Disclaimer: I don't own the Thunderbirds!
CHAPTER 20
Alan was almost finished with his joint when Scott barged in. "Don't you know how to knock?" Alan coughed.
"What were you two doing in here?" Scott interrogated.
Gordon did his best to keep Scott distracted while Alan got rid of the joint. "We were talking." The crimson haired man lied.
Scott crossed his arms sternly. "Why don't I believe you?" He could tell when one of his brothers was lying.
"Gordon isn't lying." Alan stood his ground. "We were talking about one of my nightmares."
Scott stayed silent for a few minutes considering his options. "What is that smell?" He inquired.
Gordon gave Alan an evil glare. "What smell?" Alan covered in hopes that Scott wouldn't press the matter.
"Were you smoking in here?" Scott demanded looking straight at Alan.
The younger boy found it ironic that Scott assumed it was him and not Gordon. It did make sense considering everything that had come to light. "It was one joint." Alan confessed.
Scott gave Gordon an angry stare. "You let him smoke pot." The look was worse than one of Scott's lectures. Those were torture. They lasted hours and were not pleasant.
Gordon tilted his head back. "It's complicated." He chimed.
"Get out! I'll come find you when I'm finished with Alan." Scott pointed at the door.
Gordon hesitated before looking at Alan. It had been a long time since Alan had been on the receiving end of Scott wrath. "How long has Gordon been covering for you?" Scott spat.
Alan couldn't believe he had admitted using drugs to Scott. He knew Scott would get it out of him eventually. He was good at getting people to confess. "Boston." Alan stated.
Scott seemed to understand what Alan meant by the word. "I'm going to need a bit more than that Sprout." He fished.
"The first night Sam and I smoked a joint. Matt was pissed and Gordon noticed. So I told him the truth." Alan recapped.
"The truth about what?" Scott pressed.
Alan was going to hate this part of the conversation. "Wesley wasn't the only pothead at Wharton's okay." He hinted.
Scott let his arms fall to his sides. "You told Dad it was just pain killers." He dismissed.
"I never said that." Alan snapped. "I let you believe that, because I thought you would be disappointed in me."
"That's why you ran away." Scott assumed.
"I thought Gordon was going to tell Dad." Alan explained. "I was scared he'd send me away again."
Scott took a deep breath. "He's not sending you away, Allie. We've talked about this." He promised.
"Forgive me if I don't have that much faith." Alan quipped.
Scott's eyebrows furrowed at the comment. "What's that supposed to mean?" He questioned sternly.
"It means that Dad doesn't know how to be a parent." Alan argued. 'If he did, then he would have to run everything by you guys first."
Scott was still confused by the statement. "Stop changing the subject, Alan. We're not talking about Dad. We're talking about you." He reminded. "What happened after the fight?"
"I spent the night at Matt's. Gordon gave me space until I came back the next morning." Alan paraphrased. "I figured he was going to tell you guys what happened, but he never did."
Scott could understand why Gordon hadn't told them. Having a secret with Alan made them closer. "Why would he?" The brunette questioned.
Alan hesitated at his brother's question. Scott should be killing him by now. Yet, the older man seemed surprisingly calm given the situation. "What?" He stuttered.
"Gordon got your trust, Alan." Scott elaborated. "To him that's more important."
"Does this mean you're going to take pity on me?" Alan pleaded.
Scott smirked, "I'm not going to tell Dad if that's what you're worried about."
Alan was surprised by his brother's mercy. This couldn't be Scott standing in front of him. Scott was straighter than a nail. "What's the catch?" The blonde wondered.
"You have to stop using, Alan." Scott ordered. "It's not good for you and quite frankly it scares the hell out of me."
"It's only weed, Scott." Alan clarified.
Scott took a seat on the bed next to his brother. "Do you remember Oliver Danforth?"
Alan didn't remember much from Scott's high school years. He was too young at the time. He did remember Oliver though. Oliver was Scott's best friend in from high school. After graduation they were in the Air Force together. They still hung out on occasion. He was a pilot for a commercial airline. "Of course, he's your best friend." Alan remembered.
"Oliver's little brother died of overdose a few years back." Scott stated.
Alan shook his head. "What does that have to do with me?" He didn't see the connection. What did this kid have to do with Alan?
"Owen started out using marijuana. Oliver didn't think it was that serious until Owen started experimenting with other drugs. But by that point Owen was too far gone." Scott continued to lecture. "I saw what it did to Owen and I can't sit by and watch you go down that road too. I need you to promise me you'll stop using."
