Alan lay in his bed staring at the ceiling. It had been a long 21 days since the fire took place. His dad and doctor just informed him a day or two prior that today he'd have to talk to police about what he remembered of the fire. He'd be taken to a reverse isolation room so he could talk to police without the threat of contracting an infection in his still unhealed wounds. Personally, Alan just wanted the meeting to be over with. He was getting tired of going over the subject with his dad and brothers and just wanted to put it behind him.

Yes, he had been severely injured and yes, he could have died…but that didn't mean that he wanted to keep rehashing it. Wasn't it enough that he still suffered occasional nightmares? Wasn't it enough that he'd forever carry some scars from his injuries? Wasn't it enough that he feared fire now - seeing and hearing it? Thankfully though, Alan wasn't going to be alone. The police officer said that Alan and Fermat both could have one person in the room with them for support and Gordon asked Alan and their dad if he could be there for Alan. Their dad had been a little leery about Gordon being in attendance, but Alan and Gordon had had a little bit of a heart to heart several days after Christmas and Alan felt comfortable with Gordon's support.

Gordon and Alan discussed Alan's need to hide from his family and while the both of them had argued a bit over aspects of Alan's life and decisions…it had opened up the barricaded bridge between the two brothers. Alan felt that he could confide in Gordon his fears about his surgeries and his recovery.

Gordon confided in Alan how terrified he'd been when he, Scott and Virgil were at the fire trying to rescue them. Both of them had been blubbering fools by the time their heart to heart was over and done with…and it was nice to clear the air between them. Gordon had been there to support Alan when he'd turned into a bawling baby after dressing changes and minor physiotherapy for his arm. He knew the pain of going through similar activities after his Hydrofoil accident, which made him the perfect candidate for supporting Alan during this police interview.

In hindsight, Gordon explained to Alan that he and their brothers had gone through his photo album and apologized for prying. Alan had already been made aware of their digging by Virgil and told Gordon that they'd done what he'd wanted them to do. He'd wanted to share the pictures with his family and although he wished he could have seen their faces when they saw the pictures, he had been happy that they'd seen a hint of things he'd been capable of before the fire.

Alan told Gordon a little bit about Elsie and Hubert, what they had been like before their death. Alan cried when he described the accident that claimed their lives and how he, Jamie and everyone minus Fermat watched their death and had been unable to stop it. Gordon had been Alan's rock when Alan talked about the funeral, how he and his small rag-tag group of friends had played the role of Jamie's brothers. Gordon understood Alan's need for close friendships. Even Gordon had had them when he'd been in school.

Scott and Virgil were returning to the island for a few days to meet with Lady Penelope & Parker and John and their dad flew down to Kansas to go retrieve Jeff's mother. That left Gordon and Brains who'd both decided to stay. Currently, Alan was waiting on Gordon to come back up from the restroom. Apparently Scott had allowed him to have a beer or two too much the night before and Gordon had a bit of a hangover. Brains, while he hadn't been pleased to see Gordon with a mild hangover, had understood Gordon's want to drink. He thankfully had come prepared with some strange infused tea that Kyrano had come up with to help Jeff when he'd had too much Scotch and had given it to Gordon to tame his pounding headache.

A knock at the door had Alan, Fermat and Brains looking to see who was entering the room. Alan knew it'd be Gordon…the doctor wasn't due to come get him for another five minutes or so. Brains stood to go allow Gordon entrance into the room. However when Gordon entered…he was gazing confusedly at a couple sheets of paper.

"Hey bro, what're those?" Alan inquired softly so as to not irritate Gordon's headache any more than it already was.

Gordon's auburn eyes looked up briefly from the sheets of paper before a hint of a slightly mischievous grin came up onto his face. For a guy with a hangover, he sure hid it well. Waving the papers back and forth, Gordon couldn't help the light teasing.

"Alan, you have a girlfriend?" Alan's brow furrowed as he looked at Gordon with a frown. Fermat and Alan shared a look before Alan spoke up.

