Returning to the Palm Woods after a long tour ended up being much different than last time. The guys had come back to discover new kids moved in, not aware of who they were, and they threw a fit about having to "reestablish cred" with the new kids. 

Emily arrived about half an hour before the guys in their tour bus. She entered the lobby to be bombarded with the entire Palm Woods celebrating their returns with signs and confetti. She told the Jennifers and Lucy the guys were about 25 minutes behind her and could not wait to get in her own apartment and be alone in silence. 

Then she got chased through the lobby by Bitters on a small tour cart with fans claiming it was the Big Time Experience and a great way to make a profit from fans of BTR. Being their production assistant and new girlfriend, people actually took interest in her. 

Emily had been hiding out in the crib, talking with Mama Knight. Running from Bitters, she stumbled upon Camille in the hallway. They quickly agreed to meet up later and Camille offered to put her luggage away while Emily went to hide until the band showed up and the Big Time Experience lost interest in her. 

Mrs. Knight had skipped the concert in Canada and came straight back to L.A. while Emily promised to keep an eye on Katie so the girl could stay with the group. 

"I'm just excited to lay low and be alone in my own room," Emily said, sitting on the kitchen island. 

"With James?" Katie muttered, smirking. Her mom quickly turned to scold her and back to Emily, wondering the same thing, making the blonde blush. 

She shrugged, staring intently at her lap, a small smile on her face, "It's not easy sneaking around in hotel rooms with security outside every door."

The front door quickly flew open, the guys flooding in, out of breath, and stressfully relieved to be back in the safety of their home. 

"What is going on around here?" Kendall demanded, having just escaped Bitters and his cart no doubt.

"One, we're all famous now," Emily grimaced.

"And two, I'm jealous Bitters thought of the Big Time Experience before I did," Katie grumbled. 

"Three, welcome home hug!" Mrs. Knight cheered, holding her arms out for Kendall. 

Emily frowned in confusion, briefing greeting James who passed her to hug Mama Knight. The boy leaned against the counter, an arm around Emily as she remained focused on Logan who was covering himself in goalie pads. 

"And Camille will be crashing down the door any second for her welcome home tackle," he excitedly hummed. "And this year, I'm gonna let her."

"Wait, so you want to go out with Camille again?" James asked.

"Yup," he laced his chest in a covering. "But I'm going to let her make the first move, thus protecting myself from the dating disadvantage of being the pursuer instead of the pursuee. It's love science." 

"It's something," Mama Knight nervously smiled. 

"It's stupid," Emily scoffed, Logan quickly glaring at her. "There's no disadvantage if you make the first move."

"Uh, remind me again how your relationship thrived when James constantly made the first move," Logan remarked, giving the couple a knowingly glance. 

James nodded, "Yes, but she's the one who kissed me in London," James pointed out. 

Logan stuttered, "It's love science!" He snapped, turning to the door where Carlos patiently waited for it to fly open. He held his arms out, ready for Camille. The group watched in awkward amusement as nothing happened. Logan realized, slowly standing up, "She must have forgot what time we were arriving-"

"I saw her earlier," Emily mentioned, Kendall covering up a laugh as Logan continued to ignore everyone. 

"-So a little knock on her door might help remind her."

Emily smirked, "If you knock on her door, wouldn't you be making the first move," she retorted, everyone silently agreeing with her. 

"Don't question love science!" Logan ordered, confidently walking out as Carlos opened the door, before jumping off down the hallway at the sight of the Big Time Experience waiting outside their door. 

"And there's Logan now!" 

Carlos turned, "Speaking of love," he told them, "now that BTR is famous and has a top ten hit, the Jennifers will totally date me."

"Isn't that kinda shallow?" Mama Knight asked. 

Carlos sighed, "Yeah." His face broke out into a smile, "Bye!" He waved, sprinting out of the apartment. 

James hummed in thought, leaving Emily to get water from the fridge, nodding at Kendall, "Huh, with Carlos pursuing the Jens and me in a relationship," he winked at Emily, "that leaves you with sole dibs on Lucy."

Emily slowly nodded, looking at Kendall, having completely forgotten about the whole Lucy crush from months ago. 

