(A/N): Welp, here we are again. I'm sorry this is so much later than I said. I wanted to get my other stories updated because I've been neglecting them. But now, I've hit a roadblock with Pushing Boundaries. I know what I want to say, but I don't know how to say it. So, I decided to post this chapter since I figured that I owed you guys an update.
Thank you to these people for your reviews: Dreamer1992 (Yes, everyone is safe! Carlos and Natalie, huh? Duly noted.), Mrs Penlow Henderschmidt (Ah, your withdrawal symptoms must be bad right now! Sorry for that. James and Natalie? Natalie smacking him in the back of the head? Yeah, she'd do that, if she had the right reason for it. Natalie has to have a reason for everything she does.), Derba (Oh, don't worry, Logan and Katrina have a little scene here to make-up for the time they lost…), Guest (Putting James into a love triangle again? Isn't that a little harsh? … And totally something I'd do…), niki1kendra (Not sure what you meant there. If you're saying that the Guest's comment was yours, then just read the response that I gave previous. :) ), FuzzyVampireNinjaTeddyBear (Carlos and Natalie? Vote taken. Glad I keep you guessing! That means I'm doing my job!), Lucy Case (Carlos and Natalie vote recorded. Now, you should like this chapter because there's a few scenes with Kendall and Evan as hinted on by the name.), Awesamazing (I knew you would vote that way. So, Logan goes with Natalie while James goes with Katrina. Got your vote down.), Reinoiswriting (Of course it's not ending! Just because some things are wrapping up, doesn't mean that I don't have any more tricks, twists and shockers up my sleeve. I've already got one that I'm developing for later, but it'll have to be for when Katrina's back on her feet.), Jenificent3007 (Yes, you can vote for both! Katrina waking up was a little… fairytale like, wasn't it? I bet a lot of girls would LOVE to get woken up by a kiss from one of the Big Time Rush members… I, for one, would raise my hand on that. And, just for the record, I'm always happy when I write! :) ), Leah Garcia (More Kendall? At your command, dear reader! This chapter has Kendall's birthday! And I'm really happy that your sister woke up. I wish her a fast recovery and you to have courage through her recovery! And I know how much you like Kendall, so why don't you read Big Time Rush and the Marauders or Pushing Boundaries? They are much more Kendall centric than this one. You don't have to know about Harry Potter to read the crossover. Although, for Pushing Boundaries, it is rated M so you might want to be hesitant towards that one.), Shattered Past (And the love triangle appears again. Hmm… I could work with that… And now, your vote is documented.), Anon (Lists! I like lists. It seems that some people like putting like with like (James and Katrina, Logan and Natalie) while others like putting opposite with opposite (Logan and Katrina, James and Natalie). And yet others still want Carlos with Natalie. The constants seem to be Kendall/Jo, Evan/Camille and Brandon/Tim. Maybe the stable couples should put the others into a room together, lock the door and see who comes out triumphant… Of course, that would leave one person without a partner. Hmm…), Super Fly (I agree with you on Carlos and Stephanie. They are so cute together. Unfortunately, unless the people on the show bring Stephanie back, it looks like Carlos will have to find someone else. If you really think that James and Katrina belong together because they're both hot, then you'll like what Natalie has to say about them.), BlueRagingFire (I don't know when you'll read this because you just started reading this story, but welcome! I'm glad you're enjoying this!) and Witch Demigoddess (Kendall does seem to have a lot of problems there. Adding in another girl? I don't know if he could handle that. Logan and Katrina always seem to run into problems too. I could see why everyone wants them to stay together. James is probably Carlos's biggest competitor in this case, but only because he's got the experience. Once again, he might be involved in a love triangle. Poor guy… Although, I'm sure that you'd be very happy if Carlos got the girl.) Whoa… That's a LOT of people… YAY!
As always, I do NOT own Big Time Rush. I'm just a lowly college student that is barely paying her rent and would love to not get sued as I'm just borrowing their characterizations to help spread the entertainment that is these four boys. Now, before these author notes get longer than the actual chapter, here it is!
Chapter 76: Family Time
Mrs. Knight stopped the van in front of the Palm Woods. The side door opened and Evan got out. As he went to the trunk to get Katrina's wheelchair out, Kendall jumped out of the front passenger side. He wobbled as his feet touched the ground, having to grab his head when a sudden dizziness hit him.
"Dude," James spoke as he climbed out of the van. "The doctor said no sudden movements."
"Yeah," Kendall mumbled. "That wasn't a smart move." He watched as Evan rolled the wheelchair over to the side door. Katrina slid from inside the car to the side. While James grabbed hold of her legs, Logan held onto her from the inside as they lifted her from the car to place her in the wheelchair.
"I hate being a cripple," Katrina complained, getting comfortable in the wheelchair.
"You're gonna have to live with it because we're gonna make sure that you stay in that wheelchair," Evan declared. Everyone else agreed.
"I'm not stupid!" Katrina exclaimed. "I'll stay in this freaking wheelchair if it means that I never have to go through surgery again." She rolled her chair away from the car so that Logan, Carlos and Katie could get out.
"I'm gonna park the car," Mrs. Knight informed the group. "I'll meet you in the apartment." That said, she drove off. The five boys, Katrina and Katie all sighed together before heading inside.
Suddenly, they were blinded by a flash of light. Once they were able to see again, they noticed Mr. Bitters standing in front of them with a camera. He smirked as he held it up, "Images of you are going for a lot now online. So, hold still while I get more pictures." As he lifted the camera to his face to take the picture, Evan stepped forward and kicked him in the place guys do not want to be kicked. Everyone watched in shock as Mr. Bitters fell to the floor in pain.
