Happy Valentines Day, Thunderbirds Fandom! Here is part one of the special Valentines fic I've been planning for you. This Wee Tracy story will tie in with my other stories that will eventually be published. I'll have more info on that on the bottom, but for now, I hope you enjoy this story.
Note: All rights are reserved to Gerry and Sylvia Anderson! There are probably a few punctuation errors. I will go back and fix them when I publish part two, and the way I write dialogue is not a mistake. Alan has a speech impediment at this point, and some characters have accents. If there are any words you can't make out, ask and I will let you know.
See you at the bottom!
"It's my Birthday, it's my Birthday! I'm a very special Valentine! It's my Birthday, It's my Birthday! You're stuck with me for the rest of time! It's my Birthday, It's my Birthday! I am turning 9!"
John Tracy groaned, face down into his pillow. 6 A.M? Well, he guessed it was better than the 3 o'clock wake-up call from the year before.
Rubbing his eyes, John stretched the kinks out of his tired back as he sat up in his bed. It was morning again, and mornings sucked. Virgil seemed to agree with him, and the blonde couldn't help but chuckle at the sound of his older brother, Scott's, grumbling as he tried to rouse a sleepy Virgil.
Hopefully the day wouldn't be too bad. Gordon didn't tend to prank on his birthday, so that was one issue avoided.
"Sing with me Alan!"
But that didn't mean the red head couldn't be annoying as hell. John winced at the sounds of whimpering that could be heard coming from Alan and Gordon's conjoined bedroom. Before the whimpering could turn to cries, Scott had made his way across the hall from where Virgil was probably going back to sleep, into the youngest's room. John grimaced as a struggle seemed to ensue, which resulted in Gordon being kicked out of the room, muttering apologies.
John was suddenly flattened by the weight of a nine year old body, coming right down on his privets.
"Hey Jonny, guess what!"
There he was, that signature grin plastered across his face, freckles dusting his cheeks with bright, white, well-kept molars shining in the morning light.
John's eye's narrowed, and he choked back the blinding pain that coursed through his body "Let me guess, you didn't age at all over night?"
"Nuh- uh, I totally aged, cause it's my birthday!"
John grinned as well, payback time. Flipping so that he was on top, John proceeded to mercilessly tickle the red head. "Oh is it now, I hadn't noticed over that beautiful performance you were giving us!"
Gordon howled as he tried to wiggle free from his oppressors hands, once he did, he scampered a safe distance and giggled.
Smiling like sunshine, the nine year old pranced around the room, magically avoiding every article that littered the floor, "Dad says he wants everyone down in the living room, fully dressed in ten minutes. He said he'll be here when we get home from school today!" Then, he ran out the door accompanied by a startled yelp from Scott who appeared in the doorway three seconds later.
Before he could open his mouth, John cut him off, "Heard him Scooter, ten minutes."
With that, Scott rolled his eyes and returned to Virgil, who John was certain had fallen back asleep.
His suspicions were confirmed by the sounds of a body hitting the floor, followed by a string of colorful language
John sighed as he looked at his reflection in his bedroom mirror, "Please God, just get us through one more day."
"Gordy, what Balentimes day?" Curious blue eyes met caramel as the youngest Tracy tried to eat his pancakes with his hands.
Gordon chuckled and stuffed fluffy cake in his mouth, "Only the greatest day of the year, thanks to yours truly."
"Wow," Alan's eyes became wide as saucers, "why's zat?"
Grinning, the prankster leaned in close, "It's a day, where people about Virgie's age and older start to like girls."
Virgil scowled up from his breakfast and opened his mouth, which Scott quickly covered.
The young blond made a face, "But that's not cool, girls are icky!"
"Ah, but you see, since we're not old farts like those losers, we get to spend the day sharing and getting," Gordon looked off into the distance and held his hand out as if it were a dream. "Candy."
Alan's eyes grew bigger. He never got candy, and no sugar was a Scotty rule. No one broke a Scotty rule.
Gordon grinned, he had the blonde hooked and he knew it, this was always a good day, "You know what the best part is?"
Alan shook his head.
"Because it's my birthday," he leaned in closer, "Dad has to…"
"I'm sorry, Mr. Charleston, but I'm not coming into work today." Jeff strode into the kitchen, accidentally cutting Gordon off. "Why?" Jeff grinned and ruffled the ginger's hair, "Well it's not every day one of my children turns nine!"
Irate screaming flowed from the other end of the line.
Jeff frowned, eye's darkening, "Well if you have a problem, you can always talk to my secretary, Mary Ann. Or better yet, you can find a different company to do business with."
