Joining the Boys Club
By Criminally Charmed
Disclaimer - Don't own Thunderbird Cannon Characters - Kate is all mine. Well, she is the product of my imagination at least. Pretty sure that is still mine.
Chapter 1 – A Member of the Team?
Katherine Eppes Tracy was frustrated. She was supposed to be member of a team. She was use to being a member of a team. Kate had always been a team player, from years of soccer, joining the FBI and now, she was a Thunderbird. Jeff Tracy, ex-astronaut, billionaire business, founder of Tracy Enterprises as well as founder of International Rescue had hired her not only to work for his "public" (if privately held) company, Kate now was a member of International Rescue. Well, he had after Kate had married Jeff's oldest son Scott. And Kate was unsure which job was more frustrating at the moment.
Finding out that the Tracys were the Thunderbirds, the operative behind International Rescue, the ultra-secret group that had been the anonymous rescuers of countless people around the world for the last few years, had been a life changing event for Katherine Eppes. Kate had been on hand at Tracy Enterprises, prepared to arrest one of Jeff's employees for bartering a top secret computer program. The man had instead kidnapped Jeff's youngest son, Alan. Kate, together with the other Tracy sons – Scott, John, Virgil and Gordon – had determined that Alan was being held in Tracy Tower and had searched for the teenager. It was Kate and Scott who had found the boy being held hostage, and worked together to save him. Kate, who had been wounded in the rescue, had fallen in love with Scott, almost at first sight. The Field Commander of the Thunderbirds had returned the feelings and since Kate had already figured out that they were International Rescue, Jeff saw no reason not to bring Kate back with them to Tracy Island. By the end of Kate's visit, the patriarch of the Tracy Family saw no reason why Kate should not be part of the three most important things in his life: Tracy Enterprises, International Rescue and his family.
OK, she now was employed by Tracy Enterprises and had to deal with the way many acted as if Jeff Tracy had created a job for Kate. Forget that she was skilled in computer security, and as a former federal agent, highly trained in security in general. Well, she would prove herself to them as she had proven her worth as a FBI agent. But being part of IR was getting frustrating. Scott was her field commander out there. Love, honor and cherish was fine when they were not in the field but her husband seemed to forget that at times. And as always, the other boys followed big brother's lead. Kate wished Alan was home from school now, and not tomorrow. Sometimes the youngest Tracy – barely sixteen – was the easiest to deal with. Though Kate was sure her frustration would boil over if the kid was treated with more responsibility in the field that Kate currently got. With a deep sigh, Kate tried to put the latest mission behind her and found herself wandering to the kitchen, where she found Onaha happily puttering about, creating another fantastic meal.
Kate smiled up at Onaha as the Malaysian woman placed a glass of ice tea in front of her. The gentle woman was always trying to mother Kate and with the younger woman missing her own family, Kate had no problem with it. Technically, Kate and Scott didn't even live in the Tracy Villa, as they had their own home just across the compound. Kate found her mind wandering back to the rehearsal dinner the night before her wedding. An old family friend was asking what her father and uncle had meant about "coordinating" their wedding gifts. Her father had explained – Uncle Charlie had gotten them a china hutch, her parents had bought the china, one brother the crystal stemware and her other brother the silverware. As the friend congratulated the family on working together on it, he paused and then asked if the newlyweds would have room for all that. As her Uncle Charlie tried hard not to laugh, Kate's father sourly remarked, "Oh yeah, no problem. The groom's father wedding gift is a house."
Onaha smiled gently down at the younger woman. "Why such a long face, Mrs. Scott? You are too newly married to look so sad. Just wait a while!" Kate didn't respond to the jibe, just sighed loudly. A frown marred the housekeeper's face and she sat down next to Kate. "What is it?"
"Onaha, I have always been up to any challenge. I could play any sport, complete any class, and handle any assignment that I put my mind to. But when I go on rescues with IR I am suddenly being treated like a child or worse, like a fragile flower. I am ready to quit."
The Malaysian woman's face once more broke into a smile. "Mrs. Scott, you have to remember that these boys's grew up without their mother. They are not use to having a woman around. Yes, their grandmother was around when they lived in the states, but she was an elderly lady even then. They rarely see Lady Penelope being anything but a lady and I would never dream of such behavior. Even my little Tin-Tin, she is a child in many ways and the boys, well, except Mr. Alan, see her as a little sister, someone to protect. You can do this, just sit Mr. Scott down and make him listen to you. Yell, if you must. It would do Mr. Scott some good to have someone disagree with him once in a while!" Kate chuckled at that. "The boys all love you and know you can do the job. They are just afraid." Kate looked up at Onaha in confusion as she continued. "They have finally gotten a lady of the family. They buried the last one many years ago. It is a desire to protect, not doubt in your abilities. Start with Mr. Scott. Again, yell if you must. Trust an old married lady – all men are little boys, and just like a child, sometimes a man needs to be yelled at." The two women looked at each other and began to laugh.
Just then Scott and Jeff walked into the kitchen. Jeff smiled at his daughter-in-law. "What's so funny, ladies?"
"Oh," Kate chuckled, "just talking about raising kids."
Jeff beamed. "Anything you and Scott want to tell me?"
Scott groaned, "Dad, we've barely been married a month."
Shrugging, his father said, "Well, you were born before your mother and mine's first anniversary."
Kate stood suddenly. "No, Dad, but Scott and I do have something we need to talk about." Kate turned to her husband. "Ahem. In private Scott Carpenter Tracy."
Now Scott Tracy had been a decorated Air Force Pilot. He was field commander for International Rescue. He had helped his widowed father raise his four younger brothers. He knew trouble when it smacked him right in the face. And he knew somehow, some way, he was in trouble. Sigh. There were times when the bravest men knew that resistance was futile. Scott followed his wife out the door of his father's house as she made her way to the home they shared. Scott didn't know what he had done but he could be sure of one thing. Katherine Eppes Tracy once more had THAT look on her face. The one that made Scott fight the urge to keep any and all firearms out of her reach.
author's note - Not a very long chapter. Just wanted to set up Kate's frustration. There will be rescues in this story. I have often seen others write "I am better at writing action than interaction" (or something to that point). Well, I am the other way around. So have patience with me. And REVIEW!!!