Evan turned to the group, "Yeah, I'm tired of cameras. Come on, let's go." He headed towards the elevators. The group took one look at the man in the fetal position on the floor before they shrugged and followed Evan.
Katrina sat on the couch in the apartment, injured leg raised up on the coffee table. She bit her lip slightly as she concentrated on the notebook in her hand, working on a couple of songs.
Logan sat down next to her with a bowl of soup in his hands, "How are you doing?"
"The same as when you asked five minutes ago," Katrina replied. "Sleepy and loopy because of the pain medication I have to take for my leg. And still a little pissed that the Zizi almost killed all of us."
"I brought you some chicken noodle soup," Logan told her, holding up the bowl.
"I'm injured, not sick," Katrina gave him a smile. "But thank you." She put aside her notebook and took the soup from him.
"It was the best I could do," Logan responded. "Though I'm sure that Natalie could figure out something that would help you with your injury and then criticize me for giving you chicken noodle soup." Katrina raised an eyebrow as Logan scowled at the thought of the smart girl. "I told her to wait, but no. She has to figure out ways to put me down. I swear, I'm going to find a way to show her up."
"Should I be worried?" Katrina asked. "People have told me that you and Nats are arguing as much as James and I did."
"Yes, but you're with me, not James," Logan pointed out. "And Carlos has a huge crush on her."
"Really?" Katrina smiled at the thought. "That's cute. That poor boy is going to be devastated when he finds out something about Nats."
"Something like what?"
"Oh, I'm not allowed to tell you. Girl code and all that."
"But what about the boyfriend code that you have to share everything with me."
"Good point, but girl code trumps boyfriend code. Sorry." Katrina gave Logan a teasing smile as she put a spoonful of soup in her mouth. Once she swallowed, she continued. "You're lucky I even told you that Nats has something that will stop any boy here from dating her."
"Protective brother?" Logan assumed. "Cause I got through yours."
"You're never gonna guess!" Katrina practically sang.
"Boyfriend back in England?" Logan guessed.
Katrina's smile disappeared, "Damn it, you guessed. Just don't tell anyone. I'm enacting the girlfriend code in this case."
"My lips are sealed," Logan assured her as there was a knock on the door. "And stay here. I'll get that."
While Logan headed for the door, Katrina mumbled under her breath, "Like I can move." She went to her soup as Logan opened the door.
Standing on the other side was Natalie with a smile on her face. At the sight of Logan, her smile dropped, "Ugh, you."
"I'm not pleased to see you either," Logan insisted.
"Thank God she has a boyfriend," Katrina mumbled before putting a spoonful of soup in her mouth.
"Move," Natalie demanded. "I'm here to see Miss Accident-Prone."
"I'm not that accident-prone!" Katrina called out. Logan and Natalie stared at her in disbelief. It took a second before Katrina admitted, "Okay, I'm accident-prone. Why did I have to pick a boyfriend and a best friend that are smarter than me? And that hate each other?"
Natalie pushed Logan out of the way so she could head over to Katrina, "So that we can correct your mistakes. As for the hate, that would go away as soon as your boyfriend admits that I'm smarter than him."
"Oh, but whose technique worked at the hospital?" Logan pointed out. Katrina set her soup down on the coffee table so that she could let her head fall into her hands.
"That just a lucky guess!" Natalie insisted. "Plus, they would have woken up regardless!" Katrina sighed and picked up her notebook, deciding to ignore the quarreling smart people. She was so busy working in her notebook that she didn't notice James walk into the room from the hallway to the bedrooms. He took one look at Logan and Natalie, now yelling at each other, before he caught a glimpse of Katrina on the couch. A cocky grin appeared on his face as he made his way over to her. Once he sat down next to her, Katrina raised an eyebrow at his appearance.
"You're not gonna bite me, are you?" Katrina asked, leaning away from him.
"What? No," James shook his head. "That would be weird." Katrina didn't relax. "Unless, of course, you're into that kinky stuff. In which case, you should be talking to Logan about that." Katrina scooted away from him to be sure, not tearing her eyes away from him. James stared at her confused, "Did I miss something?"
"No," Katrina insisted. "It's just these pain pills. They're making me a bit loopy. I can't even figure out any new songs to write. I've had to work on my old songs from back when Logan was still with Camille to try and get some inspiration started."
"Anything about me?" James spoke with a smirk.
"Oh, I've got an entire notebook on you," Katrina admitted. James's smirk grew. "All of them have to do with hate." James's smile dropped.
"Fine," James got up. "I guess I'll leave you alone with your boyfriend and best friend arguing." He turned around to leave.
"Wait!" Katrina called out. James turned on his heels to face her. "I do need your help with something."
James crossed his arms, "I'm listening."
"I think Evan's dating someone behind my back," Katrina began. "He's probably not telling me because he thinks I'll hate her. I need you to find out who it is and report back to me."
James seemed to consider it before he shook his head, "Nah." Turning around, he started to leave.
"I'll give you twenty bucks!" Katrina offered.
Freezing, James turned his head to look at her, "Twenty bucks, another modeling shoot and a duet with you on your next song."
"Forget it!"
"Goodbye."
"Fine, but you're not getting them until after you tell me who."
"Agreed," James held out his hand and Katrina took it, cementing their deal in a handshake.