"What would you say if she winked at me before we left for tour, you know when we sang by the pool?" Kendall smiled at his friends. Emily gaped in pleasant surprise.

"Before we left?" James repeated. Kendall nodded. "I would say she probably had something in her eye and didn't wink at you," he told Kendall. 

Emily narrowed her eyes, turning over her shoulder, still sitting on the counter, looking between the two boys in confusion. 

"Okay, sweetie, let's go," Mama Knight said, pulling Katie out of the room. 

"But I think they're gonna fight!" She excitedly beamed. 

"All I'm saying is that she winked at me," Kendall told him, hands up in defense. 

"And all I'm saying it that you should follow," James said, pulling down a scroll attached to the kitchen cabinets, "The Rule of Dibs!" Emily turned, fully facing the scroll in interest, amazed by the boys efforts. "Which states that the first person to utter the words "dibs!" had proprietary claim on all car seating, remote controls, found money, tasty snack foods, and girls." Kendall went to defend himself, but James cut him off, "Any violation of said rule will result in the violator having to run a half mile through a crowded public area in his underwear. And since I had dibs on Lucy before we left, you are in possible violation of the Rule of Dibs. Anything else?"

Kendall and Emily gaped at his seriosity, one more upset than the other. "You have a girlfriend now, why does it matter!" Kendall cried, gesturing to the girl standing besides him. 

"It's the principle of the matter."

Kendall turned to Emily for help who narrowed her eyes furiously at James, "Are you kidding me?" She snapped. 

"Em, it's not-"

"You think you can just claim a girl? We have so little value to you that you morons have put us on the same list as car seating?" She incredulously snapped at the boys, Kendall more taken back she was yelling at him. 

"That's what you focused on?" Kendall gasped.

"I agree with James, it's the principle of the matter," she shrugged. The boy smirked at his girlfriend, nodding to Kendall in satisfaction until she yelled at him again. "But I do not agree with you two and the other idiots thinking it's okay to claim ownership over a girl."

James and Kendall gaped in horror as she snapped at them, loudly slamming the door shut as she stormed out. 

***

During her frustrated walk through the lobby, she ran into Kendall who begged her to come back up to the crib and talk it out with them. 

James and Kendall stood in front of her as she sat on the counter, glaring at the scroll hanging to the side. 

James however was furiously staring down Kendall who shrugged in confusion. "What?" He asked.

James nodded to the side at Emily, "You were talking to my girlfriend in the lobby."

"We've talked before!" Kendall reminded him. 

James nodded, "Yes, and I let it slide but now that I know you don't respect the Rule of Dibs, I'm mad, run in your underwear," he grumbled. 

"I'm sorry," Emily shook her head, "you have dibs on me?" She snapped. James shrugged, confused. Of course he had dibs, they were dating. 

"Maybe the Rule of Dibs is stupid," Kendall mumbled, Emily slightly less upset with him now. 

James gasped, "Without rules like dibs, there's only chaos. Like girl chaos, which sounds good, but it isn't," Emily rolled her eyes. "How would you like it if I un-dib-ified the fruit pie, cupcake, mini doughnuts, and pinky puffs that Carlos, Logan, me, and you called dibs on in the seventh grade?"

Emily grimaced in disgust realizing those snacks in the blue bowl had been untouched for years. Then her anger came back when it hit her they were saying girls basically had the same worth of processed snack foods you bought at gas stations for a quarter. 

Emily roughly pushed back out of the stool, biting her tongue to keep herself from shouting again as she stormed out for the second time.

Slamming the door shut behind her, Emily found herself storming to the park, texting Lucy.

We have a problem. 

***

Emily quickly met Lucy behind a tree in the park, explaining the situation. 

"Since James feels Kendall didn't honor the Rule of Dibs before tour, he's taking it far too seriously with his dibs on me," she rambled. 

"But why does James still have dibs on me?" She asked.

Emily sighed, having to explain again, "He doesn't, but since Kendall technically violated his dibs on you before tour, it's the principle of the matter," Emily repeated. 

"So who is Kendall allowed to talk to now?" 

