A/N: Hey y'all! So sorry that it's been so long since my last update, I've been studying like a madwoman for my boards. Keep your fingers crossed that I pass my boards and can become certified! On top of that I was taking care of an elderly friend and neighbor who has since passed on. I also have to admit that I was working on that story that involves bullying, I'm just cleaning up any mistakes I find as I read through it. It's a lot longer than expected, though hopefully it won't be a disappointment. I'm really nervous about it because it's a subject that really is still a real sore spot with me. Ten years be damned. It involves subject matter that doesn't really stick true to the Thunderbirds universe, but since when do a lot of fanfiction stories ever stick true to form?

I also have been working on another story which I am considering done, just making small changes here and there before I post. I'm trying to think of a decent title than what I've got currently but nothing is coming to mind immediately. If you check down at the very end of this chapter, I'll post the synopsis to the other story I've taken to working on among the many other stories I've got in the works and if anyone had any suggestions for title names I'll give credit to when I post it.

I don't think I need to remind viewers to stick to constructive criticism and if you don't like what I post...don't read it. Simple as that.

Enjoy!

Sad-Blue-Eyed-Angel 2010

"Alan! Virgil! Jeff!" Alan groaned internally when he heard his grandma's voice squeal ecstatically from the porch. Yes, she squealed. He never knew his quiet grandma could be so loud…or so fast.

Alan found himself pulled into a tight embrace and Alan was embarrassed to have his face smushed into his grandmother's bosom. He tried to ignore the stifled snorts from Virgil. It's not that he didn't like his grandma, he just feared seeing the look of disappointment on her face that he refused to speak to his father.

"Shush Virgil and get over here for your hug!" Grandma said as she released Alan from the strangle hold to move on to Virgil. The older brother smiled but Alan could tell that much like Alan, he didn't like being squeezed within an inch of his life.

"Hi, mom." Jeff said when he noticed Virgil's face turning pink from being squeezed so tight.

"Jeff! Oh, my you haven't changed!" Grandma said excitedly as she released Virgil from the hug to grab onto Jeff. She tenderly took his face in hand before planting one of many kisses on Jeff's forehead and cheeks. After she'd adequately covered Jeff's face in kisses and layers of lipstick, she finally moved on. "Come on in, don't just stand around out here."

Jeff gestured at his sons to go on ahead of him and he brought up the rear. Soon Alan found himself in his grandmother's homey, quaint and relaxing house for the first time in many years. He looked around, noticing his grandmothers many knickknacks, pictures and a piano he never knew his grandmother played.

"Welcome Alan, my god you've gotten so big." Grandma said before she took in that Alan was still standing rather than making himself at home like his father and brother. "Come, come on in and make yourself comfortable."

"Um, okay." Alan said unsure of himself as he made his way to the loveseat and he sat on the edge of the seat. He put his hands on his knees and sat with his lips sucked into his mouth as he looked around again at his grandmother's house. Virgil noticed his brother looked uncomfortable and he gave a split second of thought before he stood up with a flourish.

"Hey Al, let me show you the room we're gonna stay in. Normally Gordo and I stay in the same room, but since you're here we can share." Virgil said. He got Alan to stand and he smiled reassuringly at his younger sibling. When they'd gone up the stairs, Virgil closed the bedroom door so he could talk to Alan. "Hey, this is neutral territory. Just act like you do back at the house, I swear Grandma won't mind if you act like yourself."

"I just…I'm afraid that she hates me. I haven't been to visit her since I came to live with mom." Alan said, a little on the defense.

"Uh, newsflash kiddo. Grandma nearly smothered you in the driveway with her hugs. She loves you and she's always asked about you in previous visits. She could never hate you, unless you…I don't know told her you hated her first. But then she'd just love you more to change your mind."

"I'm beginning to think this was a bad idea." Alan murmured softly under his breath as he went to sit on the bed. There was a second bed just on the other side of the bed side table that was separating the room. Alan hunched his shoulders, lowering his head down marginally. Virgil could see the discomfort on his brother's face and he went to sit beside his brother.

"Alan, relax. You're thinking grandma is mad at you for not coming to visit all these years and I can say that that isn't the case at all. She may have missed you, but she isn't mad at you for staying away. If that was the case, I think mom should have been mad at all of us for not coming around to visit. She's just glad you're here." Virgil said, trying to put his brother at ease. A quick glance at his watch however told Virgil that they'd been M.I.A. for a while now and their dad or grandmother was bound to come see what was going on shortly. "Come on kiddo, dad and grandma are probably wondering if we got abducted by aliens or eaten by the boogeyman."

"Aliens and the boogeyman don't exist. You know I stopped being scared of those stories when I was six." Alan said quirking an eyebrow in humor at his brother.

