Eye of the Storm

Disclaimer - Do not own Thunderbirds or Numb3rs. MJ is my personal psycho - sad but true. And the song "Earth Angel" should be old enough to be public, me thinks...But just in case, don't own it.


Chapter Three

The light drizzle made what would have otherwise been a rather unseasonably warm and humid May morning more than bearable as Alan ran the last few steps of his five mile morning run. Shaking his blonde locks as he approached Tracy Towers, Alan smiled at the woman approaching the doors.

"Good morning," the teen smiled in his most disarming manner. Grabbing the door, he held it open for her. Since there weren't many people in the Towers that day, the revolving door was secured and only this door was accessible from the street.

MJ King glared at Alan. "Going for a casual look won't get you far," she snipped.

Alan chuckled. "No, but running in a business suit would be a pain. Not to mention, I'm still in high school."

Frowning, MJ looked Alan up and down. "You're not one of the summer interns?"

"Um, no," Alan said casually, not sure how to explain his business here.

"Alan!"

Alan and MJ both turned to the voice, Alan with a much friendlier expression.

"Hey, Kate," Alan grinned.

"Where have you been?" Kate asked as she began to fuss, grabbing paper towels from underneath a desk in the lobby and beginning to dry Alan off.

Alan chuckled as he weakly tried to dodge Kate's ministrations. "Kate! I'm fine," he laughed. "No point in drying me off, since my next stop is the showers."

Kate frowned. "Alan, we have a gym in the building, and your father would prefer you use that when in New York."

"And I prefer to run outside when I can," Alan countered. "Now – you going to keep trying to squeegee me off, or does someone want breakfast?"

"Alan -" Kate began only for Alan to interrupt.

"I'll even make you some coffee to go with your French toast," Alan said in a sing-song voice.

"Coffee?" Kate asked, looking like someone had offered her the world.

"Yeah, at this far along, it can't hurt, right?"

"And this is why you are my favorite brother-in-law," Kate beamed. Finally noticing MJ standing there, Kate kissed Alan's cheek

and sent him upstairs with a promise to follow.

"Ms. King," Kate said. "I hope to have that report in my in-box before you leave today. I know what you are capable of, or you would have never been transferred from Kansas City. If you don't feel up to the level of work we require here, I can transfer you back."

MJ tried not to glare at her boss. "That isn't necessary, Mrs. Tracy. I was just having an off week. I reviewed the report at home and have highlighted what needs to be worked on. You should have the report in your in-box by noon."

"Fine," Kate agreed. Any other thought was pushed aside for the moment when the lights flickered. Kate looked out the main door and saw a discarded newspaper rolling down the street. "You may want to make sure you are done by then. The weather is supposed to get really bad this afternoon and we have sent out a message that anyone working today can be excused up to four hours, if they want to leave before noon. The weather bureau said there could be wide spread power outages and we don't want anyone getting stuck."

"The Towers have a generator, don't they?" MJ asked.

"For the penthouse, as well as environmental and security systems," Kate agreed. "That in itself is huge enough. We'd need a separate building to have one to keep everything going."

Kate looked like she wanted to say something else when the baby gave her a hard kick. "Yeah, yeah, sport," Kate grumbled as she rubbed her stomach. "I'm hungry too." She made her way to the elevator with a polite nod at MJ.

Sighing, MJ was about to head to the coffee shop in the lobby when she noticed it was still dark. "What the heck?" she grumbled.

"Coffee shop is closed," Ben, the security guard who had been quietly sitting in the lobby, unnoticed by either Kate or MJ. "Mrs. Tracy saw only three people were coming in today for comp time. So when Amber called out, she told her not bother calling anyone else in." Feeling bad for the young woman, the retired cop smiled at MJ.

"We have fresh coffee in the break room," Ben offered. "Brad and I are both on diets, I'm afraid, so there are only bran muffins."

"No thanks," MJ smiled tightly. "I'll grab a soda from the vending machine. But thank you," she said in false sincerity as she entered the waiting elevator. "I hate this place," she muttered as the doors closed.

