For Heavenward (PreludeInZ).

Happy birthday to the wonderful PreludeInZ!

Fourth Thunderbirds fic. Hope you all enjoy!

Birthdays were never quiet affairs in the Tracy household. The days leading up to them were full of bursting balloons, tripping over wrapping paper, and shouts as practice rounds for pranks went wrong. Surprise parties were never quite surprises, with children giggling left and right. Presents sometimes managed to stay secret. Sometimes. On occasion. Rarely.

Okay, so that didn't happen often, but Scott was determined to make it work this time.

Of course, that would only work if he had remembered it was John's birthday and had actually gotten a gift to keep secret.

His panic when he heard Gordon and Virgil chorusing "Happy Birthday" was something he was glad none of his family had witnessed. Their shouts had managed to wake him up, and he had spent the next ten minutes tearing apart his room, deliberately in denial that he'd forgotten and sure that he'd just hid it really well and couldn't remember. It was another fifteen minutes before he conceded defeat, and fell on his bed, groaning as he tried to figure out what to do.

His stomach interrupted his deliberations and he hurried downstairs, reasoning that he'd be able to figure out a plan better on a full stomach. Downstairs, all his younger siblings were crowding around John, who grinned faintly at them. Alan was bouncing on his feet, and both Gordon and Virgil were trying to talk over each other. Wrapped presents were sitting at the table, and they were all no doubt trying to convince John to open them at breakfast. Scott's entrance stopped the chattering momentarily, and the eldest found himself the center of attention.

"What?"

"Where's your present?" Gordon demanded, looking behind Scott like he was hiding it. The ten year old scowled, and Scott distantly remembered finding the blond looking through his closet a couple days ago. "Well?"

No way was he going to admit he'd forgotten. Confidence, he thought. Confidence in the face of little brother-resistance. "You're just mad that you couldn't find it," Scott replied. "Happy Birthday, Johnny." John turned a smile towards him, and Scott felt even worse than he already did.

"I bet you didn't get one!" Gordon declared, his pride smarting.

"Of course I have one!" Scott protested.

"Then where is it?" Alan asked, the five year old's eyes wide and innocently curious. "Mine and Virgie's books are there." He pointed to a large box at the bottom of the pile, and Virgil groaned.

"Alan, you weren't supposed to tell them what it was!" Alan turned his wide eyes towards Virgil, and the older boy had to backtrack as the blues watered. "No, no, I didn't mean that, Alan."

"It's okay, Alan," John intervened, picking the small boy up. "Your present's going to be the best."

Instantly, the eyes cleared. "The best! See Gordon. I have the best present!"

The other blond shook his head. "Books are boring. Mine is going to be awesome!" Scott had reached the cabinets, pleased he'd managed to escape further questioning.

"Where's the birthday boy?" All five of them turned as their dad came in, grinning as he saw all his sons up. "Happy birthday, John!" He reached over and ruffled the ginger's hair, smiling at him kindly. "I see you've got all your presents, already."

Scott breathed a sigh of relief as he didn't notice the missing one. But of course, Gordon had to go and ruin it.

"Scott doesn't have a present for John!"

Again, all eyes turned to regard him and he fought the urge to slouch down. "I do! I'm going to give it later. My present's going to stay a secret this year!" He pointed the last comment at Gordon, who stuck his tongue out at him.

"That's fine by me," John put in. Scott barely managed to keep the relief off his face. "I wasn't going to open them until later anyways. It'll be nice to have a surprise," he added. None of his family members argued Scott's statement after that - he was always trying to make his a surprise, after all.

He supposed that he was kinda successful. John had no clue what his birthday present from Scott was going to be.

Now, if only Scott knew.

It's not like he meant to forget about his little brother's birthday, but it had been a busy couple of weeks with Virgil's piano recitals and Gordon's swim meets and Alan's playdates and with their dad spending more and more time at the office. Really, it wasn't his fault and he was doing the best he could.

Of course, today would be the day that their dad managed to outshine him, and had taken a day off just for John.

Scott really needed to find a gift, and fast.

Gordon and Virgil had grabbed John, and the Troublemaking Trio were gone. Scott watched them run, and felt a bit worried. While Alan and Gordon loved getting into trouble, the three of them were closest in age, and often closest in mischief. Too close sometimes. Even calm John managed to get into huge trouble with the other two.

