"Isaac? Taylor? Zac? Could you please come into the kitchen?" Mr. Hanson bellowed. Then he joined Mrs. Hanson, who was sipping tea at the kitchen table. They quietly laughed as they heard three sets of footsteps pounding from different places in the house towards the kitchen.
"I swear mom, it was all Zac's idea." Isaac said running into the kitchen.
"Yeah," Taylor said running in at Isaac's heels,"all Zac's fault!"
Zac came screeching around the corner,"Don't believe them! They're lying!"
"What in the world are you boys talking about?" Mrs. Hanson asked.
The three of them glanced nervously at each other,"Uh, nevermind." Zac said quickly.
Mrs. Hanson shook her head,"Boys sit down, we have important things to tell you."
They all got looks of worry on their faces,"Good or bad?" Isaac asked nervously.
"It depends on your perspective." Mr. Hanson said.
"First things first, we aren't leaving for another week to promote the album." Mrs. Hanson said.
Three voices asking,"Why?" bombarded Mrs. Hanson.
"Something happened with the transportation. It was delayed for a week and so are we." Mrs. Hanson explained.
"Oh, too bad." Taylor said trying his hardest not to jump up and down and proclaim victory because he had another week to spend with Erica. He already figured that he would make it the best week ever, they would probably...
His father cut through his thoughts,"But the week delay causes us not to come home until New Years, if we're lucky Christmas."
Taylors silent victory party stopped. No this can't be happening. I promised I wouldn't miss her birthday. In fact I promised the mother of all promises.
"But we're going to miss the girls birthdays!" Isaac exclaimed.
"We know, we're sorry, we tried as hard as we could to work things out." Diana calmed them.
"It's alright." Zac said reluctantly.
"Now, onto the second order of business..." Walker started.
"We wanted to tell you first so you can help us tell the little ones tonight." Diana interrupted.
"Is something wrong?" Taylor asked concerned.
"Your mother..." Walker began only to be interrupted again.
"Mom don't die!" Zac said wrapping his ams around his mothers neck.
"Zac, I'm not going to die...I'm pregnant."
Zac pulled away from his mother and stared at her. All of the boys just stared blankly at their parents as if deciding what reaction was appropriate. Then they all suddenley smiled as if a timer kicked in.
"Cool!" Isaac said.
"Alright! This kicks butt!" Taylor yelled.
"Is it a boy or a girl?" Zac inquired.
"We'll know in January." Diana told them, pleased that they were in love with the idea of a baby.
"I hope it's a girl." Zac said.
"Why?" Walker asked.
"Well there are four boys and two girls in this family, I think we need to even it out." Zac thought for a moment,"Punch out twins ma! Twin girls!"
Diana laughed,"I really have no control over that honey."
"But, you guys understand that with the baby coming we're going to need some help." Walker said bringing the excitement back down.
"Sure, we'll be happy to help." Isaac volunteered.
"Thanks, now run along and play, be kids." Diana told them.
"Mom we're not little kids. You don't have to tell us to run along and play." Tay laughed.
Diana smiled,"I know."
Taylor slowly walked down the hall Okay, now I will gently and calmly tell her...that I'm breaking my promise! Damnit! How am I going to do this? Look Erica, I'm sorry but I'm a horrible boyfriend! Oh man! This sucks... he stopped outside the door to their room. He heard a c.d playing.
On my own, pretending he's beside me, all alone, I walk with him til morning. Without him, I feel his arms around me, and when I lose my way I close my eyes and he has found me. In the rain, the pavement shines like silver, all the lights are misty in the river, in the darkness the trees are full of starlight, and all I see is him and me forever and forever...
Taylor leaned his head against the doorframe. Ain't that the truth he thought sorrowfully.
I love him, but when the night is over, he's gone the river's just a river. Without him the world around me changes the trees are bare and everywhere the streets are full of strangers. I love him but every day I'm learning, all my life I've only been pretending. Without me his world will go on turning, the world is full of happiness that I have never known. I love him, I love him, I love him but only on my own.