Ben looked strangely at the now closed elevator doors and frowned. Shaking his head, he returned to watching the monitors. He could have sworn he heard…

"Nah," Ben muttered as he took a bite of his muffin. Frowning at the blandness of the muffin, he quickly swallowed some coffee to wash it down. "Lack of flavoring must be affecting my hearing," he grumbled. "Probably be better to eat cardboard. Darn Lipids."


"So," Alan asked as he served Kate and himself breakfast before sitting down. "Who was the ray of sunshine? She seemed a bit familiar."

"I doubt you remember her Alan," Kate said. "MJ King was from Bailey but would have moved away when you were, hmm, maybe two? Her parents divorced when she was in middle school, she did move in with her grandparents for a bit before ending up in Chicago with her father for high school. I saw from her records she then returned to Bailey, living with her mother while attending college in Kansas City. She held a part-time job at the plant there, data entry work, I believe until she graduated and then transferred to the City. But she still lived in Bailey. Her mother was living in Bailey during that time according to MJ's records but she moved about the same time as MJ – remarried and moved to Texas. She is still her daughter's next of kin."

"Would that be Addie King?" Alan asked.

Kate nodded, confused.

"Mrs. King was nice and Millie Bates liked her. I asked Jeannie what the sitch was and why a few of the older folks referred to the Kings as there having been a scandal. I guess Mr. King was boinking his secretary, who he later married, and their affairs were usually Friday nights at the secretary's apartment in Kansas City. Since he was supposedly working, his wife didn't question it. It was only when he started leaving early, claiming a sick aunt that he looked out for on Friday evenings to give her care-taker a break…Dad was sympathetic, seems it was about the same time as Grandpa being diagnosed with cancer. But MJ said something in front of my mother about her father wouldn't be at a school event because of his having to work evenings at Tracy Industries. Mom said something to Dad, Dad called Mr. King onto the carpet and the whole mess came out. For the sake of his family, Dad kept it quiet and allowed Mr. King to quit. But while he got another job, at the same rate of pay…" Alan sighed.

"One, thing to remember is that things cost more in Chicago than Bailey. So Mr. King divorced his wife, married the secretary and then tried to force his wife to sell the house so he'd have more money. Except the house was actually still owned by his now ex-wife's parents. The whole thing came out when Addie King took an overdose and ended up in a sanitarium for more than three years. Jeannie thinks the only reason Mr. King even took his daughter was because his ex-in-laws told him to either give up his parental rights or pay child support."

"Sounds like a real winner," Kate muttered.

"I don't really remember MJ," Alan continued before taking a sip of orange juice. "But I do remember Addie King. She was really quiet and nice. I didn't understand why at the time but when we were back in Bailey in November, I heard someone talking about her and I asked what they were talking about. Dad and Millie both insisted it was old gossip, and it wasn't nice to gossip, but Jeannie filled me and Billy in because she said it was better to know where the landmines were then to blow something up with a misstep."

Kate chuckled. That sounded like Scott's best friend.

"I know MJ went to school with Scott and Jeannie," Alan continued. "But Jeannie said the few times she'd seen MJ since then, MJ made it clear she didn't want to talk. How's this for dumb – according to something she said to Jeannie, apparently, she figures if Mom hadn't told Dad, then her parents wouldn't have divorced. Lame-o or what?"

Shaking her head, Kate sipped in pure pleasure the first cup of coffee she had had in months. "People aren't always rational about stuff like that," Kate assured her brother-in-law. "But secrets always come out – never forget that."

"Kate," Alan said as he shook his head when Kate looked longingly for a second cup of coffee – and settled for a glass of milk – before Alan continued.

"Considering the family business – and I do mean the other family business – that isn't a very comforting thought."

"Well, as long as she does her job," Kate said firmly, "she and I will have no problems. But if she thinks my being pregnant is going to mean she can slack off, she can forget it. I hired the best for this division and I expect the best out of them. If MJ King doesn't like that than Toto can just head back to Kansas."

"Wouldn't she be Dorothy?" Alan teased.

