Author's note: This is a repost of a story that was originally very well received, right up until the end. At that point, several authors expressed disappointment with the ending. Because they were all people I respected, I took the story down with the intention of 'tweaking' the end. Big mistake. I didn't even look at the story for over a year, and when I did, I just couldn't bring myself to work on it. I only recognized relatively recently that the reason I couldn't work on it was because I actually LIKED the original ending. I started talking to people about reposting it. Lots of different opinions on it, but one person pointed out that the only opinion that mattered was mine. Well, duh! With that revelation, I figured I'd repost and let the chips fall where they may. And, wouldn't you know, that was all I needed... the logjam in my mind broke, and I actually did a new ending. Huh, whoda thunk? Anyway, this is the orignal, and once it's all up, I'll post the new ending for those who are curious.

I took a deep breath. Oh yeah, this was gonna be a good day. The sun was just peeking over the horizon, splashing reds and cotton candy pinks across the sky. The air was moist, but warm. And as I stretched, my body was cooperating, no twinges, no pain.

I looked at the swimming pool, all sparkly blue and inviting. Tossing my towel on a lounger, I slipped out of my flip-flops and grasped the edge with my toes. Taking a deep breath, I prepared for a competition dive that would push me halfway across the length of the pool underwater. As I took a moment to settle myself, my ears perked, catching the whine of an approaching aircraft.

I froze for a second, and scanned the horizon. I wasn't aware of anybody scheduled to visit, and as far as I knew, no one in the family was off the island. Well, except for Alan, of course, stuck up on Thunderbird Five. I spotted a rapidly growing dot, then relaxed when it got close enough to identify as Tracy One, a little red jet that the family used for jaunts to the mainland.

I didn't know who was out and about this early in the morning, but I wasn't curious enough to forego my swim. I turned back to the pool, and taking a few deep breaths to focus my concentration, dove in. The water was silky cool on my skin, but I didn't lose focus to enjoy it. I was here on business, and the water was just something to succeed against.

I didn't do this often anymore, this pushing. My glory days were long behind me, and I didn't regret their passing. Yeah, a second Olympics would have been nice, to shut up those one-shot wonder comments, but my life now was pretty much perfect. I loved my job, hard though it could be. I loved living on the island, and though I'd never admit it out loud, I loved living with my family. Sure, there was that niggle of worry that all the good women would be taken by the time I decided I wanted to start a family, but hell, I was only twenty-four, and unlike my older brothers, good looking. There was plenty of time.

In the meantime, I hit the far side of the pool and flipped and pushed off, disgusted with how sloppy my technique had become. For the next twenty minutes, I concentrated on correcting all those little flaws in movement that kept me from achieving my goal. When I was finally satisfied that my stroke was as perfect as it had been when I was sixteen, I started swimming in earnest.

I was happy with what I was achieving, but all too soon, I found my energy flagging. Still, it was a good workout. I decided I really needed to do it more often. Of course, I'd made the same decision the last time I'd done what Alan called the Dawn Patrol, but this time I really meant it.

Yeah, who was I kidding? Between the day-to-day work around the island, and energy consuming rescues that I participated in, I was lucky if I could dabble my toes in the water, let alone find the time and energy to seriously swim. Ah well, life was a trade-off.

As I did a few leisurely laps to cool off, I caught a glimpse of movement at the pool's edge. Lifting my head, I spotted my brother John moving across the patio. "Oooo, Johnny, you're looking spiffy!"

And he did. On the island, we all were pretty much into South Seas casual, but John was wearing a dark gray suit that did actually look good on him. He paused, and turned toward me. "Kind of early for you, isn't it?"

"I felt the Need. Where are you going all dressed up?"

He cocked his head and grinned. "Actually, I'm not going, I'm just getting home. That wedding, remember?"

Surprised, I blurted out, "That wedding was yesterday! John, you mean to tell me that you've been gone all night? Wow! Did you get lucky?"

John's grin turned sly. "Luck has nothing to do with it, kiddo. And yes, I did."

"Way to go, bro! Does she have a sister?"

"Yeah, like I'd subject her family to you."

"Aw, I'm hurt, Johnny. To the core."

"Uh-huh. Well, I guess you're just going to have to live with the pain."