It wasn't hard to see things from Scott's point of view. Scott thought Alan would start out on pot then move to other drugs. It made sense in theory. Wesley's father had started out on pot and eventually moved up to cocaine, ecstasy, and heroine. Alan honestly could see himself going down that path. But he knew Scott wasn't willing to take that chance. "I'll stop." Alan committed.
Scott wrapped his arms around his brother as he smiled. "I better go let Gordon off the hook. He's probably paced a hole in the floor of his bedroom." The commander stood and started to leave the room.
"Wait," Alan stopped him in his tracks. "You better take this with you." He handed him his backpack. "I don't think I could handle it right now."
Scott took the backpack and ruffled his brother's hair. "I'll take care of it for you." He vowed.
Scott stopped by the bathroom to flush the drugs down the toilet before finding Gordon. He was glad that Alan hadn't lied to him and kept the drugs. Maybe Alan was more on the mend that their father believed. Gordon was pacing the floor in his bedroom when Scott entered.
"Scott, let me explain…" Gordon started.
Scott held up a hand to stop him. "Alan told me about Boston." He revealed.
"I know your angry, but please let me explain what happened." Gordon begged. "It's not what it looks like. I would never let Alan..."
"You were right." Scott interrupted.
Gordon's jaw dropped at the confession. The field commander never admitted when he was wrong. "Man that kid really does have your number." The younger man cracked.
Scott smiled, "I made him promise to quit."
Gordon fumbled slightly. "Did he do it?"
"He gave me the rest of his stash." Scott held up the backpack.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you guys." Gordon apologized.
Scott snorted, "No you're not."
"You're right. I would still be lying if Alan hadn't spilt the beans." Gordon nodded.
Scott glanced at the clock on his brother's bedside table. "I'll ask Virgil to co-pilot three with me to get John." The oldest decided.
"What?" Gordon objected. "I'm fine. I barely inhaled anything."
"You know I can't take that risk. I need you alert." Scott patted his brother on the shoulder. "Go sleep it off."
Virgil was restocking the infirmary when his brother popped in. "Do you have time to get John from five?" He questioned.
"I thought Gordon was going with you." Virgil was surprised by the request.
"Gordon said he couldn't go. It has something to do with Alan." Scott breezed.
Scott's words concerned him. What could stop Gordon from going to get John? Scott was the king of detail and overreacting to every situation. He wouldn't be letting this go unless it was big. "Sure, we can go as soon as I finish here." Virgil agreed. "Is everything okay with Alan?"
"He had a nightmare and didn't want Gordon to leave." Scott lied.
Virgil nodded, but didn't believe his brother's story. Fifteen minutes later he met his brother in the hanger of Thunderbird three. Scott was abnormally quiet the entire flight to five and back. The oldest was always stern, but rarely quiet.
Jeff had allowed John to leave five on autopilot for a few weeks. The older man had a business meeting at Tracy Enterprises in New York in a few days. John had a conference at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida the following week. Plus he had been up in five for over a month now. John loved Thunderbird five, but he needed to be Earth bound for a few weeks.
"What's going on with you two?" John observed his brother's body language.
"Nothing," Scott responded, "Why do you ask?"
John sighed, "Your both eerily quiet. Is everything okay with flipper?" John remembered Gordon was supposed to be Scott's co-pilot for this trip. Maybe Gordon had gotten in trouble for a prank. It made sense after all the stories he'd heard from his father.
Virgil laughed at his brother's nickname. Everyone always teased Gordon about his love for water. "He's fine. Alan had a nightmare and asked Gordon stay with him." Virgil informed.
"How is Allie doing?" John remembered how much Alan was struggling before he left to man five again. It killed him when his father ordered him to return to five. John knew Alan wasn't handling things well. How could he? The kid had killed someone.
"He's doing a lot better." Scott replied. "The nightmares have improved and the vomiting has stopped."
"That's great." John smiled. "Dad made it sound like Alan was struggling."
"He was up until Boston." Virgil explained. "Then he did a complete one eighty turnaround when he got back."
"Did Gordon ever tell you guys what happened in Boston?" John questioned.
John noticed Scott stiffen his grip on the controls. The oldest obviously knew more than he was saying.
Virgil shrugged, "Alan and him avoid the subject."
"Scott knows something." John pushed.
"Seriously? How do you do that?" Scott said in annoyance.
Virgil and John chuckled at their brother's frustration. "Call it a special gift. Like how you can sense when one of us is hurt from miles away and Virgil can tell when we're pretending to be asleep." John boasted.
"So what do you know?" Virgil urged. "I've been bothering Gordon for weeks and getting nowhere. I even had Kyrano drain the pools."
