Title: Love and Sacrifice

Part One

Warm Rain Series

Author: Gumnut

Oct – Nov 2018

Fandom: Thunderbirds Are Go 2015/ Thunderbirds TOS

Rating: Teen

Summary: When she is worth everything.

Word count: 1476

Spoilers & warnings: Virgil/Kayo

Timeline: After 'Sharing the Scenery' and the events of 'Road Rash'.

Author's note: And here is finally the story of the scar Virgil has on his back mentioned in the first fic of this series and so uproarishly demanded by you wonderful people. I hope it meets expectations. Also, pieces of this fic have been posted all over the place in the last couple of months as I have been slowly piecing it all together, so apologies if you have read some of it before or it seems familiar as I've re-written sections.

Author's note: Disclaimer: Mine? You've got to be kidding. Money? Don't have any, don't bother.

"Virgil!"

That voice, that sharp, crap, what the hell had he done?

He dropped the barbel, narrowly missing his feet.

It wasn't out of guilt. No, it wasn't.

Yes, it was.

Kayo was charging towards him across the gym. The glare on her face was enough to strip off a layer of skin.

Shirtless, goose-pimples radiated out across his chest, sweat cooling now he had stopped moving. His diaphragm was still heaving from his exertions, the exercise setting his blood running high

"What the hell do you think you are doing?!"

Momentarily stuck on the decision of whether speaking or not speaking would be the less death-causing option, he didn't respond fast enough and defaulted to the latter.

"Do you have any idea what it was like to watch you tumble from that train?"

His eyes widened. Again his speech function failed to boot. God, her eyes were gorgeous.

"You were lucky you weren't killed! Your brother and I had to pick you off the road. I thought…" She swallowed. "Why are you pushing so hard? Do you want to relapse? Do you want to put us through more worry and pain?"

"Uh."

She stalked up into his personal space and shoved a finger into the middle of his chest. "Virgil Tracy, you do not have the right!" Her fingernail was sharp and he yelped, staggering backwards.

"Kayo-"

"Do you have any idea what you put me through? Do you?"

Virgil froze. Kayo didn't…

She glared up at him and he was shocked to see her eyes glistening in the overhead fluorescents. God.

"I'm-"

"Don't you dare say you're sorry." It came from deep in her throat. The passion in her eyes screamed at him.

She was so close. So angry.

So beautiful.

He leant in and captured her lips with his own. The moment froze as she startled, her hands flying up to his shoulders.

But she didn't push him away.

Their kiss deepened. Her tongue brushed against his lips, parting them.

And she was in his arms. God, so beautiful.

Time hung. And then it restarted again as she gently pulled away.

Staring up at him.

He found his voice, tight and throaty. "Kayo?"

Quietly. "Virgil. Stop overdoing it." And she stepped back, her eyes trailing up and down his perspiring body. She swallowed, her stance more uncertain than he had ever seen her. Her eyes caught his once more.

And she turned and left, stalking around the gym equipment, bee-lining for the door.

The room fell quiet.

Sweat dried on his skin and he shivered.

-o-o-o-

He didn't see her after that.

He was left wondering if he had permanently damaged their relationship, if he had ruined what little chance he had.

Part of him desperately wanted to see her, to touch her again. The rest of him was terrified what would happen if he did.

Caught in limbo.

And she left.

Without saying goodbye.

He discovered it by accident, walking through the comms room. Scott had been talking to Gordon about a possible rescue in the Philippines. He mentioned Kayo would be unavailable.

Virgil froze.

"What did you say?"

"Huh?" Scott looked tired and worried.

"About Kayo."

"Oh, she was called out on a mission by the GDF. Left this morning."

"Where?" He could be curious, couldn't he?

"Indonesia. Apparently, some terrorists have holed up on one of the smaller islands. Colonel Casey thought Kayo had some expertise that could help."

"Oh."

Scott frowned. "Virg, you okay?"

"I'm fine."

His brother's frown didn't fade. "How's the back?"

"Fine."

"The knee?"

"Fine."

Scott's lips thinned and Gordon snorted. "Way to go on the info sharing there, bro."

Virgil sighed. "I am fine. Quit bugging me." And he left the room.

