"Empty," James said shaking a can of Cuda Hair Spray. He picked up another can. "Empty, too! What is this, a nightmare?" He pinched his finger on the nozzle of the spray can. "Oh it is. Well, Mr. Diamond, if you can wake up you'll find you have all the hair spray you need."

James turned slightly in his bed, smiling at the thought. He wasn't out of any of his Cuda products. He was just dreaming. If he was supposed to be awake now why did he feel like there was someone lying next to him in the bed. He could faintly hear the breathing. No, no, he slept by himself.

Carefully, he peeked out of one eye, his right eye as his left was smooshed into his pillow. What he saw made him scream and almost fall out of bed.

"Aaaagh!" Was the response from the other person.

"Lucy?" James regained his composure. He hadn't seen her since that week in July. She was out of town when Big Time Rush returned home from their tour. "What are you doing here? Wait, you can't see me like this. Not with bed head and puffy sleep eyes." He made to jump out of bed, but she put out an arm to stop him. "I have to go beautify myself," he demanded.

"No," she whispered. She leaned up and kissed him on the lips. "Ooh, morning breath."

"Now, will you let me make myself beautiful?"

She shook her head, her red highlights falling over her face. James brushed it away and tucked it behind her left ear.

"You knew I was coming today. We confirmed it yesterday."

"Yeah, but I thought you were coming later. I'd pick you up at the airport. We'd go out and have dinner. You know…"

"I wanted to surprise you and apparently I did. I took an early flight out of LAX, grabbed a taxi here, and Logan let me in. I snuck up here, put my stuff in the corner, took my shoes off, and slid into bed next to you. You were snoring softly. It was cute. I took a picture." Lucy leaned over the edge of the bed and removed her phone from the carpeted floor. After pressing a few buttons she showed James the photo.

"Erase that!" He exclaimed.

"No way. It's going on Scuttlebutter right now."

"You put that on Scuttlebutter and you're asking for it!" He reached for the phone and ended up elbowing Lucy in the face.

"Now I'm definitely posting it!" She tapped the screen of her phone. "And there."

"You didn't!"

"I did!" She waved the phone in front of his face.

"I hate you." James hopped out of bed and headed for the bathroom.

"You love me," Lucy corrected.

Love? Did he? No, it was too early for that. He leaned against the bathroom door frame. They hadn't been dating that long, just this summer. They didn't even become official until a month or so after the Tween Choice Awards, after their first kiss. But, James knew the feelings in his heart and stomach were not feelings he'd ever had for a girl before.

"I know."

Lucy froze.

"You love me?"

"I—I love you." He didn't mean to say it, but when he did it felt right. "I love you, Lucy Stone."

"And I love you, James Diamond." She hopped out of bed, ran past James, mussed up his hair, and stepped into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her.

"Hey, James, have you checked your Scuttlebutter this morning?" Carlos snickered when James came downstairs an hour later after cleaning up. "Maybe you can make that your next headshot."

James would have responded with some sort of comeback, but he didn't care. He'd been in a state of bliss ever since declaring his love for Lucy. Thinking about it in the shower he really and truly meant it. When he first met her he went after her because she was the new girl, a new prospect. Eventually, they became friends and he had dreams of kissing her one day. He never thought it would turn into love for he'd never felt that way about any girl before. James loved girls, but he had never been serious about anyone he dated. Until now.

"I think it's sweet," Alexa said taking Carlos's phone from him and looking at the picture.

James poured himself a cup of coffee and joined Lucy at the kitchen counter. She had a bowl of cereal in front of her and next to her was Logan enjoying a piece of toast. James and Lucy were the only ones who were ready for the day. Everyone else, Kendall, Logan, Carlos, and Alexa were still in their pajamas.

Lucy took her free hand and slowly placed it on James's right hand which was holding onto the handle of his mug. The two had been dating for a while and yes, they were physical with each other, but this act meant so much more. James removed his hand from the mug and laced his fingers with hers. He rubbed the palm of her hand with his thumb. She turned to look at him. He looked into her eyes. They weren't the same ones he saw before.

"I love you," Lucy mouthed squeezing James's hand gently.

"This is creeping me out," Kendall spoke up after what could have been a whole minute the couple stared into each other's eyes. "Our little Jamie is in love."

"Way to ruin the moment," James released Lucy's hand and returned to his mug of coffee.

"He's just jealous I never felt this way about him."

"Oh you? Don't you forget I was the one who ended things with you, so perhaps it was I who did not feel this way about you. You ran away after I chose Jo."

