Thanks for the reviews on the first chapter! They were very encouraging. Once again, I do not own the Thunderbirds, sadly. But as always the plot line and non-canon characters are mine.

Alan paced around his room agitatedly as he threw a pair of faded jeans into the suitcase on his bed. He paused suddenly, sat down on the edge of the mattress and sighed. As he lay back wearily, the teenager allowed himself to think about the trip he was now signed up for.

This just wasn't fair! He had spent so much time organizing stuff for his week with Tin-Tin and Fermat that it just didn't seem right to get it taken away from him. He knew that he was being selfish, and that he could do everything the next week, but really, all he wanted to do was be close to Tin-Tin. He wanted to tell her how much he liked her; how much he wanted her to like him in return. Alan had almost let it slip to his brothers. He had been about to say, "I just want to tell Tin-Tin how I feel." If he had said that out loud, his siblings would have never let him live it down.

Alan sighed again as he thought back over the last few months. The attack over spring break had shown him so much about his family that he had never realized. For the first time, Alan felt accepted. Of course, Alan knew that it was partly his fault. If he hadn't been so pig-headed and whiny his brothers might have been closer to him. And the change was all because some psycho tried to kill his family. He winced and sat up.

The teen shuddered as he remembered the chilling voice that still haunted his nightmares. It had been really hard to hide the fact that he was still having these dreams from his family, but Alan didn't really see the need to tell them about it. I can handle it. It would just worry them unnecessarily, he told himself, trying to push away the feeling of apprehension in his chest.

TB

The next morning Alan found himself being gently shaken awake by Scott. He grumbled and turned away. He heard his brother laugh. Alan was usually one of the earlier risers in the family but this morning he just didn't want to leave the warm comfort of his sheets.

"Come on Sprout. We have to leave in a couple of hours and grumbling about it won't help." Scott prodded his youngest sibling in the shoulder. "Come on little brother, I want to see that beautiful mug of yours," Scott said in a singsong voice.

"Go 'way. An' don' call me 'prout," Alan mumbled into his pillow. Ugh, why did Scott have to choose now to be annoying? Geez, I must have gotten only a couple hours of sleep last night because of that horrible dream I had.

Scott raised an eyebrow playfully. "What's that Alan? I can't seem to hear you."

Alan sat halfway up and snapped at his brother. "I said, go away and don't call me Sprout!"

Scott took a step back and frowned. "Did you sleep okay last night?" he asked. Alan muttered something. Why did his brothers have to mother him so much? It's because they care about you, said a voice inside his head. He was still too grumpy to listen to it though.

"What did you say?"

Alan shrugged his shoulders and swung his legs over the edge of the bed so he was sitting up. "Forget about it Scott."

"Alan…" The worry was evident in his voice.

"I said, forget about it!" Alan could hear the anger in his voice and forced himself to calm down. Now was not the time and place to cause a scene and he didn't want to worry Scott any more than he already was. "If I want to talk about it then I'll tell you, but right now there's nothing to tell." He kept his voice tight and controlled. "Now let me get ready, please. I want some breakfast." Scott nodded, helped him up, and then he left.

As Alan got ready, he thought about how he treated Scott. He hadn't meant to snap, but the dream he had last night had been terrible. He had stayed awake most of the night trying to shake off the feeling that something bad was going to happen. He told himself he was being paranoid.

Don't worry about it. Scott has your back and you have his. Alan suddenly realized that this was why his father had sent him along. He wanted them to spend time together but he also wanted them to take care of each other. All at once his feelings changed. He still regretted the fact that he couldn't spend time with his friends, but he wasn't dreading the trip either. It was a chance to get to know his brother better and to let go of his feelings about the attack. As Alan left the room, he decided to talk to Scott and apologize before they hit New York.

TB

Scott was definitely worried about Alan. What did I say? Was it something I did? He shook his head. No. Alan will say something about it sooner or later. When his brother was younger, Alan would always sulk for a while then, when he was ready, he would talk to one of his brothers about whatever was going on. Usually it was John who calmed Alan down. He always had just the right thing to say to his little brother. Scott shook his head as hecame into the kitchen area. I wonder how much they talk to each other now? John probably calls every night considering how worried he is about Alan these days. But who isn't? The oldest Tracy brother sighed.

"I've made your breakfast Scott, dear. Is Alan coming down for some?" said Onaha, who was flipping some eggs over in pan, as he walked in.