"Uh, no. And what made you think I had a girlfriend?" Alan questioned as Brains conveniently shifted his gaze up at the ceiling when the three teens started bantering. He'd pretend he didn't hear any foul language said between the two brothers, if there was any.

"Says this little note." Gordon waved the sheet around with a bit of a flourish. "Fermat got one too."

"What?" Fermat looked at Gordon like he'd just lost a couple marbles.

"Yeah, just what I said. You and Alan both received a cute little coloring page with a note from a girl." Gordon handed the first page off to Brains who showed it to Fermat while Gordon went to show Alan his.

"I don't have a girlfriend!" Alan looked at the picture and noticed the childlike scrawled handwriting. The picture he'd gotten was a picture of Flounder and Ariel from the Disney movie The Little Mermaid. A little handwritten note in green crayon said, 'Hope you feel better soon. Miss you Allen…from Krystina.' Directing a look at Gordon, Alan rolled his eyes. "She's not my girlfriend…she's a little girl I met here a few weeks ago."

"So why the little green heart on the drawing?" Gordon pointed out a crudely drawn heart beside Krystina's name.

"I don't know…she's only about seven or eight years old. Maybe she likes hearts; God knows you enjoyed drawing shark fins after your name when you were her age." Alan shook his head at his brother's assumption.

"Hey I'll have you know those shark fins were awesome Sprout!" Gordon tried glowering at Alan but only succeeded in chuckling at the straight faced blonde.

"Uh-huh, right Gordo. My cloud drawings were much better than your drawings any day of the week." Alan stuck his tongue out playfully at Gordon who retaliated with a lowly growl. Both Gordon and Brains had to continue wearing a mask during their visit unlike Christmas day. "So where did you get those?"

"One of the nurses at the nurse station caught me when I was coming back from the restroom. Jennifer I think. She said these pictures had been given to Abigail back on Christmas day and they didn't know who the pictures belonged to." Gordon cast Alan a playful look, wiggling his eyebrows playfully. "They figured the pictures went to you and Fermat since you two had the only similar names on the sheets of paper. Of course the name on your picture is misspelled."

"Mine i-is too, b-but I know K-Krystina couldn't s-spell my n-name." Fermat grinned as he looked at his colored picture. "She c-called me F-Fermi again."

"Fermi?" Gordon snorted a laugh.

"Hey, b-be nice. I d-don't mind. S-She's just a c-child, there's n-no possible w-way that s-she'd know h-how to s-spell my n-name…unless o-of course s-she was f-familiar with t-that French m-mathematician Pierre d-de Fermat, but t-then I doubt t-that with h-her being u-under the a-age of t-ten." Fermat stated a serious look on his face.

"Yeah, besides…I'm used to people misspelling my name too. It happens and you can't slight her for misspelling my name, she is only about eight years old. Give her points for not calling me Alfred." Alan flipped his head to get his blonde hair out of his eyes. He was now seriously considering asking one of the nurses to give him a haircut. Not being able to comb it back like he was used to was really starting to get on his nerves.

"Okay, whatever…" Gordon moved to sit on Alan's bed near Alan's right hip. While Alan was still prohibited to move his arm too much on his own, he was permitted small movements. Alan shifted his arm to rest on Gordon's knee when his brother sat beside him. "So, do you have any idea when this police interview is supposed to take place?"

"Here very shortly Gordo." Alan licked at his dry lips, wishing Gordon could read his mind so he wouldn't have to ask for something to drink. Thankfully, Gordon noticed Alan's actions and retrieved his drink cup with iced water.

"Careful, you don't want a brain freeze." Gordon always hated when he suffered a brain freeze, but found it worse when one of his brothers got one too.

"Thanks Gordo." Alan took a second careful sip, only slightly miffed that Gordon had taken up batting for team mother hen. This whole fire incident only served to drive Alan insane. Or should he say, the fire caused his family to drive Alan insane. But Alan didn't show his irritation. Or he tried not to.