James put up his hands.

"Now this is getting weird. You two dated in the past, but we don't have to talk about it. Kendall, you're happy with Jo and Lucy, you're happy with me."

"Who says I'm happy with you?"

"Oooh," came the sound of the peanut gallery, mainly Logan and Carlos.

"Well, I was happy with you, but now, forget it."

"So you won't mind if I get back with Kendall?"

"Nah."

"How about if I stay with you?" Lucy leaned over and kissed James hot on the lips.

"Ewwww…" Carlos trailed off when Alexa shushed him with a kiss of her own.

"We deserve this," Logan admitted. "We've been flaunting Jo and Camille in their faces for the past few years."

Kendall sighed.

"'Cause your heart calling feels like confetti falling down, down, down," James sang to himself as he stood in front of his bathroom mirror shaving while wearing nothing but a white v-neck and boxers. He was getting ready for his double date that night and wanted to look his best. Looking his best meant shaving even though he'd already done that this morning. He didn't know why but this song always made him think of Lucy and Lucy always made him think of this song. "'Cause your heart calling feels like confetti falling down, down, do-ow!" He pressed his right index finger against his chin. "Call 911!"

"What'd you do?" Logan called out from his bedroom.

"I marred the face!"

Logan ran across the hall.

"Dude, it's just a nick."

"Just a nick? Just a nick? On you it'd be just a nick, but on this face it's…it's…I'm deformed," James wailed. "I don't want to bleed out." He continued pressing his finger against the cut to staunch the bleeding.

"You've cut your face before. Just put a band-aid on it. You'll live."

"What?! No! I am not going out in public like this."

"It's just a nick," Lucy said having run up the stairs after hearing James scream. "Besides," she opened the small round band-aid Logan handed her and placed it over the cut, "I think it makes you look sexier."

"Yeah, sexy," Logan rolled his eyes. "Now you match Carlos, Nick, I mean James."

James gave him a sarcastic laugh.

"Don't mind him. You do look sexy." Lucy kissed him quickly on the lips as Logan hurriedly left the room.

"How can you love me now I'm deformed?"

"Because I love you for your brain?" She thumped his forehead before running toward the bed trying to get away, but James managed to pick her up anyway. He placed her on the bed and then crawled on top of her.

"Don't patronize me." James began running his fingers up and down her sides.

"Do you even know what that means?" She giggled.

"Do I know what that means?" He tickled her harder. "She asks if I know what that means!"

Lucy tried to sit up. Finally, she was able to raise her head and give James a passionate kiss causing him to lose his grip on the tickles.

"Before I forget," she said after she stopped kissing James and sat up, "I've been booked to do the 97.1 Amp Radio New Years Bash on New Year's Eve in LA. I was hoping you'd perform a duet with me."

"Would that be considered breaking out? I promised the others I wouldn't break the No Breaking Out Code."

"You boys and your codes. I don't think this counts as breaking out.

"All right then. Have your people call my people."

"Your people being Gustavo Rocque?"

"Yep."

"I can't wait for the slopes to open," Carlos said eyeing the majestic Rockies in the background.

"You do know they won't be til the end of November," James said leaning his head into Lucy's hair, which was quite a feat being that he was almost a foot taller than her.

"Aw man!"

"There's still plenty for you to do here," Alexa said tapping Carlos on the nose.

The two couples, on their double date, were currently strolling the shopping area of downtown Aspen. The guys didn't have any idea what to do on their date so Alexa suggested they explore the town. Aspen did have some pretty big names in its shopping district.

"Watch where you're going!" Alexa exclaimed when two teenage males knocked Carlos over and since she was holding his hand effectively knocked her on top of him.

"Hey, look, it's Carlos and James from Big Time Rush," the taller blond mocked.

"And if it isn't Miss Spy Kid herself, Alexa Vega," the dark haired boy commented.

"You can't talk to her like that!" Carlos stood up, helped his girlfriend up, and brushed the dirt off both of them.

"It's okay, Carlos. They didn't say anything mean."

"It's not what they said; it's how they said it."

Alexa gave him a look saying "let it go." Carlos shook his head. He didn't want to let it go. He wasn't going to let anyone insult his girlfriend. But, he also didn't want to get in a fight with anyone while out on a date with his girlfriend. He also wasn't wearing his helmet.

"Sorry, man," Carlos mumbled.

"It's cool, it's cool," the dark haired boy said. "Hey, what'd you do to your chin?"

