Okay, since people seemed to like the first couple of chapters, here is the next one.

Once again, I would like to thank JulesDPM for her awesome work as a beta. (Forgot to say this is the last chapter, but she went over that one two.)

Enjoy ...

Chapter 3

John shifted through his cupboards, trying to decide if he should make himself soup or pasta for dinner. Selecting a can of minestrone, he then turned his attentions to finding a pot. Only a week left until his break came up and he was really looking forward to home cooking. Fresh fruits and vegetables only lasted so long, and heat and eat meals tended to get old after a while. Maybe he should take a page from Cecily's book and grow his own food. He could probably find room somewhere on Five.

"International Rescue, this is Death Trap. Come in."

Speaking of Cecily … John left his uncooked dinner on the counter and eagerly headed for the radio.

"Death Trap, this is International Rescue. And how is your day going?"

"Can't complain. You?"

"Slow."

"Well, in your line of work, isn't that a good thing?"

"Yeah, I guess so," John chuckled.

She always could make him smile. These calls were the highlight of each week, and the one draw back to going earth-side.

"So, I read about yesterday's rescue. Are all your men okay?"

"Yeah, they're fine."

He shuddered to think about the close call they had last week when Thunderbird Four got caught in an underwater rock slide. Gordon, and the men he rescued, barely made it back. But of course while everyone else was concerned about their resident aquanaut, all Gordon cared about was that the rocks dented his sub. But, no use dwelling on what ifs. His brother was fine, everyone got out okay, and even Thunderbird Four was coming out stronger then ever with a newly reinforced hull. Which reminded him of another improvement he was aware of.

"So, how are your hybrids coming along?"

"Oh, they're great," Cecily answered, in the cheerful tone she always used when discussing her plants. "I should be able to try the newest berries in a couple of weeks."

John glanced back at his soup with an inward sigh. Fresh berries, even experimental ones, sounded pretty good right about now.

"Wish I could be there to see that."

"Well, if I knew where you were I could send you a sample."

A stab of regret hit him as he remembered that their relationship could not move beyond this, that she would never be more then a voice on the radio. But she already was more. She was his friend, his confidant, his pick me up. Someone whom he could talk to about the beauty of nature, and most importantly, someone who truly understood what loneliness was.

"But it's okay, I'm sure it won't be that amazing," she said quickly, the cheerfulness in her voice now forced. "When I crossed blueberries with raspberries I got just what I was going for, blue raspberries. I'm sure my blue strawberries will be just as anticlimactic."

A surge of protectiveness replaced the regret at her words. Cecily was so hard on herself, but he couldn't figure out why. What kind of people did she have in her life that made her think that everything she did was second rate? She was brilliant, dedicated, and passionate woman. She had a PhD, was working towards a second, and ran an entire lab alone. Anyone who thought of Cecily as less then what she was had to deal with John … and that included Cecily.

"Don't sell yourself short. You are a pioneer of plant genetics. Someday, your plants might solve world hunger."

"Which would be pretty amazing since I only made them to solve my hunger."

He had to laugh. There was just something about this girl, the way she said things, it was like a candle in the darkness. A sappy analogy to be sure, but there was no other way to describe it. She just brightened up his world. He was really gonna miss her over the next month. Then again, he did know where she was. Maybe he could go on a supply run to southern California. Last he checked, Tracy Two was still docked there. Maybe …

"Hey, Cecily?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm … um …"

What was he doing? He couldn't show up at her door. Besides, what would Father and the others say? No, he had to keep his relationship exactly the way it was. Just talks, no details.

"John? You still there?"

"Yes, I'm still here … I just … uh … I heard about a meteor shower that should be visible in your area tomorrow night. You should check it out."

"I'll have to do that. Will you be able to see it?"
"Yeah, I'll be able to see it."

Just not from the same direction, John thought to himself. One of the perks of living in space, you get a very unique look on things. Meteor showers were one of John's favorites, as long as nothing hit Five anyway.

"Great. I can call you up and it will be like we are watching it together."