"What's going on?" Logan's voice made the two of them look over at the smart people. Logan and Natalie had stopped their bickering and were staring at James and Katrina.
"I'm just gonna leave," James announced heading for the door. "It was nice to see you again, Natalie. Maybe I can show you around or something. I'll give you the Diamond Tour on all the best places in the Palm Woods."
"Don't take the tour," Katrina advised. "It's just his lame attempt to get you into a make-out session."
"You'd know that, wouldn't you?" James retorted. A blush appeared on Katrina's face as she remembered back when the two of them were dating and he had shown her one of his best make-out spots. Before Katrina could explain to the others, James was gone.
"That was an attempt of his to ask me out, right?" Natalie assumed. Logan and Katrina nodded. Natalie smiled, pulling a recorder out of her back pocket. She pressed the button to record her voice, "Notes for today. James caved first. Offered to take a tour with him some time. Unreliable witnesses state that that's asking me out, but I have doubts." Logan and Katrina exchanged confused looks, wondering what she meant by 'unreliable'. "If it's true, he would have asked me out 38 hours and 17 minutes after I first met him. That would put him in the player category for this experiment." She pressed the stop button.
"What are you doing?" Logan asked.
Ignoring him, Natalie spoke to Katrina, "How long did it take for James to ask you out?"
"Uh," Katrina looked to the ceiling as she had a flashback to the day she first met the boys.
"Hello," James began sultrily, causing Katrina to stop eating, a piece of chicken halfway to her mouth. "We haven't had an official meeting, so I'm James Diamond. You're Katrina Wolff. Did you want to go on a date after this mansionsitting thing is over? Or we can just have the date at the mansion and kick out my friends."
"Not that long after I met him," Katrina admitted.
"Details," Natalie demanded. "I need details."
Katrina bit her lip as she thought more about it, "Um, probably two, three. Yeah, three hours after I met him."
"Interesting," Natalie mentioned. She turned on the recorder. "James asked out Kat approximately three hours after they met. That would put him in the stalker category." Logan snorted in laughter at the thought. "Either that or the desperate one since three hours is the borderline. However, these results could be compromised due to Kat being a model and, generally, the scientifically hottest person in this apartment complex. The time frame could be shifted upwards in this case." Katrina scratched her head in confusion. "Could use some more research. Figure out how long it took for Logan to ask Kat out." It was Katrina's turn to snort in laughter. Logan turned to her in disbelief. "And possibly Kendall with Jo. An idea for a spin-off of this experiment would be to watch how women react to Evan, since he's surprisingly single and also has a hotness factor." Katrina shivered in disgust at the thought. "Although, once again, he's not the hottest of the specimens in this apartment complex. Scientifically, the hottest that I've seen is definitely James, so studying women around him might be a better option. Put some more research into this." She turned off the recorder and put it back into her back pocket. At the sight of Logan and Katrina staring at her, Natalie spoke to them, "What?"
"What WAS that?!" Logan demanded.
"Oh, it was nothing," Natalie waved it off. "But I'm not surprised that you don't get it."
"Did you call me hot?" That was the only thing that Katrina had picked up from Natalie's spiel.
"Of course," Natalie shrugged it off, like a girl calling another girl hot was a normal thing. "You have all the positive factors of hotness that men look for. Small waist, slightly large breasts that are emphasized by your cleavage showing shirts –" Logan couldn't help but to let his eyes wander to that specific area. " – clear skin, soft lips, symmetrical face with an asymmetrical hairstyle, fit, short, sensual voice and, most importantly, the damsel in distress factor." She was greeted with a blank stare from Katrina while Logan continued to look his girlfriend up and down. "The damsel in distress factor is where the girl, no matter if she's capable or not, always seems to be in trouble and the boys around her will do whatever they can to help in the hope that they'll get chosen as the girl's mate. They'll even do it without realizing they're doing it."
"Now I get why the guys were always helping me!" Katrina exclaimed.
"And in scientific terms, you should mate with James, not Logan," Natalie went on. Katrina's jaw dropped.
"WHAT?!" That got Logan's attention.
"Well, James has the compliments to every hotness factor that Kat has," Natalie informed them. "Chiseled body, clear skin, soft lips, symmetrical face with an asymmetrical hairstyle, fit, tall, sensual voice. Although, he does have the flaw of not wanting to settle down. But in all honesty, I could see him settling with Kat. It's no wonder that they're one of the favorite couples in Hollywood, even if they're not together."
"James and I are NOT getting back together," Katrina insisted. Natalie shrugged as if she didn't care.
"Why are you here anyways?" Logan brought up.
"Oh, right," Natalie began. "Sorry I got off topic. So, I've got some good news! I'm moving into the Palm Woods!"
"Great," Logan spoke sarcastically. "Just what we needed. More of you."
"Why are you moving into the Palm Woods?" Katrina asked. "It's the home of the future famous, not future Nobel Prize winners."
"I'm gonna be both!" Natalie announced. "A local network hired me to star in a new series that is supposed to teach teens different subjects, but in a fun way. The producers thought that teens would be more interested in the show if it had a teen hosting it. So, when they heard I was back in the U.S., they called me up and hired me right away. The show will cover things like science, computers, grammar, music, politics. You name a subject, it'll be covered. The best part is that I get to design the episode myself. The producers will just give me a topic and tell me to run with it."
"You know what they say," Logan mentioned. "Those that can't do, teach."
"Don't you tutor your friends on a regular basis?" Natalie snapped. Logan didn't have a response. "Yeah, that's what I thought."
