Hello! So, I was savagely attacked by a plot bunny this morning who would not accept that I was busy for an answer and refused to leave me be until he was on paper. This is my first one shot so I hope you all like it and I apologise in advance for the cheese and fluff.

Disclaimer: I think if I did own them everyone would know about it. But for the record, they still ain't mine. Also, the song used is Lullaby for a Stormy Night and it isn't mine either; that belongs to Vienna Teng and it should because her voice is a million times better than mine!

Virgil woke slowly; unsure as to what had pulled him from his sleep. He half cracked one eye open and checked his room which was devoid of life except himself. He had half expected to see Gordon making arrangements for his next prank. Virgil rolled over and tried to get comfy. A few seconds later his room lit with a flash which was gone as soon as it came. The fierce rumbled of thunder that followed was only half of the reason that Virgil was out of bed and across the room faster than the lightening. There was a howl audible over the thunder. Virgil pulled his door open and went in search of his crying sibling. He didn't have to look far. Scott's open door told Virgil where to head. The twenty one year old Scott was holding Alan on his hip and bouncing him gently trying to pacify the sobbing child. The ten year old blond was having none of it.

"Shhh, Allie, it's okay." Scott was saying.

"I don't like it!" Alan wailed. "Make it stop."

Virgil walked over to his brothers. Scott turned around at the sound of footsteps and he met Virgil's gaze with desperation and pain in his eyes. Jeff was away on business overnight and Scott was clearly at his wits end of soothing his distraught little brother.

"Hey Allie," Virgil said gently so as not to startle the child. "What's the matter?"

"Mommy won't stop crying." Alan sobbed. "I don't like it! It's noisy!"

Virgil sent a gobsmacked look with his eldest brother. That explained the pain in Scott's eyes, but where on earth had Alan got the idea that it was their mother?

"What do you mean Allie?" Virgil asked softly.

"Scotty said that the rain is the angels crying and Johnny said that Mommy went to be an angel to look after us. But mommy must be really sad because she won't stop crying and then it's all loud!"

Before Virgil could stop it a lone tear rolled down his face. Oh how to explain? Once again Scott and Virgil exchanged glances but now the pain was shining from both sets of eyes. Virgil thought back to when he was little and he was scared of the storms. Lucy would come into his room and take him by the hand and would lead him to the piano where she would set him in her lap and play until he fell asleep. Normally John and Scott would appear as well with the excuse that they wanted to make sure that Virgil was okay. It was only as an adult that Virgil would look back and know that the music soothed them too. They had all been scared of storms as children, well except Gordon but that kid was just weird that way, and they had only had the small storms of Kansas not the tropical furies like this storm. But it still gave Virgil an idea. Scott and Johnny had done their best to raise the younger three after Lucy's death and Jeff's resulting absence. It was his turn to do what he could for his younger sibling. And maybe his plan would be a balm to the pain in his own heart.

"Come with me, Allie." Virgil said holding out his hand to the youngest Tracy.

Scott put Alan down and the little blond grabbed hold of Virgil's hand like it was a life line.

"Where we goin', Virge?" He asked tearily but curious.

Virgil only smiled but did not answer. He led his youngest brother to the piano that had once belonged to Lucy. The same piano that he and his mother had sat at when he was just a little younger than Alan was now. Alan couldn't remember how beautiful his mother had played on those stormy nights and how her sweet soprano had chased the demons and the dark away until the storm was beautiful too.

Virgil lifted the lid of the piano and sat on the stool lifting Alan so that the little child was sat on his knee. Virgil played a warm up scale recalling the notes and the words of a song long ago pushed aside into the painful place where his mother was in his memory.

Virgil played the opening bars and took a deep breath.

"little child, be not afraid
though rain pounds harshly against the glass
like an unwanted stranger, there is no danger
I am here tonight"

Virgil hear Scott slight gasp and knew that his big brother was recalling previous storms too. He silently apologised to Scott with his eyes. Alan had stopped crying and had leant forward to watch the way Virgil's fingers danced across the keys.

