Title: And So It Goes
Author: SLynn
Rating: T
Pairings: Logan/Camille and Kendall/Jo
Spoilers: None
Disclaimer: Does anyone actually read this? If so, these characters and settings are not mine. I'm only borrowing.

Summary: Katie has a plan, but it's Kelly that ends up needing one.

Chapter 9

Katie could have taken the elevator, but opted for the stairs; she needed the extra time to think. She should have gone directly to Camille with the note. She shouldn't have hesitated at all. She knew this in her head, but her heart was a different matter.

And inexplicably her heart was suddenly in control, and as the saying goes, 'all is fair in love and war.'

After checking, twice, to make certain that no one was coming down after her, Katie sat herself down on the bottom step and opened the note Logan had entrusted to her for Camille.

What she read made her stomach ache.

Katie wasn't sure that what she felt for Logan could be called love. All she knew was that she really liked being around him. A lot. And, well, the thought of him spending all his free time with Camille made her kind of angry and really sad. And, to be perfectly honest, maybe just a tiny bit jealous. It actually wasn't until Logan began calling Camille his girlfriend that Katie realized that something had changed in the way she did feel about him. Logan had always been around before, and when he wasn't as much, she missed him.

It was complicated. If someone would have asked her to classify the relationship, she couldn't do it, she didn't know how to anymore. It was easier with the other guys. Carlos and James were each like one half of her brother; they were like brothers. Carlos was nice to her and James teased her. It was just different with Logan, more muddled, probably because he didn't tease her or treat her any differently than he did anyone else. He was the only one she'd always considered her friend as much as he was Kendall's friend.

Reading the note a second time hadn't helped, but it did strengthen her resolve. She'd gone this far, there really was no turning back.

Katie carefully refolded the note and, instead of slipping it into her pocket, she dropped it into the first trashcan she saw on her way through the lobby.

Once at the pool Katie's eyes darted over the crowd. She spotted Kendall and Jo off alone in one of the cabanas kissing, which make her insides feel wretched. She knew that probably had more to do with the fact that he was her brother, but still, as much as she liked Logan, she couldn't imagine ever wanting a boy to kiss her like that. Not yet at least.

Another quick look and she found Camille.

Mind made up, Katie let out a sigh, and crossed over to her quickly, ready to get the worst of it over with.

"Hi, Camille."

"Hi, Katie," Camille returned, offering up a rather weak smile. To Katie's horror, her eyes were red, as if she'd just finished crying.

"Um... can we talk somewhere private?"

"Okay," Camille said, looking as if she might have an idea what this was about.

Camille and Katie walked a short ways to the adjacent park, which apart from the street hockey game that James and Logan were holding nearby, was almost empty.

" Logan asked me to come talk to you," Katie began, surprising herself by how easy the lie came. Well, it wasn't entirely a lie. More of a half-truth.

"I thought so," Camille said with a smile.

"Well, um, he got your note," Katie began, looking at her feet as they walked slowly around the park. "And, you know how you said that since your father was so mad that you pretty much had to break up with him..."

"That's what I wanted to talk to him about tonight," Camille interrupted excitedly. "I was really upset when I wrote that and was assuming the absolute worst. But, you know, I think in a few weeks, when my dad has returned to normal, it might really be okay. Your mom has been so great, she talked to my mom, and..."

"Yeah, well, about that," Katie said quickly. "Logan thinks you're right."

"Right?"

"To break up with him."

"What?"

"He said that you were right and that you guys were probably better off this way."

"Oh," Camille said softly.

"And..." Katie hesitated, but ultimately decided she couldn't do this thing in halves. "And, he was pretty mad, actually."

"Mad?" Camille asked, as if the word confused and angered her. "About what?"

"That you blamed him."

"I didn't blame him," Camille said quickly.

"I'm just telling you what he told me," Katie said, her defenses up, acutely aware that this whole thing could easily blow up in her face if she didn't tread carefully.

"What else did he say?" Camille asked, and Katie was happy to hear that she no longer sounded even a little bit sad.

"That it was really unfair that he was the one in all the trouble when it was you and your friends that really caused the problems."

"I said I was sorry," Camille exclaimed. "I told him..."

"No offense, but I don't think he's ready to hear sorry yet."

"Okay," Camille said, biting her lip and shaking her head in anger. "I think I've got it."

"Camille," Katie began, but couldn't finish. It was better this way.

"Will you give him a message from me?" she asked, having not even heard Katie say her name in her anger.

"Yeah."

