"Hey Zac," Natalie said, opening the door.
"Hey."
"How's things with Julie?"
"Same old, same old."
"Ahh," Natalie nodded and patted him on the shoulder. "Tay's in the kitchen."
"Okay."
"And Zac?"
"Mmm?"
"Try to be nice when Nikki gets here."
"I refuse to make promises."
"Uh huh."
The room was empty for a few minutes before the bell rang again and Natalie opened it again to see Isaac and Nikki standing there.
"Hey Nat," Isaac said cheerfully.
"Hey," Natalie replied.
She held the door open for them.
"Hi," Nikki said, a little nervously, remembering their previous meeting some months ago now.
"I just need to check on Ezra," Natalie went on. "Why don't you head into the dining room? Tay and Zac are in the kitchen."
"Okay," Isaac replied.
Taylor
"I thought that B section was in G?" Taylor was saying to Zac as he stirred the pasta, "because that's what I've been practising in, and it sounded fine..."
Zac, Isaac and Nikki
Zac shook his head.
"No, it's definitely... oh hi Ike," Zac said, noticing his brother and Nikki walk into the dining room.
"Hey," Isaac said.
Nikki sat down at the dining room table and Isaac wandered over to join his brothers.
"So, what's for dinner? Pasta?"
Taylor
"Fettucini, spring rolls and potato bake for mains," Taylor nodded to himself, "and if you're very lucky, something nice for dessert. Hey there Nikki!"
Isaac, Zac and Nikki
"Hi," Nikki replied a little shyly.
Okay she knew that this meeting was probably inevitable, but still. It was rather unnerving.
"Sounds great," Isaac said.
"So, Nikki," Zac drawled. "How's things?"
"Uhh, good."
Taylor
"Ike, do you mind?" Taylor indicated for his brother to take over the stirring with his telekinesis as he left the kitchen.
He went to find Natalie.
"Is Ezra awake?" he asked quietly, in case he wasn't.
Natalie, Isaac, Zac and Nikki
Isaac took over the stirring as prompted.
"How's Stella?" Zac asked. "Haven't seen her for awhile."
"She's keeping busy," Nikki replied.
Natalie shook her head.
"Fast asleep," she replied softly.
Taylor
"Great," Taylor smiled, leaning over to kiss the side of her neck.
"Dinner's just about ready."
Isaac, Zac, Natalie and Nikki
"Great," Natalie replied.
She kissed him back, and returned to the dining room.
"Hey Tay," Isaac said. "Looks about done."
"Yay food," Zac said.
Nikki just smiled awkwardly. She wished this night were over.
Taylor
"Awesome," Taylor smiled, taking over again.
He turned the stove down and opened the oven to check on the spring rolls.
"Take a seat everyone, I'll have it out in no time."
Isaac, Zac, Natalie and Nikki
Isaac sat down next to Nikki and held her hand under the table. Nikki smiled at him and he smiled back encouragingly.
Natalie and Zac took their seats.
"So, Nikki," Natalie said breaking the silence. "Ike tells me you're a model?"
"Uh huh."
"Get a lot of work?"
"Enough to get me by," Nikki shrugged.
Taylor
"Is it something you travel a lot with?" Taylor asked as he started serving onto plates, still in the kitchen.
Nikki, Isaac, Zac and Natalie
"A bit. Actually I've been in Tulsa for longer than I expected," Nikki replied.
"Do you plan on continuing to model?" Natalie asked.
"If I can get work."
"Until kids come along. Or are you going to try and get work modelling maternity underwear?" Zac asked.
"Zac," Isaac said.
"What? It's a legitimate question."
Nikki shrugged.
"If I have that opportunity, sure. But, y'know, not planning on having kids just yet."
"It's probably wise," Zac nodded.
"Zac," Isaac frowned.
"What?" Zac asked innocently. "It'll be nice for you to have some time alone together before having kids. And trust me, I know how time consuming kids are."
He nodded knowingly.
Isaac, knowing Zac's divorce theory, wasn't buying it.
Taylor
"I guess that's true," Taylor nodded a little, concentrating more on what he was doing than saying.
"Nat and I have barely had any time to ourselves since Ezra came along. Thus the impending trip to Europe together."
Isaac, Zac, Nikki and Natalie
"Yay, Italy," Natalie said enthusiastically.
"Oh, wow," Nikki replied. "That should be fun."
"I can't wait! We're going to see the Uffizi Gallery and the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Colsseum and the Pantheon and -"
"You don't need to give us a list," Zac cut in. "We get the idea."
"I'm sure you'll have a great time," Isaac grinned.
Taylor
"Oh we will," Taylor said insistantly, finishing up with the dishes and stacking them in the dishwasher.
Two at a time he started bringing the plates out, serving Isaac and Nikki first.
