You guys just can't get rid of me at the moment, can you? I'm back again! Special mention to Silver Bee here, told you that I would get something up to liven up your weekend! Also to Sam1 for putting up with me talking about this, not to mention the deliberation of whether to post or not. Plus my confusing attempts to say what was going on without ever actually telling you anything, sorry!
I would also like to dedicate this one to my awesome big sis! I don't think I've ever written you a fic before, so this can be it for now. Why? Because, just like the Tracys, I will always be there for you whenever you need me, honey! Just don't decide to take up star-gazing!
Disclaimer: *shakes head sadly* Nope, still don't own them. They just won't give me the rights to our lovely boys in blue. Although I guess they need those rights, considering the big announcement this week! So yeah, don't own them! :(
John sat glumly on his seat at the table, absently swinging his legs back and fro in the only way he could think of to alleviate the tension that had settled over the room. Alan was staying with their grandmother for the weekend as Jeff had to pop into the office early the next morning, and after a near catastrophe, didn't want to leave the boys unattended. Gordon, for the very same reason, was staying at a friend's house, leaving the elder three boys on their own for the night. Which normally would have been fine, great in fact, if it wasn't for the sparks flying from his only older brother and the only younger one left in the house.
"Scott, can you pass Virgil the salad, please?" Jeff asked, inwardly wincing whilst watching the glowers being shot between his sons. He had hoped they had moved passed this, but Virgil hadn't taken it well the fact that Scott was maturing, and coupled with his own progression into teenage years, had resulted in a row not seen the in household for many years. It was unlike Scott to have risen to it, but it appeared the elder had had enough of his brother's attitude. And whilst Jeff knew Scott was far from innocent in this, he could understand it to a certain extent. But now, watching his eldest deliberately pass the salad bowl via John so he didn't have to give it directly to the thirteen year old, Jeff wondered whether leaving that night to get to the conference on time was a good idea. He had hoped by making alternate arrangements for the youngest two that the elder three would enjoy the chance at some freedom, make a brotherly night of it. At this rate, he was going to be lucky if all three were left alive by the morning.
"So boys," taking another brave stab at a conversation, Jeff took a sip of his coffee, his attention now turning towards the poor boy sitting in between his rowing brothers. John looked miserable, and Jeff couldn't blame him. He had always been close to both of his brothers, but when it came to arguments, John had never gotten involved, even if it meant more insults coming his way because of it. Whilst Jeff admired that trait about his second born, it did mean he knew John didn't stick up for himself as much as he should perhaps do, even when at school. His father would be surprised if any of the others, even Scott, knew what the blond went through at school, but Jeff did. He had had the teachers on the phone more than once.
Deciding that the glowers were dictating more of the conversation than his feeble attempts, Jeff drained the end of his cup and stood up, clearing his throat self consciously.
"Scott, John, clear the table. Virgil, I want a word with you." As Virgil sullenly rolled his eyes and scuffed his way out of the dining room, his father close behind, the remaining boys glanced at each other before making a start in silence. Within minutes, the table was clear, and carrying through the plates into the kitchen after Scott, John dumped them on the side and went to fetch the towel, the routine of who washed and who dried on which days of the week one the boys were more than used too.
"Scott…"
"Don't, Johnny." Falling silent again at his brother's dismissal of his questioning, John glumly began putting the clean dishes away. He knew Scott was annoyed because he had to stay in on a Friday night to look after his kid brothers, or mainly, look after Virgil. At fifteen, John was quite capable of looking after himself, but his father still wanted Scott around if Virgil was going to be staying at home as well. The younger should have taken it as a compliment the fact his father thought him mature enough to stay at home rather than being whisked away with his younger siblings, but Virgil's mind was anything but rational these days. When all the plates were safely stored in the cupboard once more, John decided to try again.
"Scotty?"
"What is it, John?" His voice sounding as if it was running out of patience, Scott turned to look at his younger brother, wincing at the hurt look on the blonds' face. "Sorry, dude. What's up?"
"There is supposed to be a meteor shower visible tonight. Want to watch out for it with me?"
"Sorry, John, I promised I'd call Mandy."
