They do not belong to me but it would be nice if they did. Needless to say, I absolutely love borrowing them to indulge my own fantasies especially this one.

Thank you to CreativeGirl29, QuestRunner Waterfowl & Madilayn for reviewing the last chapter, your comments are very much appreciated.

Ch10

Penelope grabbed Scott's arm as he passed to stop him from following Kayo in a rush of blood, a confrontation now would put pay to all of the small steps made by them over the past few days. Both had a temper, both were stubborn and both were likely to say things they would regret. She needed to get Scott on his own and understand what one earth had happened to make him make such a scene, Scott was usually conscious of the environment he was in and on down-time his temper rarely flared in public. Equally someone needed to be with Kayo and she was torn between which of them to speak with first as both of them needed some sense talking into them.

"Stay there." Penelope's tone indicated it was an instruction and not a request.

Scott looked at her, his temper still evident on his face and his fists still clenched. "Not a chance."

"Scott. You are to stay there, Gordon can go up after her, you will get your chance to talk to her when you have calmed down."

"Calmed down! Did you hear what that bastard said?" The agitation in his voice apparent and everything about his body language coiled and needing release.

"I would love to hear what caused this; in the meantime your brother can make sure she's OK." Penelope adopted a gentler tone needing him to embrace her calm and let the tension go.

"Apparently Penelope she doesn't want her big brothers fighting her battles for her." For the first time since the incident Scott's expression changed from anger to hurt and he struggled to look her in the eye.

Gordon rose from his seat, the shock disappearing leaving him with a puzzled expression on his face "God Scott what the hell was that all about?" The exchange between Penelope and Scott did nothing to aid his interpretation of what he had witnessed as he struggled to understand how the afternoon had changed from a relaxing lunch to a bar room brawl within minutes. He had barely noticed Scott enter and the next thing he knew his brother had dropped a man to the floor.

"Gordon darling just make sure Kayo is OK and we'll both be up in a few minutes." Gordon eyed them, there was something he was missing but he just couldn't put his finger on it. Still when Penelope gave an order it was a futile waste of air to argue with her so he left them and made his way to the lifts watching as Penelope took Scott's arm and led him out of the lobby.

As Penelope linked Scott's arm leading him outside putting some distance between them and the site of the altercation she coaxed bit by bit the exchanges with the man at the bar out of him. She had to admit that the man had deserved everything he got, apart from the potential for some bad publicity, Scott Tracy had acted every bit the gentleman in trying to defend Kayo's honour. That was where Scott would have liked to end the conversation but she was only just starting because she knew the punch was not the real issue it had been the exchange between the two of them that had done the damage. They walked through the gates to the city park in silence, Penelope led them to a bench and it became obvious to him that Penelope would not let whatever this was go so he reluctantly took a seat beside her. The sun and the air did little to quell his mood which was now torn between abject rage and absolute shock at Kayo's outburst and the title she had given him that he had hoped he would never hear again.

Penelope caught his eye and witnessed the battle going on inside "Scott I know you keep your cards very close to your chest and if you had a natural confidant it would not be me but believe me when I say I think I can help."

"Help with what?"

"You and Kayo."

Scott looked at her; the terminology she used was not lost on him, she was almost referring to them as a couple. He turned away and stared into the open space of the park, there was one thing she was right about Penelope was not the person he would naturally talk to about how he was feeling, in fact right now he didn't feel like confiding in anyone. Penelope allowed him to indulge in a few more moments of wallowing before changing tact.

"Forget her reaction today. Have you thought that Kayo is running scared at the moment?" Penelope watched his face as he considered her statement.

"Of what! …. She can fight all her own battles remember and she didn't seem so frightened to me."

It was time to be a little less subtle without betraying her friend with her own words "Scott stop and think about the past few days and I am going to need you to read between the lines."

This drew Scott's eyes away from the distance and briefly he planted them in eye contact with Penelope as he wondered if Kayo had told her something in confidence, there was a possibility that whatever came next would cure the doubt that had crept in after Kayo's words directed to him at the lift. He waited anxiously to hear where the conversation was going, desperate for it to mean that his instincts weren't wrong while Kayo's voice went round in his head spitting the words big brother at him.

"Well give me some lines to read between." Scott countered irritably before looking away again, he wanted this conversation to be over and done with so he could speak to Kayo and find out for himself.

"I'll pose a series of questions Scott that you should already know the answer to, you can answer them to me directly or make up your own mind and keep it to yourself but think carefully about the answers because somewhere in there is the truth you are looking for."

This perked an interest and for the first time took his gaze fully away from the distance and turned to Penelope now interested in whatever she may have to say "Cryptic."

"Not really ….we'll start by Kayo running away. Did you really think she was running away from her family? What do you think Scott? Or could she have been running because something else frightened her?... Don't answer now just think about it…. Then went she saw you at the airfield think about what you felt in her, in my opinion that girl had left herself open right there and you know it. Do you think she found it easy or did she carry on hiding and if so why."

Scott stood held out his hand to her, linked her arm and they walked for a while as he thought about whether he could open up and put his feelings out there. If he told Penelope how he was feeling and he had misjudged her words then he wasn't sure he would be able to look either of them in the eye again but something told him that she may just have all the answers he was looking for and that talking to her may just clear any doubt from his mind.

"She thinks of me as her brother and I don't…. I don't think of her the same way anymore."

Penelope almost beamed, progress however small was being made and they were both as frightened as each other at the changes in their feelings. Years of growing up together as brother and sister were not going to be dispelled overnight, whatever this was becoming they were both fighting against a history that bound them in a way that they both still felt didn't allow for this change and they were both still unable to admit it to each other.

