"Do you think Al would mind if we watched it? To be perfectly honest my curiosity has been piqued." Scott looked between each of his brothers scratching at his head.

"I'm game. What he doesn't know won't hurt him right?" Gordon chewed his lip in thought. There was so much that he and his brothers hadn't known about Alan, hopefully by watching this video…it would shed some light.

"Put it on Virge. I'll grab my laptop so we can watch it." Scott stood up from his crouch and walked over to the desk to retrieve his laptop from its bag. Logging in as he walked, Scott popped open the internal disc tray and motioned for Virgil to hand him the DVD.

Scott settled on the floor with his back pressed against the edge of the bed. Virgil sat beside him on the floor while Gordon and John lay on their stomachs on the bed above Scott and Virgil. Scott activated his media player and the first sight that greeted them was a DVD menu with a piano melody playing. Ever so slowly, a picture formed on the menu and it was a photo of a young couple holding hands. Scott hit play and the brothers settled in to watch the video.

An opening image showed the elderly couple Elsie and Hubert surrounded by Alan, Fermat, James, Edward, Todd, Josh a quote appearing beneath it. The quote read: "Missing someone is your heart's way of reminding you that you love them." The author of the quote was unknown. Just as slowly as the image appeared it faded into the background to show another picture. This one showed a young couple that looked interestingly enough like Elsie and Hubert when they were in their early twenties.

"What is this?" John asked from his spot on the bed.

"I think this is a copy of the slideshow that was mentioned in the death announcement." Virgil murmured while he watched the video, listening to the music that played in the background.

"What death announcement? Who died?" John looked at Gordon, confusion clear on his face.

"The death announcement was for the old couple in the picture with Alan and Fermat, Elsie and Hubert." Gordon continued to watch the video himself…he wasn't too keen on the music, but then it seemed to work for the slideshow.

Several pictures flitted across the screen, showing Elsie and Hubert as they aged; there were even a couple photos of the couple's wedding ceremony and a few photos of a pregnant Elsie. In her youth, Elsie was a beauty. Her gold flaxen hair was hanging in curly tendrils around her face, as she smiled peacefully at the person holding the camera. Hubert himself certainly had to have been quite the ladies' man, in his youth he had dark brown hair and blue eyes…he was standing at attention in full military uniform in the front an auditorium. The photo showed him saluting to another man in full military uniform while he accepted a pin.

"Wow, looks like Hubert is a decorated military veteran." Scott watched the video as there were several pictures showing Hubert at many different military ceremonies.

"I'll say, look at all those badges!" Gordon counted a total of at least 4 different medals.

"Look there he has a distinguished service cross." Scott paused the video so his brothers could see that Hubert was in fact wearing the medal presented to him proudly. Elsie was standing beside him and she was kissing him on the cheek.

"Wow." John and Virgil could only manage a one worded answer.

Scott resumed the playing of the video and all the pictures of Hubert in his military clothes faded to show an image of both Elsie and Hubert wearing graduation robes and caps. They were holding diplomas from Yale and were proudly presenting the results to the Massachusetts bar exam…they both passed with flying colors.

"Lawyers, I forgot the letter from Elsie to Al, she said that she and her husband were lawyers at one point in time." Virgil leaned his head back against the bed.

"What letter?" John again was blindsided by another new fact.

"Elsie wrote a letter to Alan, you were at the hospital visiting Allie this morning when we read it." Scott paused the video again before craning his neck to look up at his little brother. Scott rolled his eyes at the disgruntled look John gave him.

"Let's finish the video." Virgil manipulated the mouse and pressed play again.

Several frames showed Elsie stroking her pregnant belly; she looked very heavily pregnant in the last photo. The song changed from the first violin/piano song to a piano solo. The picture changed from the heavily pregnant Elsie to a picture of her lying in a hospital bed cuddling a newborn baby. She was holding a tiny balloon that had the words "It's a girl" written on it.

Throughout the entire song there were many different pictures that showed Elsie or Hubert wearing suits for a lawsuit or on vacation with a little girl who was quickly growing up. In each photo, you watched a small snippet of Elsie and Hubert's life, and before long it showed a picture of a greying Elsie and Hubert hugging a younger woman who was wearing a graduation robe…holding her college diploma.

