Given that it's day two and I've already written 5,000 words I've taken time out of NaNo to bring you this. Enjoy.

Everyone is a little slower than usual to get started the next morning, the emotional exhaustion from the day before taking its toll on all of the Tracy family. The only one who is up and about before he should be is Scott and it takes a great deal of restraint for him not to start banging on Virgil's door and asking his brother for help. All he wants to do now is go and fetch Hollie, all he wants is to bring the woman he loves and her niece to the island and he knows that it is not as simple as he made it sound on the vid-phone the night before. He has to talk to his father first, though approaching Jeff Tracy with such a request before his first cup of coffee is a dangerous thing, so it takes him by surprise when the older man seeks him out as Scott is sat looking over the strangely empty swimming pool.

"You're up early, son," Jeff comments as he sits next to him, the smell of coffee is strong and Scott can see one of the larger mugs clutched tightly in his father's hand. If there is one thing the Tracys all share above all else it is a love of good coffee.

"I couldn't sleep," Scott admits, "too much on my mind."

"You don't have to worry about International Rescue," Scott smiles a little at that, even as something in him lurches in frustration, "we've made it work in the past, we know what we're doing."

"It's not that," he mutters. "Well, it is a little bit, but it's not really." He catches the puzzlement on his father's face. "It's Hollie. We were talking last night and…"

"She wants to come to the island," Jeff finishes before Scott can and there is understanding in his voice. "She knows what she'll be getting involved with? It won't be easy for her."

"Believe me, she knows," the reply is wry as he remembers her response to the same question. "I don't think I'd really thought about how hard this is for her, Father, and having Ashwyn to take care of on her own too."

"She'd be bringing the baby?" Jeff actually sounds surprised and Scott frowns. His family are all aware of Hollie's situation, are all aware that Ashwyn is the daughter of a man Scott thought of as another brother. Ashwyn is as much a niece to him as she is to Hollie and he cannot imagine the woman coming here without her anymore.

"Of course, she wouldn't leave her behind," Scott sighs, "and Mike's family don't want anything to do with her. Hollie hasn't heard a word from them since Mike and Amelia died, they haven't even offered to help."

"She's struggling for money?" There is genuine concern in his father's voice.

"No, financially she's more secure now than she was the first time I asked her to come here," he sees the confusion on Jeff's face and laughs. "She just got a thirty thousand dollar book advance. Money isn't the issue, you know how hard it is to raise a kid on your own. At least you had Grandma."

He does not look at his father as he says all this. Deep emotional conversations are not really something that the Tracy family does well, for all that they are involved in a very dangerous line of work, and it is hard enough for him to explain this much knowing that he will have to talk about one of the most painful periods of their lives. Losing his mother is something that Scott knows he will never truly get over, just like he knows that Hollie will never really forget the pain of losing her twin and her parents, but it is just one more thing that he has in common with the woman and he wants to help her now. Just because he has his own problems with International Rescue does not mean that he cannot see how much it is taking out of Hollie to be the one to raise Ashwyn with no help at all.

"I'll speak to Kyrano and Mother about getting a room set up for her," Jeff tells him and Scott clamps down on the urge to tell him that Hollie will not need a separate room because she will be sleeping in with him. If his father wants to believe that he will not be sharing a bed, and other things, with Hollie that is Jeff Tracy's business, it does make him smile, though. "I suppose you'll want to go and get her as soon as possible?" Scott nods, not sure that he could get the words out around the weight of the relief at his father's understanding that currently fills him. "Speak to Virgil, as soon as you two are ready bring her home."

Jeff gets to his feet, smiling at his son before turning to walk away.

"Father," Scott stops him before he can go inside. "Thank you." Jeff simply smiles and continues on his way.

Virgil is still blearily wandering towards the kitchen and the ever present call for caffeine when Scott finds him. His brother, though able to become alert and professional in a heartbeat when woken for a rescue in the middle of the night, is one of those people who maintains that at least one cup of coffee is absolutely required before his brain will actually kick start. Sometimes Scott thinks that Gordon probably has the most healthy wake up method of the five of them, the red head swims for at least half an hour before heeding the call of his stomach and eating breakfast.

"You got a minute, Virg?" Scott asks, then watches as his brother shuffles past him and into the kitchen.

"Can't talk," he slurs, then points at the machine in an exaggerated fashion, "coffee." Scott rolls his eyes.

"Well can you at least listen?" He asks, keeping his temper in check. The last thing he needs is to upset is one chance and getting Hollie back on the island today.

"I can do that," Virgil leans against the counter, all but inhaling his first cup of the hot liquid before pouring himself another. If any member of the family could challenge his father in the coffee addiction stakes Virgil would be the one.

"How do you feel about helping me bring Hollie here today?" He watches his brother mull it over.

"Sure," the answer is non-committal, Virgil's nose still half in his mug before his head pops up and he stares at his brother. "Wait, she's actually agreed to come?" Scott grins at him. "And Father's okay with it?" He nods again. "When did this happen?"

"Last night," Scott shrugs, knowing that his more blasé attitude must be driving his brother mad. "I told Father this morning."

"How did he take it?" Virgil is more alert now and is obvious concern warms something in his brother. It is good to know that no matter what Virgil will have his back.

"Fine, strangely calm actually," he pulls a face. The conversation with their father was far easier than Scott had expected it to be and he supposes that is because Hollie not only already knows who they are and what they do, she had worked it all out for herself and still kept quiet about it. He knows it counts as a point her favour that she had not approached them before her sister's funeral and even then it had only been for reassurance.

"I guess this means that you have to put up with my flying," Virgil teases. His brothers all know that is Scott is in a plane then he is the one who is going to want to fly it. It was bad enough getting him back to base on Thunderbird Two while Alan sped away in One, sitting in the Tracy family jet and allowing Virgil to pilot again is not going to be easy. He pulls a face. "When do you want to leave?"

"As soon as I've spoken to Grandma and Hollie. It's probably best that I tell Grandma she's coming myself, she'd kill me if she heard it from Father first."

"Time for me to grab a shower and some breakfast in any case," Virgil stretches and pushes away from the counter. "Meet you in the hanger in an hour."

Artemis