"Well, that was eventful." Katie said as she plopped down on the neon orange, L-shaped couch. She took Royce from James's arms and bounced him on her lap, giggling when he'd laugh and clap his hands together.
James sighed, curling up against Kendall. "Eventful, more like incredible. I can't believe I'm going to see Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds again after so long…"
The dirty blond gently tucked a hand under the older boy's chin so their eyes met, soft bottle green clashing with deep hazel-green.
"James, they weren't nice to you were they?" He asked gently. He already knew the truth, from what the brunet has admitted to him before, but the rest of the gang was clueless. James sighed and bit his lower lip, Carlos and Logan taking seats on the floor while Mama Knight hovered over them all.
"No, they weren't. To be honest, Mau's parents never liked me; they thought I'd be bad for him, since I'm part of a band and all. Sure they objected once or twice but in the end didn't do much, that is until I fell pregnant with Royce.
"What happened then?" Carlos asked, voice soft. Seeing that what the boys were about to talk about was serious, Katie excused herself to her room, promising to keep an eye on Royce for them. Mama Knight pecked the little boy on the forehead with a warm smile, Royce smiling back before cuddling into his aunt as she left the living room. Once James was sure both were out of earshot, he took a deep breath before continuing.
"They accused me of...of cheating. They said I was a player, a no-good two-timer that probably fell pregnant by one of the MANY boyfriends I had behind Mau's back. They never gave me the chance to tell my side of the story, to set things straight; they filled Mau's head with lies about me, to the point in which he finally believed them. After that...h-he never called me, never texted me about Royce. He didn't want anything to do with me, with our son. He said he should have been more careful around me. He said that if I kept Royce, that it was another way of admitting that I had cheated.
Logan's eyes grew wide at this, pale vanilla skin flushing a light strawberry. "What? He really said that? But James you don't believe in abortion! How could he claim that keeping Royce meant that you had cheated?! That's silly! It just meant that you wanted your son, you wanted to keep him and raise him!" He exclaimed hotly, looking ticked off.
"Did you ever thought about giving Royce up for adoption, James?" Carlos asked, big puppy eyes on the brunet. James patted Logan's shoulder to calm him down before turning to the Latino, expression guilty.
"At first, y-yeah I did. I did think about adoption at one point, because I was a kid back then. I was sixteen, Carlos; what did I know about raising a baby? Yeah I'm not going to lie that I thought of adoption over abortion the first few weeks, I thought that Royce would be happier living with a stable, strong family over me. But then everything changed, I didn't see that way anymore.
"What made you change your mind, honey?" Mama Knight asked, though as a mother herself she suspected the answer at the soft tears in James's eyes.
"When I felt Royce kick, for the first time. I knew that he was growing inside me, getting bigger and bigger everyday but the first time I felt him kick...I don't know, it just felt more real to me I guess. That he was real, that he was really inside growing and needing me and everything! It made me feel, I don't know how to explain it but...a-alive! That I could something for this baby, my son! From then on, I talked to him, getting him use to my voice and when he was finally here in my arms…
James placed both hands on his flat stomach, a lone tear running down his cheek. Kendall placed both of his hands over James's, lips at his ear as he closed his eyes and listened closely.
"When I held him, it felt like a dream. A dream that I've always wanted to come true, even if I didn't realize it at first. I loved him, loved him from the moment he was born...no, from the moment I FELT him. I loved him, everything about him and I knew then and there that I wasn't going to give my son up. I would find a way, I don't know how, but I'd find a way to take care of him, raise him and be his Mami. He changed my life, Mama K, and I wouldn't want it any other way." James whispered, leaning more into Kendall who pressed a kiss to his forehead.
"That shows true dedication, James. You were scared but didn't run away…" Logan pointed out, the anger leaving his voice to be replaced by sheer admiration.
"And Logie? Even though it...hurt that Mau didn't stick by me when I needed him the most, I'm happy to have Royce. He's my son, my baby boy and I wouldn't change a single thing about it. It's just...Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds still hate me. I'm happy they're not longer insulting my son, but me they do it every chance they get. I know that deep down, they wish I wasn't Royce's mother. They wish it was somebody else over me."
Carlos frowned at this, cocking his head to the side. "They do know that they can't change what's already been set and done, right?"
James let out a bitter laugh. "Yeah buddy, they do. It doesn't stop them from wishing though."
"Well don't you worry about them tonight, James. They are not going to go out of line with us around." Mama Knight pointed out with a smile, Kendall's eyes now shining.
