Chapter Ten


"Zac Hanson's Bed Bouncing, Fat Burning Workout!"

Zac let the tears fall freely down his cheeks as he ran into the bathroom. "Get Mom!" he wailed. "Get Mom!"

Isaac crouched down beside Taylor's still body. "Why would he do something like this?" he mused. "Why would he commit suicide?"

Zac glared at his brother in disbelief. "Isaac! Get Mom!"

"But why would he?"

"Ike!" screamed Zac.

"What?"

"Our brother is…is…and you're…you're…" Zac collapsed onto the floor, sobs wracking through his body.

Isaac placed his hand on Zac's shoulder, wiping away his own tears. Suddenly, he gasped.

Zac looked up. "What?"

"Zac, look! He's breathing!"

Zac ran over to Taylor, watching in utter shock as he struggled to pull himself to a sitting position. He threw his arms around his confused brother. "Oh, Tay, you're alive! You're alive! I could kiss you, I really could!"

"Please don't," muttered Taylor sleepily. "And of course I'm alive."

"So you didn't try to commit suicide?"

Taylor frowned. "No."

Zac finally let his brother go. "We saw the Kleenex mountain on your bed, then we saw you through here, and that pill bottle, and we…"

"Oh, Zac, I'm so sorry." Taylor took Zac's hands. "I, uh, something happened, and I guess the crying gave me a headache and tired me out. So I took the last two painkillers and I guess I fell asleep. I woke up when you started bawling." He glanced up at Isaac. "Sorry, Ike." He pulled himself to his feet and slowly walked through, falling down on his bed. "Look, thanks, guys, but I kinda want to be alone."

Zac sat down on the bed beside him, watching, his brow creased in concern as tears began to slide down Taylor's cheeks. He put both his hands on Taylor's shoulders, massaging them ever so slightly. "Tay, talk to me. Talk to us. What happened?"

Taylor shook his head, burying his face in his folded arms.

"Come on," coaxed Zac. "Is it Gabbie?"

Judging by the wrenching sob that came from Taylor's chest, Zac was right. He hated - absolutely hated - to see his brother like this. His face was flushed and tearstained, his eyes were red, his hair was a mess…it just killed him. Zac thought that he'd never seen Taylor cry so hard or so bitterly in his whole life as he was right now. And Zac had been through a lot of tears with Taylor. When he'd broken his arm, when he'd burnt the hole in the rug with the log from the fire, when they'd had their first rejection from the record company…but nothing like this. Zac could feel a pain in his own heart just thinking what Taylor was going through. Except he didn't know what Taylor was going through yet, so maybe it was just that baloney sandwich he'd eaten so fast at Libby's. But he was going to find out. Even if it killed him.

"Tay? What happened?"

Taylor rolled over as Isaac sat down on the bed beside him. He looked at them plaintively, the pain he was feeling evident in his eyes. He took a deep breath. "It's Gabbie." He started to cry again.

Isaac took one of his hands and Zac took the other.

The road is long
With many a winding turn
That leads us to who knows where
Who knows where

Taylor swallowed. "She's…she's not coming back. She, uh, she has a boyfriend…back home in Ohio…She's been seeing him for…" his voice cracked, "…two years." Once again, the tears flooded forth.

"Oh, Tay, I'm so sorry." Isaac pulled Taylor close, resting his chin on top of his brother's head. "About everything…"

But I'm strong
Strong enough to carry him
He ain't heavy
He's my brother

"Ike, I'm sorry too," sobbed Taylor. "I…I need you right now…both of you."

Zac reached out and squeezed his hand, taking it from Isaac's shoulder as Taylor continued to lie in Isaac's arms. "We're here, Taybear. We're here."

So on we go
His welfare is my concern
No burden is he to me
We'll get there

For I know
He would not echo
He ain't heavy
He's my brother

Taylor pulled away from Isaac and leant in towards Zac, wrapping his arms around him tightly. Zac returned the embrace, resting his head under Taylor's chin.

"We're here," he murmured again.

And the love
Doesn't weigh me down at all
He ain't heavy
He's my brother

Isaac put his arms round both his little brothers, feeling the older brother's urge to protect them. "You'll be okay, Taybear… You'll be okay… Zac and me, we'll make darn sure of it. I promise."

He's my brother
He ain't heavy
He's my brother

"It's all gonna be okay. All gonna be okay."

He's my brother
He ain't heavy
He's my brother

***

Zac burst into the room, waving a white envelope frantically. "Guys! Guys! Wake up!"

Isaac roused first. "Bug off, Zac."

"Yeah," muttered Taylor.

"Mandee's getting married!"

"What?" Both Taylor and Isaac were awake now.

"Mandee? Man-eating Mandee?" continued Isaac.

