"Hey Ike," Natalie greeted at the door. "Come on in."
"Why thank you," Isaac replied stepping through the door.
"Tay and Zac are already in the music room."
"Okay."
She closed the door behind him and just so happened to glance down at his hand at the same time.
"That's new."
Isaac smiled.
"Nikki and I got married yesterday."
"That was quick."
"I know, but yeah."
"Well, congratulations."
"Thanks," Isaac replied. "I just hope that Tay and Zac take it as well."
Natalie grinned.
"Yeah, good luck."
"Thank you for your vote of confidence."
Natalie chuckled and Isaac made his way to the music room, letting himself in.
"Hey, it's about time you got here," Zac declared looking him. "Tay and I just wrote five songs all by ourselves."
Isaac rolled his eyes.
"I'm not even late, Zac. Okay, maybe by five minutes but whatever."
Taylor
"Only Zac's been here for almost a half hour and we have actually at least started five songs," Taylor grinned cheekily before looking up at him.
"What are you so nervous about?" he teased.
Isaac and Zac
"Why are you here so early?" Isaac frowned.
"At my home are two nannies, ten kids under 3 and, worst of all Julie," Zac nodded. "I should stop inviting former lovers to live with me. It never goes well."
"Ahh, well..." Isaac paused. "I have some news. Uhh... Nikki and I got married yesterday."
Zac stared, eyes wide with shock.
Taylor
Taylor's face drained of a little cover, and he tilted his head in slight confusion.
"You did what?" he wasn't entirely sure that he heard right, and wanted to give his brother the benefit of the doubt.
Isaac and Zac
"I, uhh, got married, Yesterday. To Nikki," Isaac repeated.
"Are you insane?" Zac practically shouted. "You've been on and off for the last year."
"And a half."
"Whatever!" Zac dismissed and turned to Taylor. "So, Tay, what do you think, give it a month until they divorce?"
"Hey!"
Taylor
"Maybe less," Taylor frowned, not taking his eyes off Isaac as he closed the piano lid and turned in his seat so he could face both of them properly.
"Ike... were you drunk?"
Isaac and Zac
"No! I was perfectly in my sound mind," Isaac replied hotly.
"Was she pregnant?" Zac asked.
"I'm not you Zac."
"Then I don't understand this sound mind business. I mean, c'mon Ike. You were calling her a whore not all that long ago."
"Yeah, well, she's not doing that anymore."
Zac blinked.
"Wait... you mean she... and you... she... a real whore? Ike!" Zac exclaimed. "She could be diseased!"
"I'd thank you not to describe my wife as being diseased," Isaac glared at him. "And for that matter, when you were in your sleeping around thing has it even occured to you that any of your partners might be diseased?"
Taylor
Taylor's jaw had literally dropped at the whore revelation.
"Ike have you at least checked?" he cautioned, "you never know what- or who- she was doing. And how could you possibly know for sure that it's over? What else haven't you told us?!"
Isaac and Zac
Isaac sighed.
"Nikki's not diseased and yes, we're sure. We did check. And I know it's over because... okay that side of it is over anyway..."
"That side of it?" Zac frowned at him. "Okay, what else has Nikki been doing? She a junkie?"
"What? No!"
"Because y'know, that would fit in with the whore thing."
"Argh. Fine. I have no idea if I should tell you guys this, so keep it to yourselves okay? You know how last year Wayne asked us about the Fudge Gang?"
"Yeah, what about them?"
"Nikki's been working for them as an industrial spy. That would be where the whore part came in."
"And you married her?" Zac demanded.
Taylor
Taylor chewed his lip to stop himself saying anything. He really had no right, he was keeping contact with Christian after all, but still...
"How do you know for sure that she's stopped?" he asked finally.
"If she was working as a spy for them, there's every reason to think she could still be doing that right under your nose."
Isaac and Zac
Isaac sighed again.
