Sure About It

~ Chapter 1~

Whitney gave a sigh of relief as she sat down on her bed. It was a Friday and another school week had ended. It was also Valentine's Day and she again had no boyfriend to share it with. In school, everyone seemed to have someone but her. It didn't matter though, if a guy did like her she'd turn him down anyway. She loved Taylor Hanson so much and held him up so high that no one could compare to him. 

She was a senior and couldn't wait to graduate. She was moving back to the town she was born in: Tulsa, Oklahoma, to go to college. She had moved when her mother had got a job in California back in 1996. But now, she was going back to her roots. 

She had met Taylor and his brothers many times before, starting back in 1991. They were playing small gigs and she had loved them all right off. She was only seven when she met Taylor for the first time, but had developed a crush on him all the same. Of course, that was back when he didn't like girls except to play with them. Dating was so far off his mind. 

She finally realized that she had fallen deep for that boy when she was eleven. She had suspected she had loved him for quite some time, but what does a child know about love? 

She had hung with Taylor and Ike and Zac many times over those years. She was at all of their shows and they remembered her. And a friendship was just beginning to form.

But then, to her unhappiness, in March 1996, five days after Taylor's thirteenth birthday, she had to move halfway across the United States. She said goodbye to the Hanson brothers that day. They said they'd keep in touch, but they never did. She tried to get in touch with them when they came to California to record their third album, Middle of Nowhere. But California is such a big state and money was tight for her family, so she let it go.

So Whitney grew up loving Taylor from afar. With the hope that one day, when they finally met again, he'd remember her from those long ago days and fall in love with her and everything would be happily ever after for them. 

But that wasn't the way things would be. And slowly she knew that. Millions of girls said they "loved" him and she came to understand that, maybe back in the lost days of their childhood he would've believed her. But now he'd just think it was a crush. 

So she resigned herself to hoping that he'd at least remember her and maybe they could build the friendship they had missed out on when she was forced to leave him and his brothers that fateful day over half a decade ago.

***

~ Chapter 2 ~
Whitney was at a Hanson concert and the crowd was hyped up because of the three brothers on stage. She was having an awesome time, but then the concert was over. She didn't want to go but she couldn't stay. Everyone was leaving. She turned to go home when she heard a familiar voice call her name. She turned back in the direction of that voice and saw Taylor standing there with a solemn look on his face. She walked toward him and he pulled her backstage. 

"Whitney," he said taking her hands in his and looking into her eyes,"listen to me. We will never be. Get over me."

"But, I can't. I love you." 

He sighed,"I know." 

"You believe me?!"

"Yes I do, but we will never be. So listen to me. You want me to be the father of your children right?"

She nodded.

"Well, I can't father all your children, but write me a letter when you turn eighteen and ask me to get you pregnant so you'll have a child from me. Your life will be easier Whitney. We're not meant to be together. I won't love you. Here," he handed her a piece of paper,"write to this address and I'll get your letter."

"But, I'm talking to you now,"Whitney was confused,"Why won't we be together?"

Taylor started fading,"Just do what I said Whitney." Then he was gone.

Whitney woke up that Saturday morning with tears spilling down her cheeks and the address fresh in her mind. She grabbed a piece of paper and scribbled down that address before she forgot it. She would check to see if it was real later that day.

She leaned back against the pillows and gave into the tears. She knew that dream was a message. It hurt though. To know she and Taylor would never be together. That he wouldn't love her.

Once she had no more tears left to cry, she promised herself she would do what he said. She looked forward to her eighteenth birthday.

***

It was a little less than a month until Taylor's birthday. He would be eighteen.

Taylor sighed as he stared into space. He had that dream again. A girl was crying and she was so familiar. But he couldn't remember her. He would go to comfort her and she would look up and say "Why did you break my heart?" Then he'd wake up.

Oh sure, he knew he'd broken many hearts since he and his brothers had become famous, but this was different. He could feel it. She was a ghost, but something told him she was a real person, still alive and breathing.
Something was coming. Something big. And he wished he knew what it was.
~ * ~
Whitney was on Hanson.net As usual, she was in the chat and the forums. She was bored out of her mind. A new screen name had been on but hadn't said much. She figured the person wasn't even watching the chat. All of a sudden a private message from that person popped up on her computer screen.

"Not much of a talker, eh?" it said.

"I have nothing to contribute to it," she typed,"it's mainly nonsense stuff." 

"I agree. It is amusing though."

"Yes. Very. Uh, not to be rude, but did you have something specific you wanted to say to me, or did you just want to do the small talk thing?" 

"Well, I checked your profile and you seem very familiar, like I know you from somewhere. Although I just can't seem to place you."

"Oh. Well I don't know what to tell you. What's your name?"

There came no reply for quite awhile. As if the person was debating whether to tell her or not, then,"Ike."

"As in Hanson?" 

"Uh...yeah."

"Wow," Whitney was stunned,"Why aren't you under your official name then? I am sort of getting the idea that you're a poser. No offense." 

"You want me to prove it?"

"Sure, but how?"

"What's your phone number?" 

"I'm long distance from you most likely."

"So? Do you want proof or not? ;0)"

"Yeah...." She typed her phone number and pressed Enter.

"Alright, get offline. I'll call you." 

"Alright."

She signed off and waited. Her phone stayed silent for quite awhile, then when she was about to give up, it rang.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Hey," came Ike's voice,"Do you believe me now?"

Whitney laughed,"Yep. Sorry, I've just been tricked by posers and I'm kind of sick of it." 

"Understandable. Do me a favor though."

"What?"

"Don't tell anyone about that name. I like to see what goes on in our fan's minds without them freaking out."

"No problem." 

"Thanks."

"Hey Ike..."

"Yeah?" 

"I know this is gonna sound weird, but I used to be sort of friends with you and your brothers." 

"Really? I don't remember you..."

"Well, it was before you guys got famous. I used to go to all your gigs and we'd hang out."

"Hmm...Whitney," he mumbled,"that does sound familiar. I'll have to ask my brothers if they remember you."

"Okay. Tell them I miss them, and I miss hanging with you all." 

She could feel him smile,"Will do...Hey, I hate to cut this short, but I got to go. I'll keep in touch with you."

"That'd be great."

"Alright then. Talk to you later."

"K, bye Ike." 

"Bye Whitney."

Click.

Whitney felt better already. But she was afraid it'd be like before and the promise of keeping in touch would be forgotten.

She sighed,"It was good to talk to him anyway."

She still planned to write that letter for Tay. 

"Less than five months to go and I might be pregnant by the end of this all," she mumbled to herself.

***

Whitney was doing her English homework when the phone rang. She picked up the receiver," Hello?"

"Hey Whitney!" came her best friend, Julie's voice,"What's up?"

"Hey Jules. I'm just doing homework." 

"Ugh. I just finished mine."

"Yeah well, I'm almost done."

"So has Ike called you again?" 

"Nope. I really didn't expect him to."

"Why not?" 

"Well, first of all I'm sure he's busy. Second of all he doesn't really know me. And third of all if he was serious of keeping in touch, I would've heard from him by now. It's been almost a month since we talked."

"Oh," Julie was disappointed.

"Jules....you should forget about Ike. Your life would be so much easier," Whitney said.

Julie sighed,"But I love him. Just as you love Tay." 

"Yes, I know. I'm just trying to save your heart." 

"I know. And thanks. But it's no use." 

"I kind of figured that," Whitney smiled a bit.

There was a silence, then Julie said,"Hey! Hey! I didn't call you to have a depressing conversation."

Whitney laughed,"We are depressing aren't we?"

"Yeppers! I actually wanted to know if your part of the birthday plans are done." 

"Yes they are. Guess how many people are coming?" 

"Uh....a thousand," Julie joked.

Whitney rolled her eyes,"I wish. But hey, we got twenty-five counting you and me."

"Woo hoo! We are gonna have SO much fun!"

"Now if only the birthday boy himself could be there," Whitney said wistfully.

"Now don't start to get down," Julie scolded,"I'm sure he'd be there if he could." 

"And if he even knew about it,"Whitney said glumly.

"Well, that's something you can fix. E-mail him at his hanson.net name and tell him about it."
"Oh yeah, like he'd actually come."

"Well if he doesn't then at least you know that you tried to get him to come," Julie countered.

"Maybe I will then. I better go Jules. I have to finish this stupid homework then maybe I'll go online. I have to check something anyway." 

Ok girl. See ya tomorrow in school." 

"K. Bye." 

"Bye."

The something Whitney had to check was that address. She had never searched for it before. She had never told Julie about her dream, because she wanted it to be all herself.

Right as she got done with her homework, the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hey, is this Whitney?"

"Yes it is." 

"This is Ike."

"Oh, hi. I didn't expect to hear from you." 

"Yeah, I meant to get back to you sooner. So much has been going on. I didn't even get a chance to ask Zac and Tay if they remember you. We're just on a break and I wanted to call you and let you know that I didn't forget about you," Ike explained.

"Oh, ok. I mean, I understand if you wouldn't have gotten back to me. You don't even really remember me, so we're like total strangers."

"Yeah, but that's no excuse. I said I'd keep in touch. So anyway, how have you been?" 

"Oh, as good as I ever am. And you?"

"Great. So what's been going on with you?"

"Same old stuff....hey, uh, Ike, could I ask you something?"

"Sure. As long as it's within reason." 

"Uh...well..this is gonna sound kind of strange, but I figure you could help me out. You see.....about a month ago I had this dream and....."

After she finished telling Ike about the dream, not all of it, just that she dreamt about the address and that it was Hanson's, she said,"So do ya think you could help me?" 

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt to tell you if it's real or not," Ike said slowly,"So what's the address?" 

Whitney read the address off of the piece of paper. There was no response from Ike and she was starting to get worried that he had hung up. "Ike?" she ventured,"Are you still there?" 

"Yeah. That just totally surprised me," he answered after a moment.

"Why?"

"Well, you see...that is our home address," he replied.

"Oh my God. I never thought...I figured...that it wasn't even real or anything. Oh wow." 

Ike didn't say anything.

"Ike, are..are you mad at me? Honestly Ike, I'm not a stalker or anything. I seriously just dreamt about that address. I didn't look for it," Whitney was starting to get worried.

"No...I'm not mad at you...I believe that you had that dream. It's just kind of weird that you dreamt our exact address. And I'm also afraid that our address will get out now..." 

"Ike, I would NEVER give it out. I know you guys cherish your privacy."

"Thank you."

"Would...would it be okay if I wrote to you guys? Or would you rather I just throw it away?"

"Hang onto it for now....but put it away where no one will find it."

There was silence and Whitney was debating whether she should tell Ike the whole of it. "Ike....there's something I need to tell you. I wasn't being completely honest about that dream. I'm just afraid you won't believe it, or you'll think I'm psycho...," she whispered.

"You seem like a pretty sane girl to me. Why don't you tell me the rest of it? I promise I'll be open-minded."

"Oh..Okay." Whitney took a deep breath and told the oldest Hanson brother the whole dream. When she was done, Ike gave a low whistle. "That's some dream," he said.

"Do...do you think I should write Taylor a letter?"

"Well, I don't know how Tay will react, but if you really love him, you should try."

"Are you gonna tell him?" 

"I think...he has to hear it from you. But not in a letter."

"Huh? Then how?" 

"In person." 

"What? No way! I can't!" 

"Yes you can. It'd be best if he heard you love him in person. He can see if you're for real or not. I know that's how I'd want you to tell me if I was in Tay's position. It'd be for the best."

"But how can I? In person, ask him that? He'll think I'm nuts!"

"Not necessarily. I think you must love him a lot to want him to be the father of at least one of your children and there's no strings attached."

"Yes. I love him SO much Isaac. Sometimes I don't think it's possible to love someone this much. All I want is a child from him. I don't want his money or anything. I'd even sign something saying I can't ask for anything from him, unless he's willing to give it, if he wanted me to."

Isaac was silent for a minute then said,"You two have to meet and talk this out. I'll fill Tay in, a bit. But just enough. We'll come visit you. We're due to have a break from recording soon anyway."

"But, I'm not eighteen yet. And Taylor could get in trouble."

"When do you turn eighteen?" 

"In July."

"Well, it's not that long away."

"Actually, I'm moving back to Tulsa once I graduate."

"Yeah, but you two need to talk this out before then....Look, I got to go. E-mail me your address. I don't have time to write it down now." 

"Which e-mail?"

"Uh...my official one." 

"OK, bye Ike. Thanks for all this."

"No problem. Bye."

After Whitney hung up, she sat there. 

"What if Taylor thinks I'm crazy?" she asked the silence.

***

That night, when Hanson had time to breathe, Isaac approached Taylor. 

"Tay, I need to talk to you," he said, standing over his brother's bed.

Taylor eyed his older brother. "About what?"

"A girl." 

Taylor rolled his eyes,"Which one? Another fan?"

Ike sank down onto the edge of Taylor's bed. "Well...yes, she is a fan. But...do you remember when we first started doing gigs?" 

"Yeah?"

"There was this girl that was at all our shows..."

Ike," Tay was a bit impatient,"many girls were at all our shows." 

Isaac ran a hand through his hair,"Yeah...but..." 

To be honest, he himself didn't even really remember Whitney, so how could he possibly expect Tay to remember?
"Never mind," he finally said, then went out to their little "living room" that connected their room to the hallway. He slumped onto the couch in the dark, reaching out for some vague memory of this girl.
~ * ~
Ike was at a gig with his brothers in Tulsa. He was ten years old. It was between sets and he was hanging with Zac and Tay and his mother was standing nearby. A girl came over. "Hi!" she said,"I'm Whitney." She had long brown hair and green eyes. Diana smiled,"Hello Whitney. How old are you?"

Whitney smiled,"I'm eight today. My mom let me bring a couple of my friends here for my birthday."

Isaac looked at her,"Why would spend your birthday here?"

"Because I love you guys' music. I hope someday you get signed. I'll be your number one fan," she smiled again.

"Hey," Taylor, who had just been watching her up until now, said,"You're the same age as me. Except my birthday is in March." 

Whitney giggled,"Cool!"

"We'll get signed. We rock!" five-year-old Zac piped up, acting as if Taylor hadn't spoken.

Whitney laughed. Just then a lady came over "Hi mommy," Whitney said to her.

Whitney's mother smiled and smoothed her daughter's hair,"Hi honey," the she looked at Diana,"I hope she isn't bothering you." 

