Sean arrived at the Plaza promptly at noon. He had spent the night in the city, took care of some of his own business in the morning, and strolled casually into the lobby of the hotel as clock outside hit twelve. Sean hadn’t visited his old friend Lisa since she’d taken the job at the hotel, so he had no idea where to find her. As he approached the front desk, Sean realized he recognized one of the clerks, and by the look of the man’s face, he recognized him too, so he made his way to that end of the desk quickly.

As he grew close, Sean saw the man’s eyes grow wide. Yes, Sean thought, he definitely recognizes me.

“Gen.. uh, I mean, Mr. Sandford, how can I help you, sir?” The man’s voice shook subtly as he glanced around him. The good thing about his own personal celebrity was that anyone who recognized him knew better than to make a scene in public.

“John, right?” Sean hoped he got the name right. He hated taking a guess and getting it wrong. Things like that were bad for morale.

“That’s right, sir.” The man was obviously elated that Sean knew him by name.

“I’m looking for Lisa Harrison’s office. We went to high school together, and she told me to drop by.”

“Ms. Harrison? I can show you to her office, sir.” The man seemed shocked to hear Sean say he went to high school with anyone. People didn’t usually think of Sean as having done anything as mundane as going to high school.

Sean followed John to the office, half relieved to see Lisa was too busy to corner him for long. He was anxious to see Taylor, and meet his brothers.

“So how’d you end up meeting Hanson?” Lisa asked as she handed him the key to the back door and a slip of paper with the Hansons’ room number.

“Long story.” Sean replied, “Well, not really that long, but I’ll tell you at dinner. How’s next Thursday night?”

“Works for me. And guard that key with your life!” Lisa gave him a hug.

Sean winked at her and did his best Han Solo impression. “Hey, it’s me!” he said, and waved as he left the office, quickly going to the elevator.

The elevator ride was endless. Sean continued to berate himself for getting so worked up in anticipation as he leaned against the back wall. Finally, the elevator opened up onto Hanson’s floor.

Sean chuckled to himself as he observed the hallway. Apparently this part of the hotel was home to a handful of suites. He could only see four doors in the long hallway; the one closest to the doorway was open. The setup was familiar, and pretty much what he has assumed he would find. Sean stuck his head in the open doorway and spoke to the three rather large men he’d fully expected to see in there. “Hello, no need to get up. I’m Sean Sandford. The Hansons should be expecting me.”

The largest of the three men stood up despite Sean’s cheery remark and approached. “Follow me.” He said as he left the room and knocked on the last door. “Taylor’s friend is here.”

The door opened and once again, Taylor stood before him, this time looking even more breathtaking, if that was possible. He was wearing jeans and a t-shirt again, just like on the plane, but Sean was sure he looked even better today than he had last week. “Come on in.” Taylor said, smiling as he stepped out of the way to allow them in.

Taylor’s father come over and shook his hand just as he came in the door. The fact that he was now in between Sean and the boys did not escape Sean’s attention. The large man from the other suite was still behind him, too. “Protective, “Sean thought, “That’s good.”

“I’m Walker, and this is my wife Diana. I guess you know who Isaac and Zac are.” Sean shook Diana’s hand, as she stepped closer.

“Nice meeting you.” He said as he waved to Isaac and Zack across the room. Diana stood next to her husband and it was now Walker, Diana and the bodyguard cornering Sean, keeping him very subtly away from the three younger men. Sean knew exactly what was going on and thoroughly approved. He used much the same technique when dealing with folks he didn’t quite trust but didn’t want to offend.

“So, Sean, where did you plan on taking the boys?” Diana asked in a friendly tone.

“Well, that’s up to them, really, I suppose. I know the city pretty well, so anything they’re interested in I’m sure I can dig up.” Sean gave a little grin, hoping to put the parents at ease. “I figure you can’t come to New York and not do at least one skyscraper, and I know a guy who works security at the World Trade Center. I’m sure he’d let us up top if you guys are interested.”

“Cool.” Zack responded right away.

“Hank works in the one that’s closed to tourists, so there’d be no lines or crowds or anything.” Sean added, noting the concern growing on Walker’s face. The assurance seemed to ease his mind a little.