"Yeah, but I'd give him a few minutes," he said and sat down with a sigh. His father walked in just then and sat down at the table next to his eldest. "Hey Dad. I just got Alan up and something's bothering him, but it's nothing to do with the trip. I don't think he slept well last night."

Jeff Tracy looked over to his eldest with an expression of unease and tiredness. "Well, I hope he's not getting sick or something," Jeff said. "And I'm sorry if I dumped him on you. I just don't want you by yourself." Scott nodded.

Alan walked in at that moment and slumped into a chair. He looked lost in thought; staring at the table. He didn't even look up when they both said hello to him.

"Alan," Scott said a little forcefully. Alan jumped and the former pilot's apprehension jumped up a couple notches. "Do you feel okay?"

The teenager nodded. "Oh, yeah I'm fine. Hi Dad. Sorry, I'm kind of tired. Where's breakfast?"

"Right here Alan, dear. Goodness, is food all you boys think about? And I want to see you eat at least most of that. You're starting to look frightfully thin these days," chided Onaha with a frown.

All of the Tracy boys were naturally skinny and muscular. So Scott was slightly startled to find that Alan had indeed lost some weight. That was not a good sign. Alan was quite possibly the most exuberant of the Tracy boys, short of Gordon, and had the biggest appetite of them all. He glanced at his father. From the expression on the older man's face, he knew that his dad had just noticed too.

"Yes ma'am. I'll try," Alan said seriously.

After breakfast they got everything ready to go and headed for the silos. They would be taking Tracy One to New York and Parker would be piloting for them. Lady Penelope had been residing at the island for a few weeks and Parker was grabbing the chance to do something other than sit by the pool.

Once they reached Tracy One's hanger, Jeff pulled Scott to the side while Alan went to go say goodbye to his brothers, who were waiting by Tracy One. "Son, I want you to keep an eye on your brother. The fact that he's not eating right bothers me. He just seems so…distant since the attack. That's the other reason he is going with you." The former astronaut looked troubled. "Try to get through to him Scott. I tried, but it just ended up in another argument, like always." Jeff gave a half grin. "I think he inherited the most Tracy stubbornness out of all five of you." Scott gave a smirk at that.

"No doubt about that. And yes, I will look after him. He's got all of us worried." Scott pulled his father into a rough hug, not allowing the bigger emotions show. It's the Tracy way of life. Never show your true emotions, said his sub-conscience. Scott's brain registered that there was something wrong with that statement, but it was ignored. Trying to shake off the feeling of paranoia, but not quite succeeding, he walked with his father over to where his other brothers had gathered.

Gordon was talking excitedly to Alan while Virgil was loading some luggage on to the plane. He stopped abruptly as his oldest brother and his dad got within hearing range. This added to Scott's interest in the discussion, which was no doubt about the latest prank between the terrible two.

"Planning Virgil's death Gordon?" asked Scott with a playful smile.

The young prankster glanced at his brother with a mischievous glint in his green eyes. "Now why on earth would you suspect something like that dear brother of mine? I'm a perfect angel!" Gordon said with an innocent look on his face.

Scott rolled his eyes. "What did you do, put a frog in his bed?"

Gordon tried to look highly offended but the grin on his face told otherwise. "Please Scott, don't insult me. I'm a professional."

"Oh, really? I thought you were…what was the phrase…a perfect angel."

"So you caught me. But do you really want to know?"

Scott thought a moment about the consequences of knowing what went on inside his brother's head and decided he really didn't. "No I really don't."

After a few minutes of exchanging comments, rough hugs, and hair ruffling, Alan and Scott were on their way to New York City. The last thing Scott heard was somebody mumbling, "Let's just hope they don't kill each other by the end of the week." He smiled.

TB

Down on the beach, Tin-Tin Belegrant watched Tracy One fly off into the distance. She sighed. Only she knew how deeply the Hood affected Alan. On some nights, when she couldn't sleep, she would seek out the youngest Tracy. She would usually find him staring out into the ocean from his balcony.

Alan had told her how much his nightmares affected him, how much they hurt him. He sounded so vulnerable and sad. It hurt Tin-Tin to see him like that and she knew that the rest of his family was picking up on his distress. Of course, being the Tracy that he was, he told her not to tell anyone. But she was relived that he had talked to her about it.

Tin-Tin really liked Alan, despite his sometime immaturity. He had some pretty amazing qualities. He was fiercely loyal and compassionate. He had determination and stubbornness, too. He cared about things that most people wouldn't even think about. And as she watched the speck in the distance, she really hoped that he liked her back.

So the plot thickens!! Not really, but it will! Review! You know you want to.....