No Place Like Home
by Criminally Charmed
Disclaimer - Do not own Thunderbirds and, as they will make several guest appearances or numerous references, the Brothers Eppes of Numb3rs are not my possesion either. (If they were, there would still be something decent to watch after Supernatural on Friday nights.)
Well, here is the new story. Figured I would be a "sweetheart" and give this to you for Valentine's Day. Now, convos will be here again, they will be on even postings not even chapters since I am including a prolgue on this story. Enjoy.
Prologue:
Alan Tracy smiled as he sat under his favorite tree on the grounds of Wharton Academy for Boys. Thanksgiving was coming up the next week, but his big brother, Scott's, birthday was this weekend. It was for that reason their father, Jeff Tracy, was going to be picking up Alan a couple of days early.
Before the rush of marriages and babies, Jeff had done his best to make sure that the older brothers had, um, "personal" time off for their birthdays, letting the usually very responsible sons (and subordinates, both in Tracy Enterprises and International Rescue, for Jeff) get a chance to blow off some steam. But the events of the past few years had changed all that.
First there was John, the second Tracy son, and the only other son who resembled Alan (and thus, the late Lucy Tracy). John had been introduced to Dr. Emily Haas via the doctor who had cared for Alan after the then fifteen year old had been the victim of a hit and run drunk driver. Last month, John and Emily had become the proud parents of the first Tracy grandchild. Much to everyone's shock – except Alan, who had argued for the possibility – the anticipated Tracy grandson was a granddaughter. Elizabeth Lucille Tracy, named for her paternal grandmother by reversing the names, had been born among no small amount of drama.
Alan had yet to hold his first niece. He was supposed to go home for Columbus Day Weekend, but there was a major track meet on Saturday and a fundraiser for the Special Olympics, something Alan had been trying to get Wharton's involved in for almost a year. Scott and Kate had instead come out to visit, something Kate expressed incredible relief for, since the drama of Elizabeth's birth had happened while they were gone. Kate had laughingly insisted that if everything had happened as Sarah Jane, Virgil's wife, had described things, she was glad she had missed it – it may have turned her off her excitement at her own pregnancy.
Yep, big brother Scott was going to be a daddy as well. Alan snickered at that. He would have loved to have been a fly on the wall when Scott had to admit to Kate's father, the director of the FBI – and still a very intimidating man – that their wedding was being moved up from late winter/early spring to the next weekend.
But the couple had married back in August, just before Alan had returned to Wharton's. Virgil and Sarah had considered moving out their wedding, since it would be occurring between two such major family events until Alan had pointed out that in a family their size, there would ALWAYS be a major family event.
Alan pulled out his i-Pad, flipping through pictures he had saved of his family. Sarah Jane had made such a beautiful bride. Well, all of his sister-in-laws had. But Sarah Jane had been such a big part of his life for so long and the sight of her in Lucy Tracy's gown had brought a tear to more than one Tracys' eye. Alan snickered as he recalled the toast Gordon had made, each brother having taken a turn.
"To my brother Virgil for having the good sense to making Sarah Jane what she has always been – family. May you both be happy, with a song in your heart and all the colors of life. And here is to at least a year between the wedding and my next nephew."
Gordon had been lucky Kate no longer carried a gun. Well, at least not to formal events. As it was, Alan still wondered how Gordon had gotten the shiner he had been wearing when Alan had called home shortly after Elizabeth's birth.
"Man, Gordo – who laid you out?" Alan had gasped when his next oldest brother had answered the vid-phone. "You didn't piss Kate off did you? No, wait, she only left here earlier today and judging by the injury development, it happened after Kate left the Island but before she got back."
A frown had marred the usually happy-go-lucky face as Gordon glared at his baby brother. In Gordon's opinion of the moment, Alan had been too good a study when Virgil and Sarah were teaching him field medicine.
"I tripped," Gordon snapped before sighing. "And its fine, Sprout. But if anyone asks – especially anyone from the main office – I got it defending a lady's honor."
"Are you hitting on one of my employees?" Jeff had asked as he had come up behind his son. Alan had laughed when Gordon had jumped in surprise.
"Um, not exactly, Dad," Gordon had insisted.
Jeff just shook his head. "You can express interest, but be careful. I don't want anyone claiming you boys take advantage of your position. I know you wouldn't but you know how it can be."
Gordon nodded before saying good-bye to Alan and leaving the room.
"So how's it going, Grandpa?" Alan had teased his father.
Jeff wasn't insulted but instead beamed at the new title. "I can't wait for you to see her, Alan. She's perfect. By the way – Kate and Scott got home a few hours ago and Kate said to assure you, she's collecting your winnings."
Alan grinned. "She better. It's going to help me with my Christmas shopping."
Jeff frowned. "Alan, you shouldn't…"
"Dad," Alan interrupted. "It was a pool. Ten bucks a pop. Gender first, then date of birth, then weight. First closest was the winner. And since I was the only one to say girl, the rest was irrelevant."
Chuckling, Jeff nodded. "I still can't figure out how you knew…Oh, well. So that's what, fifty, sixty dollars?"
"Two thousand," Alan said calmly before laughing when his father spit out his coffee. "Did I mention a few people outside the family got involved? Lady P, Parker, Ann-Marie…"
Jeff laughed again, smiling at his youngest. "Well, I'll see you the last weekend in October. That's the day of the state finals, right?"
"Yep," Alan nodded. "And bring lots of pictures of my niece."
Nodding, Jeff was happy to have an excuse to take more pictures of his granddaughter. "Oh," he said before Alan could sign off. "How's life as an RA?"
Alan beamed. He had been thrilled to be one of the few Juniors named as a Resident Assistant in the dorms. "Not too bad at all. And with Fermat doing the semester at Cal-Sci, I'm glad not to have to share a room. By the way, tell Brains Fermat will be getting Tony for a roommate. Tony's roommate was expelled as part of the cheating scandal and I convinced Mr. Tang to let Tony have Fermat when he gets back in January." Eyeing the leaves, already beginning to scatter in the autumn breeze, Alan chuckled.
"Man, summer on the island and all fall in Southern California. Fermat's gonna go into shock when he comes back to New England in January."
Jeff laughed in agreement, having already had the same discussion with Brains. The scientist was almost as protective a father as Jeff, with the only reason the fourteen year old Fermat being allowed to attend the prestigious college for the semester was due to the fact that Kate had arranged for the boy to live with her uncle and aunt, both professors at the school. Charlie and Amita Eppes had both expressed their delight at having a child around the house again, laughingly insisting that compared to their three, Fermat would be a "piece of pi".
Kate had rolled her eyes when her Uncle Charlie had stressed the "pi", knowing he meant the math term and not the food.
Thinking of the look on Kate's face that day, surrounded by her family – both of birth and of her hours-old marriage – always made Alan smile. He may have been born one of five sons, but his new sisters – the resolute Kate, the gentle Emily and the sister of his heart, Sarah Jane – were making his family whole, adding pieces he hadn't even known were missing. And now he was an uncle to Baby Elizabeth…
Then Alan wondered what Scott and Kate would name their son, even as he got up to head back in since the wind had begun to turn cold. And not once did Alan ever think of how – or why – he knew it was a boy.
He just knew.
A/N - So...continue? - CC