"That must be their daughter Stephanie." Virgil smiled as he looked at the image of the young woman. She was quite beautiful, much like her mother. Both women shared the same blonde hair.

"Let me guess, Stephanie is mentioned in the letter that you guys were referencing earlier." John stared unblinkingly at the laptop screen.

"Yep." Scott, Virgil and Gordon all replied in unison.

One of the next pictures that came on the screen showed Elsie with tears in her eyes as she held a newborn baby in her arms. Stephanie was lying in a hospital bed beaming at her mother as she held the newborn. Like her mother, Stephanie was holding a tiny balloon on a stick that had the words "It's a boy" written on it.

"That must be Alan's friend Jamie." Virgil quickly pointed out. Who else could the baby be?

"I guess." Scott shrugged his shoulders. This video really only served to confuse him even more.

The screen faded to black to show a couple of white words. The words read:

In Loving Memory

Stephanie Marie Jackson Mueller

Born: August 16

Died: January 5

Stephanie was more than a loving daughter, mother and wife. She was a friend and angel, who will be deeply missed.

The words faded to black before another set of white words appeared on the screen. These words read:

In Loving Memory

Justin Eric Mueller

Born: July 5

Died: January 1

Justin was a hardworking man who loved his wife and son more than the air he breathed. He flies on his own wings now.

A picture came up on the screen immediately after the words talking of Justin's passing faded to black. The picture revealed Stephanie wearing a bridal gown and holding a two year old little boy with dark brown hair. A blonde man stood in front of Stephanie and was holding both Stephanie and the baby in his arms as the newlywed couple kissed at the wedding alter. Both Elsie and Hubert stood together at the wedding.

"Okay, now I'm lost. How can both the mom and dad be blonde and have a brown haired child?" Gordon asked with a questioning tone.

"I don't know, how is it that dad has brown hair and mom had blonde hair and they gave birth to a red head like you? It just happens Gordo." Scott muttered. It's all in the science of dominant and recessive genes.

"Okay." Gordon quieted down again. The video only served to confuse everyone more.

All pictures faded and almost immediately the only photos jumped several years. Suddenly there were a bunch of teenagers hanging out around the now elderly couple. Alan was among one of the teenagers. He was holding Jamie on his back and the two of them were laughing and making faces at the camera. The next photo showed Alan in the kitchen with Elsie, it appeared that she was trying to teach him how to cook, and it looked like a war zone in the kitchen.

The two were smiling at the camera, before the picture transitioned to a picture of all the teenage boys sitting at a picnic table in the back yard eating cake with the elderly couple. Hubert was wearing a happy birthday hat on his head and the elderly man laughed in merriment as it appeared that everyone at the table was singing happy birthday.

There were several birthday photos, each one a different person was wearing a different outfit and a birthday hat. One photo that stood out to the brothers was the picture of an elated Alan hugging the elderly couple all while holding a camera. It would appear that he was thanking them for the apparent birthday present. The thing to come up on the screen next was a video. It showed each of the teenage boys. Jamie sat in the middle while Alan stood behind him with his hands on his shoulders. Edward and Fermat stood on the opposite sides of Jamie and Todd and Josh were flanking Alan's left and right. They each gazed at the camera with a sorrowful gaze on their faces. The music quieted down, to a barely registered volume and Jamie began to speak.

"Grandma…Grandpa. I know that you two are no longer in pain, and you are in Heaven with mom, but I miss you. Words cannot describe how empty I feel with you two gone. I only just got reunited with you two thanks to Alan and now you are both gone. I won't ever forget all you have done for me, and I will love you forever and always…that is what mom always said to me before she died. Goodbye Grandma…Grandpa. I am sorry we couldn't save you two." Jamie's voice broke as he finished his dedication. Alan wrapped an arm around Jamie's shoulders giving him a brief hug. Edward hugged Jamie tightly after Alan released the younger boy from his embrace, allowing Alan to speak up.