Taylor didn't say anything. He hadn't really been saying much at all in the past couple of weeks. Gabbie had come down on him like a ton of bricks. He'd spent most of his time alone in his room, and Isaac and Zac knew that he was still really upset. He still cried a lot about it; that was obvious from the wastepaper basket overflowing with Kleenex and his constantly red eyes and nose. Whenever he was alone in the room, sad music always spilled from it - Celine Dion, Diana Ross, LeAnn Rimes…you name it. He'd resorted to the Spice Girls a couple of times and even the Backstreet Boys. It worried both Isaac and Zac to see him like this, but they'd figured that they had to give Taylor some time to wallow in his own self-pity, naturally grieving for his lost relationship and healing the wounds on his own.

"Zac? Hello? Man-eating Mandee, as in Mom's cousin?"

Zac shook his head, jolting himself back to reality. "Yeah."

"When?" asked Taylor softly.

"Saturday."

"What?" Again, Isaac and Taylor screeched the word in unison.

"But it's Wednesday!" Isaac looked at the calendar for verification, but it was definitely Wednesday.

"Apparently, Mackie got the envelope before everyone else and hid it in his toy garage. Mom's Aunt Georgia called last night to see if we were going, and Mom found the invitation then." Zac took a breath. "So guess where we're going today?"

"If I say Disneyland will I be wrong?" muttered Isaac, pulling the duvet over his head again.

"Yep! You guys are taking me shopping and we've to buy suits."

"We have suits," Isaac pointed out.

Taylor cocked an eyebrow. "Ike, we've not worn them for years. Since I was about twelve. They won't fit us."

"Wanna bet? Mine was always big, and I did all my growing early." Isaac hopped out of bed and grabbed his suit jacket, pulling it on. Sure enough, it buttoned and it looked fine. "See?" he twirled round triumphantly. "I don't have to go shopping."

"Zac, does yours still fit?" asked Taylor.

Zac stared at him. "Tay, in the past year I've grown about eight inches. Girls all over America are going on about how tall and how fat I'm getting. It's not gonna fit."

"Try it."

Zac sighed. He retrieved his own suit jacket and struggled into it. The sleeves were at least four inches too short and there wasn't a hope in hell of the buttons meeting around Zac's middle. "Look." He tugged at the material around his stomach, but even pulling it at it's tightest, there was at least an eight-inch gap.

"It's cos your shoulders are broader," decided Taylor matter-of-factly. "Try my jacket."

Zac stared at him like he was insane. Isaac started to laugh.

"What?" demanded Taylor, frowning slightly.

"I repeat," smiled Zac, "half the girls in America are getting in a state about how fat I'm getting."

"You're not fat," protested Taylor.

"But I have put on weight," argued Zac. "And nothing of yours fitted me before, you skinny little rat!"

"Oh, I see your point."

"Tay, ever thought that yours still might actually fit you?" asked Isaac.

Taylor shook his head. "Nah, I've grown about a foot since I last wore it."

"Then how in the hell was it supposed to fit me?" Zac rolled his eyes, diving onto Taylor's bed and punching him affectionately. "Tay, you are stoo-pid!"

Taylor didn't smile. He never seemed to smile any more, Zac noted. But he did squeeze Zac's arm. "Thanks, Zac, I'll keep that in mind."

Zac leaned back on Taylor. "So it's just you and me, baby!" he wiggled his eyebrows.

"Oh, please." Isaac rolled his eyes. "Leave the poor guy alone. He doesn't need you coming onto him."

"Jealousy, Ike, jealousy." Zac looked directly at his brother. "It'll kill you, you know."

"Zac, I hate you." Isaac told him bluntly. But he was grinning.

"Aww, Ike, I don't hate you. I love you! Don't you love me?" Zac batted his eyelids.

Isaac pretended to consider the question. "No, but if it helps, I think you're a babe."

Zac giggled and chucked a pillow at him. Then he turned to Taylor. "Seriously, Tay, we're having a brother to brother shopping trip. Get up, get dressed and get motivated!" Zac started bouncing on the bed.

Isaac put on a fake, infomercial voice. "Get up, get dressed and get motivated! Buy Zac Hanson's workout video for only seventy-five dollars! Burn away your stomach, thighs and hips by bouncing on your brother's bed while he's still in it! Comes provided with puke pots and plaster casts for the unfortunate brother! You'll lose weight, and your brother's trust, guaranteed! Or your money back! That's Zac Hanson's Bed Bouncing, Fat Burning Workout! Only seventy-five dollars, plus shipping and handling! Call 1-800-ZACISAGEEK! Get dialing!"

Zac laughed, chucking another pillow at Isaac. "You doofus!"

"Hey, I need my pillows!" Taylor was now lying flat on his back in bed.

"No, you don't. Cos you, my dear brother, are getting up! Come on!" Zac pushed Taylor out of bed, and shoved him in the direction of the bathroom, pushing him in and closing the door behind him. "Hurry up now, child!"

Isaac smiled. "You're really helping him, you know."

Zac blew on his nails. "All in a day's work, Isaac, all in a day's work."

Isaac grabbed him by the shoulders. "I'm serious, Zac. Whatever you're doing, keep doing it. We nearly got a smile out of him today. That's something we haven't seen for a long, long time. Just keep at it, Zac."

Zac wasn't smiling now. "I will, Ike," he promised. "I'm going to get us our brother back. If it's the last thing I do."

