Oops!

Laura always controlled the room. This time, however James was angry at her for storming in the way she did. It had ruined one of the happiest moments of his life, seeing Logan awake from his latest injury had brought back many memories, both good and bad, from his past. Kissing Logan, he felt whole once more, like the other part of him that he needed was finally there, beside him.

"I have conversed with James, and he and I have came up with what we believe is a suitable plan," she began.

They had spoken, and came up with a plan, but James had not been so sure of it.

"You two," she pointed toward Jonathan and Patrick, "will accompany James back to Chicago, where you will retrieve something that we all need."

When she told him what had been left there, he was surprised. He had not known that his mother and Laura had known each other, but apparently she had told Laura that she had something hidden in Chicago that only he could receive.

"Why us?" Patrick asked.

"You both know the city best, and I also cannot stand the sight of you," she replied with a fake smile.

Jonathan flashed her a dirty look, and she flashed him the bird, and then Logan spoke.

"What about me?" He asked, his voice still faint.

"You and I will be heading to St. Louis, where Marcus is located out of," she explained.

James could see Logan shiver, as they both had a bad past in St. Louis, but Logan was strong and could handle it.

"What's the point of all of this?" Patrick asked.

"In Chicago, you and James will receive personal information about Marcus, that we will use to draw him out into the open and then we can kill him," she told him.

"I still don't get why Patrick and I were involved?" Jonathan asked.

Laura gave James a look, and their eyes met in recognition.

"Apparently another hockey player was jealous of your fame and success, so he gave Marcus a job," James explained.

"And why would he use this against you?" Jonathan responded.

"It was supposed to be an effective way to get rid of us," James started explaining everything in depth," When he gave me the job to kill you, he knew that I would not do it, giving him a reason to send another person to kill me. Then when Laura spoke out against it, he could kill her, killing us all in one single strike. Patrick just happened to be in the way that night, meaning he got roped along."

Jonathan flashed Patrick a look, as if to apologize, and James felt the same way about Logan and him. He had got Logan pulled into this, and Logan had almost died.

"First things first," Laura said," You three are all on the news, so you all will have to change you looks before you head back."

"What?" Patrick asked.

"You'll see," was all she said.

They four sat there in silence, until the door reopened again, and a group of women walked out. In their hands they had new clothes, and various skin, and hair products. James smiled at the looks on Jonathan and Patrick's faces. The women walked over to them and escorted them to another part of the building. James did not want to leave Logan there, but he knew what he had to do.

The women escorted them to a room with various chairs connected to sinks like those in salons.

"Oh no," Patrick said as he finally understood what was going on.

They had each of them sit in one of the chairs and put their heads back. James sat down quickly, and strained his neck over the sink. Luke-warm water began to wash over his hair and face. A woman walked up behind him, and started to put a product in his hair, washing it while doing so. James sat there with his eyes closed, waiting for her to finish. After twenty minutes she was done, and dried his hair with a towel. He got out of the chair, and while blinking water from his eyes, saw what she had done. The product had removed the hair-dye and his hair had returned to its original platinum blond. He turned to see what they had done to the other two.

They had just finished with Jonathan, and they had dyed his hair a dirty-blond color. He looked into the mirror, and was surprised at what he saw. James could almost see a sense of happiness flash in his eyes. Then they finished with Patrick. They had dyed his hair a auburn color, that almost looked like it fit on a person like Patrick. Jonathan saw it and laughed, making Patrick blush as deep a red as his hair. They then moved over to barber chairs to get it cut. Jonathan's remained mostly the same, but James' and Patrick's were far different. They had cut Patrick's hair so short, it looked like they had shaved it. James' had 18 inches cut off, but the hair remained at a medium length, and messy.

After that they went to another room, where Jonathan and Patrick both received spray-tans, darkening their skins multiple shades. In the same room, they pierced James' and Patrick's ears. James received on shark-tooth earring on his left side, while Patrick got two diamond earrings. Finally they received suitcases full of clothes, and their new aliases. James would be a surfer dude, who went to Stanford for business, and had started to work at a company in Chicago. In the bag he got all new passports, driver's licenses, residency cards, and three-piece suites. Jonathan and Patrick would be portraying a gay couple from Canada, who had moved to Chicago to marry legally. They were then split up. Jonathan and Patrick were taken to different rooms to spend the night, while James would go back to the makeshift hospital to be with Logan.

When he entered the room, Logan looked at him and laughed. James walked over and pushed him playfully, accidentally hurting Logan in the process. He vehemently apologized, and gave Logan a hug (staying away from his injury) and kissed him again.

"You know I love you no matter what, right baby?" Logan asked, his bright blue eyes causing James to melt.

"Of course L," was all James said before, once again, starting to French Logan.

James climbed into bed next to Logan, his back to Logan's chest. Logan wrapped his arm around James, enveloping him in his hold. James fell asleep with Logan kissing the back of his head.

Most of the sleep was darkness. Then the dream arrived. It wasn't so much of a dream as a flashback. James was a child once again, and he was in his old house. He was about to turn eight, and was looking forward to his upcoming birthday. His older sister walked by and gave him the nasty look older sisters give to their younger brothers. His father lay fast-asleep on the couch in front of the t.v. James was watching the news, and it talked about the threat of CIA operatives' names being leaked by someone inside of the agency. He did not take it into much account, being a child, and began to play with a GameBoy his parents had given him. That's when his mother arrived. She had short red hair, and was very thin. He never remembered her smiling, and she had the same cold gray-green eyes as him. Today, something alarmed her. She seemed very nervous, and his sister asked her about it. His mom told her that everything was fine. A knock on the door caused them all to crane their heads. His mother, acting fast, picked him up with one hand and had him go out back. He heard her open the door. The man walked in, and he heard this odd crack, and his sister yelling for their father, when another crack went off. The man told his mother that this was like the old her, not caring if people died. She told him to go fuck himself, and that's when the house exploded.

James awoke from his dream panting.

"J, are you alright?" Logan asked.

"Yes L," James replied and kissed Logan, before cuddling back up into him. He didn't want to tell Logan that he really wasn't alright.

Notes

Next Up: The trip back to Chicago