Diana smiled warmly,"I assure you she's not. She's a sweet girl."

"She just adores your sons. She drags me to every one of their shows. I don't mind though. Your sons have quite a talent. I'm Maggie by the way," she said, extending her hand.

"Diana," she said shaking Maggie's hand,"nice to meet you." 

Maggie looked down at her daughter,"Whitney, we must be going. You can talk to them at their next show." 

"Ok mommy,"she turned to Ike, Tay, and Zac,"I'll see ya later." 

Three byes echoed from the brothers.
~ * ~
It was March 1996. Ike was standing with his brothers and Whitney on Whitney's porch. He was fifteen now. He and his brothers had developed a sort of friendship with Whitney over the years. But now was a sad time. Whitney was moving to California. He could see tears being held back in twelve-year-old Whitney's eyes.

"We'll keep in touch," recently turned thirteen-year-old Taylor promised.

"Yeah," ten-year-old Zac piped up,"and we'll come visit you."

"Whitney," her mother came out on the porch,"it's time to go."

Each brother hugged Whitney goodbye. And then, her tears finally did fall. Ike brushed one away before she climbed into the car and looked forlornly out the window as she traveled out of the Hanson brothers' lives for five years.
~ * ~
Ike woke up with a start. He remembered her.

***

The next day Ike sat at the kitchen table chewing on buttered toast. Taylor walked in still groggy from sleep. He sank down on the chair across from his brother. Ike looked up at him and saw that Taylor was lost in thought.

"Tay," Ike said.

No response.

"Taylor," he said louder, snapping his fingers in front of his younger brother's face. 

Taylor shook his head,"Huh?"

"What's up with you? You look like you're on another planet." 

"Oh. I was...just thinking about these two dreams I had last night."

Ike became very interested. "Two dreams? What about?" 

Taylor seemed to concentrate, then said,"This girl. Her name was...Whitney. I dreamt we had been friends with her, but then she moved and we never saw her again." 

Ike was amazed,"I had the same exact dreams." 

Taylor looked up,"Really? Wow. Weird huh?"

"Yeah...Taylor, that girl is who I was talking about last night." 

"Oh. That's REALLY weird. So we knew her?"

"Yeah we did. We promised to keep in touch with her, but we didn't."

Taylor seemed to be reaching into the back of his mind for the memories of this girl. "That's right," he said after a minute,"I remember her. We used to hang out, but then she had to move." 

"I've been talking to her. You NEED to meet her." 

Taylor looked quizzically at his older brother,"Why?"

"Well, I told her I wouldn't tell you exactly the reason. She needs to talk to you in person. Trust me bro, it's REALLY important."

Taylor raised an eyebrow,"What makes her different from all the other girls that say they have something important to tell me in person?"

Isaac sighed, he could see his brother was gonna be difficult. "Because it determines her future and possibly yours." When he saw that Taylor was still skeptical, he added,"Taylor, you know I have good judgement of fans and wouldn't tell you you HAVE TO talk to her in person unless it was REALLY important."

Taylor eyed Ike for a minute, then said,"Alright. I trust your judgement. But exactly when do I meet her? In case you haven't noticed, we're recording an album."

"We're due for a short break soon. You can go meet her then." 

"Yeah, that's true. That'll work. I'd like to make plans with her though. Can I have her e-mail?"

"Sure man." Ike wrote down Whitney's e-mail for his brother and slid it across the table. Taylor looked at it, then slowly got up.

Right then Zac came in, his hair all sleep-rumpled. "Guys,"he said,"I just had these two really weird dreams."
Tay and Ike looked at their younger brother. "We know Zac," Ike said,"we know." Then they left Zac to wonder if his brothers might be psychic. 

"Nah," he said at last, then popped a cookie in his mouth.

***

Whitney came home from visiting Julie. She was way too tired to check her e-mail. So she changed into her nightclothes and climbed into bed. She fell into a deep sleep.
~ * ~
Taylor woke up in the middle of the night. He had that dream again. Only this time he knew who the girl was that was crying. 

He sighed and sat up in his bed in thought for a couple minutes. "Don't worry Whitney," He whispered into the darkness,"I'll find a way to stop those tears." Then he laid back down and fell back asleep.
~ * ~
Whitney was wide awake. One second she had been asleep and all of a sudden she found herself staring up at her ceiling. She could've sworn she'd heard Taylor's voice telling her not to worry. "I'm going crazy," she said to herself,"hearing his voice when he's nowhere around." She felt a wave of sadness overcome her. She gripped the edges of her bed until it passed, then slowly rolled over onto her side and fell into a dreamless sleep.
~ * ~
The next morning Tay woke up and stretched in his bed. His dreams last night were filled of memories of Whitney. He now remembered her so vividly, as if he had just hung out with her yesterday instead of five years ago. He was eager to see if she had replied to his e-mail, so he logged onto his official hanson.net name and checked his inbox. Nothing from her. He sighed. "Get a grip Taylor," he said to himself,"what are you getting so hyped up over? She'll reply eventually."

He shut down the computer and went downstairs to find some breakfast. It was still early and he was the only one up at the moment. Not finding anything particularly interesting to eat, he made his way back upstairs where he slumped back down onto his unmade bed. He glanced over at Isaac's nightstand and saw a piece of paper sitting on the top. He leaned over and saw it had Whitney's e-mail address and phone number written on it. Ike had given him Whitney's e-mail but not the other. He pulled out a piece of paper from the notebook sitting on his own nightstand and quickly scribbled down the numbers, then he grabbed for his cell phone. After taking the time to slip on a pair of jeans and a shirt, he walked downstairs and outside onto their back porch. He sat down on the porch swing and dialed. He knew it was early but he wanted, needed, to talk to her.
~ * ~
Whitney's phone rang while she was eating breakfast. She had forty-five minutes before she had to leave for school. She picked the receiver up off the cradle and answered,"Hello?" She wondered who would be calling at such an early hour.

"Uh, is Whitney there?" came a very familiar voice. Whitney almost dropped the phone.

"That's me," she said, trying to sound as normal as possible.

"Hey, uh, this is Taylor Hanson," he said hesitantly.

Whitney took a deep breath and replied,"Hey Taylor. Didn't expect to get a call from you." 

He half laughed,"I'm full of surprises." 

Whitney smiled and laughed,"So what do I owe to the honor of this call?" 

She could feel him grin,"Well, Ike told me about you and that you need to talk to me, in person. So I was just calling to see when we can get together." 

"Well, I know you're busy, so whenever is convenient for you."

"We're due for a break in a two and a half weeks. I'll come see you then."

"But that's your birthday. Don't you want to spend it with your family?"

Taylor shrugged,"It's okay. Besides Ike said it was important what we need to talk about. It's no big deal not being there for my birthday."

"It is important. But are you sure? I don't want your family to hate me for taking you away for your birthday."

Taylor chuckled,"They won't hate you. They're not like that. They don't judge until they get to know someone." 

"Oh I didn't mean it to sound like I thought they were mean," Whitney said quickly,"I respect them."

"I didn't take it that you didn't like them or anything. Calm down Whitney," Taylor laughed.

Whitney took a deep breath,"Sorry. I just didn't want us start off badly." 

"I understand. But really it's alright. I'll call you or e-mail you and let you know exactly when I'm coming. I'll probably bring Ike and Zac with me. I have to go though. Everyone's getting up and I need to go get some breakfast before it's all gone." 

It was Whitney's turn to laugh,"Okay. Talk to you later."

"Bye Whitney."

"Bye Tay."

Click.

Whitney leaned back against the couch and sighed dreamily. Although something was lurking in the back of her mind. Remember, it said, he won't love you.

She drearily finished getting ready for school and walked out to her car.

***

Whitney was sitting in the Hanson.net chat room two days later. It was going slow, no one was talking. Then Taylor came in and everyone was typing, trying to get him to answer them. Whitney laughed as Taylor was bombarded with questions and he tried to answer as many as he could. She had a feeling he was wishing that he hadn't come in the chat. 

"Why are you all so excited?" she typed,"It's just Taylor."

"What do you mean 'Just Taylor'?" came a PM from the very guy that had caused such a commotion only minutes before.

Whitney laughed and typed,"Well, it IS only YOU. I don't see the big deal. I mean, if they would've known you in 1991-1996, they wouldn't want to talk to you. You hated girls and were quite stuck up." She smirked as she hit ENTER.
"Of course I hated girls, I was eight! And I WAS NOT stuck up!" came the reply.

"Uh huh. Sure Mr. Big shot. Anyways, I just said it was only you, to get see if you'd notice." 

"Oh haha. Well I noticed. Now, the question that is on my mind is, WHY did you want to get my attention in the first place?"

She knew he was probably grinning. "Because I was just wondering when you're gonna get around to telling me when you're gonna come see me." 

"I've thought about that and I'll be there on the 14th."

"Your birthday?"

"Yeah. And don't start that argument again. I'm coming then, and my family will just have to deal with it."
Whitney laughed,"I wasn't going to argue with you. I just haven't spent your birthday with you since you turned thirteen, and now you're a full-grown man."

There was no response for a minute, then,"I can't believe how long it's been."

"I know, it seems like forever."

"Yeah..."

Neither of them typed anything for several minutes, both lost in the past, then,"Hey, I have to go. WAY too many people are PMing me and I have to get back to the studio." 

"Ok. Ttyl." 

"Bye Whitney." 

"Bye Tay."

Then he signed off and so did she.

***

Five days before his birthday, Taylor was packing some of his stuff to go visit Whitney. Ike had finished about a half hour before and was sitting on his bed looking at pictures he had pulled out of the attic of him, his brothers, and Whitney. 

Taylor stopped in the middle of folding a shirt to look up at Ike. Something had been swimming around in his mind since Ike had first told him about Whitney wanting to talk to him in person. Ike had refused to tell him, but Taylor was sick of being in the dark about all this. "Ike," he started.

His brother kept looking at the pictures as he said,"Yeah?" 

Taylor walked over and got in Ike's vision,"What does Whitney want to talk to me about?" Ike started to say something, but Tay cut him off,"I want to know. I'm not gonna settle for, 'Whitney wants to tell me'."

Ike closed his mouth and sighed,"I guess you do have a right to know. It's just..I don't know if you should be told by me or by Whitney. You'd get the full impact from Whitney."

"So? I'll just pretend I don't know what she needs to talk to me about. So I'll be prepared, but I'll still hear it from her." 

Ike was silent for a minute, then,"You can't be skeptical about this. You have to be open-minded." 

Taylor nodded,"Ok."

Ike took a deep breath and spilled it all out to his younger brother.

When he was done, Taylor was in a state of shock. "Wow," he managed to say after a couple minutes.
"What are you going to do?" 

Tay got up and started to pace,"I don't know. I mean, I don't want a kid right now."

"You wouldn't see it unless you wanted to be in its life Taylor. She doesn't want your money. She just wants a child from you because she knows you'll never love her."

Taylor raked a hand through his already chaotic hair,"I couldn't leave her with a child Isaac. To fend for herself. And I'd want to be in its life. I wouldn't want it to not have a father."

"So, are you gonna go through with it?"

Taylor sank onto the edge of Ike's bed,"I have no idea." 

"Well, you better start getting an idea. You don't have much time left before she'll ask you herself."

Taylor snatched up the photos that Ike had lain down on his bed when he and Tay were talking, and flopped onto his own bed and started looking through them. Whitney stared out at him. She seemed to be pleading with her eyes that had love for him in them even then. Taylor sighed, What was he gonna do?

***

That night, Whitney was waiting for Julie to come pick her up. They had planned to go ice skating for the 7p.m. to 12 a.m. session. Whitney was just thinking of what it'd be like for it to be Taylor picking her up and it being a date. Julie knocking on the front door brought her out of her daydream. She stood up and went to open it.

"Hey Whitney!" Julie said, hugging her friend.

Whitney couldn't help but smile at Julie's bounciness,"Hey Jules."

After they parted, Julie said excitedly,"I can't believe Tay's birthday is less than five days away! We are gonna have a blast at the party!"

Whitney's hand flew to her mouth as it all came back to her of what she and Julie had planned and what she and Tay had planned for Tay's birthday. "Oh my God!" she half mumbled, half exclaimed behind her hand. 

"What Whitney?" Julie was confused at her friend's reaction.

"I totally forgot about the party! And I made other plans..." she stumbled into her living room and sat down hard on the couch.

Julie followed and sat next to her,"How could you possibly forget Tay's birthday?!"

"I..I didn't forget his birthday....I...just made other plans..."

"Like what?!" Julie couldn't believe this.

Whitney was in a half daze and didn't answer for a couple minutes. Then she finally snapped out of it and looked at Julie,"Taylor is coming. I have something really important to talk to him about and he's gonna visit me on his break...."
Julie's face showed no emotion for a minute while she took that in, then she broke out in a huge grin,"But Whitney!" she said gently shaking her friend excitedly,"that's awesome! Now he can come to the party we're throwing for him!"
Whitney thought about that, but then slowly started to shake her head,"No Jules, that won't work."

Julie frowned," Why not?" 

"Well, I didn't tell him about it and I'm sure he doesn't want to deal with a bunch of people when he thinks he's gonna get a break from all that. Besides, I just said I needed to talk to him, not that we're having a party for his birthday."

Julie was thoughtful for a minute, then said,"Well....could you at least mention it to him? Say that I wanted to know if he'd come. That way if he gets mad or whatever, it's on me, not you." 

Whitney never could say no to her best friend,"I guess so....I suppose it wouldn't hurt just to see if he'd like to come....but I'm not gonna force him." 

Julie grinned,"Works for me," then something entered her mind,"Uh...Whitney?" 

"Yeah?"

"Is..uh..is Ike and Zac coming too?"

Whitney's brow creased as she tried to recall if they'd said anything to her about that,"Um...I..don't know. They might, they never mentioned it though. Not that I can remember anyway." 

A sad look crossed Julie's face, but a smile quickly replaced it,"Well, I hope they do."

Suddenly it hit Whitney why her friend had asked that,"Don't you mean you hope IKE comes?"

"Uh..yeah..well...you know I love all three of them..," Julie stammered.

Whitney raised her left eyebrow,"Yeah..and I happen to know how much you love the oldest." 

A blush crept on Julie's cheeks, then a sly look crossed her face,"And I happen to know how much you love the middle one."