-o-o-o-

Scott stared after his brother. Virgil's mood had been fragile since Kayo had cornered him two days ago. He wondered exactly what had happened between the two of them. It was very unlike Virgil to be so unpredictable in reaction. Usually calm and steadfast, his brother was now snappy and keeping to himself more often than not.

But Virgil, being Virgil, it would surface at some point. Scott just needed to make sure he was at the right place at the right time to be there for his brother.

So, he let it go.

Two more days passed and his brother kept quiet, only sniping when prodded. Alan was avoiding Virgil like he always did on the rare occasion the bigger man went bear. Gordon being Gordon manifested his concern by poking that bear, trying to find out what was wrong. This usually resulted in said bear snarling and leaving the room.

John was safe 23,000 kilometres away and knew it.

And that left Scott, scrambling for strategies to corner his brother and find out why he was hurting.

After all a snarling Virgil was a rarity and it usually meant something was seriously wrong.

But he didn't get the chance. Halfway through the third day, he found Virgil sitting in the comms room with his sketch pad. It was clear the man was having little success in his endeavours, as screwed up paper lay everywhere. Scott approached his brother, but was interrupted by John flaring into existence in the middle of the room.

"Guys, we have a situation."

Scott sighed. "Go ahead, Thunderbird Five."

"I have intercepted a transmission to the GDF. It appears to be a combination of a threat and a ransom demand."

"What?"

John looked almost frightened, an expression so unfamiliar on his calm brother's face to be terrifying. "It's Kayo. She's been captured."

There was the clatter of a sketchbook falling to the floor.

Scott's throat was suddenly tight. "Explain, Thunderbird Five." Keep it professional.

The space monitor's eyes were darting between those of his eldest brothers. "Sorry, guys, this isn't pleasant." And the display switched to the recording.

It was Kayo, out of uniform, bound to a chair, her face sporting bruises. A male voice was spouting demands in another language. A translation was appearing at the bottom of the display, no doubt John at work, something about money, freedom and the threat from the GDF.

Scott only had eyes for the anger in his sister's. Their green, despite one of them being almost swollen shut, screamed fury and vengeance.

The recording waffled on some more about the evil of the GDF. Then a fist flew into the view and hit his sister.

Scott flinched. There was a muffled something to his right, and the recording was yelling. Kayo spat blood at the camera, a drop or two landing on the lens. The holographic spatter hovered in the air in front of them.

"Deliver or she dies."

And it cut off.

The room was suddenly silent.

A sharp retort echoed as a pencil snapped in two.

Scott flinched.

As John reappeared, Scott wanted answers. "Do you have her location?"

His brother was troubled. "Not yet, but I will. Eos is trawling the network. Thunderbird Shadow is still at the base in Jakarta. She must have taken alternative transport. She is not wearing her uniform so I have no signal from that. The fact that I cannot locate her wrist comm or her locator has me concerned. I suspect her captors know more than they are letting on. I will let you know more as we find out." John hesitated, his eyes once again bouncing between both of his older brothers. "I'm sorry."

And he cut transmission.

Scott swallowed his fury. The harsh breathing to his right told him that this time, he had to be the calm one.

A breath and he turned to face Virgil.

His brother was pale and his body was almost vibrating with the fear and the anger in his eyes. The broken pencil lay discarded at his feet.

"Virg?"

The younger man flinched, his eyes going wide for just a moment before the more familiar calm settled over his features. It settled cold, control hiding the emotions no doubt roiling below the surface. It was almost chilling to watch.

Brown eyes, usually warm with affection, turned on him as cold as tundra. A rasp. "What are we going to do?"

Scott's lips thinned. "We need further information. We need to give John and Eos the time to locate her."

"Time." It was a snarl. "They're hurting her, Scott."

Quietly, with his hands held up as if to calm a storm. "I know. John is doing his best. The GDF-"

"The GDF! You have got to be kidding!"

"Virgil-"

His brother threw up his hands. "I can't..." And he was shaking his head. "Just..." Emotion boiled and Virgil turned away. "I'll be in the hanger. Keep me apprised."

Heavy boots hurried from the room, and Scott was left staring at where his brother had been.

The broken pencil screamed at him.

-o-o-o-