"Oh." Sounding disappointed, John turned away, biting his lip. Whilst he prided himself on not reacting in the way Virgil had, at this moment in time, he could have easily done so. Scott's new girlfriend always came first, something that had never happened when they were younger. In fact, it wasn't even that long ago, only within the last few months really that Scott had decided his priorities had changed. No wonder the sparks had been ignited between him and Virgil. Seeing the hurt look, Scott bit his lip.
"Another night perhaps, bro?"
"Yeah, sure. Whatever." His voice sounding as down as he felt, John trailed from the room, chucking the towel over onto the counter as he passed without looking back. Scott just didn't get it any more, these things didn't happen on another night. It was a rare thing, and John had been hoping to share it with his brother in the way they used too. Scott, it appeared, didn't feel the same anymore.
Watching the retreating back, Scott frowned, wondering what on earth had his little brother so down. Maybe Virgil was annoying him too, he was certainly wearing Scott's patience thin. He hadn't meant to snap at the kid earlier, but the persistent whine in Virgil's voice as he wanted his big brother to drop everything to come and play with him had gotten too much for Scott. He needed his own time now and again, something Virgil didn't seem to be able to understand. John, however, had been different, maybe it was something to do with the closer ages, he could understand more. Glancing at his watch, Scott did a quick calculation and knew that he had a little bit of time to kill before the promised phone call. Enough time, it would appear, to sort out John.
Exiting the kitchen, Scott almost didn't see his father until it was too late, stopping directly in front of the man with just about an inch to spare. Jeff himself didn't seem to have noticed the arrival of his son, blinking in surprise at Scott's small exclamation of surprise. Glancing again at the stressed out features of his father, Scott grimaced.
"Talk not go too well then?"
"That boy is worse than you and John put together. Scott, I've sent him to his room for the rest of the evening, it's up to you when I leave to make sure he stays there."
"Yes, Sir." Scott replied automatically, not covering up the slight bitterness in his voice quick enough however. He didn't mind looking after his younger brothers, in fact, if he was honest, nothing gave him more of a thrill, but having to reinforce a punishment on one that already seemed to hate him was not going to make his evening pleasant, that was for sure.
"Problem, Scott?" Jeff asked, instantly picking up on the tone in Scott's voice. Frowning slightly, he instead turned his annoyance at the boys to the one in front of him. "You know you shouldn't have risen to the insult, son, I thought you knew better than that?"
"But Dad, he-,"
"I don't want to hear it, I know enough. The way you two were yelling at each other, I think the whole street knows enough."
"Dad-,"
"Enough, Scott. Don't make me have to think twice about leaving you in charge of your brothers. Just because you've proved you are responsible enough doesn't mean I can't change my mind. Am I understood?"
"Yes, Sir."
"Good boy," Jeff added in a gentler tone, not being in the mood to have two sons angry at him. Walking passed Scott, he reached out a hand and ruffled the youth's hair, smiling at the good natured grumbling that came from the action. Mission complete.
Bounding up the stairs as soon as his father had disappeared from sight, Scott skidded to a halt outside of John's shut door. There must have been something going on with the younger boy, for John barely ever shut his door. Knowing he would have to play this carefully or risk having one of the worst evenings ever, Scott took a deep breath and tentatively knocked on the door.
"Come in." John's tone, whilst lacking its usual underlying energy, was as close to normal as his brother could hope for, and feeling slightly more positive, Scott pressed down on the handle and let himself in, blinking in surprise when he saw John sitting at his desk, clearly working.
"What'cha doing, dude?"
"Homework."
"John, it's a Friday." Unable to hide the surprise in his voice, Scott frowned at the back of the fifteen year old's head. Apart from during exams or something equally important, none of the Tracy boys, not even the hard working John, could be persuaded to do their homework on a Friday, preferring instead to take the time off to spend with each other. The bonds of the family had always been strong, something that had only increased in the last couple of years.
"I know. Busy weekend, need to get it done." Feeling like he was being dismissed, Scott instead decided to try and stand his ground on this one, determined to figure out what was up with John.
"What you got planned then?"
"None of your business."
"John!"
"Listen, Scott, don't you have calls to make?" Finally spinning around in his chair, John glared at his only older brother, annoyance spiralling out of him. Why should Scott all of a sudden care what his brother was up too, he hadn't shown an interest in the slightest over the last couple of months?
