A/N: This idea has been rolling around in my head since high school, before I even knew that fanfiction was an actual thing. Although the new series brought back thoughts of the story I lost when my laptop was stolen, Sarah McHenry has never been far from my mind. This is my first Thunderbirds fic and constructive criticism is gratefully appreciated. Standard disclaimers apply!
"Catch me, Gordon!" said the skinny little girl with her red hair in a pixie cut at the edge of the pool. West Virginia was the last place Gordon Tracy thought he would be spending his two weeks off from the hustle of International Rescue, but here he was, camp counselor for abused and neglected children. Sarah McHenry seemed to take a liking to him, and refused to leave his side for the duration of the camp. She was a ward of the state, meaning that her parents abused her so much, that she had been taken away. Gordon had seen the orphanage she stayed in, and he decided that that was not the right environment for such a bright girl. He caught her as she jumped into the water, laughing as he's spun her around. She then started to practice the butterfly stroke with Gordon correcting her as she went.
"Looking great, kiddo. Pretty soon you'll be as fast as I am," he said, his Hazel eyes full of pride and admiration.
Sarah's case worker, Karen Priddy, watched as they splashed around. She loved seeing grown adults become kids again and Gordon was no exception. She hadn't known him for very long, but she could tell there was something on his mind. A half hour went by before they climbed out of the water. Karen handed them some sports drinks and draped some towels in nearby chairs. "You're really coming along with your swimming, Sarah."
"Well, I got a great coach," she said smiling at Gordon.
Fishing some money out of his duffel bag, he asked Sarah, "Why don't you go get us some lunch at the snack bar? Three hamburger meals oughta do it." He watched her walk away and then quickly turned to Karen. "Now that we alone, I've got something I wanna ask ya. You know how I feel about Sarah and her situation. I was thinking that maybe for the rest of the summer, she could come home with me to my family's private island. Maybe eventually adopting her. She'd have four loving uncles, a wonderful great-grandmother who makes the best pies and cookies, and a grandfather who can be a little strict, but means well. Even our house man Kyrano and his daughter Tin Tin would love her like family."
"I don't know, Gordon. It's not my decision to make. You're talking about taking a 5 year old girl half way around the world to some tropical paradise for 2 months. Will we be able to reach you? What if there's an emergency? What if she gets homesick?" she asked, steamrolling over his answers.
"If you give me a minute to answer, I'll tell ya! Sheesh! You already have my satellite phone number, and I'll give the agency the video phone number for the island. Trust me when I say we're more than ready for any emergencies that could happen. And we can arrange for weekly calls with one the day after our usual mail and supply drop. I've been thinking about this ever since I saw the orphanage. As much as you try, you know that's not the right place for her. Sarah needs a family and I didn't know I needed her until I got here. Let me talk to Father and the director. If I can't convince them both, I'll drop it and you'll have a full time counselor for the next ten summers," he quickly explained.
"You do realize that someone will have to come to the island too for inspections. We can't have her being placed in a home that is just as bad, if not worse."
"Hey, full disclosure. What ever you need, I can have Tin Tin fax to you."
"Ms. Karen, Gordon, what are talking about?" asked Sarah when she came back with the burgers.
"Well," said Gordon, scratching the back of his head, "I didn't want to get your hopes up, but I'm trying to see if you can come home with me for the rest of the summer." He smiled when she squealed and jumped into his arms. "Take it easy, kiddo. Nothing's set just yet. I still need to talk to the director of the orphanage and my father about it. I may be in my 20's, but Father still calls the shots in our house." Reaching into his duffel bag yet again, he produced his satellite phone, hit the speed dial for home, and put it on speaker.
An Oriental sounding voice answered the call. "Hello? Tracy Island."
"Kyrano, it's Gordon. Is Father around? I need to ask him a favor," he said, signaling everybody to be quiet.
"I shall try to find him, Mr. Gordon," said the house man.
A few minutes later, a gruff sounding voice said, "Go ahead, Gordon. How are the mountains treating you?"
"Just fine, Father. There's something I'd like to ask you. While I was volunteering at the camp, I started coaching one little girl in swimming and I'd like to keep it up through the rest of the summer. I'm sending you a picture now," said Gordon as he snapped a quick selfie with Sarah.
"She's a beautiful girl, but what do her parents have to say about this?"
"That's the thing, Father. She's a ward of state. Her parents have no say."
"Then, are you asking for a longer vacation?"
"No, I was asking to bring her home with me. It's just for 2 months."
"Gordon, do you realize what you're saying?"
"Yes, I do, and I know in my heart it's the right thing. We can iron out the details later, but I need a yes or no now before I go back to the orphanage."
An elderly-sounding voice said in the background, "Oh, Jeff! I don't see the harm. It's only for the summer and it would be nice to hear little feet running around the house."
"Great! I'll call you back in a few hours with video feed from the orphanage!" said Gordon as he switched off the phone.
"That didn't sound like a yes to me," said Karen, a little suspicious.
"It wasn't a no, either," he said with a sly grin. "If I know Grandma, she'll have him talked into it by the time we call back. Relax, will ya? I've got everything under control."