***

"Whaddaya think, sweetie?"

Taylor spun round. "Zac? Where are you?"

"Here!"

Taylor turned 90 degrees. A hand grabbed him and pulled him into a little alcove. "Oh, God!" he spluttered.

"Like it?" Zac twirled, blowing Taylor a kiss. He was wearing a feather boa, a mink coat and a huge straw hat, along with huge, red-framed, winged sunglasses.

"Lovely!" laughed Taylor.

Zac broke into a huge grin. Quickly, he pulled off the ridiculous clothes. "Taylor," he spoke up softly. "You just laughed."

Taylor looked down and turned away from Zac.

Zac slowly walked up behind him, putting his arms around Taylor's waist. He rested his chin on his brother's shoulder. "Tay," he began uncertainly. "You know it's gonna be okay, don't you? It's gonna get easier. You'll be just fine. I promise you that, Taylor."

Taylor sighed. He slowly turned round so he was facing Zac and put his own arms around his brother's waist, burying his face in his shoulder.

Zac bit his lip, surprised. He hadn't expected Taylor to cave in like this. He slowly began to rub his brother's back. "Oh, Tay," he whispered.

Jason, their bodyguard suddenly appeared into Zac's line of vision. He'd been looking for Taylor and Zac everywhere. He looked at Zac questioningly. Zac shot him a small smile. Is he okay? Jason mouthed. Zac shook his head, motioning for Jason to leave them alone for a minute. Jason nodded, mouthing Good luck, then disappeared back round the corner.

Zac slowly rocked Taylor back and forward, becoming aware for the first time that he was crying. Zac sighed. He was really glad that Taylor had decided to deal with his feelings openly, but doing this at home in their bedroom would have been slightly more appropriate than in the middle of some clothing store at the mall.

"Oh, Tay, you're okay. I'm here, buddy, I'm here." Zac rested his own face on Taylor's shoulder.

"Thanks," whispered Taylor, in a small, shaky voice.

Zac bit his lip, trying to stop himself welling up. Hearing Taylor sound so depressed, so defeated was really killing him. Zac had no idea what to do. He had the sudden urge to burst into a rendition of the Barney theme song, but decided against it.

It felt odd to Zac. Here he was, the younger brother, being strong and supportive for his older brother. Zac found himself wondering if it shouldn't be the other way round. What would Tay or Ike do if this were me? he asked himself. He couldn't come up with an answer. Okay, what would Mom do if this were me? He knew very well the answer to that: She'd say, "Oh, sweetie, it's okay," and kiss him on the forehead. But if Zac did that to Taylor, he'd probably cause him to keel over, either with shock or disgust. The Hanson brothers were very close, very much the hugging type, even very much the casual, "I love you guys" type. But they were not kissing types. Well, not each other, anyway. Kissing their mom, or the younger ones was fine, but not each other.

Zac decided to go for broke. "Taylor?"

"Yeah?" sniveled Taylor.

"Tay, I love you." There, he'd said it. "And I care about you so much. And I'm here for you."

"I love you too, little buddy."

Zac smiled. He'd always known it, but it was nice to hear it. "Tay, you really are going to be fine." Zac moved his head and rested his forehead on Taylor's. "Just fine," he murmured.

Taylor closed his eyes. "You think so?" he asked, snapping them open again.

"Nuh-uh," smiled Zac. "I know so."

Taylor managed a small smile, moving his forehead and squeezing Zac tightly. "Thankyou Zac," he whispered. "Thankyou."

"No problem." Zac pulled Taylor as close to him as he would go, wishing for all the world that Taylor could be pulled in even closer and he could protect his fragile older brother forever and ever. "We're gonna have to let go, you know."

"I know," sighed Taylor. "Zac, this is weird. You're protecting me. Shouldn't I be protecting you?"

"Right now," whispered Zac, wiping away one of Taylor's tears. "You're the one who needs protecting."

Taylor nodded. "Oh, Zaccy, you're so grown up. My baby brother…"

"Tay?"

"Yeah?"

"Mackie's the baby brother."

"Oh, yeah."

Zac squeezed him one more time, then finally pulled away. "You okay?"

Taylor smiled wryly. "No, but I'm not so bad."

Zac clasped Taylor's hands in his. "I'm glad, Taybear."

"Me too, Animal."

Zac smiled. "Come on, Jason'll be wondering where we are."

Taylor smiled back at Zac, feeling an immense amount of love welling inside of him for his younger brother. He was glad they'd had this little talk, this little bonding session. Just standing there, hugging his younger brother had given him hope. If Zac was so certain that things would get better, why couldn't Taylor be? Zac had given him hope. And, at that particular moment, hope was all Taylor could wish for.

***

"Do you really think it's okay?" asked Zac, turning in front of the mirror in their bedroom.

"It's great," replied Taylor. "Very snazzy."

"I don't look fat?"

Taylor sighed. "Zac, what is this fat thing?"

