Disclaimer: I do not own Thunderbirds. All things recognisable belongs to Gerry Anderson.

A/N: NO FLAMES! Not accepted.

2nd A/N: This is based on an idea that I got from reading 'Never Stop Looking' and I loved it so much it gave me an idea. This story is not the same. It is different. The base is the same but different.

AGES: Scott –27; John – 25; Virgil and Avalon – 23; Gordon – 19; Alan – 16

Epilogue – SEVEN YEARS LATER

To say that Alan hated school was a little bit of an understatement. After blowing up Phillips Academy's Chemistry lab BY ACCIDENT, he had landed himself at Wharton's Academy for Boys. He would often daydream and sometimes it got him into trouble. But right now, Spring break was just hours away and he got to daydreaming again. Again landing himself with 10,000 word paper to write for his teacher. The Subject? To describe the Pythagorean Theorem in 10,000 words. How on earth was he going to do that?

But as he and Fermat made their way towards the Common Room to watch whatever was on TV, they heard a kid yelling about the Thunderbirds being on TV. Something exciting after all. After finding out that they were heading to an oil rig in Russia that had caught fire, Alan had hard time not giving a running commentary. He knew how they thought and what they did. He had watched and daydreamed enough times about the rescues that he knew their movements by heart. As soon as the rescue was finished and friendly banter with one of the boys in his year, the door of the Common Room was slammed open.

"TRACY!" The Headmaster. "There's someone here for you." Brilliant, Alan thought bitterly, better not be me having to take the bus again to the airport. And wait for Brains or Ava to arrive with Tracy One. No this 'someone' turned out to be Lady Penelope. And her car would be the ride he and Fermat needed.

It wasn't a long time in the car per se but it was long enough. And to be passed by Thunderbirds one and two on the way to the Island just heightened Alan's excitement. His brothers and father were home. As they disembarked FAB 1 there was someone waiting for them on the tarmac.

"Hey there Buttercup." Alan looked up and broke into a run. Still the favourite out of all his siblings, Avalon laughed as he wrapped his arms around her neck, hugging the life out of her. He had missed her and he told her so.

"I've missed you too, Al. Hey Ferm. How it going?" Ava said hugging the small boy as well.

"N-n-n- good." He said. Ava smiled.

"Your brothers and Dad should be another half hour, Buttercup. Debriefing and then they'll have showers, in particular Virg because he was out in the rain. But Scott and Gordon may do too. Come on. Ohna's working on dinner." Ava said taking hold of the boys' suitcases and trailing them up to the house. Both boys were happy to be home and Ava gave Lady Penelope and Parker a long suffering smile but refused Parker's offer to carry the suitcases.

"Its fine thanks, Parker. I'll follow them up to the house. I'm sure Al and Fermat will be given offerings by Ohna while they wait. I'll see you later." Ava made her way up towards the house and set the suitcases down just inside the door. She smiled seeing Alan and Fermat sitting at the kitchen eating small off cuts of carrots and – in Alan's case – steal chips off of Virgil's plate.

"He'll kill you if he sees you doing that." Ava warned.

"He doesn't need them." Alan replied with a grin. Ava shook her head slowly, her brother was going to get himself into trouble.

"Brains I noticed a build-up of vibration on Thunderbird 2, followed by illumination of the number 5 engine out light." Ava heard her father's baritone before she saw him.

"Ok Mr Tracy, I'll ch-ch- study the flight data and the guidance processor." Brains was with him. About to run post-flight checks. Virgil should do that, it was his ship.

"Dad!" Alan's smile lit up his face.

"Alan! Let me look at you, oh man. Oh look out!" His brothers – minus John in space – had arrived.

"Hey Sprout!" Virgil said, rubbing his knuckles in a sort of half-noogie on Alan's head, Virgil had dropped calling Alan 'Jelly-Bean' when Alan turned 13.

"Hey buddy!" Scott said ruffling his brother's hair, as Virgil slapped high-fives with Fermat. Ava watched the 'man-hug' Alan and Gordon shared. They didn't need words.

"So Dad, I saw the mission on TV, it's looked pretty dangerous." Ava tuned out the rest of the conversation as her twin slid down beside her at the table.

"Hey, you got chips and I didn't. What gives?"

