Sorry I'm not being very reliable with updates, they are still coming, honest.


Scott sat in Virgil's seat on the flight deck, swivelling it from side to side slightly as he stared at the array of buttons in front of him. One of those switches would put him in direct contact with his father. Just one hit of a button, and he could change their lives yet again. But for some reason, Scott couldn't bring himself to press it. His hand was hovering over it, fingers even touching the switch, yet he had frozen there. Trying to ignore the way his hand was trembling ever so slightly, Scott simply stared at the button.

It wasn't that he didn't want to tell them. It was the opposite in fact: he knew how badly they needed to know. But what on earth was he supposed to say? It had taken them long enough as a family to accept that Gordon was dead, denial occurring for more than a month for nearly all of them. With no body, they had clung to hope, even though Brains had told them about the currents and such like. Eventually, they had given up and said goodbye to Gordon. How on earth was Scott supposed to turn around now and say that they had been wrong all along, that Gordon had still been alive and whilst they had given up on him, he had been going through hell?

Before he had time to dwell on it for much longer, his watch suddenly beeped. Scott glanced down, huffing ever so slightly and shaking his head, then activated the communications.

"What the hell is going on?" John's angry voice seemed to ring loudly through the otherwise silent cockpit and Scott didn't answer for a moment, instead continuing to rock the chair slightly. If he was honest, he thought that was a very good question. What the hell was going on: why had they found Gordon in a place like that? Why hadn't they known that he was still alive, why had they given up on him...? His silence seemed to speak louder than any words could have done, and when John next spoke, his voice was a lot softer and calmer.

"Scotty? Talk to me, what's happening? Is it-?"

"It's really him, John," Scott whispered. If it had been any other situation, he would have winced at how rough his voice sounded, almost hoarse from the pent-up emotions he didn't know how to express.

"Are you sure?"

"You saw the sample, you tell me." Scott rested his head back on the chair and shut his eyes for a long moment. Right now, he couldn't honestly say what was going through his head. He certainly couldn't tell John for he didn't know himself. John fell silent, and Scott could almost predict what was going through the star-lover's mind. The same feeling of guilt that Scott was experiencing, the same mind-numbing shock at the fact that someone they believed to have been dead for six months was actually alive.

"But how?" John eventually whispered, and Scott immediately could hear the difference in his voice. This wasn't John acting as a member of International Rescue, trying to work out how they had saved someone that Fate had already marked for her own. This was him wanting his big brother to tell him how it was that everything they thought they knew had just come crashing down around them, with consequences far greater than they could have ever anticipated.

"I have no idea." The older brother's voice was just as soft as the younger, and Scott knew that this time, he had no answers. He couldn't be the one who was going to put everything right, because he had no idea how.

"You have to tell Dad."

The silence that had stretched on between them for a good few moments was broken by the one thing that Scott didn't particularly want to hear. It had always been him that had been sent to tell their father whenever anything was wrong. The others seemed to think that he had a way of making the man listen to him, but in all honesty, Scott knew that it was because, as a child, he had been rubbish at arguing back. Anyone else would have just got into an argument, but Scott simply took whatever was said and shrugged it all off again. But this time, Scott didn't know how he was supposed to deliver the words that his father had been hoping for over the last six months.

"How?"

"I don't know."

Scott sighed heavily, rubbing a hand over his eyes. John knew everything… Apart from this apparently.

"I'll talk to you later, yeah?" The older brother knew that he had to get it over and done with. Either that, or Virgil was going to make contact thinking Scott would have already done it and everything would come out the wrong way. John pressed home the fact that he was expecting Scott to talk to him as soon as they were back on the island and Gordon was settled, before begrudgingly signing off. Scott knew that John both loved and hated space – it was his home, his domain, and yet it was the one thing that stuck him further away from the family at times of need than most people would think possible. Finally, however, Scott disconnected, and yet again found himself staring at the button that would connect him with the island.

