AN – A TAG-on to Growing Pains. Another one-off fail, after a promise not to venture into episode continuation again! But, the draw to 'TAG-on' to this episode was too great. Firstly, John on terra firma is one of my favourite things in TAG and secondly? Well, I'm nothing if not predictable; in my universe there would be a certain Tracy that would have more of an issue with Rigby, than the close call with the Chaos Crew ;-)
As always, borrowed to play with and put back for others to enjoy.
Green-Eyed Monster
Virgil dragged his tired frame into the ring; the fresh change of clothes could not fail to disguise the dirt ingrained in his skin and the acrid smell of soot and smoke following him around from a high rise fire half the world away. Gordon had embraced the immediate need, forget the system check and hightailed it to the pool shower before diving in to the chlorine filled water. A sure-fire combatant, for the latent smell still dancing in the nostrils, which reminded him of the time Alan left the butter lid too close to the hob. Judging by the lack of welcoming committee and the cries carried on the air, he had picked up a brother or two on his no doubt, tornadic path through their living quarters. Still, that meant peace, a precious commodity that should be grasped at any opportunity, was in the here and now. A swift mental calculation and a shower, which may save his sense of smell, but could be taken once it was broken, was dismissed in favour of a swift intake of calories and a few precious minutes on a stool in front of one of the few real pleasures in his life. It was not often he toasted a rescue for selfish reasons but when all persons were safe and accounted for, the desire to clean the day away, wash tainted skin, could be repressed as a leisurely comfort and taken in its own time.
He swerved a look to the pool, if he wanted to keep up the pretence he was alone he could dismiss the noise but once he had clapped eyes on his cavorting brothers it would be game over. The lingering smell of the last meal still cut its ghostly trail across the kitchen, roast chicken. If the refrigerator still held the half decimated caucus, he was home free. Surround it in carbs, smother in mayo and he had a snack in seconds, saving those precious seconds for a date with Beethoven and his moonlight sonata. Of course the snack had to be enjoyed in the kitchen and the grease wiped from existence before knuckles could be cracked and the real escape could begin. Hole filled, he made his way over to distraction that his mind had been savouring more than his taste buds had the sandwich. She stood in silent promise as he trailed his finger around her curves, the need for sheet music dismissed, he pulled out the stool, before lifting her lid. His fingers ghosted the keys, a gesture to an old friend, before the anticipated soulful release. He'd barely managed the dominant g# before he was aware that he had company. Nothing would usually stall him at that moment, his payday for a rough day, but instinct told him that those unseen eyes and guaranteed accompanying smile were just as rare of a pleasure, a gift to be enjoyed.
"Johnny!"
John's eyes twinkled behind his stoic expression, "Forgiven the first time, it won't be tolerated for a second."
Virgil returned the none-smile, smile, before switching from his private escape, to the two-handed bounty of Holst's Neptune, the only ode to his space bound brother he could manage without his usual sidekick being commandeered for a duet, "take a seat,"
John walked over and pressed a hand to his shoulder, "maybe for a minute. A debrief awaits."
Virgil shuffled to the left to offer John the promised seat, "debrief? You've been back in orbit for five hours, and had a good hour before you mission controlled for me. Has Kayo not already done the honours?"
John declined the seat, preferring to stand behind him, "I'm sure she would have, if she'd made it home. The GDF pulled her into crisis talks. The Chaos Crew have them twitching more than an addict on a comedown. And as she has had more than her fair share of encounters … well, you know the drill, and intelligence saves life. I'm sure Penelope, Casey and Kayo have that tattooed somewhere out of sight. Anyway, long story short, she is on her way home and Scott has decided he needs my version of events in person."
Virgil turned, "And big brother can't just wait for the reunion? He's distracted enough as far as I can tell. I think he's in the pool with Gordon."
"Oh, he's very much in the office, nursing a scotch and the mission report I downloaded from Five."
Virgil turned, he was the master at spotting half a story, and John, the master at delivering the facts was concealing details, "Spill! I've had a pretty tough rescue myself. So, Scott spending time with Gordon I can understand, Scott hiding away in the office? Well, you know, I'm duty bound to take the baton from you now. But, I think you'd better debrief me first."
John shrugged his shoulders, before breaking into a broad grin, "I'm not so sure it was Havoc or the close call with the gas, so much as a certain Captain Rigby taking a ride in Shadow."