"little child, be not afraid
though thunder explodes and lightning flash
illuminates your tear-stained face
I am here tonight

and someday you'll know
that nature is so
the same rain that draws you near me
falls on rivers and land
on forests and sand
makes the beautiful world that you'll see
in the morning

little child, be not afraid
though storm clouds mask your beloved moon
and its candlelight beams, still keep pleasant dreams
I am here tonight"

Virgil gently poked Alan in the ribs and he giggled.

"little child, be not afraid
though wind makes creatures of our trees
and their branches to hands, they're not real, understand
and I am here tonight

for you know, once even I was a
little child, and I was afraid
but a gentle someone always came
to dry all my tears, trade sweet sleep for fears
and to give a kiss goodnight"

Virgil's voice fought the tremor as he recalled for the first time in a long time the soft embrace of his mother's arms and the sweet smell of her perfume. A hand fell on his shoulder and he looked up into John's teary eyes. The two brothers exchanged watery smiles and Virgil continued with more strength.

"well now I am grown
and these years have shown
that rain's a part of how life goes
but it's dark and it's late
so I'll hold you and wait
'til your frightened eyes do close

and I hope that you'll know...

that nature is so
the same rain that draws you near me
falls on rivers and land
on forests and sand
makes the beautiful world that you'll see
in the morning

everything's fine in the morning
the rain'll be gone in the morning
but I'll still be here in the morning"

Virgil's hands came to a gentle stop on the keys. The tears slowly worked his way down his face. He glanced over his shoulder. Scott was sat of the sofa. Sometime whilst Virgil had been playing, Gordon had joined them too and was sat with his eyes closed and his head leaning on Scott's shoulder. Scott was slowly running his hand through Gordon's red hair. Both of them had slow tears running down their cheeks. John was stood in the bay windows, with his back to his brothers, watching the storm. John's shoulders were shaking and Virgil knew that John was also crying although silently.

Suddenly a little hand was wiping the tears from his face. He looked down and little Alan was biting his lip as he caught the tears.

"Don't cry, Virgie." He said softly. "It'll be okay."

Virgil was suddenly full of affection for his youngest brother and pulled him tightly in a hug. There was a little squeak as Virgil squeezed a bit too tightly and Scott laughed breaking the tension in the room.

"Easy, Virgil, the sprout still needs to breath." Scott said wiping the tears from his own face.

"Again?" Alan asked softly in the innocent way that only children can.

Alan lifted Virgil's hands and placed them back on the keys and laid his little hands over the top so that he could follow the movements of his older brother. Virgil smiled lovingly and obliged the littlest Tracy.

During the third repeat Alan yawned, his fear of the storm forgotten. He yawned again and snuggled into Virgil's arm. Virgil smiled at the sight and played the song once more for good measure to ensure that Alan was definitely asleep.

Scott appeared next to Virgil and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"I'll take him." He said. "He can stay with me tonight."

"Nah, it's alright," Virgil said. "He can stay with me."

Both John and Gordon expressed that the little blond could stay with them.

"No." Scott insisted. "He is going to stay with me."

"No. Me." The other three said all at the same time.

"All stay."

The four brothers exchanged a guilty glance and looked down Alan's eyes were at half-mast and he yawned mightily.

"All stay." He repeated as his eyes slid closed once more.

They all exchanged a glance when they realised that none of them wanted Alan away from their sight. It was behaviour that none of them had exhibited for a long time. After Alan had been released from the hospital all of them had taken to checking on Alan in the night just to make sure that he was still there and hadn't slipped away from them somehow. It became a regular occurrence to find one of the other brothers already crashed out next to Alan. Eventually Jeff, driven mad by often finding all the brothers in Alan's single bed, brought a frankly massive bed which was set up in one of the empty rooms. It was big enough that all of the kids could sleep in the same bed comfortably without squishing Alan who at the time was only three. It had been frequently used for sleepovers and the such when they were much younger but the room hadn't been used in years. At one time it was common to find Alan and Gordon building a fort from all of the pillows and bedding and for that reason it was still referred to as 'The Fort'. Scott personally felt that they were all much too old to be sleeping in the same bed again but he wasn't prepared to let Alan stay with one of his younger brothers despite the fact that he would be perfectly safe with anyone of them.

Therefore, it was hesitantly that he put it forward as a suggestion, "The Fort?"

The middle three brothers exchanged an awkward glance and shrugged. It was clear that none of them wanted to be mocked for agreeing although it was clear that this would be where they would be spending the rest of the night.