Whitney looked sheepish and held up her hands in mock surrender,"Okay, you caught me."

Julie laughed at her friend's response.

As they walked out the door to go ice skating, Whitney mumbled to herself,"You have NO IDEA how much I love the middle one." She patted her stomach, hoping that Taylor's baby would be growing there by the end of July.

***

Taylor was due to arrive the day before his birthday, but late at night. Whitney had insisted there was no point in wasting his money on a hotel when they had an extra room in their house. So Whitney waited up for Tay. He knocked on the door at 11:30.

Whitney opened the door and couldn't help but smile when she saw him. "Hey," she said as she let him in.
He grinned,"Hey Whitney. How have you been?" he said as he hugged her.

"Oh, I'm good, a bit nervous, but good," she said, hugging him back,"And you Tay? How have you been?"

You have a right to be nervous, Taylor thought to himself. Out loud he said,"I've been as good as ever. Busy, and all that, but it's cool to take a break and come visit a friend I haven't talked to for so long."

She smiled at that. They stood there looking at each other, taking the other in. Then Whitney snapped back to reality,"Geez, where are my manners? You must be tired. I'm sure you want to get some sleep," she said as she started to take his duffel bag that he'd brought.

Taylor grinned and gently removed her hand from the bag,"Whitney, it's ok. I got it. And yeah, I suppose I am a bit tired. I can tell you are too. You keep yawning. I told you I didn't have to come here, I could've went to a hotel."

She put a hand over her mouth to stifle another yawn, then gave him a sheepish smile,"Look, just cause you got the money doesn't mean you need to waste it on a big fancy hotel," she joked,"Now follow me Mr. Big Shot," she said as she lead the way upstairs.

Taylor just shook his head and laughed.
~ * ~
Taylor lay in bed long after Whitney had left, with his hands behind his head. They had chatted for a half hour. He did now remember this girl. And a feeling of longing hit him in his stomach. He didn't realize how much he had missed her. Talking with his old friend had made up his still indecisive mind about what answer he would give her. 

He stared up at the ceiling wishing his brothers were there. Ike and Zac had insisted on staying behind for the time being. They would follow in two days, to give Tay and Whitney a chance to talk and decide what to do. He wanted to tell them what he had just an hour ago come to the conclusion of himself. He never figured his life was about to take this turn. 

"But life is full of surprises," he whispered out loud, then finally drifted off to sleep.

***

Whitney woke up the next morning feeling really nervous. Her stomach was twisted into knots and she felt like she was gonna be sick. She took a couple deep breaths until her nerves settled down. She didn't know how she was going to look into Tay's eyes and ask this of him. She slowly got up and walked to the window. It was still early, she could tell, because the sun was just making it's way up. Daylight poured over her front yard. She just stood there for a couple minutes, wondering how she was going to bring this up, and when, and thought of what his reaction would be.
She turned from the window and got ready to take a shower. She stepped into the warm, soothing water and let it roll over her stressed out body. It was like a massage all over. 

Fifteen minutes later she emerged and cursed at herself for forgetting at least a robe besides the towels she had brought in the bathroom with her. She was used to it just being her and her mom. And usually her mom wasn't home, so Whitney could parade around naked if she pleased to. But now Taylor was there and she didn't know how she was going to get past his room in a towel. That was going to be an awkward situation.

"Not anymore awkward than when I ask him and if he actually does agree to it," she mumbled to herself, wrapping the towel around her as tightly as possible.

She cracked open the door and saw the coast was clear, so she scrambled to her bedroom and shut the door and locked it. She quickly put on a pair of jeans and a short-sleeved shirt. She was just starting to brush out her hair when there was a knock at the door. Holding her brush in one hand and with her hair still mostly tangled, she went over, unlocked the door and opened it.

There stood Taylor still in his boxers and a t-shirt. "Hey," he grinned.

"Hey," she smiled and went back to her mirror to finish brushing out her hair.

He followed,"I was just wondering if I could take a shower and where would the towels be?" 

"Uh, if you wait a minute I'll show you. I just want to finish with my hair," she said. Her hair was almost completely free of tangles, when the brush suddenly snagged on a knot and she let out a slight scream. "Ow! Damn it! That hurt," she said rubbing the spot where her hair had pulled painfully.

"Here, let me help you,"Taylor said, as he took the brush from her hand and gently loosened the knot and finished brushing her hair for her. He then reached past her and laid it on her dresser. This put them in VERY close proximity with each other. She could feel the warmth of his body slightly pressing against her back. They just stood like that for what seemed like an eternity to Whitney when she suddenly pulled away. "Uh, thanks," she said, turning around, "I'll go get you a towel," and she headed off with Tay following her. She handed it to him.

He grinned,"Thanks."

She smiled,"No prob. I'll go down and get some breakfast for us."

He closed the door and she went back in her room to pull her hair up into a ponytail and then made her way downstairs.

***

Whitney had just finished making bacon and scrambled eggs when Taylor came downstairs. His hair was still damp and it looked so cute on him she thought. 

"Sit," she commanded with a smile and placed a plate full of food and a glass of orange juice in front of him. Then she sat down at the opposite end of the small table in the sunny kitchen.

"Wow," Tay said, taking a bite,"You're a good cook."

She smiled,"Thanks. I cook a lot though, so I've had practice." As she began to eat her breakfast Tay frowned,"Doesn't your mom cook for you?"

She looked at him and sighed,"When I was younger, yeah. Ever since we moved left Oklahoma she changed. She's...it's like..she's not my mom anymore," she looked down at her plate and tears welled up in her eyes. "She's never around and I feel so alone," she whispered. Tay came over and pulled her into his arms. She cried into his shirt for a couple minutes. When she looked up, her eyes where red and puffy, she swiped at them with her arm. "I'm..I'm sorry," she stuttered,"I didn't mean to pour out my problems to you." 

Tay still had his arm around her and he squeezed her,"It's okay. It seems like you've been holding that in for quite awhile. You needed to get it out." 

Whitney looked up into Tay's blue eyes filled with concern for her. She wanted to cry again, but for a different reason. He would never love her and it hurt to see he cared. As weird as that may sound. She looked back down at her plate,"Uh...thanks Tay."

"No problem," he said, then went back and sat down. They finished eating in silence.
~ * ~
Tay had noticed Whitney's sudden change in attitude and knew it had to do with her mom, but there was something else and he just didn't know what. They sat in the living room, both in their own thoughts. Tay wondered when she was gonna ask him. He looked over at her sitting on the other end of the couch biting her lip. He figured she was probably thinking of that right now. He wanted to take away some of her awkwardness and just bring it up, but he promised Ike he wouldn't say anything because Whitney hadn't wanted Ike to tell Tay in the first place, so he kept silent until she was ready.

He studied her from under his lashes. She was leaning against the couch arm. She was still chewing on her lip. He had started to notice she did that when she was nervous. Her head was propped up with her right hand, which was leaning on the couch arm. Her long brown hair was pulled up into a ponytail, but pieces had come loose throughout the morning. She was wearing a blue short-sleeved top. His eyes followed down to the end of the shirt to meet the waist of her blue jean capris. She had one leg tucked under her. She seemed to be watching the tv, but by her vacant stare Tay could tell she wasn't. He turned to look at what was on: Price Is Right.

"Tay," she began. He looked over to her,"Yeah?" Here it comes, he thought.

"Uh..well I have something I need to talk to you about..but I don't know how to say it...," she trailed off. She bit her lip again. Pretty soon her lip is gonna start bleeding if she doesn't quit it, he thought. Out loud he said,"Well, uh, Whitney, you can talk to me about anything. If that helps..."

She took a deep breath and started explaining and asked what Tay already knew. She averted her eyes the whole time, looking all around the room, but not at him. When she was finished she stole a quick glance at him, then looked down at her hands in her lap. She was digging her fingernails into her hands. Tay slid over on the couch and gently pried her hands apart and held them. He rubbed his thumb across the top of the one. "Whitney," he said,"look at me."

She looked up into his eyes reluctantly. She expected to see anything but what she saw. "I understand....and...well..I feel honored that you feel that way about me...and..," he took a deep breath, (oh no, she thought, he's not gonna say yes) "...if you really want your first child to be mine, with no strings attached, then I won't deny you it....I don't know right now if I want to be in the baby's life though. I still have to think about that.

Whitney looked up at him in disbelief. She couldn't believe he had said yes. "Of course," she choked out. Then she couldn't hold it back, she hugged him like she would never let go, "Thank you Taylor. You don't know how much this means to me."

He smiled,"I think I have an idea of how much. He hugged her for a couple more minutes, then slowly pulled away and looked into her eyes,"Whitney, remember, no matter what. I'll always be your friend. Understand?"

She couldn't speak past the lump in her throat. She didn't know if it was from joy or sorrow or what. She just nodded.

***

 
Later they were sitting in the living room talking, while the tv played in front of them. 

"Whitney, you do understand we...I can't give you a child until you're eighteen? Otherwise I could get in trouble."

She nodded,"Yeah, I know. I didn't expect it right now."

Tay smiled,"Okay, good. So your birthday is July 6th...I don't think I'll be able to come back out here anytime then...," he trailed off into figuring a way.

"You won't need to Tay. I'm moving out to Tulsa to go to college," Whitney replied.

"Really?"

"Yeah." 

'What college?"

"Tulsa University. I've wanted to go there since I was little." 

"Oh, that's cool...That'll make it...easier," he said a bit uncomfortably.

"Tay. If you decide you don't want to be a part of the child's life, will you be okay with us living so close to you?"

He thought about that a minute,"Well...I guess so...I should think it'd be more difficult for you, cause as it gets older, it'll want to know who its father is and with me being...right under its nose and you can't say anything," he looked at her with concern in his eyes,"Will you be okay?" 

"I...yeah, of course," she stuttered.

He looked doubtful, but didn't say anything about it,"Okay then."

They sat in silence, watching the tv, but not really seeing it. Then something jumped in Whitney's mind,"Oh my God!" 

Tay, startled, looked over at her,"What?"

"I completely forgot to ask you!" 

"Ask me what?" he was confused.

"Well, you see, before I started talking to Ike again, my friend, Julie, and I planned a birthday party for you. We get a bunch of Hanson fans together and celebrate. Well, I completely forgot about those plans when we arranged for you to come here. And, Julie thought it'd be awesome for you to come to the party, since it is in your honor. But I wasn't sure if you'd want to come. So she suggested, um, more like pleaded (Tay half-laughed) to ask you if you'd want to come. Of course, you don't have to if you don't want to," Whitney explained to a patient Taylor.

He considered it for a moment, then grinned,"Why not? That's a cool idea. As long as the fans aren't gonna mob me or anything."

She laughed,"Nah, for the most part, they're pretty sane."

Taylor raised his left eyebrow,"For the most part?"

Whitney smiled,"Yeah, for the most part. Taylor, you can't expect fans of Hanson to be completely sane."

Taylor's grin grew wider and he laughed,"I suppose not."

They sat in a small, but comfortable silence for a couple minutes, and then Taylor spoke,"So, what is there to do around this town?"

"You should know," Whitney said wryly,"I'm up for anything, except sitting here all day."

"Alright then," he said, getting up and dragging her with him,"Let's go have fun."

Twenty minutes later they were walking around a park munching on corn dogs and getting to know each other again. 

***

The next day Whitney got out of bed and headed to the bathroom to take a shower, remembering her clothes this time, and found Taylor already in there. She shook her head. "I guess he just needed a day to get back to his early bird self," she mumbled wryly to herself as she trudged back to her room to wait for him to finish. She flashed back to memories of him and her hanging out at early Hanson concerts. In schools, outside of clubs, churches, wherever people would listen to them. He eventually came to recognize her at each event. They would hang out before and after and him and brothers started bringing water guns to the outside concerts and would squirt her. She learned and retaliated. A smile played on her lips as the past flashed across her mind, behind her eyes. She heard the water stop and a couple minutes later Taylor's door shut. She jumped up and went to get her shower. She emerged all clean and smelling of blueberries, that was thanks to her shampoo and body wash. She walked her room and started to braid her damp hair. When she was finished with that she looked down at the plain white skirt that stopped just short of knees and the white shirt. It was casual, yet dressy enough for the party. 

She walked downstairs to find Taylor sitting at the kitchen table, eating his breakfast of Cheerios. He looked up when she came in and smiled. "Hey," he smiled as he looked her over,"you look nice." 

She smiled back as she sat down and poured some cereal and milk in a bowl and grabbed a spoon,"Thanks. You don't look so bad yourself." Taylor was wearing a pair of jeans and a blue button up shirt that matched his eyes perfectly. He had the cuffs rolled up. He grinned. "I always do," he joked. She just shook her head and laughed. As they ate, they chatted about what they had been up to since Whitney had moved. Whitney got Taylor's side of fame and the music business and Taylor got caught up on Whitney's life and how moving away from Tay and his brothers had affected her and how starting over in a completely new place was hard at first. "I still miss Tulsa," she said as they walked out to Whitney's car.

"Yeah, I know how you feel. Well, sort of. I mean, I miss it when we go on tour and do promo and all that," Taylor replied.

She nodded,"Yeah. If you think how much you miss it then, think of what it's like not even being able to go back there at all."

"That would drive me crazy, not being able to live in Tulsa." 

"I can't wait to move back. That's where I've always belonged."

They soon got to the place where the party was being held. They had fifteen minutes before it was scheduled to start. No one had any idea that Taylor was going to be there. Whitney hadn't gotten back to Julie about it and no one else knew he was in town.

Taylor parked and they slowly walked in. Whitney went before Taylor and Julie spotted her immediately. She ran up and hugged Whitney tightly. "I thought you weren't gonna show up," Julie exclaimed as she let go. Whitney smiled,"It's Taylor's birthday. Of course I'm not gonna miss it." Just then, everyone who had been looking at Julie and Whitney gasped at who was behind Whitney. Taylor came up beside her and flashed his famous smile that made every girl melt,"Hey everyone."

Whitney laughed at the fan's reaction and took Taylor's arm,"Well, I don't think he needs any introduction. But yeah, this is Taylor Hanson."

"Julie!" one of the girls said, wide-eyed,"why didn't you tell us he was gonna be here?!"

Taylor looked down at Whitney, clearly amused,"I just decided to pop in. I couldn't not come after my one of my best friends here, told me about this party."

