Adventures at the Mall Chapter 1, a thunderbirds fanfic

A/N: Hey guys! This was suppose to be a one-shot, however the plot bunny has striked again - so this will now be a chapter story. Anyway, I hope you enjoy. Reviews are more than welcome, as it means a lot to me to receive feedback =)

WolfLeap xx

Chapter I:

I woke to a sudden shake of the bed. Believing it was an earthquake, I bolted upright … only to find my daughter was the culprit. I moaned, rubbing my sleepy eyes. "Genevieve!"

Genevieve let out a sly laugh, jumping onto my mattress. "Come on Daddy! Time to get up, you lazy bum!"

Processing her last words, I cocked an eyebrow. There was no doubt that the Terrible Two had been teaching her those impolite words … so much for being role models towards their niece. I heaved a sigh, leaving the latter behind us. Despite my tiredness, I managed to express a gentile smile. "No, can Daddy go back to sleep now?"

Disappointed, Genevieve shook her head stubbornly; she was not going to give in that easily. "Not today, please! It's my birthday!"

My heart leapt in reaction to that statement. Gee whizz! How the heck could I forget? For the past week, my brothers and I have been fully preoccupied with our rescue missions. My mind was on constant alert that, I suppose the universe was not on my side to remind me of my daughter's special day.

I smiled at her sheepishly … while trying to hide the fact that I had forgotten that Genevieve had turned six-years-old today. I cleared my throat, hoping that it would terminate the awkwardness. "Uh … well duh! Happy Birthday, sweetie!"

I gathered her into my arms, her gratitude told me that she had suspected nothing whatsoever. Very suave, Scott. That sure was close!

As she pulled away from our hug, I saw her blue eyes sparkle; excitement was written across her face. "Now, up you get, Daddy."

I grunted. "Can I not rest for another 10 minutes?"

My daughter retorted seriously. "Nuh uh, great-grandma said that if you don't get up; she will give you a spank on the buttocks."

I cringed at those words. Oh how I despised Grandma's swatting everytime I wanted to nibble on her delicious baking.

I chuckled nervously, ruffling Genevieve's long, dark-brown hair. "Well, we wouldn't want that now, would we?"

Genevieve smiled enthusiastically, offering me her little hand. I accepted her invitation, allowing my daughter to lead me into the kitchen where I was surprised to see my father and three brothers – Virgil, Gordon and Alan, already there, waiting to wish Genevieve an exciting sixth birthday.

My brothers were gathered around the table with presents placed in front of them. The sight of the wrapped-gifts made me stop in my tracks, releasing Genevieve's hand, as she made her way over to her grandfather by the kitchen shelves. I stared blankly at my brothers, who were none other than grinning back at me. How the heck did they manage to remember their niece's birthday … whereas I did not?
Guilt overtook me.

"There she is!" My father embraced his granddaughter in his arms. "Happy Birthday!"

Genevieve squealed excitedly before skipping off towards the table. She was about to hug Gordon until she noticed he was sniggering, pointing a finger towards me (he still found it amusing that I had forgotten about my daughter's birthday). Genevieve tilted her head, expressing blatant bewilderment. "Uncle Gordon? Why are you laughing at Daddy?"

Gordon jumped in his chair, turning to find his niece staring up at him. His face grew steadily red, like he had eaten something extremelly spicy on the Scoville scale. Raking through his auburn-coloured hair, he gave Genevieve a sheepish grin. "Oh uh, nothing, I just find it funny that your dad is, uh, still wearing his pyjamas."

I released a sigh of relief. At least Gordon had some sense not to tell my daughter the truth, even though his immaturity was still at large. He outstretched his arms, waiting to cuddle his niece; but she merely shrugged and darted around the table to hug Virgil instead.

I laughed at Gordon's rejection, feeling avenged upon my embarrassment earlier.

When Genevieve approached Alan (still ignoring her Uncle Gordon nearby), my father spoke. "Now Genevieve, as you know we can't have a party for you and your friends here on this island, but I have decided that your father can take you out on a day trip to wherever you like."

Hearing her grandfather's announcement; Genevieve bounced excitedly on the floor, squealing loudly from the top of her lungs which made Alan insert his index fingers inside his ears to block out the high-pitched sound. Virgil came to his rescue, calming Genevieve down with a soft squeeze of her shoulder. "So sweetie, where's your Dad going to take you?" He asked her gently.

Genevieve pressed a finger against her lips, hesitating for a moment to reply. When an idea occurred to her, she clicked. "The mall! My friend Alysha said that shopping is fun!"

I moaned in disbelief. Shopping? Is she kidding? Good grief, I hate malls! My involuntary protest fell on deaf ears, Genevieve confirmed with liveliness that the mall is where she wanted to go.

Inflamed with irritation, I pulled against my hair, nearly ripping it out of my skull. My brothers, however, were amused; laughing out loud.

Virgil struggled to speak, tears of joy were filling in his eyes. "Hey Scotty, while you're at the mall, can you get me some new paint supplies?"

Alan chipped in. "Oi delivery boy, can you get me the latest Car and Driver magazine while you're at it?"

Gordon was laughing so hard, he clenched his stomach; nearly falling off his chair in the process. "I'm having a bath later on. Can you get me a rubber duck?"

I felt my face redden in anger; my cheeks twitching uncontrollably. Can this day get any worse?