Zac perched beside him on the bed. "I was in this Hanson chat room," he explained, sighing. "Just being a typical teenybopper, finding out what the fans thought and stuff, when some girl goes, 'Has anyone noticed to fat Zac's getting?' So like a dozen people type in stuff like, 'Yeah, he's getting so chubby' and stuff. More than half the people in there thought I was fat, Tay. Am I? Tell me honestly."

Taylor looked him, directly in the eye. "No, Zac, you are not getting fat."

"But I have a stomach?"

"Zac, you've always had a stomach. It's where your food goes." Taylor rolled his eyes.

"Very funny. No, but I have a gut. It sticks out. You can't say it doesn't."

Taylor sighed. "Okay, so you have a cute little potbelly. So what?"

"So I'm heavier than you."

"Zac, everyone's heavier than Tay." Isaac burst into the room.

"Ike, will you tell him he's not fat?" pleaded Taylor.

"Zac, you're not fat."

"Thankyou."

"But I am!" wailed Zac.

"No, you're not!" snapped Taylor and Isaac in unison.

Taylor continued, "Zac, if you're letting the opinion of some teenyboppers get you down, it's not worth it."

"But look!" Zac poked his belly. "It wobbles!"

"So?" Isaac spread his hands. "Zac, the reason dumb people focus on that is because you're chubbier than me or Tay. No, not even that...you're just built differently. You are not fat. No way, no how."

"He's right," agreed Taylor. "You're just…cuddly."

Zac jumped to his feet. "Gee, thanks, Tay!" he spat, stomping into the bathroom.

The lock clicked shut behind him.

"Nice going, Tay." Isaac rolled his eyes.

"What did I do?" asked Taylor, quietly and innocently.

"You called him cuddly."

"He is! He's great to hug."

"But…it…sounds…like…you're…calling…him...fat." Isaac pronounced each word slowly, as if speaking to a small child.

A light of recognition flashed behind Taylor's eyes. "Oh, no…" he groaned, burying his face in his hands.

He got up and walked over to the bathroom door, tapping on it lightly. "Zac?" he called softly. "Let me in. Please."

There was another click as the lock opened.

Taylor pushed the door open and entered the bathroom, finding Zac slumped against the bath, hugging his knees. He wasn't crying, just sitting, stony-faced, staring at the wall.

He sat down beside him. "I'm sorry, Zac. I didn't mean it the way it sounded."

Zac sniffed.

Taylor put his arm round Zac's shoulders. "I didn't realize you were so sensitive about this, buddy."

Zac swallowed. "It's just that…well, after all that stuff in Australia and everything…"

"Oh, Zac, I thought I'd sorted that out when I wrote into that magazine, telling them not to call you fat."

"You did…but now it's back."

"And what's different?" asked Taylor. "Just hold your head up and ignore it. Like last time."

"What's different?" repeated Zac. "Well, this time it's true. I'm fat."

"No," whispered Taylor. "You're not."

"You even said so yourself!" Zac pointed out.

"Zac, I only said you were cuddly because that was a great, much needed hug you gave me at the mall today. It helped at lot, you know."

"Really?" Zac shot a sidelong glance at Taylor.

Taylor squeezed his shoulders. "Yeah," he smiled.

"Any time." Zac grinned, feeling proud of himself.

"How bout now?" Taylor got to his feet.

Zac stood up beside him, wrapping his arms around his brother and pulling him close. "Any time, Tay," he whispered. "Any time."

***

Zac folded the paper napkin one more time, then stood it up. He nudged Taylor. "Look, a swan," he whispered.

Taylor raised one eyebrow. "Glad to see the origami classes paid off," he kidded. "But Mom's watching."

Zac glanced at his mother, and sure enough, she was frowning at him. She shook her head and mouthed, listen, nodding towards the head table.

He sighed and directed his attention towards Mandee's new brother-in-law, Frederick Coburn the Second. The pompous, English, best man was droning on and on in his terribly affected accent about his brother's childhood. All around him, guests were laughing politely at the appropriate times, as everyone seemed to do at wedding speeches, but the man held no interest whatsoever for Zac, and he wasn't going to pretend that he did.

His eyes danced around the room, taking in the reception hall. It was all incredibly refined, probably in favor of Mandee's new husband, James Coburn the Third. Well, Zac reasoned it had to be; Mandee certainly didn't have any class. Apparently, this guy was twenty-first in line to the British throne. Zac pondered this for a moment, wondering if all the English were some number in line to the throne. Certainly, they seemed to be by stereotype.

But Zac had been in London many times and had met perfectly normal, nice English people. It just so happened that James Coburn the Third was a personified stereotype of the Englishman.

Everything had been oh-so-terribly-English at the reception; it was quite an affair. They'd just finished a wonderful four-course meal of prawn cocktail, followed by steak and kidney pie with mashed potatoes, then a gateau with pouring cream. It had all been topped off by crackers and cheese. Biscuits and cheese, it has said on the menu, but to Zac, it was crackers and cheese.