"I have so been through this," he muttered to himself, then aloud to his brothers: "Well, I told her about aliens, right?"
"Of course you did. First you marry her and then -" Zac began.
"Zac? Did you really expect me to marry a human without making sure she knew about aliens?"
"I take the point. But only that one."
"Fine. Whatever. I introduced her to YIRAAS and now she's working for them as a double agent."
"So, now she thinks she's Sydney Bistrow?"
"Who?"
"Y'know, Alias."
"I can't believe you watch that."
"Hey, Jennifer Garner is hot," Zac defended. "Besides this is about your questionable taste in women, not mine."
"So, you admit your taste in women is questionable?"
"How do you know she's not a triple agent?"
"Well aside from the fact that I, y'know, only trust her with my life, as demonstrated by the whole telling-her-about-aliens thing -"
"Of which I question your judgement."
"She has been empath read," Isaac finished his statement, ignoring Zac's comment.
Taylor
"But we of all people know that empaths can be fooled," Taylor pointed out.
"I can't believe you didn't tell us any of this."
Isaac and Zac
"I know empaths can be fooled, but Nikki only just found out about aliens, I doubt she's had much experience with empaths - fooling them or otherwise," Isaac replied.
"No previous experience that you know about," Zac said omniously.
"Everyone, meet Mr Paranoid."
"Hey, you're only paranoid if you're wrong."
"Zac, what is it exactly that you want?" Isaac demanded. "I've had enough of a hard time working up the nerve to tell you guys all this in the first place -"
"Because you knew that we'd reveal you for the idiot that you are?"
"Mom and Dad took us getting married okay. Nikki's Mom was upset because she missed out on a wedding, her Dad gave me the third degree which I can completely understand, but y'know what? I dreaded telling you guys even more than them. Especially you, Zac, who was the one who introduced me to Nikki, I might point out."
"Actually she's more Stella's friend than mine -"
"That's not the point! I know you guys thought we were nuts for getting back together all them time, but has it occured to you that maybe, just maybe we might love each other? I'll be the first to admit we kept breaking up for stupid reasons, but hey both of us had big secrets and it wasn't until a few months ago that we shared those secrets with each other. We finally got to the top of the mountain and marriage was the logical next step."
"Isn't planning a flag and climbing down again the next step?"
"Shut up, Zac."
Taylor
"You really feel this strongly for this girl?" Taylor's confused expression was back.
"I mean it sounds like you hardly know her at all. And it's not like you've been in a very long term relationship before deciding on this..."
Isaac and Zac
"I dated Myra for two years, this has been one and a half," Isaac pointed out.
"Yeah, but you and Myra didn't have an on/off relationship, so really you and Nikki have only dated for like half that," Zac pointed out.
"Yeah, but I feel like I've known her all my life. I love her. A lot."
Taylor
Taylor looked across at Zac, not sure if he should suggest what he was about to or not.
"Maybe we should have dinner," he proposed.
"Not right now, in a couple of weeks. I'll get Ezra a babysitter, and it can be just us and the girls. What do you think?"
Isaac and Zac
"Thank you, Tay. That's a great idea," Isaac said sincerely. "You're officially my favourite brother."
"Gee, thanks a lot," Zac replied sarcastically.
Taylor
"Come on Zac," Taylor reasoned.
"We're obviously too fired up right now, and we need to let Nikki into the equation to defend her own. And besides, I kinda want to read them."
Isaac and Zac
"Yeah, okay, whatever," Zac said.
"You've already made up your mind, huh?" Isaac asked. "You won't even give her a chance."
"I said okay! We going to practice or not?"
Taylor
"A jam would be better," Taylor said decidedly, turning back and opening his piano.
"I don't see us getting a lot of progressive work done tonight somehow."
Isaac and Zac
"Possibly not," Isaac ruefully agreeds.
Zac did an impromtue drumroll.
"Let's hit it."
"Yeah... try not to break any skins tonight okay?"