Zac helped Kate out of the car first, then opened the back doors and unclipped Shepherd from the seat. He lifted the little boy into his arms carefully.
"Unc Tay!" Shepherd grinned happily.
"That's right, Shep," Kate encouraged, as the three of them made their way up to Taylor and Natalie's house.
"Unc Tay!" Shepherd said again, as Zac rung the doorbell.
Taylor & Natalie
"That'll be Zac!" Natalie called from the kitchen, Ezra helping her finish up their lunch.
"Got it!" Taylor called back, juggling River on his hip as he headed for the door.
He opened it with a grin.
"Hey guys," he greeted, stepping aside so they could enter, "go on through. Lunch is almost on the table."
Kate and Zac
"Unc Tay!" Shepherd gurgled happily when he saw Taylor.
"We've been getting that since we got out of the car," Kate told Taylor, grinning. She went past Taylor to go help Natalie out, waddling slightly with her heavily pregnant belly.
Zac followed Kate, nodding at Taylor as he went past. "Wanna go see Ez, Shep?"
Shep giggled and nodded.
Taylor & Natalie
"I don't doubt it," Taylor's eyebrows rose as he closed the door.
He followed them in.
"We have the kids set up in the livingroom," he added as he took River in to where Penny had been playing with her dolls on the floor, "hey Penny, Uncle Zac and Aunty Kate are here!"
Penny stopped what she was doing and looked up bashfully.
"Hey, how are you?" Natalie beamed as Kate walked in, "we're about the same size still!"
Zac and Kate
Zac let Shepherd down when they got to the living room and he toddled his way over to Penny.
"Hey Pennyloafer," Zac greeted his niece.
"Hey Nat," Kate grinned, waddling over to give Natalie a kiss on the cheek. "Yup, though I'm feeling ready to pop, ha. How are you?"
Taylor & Natalie
"So I've got this great hook I've been working on," Taylor got straight down to business, "but it sounds cool in two different ways. Like I can't decide if I want to do it in B or G, and then we could bring piano in over it..."
"Ready to get this kid out, that's for sure," Natalie nodded, "nevermind. Not long now!"
She finished plating up the salads and started taking the dishes to the dining table.
Zac and Kate
"Show me both," Zac shrugged, looking over at Taylor. "Actually, before we get involved in this, did you go see Avie the other day?"
"I feel ya," Kate laughed. She helped Natalie start to take everything out.
Taylor
"Last I saw Avie..." Taylor stopped to think, "we Skyped about a week ago, I think? She usually videos in at least once a week or so."
He began to head for the music room.
"Taylor!" Natalie tutted, "don't you dare go anywhere! Dinner's ready."
Taylor rolled his eyes and turned back toward the table.
"Why do you ask?"
Zac and Kate
"So you weren't in New York?" Zac clarified, heading for the table as well.
"Always business," Kate laughed to Natalie.
Taylor & Natalie
"Ah... no? Why would I be?" Taylor looked confused.
"Haven't been since we went to do that 3CG business a couple of months back. Did she say I was there or something?"
"Always," Natalie agreed, "I swear he'd starve if I didn't lay down the law sometimes."
Zac and Kate
It clicked in Zac's brain and he shook his head, folding his arms across his chest.
"Kate was on Skype with her and thought she saw you. So..." he trailed off so that Taylor could figure it out.
"Same with Zac," Kate laughed. "And when he's in the studio with the drums... forget it. No chance of getting his attention."
Natalie & Taylor
"Oh I know, Taylor on the piano?" Natalie shook her head, grabbing some glasses out, "I swear I've actually given him mild heart attacks when breaking his concentration."
Taylor squinted at Zac, curiously.
"She was obviously mistaken," he shook his head, glancing over at Kate and not getting the bigger picture.
Kate and Zac
Kate laughed, grabbing the bottles of drink out of the fridge. "Yeah, Zac is probably just going to die of shock one day, when he looks up to see me beating on the window."
Zac sighed. "Taylor... think. Someone who looks like you. Could pass as you. Has known Avery since she was a kid."
Natalie & Taylor
"He actually looks up?" Natalie joked.
"Ezra, go get your sister."
Taylor frowned, thinking.
"What, you mean Christian?" his voice lowered so the girls couldn't hear, "why on Earth would he be with Avie? In New York? Last I heard he's still in rehab."
Kate and Zac
Kate laughed. "You know, when he has to towel his face off."
