SUMMARY: Fa-la-la-la-la ha-ha-ha-ha! Other than April Fools, Christmas is the red-haired Tracy's favourite holiday. A time for family, presents and food, yes, but most importantly it's a time for festive pranks! Movieverse oneshot especially for the festive season, enjoy!

[Did you all sing the title like I did? Hehe! Just because I couldn't resist some cheesy Christmas cheer! XD Merry Christmas to you all, I hope it's a good one!]

'Tis the Season to be Gordon

"GORDON COOPER TRACY!"

The sound of his eldest brother shouting the house down was music to his ears as he made his way outside. Usually the use of all three names was something to be terrified about in the Tracy household. But this time Gordon, who was just about to head into the pool, was instead doubled up with laughter having known the precise reason for Scott's fury. After all, it had been his doing.

There was just five days to go until Christmas. Their home on the South Pacific island was covered in decorations, tinsel, paper chains, multi-coloured festive lights and more than one Christmas tree. Gordon did miss the snow they used to be guaranteed every year back in Kansas; missed the snowball fights and the opportunity to build a snowman (yes, even at twenty years of age!). But the perks of living on a tropical island meant absolutely no crazy weather adaptations, other than the odd freak storm. In Kansas they'd been regularly vulnerable to tornadoes, flash floods, and heavy snow during the winter meaning pranks weren't exactly appreciated under the circumstances.

But here on Tracy Island he had free reign to set up pranks whenever he so pleased, much to the distaste of the rest of the family, other than Alan who was always eager to help.

Gordon's pranks were a fairly common occurrence, if he was in the right mood and International Rescue weren't required left, right and centre. He loved his role within IR, don't get him wrong, but rescues over Christmas often put a slight damper on the atmosphere of the island depending on their outcome, hence why Gordon set up his pranks as a bit of festive cheer.

Last Christmas had been rather hectic, even for the aquanaut who's Thunderbird was a mini-sub, as the entire team had nearly always been required due to the sheer scales of the catastrophes. Subsequently, Gordon had been an active member of the team on nearly every rescue, from avalanches (which always did require comic relief afterwards) and a magnitude 8 earthquake to rail disasters and road tunnels collapsing. So far this festive season they'd been called out just twice in the last three and a half weeks. Ever since the events of Spring Break where the world had been without contact with IR for several weeks while Five was brought back online, and had had to learn to cope on their own, they really were only called out to very extreme emergencies that local authorities were absolutely certain they couldn't handle alone.

But back to the present, five days till Christmas meant four days for four particularly extra special pranks (he called it quits on Christmas day) to pull on his beloved brothers. As Scott was the eldest, Gordon only felt it right that he be the first to suffer the prankster's mischievous ways he had planned for the holiday. All of his brothers had been on the continuous receiving end of the aquanaut's jokes and pranks since they could remember, but that didn't ever stop Gordon from thinking up creative new ideas every time.

As the pilot came crashing through onto the patio the prankster merely adopted a look of innocence and smiled as he asked, "What's up, dear brother?" barely holding in his laughter as he took in Scott's appearance.

He'd been down in the silos for most of the morning seeing to a mechanical fault on One and Gordon may or may not have taken advantage of that by hooking up a huge bucket of slime to the ceiling above TB1 silo's tunnel door. Upon opening when Scott chose to re-emerge, the blue slime (coloured the colour of his flight suit and 'Bird) had cascaded over him. So now Scott stood before him grubby and dirt-stricken with remnants of blue slime dripping off every inch of his skin and hair. That, coupled with the look of pure annoyance, made Gordon guffaw.

"Gordon, I think you know what's up," he growled, gesturing to his blue splattered self.

"Sorry, Scotty. First of the big festive week! Better watch ya back from now on, yeah?" he said through his laughter.

In response, Scott merely shoved the aquanaut into the pool.

Before he surfaced, he was joined by another body who too had been thrown unceremoniously into the water. Breaking the surface he discovered it was Virgil, who was in fits of laughter between fits of coughing up water.

"Care to repeat that Virg?" Scott asked quietly, hands on his hips and eyebrows raised.

"Yeah!" Virgil gasped in-between laughs, not fazed in the slightest. "You can totally rock the smurf look bro!" Gordon laughed along with him, punching their fists together. When they looked back up at their eldest brother however, he had a dangerous smirk lurking on his face as he glanced first at Gordon and then back at Virgil.

