GORDON'S GIRL
by
Gail Gardner

Prologue
Jeff Tracy smiled indulgently at the raucous sounds of laughter coming from the den. Everyone was still bubbly and enthusiastic from Virgil's and Marie's wedding yesterday.(See Island of Danger) Fate had lent a kind hand and no rescues had interrupted the occasion. The happy couple had already departed for their honeymoon that morning. The boys were cleaning out the last of the wedding goodies in an impromptu aprés wedding party.

"So where do you think they went for their honeymoon?" Alan asked and popped two cream puffs into his mouth at once making his cheeks bulge out like a squirrel.

"D-definitely not H-Hawaii." Brains delicately manouvered a whole bowl of candied almonds closer. He successfully deflected a grab by Scott to share the delicacies.

"African safari?" John piped up from the vid console. He had his feet up and a smear of icing from the piece of cake he was eating decorated his upper lip. He had come down for the wedding, but had returned almost immediately to Thunderbird 5, taking with him a rather lion size share of the leftovers, or so his brothers complained.

"Hey you got wedding cake and a hole." Alan protested.

"I saved mine and didn't bolt it immediately."John licked his fork meaningfully. "What hole?"

"In your sock." Scott crept a hand closer to the sugared almonds.

"In your dr-dreams." Brains snarled and clutched the bowl of almonds closer.

"Well, it probably doesn't matter where they are." John waved his fork philosophically. A clump of icing floated off towards the floor in the low gravity. "They aren't going to be sightseeing."

This remarks provoked some chortles among the brothers.

"What will they be doing?" Alan asked innocently. The pause and stare he got from his brothers and Brains enabled him to snag the last piece of pecan pie. He threw a few more cream puffs on top to garnish it.

"Hasn't anyone told this kid about the birds and the bees yet?" Gordon considered grabbing the plate from his brother, but settled for a brownie.

"Hmmmphh. Ag know whas ther doin'" Alan protected his property by taking a big mouthful. "Magin us ungles."

"Th-they just g-got married yesterday. G-give them a little t-time." Brains tipped the bowl of almonds into his pocket.

"Hey! Foul! No fair taking food off the table. Put it back.!"Scott yelled.

"Don't bother. Do you really want it with all of Brains' pocket lint?" Gordon said and pushed over a bowl of mints to the frustrated Scott.

"Tho, whoth next?"Alan asked.

"Don't talk with your mouth full!" Scott scolded and grabbed the rest of the pie sitting in front of Alan.

"Whose next, what?" John considered the plate before him, the selection seemed to be dwindling, but it was only himself on Thunderbird 5.

"Getting m-married of c-course." Brains blew the lint off a sugar almond and popped it into his mouth. "P-pity Marie is an orphan. If she had s-sisters." Brains had been given the honor of giving away the bride, a role he took great pleasure and seriousness.

"Tin Tin caught the bouquet."John mentioned.

"She was the only single woman there, who else was gonna catch it?" Scott took a mint and was tossing it up in the air and catching it with his mouth.

"Not that Alan is going to do anything about it for a while. He's too young." Gordon pointed a fork at his youngest brother.

"I'm a lot older than you were when you and Char..." Alan began hotly.

.Gordon looked pale and green, all of a sudden, and Scott didn't think it had to do with the amount of food he'd been consuming.

"What's this?" Scott looked at his two younger brothers suspiciously

"Shut up Alan." Gordon hissed.

"You are always harping on how young I am and picking on me. I was four hours in that banana suit. Gordon was barely out of school and he..."

"I said shut up Alan!" Gordon got out of his seat and was leaning dangerously across the table.

"Hey Gordie!" John's voice echoed over the speaker rather tinnily. "Cool down."

"Okay, okay. I won't say anything more." Alan held up his hands in surrender. Gordon was usually easy going, but an angry Gordon was not a pretty sight.

"Oh sure. Like you weren't the one who ratted on us. No one else knew Alan. I trusted you with my biggest secret and you told her father." Gordon was truly steaming by now. Scott and Brains had risen to their feet to intercept.

"I didn't. I swear! I wouldn't do that Gordon! I wouldn't!" Alan looked close to tears.

Jeff raised his head up from the newspaper. Years of fatherly instinct kicked in. The tones coming from the den sounded menacing. What now? He got to the door just in time to see Gordon lunge across the table at his younger brother with Scott and Brains trying to hold him back. This was more serious than a squabble over a last cupcake.

"What's going on here?" He tried his best fatherly tone. He was unprepared for the look of total rage on Gordon's face as he faced him.

"Proud of Virgil are you father?" He struggled against his brother and the scientist. "The first Tracy boy to get married. I hope his marriage lasts longer than mine did. But, then you and Judge Jones made sure it didn't." He shrugged away from the hands holding him. "Aw just leave me be." He growled and stalked out onto the dark balcony.

Scott made to follow, but was stopped by his father's hand. "Give him a little space, Scott."

"I didn't mean to upset him." Alan sniffed unhappily. "I thought he was over it. He never talks about her."

"I know son." Jeff looked unhappily at the shadowy figure leaning over the balcony rail. "Under the circumstances, I'm not surprised that this brought up bad memories."

"Will someone for Pete's sake tell me what is happening?" John was trying to peer around the room within the confines of the camera.

"I th-think we sh-should know." Brains looked at Scott who nodded.

Jeff sighed. "A week after his graduation from high school Gordon got married."