The line went silent.
"I thought so; have a good day Mr. Charleston. Go home and spoil your wife. Let her know you love her. You'll only get so many Valentines Day's with her, so make it count." Then the Tracy patriarch shut his flip-phone with an audible snap.
"Hey ya, Dad!" The red heads voice rang out as Jeff poured himself some coffee.
Jeff took a sip of the hot liquid, and smiled at his sons, "Morning boys," He pointed to the plate sitting in front of the nine year old, "Save any for me?"
John handed his father a plate before taking his own seat.
"Thanks John," The man smiled at the eldest blonde before starting to eat his own breakfast. The table was encompassed in silence, an abnormal experience for the Tracy boys. It had been a while since Jeff had been home and this made everyone uncomfortable, so the silence continued on with only a little "no" from Scott when Alan tried to crawl off of his booster seat. Jeff finally noticed the awkwardness and cleared his throat, "So boys, got any plans for today?"
Scott pushed the food around on his plate distractedly, "Well, we have school, so next we'll get ready for that, but since its Valentine's day, I bought little treats for everyone to give to their classmates. I'll hand them to everyone as we walk out the door. After school, grandma is going to pick us up, and bring us back here, and then I don't know." The eldest shrugged, "We'll probably do something around here before heading out to wherever Gordon wants to go."
The entire table had turned to look at Scott uneasily, he looked tired, more so than usual. John made a mental note to confront him about it later.
"So," Jeff spoke up before the silence could get unbearable again. "What would you like to do, Gordon?"
There was a brightness in his voice as Gordon as he grinned, he loved this attention, "Pizza!"
The entire table burst into agreement.
"There's a surprise," John chuckled as he polished off his food.
Virgil, who had been relatively quiet, grinned happily from his seat, "Good choice Gords!" Then seeing an opportunity for payback for the "old" comment earlier, Virgil smirked at his younger brother. "Got any friends you'd like to bring? I'm sure there's some girl just waiting for you and your fish face to ask her out on a day like today."
Accepting the challenge head on, the red head leaned forward over the table to smile his signature cheshire smile at the brunette, "No way Virge! Girls aren't my style unless they've got fins and can breathe under water!"
Virgil scoffed, "Mermaids aren't real Gordon."
"Are too! And I'm not gonna fall in love with any girls! Like Alan said, girls are icky!"
Jeff chuckled, "Don't be so sure, son. Nine years old is the year of love for a Tracy." The man looked at all of his son's faces with pride, "I met your mother when I was nine years old, you know."
The look of horror on Gordon's face was priceless.
"Okay then!" Scott stood picking up his and Alan's plates. "You know the drill, dishes in the sink, clothes and shoes on, hair combed, teeth brushed, bags packed! The bus will be here in 30 minutes."
The sound of clattering dishes filled the room, "And Virgil." Scott grinned at the 11 year olds glare, "Don't forget the deodorant, m'kay?"
If his father hadn't been there, Scott was fairly certain the young artist would have popped him the bird as he left the room, but instead the boy was restricted to muttering about stupid older brothers as he dropped his plate in the sink and trudged away.
Placing his own plate in the sink and silently thanking the heavens that they'd used plastic that morning, John turned to snatch Gordon's plate as well.
"Birthday boys don't have to take care of their own plates," John grinned at the boy's surprised look. A feeling of satisfaction overtaking him as the red head's smile grew till he was outright beaming with joy.
"Thanks John!" Gordon popped from his seat and bounced from the room.
Feeling content, John turned back to see Scott sorting the dishes in the sink, with Alan clinging to his pant leg, complaining about wanting to help.
Scooping up the blonde, John spun Alan in a circle, disorienting the boy a bit, "You know Sprout, I could use some help."
Scott shot John a grateful look, before turning back to the dirty dishes as John carried Alan off to get ready for school.
Getting up from his seat, Jeff made his way over to where his eldest was scrubbing away, already ready for the day.
"Grandma left early to head out to the barn," Scott said as he focused on scrubbing a plate.
The Tracy patriarch picked up a towel and began to dry the plates Scott had washed, "I imagined, last night she mentioned wanting to take care of the animals as quickly as possible so that we could get everything set up for tonight."
An awkward silence stretched through the room, until Scott decided to break it, "How long are you staying?"
It wasn't an unexpected question, Scott asked it every time Jeff came home for any given length of time.
The man sighed, "I have to leave tomorrow before you boys are up for school," Jeff avoided looking at his son, but Scott glared up at him with eyes not unlike his own.