When no one answered and just continued to stare, Whitney said,"Would you people quit that? You're embarrassing me. I told him you all were pretty much sane and you're proving me wrong."

Taylor snickered, but didn't say anything.

Julie came back to life,"Sorry about that Whitney. It's just you never got back to me, so I figured he wasn't coming. I'm just as shocked as everyone," then she looked up at Taylor and stuck out her hand,"Hi, I'm Julie."

He smiled down at her as he shook her hand,"Hey Julie, nice to meet you."

Then slowly the rest of the fans came up and introduced themselves. 

Later on in the party after Taylor had blown out the eighteen candles, plus one to grow on, a fan, Karen, spoke up,"I feel bad Taylor. We didn't expect you to come, so we don't have any presents for you." 

He just smiled,"Nah, it's okay. Just actually being able to hang with some of the fans is cool. And this party is like a present."

A couple, "Awe, that's sweet" could be heard around the table.

"So, Tay," Whitney said,"how does it feel to be eighteen?" 

He shrugged,"Pretty much the same as being seventeen."

Some of the girls laughed at that.

"Oh great, so I have nothing to look forward to when I turn eighteen in June," Whitney replied.

He grinned,"Nope."

As they drove back to Whitney's house that night, Taylor said,"That was fun. I'm glad I was able to go."
Whitney looked over at him and smiled,"Me too."

About five minutes after they got home, the phone rang. 

"Hello?" Whitney answered.

"Hey Whitney, it's Ike."

She smiled,"Hey Ike. How are you?"

"Oh good. I just called to let you and Tay know that Zac and I are at the airport getting a cab. We'll be there in....about twenty minutes." 

"We could come get you," she offered.

"Nah, that's okay. It's quicker just to catch a cab. We'll see you two soon."

"Okay Ike. See ya soon. Bye."

"Bye."

"Bye," she heard Zac call. 

She laughed as she hung up. Taylor was standing there. he raised an eyebrow,"Well? I gather that was Ike."

"Yep. Zac and him will be here in about fifteen minutes now."

He smiled,"Great. I miss them. Plus I want you guys to meet again." 

"Yeah, I really want to see them. God knows how long it's been." A wistful look came over her face,"I miss those days....."

Taylor walked over and wrapped her in a hug,"So do I, Whitney, so do I."

***

Whitney walked into the other extra room, where Ike and Zac would be staying. Making sure the two beds had fresh sheets and blankets and doing a last-minute check. Five minutes later she and Tay were sitting in the living room waiting. Whitney looked at the clock above the TV: 8:47 She was just as anxious to see Ike and Zac, but she was also nervous. Sure, she had talked to Ike on the phone and all that, but they hadn't seen each other for so long. And as for Zac, well, she hadn't even talked to him at all. So she was really jumpy. She kept looking out the window every time a car's headlights would shine in the window. 

Finally Taylor laid a hand on her arm and said,"Calm down Whitney. They'll like you just as much as I do."

She gave him a sort of smile,"I hope so."

Just then, they heard a car stop in front of her house. They both jumped up and half ran, half walked to the door. Whitney quickly composed herself, then opened the door as Ike and Zac were walking up the sidewalk.

They saw her before Tay. "Hey,"Ike smiled,"I take you to be Whitney." 

She smiled nervously, still trying to calm her stomach,"Yep."

She let them in and they sat their bags on the floor for a minute so Ike and Zac could each give Whitney a hug.
"I missed ya," Zac said as he hugged her.

This time her smile was genuine and more at ease,"Me too."

She led them into their room so they could get some rest. As Taylor and his brothers talked for a couple minutes, Whitney looked Zac over. Wow, she thought, he's grown so much. She couldn't believe this was the same little Zaccy she had once been friends with. She quietly slipped away to give the Hanson brothers privacy.

Just as she had put on her nightclothes, blue shorts with a stripe on each side and a shirt that said 'I Survived the Hanson Depression of '99', and had started taking out her braid, there was a knock on her half open door and then Tay walked in, followed by Ike and Zac.

"Hey,"Taylor said,"we wondered where you went to."

Zac straddled her desk chair and Ike and Tay sat on the edge of her bed next to her. 

"I just thought I'd give you guys some time to catch up." 

"That's cool. But you could've stayed," Zac replied,"we WERE friends once upon a time."

She smiled,"Yeah, I know.....so how was you two's trip here?"

"Good,"Ike said,"It's great to be back in California."

"It's great to see you again," Zac put in. He was obviously driving at something.

All three brothers glanced at each other, then Tay said,"Whitney, we want to have our friendship with you back. That's what Zac is so DISCREETLY (he shot his brother a look) driving at." Zac glared back. She had to laugh at that,"Wow, it's just like I remember. Brotherly teasing, communicating without saying anything, and all that. Only you guys have gotten older."

Tay grinned,"That's us alright."

"I'd Love to be friends with you guys again. I've missed you three SO much." 

"And we've missed you," Ike replied.

They talked for a little bit more, and around 11:00 they were all getting sleepy. So they said goodnight and one by one filed out of her room. Zac was the last to go. "Nice shirt," he teased her. She looked down and laughed,"Yeah, and it's true."

Zac just rolled his eyes and shut the door behind him. 

Whitney turned off her light, crawled into bed, and immediately slipped into dreamland.

***

Whitney woke up the next morning at seven. She just lay there for a minute, staring up at the baby blue ceiling. "I'm gonna have Taylor' s baby," she whispered to herself,"I'll always have a piece of him." That thought made her happy and sad at the same time. She would have his child, but never him. She felt tears sting her eyes. She had held the tears back so many times, but this time, this moment, she just let them flow free. They glided silently down her cheeks and soaked her pillow and hair. 

She had to have been crying at least ten minutes when a quiet knock sounded on the door and then it slowly opened, and Taylor slipped into her room.
~ * ~
Taylor had woken up at a little after 6:30 and had been laying in his bed, thinking of the events of the past days. He stared up at the white ceiling with his arms behind his head. So much was happening and so fast. He didn't regret his decision. He knew how happy it had made Whitney. He just wasn't sure if he would be in the child's life. He wanted to, but what if it got out?, as it eventually would. So many rumors, and then people would wonder why he didn't marry the mother of his first child. He could easily just say he never wanted to see the baby and deny that it was his, but Whitney was right when she said it'd be hard for him to watch the child grow up from afar. Never knowing he was its father. And Whitney would have a hard time. People whispering behind her back that she was slut, no matter what she told them. And money problems. He could give the child an easy life and support it and Whitney. He sighed. "So much to still decide," he said to the silence. 

Suddenly he had a feeling Whitney needed him. He got up and walked across the hall, knocked on her door and let himself in. She lay with tears streaking down her cheeks. 

She quickly wiped them away as he sat down on the edge of her bed. "Whitney," he said, taking her hand,"what's wrong?"

She sat up and leaned against the headboard,"oh, nothing." she gave a weak smile,"just thinking about stuff." 

"What kind of stuff?" he studied her face.

She shook her head slightly,"you wouldn't be interested."

"You don't know that....something's bothering you. You were crying. Why?"

She gazed down and started picking at a thread on her comforter,"I...it'll make you feel guilty, or you'll feel like I'm forcing you to lo..." she caught herself before she would've blurted it out.

Taylor suddenly understood. "Love you?" he finished her sentence quietly. 

She nodded, still looking down,"I didn't want to tell you cause I said no strings attached if you wanted that, and I meant it." A tear escaped and left a trail down her cheek. He brushed it away,"I love you as a friend...for now...I don't really know you that well....I wish I could tell you right here and now that I feel the same for you as you do for me. I don't like seeing you cry, and knowing I'm the cause of your tears."

She lifted her eyes and met his. "It's okay," she whispered,"I can't make you love me and I don't want you to feel guilty because I'm not the one for you." She lifted a hand and softly brushed it across his cheek, then dropped it back into her lap,"Whatever girl gets you is so lucky." She gave a slight smile,"I only hope she'll know that."

He laced his fingers through hers. "Who knows?" he said quietly,"maybe you are the one for me and I'm just too blind to see it now."

"Maybe," but inside she knew that her and Taylor just wasn't meant to be.

***

Taylor left to go get dressed ten minutes later, when they had heard the first stirrings of life from his brothers. He rummaged in one of his bags, he didn't see the point in putting his clothes in the dresser when he wasn't staying that long, and pulled out a pair of sort of worn blue jeans, an orangish-yellowish wifebeater, and a button-up multi-colored dark shirt. He left the shirt unbuttoned. Casual. 

He dragged a comb through his hair, then made his was downstairs.

As he walked in the kitchen, he saw his brothers helping Whitney with breakfast as she stood by the stove preparing the food. He just observed this scene, leaning against the doorjamb, sort of in the shadows. Ike was dressed in jeans and button up casual blue jean type shirt. Zac was in his gear of zip-off pants and a black shirt with a multi-colored eagle on it. Grungy was his usual.

Whitney had on worn flare jeans that was outlined in red thread and a white shirt with a red design below a little loop in the top with a bit of flare in the long sleeves. Her hair was pulled back in a half ponytail, letting the silky mass flow long and free down her back.

"Ike, can you get the glasses out of the cupboard there," Whitney asked pointing," and Zac can you get out the orange juice and milk?"

She took a spatula and loaded a plate up with crispy bacon. Then in the other pan on the stove, she stirred around the scrambled eggs one last time and dumped them onto a plate. Taylor decided to walk in then. Whitney looked up from putting the plates heaped with food on the table and smiled,"About time you got down here."

He grinned,"My brothers know I don't like helping with breakfast,"he joked.

"Awe, well too bad. You can get the salt and pepper shakers over there," she said, as she, Ike, and Zac sat down.
Taylor retrieved them and took his place at the table. They passed around the food and after saying grace and Hanson's 'Amen' they dug in.

"Wow Whitney,"Ike said,"This is awesome." 

She smiled,"Thanks."

"Good as always Whitney,"Taylor put in his two cents.

Ike and Zac looked up from their food at him.

"What?" he said,"Whitney made breakfast the first morning I was here. It was delicious."

Whitney was amused by this exchange, but didn't say anything.

As they were doing the dishes after they were all done eating, Ike washing Tay drying Zac putting away, they were talking about what they were gonna do that day.

"Guys, I wish you'd let me help," Whitney said again. As the table had been cleared, they had pushed her down in her seat and informed her they were gonna do the dishes since she had cooked.

"For the tenth time Whitney," Zac said, setting the now clean and dry plates on their rightful shelf,"No."

She just smiled and shook her head. "So what are we gonna do?" she got back to their original subject.

No one said anything for awhile, leaving the question hanging in the silence.

"How about ice skating?" Zac said suddenly.

Everyone looked at each other. "Okay then," Ike said, drying his hands,"It's settled."

So they all went out to the living room, got their coats on, and went out to Whitney's car. Whitney got in the driver's seat, Tay in the passenger's seat, and Ike and Zac in the back, Ike behind Whitney, Zac behind Tay.

Once there, they got out and went inside into a not much warmer place than outside. They each paid their admission, after a debate of them paying for Whitney, which ended up in her not relenting and paying for herself. As they laced up their skates, Ike noticed Whitney having trouble. "What's wrong," he asked as he stood up a bit shakily at first.

"I can never get these tight enough," she replied, still struggling with the laces.

"Here," Zac said as he knelt in front of her," let me help." Whitney agreed because she knew she wasn't gonna be able to get them tight enough herself.

Once all had gotten the hang of walking with the skates on, they headed to the ice part. Taylor stepped out first, gliding effortlessly. Ike and Zac followed. Whitney tentatively stepped on the ice and held onto the wall. She had only been skating twice before and just could never get the hang of it. "Come on," Zac said, coming over to her and taking her hand. He pulled her away from her safe haven.

"Uh, maybe I should go back over to there, "she said after a few shaky minutes, indicating the wall,"I'm gonna end up falling."

Tay skated over and took her free right hand. Ike skated backwards in front of her,"You'll get the hang of it."
"Yeah,"Tay put in,"We'll help ya." 

Whitney smiled at all of them. They didn't let go until she could skate on her own, and even then, stayed close by.
They eventually started joking around after Whitney had discovered she was a really good skater. Tay came up behind Zac and gave him a shove, which caused him to lose his balance and almost fall. He caught himself at the last moment. He glared at Tay, who looked at him with innocent blue eyes. This gave Zac an idea. He glided over to Whitney, took her hand, and pulled her. "Zac!" she said with a smile,"let go!"

He grinned,"Okay." He released her hand and at the speed he had been going when he did that, left Whitney hurtling toward Tay. She crashed into him. They lost balance and feel to the ice. They both glared at Zac from their half sprawled position, then laughed. Tay got up and helped Whitney up.

Ike had just been watching this whole scene form a safe distance. He snickered and shook his head. "Zac, subtlety never was your strong suit," he said to himself, amused at his little brother's attempt to get Taylor and Whitney together.

He skated over to his brothers and friend. They spent the rest of the afternoon getting revenge on each other and ended up tired and happy as they drove back to Whitney's.

***

The three brothers stayed two more days, then had to get back to the studio. As Whitney drove home from seeing them off at the airport, one dominant thought kept swirling through her head: She was gonna have Taylor's child. Whether he decided to claim it as his or not, deep down she'd always know that it's his.

She wandered into her house and looked around. She could still smell his cologne. She climbed the steps. Everywhere screamed Ike, Tay, and Zac. She walked into her room and sank heavily on her bed. Before she knew it, she had drifted off to sleep.
~ * ~
Taylor sat by the airplane window staring out at the sky. He liked Whitney, but did he love her? He sighed. No, he didn't. He wished with all his heart that he could. But he just didn't feel that way about her. He shook his head.

"Tay?" Ike said next to him,"you okay?" He had watched the turmoil cross his younger brother's face.

Taylor looked over,"Ike, Whitney deserves better than me. Someone who loves her like she loves me. I wish she didn't love me, cause no matter what I do, give her a child or not, I'm gonna hurt her. If I wouldn't have said yes she'd be upset, but when she has this child, she's gonna look at it and see me, and if I decide not to say it's mine, that's gonna hurt her too. So either way...." he trailed off, looking miserable.