"Oh just do it!" he scolded himself, jabbing his finger down on the button before he could change his mind yet again. It was good news that he was telling them, there was nothing for him to be so worried about.

"Hey, Scotty! How was that warehouse you were checking out?"

For a moment, Scott could only stare as Alan's face swam in front of him. His youngest brother looked carefree and relaxed. There still wasn't the sparkle in his eye that they had all been used to, but he did look happier than he had been for a while. Out of all of them, Alan had been hit the hardest by Gordon's death, hours spent screaming at Scott that it wasn't true were not a sound that was going to leave the oldest brother's mind any time soon.

"Dude, you look like crap, what's up?"

Blinking, Scott realised that he hadn't said anything as of yet. Clearing his throat, he tried to put a smile on his face.

"Can you get Dad?"

"Sure." Thankful that Alan hadn't pushed the matter more than that, Scott could only watch as his brother slid off the seat and bounded out of view. No doubt Jeff had told him to monitor communications whilst he went to do whatever it was that he was doing. Scott found that his fingers were drumming on his leg as he waited for his father to appear, yet when Jeff slid into his seat, his eldest son couldn't look him in the eye.

"I need to talk to you alone," Scott mumbled, looking at his knees rather than at his father. Just like Alan, Jeff could clearly see by how Scott looked that something serious had happened and he didn't question it.

"Al, go and see if Kyrano needs you to mow the grass."

"What? Dad, I did it the other day…"

"Alan, just go."

There was a curse and the sound of footsteps before silence fell once more, and Scott finally looked up. His father was sitting forward, frowning in concern.

"What's wrong?"

"It's…" Scott swallowed hard, taking a deep breath. He wasn't sure whether saying it bluntly would work, yet at the same time, he couldn't think of another way to do it.

"Is it your brother?"

Scott sucked in a sharp breath, staring at the man. How had he known?"

"What's happened to Virg, Scott?"

Running a hand over his eyes, Scott shook his head. Of course, Jeff would have realised that Scott was in Thunderbird Two, and yet it was him, not the pilot of the machine, who was making contact.

"He's in the sick bay."

"What's happened?"

Scott blinked, realising just how vague he was sounding. There was a sharp note in Jeff's voice, his concern burning brightly in his eyes. As the field commander focused his eyes on his father, Jeff softened.

"Scotty, I need you to take in a deep breath, then let it go slowly. Then I want you to raid Virgil's stash and get yourself a sugar boost. I think you're in shock. Can you do that for me? Regain control, son."

Scott followed his father's instructions when it came to taking a deep breath, knowing that the man was probably right. But as he thought about Virgil, he shook his head. His brother was in the sick bay on his own, dealing with Gordon and yet most likely holding it together far better than Scott was. It gave him something to focus on, something to keep his mind distracted rather than trying to deal with what they had just come across.

"Now, I can see by the look in your eye that you aren't going to get sugar, so tell me, what's wrong with Virgil?"

"He's not the sick one, he's treating someone," Scott whispered, aware that his hands were once again shaking slightly.

"Who? You know protocol, no one comes on board the ships unless it is through the platform."

"What if it is one of our own?"

"Scott, what are you talking about? We don't have any agents in that area. What happened in that warehouse you boys were checking out? What did you find, son?"

"Gordon."

Never before had a silence been so loud as it was then, and when Scott finally worked up the courage to look at his father, he could see that the man had gone pale, yet there was a glint of anger in his eyes. Scott knew he should have expected it, especially considering the way John had reacted.

"That's not funny, Scott."

"You think I would joke about something like this?"

The look that Jeff gave him answered that question for him, and Scott could see the almost visible way that his father slumped in his chair.

"How? How is that even possible? Are you certain this isn't some kind of trick? A trap of some sort...?"

"I'm sure, Dad. We sent a blood sample to Johnny, he confirmed it."

"Let me see him."

