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Watching Alan for a few more moments, Scott found his eyes involuntarily drawn towards the doorway, wondering if one of his missing younger brothers was suddenly going to materialise. He knew the pair of them had always fought; they were too different to react the same way to situations. John, with his calm steadiness would be the one standing and watching. Virgil, however, was more likely to be in the thick of things, his musical talents meaning that he would often be venting his emotions in some way or another that would result in noise. Considering everything that had been going on, Scott was not the slightest bit surprised the two of them were clashing. But nor had he forgotten Samson's words from a few days before: something else was going on with his star-loving brother. Despite his determination to find out what it was, Scott found that it had been pushed from his mind as he came to terms with dealing with his own problems.

Since then, what with being forced to stay home, he'd had no chance to observe the blond. One thing that had been playing on his mind, however, was John's behaviour in the corridor on the day Scott had collapsed. He found that his mind had been going back over it more and more over the last few days now that he had begun to think clearly again. Whilst he didn't know precisely what had made John react like that, Scott had narrowed it down to one thing: it was a person. There was obviously a certain individual who was making John jumpy, but for the life of him, Scott couldn't work out who it was. Considering they had been travelling down the corridor in the changeover of lessons, it could have been practically anyone in the school who had caused John to bolt in the opposite direction. Scott knew, however, that as soon as he was back on his feet and had returned to school, he was going to find out. A fiery determination had once more awoken in him over the last few days: to make everything better for his brothers in the way he once had. Whilst he would love to be able to do it now, even going up and down the stairs was wearing him out. No, he would have to wait until he was fit to go back to school. One thing was certain, however, whoever this was, he was going to find out precisely what happened when you messed with one of Scott Tracy's little brothers.

As he absentmindedly watched Alan finally turn the piece the right way around and fix it to the jigsaw after about five attempts, Scott suddenly sat up, thinking hard. If someone was causing John trouble, what if Scott wasn't the only one figuring things out? It would certainly explain the hostility between his two little brothers. What if Virgil knew - and John knew that he knew? John had always kept things to himself; it was what had made him so withdrawn after their mother's death. He would not be happy if his younger brother had been attempting to get involved, that was for sure. Throwing the blanket off his legs, Scott slowly stood up, smiling reassuringly as Gordon looked up in concern. He would never have thought the lively little boy would be so good at keeping control of his energy when he had to, but no one, not even Grandma, could fault Gordon's behaviour over the last few weeks. With a wry grin, Scott knew that as soon as he returned to school, chaos would break loose as Gordon let out all of that pent-up energy that he had been forced to keep in.

Making his way slowly out of the room, Scott paused for a moment before he faced the stairs. It was strange: before his collapse he'd had no trouble at all with moving around, but now it was as if his body had suddenly realised what he had been doing and was choosing this time to protest about it. Hearing the phone ring, Scott ignored it, knowing that with his grandmother around, he had no need to be the one to pick it up, not anymore.

Just as he went to take the first step up the stairs to try and get some answers out of his little brothers, he heard a sudden crash from the kitchen. John and Virgil's argument momentarily forgotten, he turned on his heel and moved towards the kitchen, seeing Gordon appear at the lounge doorway as he did so.

Entering the kitchen, Scott knew immediately something was wrong. A broken vase was sitting on the floor, his grandmother clearly having been the one to drop it. But that in itself was wrong, for she never dropped anything. Feeling the roof of his mouth suddenly go dry, Scott swallowed hard as he let his eyes drift up from the floor. His grandmother was sitting shakily on the edge of a chair, her face pale as she stared at the phone in her hand with something that looked suspiciously like panic.

"Grandma?"

Hearing the voice come from behind him, Scott whipped around quickly. Gordon was watching the old lady with a look Scott knew was reflected on his own face. What the older brother was seeing however, was the child's bare feet and the broken glass on the floor.

"Gordon, out!"

"I don't want to; I want to see if Grandma is okay."