Taylor walked through the door,"Well if that isn't a pick-me-up song if I ever heard one." he cracked.
Erica smiled,"I like that song, it can be applied to real life. It's great."
Taylor laughed and picked his way across her bags in the room.
"Sorry, I know I've kinda taken over your room. Just think, in a few days I'll be out of your hair." she smiled.
"Don't worry about it. I don't mind, I love having you here. I can grab you and kiss you any time I want." he smiled sitting down on his bed next to her.
She gently kissed him,"I love being here."
He drew in a deep breath and was just about to tell her everything that was on his mind when she spoke.
"You know what?" she said looking at him,"I almost forgot that I bought you something at the mall." she said getting off of the bed and walking over to the closet.
"Good hiding spot. I could never find it admist all that junk." he laughed.
"It's a sort of going away, I'll miss you present." she said emerging from the closet with a box wrapped in red wrapping paper.
"A present? I don't really need it Erica." he said. He already felt miserable about having to tell her that he was going to miss her birthday, and now he's getting presents?
"So what if you don't need it. Take it. I insist." she said placing it on his lap and sitting next to him, watching him eagerly.
He ran his hands along the smooth wrapping paper and then smiled at her,"You're too good to me you know that?" he asked her.
She blushed and shook her head,"No I'm not."
He put his hand on her cheek and stroked it softly. She looked into his eyes,"Yes you are." he said before gently brushing his lips onto hers.
She smiled,"Open it." she said changing the subject.
He turned his attention back to the present and started to slowly peel off the wrapping paper. Erica sat there hardly able to contain her excitement. She loved doing these sort of things for him. He pulled the top of the box off and pulled out a Calvin Klein shirt,"Oh my God." he muttered.
She smiled,"I knew you'd like it. I knew the second I saw it that it was meant for you to wear, so I had to buy it."
"It's great." he said. And expensive he thought.
Something in the box caught his eye, a small envelope. He picked it up and opened it. He had four wallet size pictures fall on his lap. One was of Erica, one of Stacie and one of Kerri and then one of the three of them.
"I worte something on the back of mine." she said quietly.
He turned the picture of her over. It read:
Well I've never been good at goodbyes but whether you leave me for a day or a year when you come back you know I'll always be here. Never stop dreaming.
Taylor smiled,"Thanks, that makes me feel a whole lot better.
Erica wrapped her arms around his neck,"I'll miss you Tay." she said quietly.
He wrapped his arms around her,"I'll miss you too."
"One week left." she said sadly.
"That's what I have to talk to you about." he said slowly.
"What do you have to talk to me about?" she asked pulling away.
"Well...we have two more weeks, not one." he said.
"You're joking." she said.
He shook his head no.
"Well that's great!" she said smiling and throwing her arms around him.
Taylor forced a smile,"Yeah...great."
"Well," Isaac sighed,"I told Stacie I would miss her birthday."
"I told Kerri too." Zac said gloomily.
"What did she say?" Isaac asked.
"Um, let's just say she didn't seem happy." Zac said.
"Ow. Well Stacie was mad but, I guess she decided to accept it. She said 'that's the way things go' or something like that." Isaac then looked at Taylor and realized that he had been unusually quiet during this whole conversation,"What did Erica do Tay?" he inquired.
Taylor's head shot up,"What? Oh, well, I didn't exactly, uh, tell her." he said sheepishly.
"Why? You chicken out?" Isaac snickered.
"Erica's gonnna have kittens when she finds out you lied." Zac pointed out.
"Not lie, break a promise. Guys I'm in trouble here." he sighed.
"What do you mean 'break a promise'?" Isaac asked.
"I promised, the mother of all promises, that I would not miss her birthday or Christmas for that matter." he told them.
"You what?" Zac asked wide-eyed and then started laughing at the situation his brother had goten himself into.