Zac sighed, turning towards Taylor, hoping for some sort of eye-contact conversation, but Taylor was sitting, staring blankly at the best man and laughing politely along with everyone else. He seemed to be getting better now, Zac noticed. His eyes still had a slightly red tinge to them, and there were still the occasional mounds of Kleenex in the wastepaper basket, but he was coming downstairs more often. He still wasn't seeing much of anyone outside of the family, preferring to lie either in his room or upstairs in the studio working on new songs. He'd told Zac that the break-up had unleashed emotions that he never even knew he had inside of him and all the emotion going down on the paper cried out for a rhythm and a melody. Zac had read the songs, and they were good, but he didn't think any of them would be appearing on 'Album X', as they were affectionately calling their untitled second major release. If any of the songs did go on the album, Zac had a feeling that Hanson would be responsible for the suicides of many teenage girls, they were so depressing. Anyway, it was an unwritten rule that they all had some input in the songs. Even on 'Man From Milwaukee', which Isaac and Taylor admitted was mainly his song, they had come up with some of the lyrics and the phrasing and the melodies and harmonies for the song. Mainly because they were boring and thought that some of Zac's lyrics were just too off-the-wall, but it was still input, all the same.

Zac averted his gaze in the direction of Isaac, who was also sitting staring at what's-his-name Coburn the Second, laughing overly-heartily whenever the guy cracked a lame joke. Yep, Zac decided, Isaac and Taylor are definitely too boring for their own good. Honey had been supposed to be coming with them, as Isaac and Taylor had received invitations to Mr I and T Hanson and Partners, but had pulled out, none too surprisingly, at the last minute. Zac had been wrestling with his conscience, trying to decide whether or not to tell Isaac that Honey was cheating on him, but, as Taylor had said, there wasn't really any good going to come from it and it was none of their business. Anyway, Zac was glad Honey hadn't come. Then he, Ike and Tay were equal. He hated it when people differentiated between the three of them because Zac was younger. There had been three invitations in that envelope - Mr and Mrs W Hanson, Mr I and T Hanson and Partners and Zac, Jessica, Avery, Mackenzie and Zoë. He wasn't even worthy of a Mr or a surname because he was younger. It was tragic, really, decided Zac, shaking his head.

Jessica was sitting across the table from him, and she looked as bored as he did, sitting playing with her own napkin. She wasn't quite making origami swans like Zac had been; she was just crumpling it and shredding it and basically making a mess.

Zac gently kicked her under the table.

She looked up, startled at first, then raising her eyebrows questioningly.

Zac grabbed his napkin and the ever-present pen from his pocket and scribbled on the would-be swan, Let's get away from this! You're bored. He ignored the look he got from his mother, pretending that he was doodling. Then he surreptitiously dropped the napkin, wound around the pen, under the table, throwing it at Jessica.

She subtly picked it up and read it, a small frown playing on her face. She quickly jotted down something, leaning the napkin on her knee, out of view from everyone - Zac mentally kicked himself for not having thought of doing that - and threw it back to him.

He bent down and retrieved it. She'd written, Of course I'm bored. I'll say I'm going to the bathroom. You leave in a couple of minutes. Then we can see if there's anything good to do around here until the party starts. Jess.

Zac nodded at her, and watched as she whispered something to Mrs Hanson, then silently left the crowded dining hall.

Now he just had to wait a couple of minutes. He fidgeted in his seat, playing with his hair and drumming his fingers on the table. He could feel Taylor's eyes boring into the back of his head. He turned to face him. "What?" he whispered.

Taylor leaned closer. "What are you doing?" he hissed.

"Me and Jess are escaping boredom for a bit. Until the party starts. Wanna come?"

Taylor shook his head. "Mom might notice if three of us are missing," he pointed out.

"So? Aren't you bored?"

"Well, yeah," admitted Taylor.

"So come with us. Say you're coming to the bathroom with me."

"Last time I was in a bathroom with you I passed out," Taylor reminded him.

Zac stared at him. "Tay, we're not really going to the bathroom."

"Oh, yeah."

"So you in? Tell Mom we both need to pee real bad."

"I'm not saying that!" Taylor protested as best as he could in a whisper.

"Okay, fine." Zac stood up. "Mom, we're going to the bathroom," he told her quietly, pointing at Taylor.

Mrs Hanson frowned at him. "Be quick."

"We'll be as quick as we can. Neither of us has been eating enough fiber," said Zac, deadpan serious.

Mrs Hanson made a face and motioned for them to go.

Taylor grabbed Zac's arm. "Did you have to say that?" he asked.

Zac shrugged. "Hey, we needed an excuse quick. Constipation was the best I could come up with."

"Zac, you are so totally gross," Taylor informed him.

"Thankyou."

They turned through the door, finding Jessica leaning against the wall, tugging at her pale blue pinafore dress. "About time!" she exclaimed.

"Hey, we picked up this tramp on the way," drawled Zac. "That okay with you, babe?"

"Zac…" Jessica glared at him.

Zac heaved a sigh of defeat. "Okay, sorry, Jess…babe." He grinned mischievously.

Jessica rolled her eyes. "So what do we do?"

Zac scanned the interior of the hotel corridor. Plush carpeting, textured wallpaper, chandeliers… "I say we find out what this place is all about. This is awesome!" he breathed.