His own tiredness – not to mention the fact that he knew something was very wrong – made Scott snap. Taking a step forward, he seized the seven-year-old around the waist, picked him up and practically dumped him in the hallway, shutting the door behind him and ignoring the very loud protests that he got for his actions.

"Scotty, open the door! You can't just shut me out like that. Scott!" Ignoring Gordon's yells, Scott instead only had eyes for his grandmother.

"Grandma? What is it? What's wrong?" To his concern, Scott found that his grandmother seemed almost incapable of answering him, something that was so unlike the old lady that Scott felt his heart hammering hard against his chest. Hearing a slightly tinny noise, he glanced around the kitchen in concern, before his eyes fell on the phone still clutched in her hand. Whoever was on the other end had yet to hang up.

Crossing the kitchen in a few short steps, Scott reached out and pulled the phone from her unresisting hand. For a few seconds, she didn't react, then suddenly seemed to realise what he was about to do, and rose unsteadily to her feet, taking a step forward, her hand already outstretched to take the phone back off him. Shaking his head, Scott stepped backwards out of the way.

"Dear..."Grandma had no time to stop him, however, as Scott raised it to his ear. After all, what could possibly be said that came anywhere near some of the things he had heard?

"Hello?"

"Who is this?"

"Who is this?" Scott repeated, shooting his grandmother a quizzical look and taking another step out of her reach as she moved to take the phone from him again. If she wasn't going to tell him what was going on, he would just have to find out himself.

"Kansas General, Emergency Room."

His breath hitching in his throat, Scott swallowed drily, locking eyes with Grandma with a certain sense of desperation.

"Who is this?"

"Scott Tracy. Why are you calling?"

"Scott Tracy? Hmm... one of the sons, I presume? Scott, I need you to keep very calm here, but there has been an accident. Your father was involved in a car crash."

"What?" Scott practically yelled, mirroring his grandmother's position and sinking into the nearest chair, suddenly finding that his knees didn't want to support his weight. "Is he..?"

"He is going to be just fine, son. Is your grandmother still there, Scott?"

"Yeah," Scott whispered, his voice the exact opposite of his previous tone and coming out as barely more than a croak.

"Can you put her back on the line, son?" Mutely holding out the phone, Scott handed it back over before running a hand through his hair. How on earth could this be happening? Nothing ever hurt his father, that was what made him such a pillar of strength in Scott's eyes. Even when Jeff had withdrawn from them, he had never once shown his sons how much he was hurting. In Scott's mind, nothing could touch the man. Certainly not something as ordinary as this.

"Scotty?"

Looking up, Scott found that his grandmother was standing in front of him, the phone once more resting back in its cradle on the wall. Whatever the man the other end had said, it had clearly helped the woman gather her thoughts.

"How is he?" Scott's voice was barely audible in the silence of the kitchen, and normally, he knew that his grandmother would tell him off for mumbling. This time, however, she just rested her hand gently against the back of his head, an unspoken comfort that had always soothed the boy, no matter how old he was, or the situation.

"He has a broken arm, sprained ankle and a concussion, Scott."

"He'll be okay though, won't he?" Scott asked, his voice filled with a quiet desperation, making him sound like he was almost begging her to tell him that everything was going to be fine. He knew that it was the tone Gordon would come out with when something was wrong, that underlying plea that someone was just going to make all the problems disappear with a simple word. Thinking about the redhead, Scott suddenly realised that his brother had fallen quiet. No doubt Scott was going to have some grovelling to do later.

"They'll know when he wakes up."

"He's...he's unconscious?" This time, Scott could hear clearly the crack in his voice as he glanced down at his hands, balled into tight fists as he gripped onto the edge of the seat. Seeing the movement out of the corner of his eye, Scott looked up to find his grandmother crouched in front of him, her hands now resting lightly on his knees.

"He's going to be just fine, Scotty. After all, you and your brothers have to have got your strength from somewhere." And so saying, she gingerly pulled herself to her feet again, smoothing out the invisible creases from her apron and opening the door. Seeing the empty hallway, she sighed, before heading out to find her youngest grandsons. She didn't particularly want Gordon accusing his big brother considering what Scott had just found out.