"Okay, you can laugh, Virg. Just as long as you know Gordy's coming for you next!"

Virgil looked at Gordon with an expression of horror. "You wouldn't!"

"Oh I would!" Gordon quipped, smirking back at Scott. Before yelping as Scott jumped, fully clothed and covered in slime, into the pool taking the aquanaut under with him.

When they surfaced, Scott ruffled Gordon's hair as the redhead scowled. "You had to jump in didn't you and muck up my baby?!"

Scott and Virgil couldn't answer however, as they couldn't stop laughing.

"Morning all!" Gordon greeted the table cheerfully at breakfast the following morning.

"Gordon." Dad nodded back at him, swallowing his sip of coffee. "Why so cheery?"

He shrugged, grinning. "What's wrong with being cheery? It's nearly Christmas guys! You're all so scroogey!"

"Dad, Gordy's started his extra-special Christmas pranks. Got Scotty good and proper yesterday while you were on the mainland," Alan chipped in with a chuckle.

"Ah, so that explains why Virgil's still a no-show then?" the Tracy patriarch smiled knowingly, watching as the redhead was served beans and sausages on toast by Onaha. "Just remember, Gordo, as long as it's nothing life-threatening or causes damage to this house or any of your brothers you're free to do as you so please."

"Gords will find a way to get him anyway, won't you?" Scott grinned suggestively at him.

"You bet, big brother! Though thanks to you, it's just got a whole lot harder," he said, glaring at the pilot.

Scott merely shrugged before chuckling. "I'm entitled to protect my brothers from your mischievous ways if I so wish."

"Ah-ah, you'll see. I'll still get him!"

"Is that why Johnny's still stuck up on Five, Scotty?" Alan asked innocently with a cheeky grin.

Scott paled, his breakfast of sausages and scrambled egg forgotten as he instantly rose from the table. "I'm on it. Come with me sprout."

Gordon snorted. Looking at the clock, Scott should have left nearly an hour ago to collect their missing brother.

"Why don't you get Virg to go? Perfect opportunity for Gordon."

"Are you kidding sprout?" Gordon asked incredulously. "That's like a spider inviting a fly to its web for a friendly chat accompanied with tea and biscuits! It so wouldn't work! Being obvious is so not my style!"

"Fine, I'll go with Scott then to get Johnny," Alan huffed.

Leaving them to it, Gordon headed off to his room to focus on Virgil. Thanks to Scott's accidental heads up the medic was purposefully avoiding his red-haired brother and keeping himself abnormally confined to his bedroom. Virgil was the more serious of the Tracy boys, not completely appreciating the light-hearted meaning behind Gordon's pranks, but even so Virgil seemed even more excited than Gordon sometimes at the prospect of Christmas. It meant the artist was able to spend hours at a time playing Christmas pieces on his piano.

Knowing he'd never see daylight again if he even thought about touching Virgil's piano or the studio, or even Two, Gordon knuckled down thinking of a suitable show. He was considering collaring Alan in to help, calling him up in Five to get some ideas, when his brain managed to think up something spectacular. If he couldn't get the middle Tracy to emerge from his room for fear of being targeted then he would have to be stealthy and pull something off from the outside, therefore waiting around and biding his time until the moment came. After all, Virg would have to emerge to visit the bathroom, or for meals when his growling stomach became too unbearable. That was when The Mighty Gordon Tracy would strike.

After grabbing essentials from his prank stash under his bed, plus his wireless speakers and remote, Gordon waited on the balcony outside Virgil's windows. Each Tracy had doors at the rear of their rooms that led to a long-stretch balcony outside that stretched the length of the house. His immediate older brother had foolishly (but thankfully for Gordon) left them open, allowing Gordon a perfect view inside without being seen himself.

After what felt like an age, Virgil finally stopped playing his keyboard (his grand piano was in the music studio) and left the room. Gordon assumed it was to greet John, having heard Three coming in to land seconds before. But his time had come and he set to work quickly, not entirely sure how long Virgil would be out of the room.