“He said he’d let the boys up?” Walker asked, and Sean couldn’t help but notice the question seemed almost too casual, especially given the tension in the air the question caused. Apparently, this was a test. Sean, as always, answered truthfully. “I didn’t ask yet, but he’s always telling me if I’m around I should come by. His supervisor doesn’t mind the occasional guest so I figured I’d wait to see what the guys wanted to do before making any plans like that. Besides, I trust Harry, but there’s no point it giving advance warning, right? We can just go down there whenever and see if we can get in. Then there’s no chance word will leak out.” Sean gave his friendly grin again, and everyone in the room seemed to relax a bit. He assumed he’d passed the test.

“Besides that, if you guys are into art, we can hit some galleries down in SoHo. Not the same as the Met or the MoMA, but there’s some great stuff down there, and this time of day, they’re all usually empty. There’s also the Park, Rockefeller Center, Trump Tower, and all the stores on Fifth Avenue. Whatever you guys feel like doing. If I can figure out a way, we’ll do it.”

“How about lunch?” Zack asked with a devilish grin. “I’m starving.”

“Have you eaten yet, Sean?” Taylor asked, “We weren’t sure what was going on so we didn’t order lunch yet.”

“I didn’t eat either.” Sean said, pondering possibilities. “If you guys don’t mind being cooped up a little longer, why don’t we eat here, then head out? I know a lot of places around the Village, but not up here. None that I can promise you won’t cause a scene in, at least, and it’s silly to run all the way down there just for lunch.”

They family ordered lunch from room service and Sean spent the hour getting to know the rest of the family. He was amazed at how well adjusted they all seemed to be, and how well they all got along. He’d assumed that all the pressure of fame, plus being pretty much constantly together would drive them apart, but they all seemed to enjoy each other’s company. Of course, it could have just been an act because there was an “outsider” in their midst, but Sean wasn’t getting that vibe, and he hadn’t lived this long by being a poor judge of people.

By 1:30, Sean was wrestling with a heavy door in dire need of some oil and being followed by three carefully disguised teen idols. They stepped out of the passage into an alley about a block south of the Plaza, and Sean carefully shut and locked the door behind them. Spending lunch in the room had given Walker and Diana a chance to get to feel out Sean a little more, and they felt a lot better about entrusting their children to him. They even decided to have the bodyguard stay behind, trading that security for a little more anonymity. Their bodyguard was in plenty of pictures of the group, and he was large enough to be spotted by a drooling far well before the three boys. Lunch also gave Sean the chance to talk to Isaac and Zack. It was obvious to Sean that Isaac didn’t fully trust him, and he respected him all the more for it. Not that Isaac said anything directly, but he wasn’t quite as forthcoming as Zack and Taylor were, so Sean decided to leave well enough alone. Isaac would figure out eventually that he wasn’t planning anything devious. Zack, on the other hand, was far too excited about finally being able to get OUT to be concerned with possible bad consequences. Taylor just seemed to be anxious. Anxious to get out of the hotel, and anxious that his family like Sean.

The rest of the afternoon went by quickly. They had agreed to only be gone for five hours or so, and to stay within the general area of the hotel. Given the time of day, that was practical, and, Sean noted internally, would allow the boys to get back easily if he turned out to be a wacko. He, of course, didn’t, and the boys obviously had a good time seeing Central Park, Tiffany’s, and all the other mid-town sights they’d always been denied. Sean had even managed to get them into the Frick Collection, one of Manhattan’s smaller, though quite extraordinary, art museums. It was usually empty, and today was no exception. Here, Taylor truly impressed Sean with his knowledge of art and painting. He had obviously studied art to some length, and Sean couldn’t help but be attracted to the young man’s passion.

As they made their way back to the hotel, Sean mentioned Taylor’s obvious enjoyment of the museum.

“I love to paint and to draw when I’m not making music.” Taylor explained. “I guess it’s more of a hobby than music, since I do that all the time. But I love going to see exhibits and stuff. We played in Florence and I didn’t even get a chance to get to any of the museums. If things ever calm down enough I’d love to be able to just walk around all the galleries there. I keep hearing it’s amazing.”