"This is great!" Katrina exclaimed. "I need a girl to gossip with. Brandon's nice, but he's not a girl so we can't talk about girl issues. Camille, yeah, don't get me started on her. And Jo is Camille's best friend so I feel like she'll always side with Camille instead of me, even though she's dating my cousin. Anyways, what's the show called?"
"Natalie Bird, the Info Nerd," Natalie revealed. "They were ecstatic when they heard my last name rhymed with 'nerd' cause it gave them a title. And I get to have guests, so I was thinking about having you come on for the animal episodes and/or the music episodes."
"You could get Big Time Rush on it too," Katrina suggested. "And Logan's pretty good at those subjects. He could help you out on creating the episodes."
Natalie crinkled her nose, "No, thanks. I don't need it to be so simple that it doesn't teach anything." Logan's jaw dropped in insult.
"Why don't you stay with your parents?" Logan asked. "I thought they lived nearby."
"Please," Natalie replied. "I'm almost a college graduate. I don't need to live with my parents. Plus, my dad turned my old room into a man cave." She rolled her eyes at the thought. "Anyways, I gotta go see if I can get a hold of some boys to help me move my stuff in. I'll be in 3C if you need me!" Natalie left the apartment, waving before the door shut after her.
"Do you have to be friends with her?" Logan complained as he sat down next to her.
"You know that saying that guys have? Bros before hos?" Katrina mentioned. Logan nodded. "Well, girls also have a saying. Chicks before dicks. Now, I would easily kick Natalie to the curb if I just met her, but she's an old friend. I've known her longer than you. I'm not going to ruin my friendship with her to date you."
"This is a test, isn't it?" Logan assumed.
Katrina shook her head, "I don't care if you hate each other. Just don't ask me to pick one over the other. Although, I wouldn't complain if you did try to become friends with her."
"Not gonna happen," Logan insisted.
"Okay, thought I'd put it out there," Katrina responded. She smiled slightly as she stared at her boyfriend. "You know, I don't think I properly thanked you for that kiss to wake me up."
"I'm sure you would have woken up regardless," Logan waved it off.
"Even so, I'd like to thank you for doing your best to wake me up," Katrina continued, leaning toward him.
"Well, you're welcome then," Logan replied, completely clueless as to what Katrina was hinting at.
"Oh, that wasn't the thank you," Katrina mentioned. Before Logan could respond, Katrina placed a light kiss on his lips. Pulling away, she smirked, "That was the thank you."
"Ah, now I see," Logan leaned forward to place his forehead on hers. "Maybe I should say 'you're welcome' in the same language." He started to lean in to kiss her.
Suddenly, Katrina let off a high pitched giggle. Logan froze, his lips not even an inch away from hers. Confused, he pulled away to ask, "What was that?"
"Damn it, fairy me!" Katrina cursed. "Why did you have to ruin the moment?"
Logan looked upon his girlfriend with concern, "Are you okay? Those pills must be making you even more loopy than you thought. Maybe you should sleep off the effects."
"I'm fine," Katrina insisted. "Just remembering something from my coma dream."
"Did you dream about me?" Logan asked.
"Oh, you were definitely there," Katrina replied.
"That's all I wanted to hear," Logan placed a hand gently on her cheek, pulling her head towards him again. Katrina smiled slightly as their lips made contact. Logan's hand left her cheek to join his other hand in tangling in her hair to pull her head forward more, deepening the kiss.
A second later, a hand was placed on both of their heads, wrenching them apart. The couple looked up to find Evan glaring down at them.
"No making-out until marriage," Evan declared. "Making-out leads to other things that you shouldn't be thinking about at your age. Light kisses, I can live with, but no more than barely a touch." Since he had separated them, he jumped over the couch and sat between them. "I wonder what's on TV." He picked up the remote from the coffee table and turned on the TV.
Katrina turned a glare upon her brother, "I hate you."
"Love ya too, little sis," Evan responded, not even looking at her. Logan and Katrina sighed as they joined Evan to watch TV.
Kendall stretched as he emerged from his bedroom on his birthday and headed for the bathroom. He didn't get there because, when he entered the main room of the apartment, he was greeted with an influx of 'happy birthday's from his friends and family gathered around. They had already dressed for the day and were staring at him with smiles from ear to ear.
"What's going on?" Kendall scratched his head.
"It's your birthday, big brother," Katie reminded him. "Or did you forget that in your coma?"
"No, I remembered," Kendall assured them. "It's just that I didn't expect it to be that big of a deal."
"Kendall, this is the first time that Evan and I get to give you something," Katrina mentioned.
"So, we've decided to make it a BIG gift to make up for all the ones we lost," Evan added.
"Now, get ready cause we're taking you out," Katrina finished.
Kendall raised his eyebrows, "Uh, okay? What are we doing?"
"Can't say," Logan started.
"You'll love it," James continued.
"It's the chance of a lifetime!" Carlos concluded.
"And we're all going?" Kendall checked. He received head nods from the group. "Okay, I'll get ready then." With that, he headed for the bathroom.
Kendall stared out the window of the passenger's side of Mrs. Knight's rental van. He watched the buildings pass, wondering where they were going. The others in the van were quiet, keeping their lips tight to stop themselves from revealing the surprise. After Carlos had almost spilled the beans, James had covered the boy's mouth with a bandanna to stop him from talking.
"Okay, seriously, where are we going?" Kendall demanded. No one spoke. "Oh, come on! Give me a hint!" He was met with silence. "Somebody say something!"