"No problem buddy." Gordon set the water glass back on Alan's night stand. Heaving an impatient sigh, Gordon began swinging his legs. He couldn't help it…personally he was feeling apprehensive about re-experiencing the fire with Alan…especially when he'd been there and had seen the fire in person. He'd felt the heat and came incredibly close to entering its fiery depths, when his only little brother came running out, his entire back – the tank top Alan had worn to bed being totally engulfed in flames.

Gordon gazed sidelong at Alan and noticed that little bit by little bit, Alan seemed to be regaining his normal color. True he hadn't retained the bronzed skin tone he'd acquired from their life on the island, but he looked less like death warmed over. Gordon could see Alan's charming smile properly now that he'd been promoted from the obstructive face mask to an oxygen cannula. Sadly, Gordon hadn't been as discreet in his musings because Alan caught him staring.

"What? Is there something on my face?" Alan crossed his eyes to look at the tip of his nose to see if there was anything noticeable about any funny features he may have acquired.

"No, I was just thinking of how much better it is to see that happy chimpanzee face of yours again. I was getting tired of that bulky contraption you had to wear." Gordon winked at Alan to show he was being playful.

"Oh, well that's nice to know I guess. However, I thought I was much better looking than a chimpanzee." Alan yawned as boredom threatened to consume him.

"No, not necessarily." Gordon shrugged his shoulders in mock disregard to Alan's comment.

"Well, if you thought I was good looking Gordon, I'd be a little creeped out." Alan quirked an eyebrow at Gordon.

"Hey, you're my little brother…and my partner in crime. Of course you'd be good looking…but I'm the better looking one and I'm the brains of the operation." Gordon chuckled good-naturedly.

"Yeah, right. You can't be both. You are either the better looking one or you're the brains of the operation. Pick one." Alan shook his head with an amused chuckle.

"Fine…I'll let you have the good looking bid, while I keep the brains." Gordon tilted his head and batted his eyelashes at Alan.

"Knock, Knock!" All eyes in the room turned to the open doorway where Dr. Andreessen stood.

"Hey doc." Alan nodded at his overseeing physician for the duration of his hospital stay.

"Hello Alan, Gordon." Dr. Andreessen greeted the lone two Tracy brothers before turning to the other two occupants in the room. "Hello Fermat, Brains."

The father and son Hackenbackers acknowledged the doctor's presence, before talking amongst themselves again. Dr. Andreessen glided across the room until he stopped in front of Alan's bed. The young blonde gazed up at his doctor, before sharing a look with his elder brother. Now that the doctor was here, he was beginning to feel nervous.

"So, are you ready to head on down for your meeting?" Dr. Andreessen motioned with his hands towards the door leading out into the hallway.

"As ready as I'll ever be I guess." Alan heaved a heavy sigh as he contemplated whether or not the police officer would understand if Alan didn't want to answer anything.

"Well, then…let's go get you settled and I'll go retrieve the police officer so you can begin this interview." Dr. Andreessen motioned for Gordon to get up from Alan's bed while he changed Alan's oxygen cannula from the main wall hook-up to a canister. Unlocking the brake to the bed, the doctor began to push Alan's bed from the room.

"G-Good luck A-Alan." Fermat held up his hand in what Alan could only guess to be a thumbs up, before his bed slid through the open doorway and out into the hallway. Gordon seemed to sense Alan's mounting apprehension and placed a calming hand gently on Alan's un-bandaged shoulder.

"It'll all be okay Sprout. I'll be right there with you." Alan looked up at his brother to see the truth shining strongly in his auburn eyes. Alan nodded silently…the butterflies were starting to flutter in his stomach and it was making him feel queasy.

"There's nothing to fear Alan. I know the police officer interviewing you personally and he is and will be very kind." The words Dr. Andreessen said didn't offer any comfort to Alan. If anything, it made him feel all the more nervous.

TBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTB

Jeff and John departed from their private family jet as they landed at the airstrip close to the Tracy Family farm. Grandma Ruth was expecting them, but it still didn't make this trip any easier. Alan had mentioned how he wanted to see his grandma again and it was after hearing that statement that Jeff realized he'd neglected to call and notify his mother of the fire and her youngest grandson's injuries. Thus the reason John opted to come with him as opposed to going with his brothers back to the island or remaining at the hospital with Alan. He wanted to play the role of peacekeeper.