"But I need him," Scott whispered into thin air, unshed tears restricting his voice. This couldn't be happening now. Not when the family was just beginning to put themselves back together again. Scott couldn't help but wonder how the news would affect his brothers. Despite the earlier argument, Virgil had really moved on lately, and whilst it wasn't quite as obvious as with his other brother, John too had made huge progress. Something like this could easily set them back again. And whilst he knew he was just about coping now, Scott knew he couldn't go through that again. None of them could.

"Get out of my room, Gordon!"

Jumping at the angry shout, Scott looked up. Breathing in deeply, he felt the tears subside,his shoulders dropping as he forced himself to relax. It was Jeff who had got them through this up to this point, but right now, Scott knew it was up to him. Their grandmother might be able to comfort his brothers over the accident, and Scott had to admit that he really didn't want to be the one to have to break the news. But there was one role he could fulfil that would help things run more smoothly. One that he had been neglecting for far too long... It was once more time for Scott Tracy to be a big brother.

Quickly sweeping up the mess that was the broken glass, Scott made sure that the kitchen floor was once more safe for his younger brothers, knowing that Gordon especially hated wearing anything on his feet if he could help it. The last thing he needed right now was for one of them to cut themselves. With the kitchen safe once more, Scott headed up the stairs, only to find Gordon sitting in the middle of the hall floor, looking uncharacteristically glum.

"What's wrong, fish?" Scott asked gently, crouching down so that he was level with his brother. He knew precisely what was wrong; Scott's own dismissal of his presence followed by Virgil's shout would have no doubt left Gordon feeling somewhat rejected. And whilst the child would have never said anything, Scott had picked up enough from his few weeks at home to know that Gordon would hate that. There was a bonus to already being home when the younger ones arrived back with their father, he tended to catch their moods more successfully than he did when they were already settled when he walked through the door. Not to mention all the one-sided conversations he had heard between his grandmother and father every time Jeff rang home. Scott knew far more about his brothers' reactions to what had happened from what he had picked up over the last fortnight than from the rest of the time put together.

"Virgil's being a -,"

"Gordon!" Scott broke in warningly, not being completely sure whether he wanted to hear what insult was about to come out of the seven-year-old's mouth.

"What?" Gordon cried, frustration more than apparent in his voice. "You shut me out, Virgil's shut me out, I can't even get through John's door. Maybe I should just find Allie, at least he doesn't always try and get rid of me!"

Before Scott could say anything, the redhead had leapt to his feet, making to walk angrily towards the stairs. Scott knew that whilst he hadn't been the best big brother lately, he still had the power to make Gordon calm down. But only if he stopped him now, for if the child reached the bottom of the stairs, he would have worked up a temper that would rival his older brothers'. And the last thing they needed now was that, especially considering what Scott knew he had to tell them.

Leaning forward, he caught Gordon by the wrist, tugging the younger boy back again. As soon as he was in reach, Scott pulled him down onto his lap, wrapping his arms firmly around his brother. For a few moments, Gordon struggled against the embrace, his annoyance not allowing him to simply accept it. Eventually though, he seemed to realise that he was not going to escape Scott's grip. Letting out an explosion of breath, he sagged back against his big brother.

"Why does no one want me, Scotty?" Gordon whispered tiredly as he leant his head back on Scott's shoulder, sighing deeply as he did so. Looking down at the top of his head, Scott stared at his little brother in amazement. Why on earth would Gordon think something like that?

Voicing his question, Gordon rolled his head back awkwardly so he was looking at Scott. "None of you will spend time with me. Well, you don't spend it with anyone, not any more. But every time I try and see Virg, we start off alright, then he just snaps at me. And Johnny..."

