AN: Hello! Sorry for the wait, real life got in the way. This chapter shows the Kendelle reunion and Elle thinking about the future. Let me know what you think and please enjoy. Also, Kendall became a dad irl which is so sweet.

"Baby, hi."

His voice was raspy and it felt like I was frozen in place as he came towards me, his arms outstretched. He wrapped me in a vice grip of a hug and the pain that burned through my breasts brought me back to reality. He smelled heavily of smoke from both weed and cigarettes, liquor, and just the faintest hint of mint. The combination of smells made my stomach churn and his hands were gripping my waist almost painfully.

"You came back, I knew you would. I'm so fucking sorry, Len." His words were rushed and frantic as he spoke into my ear. "I was an idiot and I fucked up but I love you so much and I'm so glad you're alive."

"Stop." I pleaded quietly, "You're hurting me."

"I never meant for any of this to happen. I missed you so much, baby. I knew you'd come back to me."

It was like a record scratched in my head at the last sentence. He was sorely fucking mistaken if he thought I came back for him. I squirmed in his tight hold, wincing at the pain in my chest. His body was hot and heavy. His hands were rough and foreign against my skin. Even his voice was different, strained from smoking and crying I guessed, as he whispered in my ear.

"Missed you so much, Len. Sweetheart, I'm so sorry." He pressed a kiss to my hair and didn't notice when I flinched. "You're back and we can fix this."

My heart was pounding in my ears and I felt like I might be sick as I broke out of his hold. His green eyes burned into my brown ones and it was like looking at a stranger. I didn't recognize him at all. He was still talking a mile a minute but I couldn't hear him. I just shook my head and tried to stop the tears from forming.

"I messed up. But you came back to me-"

"No."

For the first time, he heard my voice. "No?"

"I didn't come back for you. I came back for myself and my career. I don't want to see you."

His hands went back to my waist. "I'm so glad you're okay and I'm so sorry I hurt you. But I don't care why you came back, I just care that you're here so I can fix this."

I laughed despite myself. "You can't unleak my pictures or undo telling me to kill myself. There's no fixing this."

"I know I can't but I'm so in love with you and I will do whatever you want to make this better."

"You can start by leaving me the hell alone and never saying that to me again. You don't love me and I don't love you, Kendall."

It was the first time I had said his name and it was full of so much venom that he cringed a bit.

"But-"

"But nothing! You ruined my life, you literally almost ended it." My voice cracked as I shouted and stabbed a finger into his chest. "You treated me as cheap entertainment when you knew how much this comeback meant to me."

"That's not true." He said looking at the carpet.

"You made a bet you could sleep with me, lied about your relationship and feelings, and made me look like a slut when I'm so close to overcoming that image"

"I know and I'm so sorry but I didn't mean it. I was just upset and confused because Jo was back even though I told her we were over. And then the bet, I didn't know you well enough, and I'm an idiot. I'm sorry."

I sniffed and clenched my fists at my side to stop my hands from shaking. "I came back for me and just told Gustavo a whole list of things I need. They include not seeing you or singing that stupid duet. So leave me alone. There's nothing you can do to ever fix this."

His frown deepened. "You just want to act like what we had isn't real? You want to ignore that we wrote an amazing song together because we have chemistry?"

"Obviously. None of this was fucking real." My laugh was dry. "You said it yourself and no, I never want to hear or think about that stupid song again."

He reached out his hand to grab mine. "Elle, please. Just hear me out."

I struggled to get away from him. "Let me go!"

"No, just listen to me!" He spun me to face him. His face was red and full of anger. "I love you and you love me. We're meant to be together and I'm not going to give up on us."

"Kendall-"

He pressed his lips to mine with such force it hurt. His stubble scraped against my skin and his hands dug into the sides of my face as he held me. The smell of weed and liquor was even stronger this close and his body was heavy against mine. I pulled away and was shaking.

My hand struck his face with such power that my palm stung. His head whipped to the side and when he snapped his gaze back to mine, I drew in a breath. I shut my eyes and waited for the force of his strike to send me to the floor. I had been angry and foolish enough to attempt to defend myself against Jett a few times. And that had resulted in bloody noses, bruised cheeks, and two concussions so I hadn't been brave enough to stand up to him again. But the fury that has surged through me when Kendall kissed me had been too great. I never wanted to feel his hands on my skin or the feeling of his lips against mine again.

"Elle."

I willed my eyes open. All the frustration and pain that was there before he kissed me had vanished. There was a crease between his eyebrows as regret bloomed across his features.

"I know I've been an ass and shoved you but that's not me. I'd never do that to you. And I'm sorry you felt like I would." He stepped back and put his hands up. "I mean, I deserve you slapping me for everything I did but I'd never touch you like that. I'm sorry you thought that. "

"It's a habit from being with- never mind." I failed to hold back a sniff and rolled my eyes. He didn't get to know this about me. "You have been an ass. I never want to see you again."

"I know it's not what you want to hear but I'm in love with you and I think you're in love with me. You want to be with me too."