Kate shrugged, deciding not to say out loud that she was of the opinion that as bitchy as MJ was, Toto fit much better.


Virgil Tracy came into the kitchen as the family was finishing their meal.

Scott looked up, rubbed his eyes, and nudged his sister-in-law.

"Emily," Scott muttered. "I think I am losing it."

"You probably are," Emily said cheerfully. "But Virgil would still be here."

"There was a communications panel malfunction," Virgil said cheerfully. "So Brains came up to fix it. But he looked it over and decided to do a complete overhaul. So– I'm back."

"The proverbial bad penny," his wife teased as she received a kiss. "But seriously Scott – didn't you hear John yesterday when he said Brains was heading back up to Five? Or this today – like ten minutes ago – when Three landed?"

"I'd like to say that I just assumed it was Brains landing," Scott sighed. "But I guess I am distracted."

"Alan or Kate?" Emily asked with a small smile.

"Both," Scott allowed. "I really don't like Katie being in New York this far along -"

"But trying to stop a determined Kate is like trying to rope the wind," Gordon chuckled.

Scott nodded and took another sip of coffee. "And as for the Sprout – How are we supposed to be showing him that he matters to us when he is pushed aside for other things?"

"Scott," Sarah said firmly. "Alan understands. The storm off of the Atlantic Seaboard could be treacherous and the Thunderbirds are more than likely to be called in. What happened with Dad was pure chance."

"Not to mention it looked like the game would be called," Virgil said as he gratefully took a heaping platter from Onaha. "So as long as Dad makes it up for dinner, Alan will be happy."

"And if Dad doesn't, Alan will just say it's ok," Scott said morosely. "It's like the kid feels he's done something wrong and deserves whatever happens to him."

"You think he needs to talk with a therapist?" Emily asked before taking a sip of tea.

John kissed his wife before going back to giving Elizabeth her morning bottle. "No, Em – we think he needs to talk to us."

"Good luck with that one," Sarah grumbled. "He's a Tracy."


Jeff Tracy looked up from his second cup of coffee (oh, alright – third one, although he didn't think he should have to count the one he had in his room while getting dressed), and set it back onto the table when he saw Don and Robin Eppes enter the dining room. A discreet nod to the head waiter assured that the couple was promptly brought over to the table.

"This is an incredible area," Robin exclaimed after the waiter had taken their breakfast orders and left the trio to enjoy their coffee.

"Are those…I mean, that is original artwork on the walls…Don, that one is a Monet!"

Jeff chuckled. "I prefer the one next to it."

Don looked up at the painting Jeff gestured to and frowned. "It looks a bit like…well, it seems familiar."

"I think Kate has sent some pictures from the Island, hasn't she?"

Robin stared at the painting. "You let someone on your island to paint?"

Shaking his head, Jeff grinned before taking another sip of coffee. "He already lives there," Jeff murmured before explaining. "It's one of Virgil's, on loan from the White House. I swear, Max – he's the concierge – makes sure he has one of Virgil's paintings around whenever I come to DC. Hey," the billionaire shrugged, "if I have to be stuck in a hotel, it's going to be a nice one."

"Nice," Don sighed as he leaned back in order to allow his breakfast and juice to be set in front of him. "You do realize this is a five star hotel that frequently hosts heads of state and nobility?"

"More importantly," Jeff grinned, "they make a great cup of coffee."

The trio ate the gourmet food, making occasional comments about their children and their mutual unborn grandson – neither Jeff nor Don wanted anyone to say they had strategized before the hearing – before Jeff's phone rang. He glanced at the phone, smiling as he answered it.

"Hey, Alan," Jeff said. He chuckled at something his youngest said before continuing. "Well, I'm just having breakfast with the Eppes. I – Hi, Kate. Yes, your parents are here. Can I…"

Jeff sighed and handed the phone over to Don. "Your baby is demanding to talk to you before I can talk to my baby. Want to get her to hurry up?"

Robin chuckled as Don took the phone with a grin.