"Hey, Mom has a point! Jamie they won't try to mess with you with us, they might hate us but want to keep up the act of the 'loving, sweet' grandparents around Royce! I'm pretty sure Mau knows how they are so they won't try for him, but Royce I bet they'll do anything for! No way they'll step out of line with that over their heads, and if they do then they'll be the ones messed up."
"I don't know…" James responded hesitantly, feeling something cold and thick stuck in his throat.
"James, we promised we'd look out for Royce as the responsible uncles that we are. We love him just like we love you; there's no way we're letting anyone hurt him." Carlos pointed, he and Logan nodding in agreement.
"We didn't let Gustavo railroad Roy, no way we're letting Mau's folks even try it."
"Logan, Carlos, Kendall, Mama K you guys don't understand. Mr. Reynolds is a lawyer; he knows all the tricks in the book, he has the power to take Royce away from me!" James exclaimed, running a hand through his hair.
"Grandparents don't have legal claim over a child unless it's a last resort, James. Royce isn't in any danger with you or us." Logan began to explain but the taller boy cut him off with a glare.
"Not for him and his wife to have custody, but for Mau. They think I'm an unfit mother, so they would put up that fight in court for Mau to get full custody of our son. They want to separate me from Royce forever; they'd never let me see or talk to him again…"
"what proof do they have that you're an unfit mother?" Mama Knight asked a bit annoyed, crossing her arms. James gave a weak smile.
"Easy answer, Mama K: because I'm me. That's all they need."
Knock knock!
Everyone jumped at the sudden knock at the door, Kendall meeting James's eyes.
"Think it can be them?" He asked softly. James didn't need elaboration to know the people Kendall was guessing at. The brunet shook his head and got his feet.
"No, they'd wait until the dinner to see me. You know, get ready to 'deal' with me. I'll get it", he said, shooting a smile to a nervous-looking Mama Knight as he headed for the door. Kendall, Carlos and Logan followed close behind, ready to form the wall that protects James in case it was the Reynolds.
With a sigh James grasped the knob and pulled back the door, not bothering to look through the peephole.
But soon his expression shifted from worry to surprise to...relief.
"M-Malik? Jade?"
-Page Break-
The rest of the boys and Mama Knight were wide-eyed as James hugged tightly the two strangers, laughing while tears (he's been stuck on the emotional roller coaster, hasn't he?) ran down his cheeks.
"Oh my God, guys it's really you!"
The boy named Malik laughed lightly, one hand around James's waist while the girl Jade kissed the brunet's forehead. "Of course it's really us, pretty boy! What, you have two other besties that look like us?"
James stepped back with another laugh, wiping at his eyes while he looked back at Carlos, Logan and Kendall. "Guys, Mama K, these two are Malik Abram and Jade Lati. Malik, Jade, these are my friends Carlos Garcia, Logan Mitchell and Kendall Knight; that's Jen Knight, Kendall's mom, we all call her Mama K for short and Kendall's also my boyfriend."
Malik Abram smiled broadly for everyone, Jade as well and bowing her head. "Yolo, nice to meet you all! James told us a lot about the band BTR; your music's pretty good."
"Come estan, familia?! Es un placer por fin to finally meet you! I've been dying to meet my Estrella's friends!" Jade added, hands clasped over her chest.
Carlos, Kendall, Logan and Mama Knight were still in shock. They've never seen people quite like them before.
Malik Abram was around their age, eighteen, with long platinum blond hair and soft caramel-colored skin. It was darker than James's, and seemed to glow under the florescent lighting. He had a pair of piercing blue-gray eyes, which popped more thanks to the heavy (yet not goofy-looking) eyeliner he had on. His eyebrows were thin and he had a heart-shaped face; strong chin and nose, thick lashes and a beaming smile full with white, straight teeth. He was taller than Jade but shorter than James, slender with his arms crossed over his firm chest. He was wearing a black muscle shirt and purple leather pants, black shiny boots on his feet. He had short, gold earrings dangling from his ears, matching bracelets on his wrists. His platinum blond hair was tied back in a low ponytail, and a tattoo of a man with a Jackal head was on his right shoulder.
His smirk was mischievous but his eyes were warm, friendly.
Jade Lati looked a year or two younger, sixteen at best, and had short, wavy raven hair that framed her thin cheeks. It stopped above her shoulders, curled at the tips and had streaks of light brown in it. Her eyes were wide, like a child's, and big and expressive and an emerald green. Her skin was lighter than Malik's but darker than James or Royce's, she also had light make-up on: clear lip gloss, light green eyeshadow and eyeliner. She was short and very petite, barely reaching James's chin, and had a very slender figure. She was wearing a plain dark green tank top that stopped above her navel, a long black skirt that had a slit in the side to show off her left long, lean leg. She had a gold anklet that matched her dangling, sparkly earrings and bracelets, a heavy gold cartouche around her swan neck, light sandals on. She had a black scarf on around her shoulders, her beautiful face in full view: high cheek bones, button nose, full lips and full flashes. Her eyebrows were thick but they suited her, and she had a tattoo along her ribs. It was long and written in Spanish, the translation reading: "Love, peace and family; that's all I need".
