Songfic: Stop Every Clock. Meant to be read along with the song Tears of an Angel by Ryan Dan.

With a soft groan, Kendall stirred from his sleep. Quietly, he sat up a bit, trying to make out the sound that woke him. A glance at the clock shows the time: 12:09am. He sat up further, leaning forward so his hands rested on his legs above the cover. No one else in the apartment seems to have heard the sound, but he's certain it sounded like someone crying. Green eyes widened as the sound started again, and he recognizes it. Katie! As quickly and quietly as he can, the blond slips out of bed and pads into the living room. The sound of soft crying is definitely louder now and coming from couch

"Katie?" he called quietly. No response just continued sniffling. With quiet steps, he moved to the couch to find his baby sister staring out at the city lights through the thin curtains, tears streaming down her face in trails. For a moment, he's not sure why she's crying, and then it hits him, like a punch in the gut. Today is the anniversary of their father's death. How could he possibly forget? Tears begin to well up in his own eyes, but he forces them back. His priority is to make sure Katie is alright. She looks up at him, her eyes red and bloodshot, and the blonde wonders how long she was sitting out here before he woke up. Moving towards her, Kendall takes a seat on the bright couch and wraps his arm around his baby sister.

The reaction is almost instant. Katie, usually so tough and tomboyish, is reduced once again to sobbing, a gesture of exactly how frail she is. She turns to look up to him before burying her face in his chest, curling into him. Kendall wraps his arms around her and holds her close. He's about to start sobbing himself, because he can't think of any words to say that might comfort both of them. Their father's death was a horrible thing, and he knows they won't forget it any time soon. With soft strokes, he rubs his hand along Katie's arm, comforting her silently. As he does, he recalls a song he once heard, one that was so beautiful and so sad, but that fit this situation perfectly. Unable to speak words that might offer comfort, he did the next best thing. He sang.

"Cover my eyes, cover my ears, tell me these words are a lie." He begins, his voice cracking slightly.

"It can't be true, that I'm losing you, the sun cannot fall from the sky. Can you hear heaven cry? Tears of an angel… tears of an aaaaaaa… tears of an angel. Tears of an angel." His voice grows more confident as he continues, still wrought with emotion as he struggles to recall the words and refrain from crying. Katie pulls closer to him, and he continues.

"Stop every clock, the stars are in shock, the river won't run to the sea. I won't let you fly, I won't say goodbye—I won't let you slip away from me…" by this point, the blonde's body is shaking slightly with the effort not to sob, and Katie has soaked his shirt through with tears. Both are so wrapped in eachother, that they don't notice they've awoken the other guys.

Quietly, Logan slips out of his bedroom, noticing James and Carlos coming out of the one across the hall. Each shrug to one another as they creep down the hall and into the living room. Logan, in the lead, notices Kendall first, staring out at the city as he sings quietly to something he's wrapped his arms around. It takes a moment, but Logan registers the sobs as Katie, and motions the others to duck behind the kitchen counter, and not to disturb them. Kendall is bathed in moonlight, and each one of the onlookers in turn suppresses a gasp as they notice how distraught his face looks. Every line is etched out by the light, and he looks more emotional than any of them have ever seen him. Carlos puts a hand to his mouth as he remembers the day. Looking to James and Logan, who turn to look at him, they exchange a glance that says they all understand now. It's the anniversary of Mr. Knight's death. Not wanting to interrupt the moment, but also unwilling to leave, they stay crouched behind the counter, offering quiet support to their friend.

"Can you hear heaven cry? Tears of an angel, tears of an aaaaaaa… tears of an angel, tears of an angel. So hold on, be strong. Every day, hope will grow. I'm here, don't you fear." His voice is getting stronger, trying to pull through for the little girl he holds against his chest. Her sobs are getting quieter, but he doesn't seem to notice. "Little one, don't let go… don't let go… don't let go-o…" Kendall's voice cracks slightly on the last word, and as they all watch, he dips his head so it nearly touches Katie's, and quietly sings the last verse.

"Cover my eyes, cover my ears, tell me these words are a li-ie." And with that, headstrong, always positive Kendall is reduced to sobs, and Katie is no better. His head is nearly resting on hers, tears streaming down his face into her hair. His shirt is soaked through from his sister's tears, but nothing else matters in the moment. James, Carlos and Logan watch from their hiding place, nearly in tears themselves, as the blonde collects himself and picks his sister up. Quietly, unaware of the open bedroom doors, he slips away to tuck his sister in bed. When he emerges, his face is streaked with even more tears, and he barely makes it to his own bed before he breaks down sobbing again.

The three, still hiding behind the counter, exchange worried glances before giving in and running toward the room. Kendall is on his own bed, his body wracked with sobs. He stills just long enough to notice Logan's empty bed across the room, before they descend on him. With a resigned Sigh, the blonde lets himself be embraced by his friends. James and Logan take one side of the bed, while Carlos slides in on the other, all of them wrapping him in a tangled mess of hugs and blankets at the same time. They all lay back down, barely fitting on one bed, comforting their friend. Kendall finds his face, still stiffened by tear tracks, forming into a small smile. His last thought before he drifts off to sleep amidst a happy tangle of arms, bodies and blankets, his how grateful he is to have three wonderful friends.

Author's Notes: Don't hit me! I'm no fanfic writer, Saph (InfinitelyFudgey) wrote up a summary for this story and insisted I actually write it out for her, so I did. I hope it's alright? Reviews would be nice, in case I end up writing more.

I'm also aware that there are some issues with the tense of the story! I originally started it in a present tense (as if you were watching the events as they unfolded), but then realized it would probably be smarter to write in a more passive tense (the form that follows the rest of the story, and is more commonly seen in any kind of writing), but I forgot a few bits and pieces. Eventually, I'll go back and change them, but for now, I'm aware they exist! Whoops on my part.

Disclaimer: I don't own Big Time Rush or any characters/places etc associated with them!