"It's a nice day out today," Evan commented. The others agreed with him and then fell back into quietness.
Kendall sighed and looked back out the window. As Mrs. Knight took a turn, Kendall noticed a sign that made him speak again, "Wait. Are we heading for Staples Center? The home of the hockey team, the LA Kings?" More silence came from the others. "I have no idea whether you're not talking for fear of giving me hints or if I guessed it and you don't want to let me know I was right." Quiet filled the van. "Fine, I'll stop talking."
Not much time passed before Kendall was proven right. Mrs. Knight pulled into a parking lot near the Staples Center and stopped the van. Kendall turned to the others for an explanation.
"It was all Katrina's idea," Katie mentioned. "But Evan and I were the ones that made it happen."
"What are we doing here?" Kendall asked.
"You boys get a chance to play a hockey game with the LA Kings and they're going to give you tips to help improve your game," Katrina revealed. "I wanted to get the Minnesota Wild, but we don't have any connections with them and they're kind of in Minnesota, not California."
"Since I practiced with them once, I knew the people in charge," Evan added. "All I had to do was give them a call and it happened. They were actually really excited to hear from me. Something about how they were scouting me and disappointed when I dropped off the face of the Earth."
"And then, I did some bartering," Katie finished. "Which led to us having seats for the hockey game tomorrow night, right behind the players' box."
Kendall stared at his relatives for a second before saying, "You're messing with me." The three of them shook their heads. It took a second for it to sink in, leaving him to say, "Why are we still sitting in this van then? Let's go!" The group left the van and headed for the hockey rink.
Katrina, Katie and Mrs. Knight sat on the bleachers in the players' box, watching the boys skate around with the professional hockey players. Kendall scored a goal and got a high five from Evan and another from a Kings player. The people on the ice went to the middle to continue their game.
"This was a good idea," Mrs. Knight complimented. "Kendall seems really happy with this."
"And the best part is that no one can get in here to ruin it because of the security on the building," Katrina mentioned. "Which means I won't get hurt."
Suddenly, a hockey puck flew towards her, just missing Katrina's head. The girl's eyes widened as she glared in the direction that the puck came from. James and Carlos waved back at her.
"Yeah, you could get hurt anywhere," Katie responded.
"That's it," Katrina slid down the bench towards her wheelchair on the side of it. "I'm moving behind the glass."
Later that week, Katrina found herself rolling her wheelchair towards the door to leave the apartment. Before she could even attempt to leave, Carlos, Logan, James and Kendall ducked in to block her way.
"Where do you think you're going?" Kendall asked.
"Nats texted me that her apartment is all set up," Katrina replied. "I'm gonna go see it."
"You're not going anywhere alone," James declared.
"Then, you guys come with me," Katrina offered.
"Can't," Kendall responded. "Got a date with Jo."
"And I just don't want to see her," Logan added.
Carlos and James looked at each other before they mentioned, "We'll go." Katrina shrugged in response. Taking that as an okay, James grabbed her wheelchair while Carlos opened the door so they could leave.
Natalie opened the door to her apartment to see James, Carlos and Katrina in the doorway. They waved at the sight of the smart girl.
"Hey," Katrina greeted her friend.
"Hey!" Natalie exclaimed.
"Hey," James gave her a sultry smile.
Suddenly, Jett appeared in the doorway, giving the group a smile, "Hey."
Carlos's eyebrows furrowed, seeming angry by the person in front of him, "Hey!"
"Okay, I'm tired of this," Jett declared. He looked to Natalie, "Call me if you want me to appear on your show. I can teach your audience the science of kissing." He wiggled his eyebrows at her, gave Katrina a wink and then disappeared down the hallway.
Once Jett was gone from sight, Carlos, James and Katrina turned accusingly to Natalie, "What was that?!"
"I needed help moving my stuff in," Natalie responded. "And, while I don't expect Kat to help since she's still in that wheelchair, I was counting on you guys to help me. But as soon as I asked you two, excuses came out of your mouths and you disappeared without a trace. So, I sat on my luggage, trying to figure out what to do when Jett came over and offered to help."
"And where is he in your social experiment?" Katrina asked.
"Creeper," Natalie revealed. Katrina chuckled while James and Carlos looked at each other, confused. "So, come on in." Natalie walked back into her apartment, leaving the door open so the others could follow her. Katrina wheeled herself in while the guys hung back a bit. They only rushed in when the door started to shut.
Natalie shut the door completely once the boys were inside. Carlos, James and Katrina took a good look at the small apartment as Natalie went over to collapse on her ratty couch. Over in one corner of the room was a lab table. While there were glass instruments, measuring equipment and containers of chemicals on it, the table itself looked as though it was new. In another corner, a desk had been set up with a bright, shiny new laptop from the computer and software company, Viranet. Other than those two items, the apartment didn't have much decoration to it. Holes littered the walls, one of the lights flickered and a spiderweb was forming in one of the cabinets in the kitchen.
"Uh, you know that you could ask Bitters for a better room," Carlos suggested.
"I'm fine with it," Natalie insisted, pulling a notebook out from under the couch. "Once I get my first paycheck, I'll fix it up. Unlike you guys, my employer doesn't pay for my residence."
"If you haven't gotten paid yet, then how can you afford that laptop?" James asked. "Viranet is super expensive because of the detail they put into their products."
Natalie furrowed her eyebrows and looked to Katrina, "You didn't tell them who my dad is?"
Katrina shook her head, "Why should I tell them that? They never asked."