Breaking off, Gordon didn't realise quite the emotions he had just put Scott through with his innocent words. Scott had never considered how much Gordon might have noticed his withdrawal. If he was honest, he had only been thinking about John and Virgil, thinking that Gordon would have been too young to understand. Now, however, he realised how wrong he had been. Following Gordon's gaze, Scott found himself looking at John's shut door. No wonder Gordon was feeling left out. He had just got John back, only to feel like he was losing him again.

"Oh squirt," Scott muttered softly, resting his chin atop Gordon's head, wondering how he was going to make this better if Gordon felt like the older boy had really shut them all out. "It's not that. You know how much John and Virgil are arguing, they probably just don't want to have a fight with you as well, they are trying to protect you whilst they are tired."

Wondering if there was any truth in his words, or whether, like him, the pair of them hadn't realised how much their actions were affecting their younger brother, Scott didn't hear a door very quietly open. Sitting next to it, making sure he was out of sight, John had to admit he was wondering where this was going. Scott had developed quite a talent for making up excuses when it had been left to him to explain why their father wasn't going to be home for dinner again, and the blond was curious as to what was going on with Gordon. He hadn't seen the child this run-down for quite some time.

"So why did you shut me out?" Gordon demanded, a sullen note entering his voice as he attempted to glare at Scott, only found that the hand combing itself through his hair prevented movement quite successfully. "You're not tired; you've been sleeping all the time!"

Taking a deep breath, Scott tried to ignore the twisting feeling in his gut. He knew he had been right in thinking that Gordon was too young to understand everything, and his oldest brother's collapse and subsequent staying home from school was clearly one of the things that he had not been able to get his head around. Especially as no one had properly explained Virgil's own collapse to him, just saying that his artistic brother had a headache and so he needed to be quiet. That was all anyone ever told him these days: that he needed to be quiet, only they wouldn't tell him why!

"Grandma broke a vase, and you had nothing on your feet," Scott said truthfully, wondering if that would be enough to calm the boy down. As Gordon managed to wriggle out from his arms and climb to his feet, his hands resting on his hips in an uncanny impression of their father as he glared down at his older sibling, Scott sighed, knowing that it was going to take more than that. He still didn't notice the smallest of movements from just out of his line of sight as John shifted in order to see what Gordon was doing, unable to prevent the small chuckle that escaped him when he took in the redhead's posture. For a seven-year-old, Gordon could look quite intimidating. Scott wouldn't stand a chance against a look like that.

"Tell me the truth, Scott," Gordon demanded quietly, making his big brother hide a shudder at how much older the boy sounded. That was something that could certainly not be denied. The kidnap had definitely made them all grow up. "Grandma was upset, I saw her. Why?"

"Gords..."

"Just tell me!" Gordon yelled, his previous restraint vanishing as he let the stubborn seven-year-old surface once more. "I'm old enough to know, Scott, I'm not a baby."

"I know you're not, kiddo," Scott responded softly, tugging Gordon back towards him once more. As if sensing that Scott was giving in, Gordon let him.

"Gordy, Grandma got a phone call..."

"And?" Gordon prompted, making John grin. He certainly had their biggest brother cornered on this. Whatever was going on, Scott was going to have to say it, or risk Gordon exploding.

"Gordy, Dad's had an accident, he's in the hospital."

"What?" All of Gordon's previous temper suddenly vanished, his voice trembling as he turned big eyes on his brother, his expression all but pleading that it wasn't true.

"He's going to be fine, squirt, I promise. But that's what upset Grandma."

"Okay then."

"Okay? You are alright with it?"

"Well, you just promised he will be fine, so what is there to worry about?"

Acutely aware that his mouth was hanging open in surprise at Gordon's absolute faith in him, Scott merely blinked, not knowing what to say in response to a belief like that. He could only hope that Grandma was being as honest with him as he had tried to be with Gordon. For if he had just promised something he couldn't deliver, Scott knew full well what that would do to the child, especially considering it was their father they were talking about.