"Hi, Katie Bear. No, we aren't on our way to the hearing yet. It's at nine and it's not quite eight yet so we are eating breakfast. Oh. I didn't know your Uncle Charlie was in DC…Kate, Charlie doesn't need to be at the hearings…Fine, I will save him a seat. Yes, I know, he was the first person you learned facial recognition software strategies from." Don sighed and put on a long-suffering face.

"Katie, I am chalking that up to the hormones. I can neither arrest nor shoot anyone, especially not a U.S. Senator. Yes, I understand its Alan's birthday and…No. Kate, you stay in New York and – Kate, let me talk to Alan."

By this time Jeff and Robin had lost all interest in their food – they were laughing too hard.

"Hi Alan – happy birthday. Yes. Well, can you make sure Kate stays there and whatever you do, she isn't allowed any firearms. You let her have a coffee? Well, bribe her with another for lunch if she stays put, just add a lot of cream to it. OK. I'll try and get your Dad back to you in time…Oh, the game was postponed already? Huh. Yeah, we'll take care down here as well. OK, and happy birthday again – here is your dad."

Don handed the phone back to Jeff, chuckling as he said, "Good kid – think we could trade?"

Robin nudged Don as Jeff quietly spoke to his baby.

"You wouldn't trade Kate for anything in the world and you know it."

"Remember how irritable you were when you were pregnant?" Robin nodded so Don continued. "Remember how dangerous Kate can be under normal circumstances?" Again, Robin nodded, so Don started laughing.

"Combine the two and tell me if we shouldn't be seeking shelter."

Robin chuckled while Jeff hung up the phone, pushing his plate aside.

"Lose your appetite?" Robin asked gently.

Jeff smiled sadly. "He's a great kid. Told me not to come back today if it meant flying in bad weather and that his brothers already called and told him they were planning a big BBQ on the lanai when he comes back from school. Alan…Alan told me that he knows I did my best and we'll catch up later."

"Remember that song, "Cats in the Cradle"?" Don asked. When Jeff nodded, Don sighed. "My dad referenced it once when he was telling me to take more time with my kids. He and mom put personal desire and professional obligations second to being there for Charlie and me. I remember one baseball game…Dad was supposed to be on a plane. Instead he was in the stands and saw me hit the winning run. Dad being there was better than any sports trophy."

Don sighed as he sipped his coffee. "I still miss him."

Jeff nodded. He knew what Don meant in more ways than one.

Robin looked at her watch. "Come on – if we are going to catch a cab in this weather…"

"Mr. Tracy," Max, the concierge had approached the table and interrupted, saying, "The car is out front for you. Will your guests be joining you?"

Jeff nodded, glancing at the Eppes. "If anyone says anything, we are conserving fuel and helping the environment by carpooling."

Robin chuckled as she looked at her husband. "Come on – if you think I am getting in a cab when we can ride in comfort, you are nuts."

Holding up his hands, Don shook his head. "I bow to your wisdom, my love."

"Smart ass," Robin muttered as she exited the room.

Jeff just smiled, making Don look at him oddly. Finally, Jeff explained his amusement. "Our wives would have gotten on great." He sighed slightly before he hurried up. "Let's go before she leaves without us."

Don would have laughed if the risk hadn't been there, making him move just a bit faster…


John sat on the lanai, holding his daughter and watching her laugh and babble before she sighed and cuddled into his chest, sighing in pleasure.

"Someone's happy to see Daddy," Scott smiled as he approached his brother and niece.

"You'll be doing this with your son soon," John smiled as Elizabeth snuggled and cooed, making her father and uncle chuckle.

"Well," Scott grinned, tickling Elizabeth's feet, bringing forward baby giggles. "I don't think Baby Boy Tracy will be this adorable. He'll be classically handsome and dashing."

"He'll be a drooling mess that eats, sleeps and poops," Virgil cracked as he and Gordon came out.

"And that will continue into his teens if you decide to name him Baby Boy," Gordon snarked, tickling Elizabeth's tummy, smiling when the baby giggled again. "Hey, it's Tickle Me Elizabeth."

