Maria woke on time, but she felt the sleep deficit immediately. The events of the night before rushed back to her mind and it was hard to discount the very real probability it was all a dream. But when she made her bed, she found Archie wearing his little belt in Thunderbird 2 green, physical evidence that refuted what her brain kept trying to insinuate. Her graduation dress was still soaking in her bathroom sink, mainly because she'd felt too tired last night to squeeze out the water and hang it up. She took a moment to do that first, both so she could let the dress dry all day and so she could use her sink again.
She dressed quickly and checked in on Sally. "Well?" the older woman asked before Maria could even say good morning.
Maria smiled, feigning innocence. "I'm very well, thank you. How are you this morning, Sally?" She offered her arm for Sally's use in getting up. The older woman took it, but all her attention was on their conversation and not the routine, which was automatic by now.
"Don't leave me in suspense. Virgil was practically beside himself, needing to talk to you. Please tell me he didn't chicken out."
Maria chuckled. "He didn't chicken out."
"And?" Blue eyes sparkled behind her glasses and she wore a grin that was impossibly cheerful for so early in the morning.
"And he took me on a lovely walk in the moonlight. I'm afraid I never got around to cleaning the lounge or finishing all the cupcakes I was frosting."
"Who cares! You had the night off, remember?"
"Yes, I did. Did I remember to properly thank you for that? I'm sure I appeared ungrateful while I was trying to expend some nervous energy after the Gordon thing."
"Oh, I didn't think you were ungrateful at all. You haven't had any time off in the last nine weeks and I never thought about it until yesterday. Just because everyone else around here works like draft horses doesn't mean you have to. Should we work up a schedule for your future days off?"
Maria didn't dare ignore this perfect opening. "Actually, since I'm currently courting with someone whose schedule is very erratic, I'd rather keep to the 'play-it-by-ear' method if that's all right with you."
"Courting?" There was no surprise in her inquiry, only smiles.
"Virgil's term. But I fully approved and endorsed it. I think it sounds better than dating anyway, since we both kind of like to stay close to home rather than go out."
"But it's kind of... serious, isn't it?" Sally sounded more curious than disapproving.
"I don't know how serious Virgil is yet. I guess we'll find out."
"How serious are you?"
Maria chuckled. "I'm seriously interested in getting to know your grandson. I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much because I could seriously fall for him."
Sally lowered her voice. "I think he's already fallen for you."
Maria really, really wanted that to be true, but Sally was too optimistic to rely upon her opinions, well-meaning as they were. She didn't know about Maria's abysmal record with men. Furthermore, even if Maria bucked the trend and things went well for a while, no one could predict what would happen when Sally passed away and Maria would be out of a job and a home. Virgil might still come visit her wherever she ended up; after all, he did have Thunderbird 2, but it would probably be a lot harder to sustain a long-distance relationship, especially if her new boss wasn't as flexible and understanding as Sally was. Maria banished the negative thoughts from her mind. Hopefully, that would be many months away. Nothing was going to steal her joy today.
Maria helped Sally into a clean purple tracksuit and they made their way together down to the kitchen, where the elder proceeded to gawk all over the goofy cupcakes while Maria set about making pancake batter. The pulled pork smelled wonderful from its slow cooking all night. Sally opened the pressure lid and stirred, filling the kitchen with its aroma. Maria took a quick look at it.
"I wasn't going to add anything to it," Sally said defensively. "I know better than to mess with your cooking."
Maria just smiled at her. "Let's take the bones out and then put the lid back a little looser, let some steam escape over the day so the sauce thickens up a bit."
Sally nodded and did as Maria suggested. She brought a platter for the sausage that was cooking and had just left it on the counter by the stove when Virgil emerged from the staircase, whistling.
"Good morning, Grandma and Maria, my two favourite ladies in the world." He gave his grandmother a quick peck on the cheek and then gave Maria a very nice good morning kiss on the lips.
The kiss had barely started when a harsh new voice interrupted her thoughts. "Virgil, what are you doing?" Scott. Maria's heart caught in her throat.
Virgil finished his kiss and turned to his brother. "I was kissing my girlfriend, Scott."
"Girlfriend? You hardly know her!"
Sally rounded on Scott, her fists clenched and her face screwed up with determination, like she was about ready to kick ass and take names. Virgil grabbed her by the arm and held up his other hand in a halting gesture. "I got this, Grandma." He turned to Scott and spoke so calmly it was a bit scary. "Scott, you're the one who's always saying 'What would Dad do?' about every move we make. I don't have to guess at what he would do this time. What did Dad do? He married Mom. He was younger than all of us except Alan when he got married and he was Gordon's age when you were born. Maybe we can't trust outsiders to join us as pilots and mechanics. Okay. I'll take your side on that. How did Dad make sure there were enough people he could trust to keep International Rescue running? He had us, that's how. If Dad's the ultimate example, you and I are behind schedule, brother."