"Skateboarding accident."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, I actually wasn't on the skateboard at the time. I tripped over the board and skidding along the sidewalk on my chin." Carlos absentmindedly rubbed his chin over the scrape and grimaced.

"Did you trip over a skateboard, too?" The blond asked James.

"There's nothing on my chin," James exclaimed raising his hand to cover it.

"No?"

James looked anywhere but at the two boys desperately not making eye contact.

"I can't believe you traded numbers with them," Alexa said, scanning Carlos's phone's address book. "Russian acrobats?"

"I'm a people person."

"How dare they not know who Lucy Stone is!" James declared appearing more offended than Lucy.

"They just don't know good music."

"They knew who we—hey!" James pretended to be offended. He lifted his menu higher to cover his chin.

The couples found themselves in an outdoor restaurant as the sun set after walking around the shopping district. James was interested in some of the stores, but no one else was.

'What are you doing?"

"Me? Nothing!"

Lucy pushed the menu down. James raised it back up.

"Excuse me, I'm deciding what to order."

"Maybe we need to have your vision checked," Lucy suggested.

"What? Glasses on this face? Puh! I am perfe—" he stopped. "I'm not perfect anymore!"

"It's just a cut, James, not the end of the world." She rubbed his arm.

"Good evening," the waiter appeared suddenly, "My name is Nick and I'll be your waiter."

James instinctively reached for his chin. Nick. Darn you, Nick! Darn you, stupid razor who didn't know James Diamond's the face and it's a complete sin to cut it!

"James, James," Lucy waved her hand in front of his face, "the waiter would like to take your drink order." She pulled his menu down and placed it on the table. "Look at me," she whispered. "You are perfect. To me. But, if you obsess over this stupid cut on your face I am going to publically walk out of this restaurant. I might just make a scene worthy of a rag magazine. I love you, James, and I do think your obsession with your looks is cute but this is just too far."

He was officially embarrassed. He didn't know what to say or do. He prided himself on having the face, but was he taking it too far?

Lucy reached for James's hand as they walked around a park near the restaurant after dinner. Carlos and Alexa decided to let them have some time to themselves since it looked like they might need it. James had been unusually quiet the rest of the meal and Lucy was afraid she'd hurt his feelings. That was not her intention at all. The way he was acting over a cut on his face was embarrassing her!

"Do you think I'm shallow?" James asked.

Lucy didn't know how to respond to that. She wanted to be truthful, but she didn't want to hurt him. She had to phrase this carefully.

"That pause means you do!" James let go of her hand.

"No! You're one of the deepest guys I know." Perhaps not like that.

"I know you're lying to me!" James sat down on the ground. He was wearing a nice pair of pants and he didn't care if he got grass stains on them. Maybe he should point that out to show how not shallow he was. No, not being shallow meant not having to point things like that out. He pulled a few blades of grass out in frustration.

Lucy knelt down beside him and rubbed his face. It was smooth and soft. James really did know an awful lot about skin care. Nothing wrong with that especially with the business he was in. Heck, there was probably something he could teach her.

"I don't know anyone who obsesses over their looks the way you do," she admitted.

"Shallowly."

"Shh," she placed a finger on his lips. "But, that's not all you are. You're loving, sweet, kind…you're the best friend anyone could ask for. Just look at your relationship with Kendall, Carlos, and Logan and don't forget Katie as well as Camille and Jo…those are just your friends that I know."

"So, I'm a good friend. Big deal."

"Big deal?" She ran her hands through his hair, something she'd never done before, not this slowly. He really did have silky smooth hair. She knew messing with his hair was upsetting to James, but she also instinctively felt that this was what she should do. "If you were as shallow and vain as you think you are would you be as good a friend as you know you are?"

James shrugged.

Lucy ripped the band-aid off James's chin.

"Ow! What was that for?"

She kissed the cut.

"You're not the boy I met two years ago. That boy would have never sacrificed himself in his lifelong mates' annual prank war. You put someone else above you at the expense of how it made you look. Think about it." She brushed her lips against his. "When I went on my European Tour, I thought about you a lot. I know I already told you that." She ran her hand against his chest. "I thought about the boy you were when I first met you. I knew you were only into me because I was the new girl. When I returned to the Palm Woods and you were still into me, I figured it was because I was another conquest for you. But, everyday you kept showing me how you changed. Yes, you were still obsessed with your face and hair and frankly, I wouldn't have you any other way. I learned you cared. You showed me you cared. You showed me you matured. You're growing up. It was this James that I fell in love with. This is you. The real James Diamond."

Things will pick up soon, I promise you. We just have to do this to get there. Stick with me!