Ike sighed,"I understand Tay. But, I think you're doing the right thing. This way she'll always have a piece of you."
"But still...." Then his gaze traveled back to the window and he drifted off into his thoughts again.
~ * ~
Zac sat watching his two brothers talking. He felt so bad for Whitney. He wished she could be the one for Tay, but he had watched them. They just didn't click like that. He hoped his new found friend would be able to move on from Tay. Although he wasn't so sure that was gonna happen. He played with the strap of his watch on his wrist as he sat thinking.
~ * ~
Ike sat between his two younger brothers. After his and Tay's conversation had ended, he sat watching both of them. He could tell Zac was thinking the same thing too. He sighed. This is all so complicated, he thought. He leaned back and watched the movie that was playing.
~ * ~
Tay was playing with his one cross necklace. He had finally found someone who really loved him. Not just an obsessed fan, but a real love, and he couldn't return the feelings. It just wasn't fair. He rested his head against the window and tried to lose himself in sleep.

***

The last day of Whitney and Julie's senior finally came. Whitney was leaving in 10 days for Tulsa and was pretty much packed up.

They stood outside the school, students streaming around them. "I'm gonna miss you so much Whitney," Julie said, hugging her best friend.

"I will too," she said hugging Julie back,"you have fun in Hawaii, and I want details and pictures when you get back. E-mail me."

They pulled away from each other. Julie smiled,"Will do," she checked her watch and sighed,"I better get going. Don't want to be late."

"Yeah. Talk to you soon," Whitney gave her friend a gentle push towards her car.

"Yep," Julie slowly walked away.

Whitney stood there and waved when Julie pulled out, then she made her way to her own car. She leisurely drove home, taking the longest route, and just enjoying another gorgeous day.

As she parked and unlocked the front door, the excitement once again built up inside her. In ten days she would head back to the place she belonged, Tulsa. She had bought a two bedroom house. It was affordable and not too far from Hanson's house. They had been the ones to tell her about it and she had called and decided to take it. She figured she'd need a two bedroom before a year was up. And she didn't see the point in renting an apartment, moving in there, and then move into a bigger place not much later.

She was flying to Tulsa. While she wasn't that fond of planes, there was no way she was driving there. She was selling her car the day before she left. Someone had offered to buy it and well, she knew she'd need the money, so why not? She could always get a cheap one once she got settled in.

She was restless just laying there, all these thoughts running through her head. She wanted to do something. Her eyes traveled to the one box sitting open at the side of her bed. On top was the one-time-use camera she had bought the day they went ice skating, and had taken pictures throughout those three days. She had intended to wait until she got to Tulsa to get them developed, but she had nothing better to do, and wanted to see them. So she got up, went downstairs, and outside to her car, and drove to a nearby photo place.

She waited the hour, bumping around in town, then went back to pick them up. As she sat in her car flipping through them, her cell phone rang. She pushed the 'on' button and said,"hello?"

"Hey Whitney, it's Tay." 

A smile crossed her lips and she didn't try to stop it,"hey. what's up?"

"I was just wondering when you're coming?"

"Ten days I'll be catching the plane."

"Awesome...do you have a way to your new house?"

Whitney crinkled her brow,"Uh..actually, no I don't. I knew I was forgetting something!"

Tay laughed,"Well, would you like me to pick you up? Maybe Ike, Zac, and I could help you move in a bit."

"Uh, well, aren't you guys busy?"

"We always have time for our friends. besides, Zac is dying to see you again and we haven't been THAT busy lately. It'd be cool. We could just hang out..." 

"Well.....I suppose that'd be okay...I'll call you when I get to Tulsa to come get me."

"Why don't you just tell me now, so you won't have to wait?"

Whitney rolled her eyes,"Okay, hold on." she shuffled through some papers until she found what she was looking for,"it says it'll get in at three p.m. in Tulsa at Gate 37," she read to him.

"Okay, cool. Oh, hold on a sec," she heard him cover the mouth piece and speak to someone, then he came back,"well, I have to go. I'll see ya soon."

"Yep. see ya soon. Bye Tay."

"Bye Whitney."

She pushed the 'off' button, put her pictures back in the case, and drove home.

***

The day came for Whitney to arrive in Tulsa. Tay was getting nervous now. Whitney would be eighteen in less than a month. Then they could...

His head jerked up as the announcement flashed over the board with all the times of planes on it,"Now arriving at gate 37"

He saw that his two brothers were heading towards the gate, he quickly got up and followed them. Taylor was the first to see her come through. She smiled as she saw all three of them. I'm finally home, she thought.

They walked up to her. Zac gave her a hug,"Hey Whitney."

"How have ya been?" Ike asked.

"I missed ya," Tay said, for her ears only, as they walked to baggage claim.

She smiled,"I missed ya too."
Once at her new house, she threw open the living room windows and let the afternoon breeze float in. The movers would be coming around six with her furniture, until then, they sat on the floor.

"So what have you been up to?" Zac asked.

"Oh, just finishing up high school. Those tests were really time consuming. I'm glad I don't have to study for a whole summer."

"So what are you taking in college?" Ike wanted to know.

"Well, I wanted to major in music, but my mother insisted on something more practical," Whitney rolled her eyes,"so I'm taking music as a minor and Journalism as my major. I love to write, and while my mom still thinks that's not very practical, she agreed to it."

"Well, that's cool. Besides it's your life," Tay replied.

Whitney smiled at him,"Yeah, that's why I didn't budge on taking something I didn't want, like a doctor which is very practical as my mother told me. I'm just not meant to be that. I'm taking the two things that are my greatest passions, so I know I'll enjoy them and excel at them." 

"That's what matters," Ike said.

They talked until the movers came, then they helped Whitney get settled. She invited them to stay for dinnerm which consisted of two pizzas: on one hald ham (Tay) half sausage (Whitney, on the other half pineapple (Zac) half pepperoni (Ike).

By the time the the brothers left Whitney to get used to her new house, after promising to come by the next day, it was nearly ten at night.

When Whitney lay in bed later on, she felt for the first time, really at home. "Tulsa has always been my home," she mumbled as she fell asleep. 

***

Little over 2 weeks passed, Whitney spending time with the boys as often as they schedule allowed.
 Whitney got up, showered, got dressed, and ate breakfast. Ike, Tay, and Zac wouldn't be by until the afternoon. They had to be in the studio that day.

Tomorrow was her 18th birthday. Her and Tay would have to figure out when they could...make the baby.
She subconsciously placed a hand over her stomach. It wouldn't be flat much longer.
~ * ~
Tay sat behind the piano playing the part of the song they were working on. His mind drifted off. He only had a couple months tops to make up his mind if he wanted to claim the baby or not. People would want to know who the father was once Whitney's stomach started rounding out. Tomorrow was her birthday. So most likely before a week was up, Whitney would be pregnant, with HIS child. Whether he claimed it or not, it would always be his by blood. He had sworn not to have sex until marriage. But this was something bigger than that. He wanted to give Whitney something, and this is what she wanted, since he couldn't give her his love like she deserved.

His fingers fumbled over the keys, as he wasn't paying attention to what he was doing. He had been messing up a lot lately.

"Taylor," Ike said exasperated,"I know you have a lot on your mind, but this is getting annoying."

"Stop going off into Taylor world," Zac said, half joking from behind his drums,"I thought you grew out of that."

Tay rolled his eyes at his younger brother. "Sorry," he mumbled to Ike.

They eventually got through it and packed up for the day.

They all headed over to Whitney's then.

Halfway there, Ike, who was driving said to Tay in the passenger seat next to him,"You know Tay, maybe you better go alone this time. I know you and Whitney still need to confirm when you two will...um..well..."

"I know what you mean Ike," Tay said quietly,"Yeah..I guess that's a good idea."

Zac, who usually would have complained that he wanted to see his friend, just sat there listening. He knew it was important for his brother and his friend to talk the rest of it out. He leaned his head against the car window and watched the scenery go by.
~ * ~
When Ike let Tay off at Whitney's, it was nearly five p.m. He slowly walked up to her door, wondering how this was gonna go.

He knocked and she answered a minute later.

She smiled when she saw him,"Hey." She opened the door wider so he could come in.

"Hey," he smiled back.

As they walked into her living room she said,"Where's Zac and Ike? I thought they were coming too."

"Well, uh, they figured we need some time to talk. Since tomorrow is your 18th birthday," Tay replied, as they both sat down on the couch.

"Oh, yeah, I was kind of thinking about that myself...so..uh...when should we..um.." her eyes averted everywhere but at him.

A sudden sense of calm came over Taylor. He took her hands in his, which caused her to look at him in surprise. "How about tomorrow night? It..can be...a sort of birthday present," he said gently, looking in her eyes.

Her tense muscles suddenly relaxed,"I couldn't think of a better present."

***

The day of Whitney's 18th birthday dawned warm and sunny. Two realizations hit her at the same time as she stood in front of her mirror. She was going to be pregnant by the time this night was over AND after tonight, she would no longer be a virgin. "Wow," she whispered. 

She took a shower and quickly got dressed in a knee-length flower skirt and a baby doll top. She brushed her hair out and curled the ends. She put a touch of makeup on, just enough.

A knock sounded on the door ten minutes later. She walked downstairs and opened it to find her three friends standing on the porch.

"Hey," Ike smiled,"Happy Birthday."

Tay and Zac chorused 'Happy Birthday' and each of the brothers hugged her.

She smiled,"thanks. Oh, and Tay?"

"Yeah?" 

"You're right. I don't feel any different." 

He laughed.

They went out for a birthday breakfast.

"Whitney, I wish you'd let us give you a party," Tay said, between bites of his toast.

She shook her head,"Nah. I don't want one. In fact, this is nice right here."

After they finished eating, they went to Ike's place where the gifts were kept.

They talked for a bit, then Zac started getting antsy and wanted Whitney to open the presents.

After halfheartedly scolding them for getting her gifts in the first place, she laughed,"I swear Zac, you're more excited than I am."

"He gets excited at the prospect of playing with the wrapping paper," Tay joked.

Zac lightly punched Tay on the arm. Tay gave a wounded look.

All this caused Whitney to break into a fit of laughter. Ike came back in the living room carrying the presents, and watched this scene. Whitney is such a great girl, he thought, I wish Tay could love her. 

But he knew love couldn't be forced on anyone and Whitney was aware of that as well. That's why she was asking something of Tay that she knew he could give, not something he wanted to give but couldn't.

Zac clapped his hands and rubbed them together. "Oh boy," he said gleefully.

Ike just shook his head. How did he get such a goofball for a brother? Just lucky I guess, his mind said.

Each brother had given Whitney a good sum of money with a card, so financially she wouldn't have it too hard.

Zac gave her three video games and the one  game machine she didn't have: XBox

Ike gave her a DVD player and one of the movies she really liked on DVD: Coyote Ugly

Tay gave her a very rare gift, Evanescence's cd: Origin, plus another cd with random songs of Evanescence's on. Plus of course one more gift was to come that night.

Whitney sat back among the wonderful gifts and her three best friends. "Wow, you guys are awesome. You really didn't have to get me all that though. I feel like...I dunno, like I'm taking advantage of you or something."

"We wanted to do it. And you're our friend. It was great just to see the smiles on your face as you opened them," Ike replied.

"That was all we needed from you," Zac added, in a moment of seriousness.

"Well, I love them," Whitney gave each brother a hug.

"We're glad you like everything," Tay said.

By that time, it was about nine p.m. and it was pretty much dark. 

"Tay, you can take Whitney home, or um, to your place...take my car since you don't have yours right now," Ike handed his brother the keys. Zac would be spending the night at Ike's place.

"Thanks." 

Whitney and Tay got up and headed outside.

"So, where do you want to go?"

Whitney shrugged, butterflies starting to make themselves known in her stomach,"Doesn't matter." 

"Alright then. We'll go to my place," he said.

They got in the car, and Tay drove the short distance to his place.

Whitney had never seen where he lived after he had moved out of his parents' home. It was about a five minute drive from Ike's. 

Tay shut off the car and they walked up to his door. He pulled his keys out and they walked inside. Taylor fumbled for the light switch so they could see where they were walking.

"Wow. Nice place."

"It's home," Tay smiled. He was starting to get a bit nervous himself.

Whitney sensed it,"Tay, you can still back out if you want," she said gently.

He shook his head decisively,"No." He took her hand and led her upstairs to the master room, his room.

***

Whitney lost her innocence to the man she loved that night. They "made love" three times just to make sure. Taylor took her home the next morning. They weren't awkward, although they thought they'd be. In fact, they were closer. 

Ike came by that evening, after dropping Zac off at home. 

"Hey Ike," Whitney smiled as she let him in.

"Hey. How are you?"

"Oh, good, as a matter of fact, great, you?" 

Ike was surprised. He thought she'd most likely wish she could take back last night.

They sat down on the couch in the living room. Whitney tucked one jean clad leg and sock foot under the other.

Ike realized he had let too much time elapse after her question. "Oh, good," he replied hastily.

Whitney got an amused look on her face,"Ike, I know why you're here, so why don't you just ask whatever you want to ask?"

He grinned,"It's that obvious huh?"

She gave a little laugh,"Yep."

"So, do you still think you and Tay did the right thing? You don't wish you could take it back?" 

She shook her head,"Nope. I don't regret it. Not a bit."

"Well, I suppose that's a relief. I didn't want you to get in a situation that you changed your mind about."

"I'm glad you care that much about me Ike," she got a half wistful, half hopeful look in her eyes,"I only hope it worked," she half said to herself.

Ike reached over and took one of her hands in his,"I hope it did too," he said gently.

"I guess we'll know in a few weeks." she absentmindedly ran her hand across her stomach.

Ike saw the gesture. "You know," he said,"I actually never really got it, why you wanted this. But I think I'm beginning to get it."

Whitney smiled,"Good." She squeezed his hand that was still holding hers.

"Well, I better go," Ike said, after a comfortable silence,"Early to the studio tomorrow. I'll come by again soon. Zac wants to see you. You mean a lot to him. To all us." 

They both got up and walked to the door. Whitney hugged him goodbye.

As he walked to his car he called,"If you need any help when it starts to get worse, money-wise or just for support, I'm here. And I'm sure Zac and Tay will be too."

"Thanks. I'll keep that in mind. I'm sure I'll be needing the support," she smiled, though he couldn't see through the dark. 

She waved as he got in his car and drove away.

She was truly blessed, to have three friends that really cared about her. She didn't know how it was gonna turn out, being a single mother, but it comforted her to know she could count on those three.

She walked upstairs and laid down to watch tv for a bit before falling asleep quite early watching MTV.