"Yeah," agreed Taylor, taking in the luxurious decorative scheme.

"Let's find the elevator," suggested Jessica.

She took Zac's arm and the three of them walked down the hall, finding the elevator doors open at the end of the long stretch of carpeting.

"What floor?" asked Zac as they stepped inside luxurious elevator.

Jessica scanned up and down the buttons. "Seven," she decided.

Taylor pushed the button and the elevator smoothly began its ascent to the seventh floor.

It pinged as it stopped on the floor.

"Right," announced Zac, loosening his tie. "We are on a mission, comrades. We must find a way to have fun in the next half-hour before the party starts."

Taylor cracked a small smile, and Jessica just stared at him and inquired, "Are those your marbles on the floor, Zac?"

Zac draped his arm round Jessica, ignoring the look of disgust on her face. "Jess, some day, you'll grow up to be just like me."

Jessica shrugged him away. "I sure hope not," she snorted.

Taylor laughed. "It's okay, Jess. No one'll ever grow up to be like Zac. If they do, they'll probably be locked up in a mental hospital, don't worry."

"When's Zac going to the mental hospital?" asked Jessica, smoothing down her hair.

"As soon as we've finished Album X," promised Taylor. "I swear."

"Hey!" tutted Zac. "I'm here!"

"Yeah, and don't we know it," muttered Jessica.

"Come on!" Zac pushed Taylor and Jessica out into the hallway. "Cool! A maid cart!" he cheered. "Watch this!"

"Zac, you're not-"

"Wait here!" ordered Zac, cutting Taylor off. "Sit on the stairs and don't move."

"Zac, don't!" cried Taylor helplessly.

He stood with Jessica and watched as Zac crawled onto the bottom shelf of the maid cart. "Tay," he hissed, "cover my ass with the sheets."

Taylor sighed and started arranging the sheets. "Zac, your ass is too big," he teased.

"Shh!" Zac tugged on the sheet and it covered him completely. "See? Now go sit on the stairs. The maid's coming."

Sure enough, the maid appeared round the corner and started pushing the cart, a look of surprise on her face, probably at all the extra weight. But she just shook her head and pushed harder, leaving Taylor and Jessica to watch as she disappeared around the corner with their brother.

"God, he's an idiot!" exclaimed Jessica.

Taylor grinned at her. "Ah, so young and yet so wise."

"Who, Zac?" asked Jessica incredulously.

Taylor laughed. "As if! I mean you."

"Well, thankyou, brother." Jessica spoke in an affected accent and took a bow.

"Would you believe he's gonna be fourteen this fall?" Taylor shook his head, almost uncomprehendingly.

Jessica raised her eyebrows, then adopted a senior citizen's voice. "Ah, yes, it seems only yesterday he was sitting in his cot. Makes you feel so old, doesn't it?"

Taylor smiled. "I didn't mean that. I meant that he's so immature!"

"Oh. Yeah." Jessica grinned sheepishly.

"Although," conceded Taylor, sitting on the steps, "he has grown up a lot in the past two years. I mean, he doesn't attack the photographers anymore…"

"He doesn't," agreed Jessica, sitting down beside him. "And he doesn't yell stupid things during interviews."

"Or throw prizes that we're supposed to be giving away all over TV sets."

"Or refuse to do press until he's finished his video game."

Taylor looked at her. "He still does that," he reminded her.

"Oh, yeah. He's so weird!"

A smile played on Taylor's lips. "But you gotta love him, don't you?"

Jessica pursed her lips. "Yeah, I guess his stupidity and immaturity makes him kinda lovable."

Taylor nodded.

"Tay, can I ask you something?"

Taylor was surprised. Jess suddenly sounded serious. "Sure, sweetie. What is it?"

Jessica frowned. "Are you okay, Tay? I mean, really okay? I notice things, you know. I'm not some dumb eight-year-old, who you can fob off with the 'I'm just tired' routine. I'm worried about you."

Smiling a little, Taylor smoothed down Jessica's hair. "Oh, Jess, you don't have to worry about me. I'll be fine."

"Are you sure? I mean, Zac told me that you broke down at the mall and-"

"He told you that?" Taylor cut her off.

"Sure. Was it supposed to be a secret?" Jessica's eyebrows knitted together.

Taylor sighed. "No, I guess not. I just didn't want everybody thinking, 'Oh, that Taylor Hanson, what a big, girly crybaby'."

Jessica touched his arm. "Tay, I'm not everybody. I'm your sister. And I'm thinking, 'Oh, that Taylor Hanson, what a good thing it was that he could open up to his brother and let all his emotions out.' And hopefully, it made him better." She looked up at him. "Look, Tayles, I know I'm only ten, but I'll be eleven in like a week and I know some of what you're going through. You just have to believe, Tayles. And you have to talk. To me, to Zac, to Ike, to anyone. Even Zoë, if it helps. But I just really, really want you to come through this and to be okay. You're my big brother. You gotta be here. And you will be, if you have faith." She suddenly looked away, embarrassed.