"I know grandma probably has her best wooden spoon out..." Jeff rubbed a tired hand across his brow in dread.

Ruth Tracy had not been a very happy camper when she'd found out after the fact that her youngest grandson…her sweetheart, her Allie-bear had been severely injured in a fire of epic proportions. She'd laid into Jeff more than once over the phone…in fact she'd laid into all of her grandsons except for Alan for not thinking of her and how she might feel. They'd all felt guilty for not thinking of contacting their beloved grandma with the news, but she'd quickly forgiven them when she'd seen the worry lines deep set on all their faces over the vid-phone.

"Maybe, but maybe she'll just have her bag packed and be ready to go…despite us leaving first thing tomorrow morning." John replied in a hopeful tone of voice. He loved his grandma to pieces, but he had to admit that she had the ability to scare even him…despite him being a twenty-two year old man. Heck she could scare Scott and their dad and those two were two of the most fearless men John had ever seen. Even Alan feared her and openly showed it…not exactly a trait that was commonly seen in the youngest Tracy son.

"Somehow I doubt that." Jeff and John walked along in silence up the dirt road that led out of the air field and up the road from the family homestead. They hadn't felt it necessary to rent a vehicle.

As the father and son approached the homestead, John noticed a familiar face descending the staircase and hurrying towards them. Lengthen his stride; John met his grandma head on. He hugged her tightly and felt like the elderly woman would break his ribs if she squeezed any tighter. She was quite spry for her age.

"You need to put some meat on those bones young man! You are entirely too thin!" Ruth leaned out of the embrace and held John at arm's length as she gazed at his slim build. A smile blossomed on her face and she hugged her second grandson tightly again. "Oh, my boy. How I've missed you."

"I've missed you too Grandma." John returned the warm embrace with equal fervor. He had missed his grandma greatly, she'd been a positive female role model in his life in place of his mother and John missed her hugs most of all. Ruth pried herself from John's arms to turn to her only son. A smile only a mother could possibly hold for her child stretched across her face and she held her arms out, inviting Jeff in for a hug of his own.

"Hello mom." Jeff gladly embraced his mom and hugged her tightly. He'd missed seeing his mom on a daily basis like he had when he and the boys still lived in Kansas. No doubt if it wasn't for International Rescue, he and his sons would probably still be living within walking distance of the family homestead. Maybe his relationship with Alan wouldn't be as strained as it had been before the fire.

"Jefferson. I've missed you my dear." Ruth gently rubbed the palm of her hand down the side of Jeff's face. "What in the world have you and John been eating? You look affright! Come on, come in. I've got a pot roast and mashed potatoes and gravy. You will eat a proper dinner tonight."

Ruth grabbed John and Jeff's hands and physically dragged the two men into the house. Not like she had much of a fight to put up with though as both father and son willingly allowed themselves to be dragged into the house, and allowed the spry elder woman to physically push them into the available seats at the table.

Ruth busied herself with preparing two plates of dinner and set them in front of her boys. Grabbing a dinner roll each from the basket in the middle of the table, she laid them on the plates before retrieving a fork and knife for each man. John and Jeff just sat quietly waiting as Ruth fixed her own plate of dinner before digging in.

"Well, what are you two waiting for?" Ruth set her plate on the table as she turned to retrieve a pitcher of lemonade from the refrigerator.

"I wasn't raised to eat when everyone wasn't at the table." Jeff replied as he looked over at his mother with an impish grin.

"Well, at least it's nice to know some of what your father and I taught you stuck in that brain of yours." Ruth poured herself and the guys a tall glass of lemonade before sitting down before her son and grandson. "Well, let's eat. It's no good when it's cold."