"Do you want to see if you can make Grandma feel better whilst I tell the others?" Scott asked quietly, not wanting Gordon to feel as if he was being shut out again. Something told him that it wouldn't go as smoothly with John and Virgil. They knew the realities of a car crash better than Gordon and Scott's word that their father was going to be fine would not necessarily be enough. And with Gordon taking it so well, Scott didn't want him to be around and risk getting upset at the reaction of the others. Gordon nodded, scampering for the stairs as Scott slowly drew himself to his feet. If he was honest, he had no idea how he was supposed to tell them.

Before he had long to think about it, however, John opened his door properly, also climbing to his feet and fixing his big brother with a look that made Scott' heart clench. John's face practically mirrored how Scott was feeling, the blond had also been relying on Jeff to make things better for the family. Nothing could hurt his dad, John was sure of it, even after seeing Jeff crumble when Blag had first threatened Scott. With the idea that image may now be shattered, John looked as lost as Scott felt.

"Seriously?" he asked quietly, his tone meaning Scott knew automatically that his brother had heard. Running a hand through his hair in agitation, the older boy sighed, glancing towards Virgil's door to see if he too had heard. At the sight of the firmly shut door, however, he knew it would still be up to him to tell him properly.

"Yeah, that was who was on the phone," he responded, his tone just as soft. Crossing the hallway, he rested a hand lightly on his brother's good shoulder.

"Grandma told me that he was going to be fine though, couple of broken bones, nothing more." Trying to hold John's gaze, Scott resisted the urge to look away, not wanting to admit that their father wasn't even conscious. They had both experienced that too much over the last month to accept that the same thing was happening to their father.

"Scott, what do we do?" John whispered, the lost feeling Scott himself had experienced coming to the surface. Strangely though, it had the opposite effect on the elder brother. With John voicing his worries, Scott felt his own disappear.

"We'll be fine, Johnny, we managed before."

"Yeah, but that was... well, you know, before..."

"John. We are going to be fine, trust me." Locking eyes with his brother, Scott smiled reassuringly, giving the blond's shoulder a comforting squeeze. As John swallowed hard before nodding, Scott nodded approvingly, knowing that the star-loving Tracy was going to be fine. Glancing once more towards Virgil's door, Scott sighed deeply. He had a feeling it was asking too much for a third brother to accept the news so calmly.

Walking across the hall, Scott rapped lightly on the door, waiting for a response. He didn't want to simply go barging in, especially considering how upset and worked-up the younger boy had been. When there was no answer, he knocked again.

"Go away!" Virgil yelled furiously, causing his brother to push against the door, frowning in a mixture of annoyance and concern when he felt the barricade the other side taking effect.

"Virgil, let me in, I need to talk to you!"

"Now you want to talk, Scott?" The angry response was slightly muffled through the door, but the accusing note was still apparent enough to make Scott wince. He knew his brother didn't mean it - they had partly repaired their relationship over the last few weeks in a way Scott still found hard to believe considering what he had put his brother through by shutting him out - but he also knew what Virgil was like when he was angry. One glance at John's face, and the older brother made to quickly open his mouth, knowing whatever was about to be said was not going to end well. He was too late, however.

"Dad's in hospital!" Silence met John's exclamation, before the sounds of the barricade being moved reached the brothers. Rather than being reassured, however, Scott merely groaned. Within a matter of seconds, Virgil's fearful face could be seen through the gap.

"What?" he asked, his voice mirroring both John's and Gordon's. Smiling gently down at him, Scott tried to look reassuring as his artistic brother turned to him for confirmation, seemingly trusting that Scott would have all the answers.

"There was an accident, Virg..." Before he could say anything else, Virgil had wrenched his door open and run down the stairs. As John turned to his brother quizzically, the slamming of the front door could be heard.

"Nicely done," Scott muttered drily, taking off down the stairs after Virgil. Pausing for a moment as he pulled on his shoes, he groaned again at seeing Gordon appear in the doorway.

"John, stop Gordon!" And with that, he too had run out of the house, a quick glance making him go sprinting down the road after his brother.