"I want to start off by reminding you of a promise to both of you grandma, grandpa. I made a promise to the both of you when we first met that I would always watch out for Jamie. I fully intend on keeping that promise to the both of you." Alan paused to take a breath, before continuing to speak.

"Second, I want to tell you how blessed I feel to have gotten the opportunity to call you grandma and grandpa. Neither of you really knew me from Adam yet when you heard that myself and the guys thought of Jamie as a little brother you informally adopted each of us as your own. I will miss the both of you just as much. Please rest easy with the knowledge that I will always be there for Jamie, and will do everything in my power to be one of the best friends and brother to him. Love you grandma, love you grandpa. Goodbye." Alan finished his dedication with a gentle smile. The dedications continued to go down the line of boys. Each dedication was warm and heartfelt. The video faded to black again and white words came up on the screen. They read:

In Loving Memory

Elsie Mary Jackson Hubert Christopher Jackson

Born: December 25 Born: April 12

Met: October 31

Married: June 23

Died: April 26 Died: April 26

Elsie and Hubert lived a long happy life together and they are now reunited with their loved ones on the other side. Both will be deeply missed, but neither will be forgotten. They will remain in our hearts for the remainder of our lives.

Scott, John, Virgil and Gordon each stared at the screen, sadness evident as the sole emotion they were currently feeling. Alan had made a promise that he intended to keep. So far the question gone unanswered was: who was Jamie to Alan besides a close friend? The video of the slide show had really only answered that Alan had carried a close bond with a couple of elderly people and judging from the pictures, had close bonds with each of his friends.

TBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTB

Alan woke up with a yawn immediately followed by a cough. He blinked repeatedly, to clear his blurry vision. He certainly felt more rested. He'd had a pleasant dream this time, one where he, his family and friends were all gathered on the beach down in his cove playing a game of beach volleyball. His dad, Brains, Kyrano and Onaha were cheering the two teams on as they competed. Virgil was acting as the referee while the two teams consisted of Alan, Tin-Tin and Fermat on one team and Scott, John and Gordon on the other.

Alan allowed himself to smile calmly at the dream. He had felt rather disappointed when he'd awoken to see he was in the hospital…but to be honest he didn't mind. He'd rather wake up a thousand times in the hospital after having a relaxing dream as opposed to those terrifying nightmares he'd had earlier. No, he certainly didn't want to experience anymore of those dreams…they were some of his worst fears.

Glancing around the room, Alan noticed the time was around four in the afternoon…almost dinnertime for him and his family. He was used to having early dinners, but unfortunately…dinner in the hospital wasn't until around six. He had another two hours or so until he could fill the void that was his stomach. He frowned slightly when his stomach growled unappreciatively. 'I wonder if I can call the nurse's station for a snack. I'm quite hungry…breakfast this morning went fast. But then after being in the hospital for god knows how many days unconscious, I would imagine that my body would be ravenous.'

Inhaling deeply, Alan was disturbed when he heard a rattle in his breathing. 'Great! Just great! Now what, am I coming down with a chest cold or something?' Alan growled low in his raw throat. He was hoping and praying he wasn't contracting a cold. That would just make his millennium, get laid up in the hospital with a serious injury then come down with a cold. Alan rolled his eyes as he coughed again.

Rolling his head to the side, Alan spotted the button to contact the nurse's station. The only problem was…it was on his right side…and he currently had no use of his right arm. It was lying limply on a pillow, propped up to support the healing limb. Alan grimaced and stuck his tongue out when he looked at the incision on his arm. 'Gross, I look like I got shot with a bunch of paintball guns.' Alan's arm from the shoulder down to his wrist was swollen, lumpy and a variety of colors really brought attention to the bruised and broken limb. A majority of the swelling and bruising remained around the actual surgical site though. He tried wiggling his fingers on his right hand and hissed in pain.

'Best not do that again. Damn that hurt!' Alan gazed at his broken limb again and stuck out his bottom lip. He was hungry, and he was trying to figure out how to ring the nurse's station while stuck in his current situation. Biting his lip, Alan slowly lifted his left arm and brought it over his chest to attempt to press the button without jostling his un-casted broken arm. There was however another obstacle though. Presently he could not find his fingers in the mass of bandages.