"Didn't stop you from doing those running leaps from the doorway of our bedroom to your level of the bunk bed you and Gordon shared when you were a little kid." Virgil said with a chuckle.

"I was a little kid! Do you blame me?" Alan said, feeling more at ease now that Virgil had made him relax.

"No, especially since it was Scott feeding all those stories to you and traumatizing your innocent mind." Virgil said with a smirk.

"It wasn't all Scott, you and Gordo did it too." Alan said, lightly punching his brother in the bicep with an easygoing smile.

"Oh, ye of little faith. I was always the one that read those stories to you with those cute little voices." Virgil said, whilst grabbing Alan in a headlock and pulling him close. "Come on, dad and grandma are probably wondering if we came to visit just to stare at the bedroom wall."

"Okay." Alan said, unsure of actually going down the stairs to meet with his grandma.

"It'll be fine, you'll be fine." Virgil said before leading Alan the rest of the way down the stairs.

"Alan, Virgil – come sit down over here. Let me get a look at you." Grandma said, much calmer than she had been previously.

Alan and Virgil walked over to the loveseat and Virgil gestured for Alan to take a seat first. The younger sat once more before Virgil sat beside him and they became reacquainted with each other.

… … … … … … …

Gordon was sitting on the couch, playing a game on his cell phone when Mae came in from the kitchen. She crawled up onto the couch with Gordon and decided that because Gordon was there, that he was going to be her new cuddle buddy. Gordon gave pause when his lap gained the occupant in the form of his baby sister and he stopped playing his game to glance down at the little girl that decided he was the new jungle gym.

"Mae, what are you doing?" Gordon asked, unsure about having a toddler climbing all over him.

Mae didn't say anything. She clung tighter to Gordon and Gordon noticed a second too late when Mae's bottom lip started trembling and her eyes welled up with tears.

"I had a bad dream…I want Allie." Mae whispered, tears growing more and more as the seconds passed. Gordon began rocking the toddler, at a loss for how to comfort her.

"Alan is on his way to visit our grandma and he won't be back tonight." Gordon said, jumping in shock when Mae began bawling loudly. "Oh my god! Mae, please stop crying!"

"I want Allie!" Mae cried, growing steadily louder. Her crying and Gordon's attempts to stop her tears gained the attention of John and he walked into the living room in surprise.

"Hey, what's going on here? What's with the waterworks?" John asked, going straight over to Gordon and Mae before squatting down in front of them.

"Mae told me she had a bad dream and that she wanted Alan…when I told her he wasn't going to be back tonight she started crying." Gordon hurried to explain.

"Aw, Mae honey, it's okay." John said as he stood up, picking up Mae and holding her close in attempt to calm her down. "Ssh, you're okay. Alan will be back a little later. You get to stay here with me, Scott and Gordon…won't that be fun?"

"I want Allie!" Mae continued wailing, not calming down for all the money in the world.

"Tell you what, I was going to use my grandma's old family recipe and make some chocolate chip cookies…you want to be my helper? And between you and me, I'll even let you have some chocolate chips. Doesn't that sound like a deal?" John said, hoping to get Mae to calm down. It worked and soon Mae's tears were all but dried up and John was walking around the living room bouncing her in his arms. "There now, no more tears. We don't want Gordon pulling hair out."

"I'm not pulling my hair out." Gordon said, looking sad to be used as a pawn in John's attempts to get Mae to quit crying.

"You might have been." John said before he slung Mae up over his shoulders and began spinning around, making Mae squeal with delight.

"Faster! Faster!" Mae crowed, giggles prevailing over her sniffles.

"You better hang on!" John insisted before he started spinning faster, making himself dizzy and proving that anything can cheer up a cranky toddler. When he finally stopped, John had to hold on to the back of the couch as he waited for his vision to right itself.

"When will Scotty be back home?" Mae asked, using the back of her hand to wipe away her tears.

"He's at work right now, but he'll be back home in a few hours." John said, while pulling Mae back over his shoulder so he could talk directly to the toddler. "Did you want to bake Scott some of his favorite cookies?"

"Scotty likes choco-chip?" Mae asked, eyes going wide as she grew animated.

"Yeah, he's always loved our grandma's cookies." John said, quirking a grin at the large smile forming on Mae's face. "What do you say you go get dressed and we'll get started baking?"

"But I can't reach 'em." Mae said, frowning as she pondered over how she was supposed to get dressed.

"I'm sure Gordon can take you up to let you look through your closet. I'll get everything gathered for baking." John said while he walked over to pass the toddler over to his younger brother.