Scott stood there, looking to Maria like the proverbial deer in the headlights.
Virgil stared at him a second and then continued, "You're practically married to International Rescue and I respect that. Better you than me. No one is asking you to settle down. All I'm saying is that I do want to follow in Dad's footsteps. I don't know if Maria is the one, but how will I ever find the one if I can't have a girlfriend? She's lived here over nine weeks, and I almost lost my chance with her because I didn't act soon enough. Do you know how long Dad knew Mom before they dated exclusively?"
Scott didn't answer. Sally did: "A month, and they only talked on the phone during that time. Two-D video calls, no holo-projections back then."
"So I waited twice as long as Dad did and I probably had more actual in-person knowledge."
"I... uh..." Scott looked back and forth between Sally, Virgil, and Maria. His gaze lingered on Maria, confusion and desperation written all over his face. "Have you really been here that long?"
She nodded. "Nine weeks, two days, and..." she consulted her watch, "eighteen hours. Give or take."
Virgil put his arm around his brother's shoulder. "I'm not asking for your permission. You don't get a say in my personal life. But I'd really like to have your blessing."
"Blessing?" Scott looked panicked, like maybe Virgil had already gotten engaged and he'd missed his chance to be rid of Maria forever.
Sally interjected herself forcefully into the conversation: "Yes, blessing, Scott. That's where you stop treating Maria like a pariah. You've been eating her cooking for nine weeks. If she'd wanted to poison you, she could have done it ten times over by now. So stop acting like she's looking for an opportunity." She folded her arms over her chest and stared him down with narrowed eyes. "How about you start this whole morning over and show me that you can act like a gentleman."
Thoroughly browbeaten and defeated, Scott drew a deep breath, straightened his posture, and offered a rather meek, "Good morning?"
Before Virgil or Sally could pounce on him again, Maria stepped in and adopted her nicest bedside manner voice. "Good morning, Scott. I hope you slept well. Would you like some pancakes this morning? I'm making them fresh. There's also some breakfast burritos in the freezer if you'd rather microwave one of those." She nearly offered to take a taste first to prove they weren't poisoned, but she was still reeling from that stinging accusation too much to make light of it. She'd known Scott didn't like her and trusted her even less, but he really thought she had it in her to poison him? To actually cause him harm? Ouch.
"I'm having one of those burritos," Virgil announced, effectively cutting the tension in the room. He headed toward the freezer.
If Scott stated his food preference, Maria didn't hear it. She had sausages in the skillet and pancakes on the griddle that were probably overdue for turning, so she directed her attention to not burning breakfast and getting food out to the table.
Gordon made his entrance in the kitchen next, followed by Kayo and Brains. A buzz of indeterminate background conversation ensued during which Maria thought she might have heard Virgil not-so-casually drop the news that they were now an item. Gordon seemed the most happy about this, probably because it meant he was off the hook for yesterday's non-date that everyone kept razzing him over.
Maria delivered a platterful of sausage and some warmed maple syrup to the table. Pancakes came off the griddle by the dozen and disappeared almost as fast. She was doing her best to keep up with the demand when Thunderbird 5 called with a situation somewhere near the moon. John said he already woke Alan up. Maria now knew John could holo-project just about anywhere on Tracy Island, including bedrooms. Scott said he'd join Alan in Thunderbird 3 and they'd both be going on the mission together. He took off for his gear-up entrance in the lounge.
Brains left his breakfast half-eaten, no doubt to study mission details to give Scott and Alan support. Kayo finished whatever hummingbird-sized portion of food she'd put on her plate and requested Gordon's help with something on Thunderbird Shadow that sounded suspiciously like a ruse designed to get him out of the kitchen. Whether Gordon knew it or not, Maria couldn't guess, but they both left, so that only Virgil and Sally remained in the dining room. Virgil carried a nearly-empty platter from the table to the kitchen, left it on the counter, and then laid a gentle hand on Maria's back.
"Are you okay? I played up the marriage and kids idea pretty heavy with Scott. I wasn't thinking how presumptuous that might sound when we've been together less than 24 hours."
Maria turned to face him. "I'm fine. I knew you were exaggerating for the sake of argument. I am worried about other things though."
"Should I leave?" Sally asked. She probably thought Maria wanted to talk to Virgil alone.
