Summary: He thinks it's just stress. That maybe a vacation with Lady Penelope will help. But Jeff Tracy is about to discover that some things shouldn't be chalked up to the simplest explanation. Because some things are anything but simple.

Author's Note: Written several years ago, has been housed at the Tracy Island Chronicles.

MIRACLES

Chapter One

The first rays of morning sun reached through the blinds like slender fingers caressing his face. Where they touched his skin, small points of warmth roused him from slumber. He turned his back to the offending light, more than content to pull the comforter over his head and shield himself from the dawn of a new day. As his mind drifted in that twilight zone between the awakened consciousness and the fuzziness of dreams, he felt the ache in his head which had become all too familiar of late. One more pass at the medicine stores in their hospital ward, and Brains would start getting suspicious.

There was only so much aspirin a man could take. Judging by the increasing quantities he'd been consuming, Jeff Tracy figured his blood must be thinner than water by now. But to ask for anything stronger would mean having to submit to a barrage of tests by their quirky resident genius and sometimes doctor. That was something Jeff had no intention of succumbing to. No, these headaches were nothing more than inconveniences brought on by stress.

After all, he had plenty of stress in his life, he thought, as he felt the sunlight begin to warm his back through his blankets. There were all the companies he owned, for one thing. By last count, between main lines and subsidiaries, they numbered nearly thirty. And then there was International Rescue. His brainchild, his dream, and something he poured his heart and soul into every day of the week. But it wasn't only administrative work. There were also his sons. Grown men living all together on an island that was large enough for that many bodies, but not necessarily large enough for that many jock egos.

Alan and Gordon had gone through a bout of fighting which had thankfully mended itself over the past couple of weeks. His two youngest sons were now on speaking terms again, and seemed to be headed back toward the strong relationship they'd always shared. John, relatively untouched by his siblings' problems with one another up on Thunderbird 5, had been the one steady star Jeff had been counting on. For although Alan and Gordon's relationship was on the mend, things weren't looking so well for Jeff's two eldest.

He didn't really know much more than what he'd been able to get out of Gordon a week prior. Apparently Scott had done something really stupid that had pissed Virgil off but good. What, Jeff didn't know. But whatever it had been, it had created a rift between two men Jeff never thought could be torn apart. In moments of mild insanity, his mind almost likened it to a married couple having one hell of a row. No matter the cause, the aftermath of this situation had created a tense atmosphere on the normally tranquil island. Jeff didn't like it, but there wasn't much he could do.

In the field, his sons operated seamlessly, even now. When they were on the job, they were professionals, hands down, no matter what was going on at home. But nowadays if Scott happened to enter a room that Virgil was already in, or vice versa, the air thickened with barely concealed animosity mostly emanating from, surprisingly enough, Virgil. This was surprising because usually Virgil was slow to anger. But his temper, when it came, could best be likened to a stick of dynamite. He'd blow up, and it'd be one hell of an explosion. But then it would fizzle and he'd be back to himself in a couple of days.

This time, however, it wasn't fizzling. If the looks he threw in his brother's direction were any indication, Scott was Enemy #1 to Virgil right now. There hadn't been any violence between them, not even a fistfight. But whereas normally you'd know for sure that where you found one, you would always find the other, now the two couldn't even pass in the hall without vague sounds of thunderbolts whizzing through the air.

Jeff groaned as he rolled over and noted that his headache had gotten worse. Yes, it had to be stress. Four rescues in two days, his sons not getting along and one of his companies' stock price falling drastically last week had done it. As he sat up in bed and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, it occurred to Jeff that what he needed was a vacation. He hadn't taken one since that first fiasco where he'd tried to relax at Penny's ranch in Bonga Bonga. That had been five years prior.

A vacation. Jeff swung his legs over the side of the bed. Yes. He would take one. And he would leave today.

"Oh, Jeff, that's a wonderful idea!"

"You sure I'm not putting you out, Penny?"

"Nonsense. My plans are perfectly malleable. I'll simply have Parker move the schedule up a bit. When do you think you can be there?"

"Well, I have to square things away with the boys, but I should be able to leave in a few hours."

"Very well. I shall make arrangements to meet you in Bonga Bonga tonight."

"Thanks, Penny. I think this'll help a lot."

"Help what, Jeff? Are you certain everything's all right?"

