Title: The Jumper

Summary: TRACY SISTER! When Avalon Tracy sees a young man about to take his own life on the Golden Gate Bridge she stops to talk to him – try and stop him. As they talk she realizes that he is a lot like her brothers. All of them.

Disclaimer: I do not own Thunderbirds. Never will.

A/N: NO FLAMES! Not accepted.

2nd A/N: I realize that I am talking a tough problem right now. Suicide. But I am up to the challenge and I'm hoping that it seems as realistic as possible. Also I'm not sure if you can walk the Golden Gate Bridge.


AGES: Scott – 22; John – 20; Virgil & Avalon – 18; Gordon – 16; Alan – 14.


It was a sunny afternoon and as Avalon Tracy looks back on it now – she realizes that it was irony for how her afternoon really turned out…

Avalon had stopped over in San Francisco to pick up a last minute present for her brother, Scott's, birthday. She was walking the Golden Gate Bridge when she spotted someone who seemed to be sitting on the railing. As she got closer she realized that they were standing on the outside of the bridge…as if contemplating letting go. She came up beside them and just stood there, providing a presence but not saying anything.

"Are you going to try and talk me out of it?" He asked.

"Well, no. Because if you've decided then it's your choice, but stay a while longer. Talk to me." She said.

"Have you ever done something and then realized how stupid it really was?" He asked.

"Many times." She replied.

"Ever wanted to kill yourself for it?" He asked, now leaning back against the railing.

"I've wanted the ground to swallow me whole…but…no." She laughed softly.

"Well how about messing up the best thing that ever happened to you?" He asked. Ava frowned and thought about it. He reminded her slightly of Alan – he had the same blonde hair and that same beautiful azure eyes. He was also maybe a little naïve, she didn't want him to kill himself so – yes she was going to try and talk him down. But right now she was watching him.

"How did you ruin it?" She asked, "If you don't mind me asking." She waited and he relaxed against the railing.

"My marriage is over. I was trying to make it work. But I know he hasn't been happy for a long time. And that scares me, I think he was just looking for a reason." He said.

"Your husband has left you?" She asked, not letting the oddness of the situation get to her, she wanted him to know that the fact his marriage had been to another man didn't bother her.

"Yeah. He said that he felt like he was more of a brother to me than a lover." He said.

"Oh I'm sorry." Ava said. He turned to look at her and look in his eyes reminded her of Scott. Scott had steel blue eyes but the look he gave her told her that he was glad he had someone who would listen and not be judgemental.

"You married?" He asked.

"No, but I was almost. When I was 16, my boyfriend at the time asked me to marry him. I knew his parents didn't like me and I was still a kid. I had to refuse and then I found out three weeks later he had terminal cancer and that was why he wanted to marry me. He wanted someone other than his parents to get some of his possessions. He died just a week after I found out." Ava said.

"I'm sorry. He must have loved you a lot." He said.

"He did and I adored him. He gave me this." Ava tugged her necklace out from under her shirt, the man looked over at it. "This would have been my engagement right had I accepted. He told me to keep it. And he hoped that one day I would find someone who could give me the love that he thought he never gave me. I was there when he passed." She said.

"His parents let you be there?" He asked.

"Yes. Actually he told him that I had to be there. I was the love of his life. I held his hand and when he told me abought the ring…I," Ava paused here to take a deep breath, "I told him that he gave me all the love I could ever want. I adored him so much and I couldn't have asked him for anything more than what he gave me. We gave our virginity to each other. We gave everything to each other. I found out just two months later that I was pregnant with his son. A child I named after him. James. He's 2 and wants to know what happened to his father. What do I tell him?" Avalon asked, pretending not to notice that through her story the man had climbed back over the railing and was standing next to her.

"The truth. You tell him the truth. He deserves the truth." He said. Avalon smiled at him. That was something John would say, while running a hand through his platinum hair.

"Well, let me tell you this. If your husband didn't appreciate you like you deserve then he wasn't the best person for you. There'll be another man who'll love you like you deserve to be loved." He smiled at her.

"You said you weren't going to talk me down." He said.

"I didn't. I didn't tell you not to jump did I? I simply told you all about my son and the father of my child." She said still smiling. When he smiled back at her she could Gordon's smile in there. Cheeky but still warming.

"I'm Avalon Tracy, by the way." She said, holding out her hand.

"You said your son, James, was named after his father? I was named after my great-grandfather. Virgil." He said shaking her hand.

"Virgil? My brother's name is Virgil!" She grinned widely. He laughed and they both smiled a little wider.

"Thank-you Avalon. For stopping me from doing something really stupid. If you hadn't come along, I would've jumped and then I wouldn't have met you and I wouldn't be seeing tomorrow. You truly are something special." Virgil said with a smile again.


"So you saved this guy's life?" John asked as he and Ava shared a coffee late in the afternoon of Scott's birthday.

"Yeah. As I spoke to him he seemed to encapsulate each of you guys in some way." Avalon said as she sipped her drink.

"And his name was Virgil right?" John asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Right but that wasn't the part of Virgil he possessed. When we said goodbye to each other had gave me a thankful look – you know how Virgil does? The exact same." Ava said, "He was naïve like Alan, he had Scott's steel blue gaze, he had Gordon's smile! And you…well he was like you in a lot of ways. He told me that I should tell James the truth about his father. That he deserves it. That is what you told me when he first started to ask, do you remember?" John nodded he sure did. It had shaken Ava up when he boyfriend had died, not to mention when she discovered she was pregnant with his child. In truth she had been a bit lost.

"Well, sounds like you're a regular hero. Dad would be so proud." John said getting to his feet.

"Where you going?" She asked.

"Back up to five. Why?" He replied turning to face her.

"Take these with you. I made them this morning. I saved these ones just for you." Avalon pushed a container into his hands, he could tell it contained freshly baked cookies. Ones that actually tasted like cookies.

"The others got the rest?" John asked.

"Yeah, although I told Alan and Gordon that Grandma made them." Ava grinned. John laughed and gratefully took the cookies with him back up to five.

"Ava?" She looked up to see Virgil looking for her holding an envelope.

"Hey Bro, what's up?" She said as he spotted her.

"This just came for you. Through Tracy Enterprises." Virgil said handing her the envelope. Ava didn't recognise the handwriting but when she opened she knew who it was from.

Dear Avalon,

You may not remember me. It's Virgil – from San Francisco? I just wanted to say that although it's only been 4 weeks I have found exactly who you said I would. Someone who appreciates me.

I hope you've been able to tell your son the truth about his father. Remember that he deserve to know what happened. And one day maybe you'll find the right one. Just keep your chin up and keep on smiling. Look at that I'm giving you the advice now.

Anyway, I'm really happy now and I've included a photo of me and my new man. Maybe you write back and tell me what you think! My address is at the bottom.

Thank-you once more for talking me down,

Forever in your debt,

The Jumper

The P.S. at the bottom was his address and as she looked at the photo she laughed. His 'New Man' was a golden Labrador. This wasn't going to break his heart, and yes would love him like he deserved. So all she had to do now was to tell her son what had happened to his father.