"Remember when Gordon had a Tickle Me Elmo?" John asked Scott.

"Yeah," Scott groused. "I hated that damn thing."

"Language," John scolded softly, eyeing his baby.

"Sorry," Scott blushed, looking around to make sure neither Emily nor Sarah heard him swear in front of the baby. Once he was sure it was safe, he mused, "Wonder what happened to that demonic doll?"

"It just stopped working," John said. "Mom thought it was the batteries, but…well, I often wondered if Fish Face hadn't tried to take it swimming."

"Nope," Virgil grinned, as he tickled under Elizabeth's chin. "I tried to see how the voice box worked. Dad would have given me heck for damaging one of my younger brother's toy, but frankly, I think he was just reveling too much in the silence."

"Virgil," Gordon gasped in mock dismay. "You killed Elmo."

"I didn't kill him," Virgil shrugged. "Just disabled him. Besides, that was one of the things that got me interested in medicine. Then Scott's knife wound a few years later sealed the deal."

"You see that, Little Bit?" John asked his daughter. "Family can inspire you or traumatize you."

"And sometimes," Emily said as she came onto the lanai. "They manage to do both at once." Looking over her brother-in-laws, she shook her head. "Haven't you guys anything better to do?"

"If I say no," Gordon asked, "will you be mentioning updating shots?"

"More than likely," Emily smirked, a full-blown grin emerging when the three brothers scattered.

"Your mommy," John whispered to his daughter, "can be very scary." At his wife's glare, John smiled at both of his girls. "When she isn't being breath-takingly beautiful."

"And someone needs a nap," Emily said, gesturing at their daughter before heading back inside. The weekly reports from Tracy Charitable Trusts wouldn't wait and John was supposed to be helping her with them. But she didn't have the heart to spoil this time with father and daughter.

Standing up, John walked around the lanai, softly singing to his daughter in an effort to get the drowsy baby to sleep.

"Earth angel, Earth angel

Will you be mine?

My darling, dear

Love you all the time

I'm just a fool

A fool in love with you.

Earth Angel, Earth Angel

The one I adore

Love you forever

And ever more

I'm just a fool.

A fool in love with you…"

"She asleep?" Sarah asked as she smiled from the doorway of the house she shared with Virgil.

John nodded, smiling as he went into his own house to put his daughter to bed.

"Someday," Virgil grinned from behind her.

"When I finish my training," Sarah sighed. Turning to her husband, she kissed him and grinned. "Gordon is helping Kyrano with inventory, John needs to help Emily with the Trust reports, Scott owes Dad a report for Tracy Aeronautics…"

"And I need to inventory the medical supplies," Virgil sighed.

"Nope," Sarah smirked. "I already did it."

"Oh," Virgil said in surprise. "I suppose I could paint or maybe I could…"

"I have an idea what you can do," Sarah grinned. "I know we aren't ready to be parents, but how do you feel about practicing?"

"You know what I always say," Virgil snickered as he let his wife lead him into their villa. "Practice makes perfect."


Professor Charles Eppes, author, consultant, mathematic genius and a dozen other titles he'd rather not think about, waved as his brother and sister-in-law came into the hallway leading to the Senate hearing room.

"Don," Charlie grinned before leaning over to kiss his sister-in-law's cheek. "Robin – I wasn't expecting you."

"We could say the same thing," Robin said. "But I figured since I am still listed as a Special Prosecutor for the Justice Department, I could make sure I was here to keep the FBI's head honcho from doing any harm."

"No, that would be your daughter," Don grumbled. "I can see why Jeff Tracy didn't want Kate coming down here."

"My daughter?" Robin's eyebrows raised before turning to Charlie. "OK, which of us has had anger management issues which our daughter seems to have inherited, along with her eyes and hair?"

"I was never that bad," Don protested.

"At least Kate will be better once her hormones have settled," Robin said before leading the way into the hearing room.

"I give that about thirty years," Charlie muttered making Don chuckle before both brothers put on their best "innocent"face and followed Robin in.

