The Enemy of My Enemy
Disclaimer - Thirty five chapters in and someone still thinks I own this?
EPILOGUE
TWENTY TWO YEARS LATER
Captain Jason Tracy, of the United States Air Force, gently settled his aged maternal grandfather in a comfortable chair off the lanai before sitting down himself. Smiling at Onaha when the long time housekeeper handed him a glass of lemonade, Jason leaned back, grateful for a moment's respite.
"Dad," Kate said warmly as she approached her father and son, still in her International Rescue uniform. "Are you settling in alright? Did you remember…"
"I'm old, not senile, Katie," the former FBI Director grumbled. Seeing the wounded look on his baby's face, Don Eppes sighed. "Sorry, Katie. This heat takes some getting used to."
"Yeah, well, Brains love having a roomie again," Scott smiled at his father-in-law.
As the other Tracys gathered around, Jason gestured to his aunt when Julie emerged from the house she had shared with Gordon for more than two decades.
"Aunt Julie? If your still heading back to New York tonight, can I catch a ride? I have to head back to base."
"So soon?" Kate wailed.
"Mom," Jason laughed. "I was given three weeks leave. Everyone else on the mission was only given a week."
"Yes, well, we know why you were given that much," Don said softly, patting his oldest grandchild's arm. "And I am grateful."
Jason had been due to spend a week in December with his family, since the Mars Mission was departing in January. The week hadn't been determined and then a few days after Thanksgiving, Grammy Robin had passed away. Kate and her brothers had decided the boys would take care of the legal matters, but Don had quickly been bundled off to Tracy Island. Having lost his beloved kid brother, Charlie, six months earlier, the death of his wife had been almost more than the elderly man could bear. Within the "Tracy Village" as Don had often joked, you were never alone.
Don needed that right now, something his sons couldn't guarantee their families could give.
"But Hanukah and Christmas fall together this year," Kate grumbled. "DJ got vacation for Christmas. All of the grandkids will be here."
"Yes, something that will probably annoy my in-laws," Elizabeth Tracy-Kearney, smiled at her cousin.
"They had you last year, Lizzie" Jason countered, ignoring the glare that Elizabeth gave at the hated nickname. "And at least last year we had Sam."
"So no chance of Sammie coming home?" Jeff asked as he emerged from the house, Tin-Tin next to him. Tin-Tin had been running command and control while a now retired Jeff – from both family businesses after a heart attack last year – had been doing babysitting. The "baby-sittee" in question, Jefferson Tracy II babbled happily in his grandfather's arms.
Jason stood up, snatching the baby and tossing him in the air. "Hey kiddo! Man, he looks like he should be mine, doesn't he?"
Alan sighed and stepped forward, grabbing his youngest child – and only son – from his nephew. "Well, he's not. And if you present your parents with a grandchild before a wife, they'll kick your…tushy."
"Sir, yes sir," the astronaut laughed before sobering. "She'll come around, you know."
Alan nodded, settling on a bench with his son. "Sammie was always fine with becoming a big sister before."
"Allaine," Julie sighed. "Samantha was fourteen months for Joanna, three for Valerie and six-almost-seven for Grace. She is twenty three, an age that she probably thought she was safe from becoming a big sister again. Even your parents had you when Scott was eleven."
"You know Ana Nevada had the nerve to imply Jeffy was secretly Samantha's love child?" Parker, Gordon and Julie's son, snarked.
His twin, Terry laughed. "Did you hear Sammie's response?"
Sarah shook her head with shared laughed. "That at five foot ten inches she had a hard enough time fitting in a fighter jet. Pregnant it would be impossible. And she's been in jets ever since she graduated from the Air Force Academy in May."
"Yep," Gordon grinned at his sons – Terrence worked for Tracy Enterprises, while Parker was training for the Olympics and occasionally doing rescues as needed. "Second Lt Samantha Tracy is a real fire cracker." Glancing at his younger brother, he muttered. "Wonder where she gets the temper from?"
Ignoring Alan's "her mother" and Tin-Tin's "her father", Jason shrugged. "Actually, she's a first looey now. Sam was promoted just before Thanksgiving."
"Already?" Scott said in surprise. "She wouldn't be due to be promoted yet."
"It might have been merit based, not time in rank," Jason muttered.
Alan froze. "Dammit," he snapped. "That was Sammie, wasn't it? The incident off of New York Harbor. The military refused to identify the pilots responsible for stopping the attack by those nut jobs. That was Sammie flying like a lunatic, wasn't it?"
Most of the world had seen the footage of a daredevil American fighter pilot soaring in, taking out suicide bombers who would have attacked the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island during a huge celebration for Veteran's Day.
"Uncle Alan, she was amazing that day! At one point she did 10 g's for almost eight seconds! That's practically unheard of. You should be proud," Jason argued.