Biting his lip, Taylor realized that he'd never heard Jessica say such profound, meaningful words. Sure, maybe she was only ten, but what she'd just said made and incredible amount of sense. Yet another one of his siblings was growing up in front of his eyes. So why didn't Taylor feel as if he was getting any older, any more mature?

"Tay?" Jessica looked concerned.

He reached out and took both her small hands in his large ones. "Thankyou," he murmured. "You're great, Jess, you know that?"

Jessica smiled. "You're pretty great yourself."

Just then, Zac rushed round the corner, face flushed and sweaty. He stopped in front of them, gasping for breath.

"What happened?" asked Taylor, moving over so Zac could collapse next to him.

"I got caught!"

"By who?"

"The maid! We gotta run!" Zac jumped up again; he saw the maid rush round the corner. "Quick!"

The three of them made a mad dash for the elevator, getting the doors closed just in time. They could hear the maid yell after them, "Come back, you little brats!"

"How, exactly, did you get caught?" Jessica leaned against the mirrored wall, scrutinizing her older brother.

"She lifted the sheets, dummy."

The elevator arrived back on the ground floor and Taylor, Zac and Jessica emerged, running straight into their parents.

"Where have you been?" demanded Mrs Hanson.

"We told you." Zac was still wheezing and gasping for breath. "The bathroom."

"There's no ground floor bathroom?" Mrs Hanson raised her eyebrows. "It took you forty minutes? And Jess, did you use the men's room or did Tay and Zac use the ladies', since you all seem to have gone together?"

Zac grinned enigmatically at his mother. "Mom, we just went for a walk. We didn't do anything. Now, I think the party's started, so it would be rude not to go in, wouldn't it?"

Mr and Mrs Hanson looked at each other and shrugged. There hadn't seemed to be any damage caused, and all three kids were still in one piece. "Come on then," said Mrs Hanson, heading into the road.

Taylor and Jessica turned to each other, eyes laughing and an incredulous look on their faces.

Zac had done it again.

***

Isaac twirled Avery round under his arm. "You dance good, Avie."

Avery smiled, "I know. Ike, can we do grown up dancing? Like Jess and Zac?" She pointed over to where Jessica and Zac were waltzing, Zac's arm round Jessica's waist and her hand on his shoulder. Their other hands were clasped at the side.

"You wanna dance like that?" Isaac asked, surprised.

"Yeah, cos I'm a big girl. Like Jess."

"Ave, you're not tall enough, honey," Isaac pointed out. "You can't reach my shoulders."

Avery crossed her eyes. "Duh, lift me up, dummy."

Isaac grinned and grabbed her underneath her arms, hoisting her up. She quickly wrapped her legs round his waist and put one hand on his shoulder, holding the other one like her older brother and sister. "Look, Jessie, I'm dancing like you and Zac!" she called as they whirled past them.

"That's great, Avie," smiled Jessica. "Aww, she looks so cute, doesn’t she?" she asked Zac.

"Yeah," smiled Zac, she does. "But Jess, you're only a couple of years older than her! I bet Tay thinks you looks sweet, dancing with me like this."

"I don't have my legs wrapped round your waist."

"Yeah, okay," relented Zac. "But he'll be saying, 'Aww, look, Jess and Zac are dancing so nicely together'."

"Yeah, well, besides, look at him. He looks pretty cute himself."

"Jess, I never knew you had a crush on Tay!"

Jessica shot him a withering look. "Don't be an imbecile, Zac. Look."

Zac glanced over at where Taylor was kneeling on the ground, bopping with Mackenzie and Zoë. They were dancing in a circle, not keeping in time at all with the gentle music, Mackie and Zoë shrieking with laughter as Taylor showed them the hand jive. Zac shook his head. "Looks like they're having fun," he commented.

"Yeah," smiled Jessica. "It does." She leaned her head on Zac's shoulder.

"Tired, babe?" asked Zac gently. It had gone midnight and it was amazing that the younger ones were still going. But Mackie and Zoë didn't seem in the least bit tired.

Jessica didn't even bother to complain about him calling her 'babe'. "Yeah," she murmured.

"You wanna sit down?"

"No. This is fun." Jessica sleepily unclasped her hand from Zac and put both arms round his waist, her eyelids dropping.

"Sure?" Still dancing, Zac moved his other arm around his sister's waist.

"Zac, I talked to Tay."

"That's nice. About what?"

"Him being so sad all the time. I think I got through to him."

"That's great, sweetie. What did you say?" The tune changed slightly, and Zac began to just sway to the music, rather than actually waltzing. If Jessica was tired, it was probably a better idea anyway.

"That he was gonna be okay," she mumbled. "And that if he believed in himself, he would get through it."

"Wow, that was good advice."

"Thanks."

"Jess, remember that you're only ten though. I know you're more mature than most, but remember you're a kid and go have some fun."

"I have fun," replied Jessica simply. "I have a lot of fun."

"I know, I know. But don't spend so much time worrying about us. We're fine. Go see your friends."

