Hey all, here's the next part.

Thanks again to JulesDPM for her wonderful beta work.

And a special shout out to JoTracy123 and Grnfield who very accurately predicted how subtle Gordon would be about John's lucky kiss. (Poor John indeed.)

Enjoy ...

Chapter 21

John looked out the window, attempting to ignore the annoyance strapped to the seat next to him. Gordon hadn't shut up about Cecily's kiss since they left the lounge. And they wondered why he didn't tell them about her upfront.

"All I'm saying," the aquanaut continued, "is that it would be nice if the rest of us could get some luck every once in a while."

"Well, you kinda can't blame her giving it to John," Virgil commented from the helm. "I mean, the guy almost never goes out on rescues, he's gonna need all the help he can get."

John didn't pay attention to Gordon's response, since he was too busy figuring out how Brains could install ejector seats in Thunderbird Two. And, based on the fact that this conversation had been going on for almost an hour, it couldn't happen soon enough.

"Mobile Command to Thunderbird Two."

Thank you Scott! His older brother's report from the danger zone diverted the conversation to what they would expect when they arrived. Of course, reports never did justice in situations like this one. The town had become a sea of crumbled buildings under a bed of smoke and lit by a dozen fires. Local rescue crews rushed around, fighting in vain to push back the flames long enough to save those trapped inside while victims and distraught family members waited for news about loved ones still lost to the debris. Pushing back his horror, John solemnly accompanied a now silent Gordon to mobile command.

"Glad you guys are here," Scott said in greeting. "Is Virgil ready in the firefly?"

"Should be by now," Gordon replied.

"Good, why don't you go prep the mole. John, get on some gear, I want you to help the fire crews."

"Sure thing, Scott."

John jogged back to the pod and pulled on one of their white protective suits. He grabbed the fire suppression gear that Brains just perfected and headed back outside to find the fire chief. Something told him that this was going to be a long night.

/O\O/O\O/O\

John huddled near the window, pulling the fireproof blanket more securely around the small child in his arms. The boy's mother sat nearby, her eyes wide with terror as she held a shirt in front of her face to keep out the smoke. The same look was mirrored in the dozen or so faces around him, the tenants trapped high out of the reach of the rescue crews. Honestly, it was a miracle John had made it this far, the collapsed staircase giving testament to that. Now there was only one way out; four stories straight down.

"How much longer?" one man coughed.

"Not long," John answered, giving the group a reassuring smile.

He glanced out the window, hoping to see the much needed rescue vehicle down below. Sure enough, Scott was just moving it into position. 'Not a moment too soon', John thought to himself as he could hear the building groan under the stress of the fires. He had to get these people out fast.

"You all set down there, Scott?" John questioned through his headset radio.

"Ready when you are," his eldest brother's voice replied.

"Okay, I'm sending the first one down now."

John turned back to the group, some of whom looked more afraid of the idea of jumping out the window than staying in the crumbling, fire ravaged, building. This must be what the guys loading the lifeboats on the Titanic felt like.

"It's perfectly safe," he assured them.

"Then you do it," one of the men shot back.

John wondered if he should tell him that he had done it, several times in fact, during testing; all his brothers had. But looking at the guy, who couldn't have been much older than Alan or Gordon, he knew it wouldn't make a difference. Fortunately, the oldest man in the group pushed his way to the front and stuck his leg out the window.

"Dad, no!" a woman shrieked.

She stepped forward to stop him, but her husband pulled her back. The old man waved his hand dismissively and moved out onto the ledge outside the window. Once he got his balance, he looked over his shoulder and gave his daughter a smile.

"If twenty-eight years in this man's army didn't kill me, I sure as heck ain't gonna let this darn building do it!"

With a final salute, he let go. John leaned forward and saw Scott helping the man off the hover platform and safely to the ground. He gave the, now hysterical, woman a smile.

"He's alright, our people caught him. Who's next?"

One by one, he filed the people out the window, all the while praying the building held up. But as time went on the groaning increased, and soon John could feel the whole structure shifting beneath his feet. Worst part was, the mother and child were still up there with him.

"Scott, you need to clear that platform now," he barked as another section of ceiling caved in nearby.

"All clear, John. Send them down."

"Okay, your turn," he said to the frightened woman beside him.

"No," she shook her head. "I-I can't."

"It's safe, I promise," John said as gently as he could while still being firm. "I have someone waiting at the bottom to help you down. You'll be just fine."

"No, you don't understand. I … I 'm afraid of heights. You go, save my baby."

John wondered briefly if he should just shove her out the window, but with the kid in his arms he wasn't likely to succeed. Another piece of ceiling collapsed, this one hitting John in the back and he grunted in pain.

"John!" Scott's voice yelled in his ear. "Get out of there! The whole place is coming down!"

Biting back a sharp retort that he was well aware of the state of the building, he took a calming breath and quickly assessed the situation. The boy was crying in his arms, the mother was crying nearby, and the floor was starting to go. With no more time to think, John shifted the boy into one arm, grabbed the mother with the other, and jumped. Seconds later, he rested upon a bed of air as he handed the boy and his mother down to the waiting rescue crews. Behind him, smoke bellowed out as the building collapsed in on itself.

