What's Good For The Goose
This is my very first attempt at writing fanfiction in the Thunderbirds arena so I hope you enjoy it.
I always thought that Tin-Tin was quite unfair to Alan and their relationship when Eddie Housemann showed up on the Tracy doorstep. Alan was quite upset about it, but Tin-Tin acted like he didn't even exist. Then, all of a sudden she thinks that Alan is ill (thanks to Grandma!) and he's back on her radar. It would have been interesting to hear the conversation they had after Alan gets back from rescuing Eddie. Anyway, here's an idea I had on how Tin-Tin feels about getting a taste of her own medicine when some old and dear friends of the Tracy family come to visit the island.
All the characters are here with 2 exceptions. I've added Fermat from the movie because I always thought he was kind of sweet, and I think it adds some dimension to the character of Brains.
I also have to give a very BIG Thank you to Quiller and Kirsteen for being my beta readers. They both gave me some good suggestions and helped to make the story thus far, a lot better.
Jeff Tracy winced as the sound of a slamming door reverberated through the house. He glanced quickly over his shoulder before turning back to the video conference he was holding with some key members of his management team at Tracy Enterprises. He caught the look on the face of his son John who was sitting in at the meeting at Tracy Headquarters as Jeff's proxy and noted the slight shake of John's head. Thankfully, it appeared that no one else heard the noise, or were at least wise enough not to comment on it.
Clearing his throat Jeff resumed his discussion. "Right. I think we've finally gotten the schedule slips back on track, but I want to hold a deck review in two weeks to make sure that the rest of the IPT's have realigned their schedules to the new baseline."
Julie Mayotte, a Director at Tracy's Enterprise in charge of the overall scheduling of several different programs that Tracy Enterprises has contracts with, spoke up. "Mr. Tracy?" She glanced at John who was sitting next to her. "I'd like to meet with John before he leaves and give him some hard copies of the critical schedule slips so you can see the full details. It's too much information to project during a video call."
John glanced at his father and nodded. "Sure Julie. We can get together right after we finish this meeting."
"On that note then, I guess we can call this meeting to a close," suggested Jeff. Everyone agreed at it had already been a very long meeting. Jeff noted, with mild curiosity, that John seemed to hang back a bit. Guessing his son wanted to speak to him, he kept the videoconference line open.
When everyone left the meeting room, John got up and shut the door. Returning to his seat, he grinned at his father. "Was it my imagination or was that a sonic boom I heard?"
Jeff snorted and shook his head. "That boy! I swear one of these days he's going to tear a door off its hinges."
John laughed. "You should have put in sliding doors throughout the whole house, Dad. You can't slam those!"
"If I had known the few conventional doors I put into the house would be used as weapons, I would have!" Jeff sat shaking his head. "I'm not sure what to do. I've left Alan alone to work this through with Tin-Tin, but the problem seems to be getting worse, not better."
"I'd wager it would get better a lot quicker if Eddie Housemann would stop sending Tin-Tin letters and emails"
Jeff looked up in shock. "She's still getting them! I thought she put a stop to that."
John squirmed slightly. "She tried to Dad, but he's still sending them through. She asked me to put up a blocker on her email, but somehow his letters are still getting through. I promised her I would take a look at it again when I get home."
Jeff frowned. "Okay. I'll have Kyrano have a chat with her and I'll try and find out what's up with Alan. I may just wait until you come home since would probably be better at getting Alan to open up."
"I'm sure Scott or Gordon can get him to talk," John pointed out. "Alan usually tells Gordon everything."
"Not this time, son. Alan is keeping quiet. He all but bit Scott's head off when he tried, and he pushed Gordon into the pool," explained Jeff.
John sighed. "Alright, Dad. I'll give it a try when I get home. I'm planning on being wheels up just after sun-up tomorrow so I should be home by lunch."
"You think you'll have everything wrapped up there by then?" Jeff was mentally going through the checklist of items he had asked John to look into.
"Easily," John said confidently. "I don't think it was a bad as you were predicting and it's nothing we can't get an easy grasp on."
"Okay John. I trust your judgment and we'll debrief tomorrow night." Jeff was glad that no new crisis had emerged while John was in New York.
"F.A.B. Dad. I'll see ya tomorrow," John grinned as he signed off. Jeff shook his head in amusement. No matter how hard they tried when they were off the clock as IR operatives, his sons just couldn't completely stop using FAB.
Jeff sighed heavily and looked over his desk at the work sitting there, beckoning to him, it seemed. He swiveled his chair so his back was to his desk to look out over the view of the island that his office allowed him and caught sight of his youngest son heading out towards the pool, ignoring Tin-Tin who was trying to get his attention.
Deciding he was going to speak to Alan tonight, Jeff turned back to his desk to start on his pile of work. Quickly getting lost in the details, the time slipped by unnoticed by Jeff until the chimes of an incoming call on the vid-phone startled him back into reality.