Jessica sighed. "My friends are different now. It's like the amount of time we spend away from them pushes us apart or something. I mean, I know she's a dork, and she's younger, but Avie's probably my best friend."

"That's okay, Jess. Ike and Tay are my best friends."

"So you don't think that's weird?"

"Not at all," smiled Zac. "Hey, if I ask you something, will you answer it honestly?"

"Sure," murmured Jessica. She was too tired to answer anything different.

"Do you mind being on the road with us? I mean, is there anything you hate about it?"

Jessica pondered the question for a moment. "No. Usually I love it. I mean, it can be a pain watching you all make idiots of yourselves on national TV and thinking, 'Oh, God, I'm related to them!' And I miss home sometimes. And I hate all those girls following you around. I mean, you guys are my brothers, not theirs. They all think you're gorgeous, but you're just goofs. Not gorgeous at all. But I don't hate it at all. It's great fun, and I'd do anything for you guys."

A smile played on Zac's lips at his sister's spiel. "I'm glad you're okay with it. Although I'm extremely hurt that you don't think I'm gorgeous." He put on an exaggerated pout.

"Zac, look at you! You have long, stringy hair, messed up teeth, chubby cheeks and a beer gut! Hideous…" But the grin on her sleepy face made sure that Zac knew she was kidding.

Zac shook his head. "Jess, I don't drink." He prodded at his stomach. "This baby ain't a beer gut. It's just a Zac-doesn't-know-when-to-stop-eating-and-now-he's-a-fat-mess potbelly."

Jessica lifted her head and stared at Zac with her clear blue eyes. "Zac, I was kidding. You don't even have a beer gut. Well, just a tiny one. And it's so cute. But I was only joking."

Zac grinned sheepishly, embarrassed to have made such a scene. Maybe he wasn't so big. What did teenyboppers know? "Okay, Jess, thanks."

"Silly!" she laughed, laying her head back down.

As Zac swayed with his sister, he had to remind himself that Jessica really was only ten years old. It was hard to believe. She was so sensible, so wise and so mature for her age. In fact, she was probably more mature than he was. Mind you, Zac reasoned, that's not exactly difficult. He was hardly renowned for being grown up.

Just then, Taylor appeared at his side, carrying Zoë over his shoulder. "Hey," he smiled. "You guys having fun?" He looked closely at Jessica. "She okay?"

"She's tired," explained Zac.

Taylor moved round behind Zac's back. "Zac," he whispered. "She's sleeping."

For the first time, Zac noticed that Jessica had gone slightly limp in his arms. "Aww, she must've been exhausted."

"Zoë's asleep too," Taylor told him. "Mackie's really grumpy. We're leaving now."

Zac nodded towards Jessica. "I don't have the heart to wake her," he said softly, trailing his hand lightly over Jessica's long, blonde, silky hair. Gently, he shifted her round ninety degrees and placed one arm under her knees, lifting her off the ground and cradling her in his arms.

Jessica murmured slightly, nuzzling her cheek against the smooth material of Zac's silk shirt, but she didn't waken.

"Come on," prompted Taylor, and together they walked over to join the rest of their family, both carrying their sleeping sisters.

"Is she okay?" asked Mrs Hanson, jerking her head towards Jessica.

"Yeah, she's fine. She's just sleepy," explained Zac.

"Can you manage?" asked Mr Hanson, moving to take Jessica from Zac. "She's getting pretty heavy."

But Zac tightened his grip. For some reason, he wanted to carry Jessica. "No, Dad, I can manage," he protested.

"Okay, then, let's go." Mrs Hanson shrugged into her dress jacket and handed the keys to the van to Mr Hanson. "Come on, Mackie-baby." She held out her arms and Mackenzie practically fell into them as they made their way out of the function suite and headed towards the parking lot.

Only Avery seemed alert and bright, slipping her small hand through Isaac's and chattering away excitedly. "Mommy, me and Ike were dancing like a lady!"

"Ike was dancing like a lady?" snorted Zac.

"No, stupid!" Avery sounded exasperated. "He made me dance like a lady."

"He made you dance like a lady, Ave? Must've taken some work, huh, Ike?" teased Taylor, ruffling his sister's hair.

"Oh, honey, you don't listed to that big meanie." Mrs Hanson pretended to swat Taylor away. "I was watching. You were pretty good."

"Really?"

"Sure," agreed Isaac. "I think you're the next Anna Pavlova!"

"Is that good?" asked Avery, looking confused.

"That's great," Isaac assured her. "She's a famous ballet dancer."

"No, Ike, you're great. You're the best big brother in the world!" declared Avery enthusiastically.

"Gee, thanks," muttered Zac and Taylor in unison.

"Why aren't we the best big brothers in the world?" asked Zac.

"Well, duh, you're cool!" Avery flashed her gappy grin. "But Ike made me dance like a lady!"

Credit for Music goes to:
The Hollies - "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother."

The views expressed in this chapter are not necessarily my views. I do NOT think Zac is fat in any way, shape or form, but I have heard other people saying so, and I wondered how it would make him feel, and hence included it in the story.

Chapter 11
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