Title: We Believe In You
Summary: TRACY SISTER! This is a follow-on from This Is Me And You. Gordon is missing from Lunch and Avalon goes to find him. She finds him cradling his Gold medal and gazing out to sea. He thinks his life is down to nothing, can she convince him otherwise?
Disclaimer: I do not own Thunderbirds it belongs to Gerry Anderson.
A/N: NO FLAMES! Not accepted.
2nd A/N: Original TV series ages and themes (Alan is not a member yet and Gordon has been to the Olympics) but New TV Series mentions. Jeff is missing, Grandma is there and so is Kayo and Brains.
"Hey anyone seen Gordon?" Scott asked as he noted his red-headed brother was missing.
"Not since his morning swim, Scott." Alan replied. The 19-year-old had come a long way since returning to the island at 8. He had a successful racing career and he was looking forward to joining International Rescue once he retired from racing.
"Is he still in his room?" Grandma asked.
"No I passed it on my way down here. Alan, do you know where he went after you saw him?" Virgil asked. Alan shook his head.
"No. But maybe he's down by the beach." The blonde said.
"Well I'm done so I'll go look for him." Avalon volunteered. The others went back to their lunch with no objections. Avalon good-naturedly rolled her eyes and left them to it. She took a quick glance at the patio and frowned when she didn't spot her brother doing his usual run of laps before lunch. He figured he'd burn the calories before he put them on.
He wasn't down on the beach either. So where could he be? Avalon knew the island well by now. After being there from the age of 15 and now being 26, she had explored enough to know it. He wasn't in the cave at the end of the beach, so where was he? Avalon looked up into the trees but couldn't see that familiar mop of red-hair. Worrying her bottom lip between her teeth she thought of other places Gordon might be. If he wasn't in his room, Virgil had mentioned that, where else could he go? And why would he miss lunch?
Gordon looked up when he heard footsteps behind him. He'd been found. He sighed and dropped his gaze once more.
"Hey there Flash. What's up?" Avalon asked as she sat down beside him.
"Just thinking." He replied.
"About?" She probed hoping that Gordon would at least open up to her.
"This." He showed her his gold medal, she'd been there when he had won that and his Silver in the relay. She smiled as she lifted it from his hand.
"What's got you thinking about this so much?" She asked, running her finger over the design settled in the front of it. Her fingers brushed over the engraving on the back. It had happened just before the ceremony they had the medals engraved with the winner's name. And there on the back of the gold medal was:
Gordon Cooper Tracy
Men's 400m Butterfly
Avalon smiled, the Olympics had been a proud moment for everybody. Including Dad – before he went missing. She looked at Gordon and frowned.
"Gordy?"
"Well…I was thinking that – is this all my life is about now? Saving complete strangers? I could be doing so much more. I could still be swimming in the Olympics and winning medals. I mean Alan hasn't retired from racing yet and he's going to join International Rescue as soon as he does. But I think he loves it too much. I mean he has won a good amount of money." Gordon said.
"You know why Dad wanted you to have your own lives before International Rescue?" Avalon asked.
"Why?" He brother asked.
"Because he wanted you to decide if you wanted to join or not, after having a life of your own. Scott joined out of propriety. He thought it best if he did. John because of the promise of a space station. Virgil because of his build got the heavy lifting one. You got yourself a mini-submarine all to yourself." Avalon said.
"And Al?" Gordon asked, "When he joins?"
"Well he likes the speed so more than likely he'll get the space one. Thunderbird 3 or something." Avalon said, "Maybe Kayo will go with him until she gets a ship."
"You think she will?" Gordon asked.
"She'll need it as head of security." Avalon said, "but tell me, do you really not want to be part of IR anymore?"
"I don't know." Gordon mumbled.
"Ok…why do you want to go back to the Olympics so much?" Avalon said.
"Well…I like the idea of swimming so much you break through the brick wall of hurt, the way my muscles made up for my short stature, the way it felt to glide through the water and know that I have no danger of one of my brother jumping into the water and disrupting me. To feel the roar of the crowd as it reverberates around the stadium and cheers me on. The sound of the starting gun as we dive as one into the water. To stop thinking and just let instinct take over. To know what to do next and not worry about anything else but pushing yourself harder and harder. Racing the clock and not anyone else.
"To be the one thing that brings so much joy to your nation! To know that for years after you break that world record, which I still hold might I add, people are still talking about it and knowing that you could go back and break it again. Smash that new games record; that the jumped up kid set two years ago. And make a new name for myself! That is what awaits me in the Olympics! That is what it means to me. That is what all this means to me. Like car racing to Alan! Medicine and music to Virgil! Space to John and the Air Force to Scott. Like if you had to give up us." He didn't know why he said that because the hurt that flashed across Avalon's face was enough to say what she didn't, "I just want to feel special again, Avie. Like I mean something. Right now I'm just a face. I'm not even a name anymore. People are talking about that stupid kid breaking Gordon Tracy's games record." Gordon said.
"You just contradicted yourself." His sister pointed out.
His eyebrow cocked, "Huh?"
"You said no one is talking about you anymore. But then you said 'that stupid kid that broke Gordon Tracy's games record'. They are still saying your name Gordon. You still stopped the Australians from ruining another games in their own country." Avalon said, "You are a national hero Gordy. But," she stood up, "if you want to go back it's your choice."
"What do you mean?" He cocked his head to one side bird-like, enough to make her smile.
"If you want to go back to the Olympics and leave Thunderbird Four behind in my care that's your choice. But just remember that to us you will never be just a face, you will never be just a name to fade into memory, you'll never be that kid in the mini-submarine. You will always and forever be Gordon Cooper Tracy, our baby brother, big brother to Alan, that prankster that we can never beat at game of COD on the XBOX no matter how hard we try, we can never prank back as well as you. And you will never, ever, beat any of us at good old-fashioned chess.
"To us you are the member of our family that is one of the essential parts that hold us all together. You overcame a back injury that nearly put you in a wheelchair for life but now with the occasional twinge it is just a fading memory right? Well, maybe one day your world record will be broken – but for now it's yours and you will always have a place right here." She smiled, "plus if I got Thunderbird 4 I'd demand it be painted pink instead of yellow." She gave him a wink and walked away she got only a few yards away before her word sunk in.
"PINK?! No way!" He was on his feet and launched himself at her back as she walked away, she braced herself and soon she was hefting the not-so-light 23-year-old back to the house. She left him in the dining room to suffer through Scott and Virgil's questions and not to mention Grandma force feeding him. But, Avalon thought as she pushed open Gordon's bedroom door, at least he knows he belongs here with us, and if he wants to go back to the Olympics that's his choice. She smiled as she grabbed the case for his medal off it's shelf and placed the Gold back where it belonged, briefly she took down his silver and turned the plate over in her hand;
Team USA
Men's 4x200m Medley Relay
It was his past and if he wanted to revisit it – they'll support it. Avalon smiled and she left the medals in their place and went off to see if her response had come through yet. It was going to be tough to choose her family or Broadway- but she knew that her brothers knew she'd make the right one. Whatever she chose.
This is to help with the writer's block I've got one Chapter 6 of This is Me And You. Look out for the update! Coming soon!