Yolo the world and all beyond the first universe! Sorry for the long absence, I was too caught up in the epicness that is the new Zelda game! In case of any Zelda fans are reading this, the new game is freaking awesome! Totally worth it, the Zelda team has done it again! Well anyway, onward to this new chapter! I hope everyone enjoys it, especially Kames all the way! He's writing this awesome story, called 'The Selfish Ways of Tragedies' and it's wonderful! Go and read it, guys, totally worth it! And now, new chapter! Ta-da, hope this makes everyone happy! Though some things are heading in the wrong direction...! Disclaimer: I don't own Big Time Rush! I just own copies of their three asterous albums, but that's about it! I don't own anything but the plot of this story, nothing else though! Curse my luck! Sorry if this is short, trying to get back in the writing groove again after so long!
"You're finally up? Damn, it's almost noon." Jett said, standing in the doorway of James' bedroom.
James threw his towel aside and pulled on a clean, plain t-shirt, covering up the bruises on his back and chest. "Eh, I hate sleeping in."
"Why, don't beauty queens need to sleep a lot to stay looking good?" Jett asked, an amused smirk on. James returned it.
"It is not that, I am beautiful no matter what; it's just, I could have swore my bed was not so empty last night."
"Oh yeah, your fiancee left about an a hour ago, and I have to say he looked a little off." At this James tensed, yet managed to keep his facial expression blank.
"Really, and what gave you that idea?" Jett sighed, running a hand through his soft brown-blonde hair.
"He had a look, it was like he just saw a ghost or something."
'Is it possible that he saw the marks on my back? No, I mean I couldn't have been that careless...right?' The brunette felt panic well up in his stomach.
If Kendall saw the scars, then it could lead him to James' secret other life as a mercenary, Griffin's most skilled and dangerous mercenary. And if Kendall were to find out what James did...he'd leave him.
'He'd leave me; he'd h-hate me, he'd break off the engagement and hate me for the rest of his life. He'd want nothing to do with me and worse, h-he'd report me. He'd have me a-a-arrested.' James' legs nearly gave in; Jett saw this however and wrapped his arms around the taller boy's waist, lips at his left ear.
"James, calm down. I can tell what's running through your head by your face; you're freaking about Kendall finding out your secret but chill, chill and hear me out okay? If he saw those scars, you can just say you got pretty banged up in a fight; someone tried to mess with you and you won, just with a few battle scars but nothing too serious. He doesn't have to find out the truth, and if he doesn't find out the truth then you won't get thrown in the slammer. So chill, all you have to do is if he asks, which no doubt he will after the shock wears off, is just tell about a bad fight you got into. That's all you have to do, so stop worrying." But at this, James felt the urge to cry.
"I'm sick and tired of this!" Jett nearly dropped him, surprised at the outburst.
"What?"
"I'm sick and tired of this! Of the lying, the going behind my fiancee's back to do these sick jobs! Jett, I had to kill my own SISTER! I held a gun to her h-head, she begged me not to shoot, s-she knew her father put me up to that! S-she knew and she offered to protect me and you from him, s-s-she wanted to s-save me and I...I k-k-killed her! I shot her in the head, she was dead before hitting the ground! I-I killed my own flesh and blood, my sister! My b-best friend, my s-s-sister! I took her life away, and she was PREGNANT!
Jett's light brown eyes dimmed at this, a silent gasp tearing through his lips. James soon felt wet warmth run down his face, he was crying.
"She was p-pregnant, six months. It wasn't that noticeable even at six months, but the doctor said that was okay and she and the baby were doing fine, but I-I killed her. I killed her, and my u-unborn niece. I-I was going to be an u-u-uncle...
James fell to his knees, the weight of the guilt too much for him to stand; Jett was hunched over beside him, arms still wrapped firmly, yet comforting at the same time, around the trembling brunette.
"I was going to be an uncle. S-she always wanted kids, and Alec was ecstatic. They were going to h-have a family after m-months of trying. And I...I t-t-took that away from them, from her and Alec. I didn't kill two people that night, J-Jett. I killed two, my s-sister...and my little niece. My Mercedes and my l-little Jamie. She was going to n-name her Jamie, f-for me. She was going to do s-s-so much and I killed her! I killed her and Jamie, Jett! I'm a mercenary, but deep down to me it's just another way to call me a m-m-murderer! I'm a murderer: a heartless, cruel, cold murderer!" James soon broke down completely, sobbing into Jett's chest. Said blonde sighed, feeling tears burn behind his eyes.
At the beginning he hated James; if it wasn't for him, he'd still be living a life with Dak. A life of alias and other identities, but still a life with Dak. If it wasn't for Griffin feeling his favorite mercenary might go rogue, he wouldn't be back in this killing gig.
But over the short time they've spent together, Jett came to love James. Not the love like what he had for Dak, but more like a brother. Both knew what it was like to mercenaries, forced mercenaries at that, and have to hide another life for fear of being killed themselves or the people they love. Both have had to lie over and over, and take so many lives that have haunted them for so long; Jett can't remember the last time he slept peacefully, if he ever had at all.
He and James were not so different; different lives and families sure, but the mercenary secret was threatening to take over them. In the physical, but also emotional and psychological terms.
Jett has realized just how much he was enjoying murdering people; even though he was good at heart and knew it was wrong...something inside him loved killing. And something inside James loved killing too, as much as they both wished to deny it.