"Any requests for drinks before I sit down myself?" he offered, going back to fetch Zac and Natalie's.
Isaac, Zac, Natalie and Nikki
Everyone gave their requests and Natalie stood up to give Taylor a hand.
"This looks amazing, Taylor," Nikki said, venturing a compliment.
"Tay's always been a really good cook," Zac said.
"Yes, this is what I miss about not living with Tay any more," Isaac mused.
Taylor
"Wow, compliments!" Taylor grinned at Natalie as he passed her with the plates.
"Better savour the moment, it probably won't happen again."
Natalie, Isaac, Zac and Nikki
Natalie grinned back at Taylor as he passed.
"Yeah, we wouldn't want you to get a big head," Zac nodded.
"Actually out of all three of us, I'd say you're the more likely to end up with an undeserved big head, Zac," Isaac decided.
"Hey, I resent that remark."
"No, you resemble it."
"Thank you," Nikki said to Natalie as she put her drink down in front of her.
"No problem," Natalie replied, jerking her head at the boys. "It's like being married to children, huh?"
Nikki giggled.
Taylor
"That was so uncalled for," Taylor scorned playfully, finally taking his seat at the table.
Isaac, Zac, Natalie and Nikki
Natalie giggled and went back for the rest of the drinks.
"No I disagree," Isaac said. "You're just as childish as I am."
"Ha! I have no wife to make jokes about how childish I am! Mwahaha!" Zac declared.
"What about Sari-Lyka?"
"She's an Adige. She's doesn't count."
"What's an Adige?" Nikki asked.
"Well, y'know how there's Daths and Sems?" Isaac asked, realising he's forgotten about this. "The Adige are aliens too. They just can't pass for humans like we can. They live on the space station."
Nikki frowned.
"The International Space Station?"
"Uhh, no. Our space station."
"You have a space station?"
"Ikers! You haven't told Nikki about the space station?" Zac asked.
"It was on my list. Trying to do the whole integrating thing gradually."
"I think I can handle it now," Nikki said.
"I think the station's a little over-rated myself," Natalie put in as she joined them with the last of the drinks.
"Anyway, the thing with the Adige is that they're pologomists," Isaac said. "Zac's married to one."
"They don't have divorce either, which is why she doesn't count," Zac nodded. "And thus by that logic, I'm still married to Faith."
"You love that, don't you?"
"Yes. Of course, as the Adige word for marriage is the same as their word for sex, I'm actually married to every single woman I've ever had sex with."
"That's a very long list."
"It is isn't it?"
"It also includes Julie," Natalie teased.
"Yeah! And Kylie," Isaac grinned.
"Crap."
Taylor
"I think it's overrated too," Taylor agreed with his wife, "but it does give everyone a good place to congregate without fear of using their powers in public and whatnot."
Zac, Natalie and Nikki
"True enough," Natalie conceeded.
"Not that you ever have that problem," Zac grinned at her. "One of these days I'm going to have to get a massage off you."
"You massage?" Nikki asked.
Natalie nodded.
"I'm a licensed massure," she said. "Or massage therepist. Whichever."
"Hey awesome."
Taylor
"What do you say we start eating before it gets cold and I lose the glory feeling?" Taylor suggested before looking at Nat.
"You do the honors?"
Isaac, Zac and Natalie
"Okay," Natalie smiled, and bowed her head. "Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for this food we're about to eat. Bless it to our bodies and bless Tay's hands for preparing it. In Jesus' name. Amen."
A chorus of "Amen" followed.
"Yes, because what with tour coming up Tay's hands need all the blessing they can get," Zac grinned.
Taylor
"You're not wrong," Taylor flexed the fingers on his right hand before picking up his knife with it.
"But hey, two weeks in Italy will sure help too. And yes, I'm rubbing it in. Just because I can."
Isaac, Zac, Natalie and Nikki
"If you've got it, flaunt it?" Zac suggested.
"If you don't got it, flaunt it anyway," Isaac joked.
Nikki giggled.
"Now there's some interesting imagery," Natalie said dryly.
Taylor
"But then how can you flaunt something you don't have to flaunt?" Taylor mused, before taking a mouthful.
Isaac, Natalie and Zac
"By flaunting the fact that you don't have it," Isaac nodded.
"Again we come to the 'how' part," Natalie said.
"Oh that's easy. Ahem:" Zac said, and put on a haughty tone, "Well, I'm not going to Italy. So ha!"
Taylor
"...Not working," Taylor said decidedly.
Isaac and Zac
Zac grinned.
"No one said it had to be good flaunting," he said.
"This is true," Isaac nodded.
Taylor
"So Nikki..." Taylor opted to change the subject, "how long have you actually been in Tulsa now?"