"Tell Logan that if he doesn't want to get back together with me, that's great, because I don't want him back," Camille raged, just keeping her emotions under control. "And tell him that I'm glad that this happened, because now I know what a jerk he really is. Can you tell him that?"

Katie nodded slowly.

"I'm sorry for getting you involved in this, Katie," Camille said after a moments consideration. "Don't worry. You won't have to take any messages from me to him again."

Katie had nothing to say in return, just turned and headed back to the Palms, leaving Camille to trail along behind her.

The entire way back to the apartment Katie kept thinking, 'the worst is over', but she was wrong.

The worst part of the whole thing was telling Logan that no matter what he'd written, Camille didn't want to get back together with him, because, and Katie had to do some improvising here, because Camille didn't want to wait for him. And, that Camille had said that he should feel bad and that it was his fault. And, this part hurt the most, she had called him a jerk, and Katie had thrown in that if he thought a few nice words would win her back after all the trouble he'd caused.

Logan didn't look like he knew what to say after all that, so he settled on 'thanks', which sounded ridiculous after everything Katie had told him of what Camille had supposedly said, and then said he was going to bed.

"Logan," Katie called, a surge of guilt welling up inside of her. "I'm... I'm sorry."

He smiled weakly and shook his head.

"It's not your fault. I'm the one who did this and now..."

Logan didn't finish his sentence, just shrugged, and left for his room. Katie stood there, watching his door until the sound of the other guys coming home shook her from her reverie.

Not wanting to talk to any one else, and a little bit afraid that Kendall would take one look at her and know she'd been up to no good, Katie feigned sleepiness and said goodnight, practically racing to her room.

Once safely behind her own door, she dropped on the bed and stared up at the ceiling feeling like a terrible person for causing so much pain.

And it was then that another saying came to her, as if straight out of the blue.

'Love stinks.'

"That. Was. Terrible."

Each word Gustavo said was punctuated with heavy fists against the recording bank.

"Terrible!" he screamed, turning up the volume in the recording booth to emphasize the point, getting little satisfaction to the startled jumps he got in return.

"Maybe they just need a break," Kelly suggested.

"Maybe," Gustavo said, wheeling around to face her, "they need to remember that they are being paid to sing. In key. With each other."

Kelly reached over and flipped the sound back off in the booth.

"I don't think we're going to get anywhere today."

"You're right," Gustavo sighed, his back to the guys. "But this can't continue. I don't care what's wrong with them. Fix it."

He wheeled back round and glared at them for a minute.

"All right," Gustavo said, flipping the microphone back on so that they could hear him again. "I'm going to go and work with some real singers now, so, all of you, get out of my sight!"

"Come on," Kelly said, waving the guys out of the booth and towards her new office. "I've got some sheet music for you to look over tonight, along with the rough cuts from today. Take them home and practice. Got it?"

Kelly handed out the assignments and Logan muttered a quick 'thanks' and left without waiting for anyone else.

"What's wrong with him?" Kelly asked, a little surprised by his sudden departure.

"He's - " James began full of anger, but Kelly quickly cut him off.

"Never mind," she said, sitting down at her computer and logging into her company email. "I'll get to that later."

"So, we're done for the day?" Kendall asked.

"Yep," she answered, not bothering to look up this time.

"Later," Kendall and James said, both at once, and then raced out the door.

Kelly sat, replying to the most urgent messages and typing up a new schedule for the next day, along with an updated to-do list. Before she knew it, twenty minutes had passed, and she was back on her feet, ready for her next meeting.

To her surprise, she wasn't alone.

"Carlos," she exclaimed. "What are you still doing here?"

"I'm sorry," he said, getting to his feet. "I didn't think... I was just going over this music and..."

"You're fine," she assured him. "But, I've got a meeting and..."

"I'll go."

"No," she said, waving him off. "If you want to hang out here, it's fine. But, won't you get bored?"

"No."

"Okay," she said, nodding and not really seeing the harm in it. "You know where everything is, so help yourself."

Carlos smiled and watched as she left for her meeting, feeling incredibly good about himself. He hadn't really thought it was possible, but now he was starting to believe that maybe it was. That maybe Kelly liked having him around in the same way he liked being around her.

Kelly was gone a little more than an hour and upon finding Carlos still in her office when she arrived, she got an idea. She might not be able to fix things between the guys, but it wouldn't hurt to know a little more about what was going on.

"Hey," she said, still standing in the doorway. "What to get some coffee?"

"Yeah," Carlos answered, his whole face lighting up.

"Come on," Kelly said, swapping her notes for her purse before leading him out the door.