Thank you for the amazing reviews once again, I really appreciate it! They are brilliant, so thank you! I'm glad you guys are enjoying the story.
Thanks again to CC who was the beta for this chapter and the last, I'm very glad for your help.
To anyone who is interested, are you watching the Royal Wedding? Isn't Kate's dress amazing?
Anyways, back to the story... Please enjoy this chapter! Next chapter is being written now.
A yawn broke free of the youngest Tracy's lips as he stumbled into the kitchen, exhaustion making his movements awkward. Dropping into his chair, he ignored the rest of the Tracy family and guzzled down the waiting glass of fresh juice with abandonment, the cool liquid a god-send to his dry, scratchy throat. Smacking his lips, Alan placed the glass back onto the large table and took a first glance up at his family, only to find they were all staring at him intently.
Feeling a blush rise to his cheeks, he caught the gaze of his blonde counterpart, desperately hoping John hadn't told the rest of his family about the whole fainting incident the night before. Clearing his throat, he addressed the fellow Tracy men scattered around the large kitchen.
"Morning?" he croaked uncertainly as the other men continued to stare.
His greeting seemed to knock some life into the rest of the Tracy's and Alan heard Gordon snicker. Turning his gaze to the aquanaut, Alan shot a confused look to the red-head as a wide grin grew on Gordon's face. Suddenly, a loud laugh burst forth from the Gordon as he continued to stare at his baby brother.
"Al, have you seen yourself this morning?" Gordon questioned, a smirk still painted on his chiseled, tanned face. His eyes sparkled with mischief as Alan frowned, wondering what on earth his brother was on about.
"Uhh, no?" he replied questioningly, his gaze flickering between the rest of the Tracy men. All but John, who was simply gazing at him, seemed to be smirking at him oddly and he instantly brought a hand to his hair, trying to flatten it down as he took a guess as to what they were staring at him for.
Scott laughed quietly and reached over the table to swipe a finger along Alan's face near his lips. He drew his finger back and a pink smudge was evident all down the length of his finger. Staring at Scott's hand in horror, Alan reached up and dragged the back of his hand across his lips, eyes widening when his hand was too, covered with a pink smear.
Quickly, Alan dragged his gaze to the prankster sitting across from him with a smug look on his face. Alan felt his cheeks burn which made him glare daggers at Gordon, before he pushed his chair back and flew towards the guilty party. Gordon – his self-preservation skills honed by years of pranks - scraped his chair back and took off running from the room, dashing towards the pool.
In hot pursuit, Alan growled as he chased after his brother. Still trying to wipe away the lipstick that was smeared clumsily all over his lips and chin, he darted around the pool after Gordon. He could hear the sounds of laughter from the rest of the Tracy members.
Running after his brother, Alan's feet slapped on the cool tiles that surrounded the pool before a sudden throb in his back brought him to a halt and he glared as his brother the best he could. Glad that Gordon hadn't seemed to notice the wince that crossed his face, Alan made his way around the pool slowly, each step he took, his older brother taking the opposite way.
Careful of his throbbing back, Alan made a sharp turn the other way and headed for Gordon who darted in the other direction again, a grin still threatening to split his cheeks.
"Gordon, I really hate you!" Alan yelled across the still water of the pool at his brother. His features pinched again as his throat burned at the sound that tore from his sensitive vocal chords. Gordon simply laughed once more and took off running in the direction of the beach down at the edge of the Tracy Island.
Too sore to follow, Alan turned on his heel and marched up the steps back into the house. Glaring at his still sniggering brothers, he moved over to the sink and stuck his face under, scrubbing at the pink lipstick. Once he was satisfied all traces were gone from his face, Alan turned off the tap and dried his face with a towel that lay upon the counter next to the sink. Sighing at Gordon's antics, he swirled around quickly to attempt to glare once more at his family.
As soon as he stopped turning, the world seemed to spin for a few more seconds and he blinked a few times. Alan's stomach once again turned to mush and he swallowed sharply in an effort to stop himself from bringing up what little he had left in his system. Luckily, the rest of the occupants in the room seemed to still be laughing at his previously pink lips to notice the color drain slightly from his face.