Scott, for a split second, made to protest, knowing that his father was not going to like what he saw. As good as Virgil was, Gordon was still going to look a state. At least this way, Jeff would know to keep Grandma out of the way and would be prepared himself for what he was about to come across. Climbing to his feet, he slowly made his way back into the sick bay, activating his watch as he did so. His father might not have said anything, but Scott knew that he was there.

Virgil's back was to the door as Scott let himself in, his hands flying. He had already attached Gordon to a drip and set up various monitors. Scott didn't look like the look of any of the readings that he could see and understand, and knew that technology was telling them in its usual cold-hearted way that it was almost going to be touch and go whether Gordon made it back. Adrenalin would have kept him fighting for however long it had been. But Scott was fully aware of what happened when adrenaline levels dropped, and he just hoped that Virgil was prepared.

"Virg…"

"Oh, Scott, come and hold this, would you? I need another set of hands to get some of these wounds dressed."

Scott swallowed and took a step forward, realising just how long he had sat on the flight deck completely frozen. Virgil had been busy saving their brother – cleaning and dressing wounds as well as monitoring him –whilst his oldest brother, his Field Commander , had just sat there frozen.

"Virg, Dad…"

Virgil turned, frowning. Scott motioned to his watch and Virgil swallowed hard. Blowing out a breath, he strode forward, grabbing hold of Scott's wrist and raising it.

"Dad."

"Virgil. Is…" their father broke off to visibly swallow, his face pale. "Is it true?"

"Yeah…yes, it's true, Dad. He's really alive." Virgil's voice cracked halfway through his sentence and Scott knew that saying it out loud was driving home just who the artist was battling to save. Scott stretched out his other hand, resting it awkwardly on the back of Virgil's neck in an attempt to try and reassure him. He wasn't sure that it would do any good, wasn't sure whether anything he did or said would make this any less painful. Six months. Six months without hope, knowing that you should be dead and yet not, knowing there was no chance of a rescue because everyone had already given up on you. Scott shuddered even as he tried to help his little brother. Considering the look Virgil gave him, he knew that the shudder had not gone amiss.

"Let me see."

"Dad, I'm not sure-,"

"It's okay, Virgil. He's going to see anyway."

Virgil bit his lip, glancing between Scott and the watch before nodding. As he let go, Scott took a deep breath and slowly rotated his arm, shifting position until he could get Gordon's full body into the picture. He didn't just want his father to see how broken up his second youngest son was, he wanted him to see that Virgil had already set to work, that everything that could physically be done was happening. There would be no more giving up on him, not now. With his arm in position, Scott shut his eyes, just waiting for the reaction.

For a long moment, there was nothing. Absolutely silence, not even an intake of breath. Rolling his arm back around, Scott couldn't stop a shot of alarm shooting through him at the colour that his father had gone.

"Dad?"

"Get him home. Now." There was a strangled sound to Jeff's voice before the line went dead and the two conscious brothers stared at each other.

"If you do talk to Brains, get him to check on Dad?" Scott eventually whispered, Virgil's jerky nod indicating that he had been thinking the same thing. Sitting down on the other bed, Scott ran a hand shakily through his hair.

"Dad's right, we need to get him back."

"Meaning you need to get out of my 'bird." Virgil was already working on Gordon again by the time he spoke, but Scott could see there was a difference in his actions. He was making sure that his brother was ready to travel. In most cases, Scott would argue his point, say that someone could come and get One afterwards, that he needed to be with Gordon. But this time, things were so severe that he knew that they just needed to get back. If Gordonmade it back to the island, he would be able to do something to properly help rather than hanging around here worrying. He took a step towards the door, but paused, looking back at Gordon.

"Scott? I'll get him home, I promise."

If there was one thing that Scott had never been able to doubt, it was that Virgil kept his promises. Taking a deep breath, he steeled himself and headed back towards One.

It was time to get their little brother back where he belonged.