"You're right, I don't want to hear that. And I'm not in love with you. All I want to do is get through this tour with my promotion and then never see you again."

The small and hopeful smile he had been wearing slid off his face. "Never again? But Elle, you have to feel it too. There's so much more than this summer and my shitty mistake for us. I've never felt this way before."

My throat was tight and I tried not to think about the positive tests or Liz's constant questions about what I was going to do. There could be more for us beyond this summer and standing here in front of Kendall made that feel even more real. He was responsible for half of this situation. An image of him cradling a tiny bundle of blankets flashed into my brain and I had to shake my head to get rid of it. I stumbled over to the door and opened it.

"You have to go. Now!"

He placed his fingers under my chin and lifted my face to his. He was serious as he spoke in a determined, hushed voice.

"I will do whatever it takes to make this right and to win you back, Len. I'll be waiting until you're ready."

"Then you'll be waiting forever." I opened the door further. "Because I'll never forgive you."

His smile was back, brighter this time. "Forever it is then. I know I messed up but I also know we're meant to be together."

...

Kendall's visit to my dressing room did not go over well with Liz. She came into the room and found me with my head between my knees.

"What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

I lifted my head and sniffed. "No, just sick."

"You're crying? What happened?"

"Kendall came in and tried to win me back."

Liz's fury was immediate. "Did he touch you?"

I wrung my hands together. "It's not a big deal."

"Elle." Her voice was firm. "Did he do something to do?"

I knew I couldn't sneak this past her. "He kissed me."

"That's unacceptable and entirely inappropriate. I didn't want to bring it up before but we could get you more security and-"

"I slapped him. So I'd say I can handle myself."

"Gustavo is going over the updates to his contract right now. There's a breach of morality clause in there so if he pulls any shit again, he's off the tour and has to pay them back his advance."

I shrugged, too tired to care. All I could focus on was how he said he'd wait for me forever. The idea of having to fend off his apologies and love confessions for the rest of my life was daunting. I could only imagine what it would be like to have him around as my baby's father on top of everything else.

Liz seemed to pick up on the fact that I didn't want to talk about him anymore and gestured to the pile of long-sleeved stage outfits I had been looking through before being ambushed by Kendall.

"I think the blue one looks nice. It goes well with your complexion and the lighting on stage."

I appreciated the forced normalcy. "Me too. Let's just hope my bandages aren't noticeable through the sleeves since they're sheer."

Usually, trying on a costume in front of Liz didn't bother me. I had done it countless times. But maybe it was the fact that the whole world had just seen me naked and with Kendall's dick in my mouth, I was feeling overexposed. I stepped into the bathroom and pulled on the outfit. Immediately, I frowned when I saw my reflection.

It wasn't the bandages. Those weren't noticeable. It was my stupid chest. My breasts were swollen and straining against the neckline and the pressure of the tight top hurt. If I had successfully forgotten that I was pregnant, this was a stark reminder.

I swiveled to the side and looked at my profile. My stomach was thankfully, still normal. I found myself pressing both hands to the spot in between my hipbones. Just under my hands, there was a small piece of me and Kendall that could be noticeable in just a few weeks. I still couldn't gauge how I felt about having a baby or being a mom. But I didn't dwell because it was allowing myself just today to enjoy being back on tour and not having to worry about anything else. The breath I sucked in did little to calm me but I opened the door.

"Can wardrobe let this out a little bit and maybe add some fabric?" I pointed to my chest. "The last thing I need is a nip slip."

Liz cleared her throat. "Are we going to talk about why you need it let out? Or are we still pretending I didn't hear you throwing up this morning, and last night, and yesterday morn-"

"I get it. As much as it's bothering you to not talk about it, it's bothering me to figure out how I feel it about." I stepped back into the bathroom and pulled the outfit off. "I know I need to decide if I'm taking a pill or not and if I should even tell him. But it gives me a headache."

I opened the door again, grateful for the loose tee shirt I changed back into. I handed Liz the outfit to be fixed before the show and she squeezed my hand.

"You don't have to tell him you know? You don't owe him anything."

"I know, it's just weird. Two weeks ago, he would have been the first person I told and we would have figured it out together. And now, he's a stranger who hurt me but there's still a part of me that wishes I could just run to him." My voice wavered and my eyes burned. "I wish I could still go to him and tell him how scared I am."

Liz rubbed circles onto my back as I cried. It was nice to finally be able to open up on how I was feeling. Even if I wasn't pregnant, I would have been conflicted about how I had fallen for him versus the person he turned out to be. But this just added another complex layer.

"I know it's scary and frustrating but we'll figure it out."

"At least one of us is optimistic."

...

Soundcheck had been a quick run-through of two of my songs just to get my mic levels sorted. Gustavo asked me about what I would do to fill the time when the duet happened. I told him I'd figure it out and probably play one of the new songs I wrote when I was away.

I was grateful my extended set wasn't going to happen for a few more weeks. It was only mid-afternoon and I was absolutely drained. Usually, in the hours before a show, I was full of excited energy. But today, I returned to my dressing room while Liz worked out contract details with Gustavo and the lawyers. It felt like my eyes had only been shut for a minute when gentle shaking roused me.