"Yes ma'am." John and Jeff replied. The three of them started eating their meal in silence. Jeff had raised his boys that when a lady was at the table, to not talk while eating…as his sons all had a bad habit of talking with food in their mouth. They'd all worked hard to control their habit of talking and eating at the same time, but lessons taught had a way of making a mark. As they finished their meal, Ruth was the first to break the silence.

"I hope you boys saved some room for a bite of one of my apple pies. I just pulled it out of the oven when you two arrived." Ruth took John and Jeff's empty plates and took them to the kitchen to rinse off.

"Yes mother." Jeff replied. No matter how full he felt, he couldn't possibly turn up the offer to have a slice of one of his mother's homemade apple pies.

"As much as my stomach is saying no Grandma, I'm going to have to say yes. There's no passing up the opportunity to have a slice of freshly baked homemade apple pie." John leaned back in his chair and rubbed at his stomach. His grandma gave him too much dinner, but he'd put up with the stomach ache for a slice of Grandma's pie. He'd missed eating them and to be perfectly honest, even though his grandma had given Onaha the recipe to her pies…nothing beats one of grandma's pies. Unless you counted a slice of Onaha's mixed berry cobbler. Oh who was he kidding…Grandma's homemade pies were some of the best.

"All right dears." Ruth turned around and placed two small plates with a slice of pie and a scoop of freshly made vanilla ice cream in front of both John and Jeff. "Tuck in."

"Thank you grandma." John adopted a look of glee as the taste of his grandma's pie melted over his tongue.

"Yes, thank you mom." Jeff grinned at his mom as he savored the wonderful taste of his favorite ice cream flavor. He'd always loved his mother's home made vanilla ice cream…store bought just didn't taste as good. Same as the pie.

"You're welcome." Ruth watched Jeff and John with a tranquil smile as they polished off their dessert. As Ruth stood to gather the plates, Jeff motioned that he'd do it.

"Mom, I've got it." Jeff collected his plate and John's before leaving the table. "John if you want, you can go catch a nap since you flew here."

John picked up the hint that his dad wanted to talk in private with Grandma Ruth. Nodding silently, John retrieved his unfinished glass of lemonade and hugged his grandma before slinking up stairs to the bedroom that had been built for him. Each of his brothers had a room specially added on to the house from when they were babies and like each of the boys…the rooms had grown up with them.

Shutting his bedroom door, John looked around. The room didn't have even a hint of dust and the windows remained open to allow the room to air out and get rid of that stuffy feeling despite the light dusting of snow outside. Approaching his bed, John fell onto it dramatically. It felt nice to lay on a bed that felt familiar to him. Nothing against the one at the hotel or anything, it's just that their beds weren't the same. He didn't have to share this one for starters.

Rolling over to clutch at his pillow, John gazed across the room at his book shelf. He had at least three copies of every book he'd deemed to be his favorite and one copy he kept here on the family homestead, one copy in his bedroom back on the island and one copy up on Thunderbird five. He'd spied one book in particular and stood to retrieve it. This book was special though…because it wasn't an actual book and there was only one.

Opening the cover, John found a pile of pictures as well as a lock of hair in a small plastic bag. The doctors at the hospital had given a lock of hair from their mother to each of the boys when she'd died…everyone except for Alan. John and each of his brothers hid their individual locks of hair where only they knew where they were. This particular lock of hair though he'd gotten for Alan. He could remember when the doctor handed each of them a small plastic bag with a lock of golden blonde hair, how upset he'd been when the doctor had forgotten to retrieve a lock for the baby Tracy that wasn't expected to survive.

Alan had been in the hospital then too. He'd been rushed to the emergency room after the avalanche buried him and their mother for close to 45 minutes. Jeff and the boys had all been told that Alan wasn't likely to survive, since he'd been buried just as long as Lucy and had been without oxygen for over fifteen minutes…it'd be a miracle if he lived with no lasting brain damage from lack of oxygen. The three year old had suffered a compound fracture in his ulna and needed immediate surgery to fix his arm. Jeff had insisted that whether Alan died or not, that he wanted Alan to have his arm fixed. So while Alan had been in surgery to repair his broken arm, John asked a nurse to go get a lock of hair from his dead mother to give to his baby brother. She'd done so willingly and returned with one of his mother's blonde curls.