I laughed, and getting out of the pool, grabbed my towel. "So, what's she like?"

John looked at me. I knew he wasn't a kiss-and-tell guy, but I was really curious what kind of woman could get past his defenses. Pursing his lips, he said simply, "She's nice. I like her. End of story."

I nodded, knowing that was all he was going to say. "So, are you going to see her again?"

John cocked his head considering. I waited until he decided to trust me. "I've got a date with her this evening."

Now, that really caught me off guard. "Dad will have a fit."

"Dad doesn't have to know."

"Johnny, this isn't like climbing down the oak tree at home. You fire up Tracy One, and I guarantee you that Dad is going to notice."

John looked me in the eye. "Not if I use Brains' sound shield tech. Not if he's not at his desk to see the tell tale. Not if he's down in the hangar, looking at something in Thunderbird Four."

The sound shield was one of Brains' little inventions, intended to cover the sound of the Thunderbirds launch when there was unavoidable company on the island. I smiled at my brother. He knew me so well. Still, "I feel obligated to point out that if a rescue call comes in, nothing will save your scrawny butt."

John nodded ruefully. "Look, I know this is crazy, but believe me, she's worth it. You going to back me up or what?"

I made him wait for a moment, trying to look as if I was considering saying no, but the truth was, I was always game to back up my brothers. Actually, I was pretty sure that if John went to Dad, and told him there was a girl, Dad would bend over backward to accommodate him. I think we all would. But hey, a little sleight-of-hand, with no one getting hurt was my specialty. "Well, okay, if you insist."

"Excellent. Listen, I was up all night. I'm going to go crash. Cover for me at breakfast, okay?"

"Oh, you so owe me!"

"Like Hell! We'll just take it off of your tab."

I couldn't help but laugh. John always could put me in my place, and damn, if I didn't love the guy for it! I headed for my quarters, and took a long, hot shower to get the chlorine off. By the time I was dressed and ready for the day, I was pretty well famished. I headed to the kitchen where I could smell breakfast.

Grandma stood at the stove, and Kyrano was chopping something over by the sinks. I think part of the reason I'm not overly aggressive about finding a girl to settle down with is because I have this sneaking suspicion that no one will ever be up to my standards. My standard at the moment was smiling at me and telling me good morning.

My grandma had raised me from the time I was a rug crawler. She was a constant in my life like my dad and brothers, and she loved me. Sounds kind of pathetic when I say it like that, but it's always been my grandma's love that has grounded me. She doesn't ask anything of me, she just loves me. I don't know that any mere mortal woman will ever be able to make me feel the way Grandma does when she looks at me.

And I know nobody, but nobody, can make waffles like she can. "This looks great, Grandma, just what I wanted."

She reached up with her soft hand and caressed my cheek, and everything was instantly right with my world. "Well, that's why I made it, baby. Get a plate, these are just ready now."

I took a plate from the counter and held it out. Just as Grandma lifted the waffles up, another plate appeared on top of mine intercepting them. "Hey! Those were mine!"

Scott smirked as he moved to the table. "You snooze, you lose."

As I glared at my brother, I felt a weight plop on the plate I was still holding out. I looked down to find Grandma had been keeping some extras warming under a towel. I was still peeved. Warmed ones weren't nearly as good as fresh hot ones. Grandma winked at me, and lifted the lid on a pot at the back of the stove. My nose twitched to the smell of the hot blueberry compote.

Grandma ladled about half a gallon of the dark blue stuff onto my waffles, and with a hand stopped me when I would have moved away. She reached over to a bowl sitting in some ice water, and spooned a generous helping of freshly whipped cream on top of my waffles. Funny, my pique just kind of disappeared.

I moved casually to my place at the table and sat down, my plate almost overflowing with blue gooey goodness. Scott, who had poured maple syrup over his waffles, just stared. I shrugged, batting my eyes. "What can I say? She likes me best."

Virgil came shuffling in, looking as if he was still asleep. He kissed Grandma good morning, shuddered at the sight of the waffles, and grabbed a cup of coffee. Neither Scott nor I said anything. There wasn't any point. Anything you said to Virg before his first cup of coffee bounced right off his ears. Al and I used to test it when we were younger, making outrageous statements. Virg would just sit there, and if you asked him about it later, he'd look at you blankly as if you were out of your mind.