"When will you be back?" This time the teen's voice wasn't as friendly.
The man shrugged, "I don't know, it'll depend on the stability of the business, and the airline flight times. I hope to be able to be back in about two weeks."
The plate Scott had been holding splashed back into the water, "Two weeks!" He roared, anger flooding his being before he remember his brothers were upstairs and lowered his tone to a lowered hiss, "You've got to be kidding me, two weeks? You just got back!"
Jeff's own anger was starting to spark, "I have responsibilities, Scott. I don't have time to be running around Kansas. We're lucky I was even to get today off. I'm in charge an important business, and I can't let it go under."
"And what the hell about us?" Scott seethed, "We're your responsibility too."
Jeff frowned disapprovingly at his eldest, "Language, Scott. I am here when I can be, and when I can't, your grandmother is here."
"That's not good enough and you know it!" The teen did his best to hold back the tears he felt burning along with that hollow feeling in his chest.
Jeff sighed, "This isn't up for discussion. I have to go and that's final."
As the room fell silent with tension, the man let his mind wander to his dream. The dream of a rescue organization that could do the impossible. One he planned to make happen.
Looking at his son, Jeff smiled gently, "I promise you Scott, you'll understand someday."
Scott's shoulders went rigged. Not taking his eyes off of the soapy water, he let his anger and hurt radiate for his dad to feel, "You know, I don't think I will."
They finished the rest of the dishes in silence
"Okay! Everybody out!" Scott's voice rang through the house as he zipped up Alan's coat.
The Tracy clan stumbled out the front door, bundled in coats, mittens, and scarves to make their way towards the bus stop.
Jeff watched his boys go, and smiled as they climbed up into the stopped vehicle, bidding the driver a good morning. Without a doubt, being away from his sons was the hardest thing he ever had to do. That hollow pit in his heart would deepen every time he left for a given amount of time, but it would be worth it. It had to be.
The initial plan was to successfully form an international organizational rescue team with Tracy Enterprises, but as the days wore on, pride; selfishness; and greed seemed to find its way into the hearts of whoever Jeff entrusted with the idea. And the government, forget the government, they wanted to morph it into a special rescue service to those willing to pay the highest.
It left the man with doubts that the world was even worth saving, but then he would look at that picture. He would look at her face, sandy locks hidden beneath a woolen cap, clung to by her now motherless boys. That was why this rescue service had to happen, to spare others this pain. To keep other children from being motherless. She would have wanted it this way.
Jeff knew his boy's would understand someday, maybe… they were all still young after all, Scott just barely 15, not even able to drive yet. However, Scott was already a leader and Jeff knew the boy would excel in any position he was given. Granted he chose the path Jeff wanted, the teen had time to decide yet, though he was beginning to show interest in aviation, a plus in Jeff's book.
Time for that would come, Jeff just needed to find a different approach. One that didn't rest in the hands of other people. If you want it done right, do it yourself, isn't that how the saying goes? If his vision was to come true, he would have to rest the entirety of it on his own shoulders, and perhaps on his sons' as well.
But could he do it? If anything, it would strain his relationships with his boys and he loved them so deeply. They were his world, his reason for existing and he couldn't tell if Alan even recognized him anymore.
Perhaps this is all the dream was, stupid, and he should come home more often, but was it wrong to try and make a better life for everyone? For his boys? What would he have to give up if he did somehow manage this monstrous task?
He could see his sons, smiling and full of life. Their futures stretched out before them in a rocky, treacherous path that Jeff knew would test them to their limits. His boys' were special, and it was because of them that he knew he could do it.
He just had to find a new place to host the organization, perhaps an island?
Jeff laughed at the absurdity of the thought. Why would anyone purchase an island?
He made the note anyway.
Looking up at his desk clock, Jeff practically flew out of his seat. He didn't think he'd been sitting there for that long! If he ran late, his mother would skin him!
After all, Gordon was turning nine and Lucy would have been horrified if the celebration was anything less than spectacular. So Jeff would make Gordon's night unforgettable.
"Once, Twice, Shoot!"
"Aww! Come on, Johnny Boy, let us at least have a chance! How can I hope to impress the ladies if I can't even beat you in a game of rock, paper, scissors!" A bulky brunette, snapped his gum as he looked at his losing rock handshake.
John grinned at his friend, who took melodramatics to a whole new level, "I'm fairly certain that hand games have very little to do with attracting women, Derek."
A thin, blonde girl on the opposite side of John readjusted her glasses as she looked up from her book on dragons, "Don't be too certain John, the only way beef cake here is gonna get a date is by betting it out of some poor girl with this game!"