"Why me?" Gordon asked, more than a little stunned that his older brother had nominated him as the sole occupant to have to enter the domain of a girl. This however wasn't the first time that Gordon had seen the inside of Mae's bedroom. He and Alan had been talking when Alan had declared it Mae's bedtime a few nights ago and they'd continued their conversation while Alan had gotten Mae to take her bath and get her ready for bed. Gordon had sat in the bathroom on the sink counter while Alan had knelt on the floor beside the bathtub, bathing Mae. When Mae was finished with her bath, she'd allowed Alan to get her tucked into bed without argument and the redhead had glanced around the room at the designs on the wall.

Mae's bedroom was covered in all things girly. Her bedroom walls were pink on one side, blue on the other. Gordon thought it was odd for the room to be split into two different colors, but Alan had cleared up the confusion.

"Mom wanted to paint Mae's room pink and Brandon wanted it blue. I was eleven when Mom got pregnant with Mae and Brandon had just moved in with mom and I before the wedding. They kept trying to decide on the color for Mae's room and I told them to paint the opposite wall their desired colors." Alan looked at the walls painted pink, then blue before repeating. "It seemed like a good idea at the time."

Currently, Gordon was carrying Mae on his hip up the stairs to her room. When they went in, Gordon opened the closet door and started thumbing through Mae's variety of clothing. He flinched when Mae let out a squeal at a skirt ensemble. Gordon pulled it out, feeling completely out of his depth with Mae. Usually Scott or Alan dealt with her – dressing, bathing or bedtime routine.

"Allie got me this for my birthday." Mae began shimmying, trying to get Gordon to put her down. Once she was on the floor while holding the hanger her skirt and blouse were clipped to, she started pushing against the backs of Gordon's knees. "Get out, boys can't watch girls get dressed! Out!"

Gordon stuck his tongue out at what Mae said, but he didn't argue. He turned around once in the hall, only to have his little sister's door slammed in his face.

"Little miss too big for her britches." Gordon muttered under his breath before turning and heading back down the stairs.

… … … … … … …

Alan and Virgil sat near their grandma and dad in the living room of their grandparent's homestead. It was an interesting thing for Alan to experience. He felt like he was in the hot seat with his grandma looking at him expectantly as well as his father and older brother looking at him with a smile on their faces. His grandmother must have sensed Alan's growing discomfort and she finally stood up before Alan felt like he'd soon pass out from not breathing.

"I'd better get lunch started. You boys are probably famished after such a long drive." Grandma said before she walked over to stand in front of Alan. The teen looked at her much like how a deer might look at a pair of oncoming headlights. "Alan, what would you like me to fix for your lunch?"

Alan was afraid to speak for a moment, but he got his wits about him and he plastered a cheery smile on his face before speaking. "What did you have in mind grandma?"

"I was just going to make some of my roast beef dip sandwiches, you used to love those when you were a little guy." Grandma said with a smile on her face as she rattled off Alan's favorite sandwich from his childhood. "Will that be okay, dear?"

"Oh yes grandma, those sound great!" Alan agreed, he'd kind of stopped eating roast beef sandwiches; but he wasn't about to tell that to his grandma. He hadn't found anything wrong with the sandwiches, it was just nobody could make them the way his grandma had and after his mom and dad's divorce he'd felt like he was partly to blame so he hadn't gone to visit because he was afraid his grandma would blame him for the divorce.

"Wonderful! I'll go get those made up, just sit tight." Grandma said, her face positively glowing with happiness and excitement over seeing her youngest grandson again.

When Alan was left with his dad and brother, he tried to find something to look at in his grandma's house that would be familiar. He didn't expect to see a picture that had been taken recently. He didn't go to look at the picture, but he made a mental note to after his dad and older brother went to bed. His grandma was gone for about five minutes before she returned with a plate full of sandwiches for herself and her boys. They all sat and began to eat. When they'd just about finished their lunch, grandma turned to Alan and spoke to him.

"So, Alan, how've you been?" Grandma asked, her eyes alight with a kind of light that made Alan think of a mischievous person.

"I've been better." Alan admitted, knowing what his grandma was asking but not wanting to answer for fear of his wall falling and showing vulnerability. He didn't dare show his vulnerable side, not even his mom saw that side of him. He didn't trust anyone to see that side of him and he'd admit that he'd been weak before with Scott just after the accident, but he refused to be weak again.

"Well, what did you want to do then Alan? Did you want to walk out with me to check on the animals?" Grandma inquired as she tried to think of something that would let her reconnect with her grandson.

"Sure, I guess." Alan said more than a little unsure about going anywhere alone with his grandmother. Not that he thought she'd do something, he was just afraid she'd want to talk about things that Alan considered off limits. But he'd never know unless he went with his grandmother.