"I know not me, but since it's the principle of the matter, probably not you either," she groaned, furious at the two boys. 

"So Big Time Rush just picks out a girl and decides who they can and cannot date?" Lucy retorted in annoyance. 

Emily nodded, hearing someone approach form behind. She turned to see a nervous Kendall.

"Yes, but it's rules that prevent total girl chaos, which sounds good, but it isn't," he defended, quickly realizing Emily already told Lucy everything that went down and assumed she wasn't happy with him either. 

Fuming, Emily smirked, "What if I called dibs on you?"

"Well, I guess we never really though-"

Lucy and Emily smirked at each other, nodding as Emily pulled Kendall out from behind the tree, hugging his arm, "Hey! I got dibs on Kendall!" Emily shouted to the entire park. "No other girl can look or talk to him!" 

"What do you got to say about that?" Lucy remarked, crossing her arms. 

"Do you mind holding my pants?" Kendall sighed. 

Emily creased her eyebrows, turning to see James glaring at Kendall from behind her. She smiled in victory to herself knowing James saw her claim Kendall and got even more joy out of realizing what would happen next. 

Kendall grudgingly stripped to his underwear, taking off in a jog as people laugh, cheering him on. 

Emily smirked, an idea coming to mind on how to get the guys to realize how unfair their dibs were. She nudged a laughing Lucy. 

"Hey, how do you feel about starting a revolution?"

***

The girls realized with James' reestablished dibs on Emily, Kendall would be in violation of the Rule of Dibs anytime he was with her. And with Emily's new dibs on Kendall, no girls could talk to him, especially not Lucy. 

To get back at James, Lucy would call dibs on him, so Emily couldn't look or talk to him, guaranteed to drive the boy crazy when his girlfriend would be forced to ignore him. 

They spent the next two hours shut up in Emily's apartment making signs. Emily had one with Kendall's face in bold paint saying "back off," while Lucy wore a front and back sign over her shoulders with a picture of James saying "dibs on James!"

They were marching around the lobby, waiting for one of the guys to come down. Emily excitingly motioned to Lucy that Kendall was here. Lucy snickered as girls hid their eyes from Kendall, fleeing as he walked past. 

The girls walked over, smirking at Kendall who sighed. "Will you please un-dibs me? None of the girls will even look at or talk to me," Kendall begged, noticing Lucy had also ducked her gaze from the boy. 

Head down, she leaned over to Emily who shrugged at Kendall, "Permission to speak to dibs?" 

"Permission granted," Emily smiled, Lucy able to look at Kendall, glaring. 

"Do you know what the term 'dibs' stands for?" She snapped. "Dealer Identification Book, as in farmers who would put a chalk mark on the back of cows that were for sale. Are we cows to you?" 

"You're not a cow," Kendall sighed, telling them both, the girls still staring him down. "You're great, and you're an awesome guitar player," he smiled at Lucy before turning to Emily. "And you're my best friend, and you speak your mind."

"I know," she shrugged.

"And you're kinda mysterious," Kendall said, turning back to Lucy. Emily interestingly looked between the two, watching them both smile at each other. 

"Oh, I'm very mysterious," Lucy nodded. 

"Emily!" 

Emily hid an excited laugh hearing James call her name. Lucy turned to face him, the boy stuttering at her sign. Emily turned away, only facing Kendall. 

"Em-"

"She can't talk to you, James," Lucy smiled, pointing to her signs. "I have dibs."

James gaped at Kendall, turning back to Lucy, "You can't tell her who she can and can't talk to."

"Oh, so you're saying the Rule of Dibs is stupid?" 

Emily gave a questioning glance to an annoyed Kendall who knew what they were doing, even more annoyed it was actually working. "I guess it wouldn't matter if I do this," Emily shrugged, sarcastically nodding to Lucy as she turned, linking her arm with Kendall's and resting her head on his shoulder. 

"Do you need me to hold your pants," Lucy asked the boy. 

"Yeah," he nodded, Emily letting go as he turned to her, "I hate you."

"I know," she smiled, watching him run off in his underwear through the Palm Woods for the second time, victoriously celebrating with Lucy. 

"Emily," James groaned, turning to her girlfriend who quickly held up a hand to cut him off. 