***

Two weeks later Whitney went to the store to get a pregnancy test. She was kind of embarrassed, especially since that's the only thing she needed to get. Why shouldn't I be getting one? she thought to herself. I have just as much right as anyone. Besides, I'm eighteen, I graduated from high school.

The little pep talk boosted her up a bit. She walked into the aisle and looked at different tests, seeing which one would be the best. 

"That one you have in your hand is a good one. One of the best actually. I've used that to find out if I was pregnant with three of my seven kids. It worked the best for me," said a voice behind her.

Whitney turned around fast, startled. She could feel her face get hot. "Uh..th..thanks," she stammered.

The woman smiled. She looked to be in her late forties. She had REALLY long blond hair and blue eyes. "Not to be nosy, but by how nervous you are, I take it it's your first?" 

"Yeah," Whitney tried to calm herself down.

"Did you plan it?" the woman asked with concern in her eyes.

"Uh, actually, yes I did," at least she could be proud about that.

The woman looked surprised,"Really? So you have a husband?"

Whitney suddenly found the floor to be very interesting,"Um, no. But, I uh.."

The woman patted Whitney on the shoulder,"It's alright. I'm sure everything will work out. I shouldn't have gotten in your business anyway."

She looked up at her,"Oh no, it's okay. I know I'm gonna have to start answering questions sooner or later."

"Yes, I suppose you will," the woman looked thoughtful. Then she said,"I'm Diana by the way. Diana Hanson."

"I'm Whitney," she replied as it finally struck her. She had thought this woman looked familiar, but couldn't put her finger on it. Now she knew why. This would be her baby's grandmother. If Taylor decided to claim the baby as his.

"Well nice to meet you Whitney." 

Just then a male voice said,"Mom, I found it. We can go now..."

Both women turned around.

"Alright dear," she turned to Whitney,"this is my son, Taylor."

Whitney saw Taylor's reaction to her talking to his mom. His face had gone kind of white.

"Uh, yeah, I know. I'm a fan of him and his brothers," Whitney replied.

Diana smiled,"Another fan Tay, and she's very nice."

"Nice to meet you," Tay said, hoping Whitney would play along.

"Same here."

"Well I hope everything goes well with you. I hope to see you around," Diana smiled warmly.

"Thanks. I hope to see you around too. Nice talking to you, and uh, thanks for the advice," Whitney indicated the box she was holding.

Tay eyed the box. He looked at the shelf behind Whitney and realized what she was there to buy. 

"Oh, no problem hun."

Whitney waited until Tay and his mom left the store to go up and pay for the pregnancy test.
~ * ~
Oh please God, Tay prayed as he drove his mother home, don't let Whitney have said anything.

He didn't think she did, but he was nervous none the less. He had to talk to her as soon as possible. And that's why, when he was done helping his mom putting stuff away, he hurried over to Whitney's. His heart pounding rapidly the whole time.

***

Whitney sat on her bed, turning the box over and over in her hands. It remained unopened. She was half afraid to find out. Not because she was having second thoughts, but because she was afraid she wouldn't be pregnant. What would she do then? She certainly couldn't ask Tay to do it again.

She sighed,"It's now or never." She opened the box and started walking towards the bathroom.

Right then, there was a knock on the front door downstairs. She sat the box down on her nightstand and walked downstairs. She opened the door to see the very guy she had been thinking about standing there.

"Hey." He looked nervous.

"Uh, hi. Come in." She stepped aside. "So what brings you here?" she said, as she closed the door.

"I..well..did you tell my mom?" 

Oh, she thought, so THAT'S why he's so nervous.

Ou tloud she said,"Nope. The only people who know are you, me, Ike, and Zac."

He sat down on the couch heavily in relief,"Oh thank God."

"She'd be a good grandmother," Whitney didn't realize she said it out loud.

"Is that a hint?" Tay asked, sort of suspiciously,"Are you gonna take back your word about I can claim the child as mine or not?"

"Oh no!" she said quickly,"I was just thinking that. I didn't mean to say it...No Tay, it's still your decision."

He saw he had upset her. He reached over and squeezed her hand,"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound so harsh."
She sighed,"It's alright."

That sat in silence for a couple minutes, Tay still holding her hand.

"She WOULD be a good grandmother," he said softly.

"Yep...well, if that's all you came over for..." she trailed off.

"You took a long time answering the door.." he commented, not replying to her half question.

"I was just about to take that pregnancy test," her nervousness returned then.

"Would...would you like me to stay?..."

"I, uh, yeah I would," she said sincerely.

"Alright then," he said, standing up and pulling her with him,"let's go see."

A couple minutes later they were sitting on the bed, waiting for the results.

After the time was up, Whitney just sat there.

Tay gently pulled her to her feet and led her into the bathroom. 

Before looking at the results he asked,"What are you afraid of? Having second thoughts?"

"No," she shook her head,"I'm afraid I'm not pregnant." The sincerity in her eyes told him she was telling the truth.

"Oh," was all he could manage to say.

She shakily looked then, and slowly a big smile spread across her face,"Oh my God, thank you," she whispered.
Tay couldn't help the smile that crossed his face. He would have a child, even if no one else but him and Whitney knew it.

Whitney looked up at Tay, her face practically glowing with happiness. She threw her arms around his neck,"Thank you SO much Tay. Thank you so much."

He returned the hug, hard. 

***

Whitney made an appointment for a week later to go to the doctor, just to be sure and to get information on pregnancy. Tay went with her. He felt he had to, but he actually did want to go. He didn't want Whitney to go alone, and he made a promise silently to her that he'd come with her to as many of her appointments as he could.

They sat in the waiting room. Whitney was fidgety. Tay found himself to be just as bad. After all, sometimes those tests from the store are wrong. So there was still a chance that she wasn't pregnant.

Three times, he thought, she has got to be pregnant.

But still, he knew there was always that possibility.

"Whitney Katara," the nurse called from a door.

Whitney and Tay got up and walked over to the nurse. She led them through the door and down a hall with doors on each side along the way. Halfway down, she stopped,"Here you go." 

As Whitney and Tay walked in, the nurse looked over the folder she had in her hand. "Alright, so you're here to see if you're pregnant. You said you had taken a home pregnancy test and it turned up positive?"

"Yeah."

"Ok then, Dr. Shaffer will be in soon. If you are, she will do a check-up on you and give you information," she looked through the papers in the folder again, then walked out, and shut the door most of the way.

Tay reached over and took Whitney's hand, he found himself doing that a lot lately, giving her support.

A couple minutes later the doctor came in.

"Hello, she said, smiling,"I'm Dr. Shaffer."

"Hi, I'm Whitney, and this is Tay."

"Is he the father?" she asked bluntly.

Tay and Whitney exchanged looks. "Uh, no, he's just here for support."

Tay silently thanked Whitney.

Dr. Shaffer looked over the papers in Whitney's folder and asked,"When did you take the home pregnancy test?"

"A week ago."

"When do you assume was the time you conceived the baby?"

"Uh, about 3 weeks ago."

Dr. Shaffer wrote down stuff as Whitney answered her questions.

"Ok, we'll get you a test." 

The doctor walked out of the room and returned.

Whitney did the test and Dr. Shaffer carried it out to get the results.

She came back a couple minutes later, smiling,"Congratulations."

A huge smile spread across Whitney's face and she hugged Tay.

The doctor gave them a minute and then said,"Let's get you in a gown you so I can check you over." She pulled one out from a cupboard below the examining table, handed it to Whitney, and walked out.

Whitney thought it'd be awkward to change in front of Tay, but it wasn't. After all, he had already seen her naked.
Dr. Shaffer came back in,"Hop up on the table." 

She checked Whitney over, "Everything seems to fine. However, I can't tell much because it's so early in the pregnancy. While you get dressed, I go get you some pamphlets and information on pregnancy." 

She came back a couple minutes later carrying a bunch of stuff.

She explained each.

"There are also many books you could buy, if you wish to, that would be of help," she finished up. She stood up, as did Tay and Whitney. "Make an appointment for two months from now, and I'll see you then."

"Alright, thank you."

She made an appointment for September 28 .

As they walked back to Tay's car, he said,"Thanks."

"You're welcome," she knew what he meant.

They got in the car and drove to Ike's place, where Zac was also. Whitney had promised to visit them after her appointment that day. 

When they got there, Zac threw open the door and was down the sidewalk to give Whitney a big hug as soon as she got out of the car.

He could always put a smile on her face,she hugged him back,"Hey Zac. Long time no see."

Ike stood on the porch as they all walked up. "Hey Whitney, I kind of figured you and Tay were here when I saw Zac running out the door."

She laughed,"Yep."

They went inside and sat down in the living room; Whitney and Zac on the couch, and Tay and Ike in chairs nearby.
"So how did it go?" Ike asked.

"I am officially going to be a mother," she said happily, another smile spreading across her face.

Zac and Ike broke into grins,"That's awesome," Zac replied.

"I know, it's amazing. I still kinda can't believe it."

:"Oh, you'll start believing it when your stomach starts to get round," Ike laughed.

"Yeah, so we'd better make sure you do all the things you won't be able to," Zac teased.

"Oh boy, I'll definitely be busy then," she laughed.

They talked for awhile more and then Tay took her home.

In the car, Whitney asked,"Tay? You didn't say much..what's wrong?"

"I, uh, nothing. I just guess I got a lot on my mind." 

"Oh."

***

As the months wore on, Whitney's belly started to expand. She had always been skinny, so it was weird. She had been struggling back and forth with the decision of knowing the baby's sex or not. Finally, in her sixth month she gave in. She was just too curious to wait any longer to find out.

She was waiting in the room the nurse had taken her to, by herself. Tay and his brothers had been called to California three weeks before, and prior to that, they had been busy for a little more than a month before that. She sighed. Taylor still hadn't said if he wanted to claim the child or not. She could hide it from her family, well what little family she had. Her mom was in California, oblivious to the fact that she would be a grandmother soon. Everyone else; aunts, uncles, cousins; were too far away. And Julie, well, she didn't know either. Even though Whitney kept in touch with her and they talked on the phone once a week, she was just as much in the dark. Whitney felt bad not telling her, but she couldn't risk it. Julie would want to know who the father was, and then somehow it would get to her mother, and then she'd get no peace. At least in Tulsa, she only really knew Ike, Tay, and Zac, and they weren't opening their mouths.

"Hello Whitney," Dr. Shaffer smiled as she came in and closed the door,"So you just couldn't take it anymore?" 

Whitney laughed,"Yeah. I can't wait another three months." 

"Well, that's no problem, we can see what you're having. Just hop up on the table."

Whitney jumped up and laid back as the doctor lifted her shirt up to expose her ever rounding belly. She rubbed a gel type substance over Whitney's stomach. She flipped on a machine nearby and moved the piece around. "Ah, there we are," she said after a minute. Her face formed into a surprised look,"Oh my..that's interesting..."

"What?" Whitney was worried. What if something was wrong?

Dr. Shaffer noticed the look on Whitney's face,"Oh, it's nothing to be concerned about dear," she said comfortingly,"it just seems, that you're going to have twins." 

"Are you sure?" Whitney's eyes got big.

The doctor nodded,"positive. If you just lean forward a bit, you can see."

Whitney leaned forward as Dr. Shaffer pointed,"There is the one, do you see?"

"Yeah..."

"And there, is the other.." 

Whitney was half in shock,"wow, I didn't expect..I mean..oh wow.."

Dr. Shaffer laughed,"Yes, it is definitely a surprise...now let's see..would you still like to know the sex of them?"
"I, uh, no. I mean, it's a fifty-fifty chance of getting one of each right?" 

"Yes, well, that's true..but there are many cases when both are the same. Are you sure you wouldn't like to know?

Three months can be a long time to wait."
"Well, I, um, oh alright, what am I having?"

Dr. Shaffer smiled,"One of each, and they both are healthy. Everything seems to be coming along fine, with the exception of you're having two, not one." 

"Well that's good. That was my main concern, that they're okay."

Whitney looked at the screen, watching her babies. "No wonder my stomach has gotten so big," she muttered.
"Yes, well, I was getting a bit worried about that, but now I see why." She flipped the machine off and washed Whitney's stomach,"Alright then, I'll see you next month. Be sure to make an appointment before you leave."

Whitney sat in the lobby of the hospital, killing time until the bus came. She had a car, but was kind of afraid of driving this far along in her pregnancy. Usually Ike, Tay, or Zac would come with her, but they were half of a country away.
The bus finally pulled up. She got on and settled herself down for the twenty minute ride home.

***

Hanson came back to Tulsa shortly after for a break. Ike and Zac came to visit Whitney often during the two weeks they were home before they had to go back to California. Taylor suddenly had a lot to do though, and hadn't seen Whitney for more than five minutes at a time. She was getting extremely frustrated. She needed to know what he wanted to do, and with him pretty much avoiding her, plus the mood swings she'd been having due to her pregnancy, she was not a happy camper.

"I'm sure he'll tell you soon," Ike said, the day before they were going back to California.

"Yeah, but when is soon?" she sighed,"Ike, I'm almost seven months pregnant, and you guys are gonna be gone for at least a month. I NEED to know." 

He looked at her sympathetically,"I wish I could get him to talk to you. Zac and I both have been hinting to him, and yesterday Zac pretty much lectured Tay about it."

"I suppose I should take this as he doesn't want to claim the babies as his." 

"Babies? I thought you were only having one?" Ike was confused.

"Oh my God Ike. I can't believe I haven't told you. I guess with all I've had on my mind I thought I already had. I'm having twins. One boy, one girl."

A huge grin crossed his face. "That's awesome Whitney," he said as he hugged her.

His smile was infectious,"I know! I couldn't believe it either!" 

"When did you find out?" 

"My last appointment. Which reminds me, it's almost time for my next one."

"I wish I could come with you to it. I hate it that none of us can be with you." 

"It's okay. You guys have a career to worry about. I know you'd be there if you could."

"You know it." 

"You guys will be here for the delivery though, right?" a little bit of worry slipped into her voice.

He kissed her on the forehead,"Definitely. We wouldn't miss it for the world."

She smiled,"Good. if any time I'll need you guys, it'll be then...........actually, I've been thinking something over about that...I was wondering if you three would like to be in the delivery room with me? You know, my support?" 

"Don't you mean someone to squeeze the hell out of our hands?" he teased.

She laughed,"Yeah, you can take turns."