"Elle? Wake up."

I squinted into the dim light of my dressing room to see Kelly frowning over me. Over her shoulder, Logan turned to James and Carlos stood in the doorway.

"Told you she was okay."

"What's going on?"

I sat up and my vision was blurred and I had that distinct groggy headache that a nap always brought on.

"Showtime is in an hour and Liz wanted me to come check on you. She's wrapping up her contract discussions. Are you alright?"

I forced a smile and tried to make myself sound more awake than I was. "Yeah, it was an early flight is all."

"Well, break a leg. Let us know if you need coffee." She held up a garment bag. "And we got your outfit tailored."

I appreciated that Liz had set another woman to check on me instead of having me wake up to a man, even my friends, standing over me. It was just me and the guys now and they still looked worried.

"Can't a girl take a nap in her own dressing room? I promise I'm done trying to kill myself, too messy."

My joke fell flat and James cleared his throat. "We were just worried. Especially since Kendall told us he came to talk to you. He didn't do anything did he?"

"No. Well, he kissed me and I slapped him. But nothing worse than betraying me and telling me to die."

"Shit, we told him to leave you alone."

"He told me he was sorry and he'd wait 'forever' for me to be ready to trust him again."

"We heard Liz yelling at Gustavo to make sure he doesn't just barge in like that again," James vowed. "He won't bother you."

My limbs were heavy as I tried to shake the sleep off. "I'll believe it when I see. He seemed pretty adamant about us being together."

"We don't have to talk about him. We really are glad to have to back. Are you excited for the show?"

Carlos' question made me smile genuinely. "Nervous but yeah. It feels right to be back here. I can't imagine doing anything else." I pointed to the garment bag on the rack. "Even if I have to get all my costumes altered."

I said it before I thought about it and I wished I could take the words back immediately. The guys looked from me to the costume. I knew I wasn't showing but now it felt obvious that I looked different.

"They say stress causes weight loss. It's normal. I'm sure I'll be back in fighting shape in no time."

"You'll be great. You always have been. Besides, you can't be worse than Kendall." When I looked confused, Logan elaborated. "He's been drunk on stage every single night. Slurring, coming in late on his cues, stumbling."

"Surprisingly, that does make me feel better." I cleared the rest of the grogginess from my voice and clapped my hands together. "Alright, I'm going to warm up but I'll see you guys out there."

...

I may have been sick from hormones all day but this was pure nerves. I walked down the long hall that separated the dressing rooms from the stage. I could hear the roar of the crowd, they chanted my name and it left goosebumps on my skin. Next to me, Liz was holding out my tea and smoothing my hair.

"How are you doing?"

"I feel like I'm going to throw up. This is worse than the show I did for those Condor investors all those years ago."

Liz smiled at the memory. "You crushed it then. You secured a 5 album contract that night. And you're going to go out there and show everyone that you're not to be fucked with."

"I never thought I could cram so much drama into such a short amount of time but here we are." I clipped my inner ears and adjusted the sleeves of my outfit. "I really missed this."

"You're going to kill it. I'm so proud of you."

"I couldn't do it without you." I took one more sip of my tea and shook out my nerves. "See you after."

I climbed the stairs to the back of the stage and took my microphone. My heart was beating in my chest in time to the crowd cheering my name. I thought of all the time I'd spent waiting to go onstage. My first show at a tiny club where no one knew my name, the nights where Jett was off doing coke in the bathroom, the shows with scripted jokes so Kendall and I could peacefully perform. The shows where we couldn't keep our eyes off each other. The last show before everything changed.

I had experienced this exact moment countless times but somehow they were never the same. Especially now. The bandages were only noticeable to me but a stark reminder of how different everything could be right now. The extra fabric covering my chest was a reminder of how different it actually was.

The stage lights clicked on. Flooding the area with light and heat and the screams grew louder as the drums started. My focus turned to the music and how grateful I was to be back.

A quick glance to my left made me double-take. There, on the side of the stage no one ever was, stood Kendall. His gaze was intense as he flashed me a warm smile. It sent a burst of electricity and butterflies through me despite my best efforts to ignore it. It was just the two of us back here and he jerked his head towards the stage.

"Good luck!"

The music was close to its peak as I turned away from him and counted down in my head. In the rush of anger and adrenaline, it occurred to me that it wasn't just the two of us. For just a moment a future where Kendall and a small child with my dark hair and his green eyes wished me luck, flashed before my eyes. The thought made my head spin and my free hand found my stomach, rubbing the spot below my belly button.

"Here we go."

The music swelled into the intro of my opening number and I bounced up the last two stairs and into the bright lights. Leaving Kendall and my daydream behind in the shadows.

"I'm Elle Harper and it is so good to be back!"

AN: Ahh! Elle's daydreaming about being a mom. My favorite part was that final moment backstage and her conversation with Kendall. What was yours? Please let me know your thoughts on Kendelle. The next chapter should be up sooner than this one. Thanks for reading!