Sooner or later, they won't be able to stop. It will be too wired in them to want to give up, willingly or not.
And sooner or later, they will completely forget who they are; not mercenaries but two trouble young men, forced into a life they didn't want.
"I don't want this anymore, w-we need to break out, escape whatever but I don't want and can't do this anymore, Jett. I can't, not if it means hurting others and l-losing the love of my life..." James whispered, Jett's facial expression going hard; he stroked James' hair softly, fondly though.
"And that's what we're going to do, James. I promise, we'll break out of this; I have a plan, and I'm going make fucking sure that it works. We'll be free of this hell-hole and Griffin once and for all, I promise you."
-Page Break-
"So you're saying that you think Griffin is beating James? Seriously?" Katie asked her big brother, her voice a mixture of shock and disbelief.
Kendall went straight home after witnessing the horrible bruises and scars on James' back. He at first had no idea who to confide to about it; he thought Logan and Carlos were good candidates, but remembered Carlos' protective streak. No doubt his normally sweet, friendly Hispanic friend would go King Kong on Griffin's ass at learning the terrible secret. As for Logan, he'd go all doctor mode about James' injuries and then go King Kong (though too dangerous of a King Kong like his boyfriend) on Griffin's ass.
So that marked Carlos and Logan off Kendall's list of possible candidates.
He for sure as hell couldn't tell his mother; Jen was loving, sweet and smart sure but had an extreme mama bear side to her. No doubt she'd go over to Brooke's house, get her and James out, check James into a hospital to get cared for, drown him with love and affection before getting down and dirty on Griffin. Jen Knight made one thing clear, above everything else: no one, and Kendall knew she meant NO ONE AT ALL, touched her babies in any possible, inappropriate way.
Carlos, Logan and James may not be her biological children like Katie and Kendall, but she sure saw and treated them as such.
So the only possible candidate left was Katie. She maybe younger than Kendall, but she was way more mature than kids her own age.
Kendall nodded, pulling out his cell-phone. "I wouldn't talk about my assumption if I didn't have evidence." He said, flipping through his pictures before handing the phone itself to his baby sister; Katie's deep brown eyes were narrowed at first, though grew to the size of dinner plates at taking in the nasty cuts, badly infected gashes, and purplish bruises littering normally clear, smooth dark skin.
'Oh my God...!'
"See, now you see why I think Griffin's abusing him?! James acts weird around him, Griffin gives him these 'jobs' that only he and James know about because I'm sure Brooke has no idea what really goes on, and every time I ask about these 'jobs' James gets defensive and tries to cut me out! Katie, maybe I'm wrong about the abuse but SOMETHING is happening to my fiancee and I don't know what the damn it is!" Normally Kendall would filter his language around his sister, but she could understand the frustration and anger he was feeling she didn't scold him for it.
"Are you sure Brooke doesn't know?"
"I'm positive, Katie. If she did have a clue, she would have chewed James out for hiding the fact he's getting hurt! She would have chewed him out by now, demanded how he's gotten all these bruises and if Griffin's behind them then she'd kill him! She'd be in jail for murder by now!" Kendall insisted, Katie handing him back his phone. Said girl sighed, rubbing her left temple as if she had a massive migraine.
"Okay okay, calm down big brother! If you really think abuse is the case, then you need to talk to James about this! He's the one with the bruises and cuts, he should know what's going on! Once you do that and if he refuses to talk, then go to Mama D and get the police! If Griffin is doing this, he could be sent to jail for abusing his step-son! James maybe eighteen, but abuse is still abuse!" She said, getting worked up too; James could be a little narcissistic and annoying, but deep down she loved overconfident brunette like another older brother.
At this Kendall sighed. "I know and trust me as soon as I know he's up for today, I'm going over there to talk to him about it. Mom said it's okay I miss one more day of school since it's James, and Carlos and Logan have me covered in classes, but..."
"But what, what is it big brother?"
"Katie...I'm afraid. I'm afraid to learn more, the worst of what's going with James." Kendall began to say, raising from his sister's bed and walking towards the window. He sighed again and looked outside; it was a nice day, no cloud in the big blue sky and it wasn't as cold as it has been these last few weeks.
James loved this kind of weather, sunny but not hot.
Katie eyed her brother worriedly, cautiously. "You mean...you think there's a secret here?"
"Yeah. I mean, I think there's more to this than what I know. And...Katie, I'm afraid to learn more. Or the truth. The truth that...as much as I love James, I'm afraid that this whole time he's been toying with me, that he's been stringing me along while having a secret life on the side."
"Wait, secret life? You don't think...he's cheating on you, do you?" Kendall let out a shaky sigh.
"I-I don't know, Katie. He acts weird sometimes, sometimes he's cold and distant. It's like he's always in pain about something, something that's eating him inside now more than ever. His eyes, nowadays they're hollow and cold and black as coal; they get that way when he's angry or really stressed out and sad. He's becoming so...I don't even know how to explain it! But it's so unlike him and Katie...I'm afraid that...I will see something or hear something that I won't be able to handle. James is a good guy; scratch that, he's amazing. But everyone...e-everyone has a dark side to them, he has one and I'm afraid that if I do see it, if I do see it I'm afraid that I won't be able to handle it. I won't be able to handle it...and just run away, run away from who he could possibly be inside..." Katie's eyes were wide, speechless and numb.
This was the first time, ever, that she has heard Kendall sound so unsure about something.
And it was the first time ever also, that he has sounded so unsure about James.