"I can't talk to you," she said, pointing to Lucy's sign, ditching the boy in the lobby as the two girls went to sit by the pool and wait for the guys inevitable surrender. 

***

"Well, well, well," Emily hummed, taking off her sunglasses to see Kendall and James approaching the two girls who lounged in pool chairs, their dibs signs still standing. 

"Okay, we get it!" James snapped. 

"So will you please un-dibs us, so we can un-dibs you, because I am done running 95% naked through the Palm Woods," Kendall cried. 

Emily and Lucy shared a glance. Emily got up from her chair, crossing her arms, "I want girls off the Rule of Dibs forever."

Lucy got up beside her, "It's disrespectful, degrading, and takes away from our natural born rights to be independent and treated like human beings."

"You're right, and we're sorry," Kendall nodded.

"We didn't realize how dibs was us taking ownership over you," James apologized, looking at his girlfriend.

Lucy smiled in satisfaction, "Good. And I don't understand and this started anyway," she mentioned, looking at the three for help. 

"You wink at Kendall before tour when James still had dibs," Emily reminded her. 

Lucy scoffed, "I never winked at Kendall."

"Uh, yeah, you did," Kendall said. 

Emily and James curiously looked between the two of them. 

"I may have had some dust in my eye but I never winked at you."

Emily choked down a laugh, picking up her dibs sign, "Alright, well, then let's say-" she said, looking to Lucy. 

"James and Kendall are un-dibbed!" They shouted from the pool, tossing their signs. 

"But James is still taken!" Emily added. 

Lucy waved goodbye, smirking as she left. Emily allowed James to throw an arm over her shoudler. 

"Can we finally relax now?" Emily sighed. 

"Is it dusty out here?" Kendall asked the two. 

"No," James shrugged, walking off with Emily inside.

***

"Help us."

Kendall, James, and Emily all stood dumbfounded in the doorway to the crib. Logan sat on the couch, foot elevated, arm in a sling, and icing his head. Carlos sat on a mini horse. 

"Camille and I are dating again," Logan shrugged.

"Yay!" Emily clapped. 

"And Gustavo and Griffin are going to kill me if I don't pick their favorite song to play for JoJo on the radio," Carlos sighed. 

"That's simple," Kendall shrugged. "Just pick the song you want to play."

"Oh, yeah I would love to! But how does that solve the kill me part?"

"We bring hockey sticks," James and Kendall assured him. 

"Can I ride the horse?" Emily asked, ignoring Carlos' dilemma and focusing solely on the animal in the apartment. 

***

After an exciting morning of playing Windows Down on the radio, with the ratings spiking, Gustavo and Griffin didn't kill Carlos and the five friends agreed to go straight to the crib to amend the Rule of Dibs. 

"Now, that we're all assembled," James announced, "and have agreed that dibs on girls creates total girl chaos rather than preventing it..." Him and Kendall gave a wary look to Emily who sat happily on the couch with Katie, waving at them. 

"Girls are hereby removed from the Rule of Dibs," Kendall declared, holding up a large marker. 

"Agreed," Carlos and Logan nodded. James took the marker, crossing out girls on the poster. 

"And now," Kendall smiled. "Let's celebrate this historic occasion by feasting on the snack cakes that we've coveted and dibbed for almost six years."

Emily's eyes went wide as she saw the guys beaming, jumping into the bowl of stale snacks. She grimaced, looking away in disgust. Turning her head, she saw Katie smirking proudly. 

"You guys know you're eating all the wrong snack cakes right?"

The girl turned back to the guys who stopped eating, horrifying staring at Katie. 

"Kendall dibbed the fruit pie," she reminded them. "James, the cupcakes; Carlos, the pinky puffs; and Logan, the mini doughnuts."

Emily covered her mouth, containing the fit of joyful laughter escaping her throat as she saw they were all eating the wrong snacks. 

"So," she hummed in amusement, "do you need me to hold your pants?"

***

Another update!

This is SUPER tiring to think through since the OG plot centered around James' crush on Lucy. I hope everyone liked how I altered it and didn't mind the change. 

Enjoy :)