"Oh, sure, Penny, everything's fine. I just...need a break."

Penny nodded, a slight frown creasing her brow. "I'll see you later, then. Goodbye, Jeff."

"Bye, Penny."

Penelope turned slightly in her chair. "There's something afoot here, I'm certain of it. He doesn't look well. And for Jeff Tracy to admit he needs a break is unthinkable." She rose to her feet and pressed a button on the opposite wall of her bedroom to ring Parker. "Once I get him on my ranch, I'll see to it he doesn't leave until I've gotten to the bottom of things."

"You rang m'lady?"

"Yes, Parker. We're moving things up a bit. We're to meet Jeff at Bonga Bonga within eight hours' time. I shall expect us to be packed and ready to go in two hours."

"Very well, m'lady."

"Oh, and Parker?"

"Yes, m'lady?"

"Make certain you've enough to keep you busy during our stay. I shall require some one-on-one time with Jeff for a good portion of his visit."

"Very well, m'lady."

Penelope headed for the shower, lost in thought. Whatever was bothering her longtime friend, she was determined to get to the bottom of it.

"Well, I think it's a great idea, Dad. But, uh, we won't have another replay of the Atlantic incident this time. Will we?"

Jeff cast a stern look at his son. "No, Scott. No replay. This time I'm not even going to be calling in. I'll expect you boys to run this ship the way I do, and it had all better be in one piece when I get back."

"How long you going for, Dad?"

"Well, Virgil, I don't know. I guess I'll plan on a week and then see how things go from there."

The room fell silent. Virgil was standing clear over by the video portraits while Scott stood next to his father's desk. Gordon and Alan were on the settee, while Tin-Tin, Kyrano and Jeff's mother, Ruth, stood scattered throughout the Lounge.

"Right, well, I think everything's in order for you, Scott. I'm going to pack my things and be leaving within the hour."

"Okay, Father."

Everyone just hung around in rather stunned silence as Jeff rose from his desk chair and crossed to the hall. They all knew it wasn't like Jeff Tracy to voluntarily take a vacation. As he was leaving, Kyrano caught up to him. "If you would not mind, I wish to speak with you before you go."

"Fine, Kyrano, you can help me pack."

"Yes, Mr. Tracy."

"I don't get it," Alan mused as he came to his feet. "Since when does Dad leave for a vacation without having to be pried from his desk with a crowbar?"

"Maybe he just needs a break from us," Virgil replied none-too-kindly as he headed out onto the patio.

Gordon noticed Scott's eyes boring holes into the back of Virgil's head, and felt the tension rise even more. "Well, he deserves it. We have kind of been a pain-in-the-ass to him lately."

"Us?" Alan said in mock innocence.

Scott's eyes snapped to Gordon's face, then looked down. "Yeah, I guess we have."

Alan followed Tin-Tin and Ruth into the kitchen as Gordon approached his eldest brother. "I don't know exactly what happened between you two," he said, indicating Virgil out on the balcony with a nod of his head, "but whatever it is, you'd better fix it. I think it's really getting to Dad."

Scott's mouth opened, then shut, then opened again, but he couldn't think of anything to say. So he closed his mouth and merely nodded as he took a seat behind his father's desk. Gordon shrugged and disappeared into the hall. Scott rubbed a hand across his chin and sighed. "I want to fix it," he said quietly. "I just don't know if he'll let me."

Kyrano said nothing as he helped his friend pack for the trip. But he kept his eyes firmly upon him, and it made Jeff uneasy. Finally, as he was rummaging around in his sock drawer for some matching pairs, he asked, "What's on your mind, Kyrano?"

"You are not feeling well."

"I'm fine."

"No. You are not."

Jeff turned to face him. He never could hide too much from Kyrano, no matter how hard he tried. Sometimes, that was a blessing. But right now, Jeff really didn't want to talk about it. After all, it was nothing...tension headaches. That was all. "I'm fine," he repeated.

"Perhaps the company of Lady Penelope will help to ease your burden."

"Perhaps."

Kyrano quietly finished helping him pack. Before he left the room, he walked over to Jeff and stood right in front of him, forcing the taller man to look into his eyes. "Perhaps you should speak to Brains about your headaches before you go."