"Yeah, proud right up until the moment they hand me a flag graveside," Alan choked out, holding his son with a quiet desperation. At the moment, Jeffy was the only one of his five children on the Island, Jo in Europe with the Grand Prix circuit, Val training in Boston Medical Center and Grace at Harvard, so his youngest was all the youngest Tracy son felt he could hold on to.
"Well, that's another reason why Sammie wouldn't have been able to come home for Christmas," Jason sighed. "What with the fears of another terrorist attack…"
"They want their best pilots ready," Scott, former Air Force himself, nodded.
"Just as we are no longer having problems in Europe or the Middle East, now we have to deal with some nut from Asia," Virgil grumbled.
"It was their turn, I guess," Keith offered. "Can anyone except Dad and Uncle Alan even pronounce the name of the group?"
"The Consumers of Death is how it translates. Some Harry Potter fan nick-named them the Deatheaters and now half the military calls its leader Voldemort. His actual name – which probably isn't his actual name – translates as Death and Darkness," Jason said.
Alan went so pale his family thought he would faint. Elizabeth stepped forward to take her cousin in her arms as Tin-Tin helped her husband sit.
"Alan, what is it?" came from several voices.
"Tin, do you remember that old woman on our honeymoon in Italy?" When she nodded, he continued. "She said "Tested by fire and ice, the son of a son of the earth. Brave heart and noble spirit, rage races against logic. Whisper death, but the heart remains steadfast. It will be you who will be the father of the phoenix, and that will stop the death and darkness of his victory.""
Jason now looked pale. "Uncle Alan, Sammie's call sign – It's Phoenix."
"That's just a coincidence," Elizabeth said before frowning. "How did she get that for a call sign?"
"Don't ask," Jason shrugged before gulping down some lemonade.
"I don't think I want to know," Alan said weakly. "Dad, can I apologize for your gray hairs now?"
"Your brothers contributed equally, Alan," Jeff said in support.
"We better go do the debrief, get it over with," Keith spoke up in order to change the subject. "And Uncle Alan? No point borrowing trouble. We Tracys find it easy enough anyhow."
Alan stood up to follow his family into the main house but stopped to kiss his son again, still in his cousin's lap. Turning to Jason, he smiled at his oldest nephew.
"Jas, can you do me a favor?" Alan asked as he removed the necklace he had worn for thirty years.
"Of course, Uncle Alan," Jason said.
"When you get back to Florida, give this to your cousin," Alan said, pressing the necklace with two charms on it into Jason's hand. "I know Sammie is still…well, being a Tracy…"
"So mule-headed," Don offered cheerfully.
Alan glared at his honorary uncle before continuing. "Tell her to put it on and not to take it off. Ever. Not until she comes home for good."
Alan turned on his heel and headed into the main house. Behind him, he could hear his niece and nephew banter back and forth and his son's babyish giggles. Turning once more, he saw the faint outline of a figure standing behind Jason and knew Tomo would protect his baby girl just as he had all those years before. With a nod to the brother of his heart, Alan headed back into the recesses of the villa.
If Alan had looked back again, he would have seen more outlines gather. Alan Eppes, Lucy Tracy, Lady Penelope, Charlie Eppes…The ones we love, never leave us and always find a way to keep watching over the ones left behind. These special people knew that the Thunderbirds may have been the protectors of the planet, but heroes need angels backing their play –
Especially when your name was Tracy.
A/N - OK, so I can hear some people saying even now "You can't end it there! What happens to Sammie?" To which I say, read "Baby's First Christmas" and "Angels Among Us".
So, The Tracy Stories I began with "Left By The Wayside" in January 2010 (Yikes! Five years ago!) is over. I am not crazy about this last one, as I feel I lost my motivation but I wanted to wrap this up. Nothing is worse than an unfinished story, right?
A lot has changed since this began. My husband was still Air Force, my daughter was a tween, and both of my parents were alive. You were all an incredible support to me, especially when my father died from esophageal cancer in November of 2012. You were great as I dealt with my mother's depression and then, as she recovered from that, her own cancer diagnosis in 2014. So I felt I owed this to you, to finish my series, even when I lost my motivation.
My Mom.
On February 15th, my mother, after a year long battle with colon cancer, died. While I know she is no longer in pain - emotional or physical - and that she and daddy are once more dancing in heaven, I not only lost my mother. I lost my oldest friend and the person who never stopped believing that I could be exceptional. And it still hurts so much.
So, I have to let you all know, I will not be writing for a while. Oh, maybe a one shot here or there, especially if Sammygirl1963 wants something for her birthday again this year. But I actually have an idea for a real, honest-to-god, maybe I can get paid for this, book. I want to try that.
Sammygirl1963 and Sam1 - you two are my sisters in my heart and I love you both. Post and I will review. Promise.
To all my faithful - I love you, each review, each favorite and follow, was a balm to the soul. Thank you.
All I can say now is write on, my friends. Write on.
Always,
Criminally Charmed aka - Alison (bet most of you didn't know that, did ya?)