Isaac, Zac, Nikki and Natalie
"Oh umm..." Nikki lifted her eyes while she calculated. "I actually moved here, hmm, three years ago now, but I've travelled in that time too."
"That's right, you were in France when we were last year," Zac said.
"Yeah."
"And broke up with Ike."
"Uhh, yes."
"For about two hours."
"What's your point?"
"Does a two hour break up even count as a break up?"
"You know, that's a good question," Isac said dryly. "I mean, that means we weren't nearly as bad on and off as you're imagening."
"You broke up for two hours?" Natalie repeated. "What happened?"
"I caught him in the spa with three fans in bikinis," Nikki replied. "Apparently it was innocent."
"It was!" Isaac insisted.
"Yeah," Zac grinned. "I've done the three hot girls in the spa thing. That was... fun."
"All of a sudden I feel dirty."
Taylor
"Well... I do hardly think fans factor into the equation," Taylor shrugged.
Before he realised how that might sound and glanced at Natalie emabarrassed.
"Not that I would ever walk that line, let alone cross it," he added quickly.
Isaac, Zac, Natalie and Nikki
"That's good to know," Natalie smiled.
"I didn't know they were fans at the time," Nikki commented.
"Anything could have been going on, eh Ike?" Zac teased.
"Well, we were just talking," Isaac replied.
"Yes... 'talking'."
"It's not safe to say anything around you, is it Zac?"
Zac chuckled mischeviously.
Taylor
"And that should be your first lesson learnt when joining the family Hanson," Taylor said to Nikki.
Isaac, Zac, Natalie and Nikki
Nikki laughed.
"Actually I'm not sure I'd describe any of you as safe," Natalie mused. "You're just all dangerous in different ways."
"Really? How am I dangerous?" Isaac replied. "I'm too cute and adorable to be dangerous."
"Yes, that's exactly it," Natalie nodded. "You're dangerous because no one expects you to be."
"Ahh."
"I can't believe I just heard you describe yourself as 'cute and adorable'," Zac said.
"Aww, but he is," Nikki smiled.
Taylor
"And how am I dangerous?" Taylor chuckled, before consequently dropping his knife on the floor.
"Oops," he jumped, the knife having landed barely inches from his foot, before bending down to retrieve it.
Isaac, Zac, Natalie and Nikki
"I think you just answered your own question," Zac said.
Natalie giggled.
"Okay so, Tay's clumsy," Nikki said. "Ike's devious and Zac's just horny."
"I prefer the term 'dirty-minded'," Zac nodded.
"We keep telling him he needs to take his mind to the dry cleaners, but he never listens," Isaac replied.
"Hey, dry cleaning is expensive. Have you got any idea how much they charge to clean minds?" Zac joked.
Taylor
"Less than it's worth to get it done, I'm sure," Taylor teased, "excuse me."
He got up and went to the sink to wash his knife.
Zac, Isaac and Natalie
Zac opened up his mouth to reply, then closed it again.
"Speechless, Zac?" Isaac asked.
"I'm not sure if I've just been insulted or not."
Natalie laughed.
Taylor
"And I doubt I should clarify to the positive or negative," Taylor chuckled, drying the knife off and returning to the table to continue eating.
Isaac, Zac, Nikki and Natalie
"Yes, just leave it up in the air and me not knowing if I should comeup with some sort of smart reply," Zac answered.
"Zac, if we waited for you to come up with a smart reply we'd be here all year," Isaac joked.
"Perhaps longer," Natalie agreed mischeviously.
Nikki snickered.
"Oh ha, ha, ha," Zac replied.
Taylor
"By the way, Nikki, if you add another ten people to the table then yes - this is what dinner in a Hanson household is like every night," Taylor felt it only fair to warn her.
Isaac, Zac, Nikki and Natalie
"Right, okay," Nikki replied.
"It gets worse on tour," Zac nodded. "Mostly because everyone's tired and smelly."
"Especially Zac," Isaac grinned.
"Is this pick on Zac night or something?"
"Yes."
"Curses! Why was I not informed in advance?"
"Because y'know, then you'd be prepared and that takes all the fun out of it."
Natalie pointed to Isaac and Zac with her thumb.
"They're always like this too. And I haven't even toured with them yet," Natalie said.
Taylor
"Don't worry, we'll either get our own bus, or make sure these two are separated," Taylor assured her with a smile.
Isaac, Zac, Natalie and Nikki
"Hurrah," Natalie grinned.
"Aww, you love us," Isaac said.
"I can see this is definitely going to be interesting," Nikki said slowly.
"Just remember," Zac grinned smugly. "You chose to get married. To him. You chose that. What does that make you?"
"Asking for trouble?"
Zac took a breath, this not being the answer he had been expecting.
"Yes. And you'll get it. So ha. Ha-ha ha-ha ha-ha. Ha."