"Damn it." Alan spat out. He was hungry and currently fate just felt like making his life hell.

"W-What's wrong A-Alan?" Alan's glare softened and shot over to see the person who spoke. Fermat was staring at Alan and he appeared to have just woken up himself.

"Oh, I was just trying to call the nurse's station…sorry I didn't mean to wake you." Alan grinned sheepishly at his best friend.

"No p-problem Alan. You d-didn't wake m-me, I w-woke up o-on my o-own." With his own bandaged hands Fermat managed to raise his glasses and rub lazily at his eyes. He still felt tired, but like Alan he too was hungry. "W-Why were y-you trying t-to call t-the nurse's s-station…a-are you o-okay?"

Alan shook his head in amusement at his friend. They were in the hospital together and still Fermat thought to ask how he was doing. The younger boy had been more like a little brother to Alan rather than a best friend, the two had practically been raised in diapers together…okay maybe not that young, but they both had been teeny-tiny when they first met. Fermat was four or there about when Brains and his dad met up and coincidentally set up a play date between the two children. Alan had been around six and took to Fermat almost immediately.

"I'm fine Fermat…just a little hungry. Thanks for asking though." Alan offered his friend a gracious smile. Fermat was lucky, aside from Tin-Tin he was probably one of Alan's only other friends that had been able to see Alan's true smile.

It's not that Alan didn't like to smile; it's just there were not many things that he was happy about. For starters he dreaded being away at boarding school while his dad and brothers played the heroes for International Rescue. Second, he missed his family and wished from the bottom of his heart that they could be up in the stands cheering for him at all his games or track and swim meets. He had been planning on asking them to attend one of the championship soccer games that were to be hosted by a rivaling school in upstate New York, but then the fire happened. How long had he been in the hospital?

"You a-and me b-both Alan." Fermat took the liberty to ring the nurse's station upon seeing Alan glare frustratingly at his bandaged hands and the alert button on the right side of his bed. Fermat's hands were bandaged just as much as Alan's except he at least had the ability to move his right arm unlike Alan. A beep sounded from the soundboard above the bed and within minutes Dr. McNulty entered the room.

"You rang young man?" Dr. Sam McNulty winked at the two boys as he jokingly made fun of a butler, even going so far to adopt what sounded like a stuffy sort of voice.

"Y-Yes." Fermat raised one of his hands to show who in the room contacted the nurse's station.

"What can I do for you Fermat?" Dr. McNulty approached the bed where Fermat lay and cast a cursory gaze over the preteen.

"W-Well, would i-it be t-to much t-to r-r-ask for s-something to s-snack on? F-For both m-me and A-Alan? W-We're both k-kind of h-hungry." Fermat gave the doctor an innocent look, adopting a puppy pout for extra "oomph".

"I don't know…what sound good to you boys? And don't say figgy pudding." Dr. McNulty chuckled as both boys laughed at his Christmas song reference. Alan unfortunately laughed a little too hard and started hacking. Dr. McNulty upon hearing Alan's cough; grabbed a tissue from a packet of tissues in his lab jacket and after striding over to Alan. Removed Alan's oxygen mask and held a tissue up to Alan's mouth…prompting him to spit out what he was coughing up. "That's it Alan, you need to cough all that up."

"What's w-wrong with h-him…is h-he sick?" Fermat winced when Alan coughed particularly hard, producing more of the smoke and debris ridden phlegm that had settled in his lungs after the fire.

"No, he's fine. He just has to cough all that crap that his lungs gathered in the fire up. Hate to break it to you kid, but you are going to be doing this for the next few days." Dr. McNulty held up the tissue again when Alan coughed up more debris. "The oxygen is helping to break it up, you need to get it all out, or you could develop a respiratory infection."

"That's disgusting." Alan grimaced when he caught sight of what he just coughed up…how in the hell had his body been harboring that crud in his lungs?