TBTBTB

There had only been one other time in his life that Jeff had felt completely devoid of emotion, and that had been when he had lost his wife. He felt like a shell, utter shock infiltrating every inch of his body. He hadn't even felt like this when they had realised what Gordon had done, too consumed by the guilt that the Hood had won, that they hadn't helped Gordon through it. Even when he had sat by his son's bed in the hospital after the aquanaut's hydrofoil crash, there had not been this hollowness. Then, he had been too filled with determination that Gordon was going to live and he was going to walk again, regardless of what the doctors were telling him.

But this time, it was as if someone had just wiped his mind clean. He had thought, no, he had believed that his son was dead. It had taken weeks for him to accept that, but eventually, he knew that he had to. Unlike before, he had to make sure that he was there for the boys, that he didn't lose any of the rest of them to their guilt. He had known precisely how they would be feeling, what would be going through their heads as they struggled to deal with the fact that their brother was dead. But now…

Gordon wasn't dead.

He never had been, they had all just accepted Brains' explanation as to why they wouldn't be able to find his body. They had found the syringe in the boat, they knew that Gordon had made sure that no one would have been able to get to him in time and that his own body wouldn't fight for survival in the way that was common for all humans. So how the hell had someone got there, how had someone got close enough to the island in order to be in time to pull Gordon from the water? And why hadn't they known anything about it? Their sensors should have picked something up if someone had got that close to the island. Gordon himself wouldn't have registered, everything on the island was within the system. It meant that the boys could go where they liked, get some privacy without it showing up.

But the presence of someone else should have been sending red flags out everywhere. At the back of his mind, however, Jeff knew what had happened. Scott had just been stabbed. John was sedated after his arm had been shattered. Virgil, too, had been knocked out. Once Brains had discovered them, the remaining occupants of the island had been involved in either staying with those three to make sure there were no further complications or in trying to find Gordon. They hadn't located the boat until the following morning, meaning it had been hours since he had gone. But during the night, no one had been watching the sensors, no one had been following any activity of what was going on around the island. They had all been too preoccupied by what had been happening on the island.

"Oh Gordon…" Jeff whispered, tears filling his eyes as one hand stretched out towards the photos lining his desk. A few showed family scenes, but there was one of Lucy on her own standing to one side. Right next to that, a more up-to-date photograph, again showing a solitary figure. A figure, more importantly, they thought they had lost. But the photo showed a day of happiness. The day Gordon joined WASP, the excitement in his eyes captured on camera. He swallowed hard, blinking furiously as he tried to hold back his emotions. Jeff Tracy was not an emotional man, he had learnt how to deal with that when things had begun to get competitive in the business world, but right now, his feelings were overwhelming him.

Gordon was alive.

A loud beep made Jeff blink, clearing his throat self-consciously. Shaking his head slightly in order to get his mind focusing, he reached out and hit a button. The only thing that meant that he was able to do this was that he knew that John already knew. He had no idea how he was going to tell the others, knowing they had to know before Gordon arrived so that they were prepared for the state he was in, but it was too soon right now. Instead, he needed his second born, he needed John's calmness and the fact that his son would have had a little more time for the news to sink in than Jeff had.

"Dad."

"John."

For a long moment, that was all either man could say. There was so much they had on their minds, so much that they wanted to express, but there were no words. How could Jeff say clearly what he was thinking when he wasn't sure himself what was going through his head? There was a numbness in his mind, and whilst he had told Scott that he had been in shock, Jeff knew that was now true of him as well. When he had sent the boys out there, he had had no idea the consequences of the rescue.

"You… you hanging in there okay?" John eventually muttered, mirroring his older brother's earlier actions and not meeting his father's eyes. Jeff shrugged before realising that John couldn't see him.

"Are you?"

"No."

The father blinked. He had expected John to say something along the lines of being fine, that they had to be strong for Gordon again, now. The blunt answer, the completely honesty in not only what he was saying, but the fact that he was making no attempt whatever to disguise his feelings made Jeff sigh.

