Zac knocked on the door to Isaac and Taylor's apartment. The YIRAAS clean up team had sure done a good job - you never would have known a week ago Isaac had ripped the place apart.
Isaac opened the door.
"Zac?" he asked in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
"Well," replied Zac. "That's a fine way to greet your brother. Maybe I should leave."
"No, no. I'm sorry. Come in. I was just surprised."
Zac grinned and followed Isaac in.
Taylor
Taylor looked up from the sofa as Zac appeared in the doorway.
"Hey," he greeted, hiding his nerves like a pro.
Isaac and Zac
"Hi," Zac said cheerfully.
Isaac looked anxiously between his brothers.
"So anyway, here I am at a loose end -"
"You? At a loose end? With all those kids?"
"Ella is a wonderful nanny."
"I hope she's not doing all the work."
"What else am I paying her for?" Zac joked. "Kidding. Don't worry Ikers, been spending time with the kiddies. Anyway, so I'm at a loose end and I figure, y'know why this is? I haven't jammed with you guys in ages. Seriously. So I came over to con you guys into jamming with me, and I won't take no for an answer."
Taylor
Taylor raised his eyebrows, not looking anywhere near Isaac's direction.
"Well if you won't take 'no' for an answer I guess we have no choice," he almost smirked.
Isaac and Zac
Zac opened his mouth, then closed it, then opened it again:
"Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying."
Isaac dared not to look too hopeful. Could this really be happening? Could his brothers actually be agreeing to play music together?
"Now," and Zac clapped his hands together. "Where have you hidden the instruments?"
Taylor
"Well, ah..." Taylor looked around.
"They're... in a myraid of different places right now. Piano through there, two guitars in there, drum set is in the storage room..."
Isaac and Zac
"Ahh," Zac nodded. "Take me to your drums."
Isaac cracked a smile.
"I'll get the drums... why don't you guys take the guitars out to the piano? There' enough room there to set the drumset up."
"Yay!" Zac exclaimed. "Musical drumming goodness!"
Isaac chuckled softly and made his way to the storage room. If this was a dream, he hoped he didn't wake up.
Taylor
Taylor grunted a little as he pulled himself up from the very, very comfortable sofa. He stretched his back, then headed for the room with the guitars.
Isaac and Zac
Zac wandered into the room with the piano and lifted the lid. He amused himself by playing a scale.
Isaac started lugging the drum kit into the room.
"Wanna give me a hand?"
"Yeah... I think I can deign to do that," Zac grinned.
He stood and helped Isaac bring the rest of the drum kit in and set it up.
Taylor
Taylor set the two guitars in the stand beside the piano, then went to fetch a second stool.
Setting that in the open corner of the room, he went to sit at the piano.
Isaac and Zac
"Alrighty," Zac said enthusiastically, sitting down at the drums.
He did a drumroll while Isaac sat down as well, and picked up a guitar.
"Let's rock 'n roll!"
Isaac laughed.
Taylor
Taylor grinned to himself, posing his hands over the piano keys.
"Why don't we start off with something easy to get us back into the swing of things?" he suggested.
He swayed for a second, before platying the opening keys to Love Somebody To Know.
Isaac and Zac
Isaac and Zac joined in. Towards the end of the song, Zac couldn't help himself:
I can’t explain what she does to me
You’ve got to love somebody to know
I can’t explain how she sets me free
You’ve got to love somebody to hoe!
You’ve got to love somebody
You’ve got to love somebody
You’ve got to love somebody
You’ve got to love somebody to hoe!
"You're really in a bizarro mood today," Isaac said.
"Yes well... yes. Obviously is band withdrawal," Zac replied, nodding vigourously.
"Ahh, I see."
Taylor
Taylor chuckled to himself, then ran his fingers through his hair as he leant back.
"So... Zac. Have you come up with anything recently?"
Isaac and Zac
"Yes, in fact," Zac replied. "It goes a little something like this:
Raging little ball of flame
Burning up the floor again
Saving waters quench the fire
All is left is muck and mire
That's all I got right now."
"Okay then..." Isaac said. "What's it about exactly..."
"Saku sneezed last week."
Taylor
Taylor chuckled idly to himself, wiping a little dust from the keys.
"Interesting," he said softly.
He hesitated for a moment, then began to play something he'd come up with just before Isaac had had the breakdown. He hadn't heard it yet.
Isaac and Zac
Isaac and Zac listened respectfully as Taylor played.
"I like it," Isaac said appreciatively.
He wished there was something he could play.
Taylor
"Thanks," Taylor replied shyly.
He rubbed his nose.
"So ah... do we want to finish what we started last time? If we remember?"
Isaac and Zac
"Why not?" Zac asked.
And he immediately started banging the rhythm on the drums. Isaac grinned and joined in with his guitar.
Taylor
Taylor hesitated, trying to remember the tune.
With a frown, he stared at the wall for a moment.
"I don't remember it," he said finally.
Isaac and Zac
"Well you part goes like this: dum dum de dum dum dum - what?" Zac asked.
"I'm sure that's really helping him," Isaac replied in amusement. "Here, Tay, I think your part goes like this:"
He sat down next to Taylor on the piano and played what he could remember.
Taylor
Taylor watched carefully as Isaac played, careful not to close his eyes.
As Isaac came to the chorus, Taylor took over. He played to full corhus and part of the bridge, before stopping to smile.
"Thanks Ike."
Isaac and Zac
"No problemo," Isaac replied with a smile.
This was really, really cool. It was starting to feel like old times. Isaac picked up his guitar and continued to play.
"Whoo hoo!" Zac shouted, head banging to the beat of the drums.
Yep, definitely felt like old times.
Taylor
Taylor let loose on the piano for the first in a long time.
When the song came to an end, he threw his head back and chuckled.
"That was great," he smiled, running his fingers through his hair again.
Isaac and Zac "Yeah, it was," Isaac agreed, smiling.
"Eh, I think that part I do the," and Zac demonstrated on the drums, "need some work. I mean, is it just me or -"
"Yes it is just you," Isaac joked. "But seriously, it's the first time we've played that through for a while now. Don't nit-pick."
"But nit-picking is fun."
Taylor
"It's the first time we've played anything through for a while," Taylor almost murmured, staring at the piano keys sullenly.
"But that's no reason to stop us now. Next song?"
He looked up expectantly.
Isaac and Zac
"Okay," Zac said agreeably.
And so the three brothers continued to jam together for a couple of hours, until Zac had to leave. But he promised he would be over again sometime.
Isaac was delighted.