Jeff Tracy eyed Andrew Jolin, of New Age Electronics, across the hearing room. The man was sitting way too close to CIA Chief Hal Bascom for Jeff's comfort. But it was a small hearing room…

Yeah, sure.

"Yes, Bascom is supporting New Ages' program," Luke Ross, head of the NSA said as he sat down next to Jeff. Ross grinned at Charlie Eppes – having worked many times with the genius before – as he came in with Don and Robin Eppes.

"Why?" Jeff asked. "Our program is faster, better and we are offering it for less."

"But New Age is willing to allow a back door for the CIA," Ross admitted.

"We reviewed the possibility of that," Jeff said, annoyed. "The back door leaves the program opening to sabotage. A hacker could exploit it, and make it useless."

"That and the fact the chief designer at New Age is the former roommate of Bascom's son," Ross added. "You know those Ivy Leaguers."

"Three of my sons attended Ivy League schools," Jeff grumbled. "We would never let that interfere with the security of our country."

"And don't forget," Charlie said as he leaned forward. "My first college was Princeton."

"Virgil went to Princeton," Jeff said as he smiled back at the man.

"Yeah, we talked about that at the wedding," Charlie said. "All those years and so much had never changed. By the way, has Fermat decided if he is coming to Cal-Sci yet?"

"I think he is leaning towards MIT," Jeff admitted. "Brains would feel better if Fermat remained with Alan."

"Well," Charlie said, "I can offer to have Fermat live in the garage." At Jeff's surprised look, both Eppes brothers chuckled but it was Don who explained.

"Charlie converted the garage into a studio apartment for our father. That way Dad could be close by but still maintain some independence. Edward lived in it for a while but he just bought a beach house in Malibu. So Fermat could live there and attend Cal-Sci, independence with family close at hand."

"Fermat is your family," Robin said gently. "Which makes him Kate's family, which makes him ours."

"I'll let the Hackenbackers know," Jeff said, trying to push down the warm feeling he was getting from the moment. "It could make a real difference to them."

Any other conversation ended when the five senators, led by Minnesota Senator Whitney "Witt" Simpson entered the room. From the annoyed look on the other politicians, you could presume – correctly – that no one wanted to be there. No one but the self-satisfied Senator Simpson. Jeff knew from Kate's intelligence work on the woman that the senator had grander ambitions and calling a hearing like this could only serve her goals. If they sided with New Age, she was routing out cronyism. If they sided with Tracy Enterprises, it was assuring the American people got the most bang for their buck. She couldn't lose.

Jeff really didn't like that woman. And missing Alan's birthday meant he now completely loathed her…But he put on his best business face and stood as the hearing was called to order.

"Play ball," Jeff muttered.


MJ King looked up from her computer and backed away from the computer terminal. She had worked most of the night on the program and it hadn't taken much for her to get it up and implemented. Now as she let the computer program run it's start-up menu, MJ decided now was a perfect time to get another energy drink.

OK, so it was her third drink already – no problem. She had drank several last evening as she worked on the program at home. Usually, after five to seven drinks of energy drinks, MJ would relax at night by downing a few drinks. But her usual drinks had been substituted with another Red Bull.

And while she was here, MJ figured she could get a head start on the work assignment for next week. But she just needed one more drink. Ignoring the food, MJ swiped her card and selected another drink. Turning around, MJ almost dropped her can when Alan Tracy emerged from the shadowy hallway.

"Didn't mean to startle you," Alan said cheerfully. "No apples upstairs and I want to whip up a small fruit salad." He waved his ID card and selected two apples. Turning back to MJ, he politely smiled.

"I'm surprised you are still here," Alan said. "According to security, its Kate, me, you and two security guys name Boo…Well, actually Ben and Brad." Looking out the window, Alan frowned. "According to the weather reports, not only is the front approaching from the west, but Tropical Storm Alysha is impacting up from the south. They are predicting 40 to 50 mile winds, four or five inches of rain, which could cause some street flooding, and plenty of lightening strikes. All in all, massive power outages are likely. We don't want you getting stuck here."