"Nice leap, but you might want to work on the landing," Gordon grinned, as he and Scott reached out to help him down. "I'd give it a solid seven though."

"Not all of us can get the gold," John shot back, letting out a relieved sigh once he was back on solid ground.

"You alright?" Scott questioned, worry shining in his eyes.

"I'm fine," he assured him, holding out his arms to show the intact suit.

"You're lucky," his eldest brother replied.

Pulling off the protective hood on his suit and looking back at the rubble that had nearly been his tomb, John fully agreed with the sentiment. However, seeing the widening grin and mischievous gleam in his younger brother's eye, he wished Scott had phrased that better. But he wouldn't bring that up at a danger zone … would he?

"Scott," Gordon started, clapping him on the shoulder. "You don't know the half of it."

He would. Better find a distraction.

"Chief Meyer!" John called out.

He waved at the fire chief as he made his way over to the three Tracys. Gordon shut his mouth and took half a step back, allowing Scott to move forward to greet him. Not that John expected any different; they all knew better than to talk about personal issues around the locals.

"Well, it looks like you got the last of them," Meyer stated, holding out his hand to each of the Tracys. "We can't thank you enough for all you did here."

"No thanks necessary," Scott replied. "We were glad to help."

As Meyer went back to start coordinating the clean up crews, Virgil walked up from the direction of Two, still wearing the white suit minus the hood.

"We're all packed up," he reported, before turning to John. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm-"

"Lucky?"

Glaring at the snickering red-head for the interruption, John didn't miss the smile that had spread across Virgil's face. Maybe he should ask Scott if he could ride with him back to the island. On that note, his oldest brother looked thoroughly confused.

"What are you guys talking about?"

"It's … uh," Virgil started, coughing to suppress the obvious laughter in his voice. "It's really not something we should talk about here."

"No," John stated, glaring at his younger brothers. "It's not."

"Yeah," Gordon sighed. "Let's go over here instead."

Latching onto Scott's arm, he pulled Scott well out of earshot of the local rescue crews, successfully destroying any hope John had of a quiet ride home. With a frustrated growl, he informed Virgil that he would be waiting in Two and headed toward the open pod. This was going to be a long flight back.

/O\O/O\O/O\

Unbuckled before they came to a complete stop, John was the first one out the hatch and didn't wait for the others at the elevator. Nine hours of pulling people out of burning buildings, not to mention a four hour round trip with the clown brothers, kinda took a lot out of a guy. He stopped by the lounge to check in with his dad before heading to take a shower and was surprised to see Cecily fast asleep on the couch, still wearing her dress from the night before.

"John," Jeff called out in a hushed tone.

"Has she been there all night?" he whispered back.

Instead of answering, his father motioned for him to follow him and the pair went back into the hallway. Once there, Jeff swept a critical gaze over John, making it clear that Scott had given his report of what happened at the danger zone. Though appreciating the concern, the astronaut had other things on his mind than his leap for life.

"I'm alright, Father. What time did Cecily fall asleep?"

"Shortly after you left the danger zone."

"When we-," John gaped. "But that was less than two hours ago."

"Well, she was waiting for you," Jeff shrugged. "She asked me to wake her when you landed, but I thought you might like to take care of that."

John nodded and headed back into the lounge, while his father headed toward the elevator to meet up with his brothers. Cecily was on her side, curled into a ball of tulle and sequins. Her tiara and jewelry were sitting on the table above her head and her high heels were laying under it. Her hair had been let down and her make-up smeared, but she was still as beautiful as ever. Kneeling down, he brushed his hand over her cheek.

"Wake up, honey," he whispered gently.

She stirred, leaning into his touch, before he was rewarded with those big silver eyes and a sleepy smile.

"Hey," Cecily sighed. "I heard you had a close call."

"Nothing I couldn't handle," John stated, taking her hand in his. "Besides, I had a little luck on my side."

"I'm glad."

"So am I; but I am also exhausted and I have a feeling you are too."

"Just a little," she admitted. "Nothing I can't handle."

Chuckling under his breath, John helped her to her feet. Cecily paused at the table to grab her jewelry while he retrieved her shoes. Once all her belongings had been gathered, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and led her toward the hallway.

"Off to get some rest, I hope," Jeff commented, heading back to his desk.

"You should too," Cecily pointed out.

"Oh, I will, just as soon as I get a few things squared away."

"Don't worry," Grandma soothed, coming into the room. "I'll make sure he gets sleep along with the rest of you."

"Thanks Grandma," John smiled, stepping around the older woman before looking down at Cecily. "So, you weren't too worried were you?"

She glanced over her shoulder, sharing a small smile with Jeff before they turned the corner. He shot her a questioning look, wondering what exactly had happened while they had been gone. But the only answer he got was a warm smile and three simple words.

"Not at all."

So, what do you think?

I've already started the next part, but I also have papers due for all three (yes ALL 3) of my classes ... tomorrow. :P

Anyway, feedback is always appreciated and I'll post the next chapter just as soon as I can.