"I'll send Brains straight up."

"No. Send him up later. Virg is going to need him. Dad, when Scott sent me that sample, I thought he was being cruel."

"I thought he was doing the same thing. I was more prepared to believe that Scott would joke about something like this than the possibility that Gordon might still be alive. How did we not know, how did it come to the point where we were grieving for him without even thinking that he might still be out there?"

"We had to be practical, Dad. It had been six months. We had to let go at some point, even if it was just for Alan's sake."

"You didn't let go though, did you, Johnny?"

John's mouth snapped shut and he glanced away, a small amount of colouring trickling into his otherwise pale cheeks.

"So it's true? You have been researching how the Hood managed to get into his head, how all of this happened?"

John glanced back at the screen before nodding softly.

"It didn't get me very far. But only in the last week I might have found a lead."

"Still relevant now that Gordon is alive?" Jeff could do this, he could handle having something else to focus on rather than trying to process the fact that his son was alive. He had always been one to take on challenges, to never let anything hold him back. He knew that there wouldn't be anything he could physically do for Gordon, Virgil and Brains would have that under control. Jeff needed something to occupy his mind.

"Still relevant. I think I've found the victims."

"Who?"

"The men that led Gordon into those tunnels in the first place, the ones that caused all of this to happen."

Jeff sat up straighter, his eyes gleaming. But before he could say anything, another voice cut through the conversation.

"Kyrano didn't nee… Dad? John? What's going on?"

The older members of the family had always tried to protect Alan from things for as long as they could. But he had become adept at picking up when they were hiding the truth from him, and one look at both his father's and brother's face indicated that something big had happened.

"You need to tell him, Dad. Now."

"Keep in touch with Virgil, Scott and Brains. Report anything back."

"F.A.B." John knew that he had to let his father handle this, that it was up to Jeff to tell Alan what was going on. But even as he disconnected, he found that he was biting his lip as he stared at the blank screen in front of him. He had meant what he had said about Brains being needed down on the island for now, but he knew that as soon as he heard that Gordon had been settled and stabilised, he would demand that someone came up to get him. There was no way he was staying up here, despite the fact he hadn't been back for long.

Rubbing his hand over his arm and wincing at the dull ache resonating deep within it, he connected himself to another member of the family. Now more than ever, he hated the isolation of space. His fingers hovered, not knowing whether to join Scott or Virgil on their way back. Deciding that Virgil would already be too preoccupied with keeping an eye on Gordon as well as flying, John patched himself through to Scott. He somehow knew that it was going to be a very different conversation to the one they had had when they had been flying out to the rescue.

Neither brother said much, but, by the small glances and looks of reassurance, took comfort in the fact that they weren't going through it alone. John knew that Scott was pacing Virgil back home, meaning that he was as close as he could get if something went wrong and they were forced to land. Thankfully, Gordon seemed to remain steady throughout the journey, and eventually, Scott sighed.

"We're on the final approach. You're sure Al knows?"

"Yeah, Dad said that he was telling him then. Not sure about Grandma, though. Virg has told Brains, hasn't he?"

"They haven't stopped talking the whole way home. Can't understand a word of that medical stuff, know they are doing it on purpose."

Appreciating Scott's efforts to attempt to keep him sane until he could make it back down to earth, John blew out a breath.

"I'll let Base know for you. Oh and Scott?"

"Don't worry, I'll keep you in the loop. I'll come up tonight. You're coming home, kiddo, whether Dad wants it or not.

"Thanks, Scott." Knowing that things were going to go quiet up there for him for a while, John disconnected. There was no point in demanding updates when he knew they were all going to be busy working on Gordon. So instead, as his little brother was rushed home, John sighed and turned back to his computers.

There was something he could do whilst waiting. He could hunt down those who had been responsible for putting them all through this in the first place.