A/N: i'm SO sorry guys! I've been lacking so much in the inspiration department for this story lately, but I got a really lovely review the other day (you know who you are!) and it inspired me to get off my butt and get to work! So thank you so much! And thank you so much to the rest of you guys, you all rule!

Chapter 26 (which is really chapter 27 according to fan fiction): Leaving.

Lacey slept like a log that night, so Kendall didn't mind waking up at 6 to go to the studio. He tiptoed out of his bedroom, trying not to wake Jo, and out into the living room, where he found the guys in tracksuit pants, which he assumed were their pajamas, with duffel bags slung over their shoulder. Kendall grabbed his half full duffel bag off the couch and headed to the fridge as James tossed him his water bottle. Kendall threw it in his bag before zipping it up and following the guys into the hallway outside the apartment.

"You wanna drive?" Logan asked Carlos as he shut the door behind him.

"OK!" Logan threw him the keys as they all made their way quietly into the lobby, past a sleeping Bitters, who was snoring loudly in his chair, and out to the car park, where they all piled into Mrs Knight's rental car, and Carlos started the engine.

"Didn't Gustavo say he was working on something big on Friday?" James reminded them.

"Oh yeah!" Carlos said, his eyes still on the road "Maybe it's another tour!"

"Yeah!" Logan put in "maybe a world tour! We haven't done one in forever!"

"Maybe he'll let us do the new music!" James said excitedly as they pulled into Rocque Records. The guys all met Freight Train out the front, although it wasn't really necessary; it was too early for fangirls, and followed him inside, chatting excitedly.

"Aren't you excited?" Logan asked Kendall, who had been silent ever since they'd left the apartment.

"Not really," Kendall told him "I kinda hope it's not a tour,"

"What?" James asked "Why not?"

"Well, a tour'd mean leaving LA," Kendall explained "leaving the Palm Woods, leaving-"

"Oh," Logan sighed as they made their way down the corridor towards Gustavo's office "it would mean leaving Jo and Lacey wouldn't it?" Kendall nodded solemnly, and Logan sighed, patting his arm "we'll see what Gustavo says, OK?"

Said manager was sitting at his desk, muttering to Kelly, and the two of them looked up as the boys entered,

"Dogs!" Gustavo said enthusiastically "Have a seat," they did so "Look, ever since this whole baby drama," he raised an eyebrow in Kendall's direction "it seems that the band's been thrown back in the spotlight, and the media's demanding another tour-"

"What?" Kendall asked, although he had to admit he had seen it coming.

"A tour," Gustavo said slowly "as in, you get in a tour bus, and you travel around, playing shows all over this country!" he was practically screaming in Kendall's face now, and the blonde screwed up his face at the droplet of spot that had just landed on his cheek.

"I know what a tour is," Kendall said, wiping at the spit "I'm just saying, do we really have to have one right now?"

"Hmm," Gustavo said mockingly, tapping his chin in exaggerated thought "let me think, yes!" he snapped at Kendall. "Now," he spun on his heel and went to sit at his desk, pointing to a map of the United States on his desk as he did so "we'll play our opening show in LA, then San Diego, Phoenix, New Mexico, San Antonio, Monterrey, Houston," each name was punctuated as Gustavo stabbed a pin its location on the map, making the boys jump in their seats "and then finish in San Francisco, got it?"

"Got it," the boys said in unison.

"Good, now get in the booth!" Gustavo snapped, and the boys wordlessly did as they were told.

A/N: Another tour! Bad things alwayshappen when the guys go on tour :)