Disclaimer: It never changes…I'll never own the TBs because someone else has that honor.

So it Begins

"Ascription, conniption, description, Egyptian, subscription, prescription—"

Simultaneously, Scott, Virgil, John, and Alan looked at Gordon in confusion. "What the hell are you babbling over there, Gordy?" Scott finally asked, confusion clearly showing on his face.

Leaning back in his chair, Gordon looked at his older brothers. "It's always the same…we take turns in the order of birth but here's a novel idea – let's start with the youngest and work up to the oldest for once."

"You have got to be kidding me?" Virgil questioned his younger brother. "What are you four-years-old?" Gordon glared back at him but remained silent with his arms crossed over his chest.

Knowing how ugly things could get between the ultra-competitive brothers, John quickly intervened before Scott's birthday outing could be ruined. "If Alan wants to go first, that's alright by me. Is that okay with everyone else?"

"Yeah, that's fine." Scott relaxed in his chair again now that whatever argument may have been had been diverted by John's quick thinking.

"I'm in the middle either way so it doesn't matter to me in the least," Virgil said, still watching his next youngest brother.

Shifting his confused gaze from his fellow prankster, Alan merely nodded. Seeing that everyone was in agreement, John spoke up, "Alan, you're first up." Settling back in his chair, John let himself relax while Alan tried to pick his most precious memory of him and Scott.

Lacing his fingers together, Alan rested his chin on them and stared at his oldest brother. The brother who in more ways than one had been a surrogate father after their mother had been killed. Not that their dad hadn't been around but he'd had his hands full with coping with the loss of his wife, keeping a business afloat in order to support his sons, and trying to be there for each of his boys whenever they needed him. Alan's expression was thoughtful and his baby blue eyes were shadowed as he tried to recall that most special moment between the oldest and youngest brothers of the Tracy siblings.

"Damn, this is hard," Alan admitted. "I have so many memories of me and Scott that it's hard to pick out the one that affected me the most." Closing his eyes, he let his mind wander back through the years. "We know that Scott helped all of us deal with Mom's death but I can remember a time not too long afterwards that I was able to better understand just how much Scott has taught us…

I was maybe six- or seven-years-old and another kid in my class who'd just moved to Kansas noticed that Mom never came to any school functions but Grandma was always there. It started out as little comments about how I was such a wuss that my own mother couldn't stand to be seen with me. I tried to pretend that what he was saying didn't matter but he was too ignorant to understand what it felt like to lose a parent. Especially at such a young age." Taking a deep breath, Alan tried to calm his nerves and continue with his memory. "It didn't take long for my temper to flare and one day on the playground after he, Jason, had kept up his stupid taunts, I drew back my arm to punch him. Only someone grabbed my wrist and kept me from hitting him."

"It wouldn't have done anyone any good had you managed to hit him, Al," Scott said. "He wouldn't have changed his behavior."

"I know that now but then I just wanted to make him hurt as much as he had been making me." Opening his guileless baby blues, Alan stared directly into Scott's eyes. "I'm glad you stopped me, Scotty."

"Why's that?" Scott watched his baby brother's tense posture and that he'd found out something about his elementary school nemesis.

"What's that old saying…'What goes around comes around'…Well, it's true because he lost his mom a couple of years later to domestic abuse. All the time he was picking on me, his dad was beating and emotionally berating his mom. In lashing out at me, he felt that he had some control over his life. That he had some say in what was going on." Alan's gaze softened for a moment. "I remember you telling me that sometimes you just have to look the other way and ignore the hurtful people that cross our paths every so often."

"Al, how did you find out about his parents?" Virgil asked, curious.

"Because Jason told me." Seeing the perplexed expressions on his brothers' faces, he added, "Agent 55, location Liberty, Kansas. He apologized for putting me through all that crap." He shifted his gaze back to his oldest brother. "I know that I'm hot-headed but I really do keep in mind what you taught me back then. I tend to wonder why someone is acting out before I go on the defensive. Thanks, Scotty, for teaching me that."

"Glad that I was in the right place at the right time then," Scott admitted. "Physical and emotional violence are inexcusable behaviors. I saw a lot of it while in the Air Force but I could never understand how a husband or a wife could supposedly love their spouse and/or children and then treat them in such a horrific way. I'm glad that Jason didn't perpetuate the cycle and instead chose to end it."

"You'll never guess who he married," Alan said.

"Probably not so why don't you just tell us," John replied.

"Abigail Jones." Alan looked over at Gordon and waited for the name to click.

"Abby?" he asked. "He married my old childhood sweetheart?"

"Yep, and they have a rambunctious little boy who is his father all over again," Alan announced. "I wonder what would have happened had you not shown up, Scott."

Scott answered honestly, "Nothing good, Al, nothing good at all."

A/N: Due to Gordon's inability to behave himself, the order of which the brothers will get a turn to share his memory with the others will all depend on Gordon…unless I throttle him first. He's been bugging me all day and at the start of this update.-sam1