First thing he did was to hide his portable speakers well out of sight in the room, taking care to set them on maximum volume. Back in his room and the stereo, was a playlist of chart hits and Christmas classics, two genres Virgil detested, the artist must preferring classical composers from centuries ago to modern pop and rock beats. From the safety of his own room he could freely annoy his middle brother whenever he accidentally pressed the play button on his remote and music would be blasted out of the speakers in the room two doors down from his.

For something slightly less loud he rigged up a confetti canon above the door, meaning Virgil would be showered in glitter and shiny festive confetti whenever he opened his door. Given Virgil's gelled up sweep of hair, the glitter was sure to get stuck and annoy him for days.

Having completed his handiwork, the prankster hurried back out of the rear doors and back to his own room before heading in the direction of Command and Control as if nothing had happened. Having only arrived a minute or so late, his absence hadn't really been noticed. He greeted John warmly, having not seen his second eldest brother in person for a few weeks since the last supply run.

Scott has once suggested them all taking turns up on the space station to allow John more time down on the island, but the space monitor had refused on the grounds that they all had their own specific IR craft they were trained to pilot and he was the only qualified astronaut in the family other than dad. That, and Gordon knew John knew none of his brothers would willingly put themselves up on the tin-can for weeks on end unless they desperately had to. Especially after Spring Break where they all nearly died on the station when the systems had been out of their control. But times like these, Christmas and other weeks during the year Five was put on automatic to allow John sometime back on Earth with the family, if Brains wasn't up himself adding updates to the advanced software.

After the welcoming committee had dispersed, Alan badgered Gordon into telling him what he'd set up for Virgil, if anything. In response, the swimmer simply dragged him into his room, grabbed the remote control and pressed play. Even from two doors down the sudden sound was quite deafening, meaning they couldn't hear Virgil's tell-tale shout of "GORDON!" Alan was practically rolling on the floor in laughter as Santa Baby thumped through the house.

Gordon immediately pressed pause before chucking the remote into his trashcan quickly for the sake of hiding it out of sight. Not a moment too soon as the artist himself barged through the door with a deadpan expression, made even more comical by the flickers of multi-coloured glitter visible against his highlighted hair, some settled on his shoulders. Alan beside him sniggered seeing the green reindeer stuck to his forehead.

"You got me bro, good one," Virgil said with a slight smile. Gordon grinned back, knowing he was going to cause constant annoyance for his brother for the rest of the day until he found the speakers.

"Love the new festive hair, Virg!" Alan laughed, but Virgil ignored him. He leaned against the doorframe with a smirk on his face. "So, who's next?"

"Johnny-boy."

Gordon thought John was the easiest to get out of his two other brothers so far, though Gordon put it down to the fact that the astronaut was very easy going and laidback and so was probably handing himself over to the redhead, allowing him to do what he so desired.

The day had begun with a rather grumpy Virgil who'd woken with the world's worst headache thanks to the prankster's musical joke the day before. Virgil's mood didn't get any better when International Rescue were called out to a sinking cruise ship in the Caribbean, meaning Gordon had had to double crew with him in Two. But by the time they were on their way home, Virgil had brightened a bit more knowing they'd saved numerous families from being torn apart for Christmas and had conversed happily with Gordon on the flight back about what he could do for John's festive prank.

The prankster knew the two favourite pastimes of their second eldest brother whenever he came down from Five were reading and napping, if he didn't have his eyes down a telescope. So when Gordon stumbled upon him sleeping with a book on his chest on a lounger down by the pool later that afternoon, he took his chance.

From his stash he pulled out a bottle of squirty cream, some art feathers and washable marker pens. First, he doodled space-related things onto his brother's forehead, including the earth and Thunderbird Five. Then on his left cheek drew a Christmas tree and on his right cheek drew Thunderbird Four for his signature. Gordon was quite astonished that John didn't even twitch as he carried out his rather artistic prank; his brother either deep in sleep or just incredibly tolerant.

Finally to finish, he squirted the whipped cream into both of his brother's hands that were by his sides. Activating his wrist-com he quietly asked his other brothers to meet him outside by the pool. Once they'd gathered he sprinkled a few feathers onto John's face to wake him as the four of them stood laughing. It had the desired effect though; as John stirred he brought his hands up to his face to rub the sleep from his eyes but instead getting a face full of squirty cream.

Gordon was in hysterics as John sat up, the cream on his face resembling Father Christmas's beard.