"Not at all," Maria said. She motioned for Sally to stay seated.
"Okay, so what are you worried about then?" Virgil asked.
"Two things: one, I don't want to be the cause of strife between you and your brother. You work together and you count on each other. Your relationship is too important."
Sally chuckled. "Oh, I think there'll be a lot less strife now that Virgil told him off. Don't you worry about that."
Maria studied Sally's face. She looked so certain. Then Maria turned to Virgil, who nodded his agreement. Still, it was so hard to believe. It didn't feel like it was over to her. "Are you sure? You noticed he didn't give you the blessing you asked for, right?"
"Scott will come around," Virgil reassured her. "He's just stubborn. You said two things, so what else is bothering you?"
"Why does Scott think I would poison him? Is it because of my degree in biochemistry?"
Virgil's eyebrows shot up. "Wait. You have a degree in biochemistry? I thought you were a nurse and before that, a preschool teacher."
"It's just a bachelor's. I don't have any real experience in biochem. Textbooks and university labs. It was just supposed to look good on a med school application." Like virtually everything I did back then. "But even if I had a PhD, why would I want to hurt Scott?"
Virgil looked like he was going to say something, but Sally spoke up first. "I don't think Scott even knows about your degree, Maria. I haven't mentioned it. I brought up poisoning because that's The Alchemist's 'M.O.' Twelve people have died holding black calling cards with that stupid hexagon logo of his, so Scott sees poison conspiracies around every corner."
"Hexagons are big in organic chemistry," Maria remarked idly, no doubt stating what they already knew. "But I thought Scott was worried I was a spy for The Hood?"
Virgil nodded. "They're connected. If you were working for The Alchemist, you'd be working for The Hood as well. But you're not working for either of them, so it's a moot point."
Maria sighed. "I just wish I could convince Scott of that."
Virgil pulled her in for a hug and she melted against him. "Like I said, he'll come around eventually. In the meantime, you just keep killing him with kindness. What you did was awesome, by the way."
She pulled her head back a little to look him in the face again. "What?"
"I asked him for his blessing and he wouldn't give it. Grandma told him to get over himself and be nicer to you. The best he could come up with was a weak 'good morning' that sounded more like a question than a greeting. I wanted to rail at him some more, but you—oh man, you just ignored all his slights and poured on the charm instead. That was way better than anything I could have said."
"I hardly think I could win him over by being mean to him."
"That was more than just the absence of mean. You were way nicer to him than he deserved."
"Virgil's right," Sally said. "There's no defence against kindness. He can't hold out against that forever."
The two-beep alert tone sounded, which meant John's holo-image would be popping in any second. Maria let go of Virgil so he could get to work. She had work of her own to do, starting with kitchen clean-up. Virgil was indeed called out and he ran toward the staircase with a wave. Sally finished clearing the dining table before taking a breather on a dining chair.
"You let me know when you're ready to take the stairs," Maria said. Sally normally spent most of the day in the lounge, watching her boys do their hero thing and being generally available in case John had to leave Thunderbird 5 and needed a dispatcher backup.
"Oh I will," Sally said. "But while I'm just sitting here, why don't you tell me what you really thought about Virgil's little wife-and-kids speech."
Grandmothers. Maria gave her the side eye. "I would never lie to Virgil."
"No, I know you wouldn't, but I think you'd abbreviate for time's sake because he's always running off to save the world and you have to talk fast to get a word in edgewise. He's gone, so spill the rest!"
"I told you earlier that I could seriously fall for him. Saying he wants to get married and have enough children to staff an entire organisation only makes him more attractive."
"You probably should have mentioned that when Virgil was here, rather than say you were merely 'fine'."
"You heard him. He doesn't know if I'm the one. How could anyone know in one day? Let's see how he feels in another month or two." If he doesn't get bored with me sooner.
Sally softened her tone and talked a little slower than usual, "Telling him you also want marriage and kids is how he would figure out you are the one, Maria."
"Maybe you're right. I'm not good with that abbreviation thing."
Sally reverted to her loud and perky self with a smile. "We'll work on that. I think I'm ready for the stairs now."
After Sally was settled, Maria went back to work. She finished the breakfast dishes, started some laundry, scrubbed a toilet and bathroom sink on the lounge level, finished frosting cupcakes, and got started on side dishes to go with the pulled pork. She checked on Sally, who was ready for her bathroom trip. Gordon and Kayo had joined the lounge to watch the moon drama currently unfolding. Whatever Virgil was doing, it evidently didn't require comms at the moment. His holo-projection was absent.