Derek grabbed John's shoulders and shook the blonde gently, "Becky's right, John. If I don't find some way to get some girl to notice me, I'm going to call it quits and tell everyone you're my Valentine!"
John stared back at his friend with displeasure, "Please don't"
"Oh Johnny-o! Oh Johnny-o! Where for art thou Johnny-o!" The teen burst from his seat onto a kneeling position.
John's face went red as nearly everyone on the bus, including Gordon and Virgil, had turned to look at them, "Can it you twit, people are staring."
"Let them stare, for our love is one that will surpass the hea-urk," Becky shoved a doughnut into her friend's mouth.
"You're bugging me."
John shot a grateful smile her way as she returned to her book.
Sighing, the blonde Tracy let his mind drift as he watched the barren cornfields fly by. They were good friends, he felt lucky to have them.
"Scotty, why don't we do anything fun for my brifday?"
Looking up to the front of the bus to see his elder and youngest brother sharing a bus seat, John frowned. Scott… didn't talk to anyone much anymore. It was almost surreal how the most popular boy in town had managed to blend himself into the background. Not that Scott wasn't still popular, he just didn't seem as interested in interacting with his peers as he used to, and his aura had changed. Gone were the days of easy going, life of the party, Scott Tracy that the town had known and now he held a more refined, mature air to him. One John knew that he himself also carried. It came from shouldering the responsibility of little brothers, and it tended to repel the other kids in their age group.
"We do fun stuff, Sprout." Scott ruffled Alan's hair in brotherly affection.
Alan pouted and fixed his hair, "We always go to the gaveyawd and then to that icky restaurant with the mean waiters.
Scott bit back a laugh, Alan hadn't meant to get them kicked out of the most prestigious restaurant in New York City, the boy had just really wanted his mom, they all did.
The little blonde fiddled with his hands, "Is it because I killed mommy?"
Scott looked horrified, why would Alan think that?
"Some boy's at school," Alan looked down at his hands like they were the most interesting thing in the world, "Said that mommy would still be awive if it wasn't for me."
Scott couldn't believe it, someone actually had the gall to tell his little brother that an accident, an accident that resulted in death no less, was his fault. Scott didn't care if it was just a couple of five year olds, he would make them pay, "Alan, who said that?"
The little blonde gulped in fear.
Scott bristled, the bullies were near. He had been through this three times before with all of his brothers. It just so happened that Tracy's were prone to attracting bullies, but none of them had gone as far as to use their mother in the attacks, it was like an unspoken rule.
"Alan," Scott tilted his brother's chin that they were looking into each other's eyes. "Never let anyone tell you that. Mom's death was not your fault. It was an accident."
Alan looked back at his fingers and his voice was absolutely pitiful, "But dad doesn't ever come home anymore, and when he does, he won't even wook at me."
"Forget dad!"
Alan stared in shock at his older brother, he couldn't believe those words had just come out of Scott's mouth.
Scott on the other hand, knew exactly what he wanted to say, "You have me, John, Virgil, and Gordon."
"And Grandma!" The blonde cut in, not wanting to exclude his beloved grandma.
"And Grandma," Scott grinned and ruffled the blonde's hair. "You don't need anyone else in your life as long as you have us. As long as we're together, you'll never be alone!"
John smiled as he watched the interaction, he loved Alan, he really did, but John had made a mistake a while back. A big mistake, and so he decided it would be best to help out in silence when it came to Alan and focus on taking care of Gordon.
For the most part, their arrangement worked, but that still didn't stop Alan from winding up in John's bed, and Gordon ending up in Scott's. Or both of them ending up with Virgil, much to the middle child's chagrin.
Speaking of middle children, John took that moment to turn around to look at Virgil, who had taken to his sketch book while he waited out the ride, his friend, Sarah was comparing their math homework, and circling the ones Virgil would have to fix during study period. By the look on her face, John knew his little brother would be spending his study hour doing math.
Gordon sat across from them, chatting away with his swimming friends as they bumped along in the bus. Besides the fact that he was on his way to being one of the best swimmers in the district, Gordon was just a joy to be around. His aura lit off a sense of sunshine that people flocked to. John smiled, little Gordon was the only one of them that didn't hold much resemblance to Jeff or Lucille, instead he looked like his grandmother. Form the way he carried himself to his facial expressions, he mirrored her in multiple ways.
The slowing of the bus pulled John out of his daze. He looked out to see the towering county school beside him. They were finally there, ready to start another day of hell.
"Scott! Hey Scott! Wait up!" John called as he took off after his brother down the hallway, pushing through his peers who hogged the space. "Slow down, Scooter!"