Virgil scooped Alan into his arms and stood to his feet. Gordon disappeared up the hall and they heard him rummaging in the linen cupboard for the sheets that went of the bed. Scott, John and Gordon made swift work of getting the sheets on the bed, well Gordon's ghost impression from inside the duvet cover aside (which earned him a smack round the back of the head from Scott). They were soon settling down with Alan in the middle. He sighed gently and nuzzled into Scott's side and threw a little arm around his biggest brother's neck. They laid in silence for a long time watching Alan sleep until one by one they too dropped off to sleep.

TBTBTBTBTB

The next morning Jeff arrived back at the Villa and was immediately concerned. The pool was empty. So was the kitchen, the lounge, and upon inspection each of the boys bedrooms. It was like Tracy Island had become the Mary Celeste overnight. Neither the Hackenbackers nor the Kyranos had seen any of the Tracy boys so far that morning. Eventually a room to room search was conducted. Jeff pushed the door to The Fort open and paused at the sight that greeted him.

Virgil was curled up in a little ball with only the tufts of his hair visible over the top of the duvet. Gordon was spread out with his usual abandon but with an arm thrown over John's chest. John in turn was being used as a pillow by Alan who was probably more on John's chest than he was off. Alan had also secured Scott's hand which was pulled into a deep embrace within his little arms. All five boys were still asleep which was a miracle in itself. Jeff quietly pulled his phone from his pocket and quietly took a photo of his boys. Then as much as he hated to he started into the room. If John's breathing was anything to go by he was slowly being squished by his youngest brother.

"Oh my." Ohana's voice made Jeff jump.

He turned and she smiled guiltily at him.

"I guess it doesn't matter how old they get, they still look like children when they are sleeping." Ohana said fondly watching her surrogate sons sleep on obliviously.

Jeff decided in the end to accidentally on purpose drop his suitcase in the hall so that his boys had a chance of maintaining their dignity at being caught in the same bed and at their age. The boys slowly emerged and seemed happier than Jeff had seen any of them in a long time. More at peace as well. What surprised Jeff more than anything was that none of them seemed embarrassed or awkward about having been caught in such a position. As they emerged Alan was sat on Scott's shoulders and Scott was pretending to be an airplane much to Alan's delight.

"Faster Scotty, faster!" He yelled and Scott obliged.

"Oh no!" Gordon suddenly yelled. "Enemy planes, 3 o'clock!"

With this he and John jumped on Scott and tackled him to the floor gently, with Virgil supervising to make sure that Alan wouldn't be hurt in the fall. Once Alan was safely down, Virgil jumped on top of the growing bundle of Tracy boys tickling the small boy. Alan shrieks of laughter were soon heard throughout the whole house as the remaining occupants of the island watched the boys rough house.

Scott would later recount the events of night to Jeff who was more proud of his children than words could ever say. The pain of losing their mother was just as strong with them as it was with him but they had found a way of sharing that love with their youngest brother who did not have any real memories of his mother.

Jeff glanced at the only photo of Lucy that was on display. The remaining photographs were in shoebox in Jeff's wardrobe. He knew one day that he would be able to get them out and look at them without the pain freezing his heart. But for today, he looked at the lone picture of Lucy. She was stood in the field that was out the back of the house in Kansas. The wind was blowing her long blond hair out and she had a hand on her hat to stop it blowing away. She was laughing at a joke Jeff had made right before taking the photograph.

Oh Lucy, he sighed. I still miss you so much. I wish you could see how your wonderful boys have grown or are growing into brilliant men. You would be so proud of them.

He heard the keys of the piano as Virgil played the song once again for Alan and he knew that Lucy was still with them in her boys. From her love in Scott, her patience in John, her music in Virgil, her energy in Gordon and her looks in Alan. She might have been gone but she wasn't - not really. Jeff smiled and followed the sound of the piano driven to just watch his boys for a while until the pain of their loss was bearable once more.

Unheard by Jeff as his office door swung shot behind them was a gentle soprano voice:

"everything's fine in the morning
the rain'll be gone in the morning
but I'll still be here in the morning"

So there we go. My first attempt at a one shot. I would love to hear what you all think so pretty please review!