Virgil closed the lid on the piano. Yes, peace was a rare commodity but any hint of Scott related gossip was like rocking horse …. "Shit! You're kidding? It wasn't a joyride though? I mean this is Kayo we're talkin about."
"Nope, wholly in the line of duty. We were trapped with the pink triffid, our friend Ned and a noxious safeguard, which did not have the capacity to determine friend from foe. Rigby had no choice but to take Shadow, Havoc had already commandeered his bike."
Virgil rose, "Holst had it right?"
"What?" John questioned.
He patted the red-heads shoulder, "four hands are better than two. This isn't a debrief! This is a rescue and I'm tagging you in. If Kayo's on her way back we have less than an hour to stop the smouldering jealousy from within those walls and persuade him towards a romantic reunion."
"You really think we need to get that involved?" John asked as they hovered outside the door to the inner sanctum.
Virgil delivered a loud knock to the door before turning to his brother. "How do you see Kayo's return playing out? I mean she just loves a hint of accusation. And after being privy to their mission debrief after Penelope's dubious acquisition of an oil rig. I suggest we persuade him, or at least distract him enough, to take a breath." He pushed the door open.
Virgil took in the immediate evidence, his brother hidden behind a screen, the amber evidence of a scotch in the glass, the bottle minus a couple of fingers suggesting a little to take the edge off, rather than a descent into oblivion. He gave his brother a nudge; after all he was the one with the official summons. He noted with amusement, that the eldest's eyes didn't leave the screen, the 'take a seat' instruction of an interviewee delivered, before he realised the double pronged invasion of his private space.
"Virgil!"
"Scott." Virgil returned as he took a seat opposite the desk in unison with his brother. "Heard that the debrief couldn't wait. If you want the abridged version…." He noted his brother holding eye-contact with his deputy, but barely catching a word of his own wasted oxygen,…"Gordon will survive, fire penetrated his suit, but he should be …"
Yup that did it. Scott sprang to his feet and John arched an enquiring eyebrow in his direction.
"Or, as you're actually listening now, I can cut the bullshit," Virgil continued, expertly masking the smile that John acknowledged with one equally masked playing out behind his green orbs. "So, John tells me all missions now have to finish with the personal touch. Uploading a mission log is no longer an acceptable method of keeping our records. So do you want the blow-by-blow on Dubai?"
He noted Scott look towards his direct younger sibling before returning to the safe side of the desk. He deemed it prudent to continue, before retreat mode was deployed by the eldest and he made a solo foray into the realms of smother lover, a dangerous but natural leap for the family's smother hen.
"Or shall we all go through the finite detail of the GDF commandeering one of our vehicles, and translate that, into a conversation between brothers and not colleagues."
John shifted in the chair beside him, Virgil noted Scott honing in on the movement. Their Field Commandeer sighed and drained the shot that he had probably nursed for the best part of an hour.
"Out with it," Virgil instructed.
"Nothing," Scott shrugged, "Just, well, you know, our brother here was in the field today….and …shit Virgil, it was like the snuff version of the Crystal Maze in there…just needed to find out what the hell went wrong."
John, gave a nod to Virgil and took up the covert baton, "You sure my report didn't cover everything, I'm quite sure I didn't leave any details out. Even EOS on vacation catching a cold had its own subsection…..Scott let's cut the crap, spit it out, and maybe just maybe we'll have said all that needs to be said before Kayo comes home." He tossed the baton to his brother, which was expertly caught without a second of awkward silence.
"So, what's on your mind?" direct questioning always saved time in Virgil's opinion, whether he'd get a direct answer…
Scott chose to address his invited counterpart; Virgil was surprised to see a slight pinking in Scott's cheeks as he turned towards John.
"Just wanted an assessment of Captain Rigby."
"A little robotic maybe, you now the type, drilled responses, reasonable muscle in a crisis, a little natural instinct thrown in, but you know as for one to ten on keeping out sister interested, … five maybe six." John answered, surprisingly seriously as far as Virgil could tell. If he'd have delivered the same statement there would be a battle between good and evil raging inside.
"Six?"
"If that," John confirmed, tossing the metaphorical baton back to his more 'touchy feely' brother.
"You cannot seriously think Kayo has feelings for jarhead?" Virgil opened.
Scott glanced from one to the other, "No, but Shadow. Kayo let him take her."
Virgil smiled, "Are you speaking as our illustrious leader or her boyfriend?"
"Speaking as someone that wouldn't trust the entire male population of the planet as far as Kayo's concerned." Scott countered, relaxing into the conversation.