Maria took a little extra time in the garden, since she had been so brief the day before. The tomato plants had flowered, which meant tomatoes couldn't be too far behind. Considering she had the time today and was thinking about it, she staked the plants in anticipation of the fruits to come. Cucumbers were looking good, but needed weeding. She pulled a radish to find it actually ready. When all of them were pulled, she wondered if perhaps she had overdone it with seeding. She'd planted them later than most of the other seeds, but they grew really fast. She'd planted a lot because she assumed low germination, birds eating seeds, and the high probability she would do something wrong, but now she had a truly enormous pile of radishes. She formed a hammock with her apron to carry them all up to the house.
Maria managed to empty her apron into a giant colander and rinse the dirt off, but she had no idea what to do with that many radishes. After brushing off her apron, washing her hands, and digging dirt from under her fingernails, she sliced a handful of radishes to add to the green salad she was planning for dinner, but she left the rest of them in the colander, leaves and all. She hoped people would grab them to snack on like they did cookies. Maybe fresh, crunchy radishes would wean Gordon off those preservative-laden Celery Crunch Bars for a day or two. With promoting snacking on her mind, she dried the outside of the colander off and carried it upstairs to the lounge.
She heard Scott announce "mission complete" on her way up, but his and Alan's holo-images were gone by the time she got to the room.
"Radishes, anyone?" she said as she set the colander down on one of the end tables between couches.
Sally looked at the bowl. "Are those...?"
"From the garden, yes," Maria said. "Just pulled them up."
"You grew these?" Gordon asked, as if the process was some kind of secret wizardry.
"Well, Gordon, I put the seeds in the ground and I watered them. But you know the old poem that says 'only God can make a tree'? That goes for radishes too."
Kayo picked one up and chomped on it, making a satisfying crunch sound. Brains also grabbed two or three on his way out of the room, no doubt headed for his lab. Grinning widely, he muttered something about fresh produce and childhood. Gordon rose from his seat and took one, but he wore a sceptical look as he walked off, staring at it as if it might talk to him.
"Did Scott tell you how much he loves radishes?" Sally asked quietly when Gordon was gone.
"No. I've been afraid to ask him his favourite food. Just as well, since he thinks I'm trying to poison him."
"Maybe not his favourite, but he does love them. If he doesn't eat some of these, I'm having that boy's head examined. These are beautiful! You have such a green thumb!"
Maria chuckled. "I hope all the things I planted do this well."
After another round of laundry, it was time for lunch. Alan popped into the kitchen and reheated some tacos saved from last week. Gordon ate a sandwich and a cupcake and spent his time catching Alan up on all the gossip he missed that morning. Alan listened with a "yeah, sure" mentality like he thought Gordon was making it all up. It was only when Kayo said, "It's true," did Alan's eyes get wide.
"Maria and Virgil?"
"What about Maria and Virgil?" Virgil's voice arrived before he did.
"You're really dating?" Alan called to the void his brother's voice had come from.
Maria cleared her throat, revealing she had been standing quite near for the whole conversation. She added, "More like courting."
Alan whirled around, looking slightly embarrassed for not noticing Maria when they were talking about her, but still curious as ever. "What's the difference?"
Virgil finally arrived in the room. Maria gave him a questioning glance to see if he wanted to field Alan's question. He nodded to encourage her to go ahead.
Maria inhaled deeply and ploughed on. "It means that walks around the island in the moonlight count just as much as getting dressed up and leaving. And it means we're calling each other boyfriend and girlfriend...exclusively." Was exclusive understood in girlfriend? She didn't know for sure, but being redundant seemed better than being vague.
"Good answer," Virgil said and then he kissed her.
Maria heard "whoa" and "woohoo" and "all right!" from the gathered, all at the same time. MAX made some cute little whistle sounds. Maria smiled when Virgil finished. She also took a second to catalogue who was there: Gordon, Alan, Kayo, Brains, and Sally. No Scott.
"Hungry?" she asked Virgil.
"You know it. Got any more of that turkey jerky?"
"Of course." She left him at the table to retrieve the jerky.
He sniffed the air. "Mmm. What's cooking?"
"Pulled pork. Fully cooked now if you want some, but the sauce will be thicker at dinnertime."
"We also have the first harvest from our garden," Sally said brightly, pointing to the huge colander, no longer heaping, but still quite full. "Radishes."
Virgil blinked. "We have a garden?"
Alan patted Virgil on the shoulder condescendingly and quipped, "Looks like someone wasn't paying attention to the scenery very well in the moonlight, bro."
Everyone laughed.