"Cheers, Gordo, I've always wanted to grow a beard!" the astronaut laughed before gesturing for them all to step closer. Alan though gave Gordon an extra shove forward so he was next to John and the platinum blonde dragged him onto the lounger before splatting one cream-covered hand right into his face like a custard-pie-in-the-face act, sending them all into uncontrollable giggles.

The next day was Christmas Eve and the sprout's turn to be caught unawares. John had removed most of the doodles from his face; just most of Five was left on his forehead no matter how hard he scrubbed.

Alan, much like Virgil, made a show of avoiding his immediate older brother, sticking close to Fermat and Tin-Tin and even disappearing off with them for most of the day. Funny how the youngest Tracy loved helping Gordon prank any other of their brothers but when it came to himself he ran a mile.

Still, it made for an interesting game of cat and mouse.

Fermat and Tin-Tin, knowing full well what what going on, actually managed to help Gordon corner the fifteen-year-old out in the jungle.

Down by the junkyard was a tap connected to a hosepipe, used for scrubbing down any junk metal before it was then recycled. Gordon pulled out the different coloured dye bombs he'd brought with him and made himself comfortable, merely waiting for the return of his brother's friends hopefully with his brother.

When Fermat and Tin-Tin arrived with the target as promised, Gordon activated the hosepipe and placed the dyes into the jet of water, spraying Alan with coloured water. Blues, greens pinks and oranges all hit Alan successfully, staining his exposed legs and arms and his blond hair. Then commenced another cat and mouse chase, as Alan made off for the house laughing his head off with glee. Dodging through the trees armed with a hosepipe was quite tricky for the Gordon, who ended up splashing himself and Fermat and Tin-Tin as they gave chase.

When Tin-Tin eventually caught up with Alan and pretty much rugby-tackled him to the floor, Alan gave up running but Gordon had long ago abandoned the hosepipe. Instead they all stood staring at the state of one another before cracking up, Fermat placing a Santa hat on his best friend and making Alan look like a Christmas fairy.

Back at the house half an hour later John had begged to get a picture of the ridiculous state Alan was in and the roars of laughter lasted well into the evening when it was discovered the sprout couldn't actually wash the multi-coloured dye from his hair.

Christmas Day came and went in spectacular Tracy style. Presents were exchanged and opened, thanks were given with many laughs all-round. Kyrano and Onaha had prepared a magnificent Christmas feast for everyone and after their bellies were well and truly satisfied the boys gathered by Virgil's piano to sing a selection of Christmas carols. The atmosphere of the island was magical, and Gordon felt like he'd never loved his family more.

As the night began to draw in, Gordon failed to notice the absence of his four brothers from the house as he headed down to the beach. He did this every year, looking up at the sky and making sure he spared a moment alone with his mom.

It was Scott who found him an hour later and they talked a little as they headed back up to the house. Upon coming up the steps by the pool Gordon was bodily seized by his all of his brothers, including Scott who now had an idiotic grin on his face, and carried back up towards the patio.

Gordon should have seen it coming: payback. He struggled as hard as he could to get free but it was futile, Scott's iron-grip on his legs prevented him from moving. Looking up at all of his brothers they all had a mischievous look about them.

"Er, guys? Care to explain why I'm not capable of walking by myself?" he croaked, voice strained slightly in the position he was currently in.

"A prank of our own on you, Gords," Virgil grinned.

"Everyone ready?" Alan shouted.

"On three. One. Two. THREE!" John counted.

Gordon grimaced before bracing himself as he left their grip, splashing into the swimming pool. But there was something different about it as he cleared the water out of his eyes. There was a flowery smell, something like lavender that stung his nostrils and looking around, his beautiful swimming pool was covered in bubbles.

Bath bubbles.

Looking at his siblings with an expression of mock horror before they all dissolved into laughter, Gordon milked his moment of attention by lying on his back and beginning to swim around backwards.

"Haha look, the fish is taking a bath!" Alan snorted, cracking his brothers up even more.

"Merry Christmas, Gordon!" they all chorused, before jumping in and commencing splashing him while their laughter echoed around the island.

Even if the prankster was miffed they'd messed with the pool it was forgotten as he enjoyed their company. Doubled up with laughter as he witnessed Scott chuck Alan across the water, Gordon was certain of one thing.

He absolutely loved Christmas!