Scott continued to ignore his brother as he fumed, "I can't believe someone told him that, what the hell?!" He looked like if he could breathe fire, he would.
John grabbed his brother, and pulled him to a harsh stop, "Calm down."
"Why the hell would I do something like that?" The brunette pushed his brother off of him, fuming as his peers made sure to keep their distance from the two brothers, "Some little shit told him… Ugh!"
Seeing his brother's temper start to mellow, John sighed in relief, but still put his hands out in case the smother hen tried to break away again, "I know, but getting mad and pummeling the little brat isn't going to make it any better, it'll just get you expelled."
Scott scoffed and looked his brother square in the eyes, "It'd make me feel better."
John had to keep from snorting as he glared at the eldest.
Scott's temper wick had finally burned out though, and a weariness seemed to overtake himas he looked at his younger brother with sad eyes, "John, why are people so cruel?"
This, this was not right. Scott didn't cool off this fast. Scott didn't show his weariness to anyone, even John.
Grabbing his shoulders, John searched his brother's face, "Scott, what's wrong?"
The hallways we all quiet now, as the warning bell sounded, if he hadn't been listening for it, the John wouldn't have heard his brothers confession, "Cassie broke up with me."
"Oh…" was all John could say, he didn't like Cassie at all, she had been too stuck up for his taste, but Scott had cared deeply for her and had bent over backwards to make sure she was happy, no matter how much John voiced his dislike.
"Because I said that I wanted to spend Valentine's Day with you guys, because it was Gordon's birthday.
"Oh." Nope, John didn't like her at all, she was an attention hog. She didn't care that Scott was practically raising four brothers on his own, balancing school, sports, and work on the farm. She wanted all of his time, like she had in 8th grade when the two began dating. Two years, ouch.
Scott scoffed, grabbing his brown locks, "But you know, it's not like I didn't try!" He began walking again, surprising John who scrambled to keep up. "I did everything she wanted!" He stopped again, causing John to almost topple into him, "Ugh, and it's not just her!" The teen turned and punched a locker, "The guys don't want to hang out with me anymore either!" He banged his head into the locker as well, "I can't seem to have a decent conversation with anyone." He sighed and rubbed his hand over his face, "I don't know John, everyone else just seems…"
"Immature?" John nodded, understanding exactly what his brother was saying. Everyone's problems just seemed so… trivial in the grand scheme of things.
Scott nodded, shoulders slumped and hands clasped, "Yeah, as if I'm looking at the world through a different pair of eyes than I should be."
The blonde smiled at his brother sadly, "I suppose that's what having to grow up does to you."
Scott scoffed and pushed himself away from the dented locker, "Yeah, I suppose..." He paused before looking back at his brother, "I miss her John. I miss her a lot, and even though I did what I could, I just feel… I just don't… I just wish I had done something more."
John looked sympathetically at Scott, he hadn't been there, but what had happened was pretty clear. Scott and Mom had made a choice, and it still haunted the teen. Would John had made the same choice? Yeah, probably. To be quite honest he was sure he'd have done what Scott did, and he knew Scott would make that choice again, and again, and again until he was blue in the face. Scott knew this too, but every once in a while he had to be reminded.
So John did what he did best, told the truth, "then Alan wouldn't be alive."
Scott's eyes widened for a second as he took in what the blonde had said.
John shook his head, "You couldn't have saved her Scott." He pushed the teen towards his locker. "It'd be impossible to save every single person on the planet who's dying. They reached the locker, and Scott blankly stared at it as John continued, "You had to make a choice, and in my opinion, you made the right one."
There was a moment of silence before Scott looked down at his hands, "But what if there was a way to save everyone?" He flexed them before fiddling with his locker combo, "John, what if there was a group of people that could help other people escape the pain we've experienced." The locker popped open, "I'd join it in a heartbeat." Scott threw a few books in his bag before turning back to John, "If there was a chance that I could save as many people as possible, I'd do it!" He slammed the locker shut, "Forget my future, I'd give it all up if I could prevent one person from feeling this loss."
This really upset John for some reason. He didn't know why, it just did. There was nothing wrong with the notion, but it was as if something inside of him was screaming at him from the depths of his very being, something weird. Déjà vu? Maybe, he couldn't tell, but he had to say it, "And what about me, Scott? Would you just give me up too? Giving up your own life, leaving us? What are you thinking?! "Then we'd go through that same pain again, you ass!"