Her expression was giddy. That was the best way to describe it: happy and bubbly, innocent and loving.
James smiled but soon raised an eyebrow at his friends and Mama Knight. "Umm guys, you okay?" He asked, putting a hand on Kendall's shoulder.
Said dirty blond snapped out of it and smiled for his favorite brunet. "Yeah sorry about that, Jamie. Jade and Malik are just so beautiful, kind of got in a daze ha!"
The two looked at the blond wearily, wondering if he was being honest, and then smiled identical smiles. He wasn't lying; it was clear in his deep, bottle green eyes.
"Why thank you, dude. Nice to know real beauty is appreciated, nothing like the plastic models on runways." Malik said, accent thick and rich. He sounded Australian. Jade blushed at the sweet looks she was getting, but soon her eyes grew wide and she screamed.
"ROYCE!"
"Hey, what's all the commotion?"
-Page Break-
The small raven practically sprinted over to Katie and Royce, eyeing the baby with loving eyes while pressing kisses to Katie's cheeks in greeting.
"Hola, princesa! Y hola mi nino bonito, te requerdas de mi?" Jade asked, hands folded under her chin. Katie just stared at the older girl oddly, confused beyond belief while the little boy giggled and clapped his hands.
"Tia Jade!"
"Si, si that's right! Oh mi nino, si te requerdas!" The raven's eyes watered as she took Royce from Katie and hugged him tight, showering him with kisses.
"Oh mi nino, mi nino del cielo y dueno de mi corazon!" Jade began dancing across the living room, skilled like a belly dancer. She held Royce close, he squealing in delight as she spun them around and tossed him into the air, catching him with ease every time.
"Ah, tia Jade! Mas alto, mas alto!"
"Lo que tu quieres, mi rey!" Everyone watched this exchange with amusement, though James and Malik blushed when Katie turned to them and crossed her arms.
"James, talk now."
"S-sorry, it's just that my girlfriend was really hoping to see Royce. Perdon, preciosa. Umm amor, Jade? Honey calm down, remember that as much as we're here for Royce we're here for James and the gang too. Amor, put Royceito down…" Malik said, scrambling over to the raven.
Jade pouted slightly but smiled and handed her giggly nephew back to Katie, bowing her head. "Perdon princesa, I was just so excited…" She began, when the brunette waved it off.
"Oh no biggie, it's not you I'm about to grill. It's him." Everyone turned to James again, who was still a flustered mess.
"Right, I have some explaining to do. Kat, these are my friends Malik Abram and Jade Lati. They're more like brother and sister to me now though; unlike Mau they were there for me and Royce. That's why Royce called Jade 'Tia'. I named them his paternal aunt and uncle when he was born."
"Wait, paternal?" Logan asked, Malik looking sheepish all of a sudden.
"Yeah, you see Jade started out as just the daughter of a family friend. Then she went from family friend's daughter to best friend to my girlfriend. She's not related to Mau in any way, but I am. I'm Mau's half brother, we have the same mom Alicia. I didn't stick around for her and Mau though; I liked living with my dad over them, since Alicia likes Mau over me. I look too much like my dad, Jack." He explained with a shrug, seeming indifferent.
Jade could read him though, read him very well so she wrapped her arms around his waist in a tight hug. He responded with a light kiss to her forehead, smiling.
Everyone, apart from James and Royce, were stunned.
!?
Mau had a brother?
Wow, big surprise there! Well, there you have it! These interesting OCs are Malik and Jade! What are they doing here? Are they there to support James and Kendall, or will try to rope James into marrying Mau? What's their story, and will their presence affect the final outcome? We'll find out in the next chapter, everyone! I start classes tomorrow, wish me luck, so I hope this chapter holds for everyone until I'm back during the weekend! Thank you for the love, reviews, truly appreciate it and THANK YOU for the awards for Best Horror and Hurt/Comfort stories! I was so shocked to hear I won two awards for the BTR fandom but thanks again, it warms my heart to know that my work makes people happy! Thank you again, stay beautiful and I'll see you all in the next one! Disclaimer: I don't own Big Time Rush! All I own is the plot and the OCs that are Mau and Royce, Mau's parents and the soon-to-be introduced Malik and Jade! :):)