I decided to try and re-write this chapter after a harsh-but-fair review I recieved. I find the cirticism great and looking back, I can completely see where I went wrong. Allthough I am putting my own spin on things, I would be happy if said reviewer would be slightly more polite when reviewing in such ways, manners get people quite far, and refering to people's characters and storys as "Dishrags" is rather harsh, and a touch of respect wouldn't go un-noticed. Thanks x And i hope you enjoy the edited chapter :)

Also, if said person is reading this, a friend of mine would like you to review her Harry Potter fanfic, ChillyM.

Hard Times

Jeff Tracy sat solemnly in his office chair, staring out at the flame coloured sunset.

"Its been 2 weeks, Brains..." He spoke, after a long silence.

"Yes, sir." Brains replied, his stutter ever present.

"Has there been any news?" Jeff looked hopefully up at his engineer and best friend, searching his eyes for even the slightest glimpse of hope.

"I'm afraid not..." Brains stuttered, wiping a stray tear from the corner of his eye. Two, very long, weeks ago Alan and Fermat were kidnapped, as they made their way towards the train station, heading to the agreed upon rendezvous point, where Lady Penelope awaited them. Jeff Tracy had every search party possible looking for the two boys... But so far, there was no sign of them.

A few moments later, there was an incoming call from Thunderbird 5.

"John, how are you?" Jeff spoke, attempting to hide the tears sliding down his cheeks.

"I'm fine Dad, has there been any news?" he asked, leaning back into his chair and pressing a few of the many buttons positioned in front of him.

"Afraid not John." Jeff's eyes did not make contact with his son's, they wondered around the familiar room, ever changing their gaze.

"Don't worry, Dad. We'll find them. If only you would let me come down and..." John began before being interrupted.

"No, John. We need you to be up there for now. Maybe in a few days." Jeff sent his son a smile before wishing him a good night's sleep, and ended the transmission.

"Mr. Tracy?" Brains asked, standing in the doorway. Jeff simply looked over at him before standing up. He knew what he had to do. Walking slowly down the staircase, Jeff Tracy searched for words in which to tell the boys, encouragement? Reassurance? Plain truth? It was hard, very hard. He took a deep breath before walking into the lounge, where he found his remaining sons sat closely next to each other, along the sofa positioned facing the glass wall. Each of them had a cheerless expression composed upon their face which brightened up slightly when their father sat opposite them.

"Has there been any news, Dad?" Virgil asked, not making eye contact. Jeff sighed in an attempt to hold back fighting tears.

"No." was his simple and straight answer.

"Now what?" asked Scott, straightening himself up from his sloughed position.

"We wait." Jeff's answer was swift and meaningful. He did not need to say any more. "Lady Penelope will be on her way over shortly, if you wish to invite any personal friends, girlfriends or whoever over, please feel free to do so, they will offer you comfort in this time of difficulty." And with that, Jeff walked, slowly, back into his office, where he would remain until news passed his ears.

The boys immediately began to ring girlfriends in which they had never invited over before, and flew off to pick them up in Thunderbird 2. Jeff watched as the large, green machine disappeared into the distance. He turned on the monitor to his computer and began flicking through contacts,he knew of only one person to ring.

"John." Jeff said. "Sorry, did I wake you?"

"Not at all, Dad. I'm keeping an eye on that volcano in Hawaii." He smiled.

"Pack your bags and put Thunderbird 5 into hibernation. Be ready in an hour." Jeff spoke, putting his boots on.

"Why, Dad?" John asked, frowning.

"I'm coming to pick you up. The boys have took Thunderbird 2 in order to pick up their girlfriends, so I thought since I do not have one, I'll pick up my loner of a son." Both laughed at the statement.

"Hey, I'm not a loner. Can't exactly have house party's up here now can I?" After a few more moments of talking, the transmission ended, and Jeff was on his way towards Thunderbird 5 in Thunderbird 3.

Just under an hour later, Jeff Tracy had docked at Thunderbird 5 and was helping John load his suitcases into Thunderbird 3.

"Been up to anything interesting John?" Jeff asked, trying to lighten the mood.

"You mean apart from being worried sick and being unable to help?" The rhetorical question stung Jeff's ears, but he couldn't help but understand where John was coming from. Thunderbird 5 let out its final warning alarm before it went into hibernation, by which time, Thunderbird 3 was already halfway back to earth.

"So, what's the plan, Dad?" John asked, breaking the difficult silence between them.

"First of all, we have to keep the boys in line, since their girls are going to be around. Secondly, we have to remain positive an try and suss this whole situation out, and thirdly..." Jeff stopped mid sentence, and sighed. "Thirdly... we need to find them." John nodded in agreement before letting out a small laugh.

"You let them bring their girlfriends to the island?" John was clearly amused by the idea.

"Afraid so, any type of support will be useful to them at the moment, John... Maybe you should try and come down more often, you never know, you may even take someone back up there with you." John reaction to this was a small huff.

"Since when do we talk about my love-life?" He asked, before letting out a light-hearted laugh. "I'd rather be on my own up there, maybe said mystery girl will come along eventually..."

"Tracy Island approaching, you might want to hold on John" Jeff interrupted, as they broke through the layer of cloud to reveal the island.

John was greeted by his brothers and introduced to each girlfriend in turn, while his father took his bags to his room. He missed the peace an quiet already, but he was needed down here, Alan needed him, and so did Fermat.

"Lady Penelope's estimated arrival time is around 6 tomorrow morning. So I suggest you all get some sleep, its almost midnight." Jeff smiled and said goodnight to each of his sons. All but one.

"John, what are you still doing up?" He asked, sitting down next to him by the pool.

"Cant sleep." he replied, dangling his feet into the water.

"Don't feel left out, John. You'll find someone when your ready. Anyway, on another subject, Lady Penelope is bringing Kya along." Jeff stated, also dangling his feet into the warmth of the pool.

"Who?" John had never heard of this Kya person before, his father had never mentioned her in any of his transmissions, and neither had Lady Penelope.

"Kya. Lady Penelope adopted her at the age of 12. Remember? I swear I told you about her." Jeff looked confused at John when he shook his head. " Remember last year? With everything to do with The Hood?"

"How could I forget?" John interrupted, receiving a glare from his father.

"Anyway, he killed her parents, Lily and Ben Jones, who, at the time, were very close friends of Lady Penelope. Therefore it was only natural for her to adopt poor Kya when the time came. Other details are irrelevant. You never know, maybe you'll get alone with her, she is only a year younger than you, and likes her space." John merely smiled to acknowledge what his father had said before retiring to his room for the remainder of the night. The search for Alan and Fermat was going up a notch tomorrow.

Noise from Virgil's bedroom kept John awake for some time. The laughing easily passed through the walls. John missed the peace and quiet of Thunderbird 5 already, but his duty was to find Alan and Fermat. With that thought, he turned over, pulled the pillow over his ears, and drifted off to sleep.