time Rush nor the Kings

Katie dropped Kendall and the kids at the studio, informing her brother about an errand she had to run. Kendall smiled, knowing that he didn't have to worry about her. Katie went back home and made a call to James' house.

Henry picked up the phone, and Katie felt both relieved and disappointed that it wasn't James who answered. "Hey, Henry, it's Katie. Is Carlos there? Thanks, oh, Henry, how is James doing?" Katie couldn't help but ask the butler. "Okay, that's...great. No, please don't let him know I asked after him, I just...I just needed to know," Katie let out. "I'll wait, thanks, Henry." Katie waited until Carlos picked up the phone after a few minutes had passed. "Hey, Carlos. I'm sorry for running out on you, yesterday. Do you think you can forgive me?" Katie bit her lip, waiting for the Latino to answer her. She smiled slightly when she heard a relenting sigh on the other side of the line. "Will you come over for a bit? I have something to discuss with you. Thanks, I'll see you later."

Katie hung up her phone and gave a sigh of relief. She then sent an email to Mags, asking her to call up Jack, and Laura, another potential business associate, for a second meeting the next day. Katie smiled in satisfaction, thinking of her newfound plan for the future. After the amount of chaos her life had tumbled into the past couple of days, Katie felt like she was finally getting her life back on track.

To surprise Carlos, and to make up what she did to him yesterday, Katie went into the kitchen and pulled out an emergency tube of snickerdoodle mix. While her mother's recipe wasn't exactly a family inheritance, she did feel that this was a bizarre tradition that could be passed down to future generations. She hummed to herself while working, until her doorbell rang.

She ran to the door and pulled it open to a pouty Carlos, standing with his arms crossed.

Katie rolled her eyes, holding on the door, "I thought you said I was forgiven?"

Carlos walked in, "You are, but I'm still angry." He sniffed the air, causing Katie to smirk knowingly. He turned around to look at her, "Is that...Mama Knight's snickerdoodles, I smell?"

Katie schooled her facial features, determined not to grin at her obvious success, "Yes, but, I'm not sharing them with you, unless you really forgive me."

Carlos tapped his foot, until he finally opened his arms wide, "Fine."

Katie giggled and hopped into his hug. "Good, 'cause I wouldn't have been able to eat all those cookies by myself." Carlos snorted. "Alright, I could probably eat all of them, but, I'd rather let you have some, too." She finally let go of Carlos to check on the cookies. "So, how did your dinner with Ali go, last night?"

"It went well, we chatted over mundane things and then got down to business."

Katie peered over the counter, still bent over her oven. "Well?"

Carlos grinned, knowing that she was dying to know the outcome of the dinner meeting. "It's pretty official, he's agreed to become my agent. All we have to do is sign the papers."

"Carlos! I'm so happy for you. Congratulations!" Katie squealed.

Carlos grinned, "Well, really, I have you to thank."

Katie shook her head, "Nuh-uh, don't start on that again. I told you, this was all you." She gave him a wide smile, before turning around and grabbing a plate for the cookies, all the while, humming. She turned back around to find Carlos giving her a quizzical look. "What?"

"You're in much better spirits than when I saw you, yesterday. Did you patch things up with Ja−"

Katie interrupted him, "Nope, not going to talk about that. But, I do have something to tell you, and it's really going to affect you." Carlos frowned when she wouldn't answer his question, but nodded all the same, intent on listening to what she had to tell him. Katie let out a breath, before speaking again, "I'm going to be taking an extended vacation, soon. So, I won't be around to help you prepare for your role and to guide you through all the decision-making processes. But, now with Ali, he can definitely help you in those aspects, and I'm going to be expanding my management team, so there'll always be someone to answer any questions."

Carlos stared at her with wide eyes, "Wow, Katie. This is so sudden, I don't know what to say."

Katie's grin dropped as she took the cookie tray out of the oven. "I know it's a lot to process, but, I thought you'd be happy for me. That's why I told you first, well, after Kendall. I haven't told any of my other clients yet, and they're probably not going to be so supportive of my decision to leave my company so soon after its expansion...and possible takeover," she added, remembering her issue with Fulton.

"Takeover?" Carlos questioned.

Katie shook her head, "Long story, get Kendall to tell you. But, I need to know, are you okay with me leaving? If not, I'll stick around−"

"Go," Carlos interrupted. "I'll be fine, like you said, I have Ali now, and your management team. I'll figure everything out. Katie-cakes, I am happy that you are taking time for yourself, I've been begging you for years to take a vacation. I mean, what person hasn't experienced the rays of the Caribbean or the adventures in Africa?

Katie scrunched up her nose as she piled the cookies onto the plate, "Actually, I was thinking more Europe."

Carlos chuckled, "Doesn't matter. I'm just glad that you're doing this for you. Wait," he paused, "you are doing this for you, right? It's not some sort of attempt to avoid James?" He shook his head in frustration, "Why won't you guys say anything about this? It's been driving me crazy! James hasn't done anything except lock himself up in his study. We don't even know what he does in there, Logan's afraid that he's going to drink himself to death or something."

Katie was astounded by the news. "But, Henry told me that James was okay."