"That's survival after a fire. Everybody who suffers from bad smoke inhalation does it." Dr. McNulty made note to…as disgusting as it was…take the tissue with the phlegm to the pulmonary specialist. He would need to see it to determine whether Alan would need respiratory therapy to recover from the fire…scarring may occur that could be potentially harmful if it wasn't checked out.

Alan coughed again, but produced nothing more. He grimaced at his sore throat the cough gave him and sighed in relief when Dr. McNulty replaced his oxygen mask. His stomach growled again, reminding Alan of his hunger…or he was hungry until he saw what he'd coughed up. Now the thought of food was unappealing.

"How about some soup for you boys? Surely the broth will help to soothe your throat Alan." Dr. McNulty wrapped the tissue he was holding in another tissue before pocketing it. He would stop by the pulmonary specialist after bringing the boys their snack.

"T-That'd be f-fine." Fermat shrugged slightly…he wasn't particular to what he was being fed, just as long as it got rid of his hunger. Sadly he couldn't say the same for Alan. The boy looked downright sick after seeing what he'd coughed up.

"Okay, two bowls of chicken noodle soup coming right up. Be back before you can say Bob's your uncle." Dr. McNulty left the room after that and Alan and Fermat were left to their own devices.

"S-So how d-did you s-sleep Alan?" Fermat used his bandaged left hand and with no amount of ease…pushed his glasses up further to the bridge of his nose.

"Fine…I slept if that is what you mean." Alan reclined back against his pillow, wishing he could flip it over to the cool crisp side. Nothing beats the nice cool, crisp side of a pillow.

"T-That's good. H-How was y-your visit w-with John?" Fermat copied Alan and sighed lightly. That soup was really beginning to sound good right about now. Hopefully Dr. McNulty would hurry back with it.

"It was okay. I wish he hadn't made me say anything about the nightmare I'd had. I would have liked to just visit and talk about bunnies and unicorns instead of those freaking nightmares. They just give me the heebie jeebies." Alan pulled a face at Fermat and glared at the boy when he began laughing. "What's so funny?"

"I a-am so t-telling your f-family and T-Tin-Tin you s-said that. Bunnies a-and unicorns…r-really?" Fermat laughed and soon had Alan laughing right along with him. Now that Fermat mentioned it…maybe bunnies and unicorns weren't something he'd rather talk about…it'd be better if it was something like race cars or planes.

"I will plead the fifth. I can always claim the morphine had me loopy." Alan quirked an eyebrow at his friend…just daring him to tell anyone what he'd said.

"W-Well, you h-have a v-very convincing a-argument there A-Alan." Fermat rolled his eyes at Alan. No way was he going to really say anything to their friend and families.

"I hope Dr. McNulty hurries with that soup, I'm starving." Alan placed his bandaged left hand over his stomach as it released a monstrous growl. Alan wasn't kidding when he said he was starving.

"Y-You know w-what just o-occurred to m-me?" Fermat deadpanned, directing his gaze at Alan.

"I don't know…what just occurred to you Ferm?" Alan's rough sounding voice sounded painful and Alan attempted to clear his throat. It felt like one of those extremely bad sore throats…like the type where even drinking water hurt.

"H-How are w-we going t-to eat o-our soup?" Fermat held up both hands as he asked Alan the million dollar question. Both boys groaned as they remembered their bandaged hands. It's not like they could pick up the bowls to drink the broth or their spoons to feed themselves.

"Good question Fermat. Maybe we should have just asked for a stick of gum, I'm sure that would have stopped the hunger pangs until dinner later this evening…" Both Alan and Fermat looked at each other, casting a sarcastic smirk at each other before they both called out.

"Nah! Jinx, you owe me a soda!" Both Alan and Fermat erupted in laughter again over them jinxing the other. What they didn't notice was Jeff Tracy decked out in hospital scrubs carrying a tray of soup and crackers for Alan while following Dr. McNulty carrying a similar tray. Both men peered into the room through the viewing window and watched as Alan and Fermat's lips moved simultaneously, prompting heavy laughter from both boys.

TBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTB

Dr. McNulty shouldered open the door after keying in the door lock code. He leaned back against it to allow Jeff entrance into the room. Both boys continued laughing and failed to notice the two newcomers. Jeff and Sam McNulty just cast each other confused looks before shrugging. Dr. McNulty spoke up, gaining both Alan and Fermat's attention.

