Okay I lied! My mom isn't picking me up until like one in the afternoon, so yay one more update! What's up, my people?! Ha, sorry just excited to be home from college after so long! But anyway, onward to the next chapter! Wow, I have to say I was left blushing when I saw just how many people are enjoying this story! I mean, wow you guys never cease to amaze me, thank you so much for all the support and reviews! And so to thank you all, there is some James angst in this chapter but some sweet Kames! I hope that pleases everyone and keeps everyone busy and curious until I return from break! Please enjoy, tell me what you all think and just have fun! Thank you so much, everyone! Disclaimer: I don't own Big Time Rush! All I own is copies (not signed, unfortunately) of their albums, which rock! Other than that, I don't Big Time Rush! I only own the story's plot!

To say Kendall was shocked to see a grim-looking Jett on his doorstep on the way out to school the next morning was an understatement.

He truly had no idea how to take the older blonde's out-of-the-blue visit: in mild surprise or building anger.

He decided to go with the first option; he was too drained from last night to properly get worked up, plus the look on Jett's face didn't promise a problem.

"What are you doing here?"

Jett sighed heavily, light brown eyes almost...black.

They were black, pitch black, as if he was wearing color contacts.

'They turn black sometimes...just like James' eyes do.' Kendall thought with an unpleasant shiver.

"It's Jame. He's...he's not doing so good." That alone made the shiver leave, Kendall's heart racing in worry.

"W-what do you mean? What's wrong with him, is he sick? Is he hurt, did something happen last night? Tell me, Jett! Please, don't leave me in suspense here!" Jett held his hands up in a surrender pose.

"Look, James asked me to come get you. He's not feeling good and, to be honest, he looks like crap. He's pale and shaky, and crying like crazy. He won't leave his room or let his mom talk to him; he will talk to you though, he made that much clear when he sent me a text to come and get you." He explained, Kendall's green eyes going wide.

James rarely cried, rarely broke down. If he was upset, he'd bottle it up and let it all out later through heavy words and sighs, but for to him to break down crying...

Something had to be terribly wrong.

And Kendall wasted no more time; pulling off his backpack and slamming the front door shut after leaving it behind in the hall, he pulled Jett along towards his car. He still had his permit but Jett was eighteen, a legal adult. He wouldn't get in trouble. School was also the last thing on his mind. He did well in school, his grades were high enough; missing one day wouldn't screw him up too much, Logan and Carlos can fill him in on everything later.

Right now, James was what mattered most. He was one of the most important people to Kendall, and for him he'd do anything.

And right now, his boyfriend needed him. That topped school, big time.

Jett made no effort to stop the shorter, younger boy from dragging him around and urging him inside the small Ford Fiesta, inside feeling really bad for the in-the-dark blonde sitting next to him, tears in his usually bright green eyes.

'To think, he cares so much about James and the guy can't tell him his secret because...because Griffin can pull the same dirty stunt on them like he did to me and Dak. Oh Dak...I just hope I can keep you save and not lose my sanity at the same time. From seeing James in this state, I don't know how long it will be before I snap too.'

-Page Break-

The state Kendall found his fiancee in once he and Jett parked in front of the Diamond household was terrible.

James was in bed, curled up in a fetal position. His covers were on the floor, the AC on high yet he was only wearing a pair of black boxers. He had obviously taken a shower earlier but didn't tend to his hair, so it was still wet and a darker brown. His arms were wrapped tightly about his torso, as he was holding himself together, and his body was violently shaking. His body was violently shaking from the cold, and from the sobs still leaving him.

Kendall felt his heart break at the seeing one of the strongest people he's met so broken, so in pieces.

"Jamie...?" The brunette's muscular, slender frame tensed up at the pet name only his fiancee used frequently, a gasp separating his pale, trembling lips.

He twisted around among the pillows so he faced his ajar bedroom door, Kendall standing there along with his mother, Brooke. Jett decided it was best the shorter blonde went up alone, so he stayed downstairs in the living room wrapped up in a very...serious conversation with Griffin.

"M-my Emerald?" Even James' voice sounded off; instead of inspiring confidence, energy it sounded lost and petrified like the voice of a scared little boy.

'Oh Jamie...'

Kendall soon crawled into bed with him, Brooke leaving them alone with a pleading glance over her shoulder towards her baby boy; she could hope that if he couldn't talk to her about what was making him so distraught, at least she can count on Kendall to find out the reason. She couldn't stand to her see her one and only son in this state.

"Jamie, Jamie honey what's wrong? Why are you so upset, tell me. Tell me, it's okay I'm here." Kendall cooed, wrapping his arms around the older boy.

James let out a scream, which was muffled due to his face pressed into Kendall's chest, and gripped tightly at his hair. He started mumbling incoherent things, his violent shaking increasing while Kendall began to feel tears soak through his shirt.

"Jamie, Jamie talking about it will help. It's okay; nothing is going to hurt you, no one is going to hurt you. It's okay, tell me please. I can't stand to see you this way, it's breaking my heart." Kendall repeated in a much softer, gentler tone; he could tell raising his voice would only drive James into what looked like an extreme episode of post-traumatic stress disorder.