"I live three blocks from here," MJ said. "I'll be fine. Worse case scenario – I can crash on the couch in the break room."

Alan watched MJ before deciding to be nice. "I heard about your mom's marriage. Congrats."

MJ stiffened, wondering if Alan knew how much she loathed him. The fact that he so resembled that trouble making bitch, Lucy Tracy, made it worse and she had trouble biting her tongue.

Continuing in the silence, Alan remained cheerful. "I thought you seemed familiar but when Kate mentioned you were from Bailey, I remembered your mom. Mrs. King was such a nice lady. It's nice when, well, nice things happen to nice people."

Alan chuckled. "That sounded corny, didn't it? Well, take care – I don't want to leave Kate alone for long." He looked around and sighed a bit. "Not how I pictured celebrating my birthday. But you can't have everything. And at least the penthouse will remain powered so we'll be fine."

Reaching the elevator, Alan waved cheerfully. "Take care, MJ."

Gulping down half of the energy drink, MJ's thoughts flipped as rapidly as her heart racing. "He was spying on me," MJ mumbled, pacing back and forth in front of the rainy windows. When the lights above flickered, MJ smirked.

"Yeah, all the comforts of home up among the clouds for the pantheon of the gods," MJ muttered in annoyance before heading to the supply closet. Picking the lock, she grabbed a few added tools…Now to head to the roof and make their stay at Mt. Olympus not quite so comfortable.


Replies

A/N Replies by Millie and Jeff

Jeff – Hi, Jeff Tracy here. CC is having an off day...

Millie – I've read what that young lady puts Alan through. I think she's been a bit off all along.

Jeff – Maybe. Anyhow, I'm sure you all remember Mildred Bailey Bates, Jean's mom and one of my oldest friends?

Millie – Why thank you, Jefferson. And don't forget, you are three months my senior, Gramps.

Jeff – I think we should just get started.

Artic-Fox 14: Great chapter as usual and I loved the Kate/Alan moment so adorable. Can't wait for Alan to get hurt :) would it bug Scott that much if Alan worked for Kate's dad?

Millie – I think I understand why Kate and Jean keep running background checks on some of these people.

Jeff – And by the way, I would object to one of my sons becoming an FBI agent.

Millie – And Scott would go ballistic if it was Alan.

Sammygirl1963: Awesome chapter of course. Oh how I hate men who think that a woman's place is in the kitchen. That Bascom fella really needs to move into the 21st century, before Kate puts him in his place!

I really do feel for Alan and the way he feels so left out at times by his
family, not knowing if they (Jeff) really need him when Alan is the glue that
actually keeps them together.

Jeff (smiles) – My baby really is our glue.

Millie – Well, that explains why he gets stuck in so many bad situations.

Jeff (groans) – Bad, Silly Millie – bad.

Hedgi: As usual, I love it. Wonderful work. I love the relationship between Alan and
Jeff, you've done a great job capturing those emotions. Not sure what else to
say. I hope MJ gets just what *she* deserves, which from the looks of things
is nothing good. :D

Jeff – My boys really are the most important thing in my life. But what is it about Bailey women?

Millie – Excuse me?

Jeff – Women from Bailey, not the family.

Millie – And I repeat – Excuse me?

Jeff – There is nothing I can say to get out of this, is there? Next reply, please.

Hersheykiss24: loved it as usual :) Now to balance reading your fanfictions and doing school work -_- I hate college

Jeff – Education is important.

Millie – Tempered with occasional breaks so they don't lose it.

Jeff – How do you explain CC?

Millie – Lost cause.

Darkflame's Pyre: Right. So we've got Bascom with a thing against pregnant women, we've got another idiot set against Jeff and something he did out of kindness, a heck of
a storm, and a kid going to be alone on his birthday. Have I got all of that
right?

I really loved the time that Kate and Alan had together. My mouth was watering
more than Jeff's over those cookies!

Looking forward to what you've got up your sleeves this time.

Millie – That was a fairly accurate summary. Jeff – are you pouting?