"Well, I know I definitely will be there with you, as will Zac. I'm sure Tay will too. He just needs to come around."
"Or distance himself further from me," she half said to herself.

"He cares about you. I know that. He's..I think..just getting scared. Your pregnancy is getting closer and closer to an end, and well..you're carrying his child. He'll always be the baby's real father, whether everyone will know it or not." 

She sighed,"I understand that. But what does he think I'm going through? I'm the one with morning sickness, and with this balloon for a belly (Ike laughed) and I'm just as scared."

He hugged her again,"Yes, I definitely think you're going through more than him. I'm sure he'll come around."

"I hope so," she said, as she hugged him back.

***

February 14th, Valentine's Day. Whitney was sitting on the couch trying to take an afternoon nap. Not much else she could do with her inflated belly. She couldn't see over her stomach. It was huge, because of the fact that two babies were growing inside her and not just one. She had less than a month to go until she'd get to see her little bundles of joy. She couldn't wait. "I'll be able to wear shoes with laces again," she mumbled to herself, trying in a vain effort to get comfortable.

The doorbell rang. She groaned,"damn." She hefted herself up off the couch, which was no easy task, and walked to the door.

She opened it to see a guy standing there holding what looked three dozen red roses. "Are you Whitney Katara?" he asked.

"Yeah..." 

"These are for you," he said, handing her the flowers. 

"Uh, thanks."

"Have a nice day," he said, and started walking back to his car.

"Uh, you too," she called. Then she shut the door, walked in the kitchen and sat down on a chair. She laid the roses on the table and pulled out the card:

Dear Whitney,
Hope you have a great V-day. Here is a dozen roses from each of us. We'll see you on March 8th.
Love, your three favorite brothers,
Ike Tay Zac

Sudden tears welled up in her eyes. Thank you hormones, she thought ironically to herself.

She swiped at her eyes with the back of her hands before going to find a vase, put water in it, and arranged the roses in it. She dipped her nose down and took a deep breath. She loved roses. "they are so sweet," she said out loud.

She fingered one of the soft delicate petals, then walked upstairs and set the card on her dresser. Then she laid down on her bed, and finally drifted off into a well needed sleep.

***

It was March eighth. Ike, Tay, and Zac were due back that night. 

Whitney sighed as she looked out her door. It was cold, but not freezing. A nice breeze flew to Whitney's hot skin through the crack that she had the door open. It felt good. Due to her pregnancy, she was pretty much always hot.
She stood there for a few more minutes, then shut the screen door and locked it, but kept the inner door open. She sat down on a kitchen chair that she had pulled into the living room by the couch. She had found it harder and harder to get back up from the couch, so she usually just sat on the chair now.

She took a sip of ice cold water from the glass sitting on the coffee table next to her. It was soothing, running down her throat.

She rubbed her big belly. She had formed that habit about her fifth month. All of a sudden one of the twins kicked. She smiled. It was always a joy ever ytime one of them kicked or moved. She couldn't believe two human beings were inside of her. She would get to see them soon. She was due April 7 but her doctor had warned her she may have them a few weeks early due to it being twins.

She hoped that the boy looked like Taylor. Although, she hoped that both would get his blue eyes.

She sighed again. Taylor had yet to tell her his decision. She pretty much took his silence as a no. After all, he knew she was due in about a month and he hadn't even called her once in all this time, even just to see how she was doing. He had totally changed. At the beginning of her pregnancy he was so sweet and always there for her. But the bigger her stomach got, the more he distanced himself from her. It hurt. But she would just have to deal with it.
"Besides," she said outloud,"I have Ike and Zac. They'll always be here for me."
~ * ~
Taylor sat in the airplane, looking out over the clouds. He had just gotten another talking to from his brothers about Whitney. He didn't blame them for being mad at him. Hell, he thought, I'd be mad at me too.

The thing was, he still hadn't made up his mind. One minute he would say he was gonna claim the baby, the next he thought of all that would go wrong if he did.

So many times over the past month he had picked up his cell phone and dialed all but the last number of Whitney's phone number. But then, he would punch the off button before he could finish. He knew she would ask, and he still had no answer for her.

Zac came over and sat down next to him. "Ike and I thought you should know something, and since Ike is way too mad at you to get out a sentence without yelling at you, I said I'd tell you," he said quietly. It was obvious he was still mad too.

Tay ran his hand through his messy hair,"What do you want to tell me?"

"Well, when we were in Tulsa last, Whitney told Ike something about the baby."

Tay was worried. Suddenly Zac had his full attention,"What? Is..is something wrong?" 

"No, no, everything's fine last time we talked to her. It's just..she's having twins. One boy, one girl."

Tay's eyes almost popped out of his head,"Are you for real?"

Zac nodded,"Yeah."

Tay sat back against the seat and stared straight ahead as this hit him,"Oh wow," then a slow smile spread across his face, and he looked back over at Zac,"this is is so awesome!"

Zac couldn't help but grin a little, but then he got sober again,"But, how is it awesome when you've been worrying Whitney all this time by not giving her an answer? Stress is definitely not a good thing in her condition."

Tay looked down at his hands in his lap,"I..I know. It's just..," he looked back at Zac,"I still don't know." 

Zac sighed,"Well, you better know soon. She's due soon." Then without another word, he got up and went back over to sit by Ike.

Think, Tay, think, he said to himself, what do I really want?

I want them. For everyone to know they're mine.
But so much would happen if he did claim them. His fans would be upset, so many rumors would start circulating.
Damn it, he thought.
He just went around in a circle with his decision. He was no closer to having an answer than he had been all this time. But he did want to be there for Whitney. He loved her as a close friend, and he knew he was hurting her by only speaking to her when nescesary.
He thought of what it'd be like to hold them in his arms and for everyone to know they were his. He'd be a good father, he knew that.
His thoughts kept going back and forth like a ping-pong ball. The good, the bad. He sighed. He was so confused.
Suddenly he knew, knew what he would tell Whitney. He jumped up and walked over to his brothers. Ike ignored him.

"What is it Tay?" Zac asked, warily.

"Guys, I have an answer. I finally have an answer for her."

Ike and Zac exchanged looks. They knew what it was, they didn't even need to ask.

Ike looked up at Tay and said,"Well, it's about time." 

***

Whitney was up watching music videos on MTV, when a knock sounded on her front door. She got up off the uncomfortable chair, and walked over to the door. When she opened it, Tay was standing there. "Hey," he said.

"Uh, hi," she was caught a little off guard.

"Well, aren't ya gonna invite me in?" he grinned.

What is he so happy about? she wondered.

Ou tloud she said,"Sure." She opened the door wider to let him in, and shut it behind him "Where's Ike and Zac?"

"At Ike's most likely," he replied, sitting on the couch,"I have something to tell you," he patted the place next to him.

She shook her head,"I can't sit on the couch. I have a really hard time getting back up." She started to move to sit on the chair.

He gently pulled her arm,"I'll help you back up."

She gave in and sat beside him. It was nice not to be sitting on a hard chair. "So, what do you have to tell me?" she asked, once she was settled.

He turned toward her,"First, tell me how you're doing. Everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything's as fine as possible."

"Good."

"Tay, what did want to tell me?" she asked again.

"Well," he took her hands in his,"I've decided, after throwing it back and forth in my head a million times, that I want to claim the babies as mine. I want them to know that I'm their father." 

A huge smile spread across Whitney's face and she leaned forward as best she could and hugged him,"That's great Tay! I'm so glad!"

As they pulled away from the hug, he said,"I'm sorry I haven't told you sooner. I just actually made up my mind on the plane. I'm so sorry that I've hardly talked to you." 

She was silent for a minute, then replied,"Tay, I'm not gonna say that it's alright that you did what you did, but I do forgive you."

He smiled and kissed her on the cheek,"I know I don't deserve it, but thank you."

A silence passed between them, both in their own thoughts.

"So, you're due next month.." he more stated, than questioned.

"Yep."

He looked down at her,"Are you scared? About the pain and everything?" 

She looked up at him,"Honestly? I'm scared out of my mind."

"Well, I'll be there with you. That is, if you want me to be." 

"Of course I do. You're their father. I want you the most to be there."

He smiled and put his arm around her shoulders. She laid her head against his chest. It was late, and before either knew it, they had both fallen asleep.

***

Whitney was starting to get worried. She'd been having some slight labor pains, but she thought they were the false kind which she'd read so much about. However, with twins known to have an early birth she wasn't sure if it was serious or not yet. . She was pacing back and forth in her living room. Taylor was sitting on the couch, dividing his attention between the tv, where the channel was turned to MTV2, and Whitney, who was making him dizzy.

"Whitney. Sit down," he said.

She spun around,"How can you be so calm?"

He shrugged,"I guess because nothing has went wrong with your pregnancy, and you still have a few weeks. I'll start getting worried if you don't go into labor sometime in the next week or two." Besides," he added, as he got up and gently pulled her towards the couch, and put a slight pressure down on her shoulders to get her sit,"Your doctor would call you if she thought something wasn't right," he sat back down next to her.

She sighed as she leaned against the couch,"Yeah, I suppose so," she looked over at him," and your calmness has nothing to do with the fact that you've seen your mom pregnant many times with your younger brothers and sisters?"

He grinned,"That may be a factor too."
~ * ~
It was March fourteenth,  Taylor's nineteenth birthday.

"God, I can't believe you're nineteen already," Whitney mused to Tay, as she sat with him, Ike, and Zac at Tay's house.
"Neither can I," he replied, leaning back against his chair, stretching his legs out under the table in front of him, and putting his hands behind his head for a moment,"Just seems like yesterday that you and I went to that birthday party you and Julie had planned for me last year."

"Time flies," Ike put in. He had been watching this exchange, as he finished eating.

Zac, who was just finishing off his second helping of potato salad, said,"Time can't fly Ike." 

Everyone but Zac rolled their eyes.

"Haha," Ike replied.

"Zac," Whitney laughed,"you still can eat more than me even though I should have a bigger appetite," she watched him dig into a piece of cherry pie.

He looked at her and grinned,"What can I say? I'm a growing boy. Though, right now, not even I can top your weird cravings.You eat stuff now that I wouldn't touch!"

Everyone laughed at that.

"Gotta agree with him on that," Tay shook his head, smiling,"I still can't believe you called me in the middle of the night that one time, asking for me to run out and bring you strawberries and grapes, and ketchup, cheese, and pickle juice."
She blushed,"I couldn't help it," she defended herself,"I was craving that SO bad, and you are the babies' father, so I figured you were the one to call."

Zac scrunched up his face,"Now, why would anyone get a craving for THAT?"

"She's weird to begin with Zac," Tay replied,"combine that with weird pregnancy cravings, and that's what you get."

Whitney slapped Taylor playfully. He just laughed. "When did it become 'pick on Whitney time'?" she joked.

"When we tired of picking on Zac," Ike said, laughing.

Tay was about to get up and start clearing the table a bit, when Whitney suddenly grabbed her stomach and gasped,"Oh God, OW."

All three brothers had seen their mother do the exact same thing when she was about to go into labor. Lucky for Whitney, they all knew how to deal calmly.

"Well, I think Adam and Andrea finally want out," Tay said, as another sharp pain ripped through Whitney's stomach.
Tay tossed Ike his car keys.

Zac and Tay went over to help Whitney up, while Ike went to start Tay's car.

They got to the hospital ten minutes later. By then, Whitney's breathing had become very labored and was having contractions every few minutes, causing her to moan in pain every time.

Tay and Zac helped her out of the car, and Ike went to park.

Both brothers supported most of Whitney's weight, as they helped her walk in the emergency room. A nurse immediately rushed over with a wheelchair. Whitney settled into it, thankful not to have to walk anymore.

They wheeled her over to check in, and in no time she was settled in a room.
~ * ~
"Breathe, Whitney, breathe. Remember what they taught you," Tay coached her. 

"I..can't..it..hurts so..much," she said, as another contraction started. "AaaHhhh!!!"

She squeezed Tay's hand. 

Zac came over and wiped her forehead with a cool washcloth.

She gave him a small smile,"Thanks."

He smiled back,"No problem."

Her breathing returned to normal as the pain passed once again.

Just then, Dr. Shaffer came in. She smiled down at the already sweat-soaked girl,"Hello Whitney."

"Hi."

She looked at Whitney's folder,"So, how far apart have your contractions been?"

Whitney wasn't keeping count, and looked to Tay, who said,"About six minutes."

"Alright then," she said setting the folder down,"I'm just going to check on you, see how far along you are, ok? 

Whitney nodded.

........."Well, Whitney, you are already three centimeters," she said straightening back up,"You're coming along great."

"ONLY three?"

Dr. Shaffer, along with Ike, Tay, and Zac, laughed. "I know it doesn't seem possible that that's as far as you are, but it'll go quickly," the doctor looked up at the clock on the wall,"if all goes well, both your babies should be lying in your arms in about five hours."

"What?!"

"Just rest. Looks like you have a great support team. I'll check on you in a half hour,ok?" then she left.

"I don't believe this!" Whitney said,"This is gonna be torture."

Ike came up on the other side of the bed, and took her other hand,"Yes, but the reward worth it."

She smiled up at him, then looked at Tay and Zac, then back at Ike,"You're right..... I feel so blessed that you guys are here," she squeezed Ike's and Tay's hands.

All three brothers smiled down at her.

Suddenly, a burst of pain shot through her,"OOOOOWWWWW!!!!" She hung on to the two older of Hanson's hands, the only solid thing in the world of pain she was in at the moment.

Ike's face went white, as he didn't expect that. Tay wasn't doing too well either, but just brushed her hair back from her face with his other hand, and stroked her cheek, comforting her.

***

~ Chapter 34 ~

"Alright Whitney, one more deep breath, and PUSH," Dr. Shaffer said, from her position at the end of Whitney's bed. She was holding the second baby's, Andrea's, head.

She pushed while gripping Taylor's, who was counting, and Zac's hands. "AAAAAAHHHHH!!!!"

"Ten," Tay said.

Whitney collapsed back on the bed. She was totally exhausted. Sweat was pouring out of her, and she was tired in places of her body that she didn't know could be tired.

Dr. Shaffer held up the baby girl for all to see, then took it over to be cleaned up.

Zac smoothed the hair back from her forehead,"You did great Whitney."

Taylor, who was running his thumb across the top of her hand, agreed,"Yeah, you did really awesome." He smiled down at her.