Sighing in relief, Alan missed the concerned look that once again shot through the eldest blonde Tracy's eyes as he noticed Alan falter slightly in his movements.
"Very funny guys. Gordon's going to get it when he comes back." Alan threatened with a note of warning in his voice. Huffing dramatically in mock anger, he returned to the seat he was sitting at a few minutes ago and eased himself into the chair.
Turning to smile at his son, Jeff's eyes twinkled with a playful look.
"You won't be here when he gets back Al," Jeff said in an airy tone. Grinning at his youngest son's stunned and confused look, he continued with his surprise.
"You and John are heading to the mainland to pick up some supplies. I know you've been getting bored cooped up in here not being able to do much with that back so I thought you could accompany John to grab a few things." Jeff's smile grew as a look of delight passed over Alan's face. "What do you say?"
"Yes!" Alan yelped, a relived feeling sweeping across his chest. He could finally go out and do something useful without the constant scrutiny of all his brothers.
Suddenly a thought hit him. Looking over at John who sat quietly at the end of the table, Alan felt himself grow slightly apprehensive at the thought of John quizzing him about the events of the night before and frowned for a second before looking back at his father.
"When are we going, Dad?" he questioned happily, masking the slight nervous feeling in his chest.
"Whenever you're ready, son," Jeff grinned. Alan scrambled up from his chair and darted once more out of the kitchen and sped to his room.
Throwing off his sleep shirt and bottoms he slid on a pair of jeans and guided a t-shirt softly over his head and chest. Double checking in his tall mirror for any signs of pink, he deemed himself ready to go and walked out of the room, once more heading towards the kitchen. He saw his father smile at the speed he had returned in and he moved to the counter to pour himself another glass of juice.
"Ready, John?" he asked happily as the space loving Tracy stood.
"Sure am, Sprout. Lead the way." John gestured to the door Alan had just walked through and they directed a wave at the remaining members of the family.
"See you later, guys!" Alan called as he strolled down the hall towards the hangar down below the Tracy house. John lingered a few seconds and shared a few words with his father before sprinting slightly to catch up to the eager young blonde ahead of him.
"Slow down, Al. Wait for us old'uns to catch you up," John grinned. Upon noticing how much better Alan seemed to look, he felt the knot of worry in his stomach ease slightly after it tying it's self into tight bundles the night before over the welfare of Alan.
I just hope the Sprout can manage today.
"Oh my God, this is so delicious," John moaned as the sweet taste of the strawberry and banana smoothie hit his tongue. He and Alan were currently taking a break from roaming the large, busy city and had stopped for a drink in a small cafe slightly off the main street.
Laughing at his sweet-toothed older brother, Alan took a sip of his lemonade and grimaced slightly as his stomach yet again lurched slightly.
Eyeing his brother, John noted the slight change in his brother as he seemed to wince.
"Not enjoying that drink, Sprout?"
Head shooting up, Alan felt his heart flutter slightly with nerves at being caught. Quickly thinking, he replied with the best excuse he could think of.
"It's a bit cold. Mind-freeze," he explained carefully with a fake expression of annoyance at the horrible sensation he had described. His words were met with a hum of acceptance from his elder brother and he quickly rearranged his features into a grin.
"How great is this, though? It's been ages since we've been here." Changing the subject seemed like his best plan and he directed another smile at John, receiving one in return.
"Certainly has been, Al. Last time we came here you still had to hold Dad's hand crossing the street." Smiling fondly at the memory, he laughed as Alan scowled. Ducking to avoid a swipe to his head, John returned to sipping on his drink.
The rest of the time they spent in the small cafe was spent in a content silence, the slurping of John's smoothie the only sound made between the two Tracy boys.
When they had finished, they stood up and threw the napkins they had been using into the bin next to their table and made their way back out of the door and onto the sidewalk.