Startled, it took a moment for Jeff to find his voice. "How did you...never mind. Just make sure my sons don't kill each other while I'm gone."

"Do not worry about them. Worry about you."

With that, Kyrano was gone. Jeff shook his head. After so many years with Kyrano, he should be used to him knowing things he couldn't possibly know, but it never ceased to amaze him when his Malaysian friend came out with unspoken truths that were always right on target.

"Worry about me," he repeated as he zipped his bag closed. "Now why would he say a thing like that?"

Four hours and twelve aspirins later, Jeff had nearly arrived at his destination. "This is Tracy One to Bonga Bonga. Come in, Bonga Bonga."

"Bonga Bonga here, Mr. Tracy. Runway h'is cleared for your h'arrival."

"Thank you, Parker. I'll be landing in seven minutes. Tracy One out."

As he descended through the clouds, the Australian countryside came into view. It was beautiful. Miles and miles of grass as far as the eye could see, dotted by cows and sheep and trees and bushes. Nearly untouched by man, it was one of the last great tributes to Nature that humans had seen fit to leave intact. He could see Bonga Bonga's runway in the distance, and moved to lower his landing gear.

That was when a jolt of pain shot through his head like a knife. He cried out, ripping the headset from his ear. For a few seconds, his hands were completely off the steering yoke, and the nose of the jet began to tilt down. But as quickly as it had come, the pain was gone, and Jeff regained his senses in time to level off and complete a nearly perfect landing.

Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward, looking gorgeous even in the pair of jeans she was wearing, was waiting on the tarmac. As soon as the cockpit was open, she began scolding him. "Jeff Tracy, what on earth did you think you were doing? I thought you were going bottoms up!"

Jeff waved her concern away and shook his head. The sharp pain had subsided, but the actual headache was now worse. "I just need a rest, Penny, please."

Frowning, Penelope left Parker to bring the bags as she led Jeff up to the ranch's main house. "Tell me, what's the matter?"

"Nothing, Penny, I just have a headache, that's all. A good night's sleep ought to get rid of it."

"Very well, the guest room is made up for you. I shall see to it you're not disturbed for the rest of the evening."

A nice, hot shower breathed some life back into Jeff's weary bones. He felt he'd been quite rude in arriving at Penny's ranch only to disappear into his room with barely a handful of words to his gracious hostess. As such, he decided to find her and spend a little time with her before retiring for the night.

It took him a while, but eventually he came upon her swimming in the heated pool out in back of the house. He just stood back and watched her long, graceful strokes propel her through the water, head turning this way and that to take a breath as she swam the length of the pool and back again. In the darkness of night, the light shining from beneath the water made her seem almost ethereal as she glided effortlessly along.

So lost did he become in his thoughts that he didn't hear her call his name. It wasn't until she stepped out of the pool, put on her robe and walked over to stand in front of him that he even remembered she was there.

"Jeff?"

"Oh, sorry, Penny."

"Where were you just now?"

"What? Oh, I don't know."

"Shall I have Parker bring you a cup of coffee?"

"No, thanks. Just makes the headaches worse."

"Headaches? What kinds of headaches, Jeff? You mentioned having one earlier when you arrived."

"It's nothing. They come and go. Probably related to tension."

Though she wasn't buying it, Penny just nodded. "Come sit with me?"

"Sure."

The two headed for the posh chaise lounges, with Jeff settling in and quickly closing his eyes.

"How are things on the island?"

"The same, I suppose. How are things in England?"

"The same, I suppose."

"Where's Parker gotten to? Usually he's hovering like a mad hen."

Penelope laughed. "I asked him to stay out of our way."

Jeff opened his eyes and quirked a brow at her. "Why's that?"

"I thought perhaps it might be best."

Jeff half-shrugged and closed his eyes again. "If I fall asleep on you, just wake me."

She nodded and leaned back in the chair. Jeff sure wasn't acting like himself. She didn't like it, not one bit. Not only was he barely speaking, but his voice sounded strained and, she'd noted earlier, he looked tired, as though he hadn't been sleeping well. Regardless of what he'd said, if he fell asleep out there, she had no intention of waking him. A few minutes later, his soft snores told her he'd done just that. She quietly fetched a blanket from the house and covered him with it, then headed for bed. Tomorrow she would begin investigating his odd behavior. And she'd start with his sons.