"Fine, suit yourself." Scott muttered, trailing from the room and shutting the door behind him with more force than strictly necessary. Throwing his pen down the second the older boy had left the room, John rocked back on his chair, all pretence of working gone. He couldn't blame Virgil for getting so annoyed with their older brother lately, Scott seemed to have forgotten they existed. Which was ironic considering it had always been him telling them how Tracys' stuck together, no matter what.
"Damn him." John muttered sullenly to himself, desperately trying to ignore the guilty feeling the moment he uttered the words. He knew Scott was growing up, he had just reached seventeen after all. John himself was starting to get to the stage where he had times where he just wanted to spend some time by himself or with his friends without the younger ones trailing along. But he couldn't help feeling betrayed by Scott's lack of interest in what was going on tonight, he knew how important this meteor shower was to his brother.
Reaching under his bed, John carefully pulled out his telescope, knowing that it was going to take him a while to get it all set up and in position. He wasn't as quick as he used to be with setting it up, over two years of not using it after his mother's death meant he had gotten a little rusty. He wouldn't forget the pride mingling with the tears in his father's eyes when he had caught sight of his second born once more gazing at the heavens, a clear sign that he was coming to terms with what had happened. But John had a promise to keep, and he wasn't going to let his mother down on this one.
It did indeed take him a while to set up the equipment he would need to last the night out. Eventually though, everything was in place save for one thing. Slipping out his bedroom, John ran swiftly down the stairs and into the kitchen, flicking the lights on casually as he passed. A few moments later, however, and he was carefully making his way back up again, hot chocolate clasped firmly in one hand with the chocolate bar sticking out of the opposite pocket. Now he was all set.
Sitting himself comfortable on the very edge of his bed where he could have a clear view straight out of his window (John had been very specific about the set up of his room), the blond sighed contently as he took a sip of his drink. He didn't need Scott for this, just him, his telescope and his beloved stars. In fact, it would be better without his brother, Scott didn't have the same appreciation, he was just humouring his brother. Wondering if his train of thought was doing anything helpful to make him forget the lack of brother by his side, John took another sip, resting his chin against the rim of his mug.
Hearing a sudden sound against the window, the youth sat up sharply with a curse, almost spilling his drink as he did so. Carefully putting it down before he did anything else, the blond then leapt to his feet, rushing over to the window and staring out in dismay at the heavy rain clouds that had gathered, their contents already beginning to spill over. John knew enough about the weather to know this was going to be no ordinary shower, but a full scale thunderstorm. He had missed the weather forecast all week, something he was obviously now paying for. If he had known, he could have arranged with his father to go across to the barn on the other side of the field, where father and son had set up a much more powerful telescope back when his mother was still alive. Many a night the older members of the family had camped out there, taking sleeping bags with them and using the more sophisticated equipment there to get a better look, even through a thick cloud cover. So you still couldn't see a lot, nature had a way of winning like that, but you certainly had more chance than through John's much smaller telescope.
His heart suddenly pounding fast, John sucked in his breath as a thought flickering across his mind, almost startling himself with the rebellion of it. Jeff had always strongly maintained that none of the boys could go over to the barn on their own, it was a winding route through a dark field, but surely, if he was back before Scott went to bed, no one would ever know. Biting his lip, John thought hard. He had never been one to go against the wishes of his father, he had seen the consequences of that through his brothers more than enough times to know that his father's wishes were to be respected. But his father would never know. Virgil was clearly in his room and if Scott was talking to Mandy, John knew he could be there and back before the aspiring pilot knew he had left. The meteor was scheduled for around eight o'clock, meaning that if there was any sighting of it, it would be done by nine.
Not knowing whether he had the guts or not, John once more opened his bedroom door, listening hard for what the remaining occupants of the household were doing. He had heard his father leave whilst he was still setting up his telescope, absentmindedly yelling his confirmation that he would do as his brother said without truly hearing what he was agreeing too. Music was coming out of Virgil's room, a clear indication that the young teenager was taking out his frustrations on his poor keyboard. And whilst Scott wasn't the only one to have had enough of Virgil's new found attitude, John had to admit that his brother was good. If this was what he could come up with whilst in a temper, John couldn't wait to see what he did when he set his mind to it. However, it wasn't Virgil he was particularly interested in. No, he had to make sure Scott wouldn't hear anything. Unfortunately, Virgil's aggressive tune was blocking the sounds of whatever Scott was doing, making John have to steal down the hallway in order to hear better. If Scott came out of his room now, any plans John was half forming would be gone in that split second.