The brunette looked so vulnerable, so fragile as if he was made of glass and had severe cracks that could lead to him finally shattering.

James knotted his fingers into the smooth folds of his fiancee's shirt, pulling away to rest his head on Kendall's right shoulder; his watery, angry red hazel-green eyes met the dirty blonde's tear-streaked, worried face.

Kendall was crying with him; even though he had no idea why James was upset, it was like he could feel his pain. It was like they were one; they understood each other well, could talk about anything easily. That's what made them best friends, and even better lovers.

"K-Kendall, I...I..."

"You what, Jamie? It's okay, it's okay I'm here. What's wrong?" Kendall cupped James' face between his thin, pale hands and pressed their noses together, pressing an encouraging kiss to James' trembling lips.

James savored the kiss, the warm, soft and sweet emotion behind the gesture. He moved one hand to Kendall's waist, finger digging into the fabric of his dark skinny jeans as if afraid the blonde would disappear at any moment.

"Kendall, I...I, my step-sister..."

"Mercedes? What about her, baby? Is she alright, it's been a while since you two talked."

"K-Kendall, she's...she's dead, she was found died last night."

-Page Break-

'Oh my God.' Kendall thought, all the blood draining from his face.

James nodded shakily, another sob leaving him as he buried his face into Kendall's chest again. Kendall gripped tightly the brunette's shoulders with one arm, his free hand going up to stroke James' mattered hair softly.

His fiancee's step-sister Mercedes, she was dead?

'H-how?! Why?! When?!'

As if reading his boyfriend's scrambled thoughts, James began going over the tragic news.

"G-Griffin got a call around five this morning; there's a time difference between here and California but...but Alec, her boyfriend, found her d-dead in her apartment. She had got a bullet i-in the face, blood was e-everywhere on her; she slowly bled to death for about three-four minutes. N-no one heard a gun being shot, no one heard her s-scream so the police are assuming she was drugged. She d-didn't put up much of a fight either, so they're also assuming she knew her a-attacker. No evidence has been uncovered from t-the crime scene, the police can't find anything but she was murdered, Kendall! She was fucking murdered and the police can't do a damn thing about it! M-my sister got shot in the head, point-blank range and they can't catch the sicko who did this!"

Kendall bit his lower lip, tears falling into James' hair.

He's had some experience with brutal murders. His dad was killed when he was really little; Katie hadn't been born yet so she had no memory of their late father Spencer, but Kendall had witnessed the whole thing. He had been with his dad at the grocery store when he was shot trying to protect him and the cashier, the only two people in the store at the time besides him, from the robbers that decided to assault the place that quiet July night about seven years ago. Kendall had witnessed the death of his father and from that was emotionally scarred. He could remember clearly as if it was yesterday that he was in a deep depression, so deep he tried to commit suicide at the age of eleven. Thankfully James had decided to stop by that afternoon and had called 911 immediately after discovering his best friend's nearly dead body; if it wasn't for the brunette, Kendall wouldn't be alive right now. Kendall knew what it was like to lose someone very close to him, and now James did too.

James and Mercedes, the close bond they had...they were closer than brothers and sisters who were blood-related.

Even though at first they didn't get along, mostly because James hated her dad and Mercedes hated his mom, the two eventually grew close. They had the same attitude when it came to their looks, both liked fashion and setting trends. Even though Mercedes was more spoiled than her younger brother (James was two years younger than Mercedes; she was twenty when she was murdered) and often envied him for the close parent-child relationship he had with his mother Brooke, she would not deny that she loved James immensely.

She had offered to take James in after he was done with high school; she had offered to let him live with her while he attended college. Mercedes knew James and her father didn't see eye-to-eye, so she offered to look after him even when she moved out. Back when they were kids becoming teenagers, Mercedes was always the one who protected her brother from her dad at home. Kendall, Carlos and Logan did a great job with that in public, but they couldn't do much when they were away from the brunette.

James' older sister, his best girl friend in the whole world, his childhood protector. She was gone, she was gone forever.

And the only person allowed to go see her was her father Griffin; he was keeping her death a secret from his wife and James only knew because...because of his 'job'. Griffin had already arranged a solo trip to California for tomorrow at the crack of dawn. He was going to help prepare her funeral with Alec (AKA Guitar Dude) and cover all the expenses.

Griffin wasn't going to let his step-son go mourn his sister's death. He was going to take that right away from him, just like he did with his father Michael. Yes, his father Michael was also dead; Griffin let him in on that little secret after telling him about Mercedes.

He had Jett take out James' father months ago.

"I'm so sorry, James." Kendall whispered, burying his face into James' hair as the brunette began crying once again.

-Page Break-

'Fuck you, Griffin. Fuck you to Hell, you fucking bastard! F-fuck you, for what you made m-me do!' James thought angrily, unable to control himself; he kept his face hidden in Kendall's chest, the dirty blonde's body heat keep the chill in the air at bay.

He never thought he could hate a person this much before, but now he knew it was possible.

He hated Arthur Griffin with everything he had, every fiber of his being.

'Fuck you, Griffin. Fuck you...for making me k-kill my own sister...!'