Jeff – I love chocolate peanut butter cookies.

Millie – I'll make you a chocolate peanut butter cream pie.

Trillianus: CC comes through again with another scintillating update...:-)

Jeff – I'm just impressed they spelled scintillating correctly.

Amitris: Hurraaay! John is earth-bound when something happens(I'm guessing flood) this time! He'll be in the rescue not stuck on 5! *Crazy dancing*

You made me emotional again with the whole Alan angst, CC! *sniff sniff*
Can't wait for more!

Jeff – These people love my older sons in danger and Alan suffering emotionally!

Millie – Don't be silly, Jeff. They like Alan in danger AND suffering emotionally.

Jeff – He's with a hormonal Kate. He's in plenty of danger.

JoTracy123: Really enjoying this story. So can't wait to see what happens to Alan in this
story. And can't believe that Virg is up on five. So make sure you update this
soon.

Jeff – Well, I like the twists of this chapter.

Millie – It is nice the family is together.

Jeff – Except I am in DC and Kate and Alan are in New York.

Millie – Picky, picky.

Starrdancerr: Awesome again! Poor Alan. Does Bailey grow psychotic crazy ladies? They tend to come from there a lot.

Millie (frosty tones): EXCUSE ME?

Jeff – um, Hi. RUN.

Lexiet5: Well I'm suspicious of that little witch MJ and that sleazy Balsam already.
Just waiting for the trouble to start now. Great chapter,especially loved that
last paragraph of jeffs. Very true. Can't wait to see what trouble Alan will
be in next. Loved best the dialogue between my two personal faves John and
Virgil. So I vote for them to do convos please.

Jeff – Sorry. You get Millie and me.

Millie – Hmm. They should be happy to get us. We are very busy people.

Bookfanatic67: I think they need to test the water in Bailey. The women are either awesome or crazy. Not that it's a problem it makes for good characters. Still trying to
figure out what's coming next, but a little torture for the readers can be a
good thing.

Jeff – Don't be dumb – they are not necessarily awesome or crazy.

Millie – That's right.

Jeff – Some are both.

Millie – Forget about that pie.

sam1: What the heck is Bascom's problem? And please tell me that you're going
to make him and MJ hurt in some way. They're both nasty people.

Poor Alan...even though the Tracys have come a long way in improving their
relationship with Alan, he still has some doubts. Hope Jeff puts some of those
doubts to rest soon.

I had to read the convo between John and Virgil a couple of times to make sure
I got it right. hee hee.

Millie – What's Bascom's problem? He's a man.

Jeff – Hey!

Millie – But seriously, some people are alive only because it's illegal to shoot them.

Jeff – OK, that one I agree with.

Misterida: aw poor Alan, I hope Jeff can get back in time although I have a feeling that
it isnt likely! Great chapter; I am looking forward to seeing where this one
goes! (How about Alan and Scott for the convos?)

Jeff – Well, I sure am going to do my best to get back there.

Millie (pats his cheek) – We know Jeff – we know.

Mizz-Shy-Gurl: Loving the story. Glad we've already met this story's psycho. Bailey seems to be a bit full of them. Let's hope she starts hurting Alan soon.

Jeff- "Hope she starts hurting Alan soon"?!

Millie (sighs) I'll have Jeannie start running a background check.

THUNDERBIRD MOM: Hey great chapter! Love the inter-action of conversations.
Wouldn't it be great if Alan somehow could work for Don for a short time. :)
Would that raise a few eyebrows! Anxiously waiting for next update.

Jeff – My sixteen –

Millie – Seventeen as of chapter three.

Jeff – Fine, seventeen year old son is not working for the FBI. I don't know who would stroke out first – Scott or myself.

Millie (snickers) – Probably Don because then he would have to worry about Alan.

Millie – OK, so CC wants to thank everyone who reviewed even if they didn't make it into our conversation. Her family is stressing out a bit. Her father is having serious health problems again and when she isn't working two jobs or taking care of her family –

Jeff – Or torturing mine.

Millie – True...But she reads and appreciates all the feedback. More soon.