Creeping up to Scott's door, John held his breath as he leant closer, thankful that the door was shut. It would have been a bit of an obvious give away if Scott had left his door wide open the way he used to do. For a moment, the blond could hear nothing, and for a split second, he was tempted to just go back to his room and push the idea far from his head. Suddenly, however, a laugh echoed out from the room as his brother murmured something so softly that John found himself leaning forward automatically to hear what was being said.
"…you know where I'd rather be." Jumping back from the door again, John stared at the wood, the weight of his gaze meaning he wouldn't have been surprised if it had started to smoulder. Hurt and betrayal flickered in his eyes as John set his jaw. That did it. If Scott didn't want to be stuck here looking after them, then John would make his job a lot easier by not being here.
Tiptoeing back up the corridor as fast as he dared, the teenager was more than tempted to slam the door in a mirror image of Virgil's earlier behaviour, but he knew that would mean Scott would have been out his door like a shot. No, this time, stealth was required. As quickly as he dared, he packed his telescope away, slipping it into his bag. He knew the one at the barn was better, but John wanted the piece of equipment with him, just in case the sky cleared up. He certainly knew which one he preferred using. Taking a final swig of his drink, John winced slightly at the heat, tucking the chocolate bar back into his pocket at the same time. There were some pieces of equipment, telescope aside, that was crucial for a night star gazing.
Shouldering his back, John quickly picked up his shoes and his coat and stole from his room. Running swiftly but silently down the stairs, he skidded to a stop by the back door, knowing it was not only closer to the destination he had in mind, but it didn't creak as loudly as the door at the front of the old farmhouse. The back door was relatively new in comparison, Gordon hadn't learnt how to use his brakes on his bike very quickly. John didn't think he would ever forget the look of horror on Scott's face as their younger brother had shot past him with a somewhat startled expression, being too scared to hear what they were yelling at him. Pushing the somewhat fond memories from his mind, John put his bag down and pulled on his boots, making sure the end of his trousers were firmly tucked in. He didn't want wet socks, not if he could help it. Shrugging into his coat, John zipped it up as far as he could and pulled his hood up. With a final check that his bag was waterproof and sealed, the youth sent a somewhat guilty glance up the stairs before silently slipping out into the cold, wet night.
It only took John a matter of seconds to know that this was a bad idea, that he should just go back inside, slip up the stairs, enjoy the rest of his drink, perhaps even stick a movie on and relax in the warm and the dry. Sparing the house a glance of his shoulder, John found his gaze involuntarily drawn to Scott's bedroom window. For a moment, he was hypnotised by the warmth of the light spilling out, but as his brother moved across to the window, John frowned. Scott's shadow was enough to tell him his brother was still on the phone, and in that moment, John Tracy knew he had to see this through to the very end.
With a new found determination, the teenager hoisted his bag further onto his shoulder and set off, his shoes rubbing slightly as he climbed over the gate and began trudging his way through the field beyond. He knew technically they were slightly to big, but when Scott had declared he had grown out of them and did John want them, the blond had been hard pushed not to yell out in excitement. He may have only been fourteen at the time, but to him, it was Scott's recognition of the fact John was deemed old enough to have shoes like that which mattered to the boy. Even now, pretending as hard as he wanted that he didn't care Scott didn't spend the same amount of time with him, he had still automatically taken with him one of the few things he owned that had belonged to his big brother.
Pulling his hood tighter around his chin, John shivered as the cold rain soaked through his jeans. Even with his coat on, he was cold, a harsh reminder he only had a t-shirt on under the waterproof. His fiery determination was the only thing making him push on, despite a rather large part of him knowing that this was foolish. Whenever he had these nights with his father, Jeff organised them for days in advance, making sure they would have everything they needed. It appeared John was just discovering why he shouldn't do this as a spur of the moment thing.