"Huh," Natalie responded. "I thought they would. Anyways, my dad is the founder and owner of Viranet. That laptop's a prototype. I test his new ideas before he offers it to his company to perfect it. That laptop won't hit the stores for five years, if we're lucky. Why else do you think that my family could afford to live right across the street from the Wolffs? My dad's a billionaire."
James and Carlos stared at her for a second before they turned to each other, yelling, "DIBS!"
"Oh no," Katrina mumbled, facepalming.
"DOUBLE DIBS!" The boys screamed.
"Uh, what are they calling dibs on?" Natalie asked Katrina.
"You," Katrina revealed. Natalie's eyebrows raised and a smile slowly formed on her face.
"TRIPLE DIBS!" Another yell came from the boys.
"Maybe you should stop your little social experiment," Katrina insisted.
"Why would I do something like that?" Natalie watched the boys continue to call dibs on her. "I've never had guys fighting over me before. It's kind of nice."
"Nats," Katrina crossed her arms, giving her best friend a warning look.
"Fine," Natalie gave in. "Carlos, James, I have a boyfriend."
The two boys stopped arguing and turned to the smart girl, "What?!"
"Yeah, he's still in England though," Natalie revealed. She sighed in sadness, "I miss that accent of his. It was like the best thing of him."
Carlos and James stared at her for a second before James declared, "Well, I'm out." That said, he turned around to leave the apartment.
"Me too," Carlos decided, following his best friend out. The door slammed shut after them.
"Boys are stupid," Katrina mentioned.
"You got that right," Natalie agreed.
Katrina was cooped up in apartment 2J. After an incident by the pool where her wheelchair kept rolling and the boys barely saved her from rolling in, Katrina was under apartment arrest. The boys took their roles as her guards seriously, only allowing her to leave the apartment when she had to go to school or Rocque Records. Natalie had taken Katrina's spot at Penny's Pet Care so that the disabled girl could heal her leg without any animals making a problem.
It was Kendall's turn to make sure that she didn't leave the apartment. He and his cousin sat on the couch, cards in their hand since they were playing Go Fish.
"Got any fives?" Katrina asked.
"Go fish," Kendall told her.
"Dang," Katrina grabbed a card from the pile on the coffee table.
Before Kendall could ask for a card, the door to the apartment burst open and Evan ran in, waving around an envelope and yelling, "Kat! Guess what we got in the mail!"
"Uh, tickets to another hockey game?" Katrina guessed. Evan shook his head. "Football?"
"It's not sports related!" Evan insisted.
"I can't think of anything that you'd get excited about that's not to do with sports," Katrina mentioned.
"No, you're just a bad guesser," Evan retorted. "Kendall, you try!"
"Hmm, maybe an invitation to perform somewhere," Kendall tried.
"Sort of," Evan responded. "Come on, it's a big event in Hollywood that's coming up."
"It's not an invitation to that stupid Hollywood's Hottest Young Faces Gala," Katrina complained. "I've been getting them every year for as long as I can remember."
"Really?" Kendall looked to her in surprise.
"Yeah, our family was always invited," Katrina revealed. "Well, all of us kids anyways." She looked to her brother who suddenly didn't seem so excited. "Oh, so it is that gala."
Evan nodded his head, "Yep. But this year is different. We've been invited as Wolff Pack instead of as ourselves. They want us to perform a song."
"That means I have to write a new song," Katrina realized. "And I've had writer's block for a while now."
"Then, let's get Brandon and head over to Rocque Records," Evan insisted. "We're gonna help you."
"Wait!" Kendall exclaimed. "Kat can't leave this apartment. If you wanna write a song, it'll have to be while she's sitting on this couch."
Katrina sighed, "Evan, go get my guitar." Her brother ran from the room to do as she asked.
"This is hopeless," Katrina declared, throwing her pen and paper away. "I can't come up with anything! I haven't been able to since I went into a coma." She set her guitar to the side.
"Maybe a change of scenery would help," Evan suggested.
"Nope," Kendall shook his head. "She is not leaving this apartment on my watch. The other guys would not be happy with me."
"Oh, come on, it'll be a family secret," Evan insisted. "The three of us haven't done anything together in a while." Kendall looked from Evan to Katrina. The model gave him a puppy dog pout. Kendall sighed.
The door to apartment 2J opened up and Logan walked in, "Okay, Kendall, I can take –" He cut himself off when he noticed that Kendall and Katrina weren't there. "Aw crap. Where'd they go?" Pulling out his phone, Logan texted James and Carlos to let them know what was going on.
"So, where are we going?" Kendall asked from the passenger side of the van. Evan drove down the highway, concentrating on the road in front of him. Katrina had her leg up as she sat in the backseat.
"To one of our hide-outs," Evan revealed. "A place where Kat, Brandon and I would disappear from the world. Sometimes, Natalie would join us." Evan took an exit and continued down the busy roads.
"You guys have a lot of secrets," Kendall realized.
"Get used to it," Katrina piped up. "Secrets are a part of this family. We tend to attract them." Evan nodded. "So, which one are we going to? I don't recognize this route."
"You'll see," Evan continued to be cryptic about their destination. Once silence filled the van, Kendall turned on the radio to fill the noise.
"Where do you think they could have gone?!" Logan exclaimed, pacing back and forth. "Where would Kendall take Katrina anyways? He was the one that thought up the idea for her to stay here so she'd be out of trouble." Logan had gathered up Carlos and James to figure out where the two had disappeared.
