Author's Note: This story was originally written to be part of one of my ongoing series. However, I decided instead to release it as a one off One-Shot. Please enjoy XX

BUT JOHNNIE HATES SOCIAL . . .EVERYTHING!

I don't actually hate social everything. Gordon was wrong about that. I have to admit that I am not fond of large crowds of strangers. The last few years, since I took up the running of Thunderbird Five, however, I have to admit that my aversion to crowds has increased tenfold.

When we were younger, dad would occasionally have functions to attend where he was required to bring his family along. I always would plead to be allowed to stay at home with my book, but he always maintained that I needed to go.

I was a valid part of the family.

I was a calming influence on my brothers, who all tended to get a bit volatile at times.

I would never learn to like crowds if I never got any practice.

There were always reams of other reasons, all good and perfectly sound and logical. Dad was no different to other dads the world over, I guess. No matter how many well thought out and logical reasons I put forward to get out of going to his functions, he would always have more and better reasons to make me go. Annoyingly good reasons that I could not refute. I remember one such conversation, where he gave me such a compassionate look that I ground my teeth.

"John!" he said, holding my hands tightly in his own. "Do you want to spend your whole life alone and afraid of spending time with your brothers simply because of the presence of crowds of strangers?"

"Um, well, not really, but…" I began. He smiled and hugged me.

"Then now is the time to learn how to cope, whilst you are still young enough to be able to adapt to things like this."

I won't go on about that conversation. Needless to say, that that was not the end of it, but I could hardly deny dad's logic. Mind you, I was only thirteen that time. As time went on, I gave up arguing with him about it, because I always lost. My brothers were always with me. Scott and Virgil always seemed to know when I had had enough and always gravitated towards me as my own personal guard of honour, making sure that I was left alone when I needed to be. I did learn how to deal with it all. Even, to some degree, the reporters and photographers that seemed to follow our family everywhere we went.

I never learned to enjoy it, simply how to endure it.

Over the years I learned to accept and even enjoy large crowds of people I know well, which is the only way I managed to get through my graduation ceremonies and parties until dad became convinced that his methods had been right all along.

Yeah right, whatever.

Gordon is a social butterfly. He loves people, and they all love him. At this point, perhaps I should make some comment like `I don't know why', but actually I do. He is smart; much smarter than he lets on actually, he is funny and he is never at a loss for things to say. He is loud and incredibly social. I have always been the kind of person with just three or four very close friends, with others keeping the needed distance. Gordon was always at the center of a huge, admiring crowd, whom he played up to. He never was one to develop deep friendships with any of them. His close friends have always been us, his brothers, especially Alan.

It really should have been Gordon that Penny invited to go to that chateau function with her. But no, she insisted that it had to be me.

Have you ever tried to say "No" to Lady Penelope? I think the word is not in her vocabulary. She will occasionally accept such terms as; "Later", but she never leaves the subject until she has you tied up and delivered on a silver salver. And she carries it all off with such grace and style that it can be a little while before you realize that you are being manipulated.

The moment I realized it was when that white tuxedo was delivered to Five with a note from Brains to the effect that he was glad that I was able to test out his new design in tuxedos. I should have guessed there would be more to it. I am grateful for it now, of course, but I should never have been there in the first place. Nevertheless, once the Hood turned up and turned the whole event around, and I realized that a hero was needed, I knew it had to be me.

Not because I am a hero…oh no!

Not because I am a member of International Rescue either. No way.

It had to be me because I was by that time so desperate to get out of that room that I would have done anything.

Once I was outside, balancing precariously with a frighteningly cavernous drop below me, I became more aware than ever of the benefits of spending my life on Thunderbird Five.

Floating, not falling. No gravity trying to have its wicked way with me. That feeling became even more real when I realized that the cable was going to part, and I was going to fall.

I was going to fall down into that abyss and die.

I closed my eyes, determined not to scream or show myself up. I was after all, the one who volunteered. For that split second, I prayed that if I got out of this in one piece, I would be grateful even to be able to rejoin the party with Lady Penelope.

Someone must have listened to me, because I stayed in one piece. You know, it had not occurred to me before that moment to wonder why Brains had gone to the trouble of sending up socks and underwear along with the suit. It isn't as if I don't have socks and other articles of underclothing of my own is it? But I was incredibly glad that he had, because his magnetic socks were what saved my life.

I won't go into the rescue itself. I didn't feel heroic. I was only out there because it was by far the better option than being stuck inside with those…that crowd. Penelope after all had been the organizer of that party, and therefore had a part to play in the proceedings, leaving me, to some degree, on my own. No, by comparison, the deep abyss and my magnetic socks were preferable.

Fate did get the last laugh over me though. Scott rescued me in the end when even my magnetic socks failed. If he had not been there right at the end, I would have ended up falling to my death, but he saved me with a long line below One.

"Put me down anywhere!"

Famous last words. Scott, I think, was enjoying my discomfort far, far too much. The dolt actually put me back on the ground right beside Lady Penelope and her rich society crowd. This time though, there was no necessary distance.

I was unable to escape the myriad of hugs from the women, the back-slapping and hand-shaking from the men, all of whom wanted to be my best friend from there on in.

I had to fend off job offers…mostly security and bodyguard type offers, amazingly; several proposals…and not all from women disturbingly, and pleas about who I was, where had Penelope found me, and were there any more like me at home?

That was the time, I decided, to make myself scarce. I left Penny to finish dealing with the fund-raising, which considering that most of the exhibits had been destroyed along with the chateau, was going amazingly well, and I contacted the guys to help recover FAB 1 then get me home.

I have three other special ports for my space elevator as well as the one on Tracy Island; but it was left to Penelope and Parker and the amazingly solid FAB1 to get me back to it.

I have never been so relieved to get back home as I was then. Thunderbird Five. My home-away-from-home. Of course, then I had a suitably remorseful AI to chastise. I was very annoyed with her, and I made sure she knew it. In hindsight, it is pretty clear what the problem was. She is incredibly powerful and intelligent, but as far as being sentient is concerned, she is a child.

I worked out, without too much difficulty that when I left Five, she was quite capable and even looking forward to handling things on her own. But rather than leave her alone, I sent my two youngest brothers up there to run the station and keep an eye on her.

A sulky child left at home with babysitters.

Considering the way she behaved with Alan and Gordon, that is what I put it down to. I had to have a straight talk with her, and I made sure that she understood that her behaviour then was childish and not to be tolerated. She now understands better that if she wants to be trusted to run the station alone, she needs to demonstrate that she is fully trustworthy, and not behave like a spoiled brat.

The stilted apology she offered to Gordon and Alan was, I admit, slightly forced, but it was totally genuine. I am sure in future, that should such a situation happen again, she will be a lot more cooperative.

As for me, I find that I am forced to concede that perhaps dad was right when I was a teenager. Maybe I should have paid more attention to social studies and social interaction back then. If I had, I wouldn't have felt so out of place and awkward at that party with Penelope. However, I have also learned that regardless of anything else, I am happiest where I am, and I am most suited for my current role in life. In future, when Penny mentions anything about "a little get together", that is Penny-speak for "Huge, massive and dripping with media attention!"

Now, I just have a stockpile of about forty-seven invitations to politely turn down. Perhaps I ought to temporarily employ Penny as my secretary? After all, she's the one who got me into this . . .