Not even glancing at where he was reaching, Jeff reached over and turned on the device. "Yes?"
A snort could be heard followed by, "Why does it seem like every time I call you, your head is buried deep in a pile of scrap paper?"
Jeff's head jerked up at the voice and he found himself looking at the grinning face of his childhood friend from Kansas, Greg Simpson. "GREG! You ole rat. How are you?"
Greg laughed. "I'd wager, old man, that I'm doing a lot better than you are. I KNOW when to leave my work at work."
"What work!" Jeff snorted. "The only work you ever did was helping my mother bake cookies, and then it was only because you got your grimy hands on the first batch."
"What can I say. Your mom made the best cookies in Kansas."
"Uh huh." Jeff smiled knowingly.
He and Greg had grown up together, their family farms being right next to each other. The two of them spent their summers helping their families with harvests and livestock. When Jeff left to join the Air Force, Greg was right behind him. Later, Jeff went into NASA and Greg got into the aeronautical maintenance sector. Luckily for the two of them, the experience they gained in the Air Force not only helped Jeff build Tracy Enterprises, but Greg was able to build his own firm – a major supplier of aeronautical parts. Many times the two of them talked about merging their companies, but each knew that Greg's company was not as successful and it could have left Greg with nothing. Jeff valued their friendship too much to allow that to happen, so instead, he gave Greg as much business as he could handle.
Greg smiled at his friend. "I've been doing a lot of thinking about the old days, Jeff. With Mom and Dad gone, I decided to sell the farm. I wanted to let your mom know, but I heard she moved in with you."
Jeff nodded. "Yeah, about a year ago. I'm glad too. I wasn't happy about her being out there all alone after I heard your folks died. I'm sorry we couldn't make it back for the funeral." Jeff and his mom were quite upset when they'd heard the news about the death of their friends. Unfortunately, everything had been against them at the time. Alan and Scott had been hurt, and Thunderbird One had undergone some extensive damage when an explosion caught them as they were leaving a rescue site. Scott barely managed to get his 'bird back home, landing it on the runway. This was one of the few times that Virgil had Thunderbird Two home before Scott so they were able to use the giant monolith to move Thunderbird One into the hangar and out of sight.
"Not a problem, Jeff. It was a really quick service," Greg explained.
Jeff smiled. "How are your kids doing, Greg? I haven't seen them since we left Kansas."
"They aren't kids anymore Jeff. In fact, they are the reason I'm calling you."
Jeff's curiosity peaked. "Oh? What could those brats of yours want?"
"HA!" Greg snorted. "My three brats have nothing on your five! All kidding aside, Jeff. The kids are helping me out with the sale of the farm and all three were back in Kansas last weekend. When they came back, they all talked about the fun they had growing up and the memories with your boys. We kinda got to talking and the kids thought it would be fun to see if we could come out and visit."
"What a great idea," Jeff exclaimed enthusiastically. "I know the boys would love to see ya'll."
Greg's enthusiasm grew with Jeff's. "Not just the kids, ya know. I'd love to spend some time with you and talk about stuff OTHER than work. Not to mention having some of your mom's great cooking."
Jeff grinned. "Ahh Ha! The ulterior motive surfaces. You don't want to see me you just want a home cooked meal. So when did you want to come out?"
"Well, it would have to be soon. Mitchell and Trevor have to leave on an overseas trip for the company pretty soon and Lindsey starts her new job at the end of the month."
"Is tomorrow too soon for you?" Jeff laughed at his friend's astonished expression.
"Uhmm…well….I'll have to check with the kids, but I don't think. . ." Greg's reply was cut off as another face appeared on the monitor.
"Hi Mr. Tracy!" exclaimed the excited voice of Greg's youngest child, his daughter Lindsey.
"Hi Lindsey! My word! You're not a little girl with freckles and pig-tails anymore!" Jeff smiled at the pretty young face beaming back at him."
Lindsey scrunched up her nose and made at face at Jeff. "Don't remind me, PLEASE! You tell those boys that they still owe us a rematch on the volleyball game they cheated on."
"Only if you guys are up to playing volleyball in the pool."
Lindsey waved her hand to dismiss the notion. "We'll beat 'em, after all S comes before T in the order of things. See ya tomorrow!"
Jeff chuckled as he watched Greg admonish Lindsey and then tell her to go get her brothers. He was reminded of Greg's wife as the girl was the spitting image of her mother. Greg's wife Lisa was best friends with his Lucy. Greg lost Lisa about six months after he lost Lucy. Lisa was killed by a drunk driver when she was driving all the Tracy and Simpson kids home from school. None of the kids had been hurt, as the car had broad-sided Lisa's side of the car and she was killed instantly. Jeff knew that Scott, who had been sitting in the front seat, still sometimes had nightmares about that day if a rescue reminded him of it.
Jeff refocused his gaze when Greg came back online. "You sure you can be ready for us that quick, Jeff?"