"I don't know," James shrugged. "Maybe she went to visit Natalie."
Suddenly, the door opened and Natalie walked in, "Hey Carlos, I got your text. What is this about Kendall and Kat missing?" She spotted Logan. "Ugh, not you again."
"Right now, someone that we both care about is nowhere to be found," Logan responded. "Can we put aside our differences for that?"
Natalie sighed, "Okay, so Kendall and Kat aren't here. Maybe your scary producer called them in."
At that moment, Carlos's phone buzzed, indicating he got a text message. The helmet-head pulled out his phone to check it, "Gustavo's trying to get a hold of Kendall, Katrina and Evan to talk about some new songs, but can't reach them."
"See, they're with Evan," James decided. "That's not weird."
The door burst open again and Brandon came in, "Has anyone seen Evan? I want to ask him if he can cover a shift for Tim so that he and I can go on a date." The others stared at him in shock. "What? Oh, come on, you guys know that I'm gay and that I'm dating Tim. I mean, really. It's not new."
"So, if Kendall and Katrina are with Evan and Evan's nowhere to be found," Logan reasoned. "That means that something must have happened to them."
"The Zizi got them!" Carlos exclaimed.
"Or they ran away," James offered. "I did catch Evan trying to run while we were at the hospital." He got the attention of the others at this news.
"But, Kendall wouldn't leave," Carlos insisted.
"He and Evan are a lot alike," Brandon pointed out.
"I could see it, if he thinks everyone's in danger by him staying," Natalie reasoned. The group went silent as they thought about the situation at hand.
Evan stopped the car in the middle of a parking lot for LAX. He looked to his cousin and sister to find them glaring at him, "What?"
"WHY ARE WE AT THE AIRPORT?!" Kendall and Katrina screamed at him.
"Because we are getting out of this city," Evan told them. "The best way to keep us safe is to disappear from everything and everyone. They're targeting the three of us. What we need to do is find a place far away from the others, get seen so the Zizi leave the others alone and then go into hiding. This will help both us and them from getting killed. You two were lucky that you didn't die in their hospital attempt."
"Evan, we can't just leave them," Kendall insisted. "The Zizi are targeting the others too. And without us, where are they going to look for leadership?" Evan seemed quiet on the subject.
"Plus, wouldn't it be best to stand our ground and fight back to defeat the Zizi," Katrina pointed out. "Running and hiding isn't the best way to find their weaknesses. We can't be afraid of what's coming from them." She suddenly had a blank look as she stared out the window. "That's it. That's the song."
"Don't you realize that we're going to keep getting hurt if we stay?" Evan responded. "We're going to be pulled apart if it continues like this! You're not invincible, Kat."
"Neither are you," Katrina retorted.
"Which is why I'm going to join you later," Evan replied.
Kendall and Katrina stared at him for a second before yelling, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'LATER'?!"
"I mean that it would be foolish for all three of us to go at once," Evan spoke calmly. "So, you two are going first and I'll cover our tracks. Make us untraceable to anyone. Plus, I'll give the others back at the Palm Woods a phone line so that they can reach us and join us if it becomes too dangerous for them." Kendall's and Katrina's jaws were dropped as they stared at Evan, unable to move from the shocking insistence from him. "You two are in the most danger, so you're going first. Kendall, you've got to keep Kat away from anything that could hurt her. We can't afford to send her to a hospital. There's some cash, fake passports and IDs, and plane tickets to Sweden in a briefcase in the trunk. I also packed a couple bags for you. I'll join you in a week." Kendall and Katrina continued to be frozen. "Well, what are you waiting for?"
"You've gone crazy," Kendall broke his silence. "That does it. Give me the wheel, I'm driving us home." Kendall reached over to grab the steering wheel.
"No! It's not safe there!" Evan exclaimed, trying to push Kendall away since the boy was moving over to sit in the driver's seat.
"Get in the back with Kat," Kendall pushed Evan back. Katrina watched from the backseat as their pushing war escalated into shoving and then an all out wrestling match. Their voices increased until they were screaming at each other, steering wheel completely forgotten.
Katrina sighed, rolling her eyes, "Boys." She reached under the seat, feeling around for something useful. Her hand grasped something metal so she pulled it out to get a better look at it. In her hand was an airhorn. "Why the hell is this in here?" Shrugging, Katrina held it out and used it.
The boys paused in their fight to look up at Katrina, "What?!"
Tossing the airhorn to the side, Katrina addressed them, "You are being idiots. Fighting like you're brothers that are testing each other's strength." The boys stared at her. "What?"
"You sound like Mom," Evan mentioned.
"Someone has to be the mature one in this car," Katrina retorted. "And since you two are acting like kids, I guess that has to be me. Evan, you're probably right that leaving is the best option."
"Ha!" Evan pointed at Kendall.
"Kat! What about the others?!" Kendall exclaimed, ignoring the mocking face that Evan was giving him.
"Hold on, let me finish," Katrina insisted. "Just because leaving might be the best option, doesn't mean it's the only option. Leaving and staying would lead to the same things."
"What are you talking about?" Evan asked, smile disappearing from his face.
"If we leave, we'll always be looking over our shoulder for the Zizi following us," Katrina explained. "We'll never have any peace, always running to our next safe area, never able to come back, lose contact with everyone. We won't be happy. If we stay, the danger might be a little greater, but at least we'll be able to have a chance of catching it before it catches us. And we'll have a chance to be happy. We'll be with our family and friends, doing things we love to do. No worrying about what's the next place that could be Zizi-free. Sure, we might be putting the others in danger, but they're tougher than they look as we saw at the hospital. Evan, we can do this." Evan looked away from her, staring out the window as he contemplated what she said. Kendall gave the girl a smile, proud of her.
