AN: Firstly – these little colour snap shots are a result of a challenge from mcj that started with this one (Blue) and then expanded. So, thanks to her for prompting me (and sowing the seed!), her editing help and of course, her continuous support. Secondly (unfortunately!) the rights of these characters do not belong to me. The piece is posted for entertainment only, however notwithstanding the characters and content relating to 'Thunderbirds', the remainder does belong to me. Thirdly – I'm planning to post one of these per day until Friday so enjoy!

BLUE

Feet drummed against the pavement in rhythm; left then right then left again. Heart pounding, keeping equal time with the beat of the music in his ears but conversely, he inhaled and exhaled steadily; breathing controlled.

Going for a run had been Scott's suggestion.

'Clear your head,' he'd said. 'Get it out of your system'.

There was no way he could have painted or played. The family normally made an effort to be together today. This would be the first year the date would pass without some sort of gathering; some sort of celebration of the years of happy memories she'd given them and the unknown measure of what could have been.

She would have been fifty five.

Virgil had spent his life using colours as descriptions but today he couldn't find the right shade, only able to tell Scott that he was feeling blue. Not a bright vibrant blue but a dull, unfeeling kind. The kind that signals a storm on the horizon; misery and gloom.

Thud. Thud.

Virgil's feet sped up in time with the next track on the device, upping the pace even though his calf muscles were burning; the consequences of dispensing his pent-up emotions on the concrete.

A flash of blue caught his attention and he turned to see a mass of balloons through the trees. Keeping pace, he watched as they rose steadily, faltering in mid-air as some floated away with the wind and others got caught in tree branches or in the grips of an unseen current. He'd noticed a group of people in the park earlier but he hadn't paid it much attention, too caught up in his thoughts.

The pathway curved to the left and he saw a blue ribbon caught in the branches. A blue balloon was attached.

Thud… …. Thud…. … … … … Thud.

He slowed his pace until he stopped and reached out, taking the card at the very end of the ribbon.

"Bodminton Building." It read. "To Daddy, We will always love you. RIP."

Heart still pounding from the exertion, adrenaline still pumping through his system, suddenly it was joined by something else, something hollow and dismal. Virgil carefully unhooked the balloon, read the card once more and then set it free again to travel on its journey. His eyes followed it across the sky line, hovering over the charred remains of the building which undoubtedly took the life it represented.

Virgil had heard about it on the news.

For one hundred and fifty three families, life would never be the same again. It had been a tragedy, there was no doubt. But it had also been preventable.

Hope was the only comfort. Hope that his father's plans got off the ground soon. The designs he'd been discussing only a few weeks ago could have saved the lives of some of those men. He could only dream that one day he would be a part of something which would prevent families experiencing the aching loss he felt, compounded by the date and what he'd just witnessed.

Hope coupled with the very concept it was even possible, helped to alleviate some of that blue feeling. By the time he'd reached his apartment block twenty five minutes later, drenched in sweat and gasping to equal out his breathing, he was feeling a much lighter shade of blue. When he rounded the corner to his door, he was surprised but grateful to find another type of blue loitering in the foyer …

Air Force blue.