"Not a problem," assured Jeff. "John is in New York at Tracy Headquarters and is heading home tomorrow morning. He'd have to land in LA to refuel, so its not big deal to pick up a few extra pounds of luggage."
"HEY!" exclaimed Greg. "I resemble that remark. . . or should I say Lindsey will. Sounds like a game plan to me." (yes, I meant to say resemble. Common phrase used when someone makes a personal joke about someone and they agree with it. Saying I resemble that remark means the same as yeah, yeah you're right).
"Great! I'll call John and let him know and he can give you an ETA on his arrival into LA. He'll probably land at Orange County rather than LAX."
Greg nodded. "Give him my cell phone, Jeff. Lindsay will probably be on the phone all night saying goodbye to her friends."
"I heard that, Daddy!" Greg and Jeff laughed as Lindsay's voice carried into the conversation.
"Can't wait to see the place, Jeff."
"Pack for summer and we'll be looking forward it to, Greg," Jeff signed off. He sat back and smiled, remembering Greg's three kids and the times they had with his own. Greg's oldest son Mitchell was in age between Scott and Virgil. Trevor was in between John and Gordon, and Lindsey was a few months younger than Alan. The kids were inseparable during their childhood and more often than not all the kids could be found together playing in one barn or the other.
Looking forward to the visit, Jeff got up – work forgotten – and headed to the kitchen. There he found his mother and Kyrano preparing the evening meal.
"Mother, guess who I was just speaking with?"
Josephine Tracy looked at her son and smiled at the barely contained enthusiasm. "You're boys are going to be here soon sniffing around for supper. I don't have time for guessing games, Jeff."
Jeff walked over to his petite mother and gave her a peck on the cheek. "Okay, Mom. Just letting you know that we're going to have company tomorrow and they'll probably stay for a few days."
Now Josie's curiosity was peaked. "Who's coming, dear?"
"Greg Simpson is coming out with John tomorrow and he's bringing the kids."
"Oh how wonderful!" Josie exclaimed. "It will be so good to see them again. Have you told the boys yet?"
Jeff's grin suddenly turned to a sly one. "Not yet Mother. Thought I would just mention that we're going to have visitors, but not tell them who."
Josie playfully slapped her son on the arm. "You are worse than the boys sometimes, Jefferson Tracy!"
"Yeah, but it's not often I get one up on them, Mother," Jeff laughed as he walked back to his study. He could hear his mother and Kyrano talking about getting the guest house ready for them. He quickly called John on the phone.
"Don't tell me. You thought of something else that could go wrong, probably won't, but you want me to look into it anyway?" John complained, but his eyes held a twinkle of amusement.
"Watch it, John or you'll be pulling Tracy HQ duty more often," Jeff threatened good-naturedly.
John threw his hands up in surrender. "Anything but that Dad, Please!" They both laughed.
"Actually John, the reason I called you back is that you will be picking up some passengers when you land in LA," explained Jeff.
"And what exactly am I to do with said passengers?"
"Well, you better be bringing them back here or Greg Simpson and his kids just might have something to say about it!"
"NO WAY!" John shouted excitedly. "When did you arrange all this? Do the guys know?"
"Slow down son," Jeff laughed. "I just got off the phone with Greg about 10 minutes ago. They live in LA now and have wanted to come out and visit for a while and now just seems to be the best time. I need you to call him and let him know what time you expect to be landing in LA."
"It'll be great to see them again. I haven't spoken to Trevor since we left Kansas," John reminisced. "Mitch and Lindsey are coming too?"
Jeff nodded. "Yep. Listen, John. I want to surprise your brothers with this so don't say a word if any of them call you tonight. I told Grandma and Kyrano. They'll be getting the guest house ready for them. It's going to be hard enough to keep the extra preparations quiet from the guys."
John grinned at the thought of having one up on his brothers. "You got it Dad. I'll give Mr. Simpson a call right now and set things up. Guess I'll be a little later than expected though."
"I'll let it slide this time John."
John suddenly got serious. "Uhm. . .Dad? What about International Rescue? I know it's been quiet lately but the odds of not getting a call while they are on the island. . ."
"I know John," Jeff assured him. "Actually, I've been thinking about talking to Greg about becoming an operative for us for some time. His company does supply many of the parts for the 'birds, even if he doesn't know he's doing it. It might actually be handy to have someone of his position in the know about us. I'll just have to decide how and when to tell them all."
John agreed. "Good thinking Dad. I think they can be trusted. We've known them our whole lives. We'll, I better get something to eat and then get to the apartment and ready for bed. Gotta long day tomorrow."
Jeff glanced at the clock and mentally calculated the time difference, realizing that it would be close to 7pm for John now. "Sorry to spring this on you last minute, John. I didn't realize it was getting so late there."
"No problem Dad. It'll be fun to catch up with them and have a distraction while I fly home," John assured him. "We'll see ya tomorrow!" He signed off.