Pushing the thoughts angrily from his head, John secured his bag once more and broke into a run. He wanted to see this meteor shower, and neither the weather or his big brother were going to stop him. Jogging his way through the muddy fields, the teenager grimaced slightly at the way his feet were sinking into the mud, knowing he was going to have to clean the boots up before he got back, it would have been a clear sign that he had been out otherwise. His pace quickened as the rain got even heavier – despite him not thinking that was possible – John didn't notice the path begin to curve away from the familiar route, the constant rain over the last few weeks having caused the mud to shift and form a new path. So intent on proving Scott wrong, John just followed the path in front of him, not particularly noticing that it was beginning to lead him away from where the barns should have been coming into view and into the trees that littered the edge of the property. The rain obscuring his vision and causing him to keep his head down, John didn't notice that he was among the foliage until a root suddenly tripped him. Yelping in pain, John went down hard, another yelp crossing his lips as his shoulder collided hard with the edge of his telescope. Pulling his left ankle into him with a slight whimper that he would never had let his brothers, older or younger, hear, John shakily pushed himself to his feet, leaning his entire weight sub consciously on his right. Peering about him in confusion, the teenager felt a tendril of fear begin to tease around the edge of his soul since he had set off on the trip. Spinning in a circle to get his bearings better, John's breath came in short, sharp gasps as he realised, despite being close to home, that he had no idea where he was.
TBTBTBTBTB
Scott slammed his bedroom door shut behind him, wincing slightly as the bang was sent spiralling around the house. It was a clear sign that his father was in his office doing some last minute preparations for the trip, otherwise he would have been up the stairs like a shot, reminding his first born of the rules regarding door shutting in the house. How many times had that conversation been had between Jeff and his children, especially since Virgil's discovery of having an attitude? Thinking about his middle brother, Scott sighed, running a hand through his hair distractedly. He did not want to have to be in looking after them. It wasn't the idea of having to babysit his brothers that caused the problem, he had been looking out for them almost before he could remember. It wasn't even like he had anything better to do. No, it was the fear that having to reinforce his father's punishment, even to some extent, was going to lead to yet another row, and quite frankly, Scott was fed up with them. Virgil had found it fine to ignore him for weeks on end when he had first got accepted into his art club a few years ago, why should this be any different? Despite questioning himself, Scott knew precisely. It wasn't the age difference as such, but the ages they had both reached at the same time, both moving onto the next step of their lives without being prepared to see anyone else's opinions.
Sitting down on the edge of his bed, Scott leant forward, resting his head in his hands for a moment. He wandered whether he should try and perhaps make it up to Virgil after his father left, let the young artist off the punishment, apologise to John for whatever it was he had done, sit them all down with a large bowl of popcorn (which John could do the making of, Scott's kitchen reputation was somewhat legendary) and crash out for the evening. Deliberating the idea to a greater extent, Scott slowly stood up from the bed and moved across his room, intent on making good on that now, but as soon as he reached the door, he knew it wasn't going to work. The tune coming from Virgil's room indicated quite the mood the boy was in, and Scott knew no matter what he did, it wouldn't be enough for the youngster. Besides, John's abrupt dismissal of his brother earlier meant Scott knew not to push him. At least Virgil's temper, whilst fiery, was relatively short whilst it lasted. On the rare occasions that John snapped, nothing could calm him down again for hours, if not days. Hearing his cell go off, Scott grimaced slightly. Mandy was never happy when he made her wait, and with a quick glance at his watch as he dug the device out of his pocket, Scott knew he was late.
"Hellllooo," he drawled, snapping the phone open, a grin automatically jumping onto his face as he caught sight of the caller ID. They hadn't been together long, but Scott knew they were the envy of the school, she was gorgeous.
"Come over, Scott?" A pleading voice sounded in his ear, not even bothering to return his greeting. Sighing, the smile instantly left Scott's face.
"You know I can't, Mands, I'm with the guys tonight."
"Scott, they are your kid brothers. Sneak out, they won't care. Bribe them if you have too."
