Family Matters

By GrumpyMagrat & Magratconvert

Disclaimer: We do not own the Thunderbirds neither are we making any money off this endeavor. This is strictly for our own enjoyment, and hopefully, the enjoyment of our readers. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter 3 – Explanations

John set the boy down. "I would like everyone to meet my son, Neil Armstrong Tracy."

"Excuse me? Your what?" Jeff questioned.

"My son and I know what you're thinking. We'll talk about it later."

Virgil moved from his spot on the sofa. "Here, John, have a seat."

John sat down and pulled Neil onto his lap. Christina eyed the newcomer suspiciously. Gordon reached over and tugged on Neil's pant leg. "Hey there, Neil, do you remember me?"

Neil nodded. "You took me away from my mom, and then she died."

"I'm sorry about that. We tried everything we could to save her, but we just couldn't. She wanted you safe, though that's why she told me to take you out. She really loved you a lot."

Jeff raised a questioning eyebrow toward his sons. Virgil caught the look and answered for them. "Neil was one of the rescued victims of that mall collapse. His mother wasn't as lucky. She made us promise to keep on child service until they found his father. I guess they finally did."

Gordon spoke up again. "You know what? Your dad is my brother. So that means I'm your Uncle Gordon."

John took over pointing out the rest of the family. "You may remember your Uncle Virgil too. This is your Grandpa Tracy, and your Uncle Scott. Over there is your Aunt Tin-Tin and this here," tugging on Christina's foot, "is your cousin Christina."

"Christina, can you say HI to your cousin Neil?" Gordon asked.

Christina made her way across the sofa and tried to force her way unto John's lap.

"Hey, hey, be nice. Neil is already sitting there." Gordon admonished his daughter.

Christina threw her arms around John's neck and glared at Neil. "Mine!"

Gordon grabbed his daughter and pulled her off her uncle. "Come on, Ladybug. Neil is going to be living here from now on. You're going to have to learn to share. Can you do that?" She stuck her bottom lip out but nodded. "That's my good girl."

Neil turned and buried his face in John's chest. "I don't like her. I want to go home."

John rubbed Neil's back. "I know this is hard for you, but this is your home now." Neil began to cry, soaking his father's shirt. "It's okay, Neil," he softly crooned. "It's been a long day, and with the jet lag, I'm sure you're tired. Things will look better after you get some sleep, even with Christina. Are you hungry? Do you want something to eat before you lay down?"

Neil sniffed and nodded. "I'm hungry."

"Okay, we'll get you something to eat and then get you settled in our room."

"I'll come with you," Tin-Tin volunteered. "I have some macaroni and cheese in the oven. It should almost be done. Do you like mac and cheese, Neil?" Neil nodded. Tin-Tin picked her daughter up. "Come along then. Our food awaits." John and Neil followed behind her.

Once they left the room, Scott let out a low whistle. "What a shock. John has a son. I can't believe he walked away from that."

"He didn't," Virgil spoke up. "According to Kat, she never told him about the baby."

Scott shook his head. "How could she keep something like that from him? He's the boy's father. He had a right to know."

"I'm sure she had her reasons."

"What? I can't believe that you're defending her."

Virgil sighed. "I'm not saying that what she did was right, but she obviously loved Neil a lot. He's been well taken care of, and she left enough information that John could be found after her death. Most important, John must have seen something good in her while they were together."

"Virgil is right," Jeff interjected. "We didn't know this woman. So, we have no idea why she kept John in the dark, but for John's sake, and especially for Neil's sake, we need to keep our negative opinions to ourselves. She's gone, and it would only serve to hurt the ones left behind."

The three brothers simply nodded in agreement.

TB TB TB TB

Later that evening, the family gathered again in the lounge. Neil and Christina were both asleep so it seemed like a good time to explain the whole situation. Alan was even on the live video feed.

John began his story. "I met Kat, her full name was Katherine Elizabeth Barker, about a year before we started International Rescue. I was still living in Houston finishing my NASA tour. She was a computer programmer for NASA. We hit it off right away. She tended to be quiet around people she didn't know, but once she got to know you, she was a wonderful, fun-loving person to be around. I fell in love with her. Within three months, we had moved in together. I thought she was the one for me. We had talked about getting married and raising a family. We even talked about names. She laughed about all of us being named after astronauts. She thought we should keep it going." He shook his head with a sad smile on his face. "For a joke once, I gave her a teddy bear with the name 'Neil Armstrong Tracy' embroidered on its belly. I told her we could practice on it until the real children came along. Apparently, she gave it to Neil. He is sleeping with it now."