"Hey boys, look who I found." Dr. McNulty walked over to Fermat's bed and while balancing on one foot, moved the bed table over top of Fermat's lap. Setting the tray down gingerly, he quickly went to go help Jeff situate Alan's bed table and tray of food.

"Dad!" Alan accepted the gentle hug from his father, and gave one back to the best of his ability. He grinned at his father when he received the added hair tousling. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to see my baby boy." Jeff winked at Alan, smiling warmly at Alan's blush. Alan kept telling his dad that he was fourteen years old…that was too old to be called a baby boy and yada-yada-yada. Who cares, as far as Jeff was concerned, Alan would always be his baby boy. He was after all the baby of the Tracy family, and the last gift received from Lucy before her life was taken shielding Alan from the avalanche.

"He was kind enough to help me bring your snack to you two." Dr. McNulty replied as he sat on the edge of Fermat's bed, before lifting a spoonful of soup up to Fermat's mouth. Both he and Fermat shared a smile with each other when they noticed Alan's blush at Jeff's comment. "I was balancing your tray on my head and the other I was carrying."

"That would have been interesting to see." Alan quipped as he smiled appreciatively at the spoonful of soup his dad brought up to his mouth. Swallowing the warm broth, Alan allowed himself a soft sigh, the broth really did help to soothe his throat.

"N-Not as i-interesting as s-seeing him s-spill it a-all over h-himself." Fermat grinned innocently at Dr. McNulty when he cocked his head with a raised eyebrow at the boy.

"All right, be nice to the nice doctor boys." Jeff took advantage of Alan opening his mouth to argue to give his youngest another bite of soup.

"Thank you Jeff." Dr. McNulty sniffed as if he was offended at what Fermat said, but gaped at Jeff when he heard his reply.

"But you're right Fermat. It would have been quite entertaining to see that." Jeff winked at Alan when he saw him trying to stifle his laughter.

"Thanks Jeff." Dr. McNulty replied sardonically. He rolled his eyes and shook his head; looks like Jeff had taken the boy's side in this little banter.

"You're welcome." Jeff himself cast Dr. McNulty an innocent grin when he replied to the sarcastic word of thanks. "Any time."

"Hey dad, not that I don't enjoy your company, but what are you doing here?" Alan chewed on his lip and looked away not meeting his dad's gaze when the patriarch heard how hoarse Alan had become.

"I came for two reasons. One and the most obvious was to visit you and two…I came to check up on your headmaster." Jeff looked at him and knit his eyebrows with worry when he watched Alan's eyes widen in alarm.

"What happened to the headmaster? He wasn't hurt in the fire was he?" Alan became alarmed at the thought of anybody else having gotten hurt in the fire aside from him and Fermat. Both boys exchanged worried gazes as their friends and whether or not they were safe crossed their minds.

"No he wasn't hurt in the fire Alan. He had a heart attack this afternoon." Jeff brushed Alan's blonde hair from his forehead as he attempted to soothe the boy's worry.

"Someone needs to call Jamie, he'll want to know!" Alan and Fermat had thunderstruck looks on their faces.

"It's okay Alan. Mr. Flynn is okay, I was there when it happened…he got the help he needed and I just saw him a little bit ago, he is going to be just fine." Jeff gently hugged Alan, to get his point across to the boy. Luckily the heart attack hadn't been that bad, the headmaster was alert and lucid.

"Please! You need to call Jamie. His dad is his only living relative left, he'll want to know. Even if he refuses to come to visit his dad, he needs to know!" Alan pleaded with his dad to make the call for him. Alan would surely do it himself if he was able.

"All right, all right. Calm down Alan, I'll call him." Jeff looked at Dr. McNulty and watched as the doctor nodded his approval for the call to be made in the room with all of them present.

"Go ahead and put it on speaker phone if you want." Dr. McNulty called quietly from the other side of the room. He resumed spoon feeding his patient, and watched as Fermat's eyebrows knit up in worry.