"Let's go then." Grandma said before she went to the mudroom to retrieve a basket. "I needed to pick up the eggs from my chickens anyway."

… … … … … … …

Once they were outside, Alan and grandma picked their way across the lawn to the chicken coop. Alan had never seen so many chickens before and while there was only about fifteen chickens or so, Alan still thought fifteen was a lot. He was rather hesitant to enter the coop, but his grandmother insisted he do so with her.

"Come on Alan, they don't bite." Grandma said with a smile. "They'll squawk and cluck, but they won't bite."

"Are you sure?" Alan really didn't want to be pecked to death by these hens.

"They may gossip but I can assure you that they won't be on the attack." Grandma insisted with a playful grin. "Come on."

Alan bit his lip before he entered the chicken coop and the moment he stepped in, he had an armful of chicken after his grandma put one hen in his arms. Alan wouldn't admit that he might have screamed like a little girl, but he still held the chicken. His grandma took one of his hands and made him start petting the chicken.

"Don't fear her Alan. Anna is one of my more docile layers and she loves to be picked up and carried around." Grandma reassured Alan. "That's my Anna, yes she's a good girl."

Alan looked at the hen in his arms with a hint of mistrust before he started petting her head with two of his fingers. She ruffled her feathers before she settled in Alan's arms and put him at ease. Alan carried the hen around with him as his grandma moved from nest to nest as she gathered the eggs previously laid by the hens.

"So, how are you really doing?" Grandma eventually asked Alan making him swallow deeply with a long sigh. "I'm not blind you know, I can see how much your mama and stepdaddy's death affected you. You don't need to hide it."

"I'm…I'm doing as okay as I think I'll ever be. It still…it still hurts…you know?" Alan admitted after another long suffering sigh. "I thought my mom would be around for…well I thought she'd be around until I was at least forty if not a little older. I mean, she was young. She shouldn't have died, neither should Brandon. I keep finding myself thinking that they'll both come home one day and act all confused because of how Mae and I mope around the house. Scott tries, but he's not my mom nor is he my step-dad. I miss them both and I want them both here."

"Oh, my dear." Grandma whispered when she thought she saw a shine develop in Alan's eyes that she understood to be the development of tears. She enveloped Alan in a hug and took to rocking him from side to side. Anna the hen stayed nestled in Alan's arms as he was hugged by his grandma and she didn't cluck in disagreement to being mashed between Alan and grandma. "I know the pain you're going through. When your granddaddy died I was lost for so long, I didn't know if I'd ever be happy again."

"How'd you get through it?" Alan asked softly.

"Well, I had you boys. Your mama was pregnant with you and I busied myself with planning a baby shower for her. We thought you were going to be a girl and so we were having a baby shower so we could get all things girl. You name it. There were tutu's, dresses with pink tulle, headbands with flowers sewn on, pink blankets and a variation of tights. Imagine our surprise when the doctor announced you were a boy and your mama and daddy brought a pair of pink footie pajamas with elephants on them. I don't think I've ever driven quite so fast as to get back home to dig though your brother's old boxes of baby clothes to find something to bring you home in. Your daddy was absolutely aghast at the idea of bringing you home in anything pink."

That made Alan give a brief chuckle. The thought that he hadn't been exactly expected to be a boy and that his dad hadn't just gone along with it and pretended that Alan was a girl just to have fun. His mom had intentionally used one of Alan's old blue onesies when she and Brandon brought Mae home from the hospital because she joked that she was used to bringing baby boys home and didn't think she could handle hordes of people flocking to look at her beautiful baby girl. Alan seemed to recall his mom needing a bit of an adjustment period when getting used to handling a baby girl instead of another boy.

"I still wish they were here though." Alan murmured as his grandma released him from the hug.

"Baby, you'll always wish for your mama and step-daddy. But you can't let them being gone make you put your life on hold. Your granddaddy would just as soon thump me on the head if I let my life quit moving along with the rest of the world and your mama and step-daddy would probably do the same. Smile, live, love, laugh…it's what would make them happy." Grandma said as she put age weary hands on Alan's shoulders and gave them a firm squeeze.

2nd A/N: As promised, here is the synopsis to the story I've currently got titled as "Alone in The Wilderness"

"Alan is just a rich, spoiled rotten teenaged boy with a chip on his shoulder. After crossing a line, his father has had enough and has sent him off to a military school on the West Coast. When the charter plane he's in suffers an unforeseen complication, Alan is forced to survive in the wilderness with the injured pilot by his side. Will they be able to survive, or will they succumb to their surroundings before they're rescued?"

As you can see, Alan is obviously not alone in the wilderness like the title suggests. So if any of my readers have any better suggestions, feel free to say so in your review or a PM. Hope you enjoyed this latest update.