Dad left soon after, Alan in his arms. Sending a knowing look at his oldest, he called out to the others, declaring it a day for the pool. The fifteen year old grinned back at his dad. A trip into town would be perfect. He'd slip away and get a great present, and slip back before anyone realized he was gone. John and Gordon would be too distracted by out-swimming each other, and Virgil would help Dad with Alan. It was the perfect plan. Grabbing his wallet from his room, he helped get the others ready to head out.

Slipping away from his brothers proved to be harder than expected. Gordon and John wanted someone to time them, and Dad had disappeared through the door of the shallower pool with Alan. Luckily Virgil, smirking at his oldest brother's frantic look, volunteered and both boys, as happy with one older brother as the other, started on their competition.

"Better get something good," Virgil commented quietly, and Scott scowled at his smug look.

Nothing stayed a secret in that house.

It was over an hour later before he found something he was happy with giving John. Virgil and Alan had gotten him a couple of books - Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and Star Wars, he thought - and Gordon had gotten him some sort of poster. Dad's present was a new pair of gloves with magnetic tips for his holographic screens.

But none of them had gotten him something for space.

It was a dangerous move, Scott knew. John hadn't touched his telescope for months after Mom's accident. Even now, a year later, he still sometimes fell into fits when he refused to have anything to do with stars.

But this present… It was too perfect and Scott felt that Mom would have approved. Pulling out his wallet, he noticed a slip of metal hiding in between the bills of money. Pulling it out, he examined it, grinning as he realized the best addition to the gift. Luckily, the cashier was willing to help him, and Scott quickly got the gift wrapped up. Hiding it in the car, he ran back to the pool, cannonballing to join his brothers.

Later that evening, after finishing off the vanilla cake, John opened each of his presents, smiling and laughing with his brothers. Dad and Grandma watched on, from the side. Scott managed to keep his present for last, despite Gordon's protests that he should go first. Though as the night wore on, Scott started getting impatient, and worried.

When John finally turned to him, Scott was a bundle of nerves, and only barely succeeded in passing his box around. Gordon crowed in the background of its smaller size but no one paid him any mind. Alan was fast asleep in Dad's arm and Virgil was quietly watching from the side. John peeled back the wrapping paper in his careful way, not slow, but to Scott it felt like a snail's pace.

Finally, John unwrapped the box, opening it up, and picking up the spiral inside. Flipping through it, he seemed transfixed, absolutely silent. Flipping to the front, he froze. Scott shifted, his worry peaking. Perhaps he had been wrong to get it. It'd only been a year after all, and the extra etching in the front might have been presumptuous of him. As the seconds passed and John stayed immobile, he felt his concern sky-rocket.

"What is it?" Gordon demanded. Virgil craned his neck, trying to get a look at the book too.

"A-a notebook," Scott replied. "Like a journal. So John can take pictures of the stars and write about them."

"But that's bo-oring!" Gordon complained, but Virgil thumped on the back of his head. The two started squabbling, but Scott ignored them.

"Johnny?" he ventured. Surprisingly, even Gordon's incessant chatter had ceased. "John? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to -" But he couldn't finish his sentence as John launched himself at him. Scott barely managed to keep himself upright, rocking back. "Johnny?"

"Thank you," the smaller boy simply said, springing back and cradling the journal. "It… it looks like Mom's."

"Yeah…" Scott said. He cleared his throat against the lump. "I thought… I thought you might have liked one. I know her's was destroyed in the…" He couldn't finish. "But I found the inscription in the wreckage and asked them to add it to the front."

John didn't need that though. "Thank you," he repeated.

It was quiet for a minute but Gordon, who could never sit still, shouted, "dog pile!" and jumped at John, who barely managed to toss the book out of the way before he was crushed by seventy pounds of brother. Scott and Virgil, sharing a shrug, jumped in too, and soon they were all rolling on the floor, pouncing on each other.

Jeff and Ruth watched them, amused. The ruckus was loud enough to wake even Alan, who quickly joined in on his brothers' horse-play. The moon and stars shone through the window, but one star in particular shone brighter than the rest, lighting up the inscription on the discarded journal.

For my little starman, forever living among the stars. Never stop dreaming. Love Mom.

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