"Mandy, I can't. "
"You are always looking after them, Scott!" Rolling his eyes, Scott lay back further back, staring absently at the ceiling as he waited until Mandy ran out of steam. He had only asked her out originally because she was such a looker, and now, if he was completely honest with himself, he was regretting it. The first couple of weeks had been great, but when Scott had rushed home from school one day on hearing that Alan had been sent home sick, something had changed between them. Mandy was constantly accusing him of putting his brothers first, and despite his reassurances, Scott knew she was right. What was bugging him slightly more was that he found he didn't particularly care. Nothing she could say was going to get him to change that.
"You know I have too, Mands. More than that, you know I want too."
"Scott, it's not fair. You are always putting them first."
"I told you, they are my brothers. I told you weeks ago they were always going to come first."
"Fine. Them or me."
"W..what?" Unsure whether he had heard properly, yet his heart telling him he had, Scott stared at the hole in his carpet, his mouth suddenly dry. He should have known that was coming. The pair of them had nothing in common apart from their status' at school.
"Them or me. Your choice, Scott. But I expect my man to always put me first."
"Then find someone else." Scott said bluntly, not caring if he sounded rude.
"Pardon?"
"You heard me. You or them? Fine, them."
"Don't do this, Scott." The whining hint was back in Mandy's voice, but Scott suddenly realised for the first time just how annoying it sounded.
"Bye Mandy."
"Scott..." Snapping the phone shut, Scott sighed heavily as he stared at his cell, clutched in his hand. He felt disappointed, that was for sure, but even more so was the feeling of guilt. Not because he had broken it off with her, but because he didn't care that he had. Wondering if what he had done was right, Scott visibly jumped when his phone started vibrating again. His heart thudding loudly, a quick glance at the screen made him smile once more.
"Hey, Tobs," flicking the phone open again, Scott exhaled deeply, never having been more pleased to hear his best friend's voice than he did right now.
"You ok, dude?" His small smile turning into a grin, Scott sat up, knowing that Toby would have been able to tell something was up.
"Wait, don't tell me. My physic powers tell me that it is ...wait, I'm getting something through... it is something to do with a girl..."
"You're getting hot."
"I know, dude, I know." Ignoring Scott's muffled laugh, Toby continued. "I am guessing it is something to do with a certain someone called Mandy, and judging by your voice, she just gave you the ultimatum."
"You don't sound surprised."
"Dude, I told you from the start she is bad news. Anyway, my psychic powers come in handy."
"You sound like John."
"How is the little tyke?"
"Toby, he's fifteen. Don't think he would appreciate that, somehow."
"You're big tyke, he is little tyke, Virg is midget tyke, Gordon is teensy tyke and Alan can be... erm... haven't got as far as Alan yet." Unable to wipe the smile of his face, Scott stood back up again, sure that he heard something other than Virgil's frustration. It had sounded like footsteps, but listening hard, Scott couldn't make out any other noise. He'll check on the boys once he was off the phone. Little did he know who was standing directly outside of his door. Realising that Toby was talking again, Scott snapped his attention back to the friend that had practically become part of the family.
"...so if the ultimatum was the scary household of hers, or the Tracy household, which did you pick?"
"Honestly, I thought you knew me. You'd know where I'd rather be." Frowning, Scott glanced towards his door, this time certain that he had heard something.
"Toby, can I call you back?"
"Uh oh, I know that tone, the big brother instincts have kicked in. Go get 'em, tiger."
"Shut up, jerk. Laters."
"Bye, Scott!" Nothing but friendliness in their voices, the boys disconnected, leaving Scott standing in the middle of his room, the phone clutched anxiously in one hand. As much as Toby was joking, he was right, Scott's instincts were kicking in. He couldn't say what it was that was bugging him, only something didn't feel right. Inching open his door, Scott winced as he could have sworn Virgil's music had suddenly got even louder. No, it wasn't Virgil that was causing him the problems, that younger brother will still exactly where Scott had left him. Walking softly down the corridor, Scott was not quite sure why he was trying to be so quiet about it. It wasn't as if he was doing anything wrong, he was merely trying to make sure that his little brothers were alright. However, the eldest didn't want another confrontation, with either of them, and if John in particular found out that Scott was checking up on him, he wouldn't be impressed. Coming to a stop outside John's door, Scott held his breath as he pressed his ear to the wood, desperately hoping that said person wasn't about to walk out. Little did he know that he was mirroring his brother's exact position from less than five minutes ago. Hearing the sound of something being moved across the floor, Scott stretched his hand out to knock, and then thought twice about it. He knew what that noise had been, it would have been John moving his telescope, setting up for the big meteor shower. Now he had no Mandy to bother with, Scott desperately wanted to go in there and talk to his brother in a way he hadn't for months, but knew that it was best to leave it an hour or so. No doubt John hadn't forgiven him for his early dismissal. Despite not being sure quite what he had done to upset the younger boys over the last few weeks or so, if there was one thing Scott Tracy did know, it was how to sort them out again.