"Tay you idiot!" Isaac yelled,"You can't make promises like that with the job we have!"
"I know that now." Tay said quietly.
"But you didn't know it them!" Isaac pointed out climbing down from the top bunk.
"Well it seemed like a pretty safe promise, I wasn't expecting transportation to get all messed up!" Tay retorted.
"Stuff like that is never safe." Zac said inbetweeen chuckles.
Isaac shook his head and started to leave the room.
"Hey where are you going?" Zac asked.
"To bail out our idiot brother. I'm calling Stacie to tell her not to mention anything to Erica until Taylor grows balls." Isaac snapped.
Zac looked wide-eyed at Taylor,"You have no balls?"
Taylor flung a pillow at him,"Shut-up!"
"'Night Tay."
"'Night Erica."
"Goodnight Zac."
"'Night Erica."
"'Night Ike."
"'Night Erica."
"'Night Zac."
"'Night Tay."
"'Night Ike."
"'Night Zac."
"'Night Ike."
"'Night Tay."
After everybody said ther goodnights they drifted into sleep. He's not quite sure how, but while he was sleeping he felt someone staring at him. His eyes fluttered open and he saw a small person in front of him.
"Taybear?" Avery asked in a small voice.
"What's wrong?" he asked sitting up.
"There's a monster under my bed! He wants to eat me!" she said wide-eyed.
"A monster huh?" he said kicking off the covers,"let's go investigate." he picked her up and carried her from the room.
As he carried her to her room he couldn't help but wonder if one day Avery was going to break some poor boys heart. His baby sister, still so sweet and innocent, maybe a boy would hurt her. Just like he was doing to Erica. He shook that thought from his mind as they entered the room.
"Under your bed huh?" Tay asked putting Avery down,"Let's see..."
He got on his hands and knees and pulled up the bedskirt.
"Careful Taybear." Avery warned.
Taylor examined the contents underneath her bed. A sock, a pair of sandals, and her little pink bunny, Oliver.
Taylor pulled the bunny out,"Look Oliver scared him away." he said.
"He did?" she asked sitting down next to Taylor on the floor.
"Yup. You see we never told you this, but when we bought Oliver he came with a special monster radar. He knows when they are around and so he scurries under the bed and tells that monster that if he doesn't let Avery sleep that he is going to be in a lot of trouble when big brother Tay comes in here. The monster will usually leave before I get here so Oliver here does his job and helps you sleep. Right Oliver?"
He put the bunny to his ear,"You think it is time for Avery to go to sleep now anyway?" he asked outloud,"I think you're right."
"But I don't wanna." Avery whined.
Taylor stood up and picked his little sister up off of the floor,"But you gotta." he whined back.
"No I don't." she said yawning.
He place her under the covers and put the bunny next to her. Then he kneeled by the bed,"When you wake up, me and you will do something really cool."
"Play tea party?" she asked excitedly.
"Sure, but only if you go to bed right now." he told her getting up.
"I will, I promise." she said closing her eyes.
Taylor smiled and tunred around and looked at Jessica who was in the other bed. He fixed the blanket on her and then walked out of the room, bumping into someone.
"Erica?" he asked.
She smiled,"Sorry I didn't mean to eavesdrop."
"It's alright." he told her,"I was just helping Avery, the monsters under her bed visit at least twice a week."
She nodded,"I see, and you protect her?"
He stuck out his chest,"Yes it is my duty as the older brother to seek out and destroy all monsters under the bed."
"What about Ike? He is the oldest older brother." Erica pointed out.
"Aah yes, he is in charge of the closet monsters." Taylor smiled and started to head back to bed with Erica.
"I think that is one of the sweetest things I've seen you do for your little sister." she said smiling.
"Oh really? Does it turn you on?" he asked raising his eyebrows.
She stopped and smiled,"Well it definatley makes me want to be closer to you." she said brushing her lips on his.
Taylor smiled,"Close is good."
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