John had never given the lock of hair to Alan, because at the time…he'd been just a baby. He didn't know what to do with a lock of his mother's hair. So John kept it, for a time when it'd be right to give to the young blonde that looked so much like their mother. If Alan had been born with the honey burnt brown eyes that Virgil carried, he'd be the exact replica of their dearly departed mother. But, he'd been fortunate to share John's sapphire blue eyes.

Flipping through the pictures, John found a copy of a picture of his mother mere minutes after Alan had been born. She looked tired, but that stood to reason. According to stories their dad told, Alan's birth had been the most difficult for their mother. Not only because he'd been born premature like Gordon, but he'd been born in the breech position. Doctors wanted to do an emergency C-section, but they couldn't because Alan was already in the birth canal and to do so might have paralyzed him.

"Oh mom…I wish you were here now. Maybe you could get Allie to open up more…the more me and the guys try, the more walls he puts up." John removed a picture of his mother from his little keepsake box/book. This picture was his mother again holding a baby Alan. They were at a family reunion/birthday party and Alan had just turned a year old. Lucy and Alan were both wearing party hats and Lucy was beaming at the camera while her youngest son settled on drooling on her arm. Lying back against his pillows, John held the picture close to his heart as he drifted off into sleep. 'I miss you mom.'

TBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTB

"I just don't know what to do with him mom." Jeff sank heavily onto the couch in his mother's living room. "He seems different since the fire. More clingy, but he's also more distant. It's really starting to concern me. Not to mention the effect it's having on the boys."

Ruth moved to sit beside her son on the couch. She could see that this whole thing was tearing him up, but didn't quite know what to say. Her son was a very strong willed man, had been raised to have nerves of steel, but deep down she knew her Jeff was feeling lost. Who wouldn't after watching their child, their youngest child face such frightening situations. She herself had felt lost after watching Jeff have his heart practically ripped out at the death of the love of his life.

"I suppose the only thing would be to give in to those clingy desires Jeff. He's just a boy, but he's stuck in the hospital. I don't know anybody that enjoys being left there." Ruth placed a sure hand on Jeff's knee. "All he needs is reassurance. From what I can gather of what you told me last week on the phone, Alan is facing multiple surgeries, countless physical therapy appointments and he's frightened of what to expect."

"Yeah. It's just…Alan has never been one to show his insecurities. To see them now, it's kind of mind-blowing. He seems like an entirely different person." Jeff leaned forward and placed his elbows on his knees. "Did you know he'd picked up a photography hobby? Scott and the boys were showing me pictures he'd taken and that boy is just like Virgil…a keen eye for art."

"He's his own person Jeff." Ruth looked over at her son, before patting his knee. "He just needs time to adjust. There's so much going on for him right now, of course he'd seem different."

Jeff nodded mutely at what his mother said. She had a way of making him see things from a different perspective. That was what made him turn to her for the occasional parental advice, despite most of his sons being full grown adults.

"Now, what was this about photography?" Ruth grinned, a pleased glint in her eye.

"Alan has quite the eye for landscapes and people. The boys were showing me photos he'd taken and the pictures honestly look like someone professional took them." Jeff grinned slightly as he recalled the pictures he'd been shown. One photo is particular that he'd found breathtaking was a snapshot of an elm tree on campus…the photo had been taken sometime around sunset. The light was shining through the leaves, and the sky in the background was an elegant orange with a hint of pink and purple. "Not only that, but the camera seems to love Alan as well."

"Oh, do tell?" Ruth prompted Jeff to continue speaking.

"There's a picture of Alan and he's sitting on the seat beside his window sill in his dorm. Al, he seems to be lost in thought. He's relaxed and gazing out the window. Knees pulled up to his chest, arms wrapped around his legs and he's smiling." Jeff grinned again as he thought of the picture, before the smile fell. "It's a smile I haven't seen in a long time. He looks just like Lucy in the photo."