John paused for a moment to collect his thoughts. "Anyways, when Dad said it was time to move home, I proposed, but she said she wasn't ready to settle down yet. She certainly didn't want to move to the Island. She said it was too isolated no matter how many perks we added. She tried to convince me to stay in Houston. She couldn't understand why I would leave everything we had just because Dad said to come home, and I couldn't risk telling her the real reason for my moving. We argued about it. She called me a daddy's boy and told me that I needed to cut the apron strings. When I refused to stay, she told me to leave. It shocked me. I had never seen her like that. I decided to leave for the night. I figured that if I gave her time, she would calm down. But, when I got home after work the next day, she was gone. She had moved her stuff out of the apartment, which since it was a furnished apartment, wasn't too hard. I tried calling her, but she had changed her cell number. I tried to look her up at work, but she had quit effective immediately. Even though I didn't want to, I knew I had to give her up. I never heard from her again. I never knew about the baby."

"Until the lawyer contacted you," Jeff supplied.

"Right, at first I didn't believe it, but Kat had enough documentation to prove it, and his looks only solidify the claim."

"We noticed the looks, but we thought it was just coincidence," Virgil remarked.

"I even mentioned how much he looked like Alan," Gordon chimed in. "But never in a million years would I have thought you were the father."

"So, what are you saying?" Alan asked in disgust. "That I'm the kind of guy to sleep with a woman and then duck out of my responsibilities?" His face flushed when he realized how it sounded. "Sorry, John, I'm sure that sounded pretty nasty. I didn't mean anything."

"It's okay. Anyways, Mr. Walton helped me get through all the paperwork, and here we are, me and my son."

"I don't know how you can be so calm about this," Scott said. "If I were in your shoes, I'd be furious with Kat."

"I was at first, but after I listened to her recording…"

"Recording?" Virgil asked.

John gave Virgil a knowing look. "Yeah, apparently, a member of International Rescue who was working the accident scene allowed her to make a recording for me. I'll play it for you."

"You don't have to, not if it's too personal," Jeff stated.

"No, it's okay. It may help you to understand the situation better." John pulled a MP3 player out of his shirt pocket and turned it on.

Kat's voice began. "Hi, it's me. I know that this is a big surprise to you; first, hearing from me, and then learning, after all these years, that you have a son. I'm sorry that I kept it from you. I never meant for it to go on this long. I really did intend to contact you, but I kept putting it off. At first, I was angry. That was pretty obvious when I packed up and moved back to my mother's house in Beaumont. I didn't even know that I was pregnant until a couple of weeks later. My mother wanted me to contact you right away, but I was still angry. I figured I'd contact you after the baby was born, but when that time came, I got scared. I took one look at him, and fell madly in love with that baby. He became my whole world in an instant. I was afraid that you'd take one look at him and fall in love with him too, and then take him away from me. I mean, you are a Tracy, with a famous father and a fortune to rely on. How was I supposed to fight that?"

"I know you probably won't understand that because it doesn't make any sense because it doesn't to me. We were together for a year. My rational side told me that you weren't the kind of person to take my child from me, but my fear was irrational. I couldn't seem to overcome it. I couldn't take the chance."

"I justified it to myself that I was nursing, and he needed me. I promised myself that I would contact you when Neil was weaned. Unfortunately, about that time, my mother was diagnosed with cancer. It became an easy excuse. I convinced myself that I was dealing with too much emotionally to contact you at the time. It took two years of chemotherapy, radiation, and even an experimental drug trial before she lost her battle. Neil was old enough to know that his grandma was gone, but he didn't grasp the concept of death. I determined that it wasn't good for Neil to have new family members being introduced at that time."

"As time went by, it became harder and harder to call you, so I just made up excuses not to do it. I kept telling myself that it was your choice to leave me and move to your father's Island."

"Now, though, things have become clearer. I recognized the International Rescue operatives here as your brothers from the pictures you showed me. I can only imagine that is why you wanted to leave NASA. I wish I had known back then. I would've loved to have joined that organization."

"I hope that you can forgive me for all the stupid mistakes I've made. I've never stopped loving you, John. Take good care of our son. Make sure he knows I love him. If he turns out to be like his father, I couldn't ask for anything more. Goodbye, John."

Silence reigned in the lounge for a few seconds before John broke it. "Well, there you have it, the story of Kat. She hasn't had it easy since we separated."