John smiled at the thought. He wished he could watch it with Cecily. He would love to gaze out into the night sky with her, pointing out various stars and constellations, but who was he kidding? He was in International Rescue; a personal life wasn't in the job description.

"Oh-oh."

Startled at her exclamation, John griped his hand-held tighter. He instinctively checked his monitors for any seismic or weather problems in Cecily's area, but everything looked fine.
"What? What's wrong?"
"Oh! Sorry, John," she said, sounding embarrassed. "One of my machines stopped working. I just have to fix it. It's no big deal."
"No problem," he responded, letting out his breath. "I guess I'll talk to you tomorrow night then?"
"Wouldn't miss it. Later Rescue-man."
"Bye, Cecily."

The next day passed far too slowly, but the meteor shower went by way too fast. Not that they really noticed since the talked long after the light show ended. By the time John realized how tired she sounded it was nearly two in the morning. He signed off and went to bed, only to wake up four and a half hours later to his brother's voice coming over the radio.

"Thunderbird Three to Thunderbird Five," Alan's voice called cheerfully. "Rise and shine, Johnny."

Thinking of various things he could booby-trap before his brother made it onto the station, John stumbled out of bed, pulling on his robe as he went.

"Thunderbird Five here," he yawned. "You're early."

"Wow, John, you sound beat. Did you throw a wild party and not invite me?"

"How exactly am I supposed to throw a wild party from up here?"

"Well-"

"That's enough, Alan," Scott's voice cut in. "We are on final approach. Standby for docking procedures."

"FAB."

John rubbed his eyes and typed the familiar commands into his computer. Once Thunderbird Three was locked on, he headed to his room to get dressed. Even though he was just about to go back to the island, he pulled on a clean uniform and slipped his sash on. After all, he wasn't on leave yet.

"Anyone home?"

"Coming!"

Double checking the room in case he left anything he might want in the next few weeks, John opened the door to find his oldest and youngest brothers waiting for him.

"Hi, John," Scott smiled. "Its good to see you in person."

"Likewise," John replied, hoisting his bag on his shoulder and turning to Alan. "She's all yours."

"Great. Did you leave me any ice cream?"

"Oh, was I supposed to?"

Scott laughed while Alan glared at him. John just shrugged and grinned. Serves him right for scheduling the turn over so early. Tossing back a quick reminder not to break anything, John headed for the airlock with Scott at his side. He was eager to see his family again. Still, as they pulled away, he had a nagging feeling he forgot to do something.

/O\O/O\O/O\

"John, its so good to see you."

"Good to see you too, Grandma.

Smiling, he returned his grandmother's embrace, pulling away to greet his father and Tin Tin, while Scott headed back into the house to change.

"Turnover go okay?"

"Yes, Father."

"Good. And it's good to have you home, son."

"You know," Grandma piped up, latching onto John's arm, "three months is an awful long time to be up there all alone. Why don't you shorten his tours, Jeff?"

"Now, Grandma," Gordon cut in, appearing in the doorway, "do you really see John letting Alan have fifty percent control of Five? He barely lets him stay up there as is."

"But I'm sure he gets lonely up there," she argued.

"Not really, Grandma," John reassured her.

And he hadn't, not since he met- Cecily! They got so wrapped up in the meteor shower last night that he completely forgot to tell her he was going on leave!

"John? Are you alright?" Grandma's concerned voice cut into his thoughts.

"I'm fine," he muttered, still trying figure out what to do.

Telling Alan about her was out of the question. That kid never could keep a secret, or at least not one like this. Memories of Scott's first crush came floating back in haunting detail, making John even more determined to keep this away from his brothers.

"You look pale," Tin Tin commented, touching a hand to his forehead. "Have you eaten this morning?"

"Um … no."

"Well, no wonder you're pale," Grandma tutted, leading the way to the kitchen. "Let's find you something."

Allowing everyone to think that he was just hungry, when the thought of his brothers finding out his secret almost made him too sick to eat, John concentrated on his last few conversations with Cecily. Maybe he had said something … or she had … she had! Just last night, she said she was going to be busy for a while testing her new antiseptic. He just hoped "a while" would last until he got back.

So, does anyone see a problem on the horizon?

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