"At the beach and be honest Scott, did you honestly think she thought of you as her brother then?"

Penelope stopped the walk and turned to face him.

"No."

"Then listen to me because I am not going to be able to confirm anything one way or the other, you need to find out for yourself. She has grown up with you, she has watched your girlfriends come and go, have you ever see Kayo experience a relationship of any kind?"

"Not unless you count Caleb in high school."

"Did it last long?"

"Virgil gave him a talk and he seemed to lose interest after that." Scott smiled as he remembered the e-mail Virgil had sent him when he was at university proudly claiming to have taken over the big brother role by warning the high school lothario not to mess with his sister or he would mess with his face.

Penelope returned the smile, Tracy men certainly liked to protect their own "Then I think if you think hard enough you might see what is truly frightening her. It may be her feelings I wouldn't know but it is likely she sees the potential to get hurt."

"I wouldn't hurt her."

"You don't know that, again, be honest you don't have the greatest track record in that department."

It started to dawn on Scott that although things had seemed to be moving in the direction he wanted at a snail's pace that if Kayo felt the same these changes were happening like a whirlwind and she had seen enough of his past relationships for her to not to take a chance. He hadn't accounted for her inexperience in relationships of any sort, they all saw her as socially awkward much in the way they saw John. John chose to be that way but with Kayo the family business had separated her from the rest of the world from the age of nineteen, it occurred to him that he was now inflicting the same damage on Alan and he would need to do something about it, she had gone from child to virtual recluse with no life in between.

"I need to back off."

"I don't consider you have been too forward, maybe a little fun is the order of the day, it's what she craved when she suggested the trip. I also think you have nothing to worry about. You will both find your way but what you want may not be gained so easily if she doesn't trust you so don't go back all guns blazing. And if she is not your sister don't refer to her as that, Kayo made a mistake in the heat of the moment that's all."

"Penny I think she will need to catch me up.…I …." Scott stopped to rethink how much he should divulge. "I mean she got plastered last night rather than face where the evening may have gone."

Penelope had to stop, she would not be the one to tell him Kayo felt it as acutely as him "Scott we've been over this she's nervous, she doesn't know for sure that you are attracted to her and she feels every ounce too inexperienced for you, I can see it even if you can't, I've spent my whole life watching people."

They turned back to retrace their steps and make their way back to the others, if anything Penelope had given him hope, equally whatever might happen between them was not going to happen overnight but he could wait for her to catch him up. Kayo would need to give him an indication that she was ready, the more Scott thought about the conversation with Penelope he was certain that if he backed off a little and let her come to him then he would not regret it. If he waded in and pushed too hard for what he wanted when she wasn't ready then he may not get another chance. Scott considered his options, the evening may not be wasted if he dealt with it in the right way and his brother still deserved the evening on the boat he had booked for them. If he could make his apologies to Kayo then the evening at the speedway could still be a night they could have fun, he just wouldn't be ending it with the conversation he had originally wanted to have.

….

Gordon couldn't remember a time when he had ever heard his sister cry but there was a first time for everything and the sobs he heard coming from her room left him in no doubt that this was it. It seemed to be too intrusive to wade in without announcing his presence he needed to have some sort of excuse to interrupt and then he could carry out Penelope's instructions and make sure that she was alright. Before he made the knock at the door he contacted room service for a large tub if ice-cream and two spoons. He gave a gentle knock at the door first and received no response, he tried again knocking a little louder and the sobs stopped.

"Go away."

"Not a chance and the ice-creams melting so I'll give you two minutes and I'm coming in."

Kayo wondered why after all that had happened she was disappointed it wasn't Scott on the other side of the door. Still Gordon had obviously heard her crying and she was not going to face him with the evidence of it all over her face so she rushed to the bathroom and washed her face.

"I'm coming out." The door opened and he could see the puffiness in her eyes but decided to ignore the fact he had seen it, Kayo never liked to have any weakness showing so he would pretend there wasn't any.

"So what happened with asshole guy." He patted the seat next to him innocuously and she planted herself next to him.

"Nothing I couldn't handle until your brother stepped in." The reference she used now she felt keenly but then as she looked at Gordon and he passed her a spoon he hadn't seemed to notice enough to stop him from relieving the tub of a big dollop of raspberry ripple.

Kayo gave him the finer points of the action at the bar as Gordon enthusiastically indulged in the cold treat.

"You know what K I would have punched him myself, Scott's right you shouldn't have to put up idiots like that."

Kayo took a big spoonful and closed her eyes, that was the problem any one of them would have done it because they were her brothers. She had allowed herself to see a difference that wasn't there and the anger she had thrown at Scott was really aimed at herself for being such an emotional wreck and seeing things that just didn't exist.

"Come on K, forget it. Let's watch a movie wait for the others and then we'll enjoy our last night."

"May just I'll hit the hay Gord face them tomorrow, all in all it's been a pretty shitty day."

"You got a lovely dress out of it." He gave her one of his winning smiles which encouraged her to return a weaker version, his easy manner never failed to become a contagion and the mood lightened.

"Yep probably won't be taking that monstrosity home, I mean where in the hell do you think I would wear it, poolside or on a mission? Penelope really doesn't know me at all."

Somehow Gordon was working his magic and she felt relaxed again, she put aside the apology she would need to give Scott and just enjoyed the company of her younger brother.

"I'd give my right arm to see you doing a mission in that dress it would be hilarious."

"For you and highly impractical for me." Kayo grabbed the tub off Gordon before he snaffled the lot and snuggled into him allowing his arms to wrap around her wondering why she suddenly craved the reassurance of body contact that she would usually push against.