"She mentioned her mother's death. Is her father still around?" Virgil asked.

John shook his head. "No, he passed away when she was still in high school."

"What about other family members?" Scott asked.

"Does it matter?"

"If Neil has family that will want him to visit, we have to limit how much he knows, so he doesn't accidently spill the beans."

"I don't think we can limit it," Gordon interjected. "He's already recognized Virgil and me as International Rescue."

"Well, we're lucky in that regard," John answered. "The only family that Kat had left is a great-Aunt who lives in a nursing home and suffers from dementia. I will have to take Neil to see her, but even if he says anything, no one would believe her with her memory problems. They would figure she was mixing up his life now with his rescue from the collapsed mall."

"Thank God for small favors," Jeff added.

John nodded slightly. "Well, I'm going to head back to my room. I want to be there in case Neil wakes up. It's a new place. I don't want him to be afraid."

"Before you go, I would like a word with you in private," Jeff said.

John nodded and followed his father into his private office. Once the door was closed, he asked. "What's up Dad?"

Jeff sighed. "I'm not sure how to bring this up, but how well did you know this Katherine?"

"What'd you mean 'How well did I know her'? We were together for a year. I was in love with her. How well did you know Mom after a year?"

Jeff ignored his son's question. "You say you loved her, but you didn't trust her enough to tell her about International Rescue."

"Don't even go there, Dad."

"I'm sorry, but I have to. How can we trust her claim that you are Neil's father?"

John threw his hands up in exasperation. "Come on. How can you even ask that? He looks just like me."

"That could be coincidence. If she had a thing for blond hair, blue eyed men, your mind could be deceiving you with the other characteristics."

"What are you trying to get at, Dad?"

"I think we should get a DNA test to prove paternity."

"Absolutely not."

"Excuse me? What did you say?"

"There is no way that I am putting Neil through that pain."

"What pain? They don't draw blood anymore. It's just a quick swab of the cheek."

"That's not what I'm talking about. This kid isn't stupid, Dad. He just lost his mother, and he's been told that I am his father, me…a total stranger. Now, if I run a test to prove that, no matter what the results are, he will feel unwanted. I won't do that to him. I just won't. Mr. Walton had enough documentation to prove it to me. She even gave him the last name of 'Tracy' on his birth certificate. I can show you all the paperwork if you want, but that's it, no paternity test."

"And if I insist on the test?"

"Then we'll leave. From this moment on, Neil is my son, no questioning it. If you can't handle it, then tough."

Jeff regarded his son. "Is that your final word?"

John straightened himself to full height. "Yes, it is."

Jeff almost smiled at the stubbornness that was being displayed by John. All his boys had a stubborn streak. They inherited it from him, but John was the least likely of them to display it so evidently. He simply nodded his head and said, "In that case, we'll have to build you and your son a suite of rooms like I did for Alan and his family."

"Speaking of Alan, I would request that he stay on Five for a while. I need some time to bond with my son and make sure that he is comfortable enough to stay here while I'm gone."

"I'll take care of it."

"Thank you, are we done here. I'd like to get back to Neil."

"We're done," Jeff answered. "And John, it may be five years late, but congratulations. You're going to be a great dad."

John nodded and left the office. Jeff sat at his desk and tried to process this surprise twist to the Tracy family tree.

TB TB TB TB TB

The next morning, when Alan called in for the daily radio check, Jeff approached the subject of the schedule with him. "Alan, I'm going to need you to stay on Five for a while. Make a list of anything you want that you didn't take up there, and I'll make sure it's in the supply run next week."

"How long do you want me to stay up here?"

"At least two months, maybe three, it depends on how quickly Neil adjusts to his new home."

Alan shook his head. "I'm sorry, but that's impossible."

Jeff sighed heavily. "I thought we went through this earlier. John spent six months straight on Five when Christina was born so that you could spend time and bond with her. I'm only asking you to return the favor. John and especially Neil need this time together."

"Dad, you don't understand…" Alan began only to be interrupted by Jeff.

"You're damn right that I don't understand. I don't understand how you can be so selfish. I'm getting real tired of…"

"Tin-Tin's pregnant."

Jeff stopped his tirade short. "What?"

"My wife is going to have a baby. We weren't planning on announcing it until after her first pre-natal appointment. That's why I can't stay up here that long. Her appointment is in a couple of weeks, and I need to be with her."

"I'm sorry, Alan. I shouldn't have assumed."