“It really is. I was there for a few days when I was traveling around after school in Brussels ended. It’s like&ldots;” Sean searched for the words, “You’re standing in a room, and you’ve got two DaVinci’s hanging in front of you, to your right is something by Raphael, and behind you is a statue carved by Michelangelo, next to a Bottacelli. It’s incredible. By the time I got to Florence I’d already seen a lot of Europe. I’d looked at more paintings of Madonna and Child than I can possibly count, but then you see one by one of those guys, and it’s like&ldots; okay&ldots; now I KNOW why these guys are called the Masters.”

“Man” Taylor tilted his head back. “I’d love to be in that room.”

“It’s too bad I can’t get you into the Met somehow. They’ve got a great collection. I can just wander around there for days in awe, and I’m not nearly as knowledgeable about art as you are. You’d go nuts in there.”

“He probably would, too.” Isaac chimed in. He’d warmed up to Sean as the day passed and was willing to take him at face value now. “It’s a good thing we’ve got an excuse not to go there, or he’d already have dragged us through the place twice.” Isaac poked Taylor in the ribs.

Taylor ignored Isaac’s response, instead saying to Sean, “Have I mentioned my brother’s a cretin?”

Sean laughed as he led them into the hotel’s back door. “Well, to each his own, right?”

Sean stopped just before entering the elevator foyer. “Well, I guess you guys can find your way back to your room without a guide.”

“Oh.” Taylor said, realizing Sean was saying goodbye, and finding himself rather upset at leaving his company. “Well, why don’t you come up with us? We’re probably going to be ordering dinner in again, and you welcome to join us.” The other brothers quickly added their agreement.

“No, that’s okay. I’m sure the rest of your family would be more comfortable having dinner alone. Besides, I should be getting to the apartment anyway. Promised my friend I’d water the plants.” Sean wasn’t too anxious to leave the brothers, especially Taylor, who had consistently managed to become more attractive as they day went by, but didn’t want to be too pushy. There was the rest of the family to consider.

“How long are you going to be in the city?” Taylor asked.

“Oh, I don’t know&ldots; till I feel like going back to the Island, I guess. Rough life, being a student.” Sean chuckled.

“Well,” Taylor went on, hopeful, “We’ve got nothing going on tomorrow, would you mind showing us a little more of the city?” He hoped he sounded nonchalant, but was finding himself truly worried that he and Sean would never meet again.

“Sure.” Sean responded, uplifted. “If you guys aren’t sick of me yet.”

“Trust me,” Isaac chimed in, “You’re the best company we’ve had in a while.”

“Well, you guys are a lot of fun too, especially for stuck up celebrities.” Sean joked.

“And you’re pretty nice for a psychopath.” Zack retorted.

After a bit more joking around, the group decided to get together again, pending parental approval of course. The boys said they’d call Sean in the evening and let him know, and to figure out a time to head out.

Taylor called Sean a few hours after he got back to his apartment.

“Hi, Sean?” Taylor’s rich voice came over the line.

“Yep. Hi Taylor. So what’s the story?” Sean responded, trying to sound nonchalant.

“Well, my parents couldn’t believe we went all over and didn’t get recognized, so I guess they kind of trust you more. They said we could all go out again tomorrow, if you still want to.”

“Great. Any time constraints, or will you have all day?” Sean hoped they’d get more time, so he’d be able to show them some more of the city, instead of just sticking around the hotel.

“They said it’s up to you. If you think you can deal with us for the whole day, they’re happy to be rid of us.”

Sean gave a short laugh. “I think I can manage. We can head downtown then, and see some different places. Think you guys can be ready by 9 or so? It’s not the same as when it’s all lit up at night, but if we get to Times Square early enough, there won’t be many tourists or anything.”

“Sounds great.” Taylor sounded very eager to get and see more of the city.

“Okay, I’ll see you guys at nine then.”

“We’ll be here. And Sean, thanks a lot. I.. well, we all, really appreciate how great you’re being.” Taylor’s voice softened as he spoke.

“Don’t mention it.” Sean was never very graceful when it came to accepting thanks. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.” Taylor replied before hanging up.

Sean hung up and immediately picked up the phone again and dialed. He made a few arrangements and asked for a few favors before hanging up for the last time.