Scott jerked away, why was John so angry? "Jeez Johnny, take a chill pill, it was hypothetical, and watch your language." The teen began walking down the hall, "Nothing like that exists, and you know I'd never do that to you. Care about you too much for that." Scott lopped himself on top of the blonde, "Who would make me food? You know I can't cook!"
John snorted, and there was a brief moment of silence as they made their way to class.
"So, would you?" Scott looked up at his brother again, eyebrow arched.
"What?"
The eldest grinned, "Join the group if it existed?" He flicked his brother, "Jeez John, for all the crap you just gave me, you had to have been paying attention."
John flicked Scott right back, but the question put him on edge. Would he? It wasn't that he didn't want to help people, but the only people he cared about at the moment were the ones who lived in the Tracy household. If he had to choose between saving the world and his family's happiness, his family would win, no question. That was what he had decided long ago. He didn't like thinking about it though, it churned his stomach.
He didn't want to talk about this anymore, so he turned his back on his brother, "Three words Scott, Virgil, Gordon, and Alan." And he was gone without another word, walking towards his classroom.
Scott stood there for a moment before sighing sadly and making his way to class, "Yeah, I know, I just wanted to pretend."
Gordon groaned as the teacher in front of him read off the list of daily announcements, he really hated school.
If the red head had a choice, he'd spend his day's working in the pool. He was going to grow up to be a famous swimmer anyway, so why did this boring stuff matter? He popped his gum.
"Mister Tracy."
Gordon winced before smiling up at his teacher, who just so happened to be a good friends with his grandma. She was glaring down at him with her eagle eye. She was a great teacher, as long as you didn't make her angry, and Gordon had a habit of doing just that.
She made sure he was looking at her, before she continued, "If there is something you would like to add, be sure to raise your hand."
Gordon sunk down into his seat, his face turning red, "Yes ma'am."
She didn't break eye contact, "I would also like to request that you pay attention during today's lesson."
His face grew redder, "Yes ma'am,"
She then turned back to her desk to finish straitening her materials, "And take that gum out of your mouth, you're distracting the other students."
"Yes ma'am," Gordon walked over to the garbage and threw out his gum, after which, he returned to his seat, imitating a tomato in color and trying to ignore the snickering that floated around the class.
Once he was seated, the teacher then turned to face him again, "And Mister Tracy."
Gordon didn't bother to look up, so he just grunted.
"Happy Birthday." The teacher smiled gently, and when his eye's shot up to meet hers, she gave him a wink.
The redhead grinned as the lesson began, today was going to be a good day.
"Virgil, you have to focus!"
The middle Tracy groaned as his best friend pocked him with her pencil, he just didn't get math, and he wasn't feeling well at that. He had woken up with a headache which had grown progressively worse as the day wore on. He was surprised Smother Cluck Scott hadn't noticed.
"I'm sorry Sarah," he smiled apologetically at her. "I'm just not feeling too good."
The nine year old girl placed a hand on his forehead, "You're a little warm."
"It's just a headache, I'm sure it's nothing to get excited over."
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean you should ignore it, I have some Advil in my bag, give me a sec." She searched around her backpack, until she found what she was looking for, "Have you eaten anything today?"
The boy chewed on the edge of his pencil, "Well, Johnny made pancakes and I had one of those." He shrugged, "but I'm not really all that hungry."
She plopped two Advil into his hands, "Here, and just tell me if you need more."
"M'kay." Virgil groaned as he swallowed the pills. "I'm feeling a little queasy, so you might not want to sit so close, okay?"
"Sure," She hopped back into her seat and slid away.
Before Virgil could decide whether or not to be insulted by how quickly she scooted away, the teacher came into the room to begin the lesson. As the man spoke, Virgil gently touched his stomach, he didn't want to tell Sarah because she'd fuss, but man, his stomach kind of hurt.
Alan sat in the corner of the classroom, and played with a toy car. It wasn't that he disliked the other kids, but, they weren't his brothers. If he had the choice he'd run around and make car noises, making a larger spectacle of the adventure, but the teacher didn't like that, and he'd get in trouble with daddy again, or worse, Scotty. So he sat there, imagining a world where he could drive the car to his heart's content as fast and far as he wanted, and then he'd bring mommy back so that daddy could smile again. And they'd be happy. He'd be happy.
A happy world where nobody cried anymore.
"Why are you crying?" Alan was pulled out of his fantasy by a little girl with brown pigtails who stood in front of him, her pink dress emphasizing the color of her pretty brown skin, and green eye's boring into his.
Alan quickly wiped his eyes, "I'm not cwying!"