Virgil knew what he had done had been a bad idea, but only one thought had lodged itself in his head at the news; get to his father. Jeff had been the one to sit with him night after night with the nightmares, constantly reassuring him that everything was going to be okay again. Without his father there, Virgil was sure that they were going to come flooding back. Not realising he was mirroring his oldest brother's thoughts, Virgil knew that he needed his dad.

Skidding around the corner, Virgil felt his foot catch around something and, before he had time to correct his balance, he had hit the floor. Shakily climbing up again, the aspiring artist swallowed hard, glancing around him. He could see a group of teenagers that looked – from this distance – to be around Scott's age lurking on the next corner, and Virgil couldn't stop a feeling of dread settling on him as he realised he would have to walk through them in order to get the bus to the hospital. Taking a few steps forward, he found he was squeezing his eyes shut as he walked. Many side roads led off from the main one, and Virgil was finding that he was holding his breath as he passed them, feeling as if someone was going to spring out from nowhere with each step he took.

After he had passed three, Virgil began to feel more confident. Nothing was going to happen, he could manage this. After all, he simply had to get to his father. But as he made to move past the fourth road, Virgil glanced down - and felt his heart catch in his throat. He hadn't realised how late it had got and the sun was making its descent over the horizon, sending shadows down the edge of the buildings. His mind playing tricks on him, all Virgil was seeing were the shadowy fingers reaching out to him. His breathing quickening, he took a step backwards, knowing that he had been fooling himself thinking that he could handle being out on his own, especially considering he wasn't too sure the route he should be taking. Jeff hadn't liked him being out on his own for too long at the best of times, let alone after what had happened. Feeling the tears spring into his eyes, he stumbled back again.

"Virgil!"

Trying to draw quick, desperate breaths, Virgil took another step backwards, even as he turned on the spot. Immediately, his eyes were torn away from the shadows and onto his biggest brother. Before he knew what he was doing, he had thrown himself at Scott, latching on around his waist as hard as he could.

"Scott!"

"I gotcha, kiddo," Scott murmured softly, knowing instantly what had his brother so panicked. Wrapping his arms around the smaller boy, Scott hugged him fiercely.

"Everything is alright, Virg, you're safe." Gently untangling Virgil's arms, Scott kept his own firmly around his brother's shoulders, gently beginning to lead him back to the house. As Virgil grew calmer with each step, Scott found that he was unable to stop the smile spreading over his face. For weeks, he had been afraid that if he went anywhere with his middle brother, Virgil would be snatched from him. Now, however, as he led the trembling boy back to the house, he realised that all his fears had been for nothing. The only thing that had been drawing Virgil away was Scott's own irrational fear.

Just before they reached the front door, Virgil suddenly drew back from Scott, loitering on the path.

"Is Grandma angry?" he said quietly, a pleading note infiltrating his voice. Grinning, Scott made a show of looking towards the house in contemplation before glancing back at his brother.

"I'll cover for you," he whispered conspiratorially, winking at the smile that made its way onto Virgil's face. More than once he had covered for his brother against their grandmother, normally when Virgil managed to get paint on something he shouldn't have been touching. It was more than that on this occasion though. It was a sign that, despite everything, things were returning to normal, something they were both more than aware of.

"Come on, short stuff; let's get this over and done with." Pushing the door open, Scott stood back to let Virgil in first, ruffling his hair at the good-natured grumbling that had emerged at the insult. Frowning at the noise coming from the lounge, Scott traded quizzical glances with his younger brother before pushing the door open, smiling at the sight that greeted him.

John had his arms wrapped around Gordon's waist, using the ends of his fingers to seek out ticklish ribs. One glance at Gordon's red eyes, and Scott knew instantly that John was just trying to create a distraction, but judging by the high-pitched giggles erupting from the seven-year-old, it was working. Once more looping his arm around Virgil, Scott pulled the boy in close, letting the artist lean against him even as he sighed deeply. One thing was certain. They may have wanted their father there, but in contrast to the boys' earlier fears, they didn't need him in the same way as they had once believed. They had coped without him before, and Scott knew that he was ready. He was once more ready to take charge.