"But it's so easy to, isn't it," Alan snapped. "After all, it's just Alan, the baby of the family, who is still treated as a baby. I would've hoped that these past few years would've proved my maturity, but I guess that is asking too much. Every time I think things have finally started to change, something like this happens, and I'm back to being the spoiled baby again."

Jeff's mind instantly flashed back to the incident a couple years back that almost cause him the loss of this son. He pushed those thoughts away as quickly as they had surfaced. "You're right. I was being unfair. Look, let me check into a few things. Somehow, we'll get this worked out."

"F-A-B, Thunderbird Five, out."

The live feed went back to Alan's portrait. Jeff blew out a heavy breath. As much as he liked the idea of being a grandfather for the third time, this was a complication that he just didn't need at this time.

A couple hours later, Jeff sat in Brains' lab. He had explained the situation to him. "So, you see, both John and Alan need to be planet side, but there's no time to train anyone else. You are the only other one who knows Five well enough to man her. I really hate to ask you because it takes you away from your work here, but I don't know how else to handle this."

"I c-c-completely underst-st-stand, Mr. T-T-Tracy. This is a p-p-perfect opportunit-t-ty to disc-c-cus something I've b-b-been working on."

"Really? And what is that?"

"I've b-b-been w-w-working on a progr-gr-gram to t-t-totally autom-m-mate Five."

"That would be great. Then no one would have to be up there."

"Ac-ac-actually, s-s-someone would st-st-still have to g-g-go up once a m-m-month for a f-f-few days for r-r-routine m-m-maintence."

"But that's still better than someone having to be there all the time or having to rely on the radio relay. How soon can you have it ready?"

"There are a f-f-few more thing I h-h-have to w-w-work through. It sh-sh-should be r-r-ready the first p-p-part of next w-w-week."

"Great. With that timetable, you can get it set up, and Alan can be back down before he needs to be. That'll make him happy. Brains, you are a wonder. I don't know how you always seem to have new equipment ready just when we seem to need it."

Brains blushed under the praise. "Th-thank you, Mr. T-T-Tracy. I t-t-try my best."

"And I appreciate it. Keep up the good work," Jeff made his way across the lab and gave Brains a casual wave as he left the room.

About two in the afternoon, John entered Brains' lab. "Hey there, Brains, how's it going?"

"H-H-Hello, John, I'm f-f-fine. H-H-How are you? Wh-Wh-Where's N-Neil? H-H-How is he d-d-doing?"

"He's sleeping again. I'm not sure if this is normal or not. He's had a rough couple of weeks, and then the trip to the Island, it could've just worn him out. But then, it could also be his way of isolating himself. I don't know how to tell. I'm just too new at this father thing."

"Unf-f-fortunately, I c-c-cannot give you ad-d-dvise, but you w-w-will learn. You're a q-q-quick st-study."

"Thank you, Brains, but I actually came here to see your idea about automating my bird."

"I f-f-figured it wouldn't be to l-l-long before you sh-sh-showed up." Brains pulled up a schematic on the computer. "T-T-Tomorrow I'll n-need h-h-help in c-c-converting st-storeroom four into the n-n-new command c-c-center for F-F-Five."

"Will it be able to do everything that Five did?"

Brains nodded. "R-R-Radio calls w-will be rel-l-layed, and I've in-in-increased the p-p-power. We w-w-will still u-u-use F-Five's sens-sors to m-m-monitor atmosphere-ric r-r-readings to al-l-lert us to p-p-potential prob-blems. Of c-course, the n-n-normal hot sp-sp-spots, nuclear pl-pl-plants, m-military b-b-bases, airp-ports, and the s-s-such, will st-st-still be w-w-watched caref-f-fully."

"So, the answer to my question would be yes. It'll do everything that Five does."

"W-W-Without the inh-h-heirent d-d-angers of a sp-space st-st-station."

"No dangers, but without the great views of the stars, or the optimum platform for astronomical research, but I guess, it's worth it. Both Alan and I can spend time with our families."

"A m-m-most imp-p-portant pl-pl-plus to the s-s-situation."

"Is there anything you need…" John began, but he was interrupted by the sound of whimpering from a two way radio. He keyed the radio. "It's okay, Neil. I'm on my way, just wait a second." He quickly left the room without another word.

TBC

Author's Note - Okay, here we go. John has to learn how to be a father. Talk about being thrown feet first into the fire. Not alot of action in this chapter, sorry. We still hope you liked it anyways. Again, a big thanks to our beta, you know who you are. Thank you to all our faithful readers. Until next week...enjoy.