"Well, you always did say Alan was the spitting image of Lucy." Ruth smiled sadly her voice wistful at the continued comparison of her youngest grandson to her dearly departed daughter in law. She just couldn't seem to get Jeff to understand that to constantly compare Alan to someone he has no memory of; it has a way of making a person feel inadequate.

"But I mean he seriously does look like Lucy. If he had a long blonde braid draped over his shoulder he'd be his mother made over." Jeff smiled sadly himself as he recalled the love of his life. "It's the smile that does it. Lucy's smile."

"Jeff, is there something you aren't telling me?" Ruth picked up on Jeff's down mood.

"No point in hiding it I suppose." Jeff sighed heavily. "Alan's still having nightmares."

"So? It's to be expected, especially after a traumatic ordeal such as his escape from the fire." Ruth shook her head. "You and each of the boys had your share of nightmares after the avalanche."

"But these nightmares are different mom." Jeff rubbed his eyes, trying to chase away the feeling of fatigue. "They've become something like night terrors. Alan isn't sleeping as much, so he looks tired constantly, and then he'll fall asleep during our visits and wakes up screaming occasionally. Then he starts crying, begging whoever is there with him to stay."

"Oh Jeff." Ruth gazed at her son sadly…this whole thing, the fire, the hospital stay, Alan's recovery, trying to be there for each of his sons, it was starting to draw on Jeff. "Listen. Why don't you stay here a few days. We can change the flight back from tomorrow to three days from now and you and John just relax and focus on getting some sleep."

"I can't do that to you mom. I know you've been itching to see Alan since I called and told you of the fire." Jeff tried to refuse.

"Jefferson, I have been just fine with not seeing Alan. True I can't wait to get my hands on him and give him lots of hugs and kisses, but I don't need you and John running yourselves into the ground." Ruth took Jeff's hand firmly in hers. "Just get some sleep and in a few days we'll go. Gordon and Hiram can handle Fermat and Alan for a couple of days. Please, do it for me and if not for me…then do it for Alan? He needs some space too."

Jeff thought of how Alan was acting. He seemed to be clingy from time to time, but then he also seemed distant. When Alan got into those distant moods, it was almost pointless to even go visit Alan, because he wouldn't talk. He'd just sit and stare into oblivion…almost like he'd become a prisoner in his own mind. Alan hopefully wouldn't get mad over not being able to see his grandma any sooner.

"Okay mom. We'll stay here for a few days." Jeff smiled tiredly at his mom.

"Good." Ruth stood up. "Now, off to bed with you. You've had a long day and you need some sleep."

"Yes mom." Jeff stood up also and walked out of the room slowly.

"I'll bring you a glass of warm milk if you'd like." Ruth made to go into the kitchen. "It'll help you go to sleep."

"Sure mom." Jeff nodded gratefully at the elder woman. She still had a tendency to treat him like a child, but with the way he'd been feeling here recently…he could certainly use being coddled by his mom. "Thanks."

"No problem Jeff. Now go get ready for bed." Ruth tutted after Jeff.

"I'm going, I'm going." Jeff left the living room and made his way upstairs. Stopping briefly outside of John's room, he listened for any signs that his stargazer was still awake. Not hearing anything, he opened the door and peered inside.

John was curled up in a ball, his shoes still on and he was sound asleep. Jeff gingerly stepped into the room and removed John's shoes before he pulled the duvet up over John to ward off the cold night. The window was still open from earlier and Jeff closed it, before noticing a picture lying on the ground. Stooping to pick it up, he smiled warmly at the picture of his beloved wife and youngest son. Jeff remembered taking that picture. Lucy hadn't been in that good of a mood because she couldn't hold her son…everyone at the family reunion was hogging Alan and Jeff managed to wrangle his youngest and return him to his mother. She'd beamed at him happily now that she could cuddle Alan and he'd snapped a picture of her big smile.

Setting the picture on John's desk, Jeff gently smoothed John's platinum hair back before leaving the room. "Good night son. Hope you have pleasant dreams."