"I still don't know," Evan shook his head. "There's so much that can go wrong."
"Evan, think of Katie," Kendall tried. Evan furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "You said it yourself that she reminded you of Kat. Well, do you really want to put Katie in the same position that Kat was? Knowing that her brother up and left with no explanation whatsoever? Do you really want to be so heartless to do that again?"
Evan narrowed his eyes, "That's a low blow."
"If it gets you to see some sense, then that's what I'll do," Kendall responded.
Sighing, Evan gave in, "Fine. But the second things start getting really bad, the three of us are leaving. And next time, we'll bring Katie so you can't complain." Kendall and Katrina shared high-fives of victory as Evan put the van into drive and left the parking lot, heading for home.
The door to apartment 2J opened and Kendall and Evan went inside, Kendall pushing Katrina in her wheelchair. Their friends immediately got up from the couch, yelling, "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!"
The relatives looked at each other before Kendall answered, "For a drive. Kat had to clear her head."
"Good news is that I've got an idea for a song for the gala," Katrina added.
"What gala?" Logan asked. "I don't remember anything about a gala."
Evan pulled out some pieces of paper, "We've been invited to Hollywood's Hottest Young Faces Gala."
"YES!" Brandon yelled, running forward and pulling one of the tickets out of Evan's hand. "I have always wanted to be invited to one of these! Woo!" He bounced on the toes of his feet.
"And we can bring a date," Katrina added, giving Logan a wink. Logan gave her a nervous smile, trying to look excited about being surrounded by cameras. James slumped, giving Logan a shot of envy. "Which makes me wonder." She quickly turned her head to look at her brother. "Evan, who are you bringing?"
"Uh," Evan stammered, noticing all of the people staring at him. "Gotta go!" Before anyone could stop him, Evan had left the apartment.
Katrina suddenly seemed frustrated, "Darn. I had hoped he would have told me the person he's dating behind my back." Kendall and Brandon widened their eyes and exchanged a quick glance, knowing very well which girl it was. Natalie noticed the exchange and raised an eyebrow, curious to know what was going on.
"I didn't know he was dating anyone," Carlos mentioned.
"Apparently, he's keeping it a secret from everyone for some reason," Katrina responded. "And I am determined to find out who this is so that I can interrupt his make-out sessions and see how he likes it."
"I'm just gonna go," Brandon announced. "Gotta tell Tim the good news that he'll be going to a gala." Without another word, Brandon was gone.
"And I should see Gustavo to find out if we got invitations to that too," Kendall decided. Soon after, Kendall had disappeared too.
"Think they know something?" Carlos asked the others.
"Nah," James waved it off. "I don't know about Brandon, but Kendall would tell us."
(A/N): Would he, James? Would Kendall tell you? Cause Kendall knows and he HASN'T told you. He, Brandon and Jo know exactly who Evan is dating behind everyone's back. So, when will that blow up in his face? Will Evan take Camille to the gala or will he come up with an excuse NOT to? And how does Camille feel about all of this? What is Katrina going to do when she finds out? Is James going to be the one to find out and tell her? Is Kendall, Jo or Brandon going to cave? What about Evan and Camille themselves? Carlos, Logan and Natalie can't be ruled out either. Carlos is notorious for finding out stuff he shouldn't and then blabbing about it. Logan DID date Camille so he should be able to know when she likes a guy. Natalie's big on knowing things, therefore she should be able to piece together the puzzles. Or it could be someone that I haven't mentioned yet. Katie, for instance, knows too. So does Bitters. Gustavo could think this is great publicity for Wolff Pack and send out a picture of Evan and Camille making-out. There are so many ways that their secret could be revealed that it's surprising that Katrina hasn't heard about it yet. Maybe there's a reason for that… Evan tried to run… Again… But Kendall and Katrina talked him out of it. Is he going to make another attempt or will things move in their favor so much that Evan will finally feel safe at the Palm Woods? Natalie has a boyfriend! Betcha didn't see that coming. Of course, she left her boyfriend in England… And the group IS going to England once this season is over… Yes people, I'm setting things up for some independent storylines along with Big Time Movie. Which is why Natalie won't get with her designated Big Time Rush member until AFTER I get to season 3. Gotta give you something to look forward to. Logan and Natalie seem to be arguing with each other as much as James and Katrina do. That's not good. But, as Logan pointed out, Katrina is with him, not James. So, she shouldn't be worried, especially because of the whole boyfriend thing. Right? RIGHT? Now, one of the most important questions in this story… Are Logan and Katrina EVER going to have an uninterrupted make-out session? Jeez, it seems like no one wants to see them kiss or something…
Remember people. YOU are in charge of the destiny of this story! Well, at least part of it… So, don't forget to vote on which Big Time Rush member YOU want with Natalie! Kendall? James? Carlos? Logan? Any of them could win her heart by your votes! Although, there is one that's WAY in the lead of everyone else… You can probably guess which one if you read the reviews… I didn't think there would be THAT much support for just one member… Hmm… Ideas rolling around in my head now… Anyways, enough of my rambling cause I'm just avoiding doing other stuff that I should really be doing (like working on my book that I'm writing or buying textbooks for my classes or reading over notes… Ugh. School.). So, until next time, happy reading and don't forget to vote!