The little girl didn't look convinced, "Yes you are!" She turned back towards the large desk where a young man sat, "Teacher, Alan's crying!"
Alan jumped up to stop her, he didn't want to get in trouble again, "I am not!"
She turned back to him, "Are too!"
He tried to run away, "Leave me alone, Suzy!"
"I don't want you to cry." She grabbed his arm, tears coming to her own eyes.
The little boy forcefully yanked his arm away from her, "I'm not cwying!"
Suddenly the teacher's voice cut in, "Kid's, get along!"
The two went quiet, neither wanting to get into trouble. Alan decided he wanted to go back to playing with his car, but the little girl refused to leave, her gaze centered on his face.
Rolling his eyes, he finally held up the car to her, "Want to pway with me?"
"No," She shook her head, hair swishing. "I'd like to play castle."
Alan grumbled under his breath, he didn't understand why she always wanted to play castle and house with him, "F-fine, we can go pway in the house."
"Yay!" She pulled him up and dragged him over to the house, "And remember, you have to slay the dragon."
At the sound of an adventure, the little blondes eyes sparkled, "Okay!"
As the two played, slowly their classmates joined them one by one. Each one wanting to partake in the epic adventure the two had created. That is, until the teacher called them all back to their seats for class time.
The morning was long, between learning new words and some subraction, there wasn't much time for talk. The teacher tried to make it fun, but everyone was still excited when snack time came around.
Alan and Suzy sat next to each other as they ate their animal crackers in silence. Every once in a while, little bits of other crackers would smack the blonde in the face. Followed by the snickers of a few boys from across the room until Suzy gave them a death glare.
Swinging her legs back and forth under the table, the little girl looked over at her friend. She liked him. He was kind of a loner and a crybaby, but at least he would play with her when she asked, and she had been excited for today for a while, "You know it's Valenpines day, right?"
The little boy nodded his head and sipped on his juice, "Yeah, Gordy told me."
She looked at him curiously, "Would you like to be my Valenpine?"
He blue eyes shot open wide in dismay, "But you're a giwl!"
Rolling her eyes, she put another cracker in her mouth, "Yeah, isn't that how it works"
It wasn't that Alan didn't like Suzy, he did, he really did, but he didn't love her! She was nice, if not a bit pushy, but she would stand up for him when the others were mean to him. And of course the most horrible thing of all, "Do we have to kiss?"
Suzy's eye's widened in horror, "Eww! No!" She looked thoughtful for a few seconds, "But I think we have to get married."
It was Alan's turn to have his eye's widen in horror, "I don't want to get mawwied!"
She shrugged and tilted her head, "It's only for one day."
He thought about it for a bit, he didn't like the idea of getting married, but if it was only for the day… and she was kind of nice, "Okay, I'll be your Balentine." A red flush dusted his face, "When do you want to do it?"
"Recess!" She looked really proud, and Alan couldn't help but smile to.
"Okay!"
"Good," Suzy stood from her seat and picked up her napkin and juice box. "Now you have to tell me I'm pretty all day," She threw them both into the garbage, "And I'll make sure to tell you how sexy you look."
The little boy threw his trash away as well, confused by what she was saying. He thought married people fought, or at least that was what Scotty always did with his wife when the married two years ago, "A-are you sure that's how it works?"
The girl shrugged, "It's how my daddy says it works."
Well, daddies couldn't be wrong, "Okay then!"
She grabbed his hands and pulled him towards the desk, "Let's go tell the teacher."
The teacher choked on his coffee as he tried not to burst into laughter at the news.
Alan never noticed the angry eyes that followed them around.
"Jefferson Tracy, you are late young man!"
Jeff sighed as he exited the car, "Hello, Mother."
The woman stood by the entrance to the bakery, decked in the same apparel she had used to milk the cows. Face covered in grime and making her look more like a general than a grandmother. Wanting to be on time herself, she had decided not to change into nicer clothes. She could do that when she got home and showered.
"Young man, we set a time and I expect you to be here." She stalked towards the man who had to hold his breath to keep from shaking in fear, "If this is how you run business, then you'll run yourself strait into the ground!"
Jeff relaxed and smiled warmly at her, "I missed you to, mom."
"Oh, come here!" The woman pulled her son into a loving embrace. It had been too long since he'd been home with her and the boys. They missed him.
After the embrace ended, the two of them made their way into the bakery. Gordon had a special kind of frosting he craved, and this was the only place that sold it.
After spending time looking through the massive amount of ocean themed cake, and talking each other's ears off, the two decided to just buy multiple confections. They could always share, and it wasn't like they didn't have the money.