"Let's get going," the older of the two blondes said and they stepped forward together. Settling into a steady pace, the boys rounded a corner onto a smaller alley that led them towards Tracy Industries where they needed to go to pick up the remaining of the items on the list John had tucked away in his pocket.
Turning his nose up at the smell down the alley, Alan felt a sudden gnaw at his stomach. Butterflies casually fluttered in his abdomen and he shuffled closer to John slightly. Twisting his head around, he glanced back down the alley towards the road as a dawning feeling arose on him. He had the sick feeling they were being watched.
A sudden shout from his brother brought Alan back facing the front, the fear shooting once more through his chest. A nauseating crunching sound brought a scream to his lips as a metal pipe connected sharply with the side of John's head sending him crashing to the floor. The older Tracy lay unmoving as Alan screeched his name.
"John! Holy shi-" he managed before his was swiftly cut off by a hand grasping his throat. His eyes bulged in panic as he fought for breath and struggled with the huge man grappling him. Desperately trying to break free, he kneed attacker hard in the shin and watched, dazedly as the man cursed loudly, releasing him for a few seconds. Ducking quickly under the man, Alan tried to reach John who still lay unmoving.
Alan gasped as he felt a piece of cloth being scraped across his face and he sucked in a breath as once again his air supply was cut off. Coughing at a bitter taste, he struggled with the strong arms that had encased his chest and continued to buck wildly, his screaming muffled by the rag.
Alan could feel his limbs growing heavier and spots began to dance in his vision. Taking one last glance at his fallen brother, he felt his eyes roll back into his legs as he fell into the awaiting blackness with nothing but a wild laughing playing in his ears.
"Wonder how Alan and John are getting on?" Scott's voice rang out across the sun lit pool. Propped up against the edge, the eldest Tracy son watched as Gordon and Virgil raced across the clear blue water. Mighty splashes were being made by the two flailing Tracys and Scott felt himself grinning. Laughing as Gordon reached the end four clear strokes ahead of his disgruntled brother, Scott swam slowly over to the two other men.
"Alan seemed happy about getting off the Island for a bit, didn't he?" he questioned with a smile still adorning his features. Virgil breathed heavily and looked up at his older brother with a similar smile on his face.
"Of course he did," Virgil replied breathlessly. "The Sprout has been going crazy for the last week just sitting around, not being able to join in. Hardly surprising that he's going stir crazy."
Gordon nodded his head in agreement and leant his arms over the side of the pool.
"He's been quite quiet too, don't you think? It's not like him. Usually can't get the little sod to shut up for five minutes," the water-loving Tracy commented affectionately. He smiled when he thought of the prank he had played this morning. It hadn't been hard sneaking into his only younger brother's room and swiping the stick over his lips. The reaction was beautiful too, if he did say so himself.
The three Tracy boys smiled together at the thought of Alan being so happy again. They gently pulled themselves out of the pool and made their way back towards the comfortable pool loungers, each grabbing a towel to dry themselves off with.
Suddenly a loud yell from inside brought the immediate attention of the boys and they took of sprinting towards the sound.
"Holy Christ, John. What the hell happened? Are you okay?" There was a slight pause before the younger Tracy members rounded the corner to find Jeff with a stricken look on his pale face. The oldest Tracy had a phone clasped to his ear and his eyes were wide.
"Oh my- Alan! What do you mean, gone?" Another moment of silence followed. "John, please tell me this is a joke," the oldest Tracy man begged. A pinch crossed his face as he glanced at his other boys who were staring at him intently.
"Son, it's not your fault. I'm sure you did everything you could," Jeff said, attempting to soothe his son. "John, Gordon and Virgil will be there in under an hour. Get yourself somewhere safe, now."
A murmur was heard from the other end of the line as the conversation drew to a close.
"Will do, John," Jeff spoke once again. The tone left no room for argument and the three shocked Tracy son's stood with mouth's drooping at the elder man.
"Dad, what the heck is going on?"
Jeff swirled around and faced his sons with a look of despair.
"Boys... Alan has been kidnapped."
TBC...
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