Scott was still frowning at my plate, and I started in, making sure to relish every bite. It didn't take long for him to start twitching. He wanted my waffles. I slurped up the berries. He looked down at his plate, knowing full well that Grandma would hand him his head on a platter if he threw good food away. I groaned in gastronomic ecstasy.

I could see the little wheels spinning in his head. He really wanted blueberry waffles. Finally, he looked over at Virgil, calculating our brother's state of receptiveness. Whatever he saw, he must have figured the timing was right, because he pushed his plate over. "Here, Virg, I got you some waffles."

Virgil frowned at the plate as if he had no idea what it was or where it had come from, and Scott got up and went over to the stove. Grandma pursed her lips, muttering, "It'd serve you right if I made you go without."

"I'm sorry, Grandma." Scott really knew how to lay it on when he wanted, and Grandma was in the mood to be a soft touch. Shaking her head, she served him a plate of blueberry waffles and he leaned in to kiss her cheek. "Thanks, Grandma, you're the best."

Dad showed up in a pair of shorts and a tee shirt, the sweat stains showing that he'd gone for a run and hadn't bothered with a shower yet. "Morning, all. What have you got there, Mom? Waffles? Great! Just what I needed."

He kissed Grandma, and with his plate full sat down at the table. "Well, boys, how's everyone this morning?"

Virg grunted, I grinned, and Scott answered for us all. "We're doing good, Dad. How about you?"

"I am doing quite well, thank you very much. We signed the Antelope Project contracts last night."

"That's fabulous! Did you get everything you wanted?" Scott responded with real enthusiasm. I shared the feeling. Not because I gave a damn about the military contract landed by Tracy Enterprises, but because with the contracts signed, Dad would relax for a while. He'd been a real bear the last couple of weeks.

"Yes, indeedy. We're going to be able to make a real difference with this one, boys. A real difference."

Both Scott and I made congratulatory noises, and Dad beamed. I noticed that Virgil was starting to perk up and I couldn't help the grin of anticipation. It went exactly how you'd expect. First, he really noticed the waffles, and dug in. Of course, by this time they were cold, so that first bite stopped in mid-chew. He looked around the table at everybody else's plate, and then he frowned, with this look of utter confusion.

I couldn't help it. I started humming a tune from a kid's show, "One Of These Things Is Not Like The Others." Virg didn't seem to notice, but Scott shot me dagger glares. Dad seemed to notice Virgil's plate for the first time. "You didn't want the blueberries, son?"

Virgil looked up, "Um…"

That was all. Now, understand, my brother is a very bright man. At some things, he's a goddamn genius. But his geniusness never kicked in much before ten in the morning. At the moment, he was at some level below moron, and sinking.

Grandma noticed, and with a 'tsk,' she loaded up a plate, and slid it in front of my brother, deftly removing the offending syrup covered ones. Virgil looked down and blinked, then dug in. Dad raised his eyebrows, then shook his head and started in on his own plate.

Now, this probably sounds pretty funny, and I'll admit, I was sitting there, grinning. But it was pretty much an everyday occurrence around the ol' Casa de Tracy, so we all just took it in stride. After a few moments, Grandma turned, and stood with her hands on her hips. "Now, where is John?"

She wasn't asking anybody in particular, but I'd told Johnny I'd cover for him, so I shrugged, saying, "I think he may have been up late communing with the cosmos, Grandma."

Grandma bought it and turned back to the stove. I glanced up to see how it was playing with everybody else, and found myself on the receiving end of the Dad Look. In stereo. Both Dad and Scott were giving me the eye. They both had probably heard the approach of Tracy One. Oh well, so much for covering.

I'd pretty much cleaned my plate, so I got up and cleared my place, taking the plate and utensils to the sink. "What's on your agenda, son?"

My dad knew everything that took place on the island, and knew perfectly well that I was scheduled to help Brains with some metallurgy thing he had going on. But it was a habit to go over the plans for the day at breakfast, and it was as ingrained in me as it was in everyone else. "Brains is doing the mad scientist thing this morning. I'm gonna go be his Igor."

Virg snorted a laugh and Dad smiled. "All right son. Remember not to use Abe Normal's brain."

"Yesssss, master." I hunched over, and dragging my foot, left the kitchen.