"Well, I believe that Alan knows better than the steal the chips from my plate. Sorry Bro. But here, have half of mine." Ava put half of her chips on Virgil's plate. He gave her a smile and kissed the side of her head.

"Love you." He said.

"I know. And you are so lucky I love you." She replied with a smile. Scott sat down next to Virgil and started retelling a story about the flight out to Russia. As Alan and their father joined them he got to the good part.

"So I'm getting this reading, telling me the wind is blowing 60 knots right up my keister." Scoyt said.

"No kidding!" Virgil exclaimed.

"Did you try readjusting the flaps?" Alan asked, as he sat down, Ava noticed the smirk on Gordon's face.

"What's the first thing I did Sprout? It's not my first day on a Thunderbird you know?" Scott said.

"Try and keep up." Gordon said slapping Alan's back.

"Yeah don't you have homework to do or something?" Virgil said, Ava kicked him under the table.

"Yeah! Unless he's blown up this school like the last one!" Gordon said causing Scott and Virgil to laugh. Gordon ruffled Alan's hair as he shared a smile but it didn't reach his eyes.

"Yeah keep Alan away from the ships he's a hazard." Scott said. Their father stopped the discussion and Ava noticed that Alan didn't look happy at all.

"Man I haven't seen that much fire since that volcano in Fiji." Virgil said.

"That wasn't Fiji that was Istanbul." Scott corrected.

"No, no, Istanbul was the earthquake." Virgil retorted.

"Yeah well nothing compare to Argentina." Scott said.

"Dad, I'm not really hungry." Alan said, Ava noticed, "Come on Fermat, let's go." He said, getting up. Ava shot her brothers all a look of distain but didn't speak until Alan and Fermat were well out of earshot.

"Oh well handled."

"What?"

"He'd just got home from not seeing you lot since Christmas and all you do is tease him! Scott that was tactless saying what you did. He knows you've been flying Thunderbirds for years. You should've been nicer. And Gordon…never bring up the Chemistry lab again. I kicked you for a reason Virgil." Ava said, getting up herself, "you know what Dad, I'm not really hungry either. I'll be down in the lab. Brains you don't mind if I do the post-flight check on Thunderbird 2? Since my brother won't do it. Even if it's his ship."

"Hey!"

"N-n-n-not at all."

"Thanks." Ava disappeared down to the silos. Jeff even felt as if his sons had been too harsh on Alan.

"Alan? My Office. Now." Ava heard the alarms, and had rushed to the Thunderbird One Hanger. She stared in horror as Alan tried to fire up the bird. She beat her brother to her father's office and stood there waiting for Alan. She'd defend im if she had to.

"Dad, I know you're mad I shouldn't have been in the ship but if you just give me a second to explain-"

"You're damn right you shouldn't have been in there."

"But nothing happened Dad, I had it under control?"

"Under control? Do you have any idea the importance of secrecy in our operation?" Of course he did!, "You fired up a Thunderbird without activating the anti-detection shield, you put everyone in danger when you act selfishly. You wanna be part of the team? You have to play by the rules, do you understand? Do you?"

"Yeah I understand. I understand you do want me to be a Thunderbird, you don't want me to do anything! You won't even listen to me when I'm trying to tell you something important!"

"I've heard enough. You're grounded for the rest of Spring Break."

"But Dad-"

"Bottom line Alan! You need to grow up."

"Then let me." He turned and walked out, "Please." Ava just heard the plea as he disappeared down the hall.

"I don't want to hear it Ava." Jeff said.

"You've got to hear it from someone Dad. Scott and Virgil don't notice and Gordon just teases him. John's not here but he'd listen. I grew up shielding Alan from anything that could hurt him and suddenly he's shipped off to boarding school, forced to make friends with kids that he just met, and now he has three older brothers that love to make fun of him." She snapped, "You heard them at dinner! 'Unless he's blown up this school like the last one' it was a Chemistry lab and no one was seriously hurt. 'Don't you have homework to do or something?' Virgil was tactless in that. And Scott with 'not my first day on a Thunderbird you know?'! He needs his brothers again. He needs his father again. Not his superior. His Father, his Dad. And grounding him? Dad we live on a freaking Island! Where's he gonna go?" Ava said. She was livid, if you hurt Alan you hurt her. Jeff looked up at her and cocked an eyebrow.