She gave a tired smile,"Thanks. God, I can't believe how much pain is involved. I'm so tired."

"Well, you just rest," Ike said, coming back in the room,"You earned it."

"How's your hand doing Ike?" Zac asked.

He held up his left hand, which had a white bandage wrapped around it,"Ah, it's nothing. Just a bit bruised and sore. Doctor says it should be fine in a week and a half tops."

Whitney got a sheepish look on her face,"I'm sorry Ike. I didn't mean to squeeze your hand THAT hard." 

He smiled down at her,"Don't worry about it. I'm fine. How are you doing?" 

Just then, Andrea and Adam, who had calmed down after the tiresome work of being born, proved once again that they had powerful lungs.

"Oh," Whitney said, with a smile, looking over at her and Tay's babies,"I just got a lot better."

All three brothers grinned. "Glad to hear it," Ike replied, kissing her on her forehead.

Dr. Shaffer and one of the nurses brought the newly-born babies over, and laid one in each of Whitney's arms.
"We'll let you guys alone for a couple minutes," Dr. Shaffer said. Then she and everyone, but Hanson and Whitney, left.
They all just stared down at these bundles of joy. Then Whitney's arms got tired, and she was still exhausted, so Tay picked up Adam, and cradled him against his chest. "Our beautiful baby boy," Tay said, looking down at his son.

"Can I hold Andrea?" Zac asked Whitney.

She nodded,"Sure ya can." 

Zac carefully picked up the little girl. "Wow," he said, looking from Andrea to Adam,"they both have Tay's blue eyes, and your brown hair." Each baby had the most amazing blue eyes, and dark curly hair. The only difference was, Andrea had a little more hair, and hers were in little ringlets.

"They're perfect," Ike said, watching this scene.

"I agree," Tay replied, totally enthralled with the baby boy in his arms. 

Whitney watched Tay. She was totally happy at this moment in time.

When everyone got a chance to hold each baby, a nurse came back in with two cribs, to take them to the nursery.
Whitney fell asleep a couple minutes after.

As the three brothers walked outside to Tay's car, Ike asked,"So, Tay. Do you regret claiming them as yours?" 

Tay shook his head,"Nope. Not one bit. I love them so much. I want everyone to know."

Zac suddenly spoke up,"Tay, do you love Whitney?" he asked what had been swimming around in his mind.

Tay's younger and older brothers looked at him expectantly. He sighed,"Not in the way she loves me," he said sadly," and now I know, I never will."

Ike and Zac put their arms around their brother, trying to comfort him. "It'll be okay," Ike said,"No matter what, you and her will always have Adam and Andrea now."

"Yeah, and you gave her something really special Tay," Zac put in.

"I know," he said, running his fingers through his greasy hair,"I..I just wish..I..could love her, and give her that gift too."
Ike stuck the key in the driver's side, to unlock it, then pressed the button to unlock the other doors. He stood back up and looked at his younger brother, who looked way older than he was. His eyes had lost the blue sparkle, he had worry lines around them, and he just looked genuinely tired. "Everything will work out Tay," he said, quietly,"you'll see."
Tay looked at him sadly,"I hope so."

Then they all climbed in the car and drove back to Tay's place.

***

~ Chapter 35 ~

Whitney got to go home two days later and luckily the twins were healthy enough to go too. Tay came to pick her and their children up. He drove back to Whitney's place where he would be staying for the next couple weeks so he could help with Adam and Andrea. He would be the one to get up in the middle of the night when one or both of them cried, so Whitney could rest before taking over.

During Whitney's short hospital visit, the three brothers had put the finishing touches on the twins' room. Now, as they walked in the room with Whitney carrying Andrea and Taylor carrying Adam, Whitney saw the finished product of Tay, Ike, and Zac's work. She gasped and felt tears of half astonishment and half happiness spring behind her eyes. "Wow," she finally managed to get out and she slowly walked over and laid Andrea in her crib on her side of the room,"This is just..amazing." 

She looked up to see Taylor grinning as he set Adam down in his crib, "So, you like it then?"

She smiled and walked over and gave him a big hug,"Of course I do. It's the best."

Taylor slowly released her from his embrace and went down to get the rest of the things from his car. Whitney just stood there admiring it all. One side of the room was blue. Adam's crib stood almost in the corner. He was covered in his blue baby blanket. The other side was all pink and was pretty much identical to Adam's side except everything was pink instead of blue. 

Smack dab in the center of the room was a set of windows covered with white curtains which, at the moment, were threw wide open letting the warm morning sun pour in. In front of the windows was a polished wooden rocking chair with a white pillow leaned against the back and a removable white cushion on the seat. Across from the rocking chair on the other side of the room was a dresser with the sets of clothing for the twins. A changing table stood beside on the side not by the door, and beside that was a cabinet with diapers, cream, and whatnot for the babies.

Taylor came back in then, and set the couple bags, he had retrieved from his car, next to the dresser by the door. He walked up behind Whitney and circled his arms around her waist. She leaned back against the solidness of his chest and he rested his chin on the top of her head.

"I still can't get over it," Whitney commented,"I'm like in awe."

Tay laughed and tightened his hold on her waist a bit,"I kinda like it myself."

Whitney just smiled and shook her head slightly.

They stood like that for a few minutes, looking over the room and watching their sleeping children. 

Then they walked downstairs to get something to eat. Taylor had grown to love Whitney. Maybe not the kind of love that was for marriage, but a love of friendship and a strong bond. Whitney understood this, and understood that that would be all he'd ever feel for her. She accepted it and was content with it. Whenever she felt it wasn't enough, she would just comfort herself with the knowledge that at least he did love her in some way.

After they had eaten ham sandwiches and chips, Tay walked upstairs to Whitney's room, which they would be sharing for the coming weeks. It was either that or him sleeping on the couch and he liked a bed way better. He knew it comforted Whitney also, just for him to hold her at night. He knew that she knew it was friendship and so he didn't mind sharing a bed. No more babies would be happening between them.

He sat on the window seat, looking out at the afternoon sun shining brightly over kids playing in the unusually warm March afternoon.

Whitney had stepped outside. She stood on her porch feeling the wind ruffling her hair which hung almost to her waist now. No more tears she cried over the love her and Taylor would never have. Only a deep sadness that she knew would eventually go away. She sighed and walked back inside.

***

~ Chapter 36 ~

Taylor stayed for two weeks, and even when he went back to his own place, he was over at Whitney's pretty much everyday. If he wasn't at the studio, that's where you would find the devoted father. 

A month after he went back to his own place, Whitney had a scheduled check-up appointment for the twins. Taylor had to be at the studio that particular day because they were putting the finishing touches on a song, and they had a deadline.

So, after he helped her set the twins in their car seats and waved her off, he headed to the studio.

An hour later, the phone at the studio rang. Taylor, Ike, and Zac were taking a short break. Tay picked up on the third ring.

"Hello?" 

"Hello. May I please speak to Taylor Hanson?" an unfamiliar voice asked.

"That's me."

"Mr. Hanson, this is Cynthia from Tulsa Medical Hospital. I'm afraid there's been an accident." 

"What?!" Terrible things were running through his mind, but none as terrible as what she said next.

"Whitney Katara and her two babies were in a car accident. We see you are listed as the father, so we thought you should be called."

"Are they alright?!" 

"I can't divulge that information over the phone. However, Dr. Constello will answer any questions you may have if you would come down here." 

"Alright, I'm on my way. Thanks." 

He slammed the phone down and hand arm in his jacket on his way to his car, before either of his brothers could catch up with him.

"Tay man slow down!" Zac ran up next to him.

They reached the car. "Yeah man, why the sudden hurry?" Ike added.

Tay glanced up as he shoved the key in the lock and turned it,"Whitney, Adam, and Andrea have been in an accident. They're at the hospital." Then he swung open the door and climbed in. 

Right as he shut it, Ike said and he and Zac scrambled to open the car doors,"We're coming with you."

Ike ran around to the passenger's side, and Zac jumped in the back.

Tay was doing seventy all the way to the hospital, and surprisingly he didn't get pulled over.

All three brothers practically flew inside the second the car was parked.

They all slammed to a halt at the information desk.

"Whitney Katara," Tay said to the lady behind it.

"She is in ICU. Are you a family member?"

"I'm the father of the two children that was with her."

"And them?" she said, eying Ike and Zac. 

"They're...the babies' uncles." 

"Alright. Down the hall make a left, go straight, you'll see the ICU." 

"Thank you," Tay replied, and they were off again.

After inquiring again about Whitney, they were told to wait in the specific area for it, and that the doctor caring for Whitney would be out.

It seemed like hours before the doctor came. Tay must've looked at his watch a hundred times.

They all stood up as he approached. "Hello," he said pleasantly, extending his hand to Taylor,"I'm Dr. Constello." 

"Taylor Hanson," he replied shaking the doctor's hand,"and this is Isaac and Zac." 

"Nice to meet you all. Now I'm sure you'd like to know how Whitney is doing, as well as Adam and Andrea."

"Yes." 

"Well, you see, Adam and Andrea are fine. A couple small scrapes, but otherwise just fine." 

All three brothers let out sighs of relief.

"However, Whitney wasn't so lucky."

They all held their breath again.

"She sustained a lot of head trauma, and I don't expect her to make it."

Taylor collapsed back into the chair he had been sitting in before.

"Are..are you sure?" Zac asked, just as devastated.

Dr. Constello nodded,"You can talk to her. I'm not saying if it'll do any good or not, but I suppose it's worth a try. I'm sorry."

He led the way into Whitney's "room." The twins were in a little crib with a nurse watching over them.

Ike and Zac exchanged looks and then quietly walked back out to give their brother some time alone with Whitney.
Tay squeezed her hand. "Please Whitney," his voice was scratchy,"don't leave me and our children. Don't leave Ike and Zac and everyone that cares about you so much." A tear slid of his eye and down onto her hand.

Ike and Zac came back in a couple minutes later to the site of their brother sitting in the chait next to Whitney's bed, crying like a baby.

Please Whitney come back to us. We need you so much. Tay needs you, Zac prayed silently.

Then all of a sudden, the monitor keeping track of her heart flat lined.
Dr. Constello and several others ran in. They were all set to jump start her heart.

"Wait," Tay said calmly, now dry eyed. They all looked at him. "Don't. She isn't going to come back. Just let her rest in peace." His eyes were distant.

Ike and Zac stared at them wide-eyed and open mouthed.

Everyone slowly filed out, now that they were not needed.

As Dr. Constello walked past, he said,"I'll give you a little bit."

Tay just nodded.

As soon as he was gone, Ike and Zac started yelling.

"Are you out of your mind?!"

Why didn't you let them jump her heart?!" 

"Because Whitney said she isn't going to come back. Her body is too damaged. She wouldn't be the same if she did. Too much brain damage." 

His brothers looked at where his eyes were focusing, and suddenly they could see what he was seeing. Whitney, in white, smiling. "I love you guys. Take care of my babies, or I'll come after ya." Then she faded out.

Taylor checked out Adam and Andrea and took them home. 

***

~ Chapter 37 ~

Ike and Zac helped Taylor move the twins' things to his place and set up a nursery in the extra room. Then they helped him pack up Whitney's stuff and put it in Tay's attic. He couldn't bear to get rid of her things.

At the funeral, Taylor was dry-eyed, having used up his store of tears over the last couple of days.

Julie cried openly, and Ike comforted her. He put his arm around her shoulders and she leaned into his chest. "I can't believe my best friend is gone," she kept saying over and over.

Whitney's mother just stood there, in shock. Her little girl was gone. She thought back to how she had treated her when they had moved to California. 'My baby died without knowing how much I loved her,' she thought,'why didn't I spend more time with her? I didn't deserve to have such a wonderful child.'

After the funeral, they went back to Taylor's house for food and drink and to just sit awhile longer and mourn.

Taylor refused to let anyone but himself hold Adam and Andrea. They laid in the playpen by the chair he was sitting in. He stared down at them and could see Whitney in their little faces, especially with Andrea. He leaned down and stroked Andrea's little hand. She immediately grasped his pointer finger, which produced a small smile from Taylor. 

Whitney's mother had been watching him from across the room. "I'm a grandmother," she whispered. She slowly walked over to where Taylor and the twins were. Tay looked up and saw who was standing there. A wave of anger passed over him. This was the woman who had made Whitney cry that morning that he had visited her. 

"What..are their names?' she half-whispered.

"Adam and Andrea."

She nodded and both were silent as they stared at the twins,"Can...can I hold them?"

Tay's first instinctive answer was 'no', but as he looked up at his children's grandmother's face, his heart softened,"Sure."

She smiled and bent down and gently lifted Andrea. She cradled her in her arms. "She looks so much like Whitney."

"I know." 

Tay lifted up Adam and looked down into his face, Whitney was in him as well. 

Julie had eventually stopped crying, and now just sat staring off into space. She stayed that way even after everyone left, leaving her, Ike, Tay, and Zac. Ike came back over and sat besides her on the couch.

"Julie, are you ok?" 

She slowly looked up at him,"She was my best friend Ike. And now she's gone. I'll never be okay again," then tears started to stream down her face again,"I have no one to talk to anymore. I told her everything. She understood me, and now she's gone." Ike leaned over and held her to him. She buried her face in his chest. He stroked her hair,"Shh, Julie, everything will be okay. She's still with you. Can't you feel her around you? She's watching over all of us now." He gently rocked as her tears flowed free again.

"Oh God Ike, I miss her so much." 

"I know, we all do," Zac said quietly from the chair he had been sitting in thinking.

"But we have to move on. Whitney wants us to get on with our lives," Tay put in.

And eventually they did, little by little, day by day. It was hard at first, but they went on living, carrying Whitney in their hearts.

Julie stayed in Tulsa. She moved into Whitney's house, and visited Taylor and the twins everyday.

Her and Ike dated for a month, but it didn't work out. She discovered she wasn't in love with him anymore, and well he, just loved her as a friend. Much like Tay did with Whitney.

When Adam and Andrea were five, Tay and Julie got married. They weren't really in love the way a husband and wife should be, but they did care about each other, and they found comfort being together. 

Everyday they told the twins about Whitney, so they knew who their real mother was. Julie treated them as her own and Tay loved her all the more for it.

And while it's not happily ever after, it really is a happy ending.

Besides, who lives truly happily ever after anymore?

~ End ~

Written 2003