"Well, Henry lied." Carlos stated snidely.

"Why would he do that?" Katie asked in confusion.

Carlos threw his hands up, "Gee, I don't know, maybe because James told him to! And before you ask why, it's probably because he doesn't want you to find out that he's sunk into a deep depression because you refuse to love him back or at least admit to him that you do." Carlos shrugged at Katie's bewildered stare, "I may have been talking to Camille about this." Carlos leaned forward on the counter, "Katie, whatever it is that is happening between you and James, don't let it destroy what you guys are, especially to each other," he ended, wisely, reaching over for a cookie. He took a big bite and quickly gagged, spitting it out onto the counter. "These taste awful!"

Katie pouted, eating one herself, and promptly spat out the snickerdoodle into the sink. "Okay, clearly mom is hiding something in her recipe because these are not her cookies."

"You could say that again," Carlos muttered, smacking his lips to alleviate the taste from his mouth.

"How could I possibly mess this up? It's pre-made!" Katie scratched her head in frustration.

The Hispanic man chuckled, absentmindedly taking another bite, before spitting it out again. Carlos glared at Katie who had broken out into giggles at his misfortune, before chucking a cookie at her head.

"Ow!"

Carlos smirked, "Now, you're forgiven."

That night, Katie took Kendall out for dinner, afraid of returning to the kitchen after the disaster from that afternoon. She had invite Carlos to join them, but he declined her offer, stating that he wanted to go back and check up on James. Katie asked him to keep her informed if anything happened, hoping that James wouldn't resort to doing anything stupid. Carlos had sighed, but agreed to her request.

Katie had taken Kendall back to Giancarlo's, because it was one of her brother's favourite restaurants.

"So, have you decided on what to do about your business?" Kendall asked, before taking a bite of his chicken.

Katie nodded, swallowing. "I'm going to hire an associate and a replacement, so that way, no one would be overwhelmed with the workload. I've been saving up, and with the increase in clients, I should be able to sufficiently pay them, for a little while anyway. As with Fulton," Katie sipped her wine before continuing, "I still have a couple of weeks left to decide what to do. If it turns out that I can't stop him, then I'll sell him my company and take a year-long sabbatical."

"So, you're just going to let him buy you out, just like that? You put your blood, sweat and tears into this company," Kendall said, surprised at his sister's nonchalant attitude.

"I know, but, I'm actually really excited just to...be, you know? Look," Katie leaned in, "I can always start another management company in a year or two, if I feel like it. It's not going to be the end of the world for me. At first, I did think that losing my company would be the worst thing that could happen to me. I've devoted my whole life to establishing this as my career, but seeing you, and Carlos, and Bitters," Katie listed, "made me realize that there's more for me out there, than my office and my business." Katie smiled, finally feeling that she had control of her life again, knowing that she wasn't boxed into a corner.

Kendall warmly returned her smile, "I'm proud of you, Katie."

"Thanks. So, are you ever going to tell me where you've been sneaking off to, this past week? And, you can't tell me nowhere, because you disappear for hours at a time, and no one has a clue of your whereabouts." Katie gasped, "Is it a girl? Have you met someone? Tell me!"

Kendall snorted, "Absolutely not. I've sworn off dating." Katie rolled her eyes, hearing her brother make this statement before. "I'm serious. I've actually been talking to some people about some things."

Katie stared pointedly at Kendall. "Yeah, that wasn't vague at all," she said sarcastically.

Kendall sighed, putting down his fork, "Okay, the real reason I came out here, besides visiting you of course," he added quickly, seeing his sister's unimpressed expression, "is that the L.A. Kings have asked me to consider becoming an assistant coach."

Katie gasped again, "Kendall, that's huge. Why haven't you mentioned it? Does this mean that you're moving back here?"

"That's why I haven't said anything. I don't know what I'm going to do, yet. The deal is amazing, sure, but I have a life in Minnesota, too. I can't just abandon the hockey team, and mom. You already live out here, it just might kill her if we both leave her."

"Don't be stupid. Mom would be perfectly fine if you moved out here, too. Besides, she can always come with you. Not to mention, this is the Kings, we're talking about. The NHL? Kendall, it's always been your dream to make it to the big leagues. I'm sure your team would understand; who knows, in a couple of years, you could possibly coach them again." Katie stated, trying to persuade her brother. Seeing her brother's furrowed eyebrows, she sighed. "How long do you have to make a decision?"

"Well, the GM told me to take as much time as I needed, but I'm thinking a couple of weeks, max," Kendall told Katie, knowing that the team's general manager was only being polite.

"Okay, then," Katie replied, a little blasé, "you have a couple of weeks to decide what to do with your life, and I have a couple of weeks to decide what to do with my company. We, Knights, are going to do what's right for us."

Kendall pulled a face and pointed to himself, "Aren't I the one that usually gives the motivational speeches?"

"As if, big brother. You always give the pep talk to the guys, I'm the one that usually gives them to you," Katie smirked. From the expression on his face, Katie could tell that Kendall wasn't amused with her revelation. She giggled, as she heard her brother mumble to himself something about her being too smart for her own good.

A/N: Well, it was a short one. I'll try to get the next one up sooner.

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