"And some females." John added, before shutting down the sentiment at a look thrown in his direction by the raven-haired expert in the talk down.
"I think the only trust that makes a difference here is Kayo's…Do you trust her?"
Scott lifted his eyes defiantly, "Of course, I just get the feeling I have a little competition."
"I'd call that a compliment," Virgil stated.
"Or a warning shot to keep the home fires burning," John added, "Kayo, will be strung out on failure after crossing swords with the hierarchy at the GDF. And the best thing you can do is celebrate the fact we both got out of there without adding our dying DNA to the gene pool. Wouldn't give Captain America a mention in her presence"
Virgil got up from his seat, "John's rare visit should keep the others occupied." He turned to the honoured guest, "How about we invite the clan to a beach party, take some supplies and leave Romeo and Juliet to their reunion."
Scott grinned, "He's really a six?"
Virgil laughed, "You want the numbers? Damned if I'm gonna declare you a ten to boost your ego."
"Ten! Edging an eight at best." John added. "Jealousy takes at least two of the perfect score." He grinned rising from his seat, "Gonna round up the rest, it's up to you what you do with the time but according to my best guess you've got ten minutes before you can make one helluv a shitty day a little better for your girlfriend."
Scott grinned as he took his leave from the entrapment of the desk and screen, "and you're really gonna hit the beach for the whole evening?"
"Unless your screams mean we have to intervene," Virgil quipped, in happy receipt of an embrace from his brother.
"Thanks, I guess even I need a pep-talk at times. And if I take your average I'm a definite nine. " Scott returned playfully.
"A nine would be prepared for a date night," John suggested, glancing at Virgil with a knowing look.
Scott pulled his red-headed brother into the huddle, "A little jealous yourself John?" He laughed.
"Well tactile is what I live for." John smirked giving his brother a firm pat on the back before he checked the ETA of Shadow with Five, "seven minutes, the grand gesture maybe more of a damp squib than a display if you don't get your act in order."
"FAB." Scott confirmed, before bringing both brothers back into his arms.
OoOOOOoo
Kayo took a moment in the cockpit after all system-checks had been completed; the day needed washing off but first a deep breath. Her hair smelt of failure, her skin of defeat, too many times Havoc had laughed in her face, something about going up against a x-chrome made it harder than any encounter with a foe. Her uncle could be discounted of course, that was personal. She took off her visor and discarded it in the cockpit, not protocol, but after several hours with the GDF she would shove protocol up the ass of the first person to make a complaint. She made the jump to the hanger floor, released her hair from the constraints of work and took the short walk to the boundary between work and family. The glass barrier gifted her blue eyes, a smile and someone she had been daydreaming about for the speculative part of her recent enforced incarceration with the GDF. The arms rounding her waist as she crossed the threshold were an added bonus.
"Nice day honey?" Scott joked, nuzzling into her side.
"Like hell!" Kayo confirmed, sinking slightly at the support offered.
"Ran you a bath if you fancy a soak, dinner will be a while yet." Scott added, enjoying the feeling of her breath on his neck as he walked her through their living quarters to the stairs.
"Don't suppose a massage is on the agenda? Got a boredom induced crick in my neck. When will the GDF learn that talking beyond the known facts is a waste of everybody's time?" Kayo complained.
Scott gave her a squeeze, but stopped at the bottom step, "here are the facts. The bath is ready, there is company if you fancy it." He cracked his knuckles, "and these babies are primed and ready if you need them. If not I'll keep an eye on dinner while you take your head-space."
Kayo kissed his cheek, "the thing about head-space…. once it's offered I rarely need it."
Scott took her hand, "Don't suppose the thing about dinner is, once it's mentioned, you rarely fancy it?"
Kayo faced him nose to nose, "Funnily enough, I'm not that hungry. One thing the GDF do well is biscuits," She stated, before kissing him languidly, enjoying the familiarly blissful sensation which allowed her robotic body to return to life. She stood entwining herself in the safety of his arms before she felt the draw of the cleansing water that would allow a natural progression to what she really needed after such a close-call. It may be counted as hours ago, but it was still raging around in her system needing release. She took a step onto the first stair, hoping he'd follow rather than break the kiss, so far so good. Dinner was fast becoming a distant memory. Then the second, the kiss still unbroken, result! And no mention of a debrief. Confidently she made the step backward onto the third; clasping his hand, braving the parting from his lips to lead him up the final steps to their own private space.