"Are you done?"

"Just one more thing. Alan knows all your rescues. He's watched every single one of them. Do you know what he says after he watches them? Or when he's here and you fly off to save someone?" Jeff shook his head, "the same two words. Be Safe. He worries just like you and Scott do when he's hurt. He doesn't want you guys to come home with one hurt or heaven forbid one less than when you started." Ava said, she was only stopped from going any further by a ringing from the computer.

"Hey John. Was just about to turn in, what can I do for you?" Jeff asked.

"I sure use a pizza, you know a place that delivers?" John replied, Ava shook her head at her father and stalked out of his office. Sure she was acting like she was no older than Alan and a little like a spoilt brat but at this time she really didn't care.

The setting sun painted gold, blue, pink and orange across the tropical sky. Ava didn't see much of it, she was in the workshop from dawn til dusk most days. Today however she was sitting in her room, her head in her hands. She had only just stopped shaking. It was little over 6 hours since they have left the fridge and Alan, Tintin and Fermat had gone off in Thunderbird 1 to London to stop The Hood from robbing the Bank. She knew her Dad and brothers had made it, Brains had told her through the door. But she had remained in her room, trying to stop shaking. She had been pulled from her workshop when the Island had been searched and shoved to her knees in the control room. She had heard Virgil call her name. 'Ava!' echoed in her head even now. The tone, the shake everything that let her know that he was worried carried in that one word. She shut her eyes against the burn of tears in her eyes, she didn't need to cry.

She looked up at a knock on her door. She knew who it was. There was only one person who knocked on her door.

"Ava?" He asked, "Can I come in?" She made a noise of approval and the door opened. He looked worried even now. His hair was in slight disarray and his eyes were wide as he stepped in.

"Are you ok?" She asked.

"Are you? You were stuck down here." He asked, running a hand through is chestnut hair.

"What do you mean? I was still awake through it all. You got to sleep." She teased.

"Not intentionally. It's not my fault the oxygen ran out!" He protested.

"Relax Monet. I didn't mean it like that. You know you sounded really worried when you saw me." Ava said, softly.

"I was. I thought he was going to do some mind trick on you." He said.

"Well, I was just as worried about you Ace. So was Alan." She pointed out.

"By the way…what did you do to my bird?" He asked.

"Me? I think it was Fermat who stole the guidance processor out of it." Ava said.

"He did what?" Virgil was shocked.

"Hey it delayed take-off. He was able to keep the Hood on the Island. Although we all got captured, we still saved the day…well Alan did." Ava said.

"Alan, Tintin and Fermat saved the day. Not just Boy Wonder." Virgil corrected, "Come on Dad's got the barbeque going."

The ringing of the triangle brought the boys out of the pool, and Ava out of her relaxing, there was no sunbathing to be done now.

"Gather round everybody. I have an announcement to make." Jeff said, the smile on his face gave nothing away, "Tonight is a special night, we're all together, because of three very special people. Fermat, Tintin, Alan. The world needs Thunderbirds, and The Thunderbirds…need you." Jeff stepped forward to three stunned teens.

"Mr Tracy." Fermat was breathless as Jeff pinned the IR pin to his shirt.

"Thank-you sir." Tintin said with a bright smile as Jeff pinned her's gently on the top corner of her bikini. Alan didn't say anything as he was given his.

"Congratulations Alan. No shortcuts, you earned it. You all did." He said sounding so proud. As her brothers gathered round Alan tossed him into the pool, she noticed that even though Scott, Gordon and John all jumped in after Fermat and Alan, Virgil stayed on the poll deck. He beckoned her over and he pulled her into a hug when she reached him. But his grip tightened slightly and he launched both of them into the pool. She came up spluttering.

"I hate you!" She snapped angrily.

"The only way to get over one fear is to face it. You're in a pool." He said with a wicked grin, she simply reached over, her hands on his shoulders and shoved him under the water. That is until the rescue call came in.

I'm not happy with the ending but – Alan got into IR and Ava is over her fear of the pool.

That's it! All done! Over! Make sure to read "We Believe in You" it's a follow on from this one!

Happy Reading!