Hey there all. I've had this story written for a while, but I'm tweaking it here and there. It's an old story, so expect some mistakes and for each chapter to be a while before they are uploaded. It's mainly based around my own character of Kit, so I hope you don't mind, and I hope you like it. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: All rights to Gerry and Silvia Anderson and the rest of the team. Only Karol, any other characters and her 'Bird belongs to me.

………………………………. Change in time

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' change in place

"Talking"

Thinking

"Reading"

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The sun shone brightly upon the tranquil home of the Tracy family. The Pacific Ocean calmly lapped at the shore and a soft breeze rustled the leaves of the palms and rippled the water of the pool. Inside, the soft melody of a violin could be heard, only to be brought to a screeching stop by a shocked and angry yell.

"GORDON GRISSHOLM TRACY!" Said red haired terror sped laughing towards the pool, a powder covered Scott after him.

"Hahahaha! You can't catch me, big brother!" It was true that the younger aquanaut was faster than the black haired rocket plane pilot, but he forgot one thing- Scott was a fast thinker. Waiting for the exact moment when he knew his younger brother would try his luck and dart past him (which he inevitably did) Scott pounced, grabbing him by the waist and shoving him into the water. Gordon came up coughing and spluttering.

"Hey!"

"Serves you right, Gordo." Gordon's retort was stopped by the sound of the mail plane.

"Someone's getting a letter! C'mon, let's go see!"

"You go and see; I have to go and take another shower, thanks to you. As if coming home covered in soot wasn't bad enough." Gordon giggled a little. Yeah, it had been a successful rescue last night, but it was messy. A fire had broken out in the basement of an apartment block. Everyone was safe, with only a few casualties, but it hadn't exactly left them coming home clean. One thing he was thankful for was the fact that Karol was not a "girlie-girl" (as he called them). She didn't mind getting messy. Practically leaping up the steps of the pool, Gordon quickly dashed inside.

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An hour later, everyone was sat around the breakfast table.

"Hmm, only two letters today. There's one for you Alan, and one for you Karol."

"Thanks dad." Alan's was the usual weekly motor racing magazine.

"Thank you, dad." Karol was puzzled over her letter. She rarely subscribed to anything unless she thought it wouldn't waste her time, and it looked too formal to be a letter from a pen friend. So what could it be? Opening it carefully, she began reading, eyes bulging and the colour draining from her face.

"Karol? What is it?" Jeff asked, noting his daughter's reaction.

"I…I can't believe…" she stuttered.

"What?" Virgil asked. She handed the letter over to him, unable to read anymore.

"To Miss Karol Ingrid Tracy,

You have been cordially invited to play at the opening of the New World Theatre in Nova Scotia on the evening of Saturday 15th September at 7:30pm.We ask that you arrive around four that afternoon so that you may be shown your accommodation for the weekend.

The recording we received of your piece astounded us so much that we have decided that you should be requested to come along as the special guest at this unprecedented event. You may bring with you one other person. We require you to reply by noon of 20th of August… but that's in two days!" Shocked silence was all that answered him. Karol sat stock still, deathly pale and seeming about ready to keel over at any moment.

"Karol?" She suddenly snapped out of it.

"I'm not going." Her voice was matter-of-fact and usually not to be argued with, except on this occasion.

"What!? You can't possibly be turning this down!?" Virgil waved a hand over the letter.

"I don't care how big a deal it is, I'm not going. I…I can't go." Scott smiled softly. He knew exactly what was coming next. "I-I've just remembered I'm doing something then." She forced a smile. Virgil sighed.

"Kitten, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. You're not going to let a little stage fright get in the way now, are you?"

"Yeah, especially after all the hard work we went through to get you in!" Gordon added, indignantly, before instantly slapping a hand over his mouth. Silence. Heavy silence. "Oops."

"You did…what?" Karol was a quiet person, but her voice was so soft it spoke of murder. Jeff, Tin-Tin and Kyrano wisely left the area.

"Well done, Gordo." Alan stated. He laughed nervously. Karol looked calm, but her deep indigo eyes burned.

"W-well, you see, I, that is, we…"

"Oh no, you're not pulling us into this, Gordon." Virgil crossed his arms.

"But…" Scott took over.

"Basically, Kitten, Gordon thought it would be a good idea to record you while you were playing. Then he read the advert in the paper asking for any artists to send in recordings so that the committee could decide who to have at this concert. And clearly, he thought that it would be a good idea to send it in. Hence the letter." He nodded to the offending piece of paper now resting on the table in front of the middle brother. Karol slumped, suddenly seeming rather tired. There was silence once again.

"You all knew about it, didn't you?" she asked after a while. Looking up, she observed the sheepish, guilty faces of her brothers. "And none of you thought that you would tell me?"

"Well…" Alan started. Virgil rested his hand on hers.

"Just think about, Kitten. Ok?" She nodded. Her brothers were right. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity. She had been asked to play at the opening of what was claimed to be the biggest theatre to ever be built. If it wasn't for her stage fright, she would jump at the chance, but she never had been big on being centre of attention. In an orchestra with anything from twenty to nearly a hundred people sat around her, fine. By her self, in front of possible thousands, if not millions… she shivered.

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Karol had thought about it. Almost a day later, with the red-haired troublemaker staying out of her way, she thought about it, weighing the odds and setting her fear aside.

That evening, Jeff visited her in her room. He had let his four sons and his daughter sort it out between themselves, but now he saw that his opinion was needed to help steer her decision along, in either direction. He knocked, waiting for the all clear before entering.

"Kitten? Is everything alright?" Karol was sat at her desk, looking at the photo of her mother. She looked up at him and smiled.

"Yeah, dad, everything's fine." Placing the photo gently back onto the desk next to the teddy of the small boy she hadn't been able to save, she swung round to face her father. "I'm just a little upset, that's all."

"Why? What is it?" Jeff sat on the edge of his daughters carefully made bed. She sighed.

"Everyone knew about what Gordon had done, but none of you told me about it. And before you say anything, I understand why. It's just I feel a little…"

"Betrayed." Karol looked up at her father. He smiled softly. "Kitten, all I'm going to say is that this is your decision and yours alone. No one can make it for you. Do what you want to do." She sighed and looked to the photo of the woman she felt she'd never known. "She'll be proud of you, no matter what you choose to do." Kit smiled, turning to her father.

"You're right. If I'm going to do this, it's not going to be for me." She had made her decision. And now, it was time to tell the family. "Dad, get everyone together, I'll be down soon." Jeff nodded, making his way out of her room. She looked to the photo once again.

"No, not for me. Mom, this is for you." She picked up the stuffed animal, hugging onto it. "And for you, too Tommy."

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And that's chapter 1. Hope you enjoyed it.

Oh, and in case any of you are wondering about Tommy and the toy, read my other TB fic- 'The Hard Truth'. Thanks for reading, all! Constructive criticism, as always, is welcome. Bear with me on this, too. Like I said, it's an old story, so I'm messing with it to get it just right. The chapters will get longer, promise.