"I know what happened in Boston, but you guys can't tell Dad. I made a deal with Alan that this would stay a secret." Scott warned.
"Yeah, scouts honor, now spit it out." Virgil teased.
Scott sent his younger brother a scolding look. "Alan told Gordon that he smokes marijuana. That's what they fought about in Boston." Scott finished. "I caught Alan smoking in his room this afternoon. Gordon was with him."
"How could Gordon be so stupid?" Virgil cursed.
John's eyebrows arched at Virgil accusation. "It's sounds like Alan was the stupid one. What the hell is that kid thinking?" The blonde muttered.
"Don't blame Gordon. He was making trying to earn Alan's trust by keeping this a secret." Scott stood up for his brother.
Virgil had imagined several scenarios in his head. They had ranged from Alan having a boyfriend or girlfriend to him having some incurable disease. He had also considered drug abuse. Alan openly admitted to being involved with Wesley's business meetings. It made sense that the secret would be drug related. "I hope you ripped him a new one."
"It wasn't Gordon's fault, Virgil." Scott protested.
"He never should have kept something like this from us." Virgil argued.
John hated to agree with Virgil, but he could see both sides to the argument. Gordon had been trying to gain Alan's trust since he was sent to Wharton's freshman year. If John had been in Gordon's shoes he would have kept Alan's secret too. Alan obviously needed to let someone in. "Virgil, what's done is done." John settled.
"What deal did you make with Alan?" Virgil remembered Scott forcing them to keep the secret before telling them.
"I made him promise to quit." Scott resolved.
"There's a huge difference between words and action." John quipped.
Shortly after Scott and Virgil started the landing sequence. They were about thirty minutes away and were preparing for arrival. Scott stayed to finish the post flight checks while John and Virgil left the hanger.
"It's good to see you Earth bound." Jeff greeted his second oldest with a hug.
"You have no idea." John returned the embrace. "Where are Gordon and Alan?"
Jeff shrugged his shoulders. "I haven't seen them since you left."
Virgil went to help Scott finish the post flight checks. Jeff returned to his office to finish up some business calls. John left to go track his two youngest brothers down. There is no way those two could be up to anything good. The blonde checked Gordon's bedroom first. The red head was fast asleep and snoring loudly in his bed. John found Alan on the beach reading a book.
"Hey Sprout!" John greeted.
"Johnny?" Alan got up and hugged his brother. "What are you doing here? I thought you were stuck on five."
"I put her on auto for a while." John informed. "Dad is going to New York for a few weeks. He wanted us all Earth bound for rescues."
"He never told me he was going to New York." Alan commented.
John didn't know what to say. Was there some reason his father didn't want Alan to know about his plans? "He probably didn't want to bother you. It's for business." The older blonde offered.
"When isn't it about business?" Alan remarked.
John could sense the sarcasm, but decided not to push. "That's enough about Dad and work. I want to hear about what's going on with you." He waited for his brother to respond.
"Not much really, just school work." Alan remained brief.
"What about Boston?" John wondered. "How were your friends?"
Alan stood up and wiped the sand off his clothes. "Scott really should learn to keep his mouth shut." He snapped.
"What are you talking about?" John acted innocent.
Alan rolled his eyes. "He told you and Virgil. How stupid do you think I am?" He reminded.
John put his hands on his brother's shoulders. "It's okay, Alan. We're not going to tell Dad." He promised.
Alan laughed at the idea. "Maybe you should." He challenged. "Cause if Scott thinks I'm holding up my end of the deal now he's crazy."
John ran his fingers threw his hair in frustration. That was not the way he saw that conversation going. How had the kid caught on so fast? Scott was going to kill him.
Scott, Virgil, and Gordon were in the kitchen eating breakfast when Alan stomped in angrily. "You lied to me!" Alan yelled at Scott.
"What?" Scott was confused.
John walked in behind Alan and shrugged in apology. "You told me you weren't going to tell anyone." Alan restated.
Scott stood up and attempted to calm his brother down. "They deserved to know, Allie." He reasoned.
Alan pulled out of his brother's grip. "I thought I could trust you." He shouted. "I thought you had my back."
"I do, Sprout." Scott corrected.
Gordon went to stand by Alan. This was the reason he decided against telling his brother's Alan's secret. Scott was a fixer. He liked meddling in his brother's lives, whether it was his business or not. "Our deal is off." Alan turned around and retreated to his room.
"Can you honestly blame him?" Gordon followed Alan up the stairs.
Scott sighed, "I guess I should be happy he asked me to flush his stash."
Virgil shook his head. "Do you honestly believe Alan handed it all over?" The doctor inquired.
"I can hope." Scott prayed.