Zac nodded, looking at his brother and also lowering his voice.
"I don't know, man, but Avery has never mentioned who she's living with, we usually only Skype for a couple of minutes each time, she's really busy with school and work."
Taylor & Natalie
Taylor hesitated, thinking.
"When we're done here, we'll call her from the music room, yeah?" he suggested as Ezra and Penny came up to the table.
He helped Penny into her seat before taking his spot at the head of the table.
"Love your work," he grinned up at the girls as they finished up.
Zac and Kate
Sometime later, Zac and Taylor had retreated to the music room, leaving Natalie and Kate to sit with the kids in the living room.
"Hey little one," Kate greeted Penny, helping her niece climb up next to her.
Taylor
As soon as Taylor closed the door behind them, he pulled out his cell phone and put it on speaker, dialling Avery's number.
"Let's hope she picks up," he mused.
Zac and Avery
"Yeah," Zac agreed, sitting on a chair and leaning back, stretching his arms behind his head.
"Tay?" Avery's voice came through the line, sounding surprised. "Is everything ok? Nat's fine?"
Taylor
"She's fine," Taylor insisted, "still a couple of months to go. Avie, I'm here with Zac..."
Avery and Zac
"Hey bumhead," Avery greeted her other brother.
"So, he gets Tay and I get bumhead? Oh I see," Zac replied. "No no, I'm fine with that, really."
"You know I love you!" she insisted. "So, what's up?"
Zac looked to Taylor to field that question.
Taylor
Taylor chuckled, then hesitated.
"Avie… Um. Zac mentioned you were talking to Kate a while ago on Skype..." he began cautiously, "and she might have seen your room mate in the background? We were just wondering..."
He wasn't sure how to put it.
Avery and Zac
"Yeah, Christian," Avery said, casually, completely forgetting that she hadn't ever mentioned it to either of them. "Haven't we spoken about this before?"
Zac let out a snort. "No, no, we haven't."
Taylor
"You're rooming with Christian?" Taylor demanded.
"When did he get out of rehab? How long has this been going on?"
Avery and Zac
"I swear we spoke about this," Avery mused.
Zac snorted again. "No, that didn't happen."
"Oh, sorry," she replied, sounding genuinely upset. "Since June, when Mac and I moved out from that other place. He'd just gotten out of rehab."
"You... don't see a problem with living with him?" Zac asked carefully.
"Well, I did at first," Avery replied honestly. "But it's actually been ok."
Taylor
"Avie I know we don't have to tell you to be careful..." Taylor hinted that they kinda did, "but... just keep an eye on him, yeah? Has he done anything, questionable yet?"
Avery and Zac
"I know," Avery replied, lowering her voice. "He's been fine, honestly. I don't really see that much of him, to be honest, we're on different schedules completely."
"Well, that's a relief," Zac said, half sarcastically. "More of a relief would you be living with Mac again."
"You'd have to explain to Mom and Dad why I killed him?" she told him. "Because it would happen. Trust me. Or you'd have to explain why he killed me."
"Yeah but..." Zac fell silent. "But Tay's right, we don't have to tell you to be careful, you know that already."
Taylor
"Maybe we should go out there?" Taylor looked to Zac.
"Just to... you know, check on him?"
Zac and Avery
"Yeah, sounds like a good idea," Zac agreed.
Avery nodded, even though her brothers couldn't see her.
"Sure, if you feel you need to," she said.
Taylor
"We'll talk it over and get back to you," Taylor insisted.
"We still on for Skyping tomorrow?"
Zac and Avery
"But I'm here now," Zac joked, looking at Taylor.
Avery laughed. "Yep, tomorrow is a-ok. Can we push it back by half an hour? I'm thinking my fitting is going to run a little late."
Taylor
"No problem, we'll talk then," Taylor said, before hanging up.
He sighed and hung his head, before looking over at Zac.
"Should we tell Ike?"
Zac
"Oh..." Zac chewed the inside of his cheek.
"I don't know..."
Taylor
"Yeah I don't think so either," Taylor pulled a face.
"Better check with Nat and see if I can get next weekend off. Does that work for you?"
Zac
Zac looked up as he thought about his and Kate's plans.
"Yeah, it should be ok, I'll double check with Kate, but I don't think there's anything major happening."
Taylor
"Okay," Taylor sighed, scratching his head.
He really didn't like the whole situation one little bit.
"So this guitar piece I was telling you about-"