"Is that all you need, Ruth?" The young store owner behind the counter asked as the two boxed the cakes to go.
Grandma Tracy smiled at the young woman, "Absolutely, and feel free to stop by the pizzeria later on. The boy's will be happy to see you."
The woman beamed as the two left the store.
Making their way to a little coffee shop down the street, the two stumbled inside and found a table. The perks of living in a small town was that everyone knew who was who, and who did good business. So it was easy to find where to go.
'Of course that also means that everyone wants to talk to you,' Jeff thought as his mother chatted with the young waiter who Jeff recognized lived down the street a ways. It sure had been a while since he'd been back.
"Well, buck my gun and call me Yansy! If it ain't good ole, Ruth and Jeff Tracy."
Jeff's muscles tensed at the sound of his name. Whoever it was, the Tracy patriarch didn't know them.
That was when Grandma gasped, blew past the waiter, and pulled the man into a warm hug, "Jerry! Well I haven't seen you in ages, it's so good to see you!"
"It's good to see ya too, Ruthy!" The man's whiskered lips where pulled up in happiness, "How's the old man?"
Jeff felt his heart break, this man must have been a friend of his dad's.
However, it was Ruth who took the man by the hands, and guided him to a seat, "I'm afraid Grant passed on last year."
There was a moment of silence.
"I'm so sorry Ruthy, I- I knew about Lucille, but damn, not him too."
The woman smiled warmly, a peacefulness shone in her eyes, "Thank you, Jerry. He's in a better place now."
Jerry nodded, "I'm sure he is. He was a good man."
With that, he turned to Jeff, "I suppose that means you don't remember me neither, huh?
Jeff went red, he prided himself on knowing everyone possible, but he just did not know this man. It was maddening.
"Tuttle, Mr. Jeremiah Tuttle," He reached out and took Jeff's hand. "Don't feel bad about not rememberin boy. You's was still a young pup when we's met.
Jeff nodded awkwardly, "It's very nice to meet you Mr. Tuttle."
"Daw," The man slapped him on the shoulder, "That's to formal, call me Jerry, boy!"
"Sure, Jerry…" Jeff fiddled with his napkin, "What brings you here?"
The man leaned back in his chair, "Just passin through, getting something pretty fer my daughter. She's gettin married!"
Grandma Tracy practically bounced in her chair, "No kidding, oh Jerry, that's fantastic!"
The three of them talked for quite a while, Jeff hadn't realized just what a rich history this man had with his parents. He was beginning to remember Jerry a little, but the memories were still hazy. It was good to see his mother happy though, she'd done so much for the boys since Lucy died, and she deserved to have some fun.
Fun however, doesn't last and the three soon made their ways to the door.
"It was good to see you, Jerry." Ruth kissed the man on the cheek.
The man smiled, and pulled her into a hug, "I'll be round fer a few days, so I'll come and see you tonight." He turned to Jeff and beamed, "I'd like to meet them boys!"
Nodding, Jeff shook hands with the man, before Jeremiah Tuttle turned around and walked off down the street.
Ruth Tracy stood there, a sad smile on her face. Putting an arm around his mother, Jeff guided her back to the car, "Come on mom, let's go home."
Daw! ^_^ Well I hope you enjoyed part one!
It's been a while since I've posted anything Thunderbirds related, but I hope to become much more active, very soon.
Some of you may remember a while back when I talked about a larger series I was planning. Well, a few years later and the writing for the series is in full swing.
The first story "Hood" will follow the Hood in his youth. The story will feature Hood, Kyrano, Jeff, Lucille, Lady Penelope, and Parker and follow through the events of the movie.
While that's happening, I will have multiple Wee Tracy fics like this one, that will be posted throughout the time span it will take to post this 65 chapter, 1,000,000 (give or take) word story. (T-T Oh my gosh, it's taking so long to write!)
Next will be the Sane Insanity (Name is a work in process) Trilogy. Where I see just how much it will take to break and rebuild a Thunderbird, and I'm not talking about the machines. ;) This will eventually lead into the timeline of the original show.
And that's the general plan, I will have to tweak things do to TB 215, but hopefully, the show will be good and will help tie up loose ends. I'm excited! ^_^ (Except Gordon's hair. o_o How could they!?)
So, when will I update this story? Well, I'll be honest, it could be anywhere between next month and a year. A lot is going to happen within the next two parts. It'll be fun! 8) But life has to come first.
Anyway, I bid you goodnight Thunderbirds fandom, Have a very happy Valentines Day and may miniature Gordon's fill you dreams.
Ta Ta!
GollaGeek