Biting his lip with indecision, Scott suddenly made up his mind. Moving quickly, he made his way back to his own room. He would give John half an hour, then go in, possibly armed with chocolate as a peace offering. Depending on the reaction, the two of them might be able to persuade Virgil to join them and the brother evening Scott was so desperate for would still be achievable. Moving around his room, the eldest son of Jeff Tracy decided that he may as well sort some of the mess that was his room out in order to kill time. It just showed how anxious he was to make things up to the boys, he was resorting to tidying. Wondering if perhaps that would give away to his father that things had been tense, Scott paused, suddenly remembering his promise to call Toby back. Snapping out his phone, Scott dialled in the number.
Within a matter of moments, all that was needed to be said had been. Scott found himself absently wondering over to his window as the two boys spoke, glancing out into the field below. Almost doing a double take, Scott qucickly said his goodbyes, frowning as he tried to make out the darkened ground below. He could have sworn that he had seen something move, but with the rain now pouring onto the window, his vision was even more restricted than before.
Rain.
"Damnit," Scott suddenly cursed, sending himself flying across his room as he realised what the rain would mean for John. He refused to let the thought of someone being out in the field cross his mind. There was no way John would be that irresponsible. But then again, he had been in a mood unlike any Scott had seen him in for a long time.
Skidding to a stop next to John's door, Scott was instantly aware that he could hear no movement from within. Virgil was still thumping out the music, but all was still in the next brother's room.
"John?" Not waiting for an answer, Scott strode in, his heart dropping as he looked around him. The case for John's telescope was open on his bed, but the actual instrument was as elusive as it's owner. Swallowing suddenly nervously, Scott moved further in.
"Johnny? You here, dude?" His eyes falling on the half full mug next to John's bed, Scott knew. He had known ever since he had first thought he had seen movement, but as he reached out to touch the rapidly cooling mug, there could be no denying it. Luckily, Scott was almost certain he knew where his brother was going. Sprinting out of John's room and back into his own, Scott was back in the hallway within a matter of seconds, his coat and shoes clutched in his hand.
"Virgil?"
"Go away!"
"Virgil, come out, I need to talk to you."
"Now you want to talk. I'm busy, go away!"
"Virgil..."
"Leave me alone, Scott!"
"Damnit, Virg, John's gone!" Silence instantly fell at Scott's exclamation, and within a matter of seconds, the sound of a chair being dragged away from the door filtered out to the hall. The door opening slowly, Virgil's head eventually poked out, his eyes instinctively darting towards John's room .
"He's gone?" Nodding, Scott didn't trust his voice to answer. How could he have been so stupid? He should have checked on them properly, he knew how frustrated John had been. He had even known that there was rain planned for tonight, but it had completely slipped his mind what that would mean for his star-loving brother. He couldn't believe that John would risk heading over to the barn on his own. Blinking, Scott noticed with a start that whilst he had been lost in thought, Virgil had ducked back into his room. Now, however, he was standing in front of his brother, his own coat and shoes ready.
"You are not coming."
"Just try and stop me."
"Virg, I am not taking you out in the dark and a storm. Stay here."
"He's my brother too, Scott." One look at the determined look on Virgil's face, and Scott backed down. He didn't want Virgil out there, but if it meant they could get out there rather than wasting time arguing, he was not going to push it. Grabbing the flashlight out of the cupboard at the end of the hall, Scott lead the way downstairs. Five minutes later, and the two brothers disappeared out of the back door into the driving rain, hoping they would be able to find their missing brother.