A/N: Apologies, guys. I really wanted to get this posted yesterday, but I woke up with a migraine that took all day to shift, so I just completely noped out of anything remotely involving thinking.

Anyway, welcome to the last chapter! Featuring obligatory David Tennant cameo just in case my mum ever reads this story. Hi Mum! Please ignore the nudity.

To Guest: Thank you, I love the idea of them having their own space too!


Chapter Twenty-Three – The Next Stage.

It was almost lunchtime when they ventured out from Scott's room, fresh from second showers and smiling in a way that Gordon immediately described as 'sickening'. John was preparing to return to Thunderbird 5, the temporary hold on emergency calls lifted. They'd been fortunate that nothing had come through so far.

Brains was animatedly chatting to the hologram of a bespectacled Scottish man when they entered the lounge, and Scott dragged them sideways to say hi.

"Hello Scott, how are you?" the man said with a smile.

He had exactly the sort of geek-chic vibe that Maud usually found attractive, and Anne wondered if she could get them to meet should she and Viresh take a break. Then she realised that that was the kind of thought her mom would have had, and she silently berated herself.

"Hi Tycho. How are the Hypercar modifications going?" Scott asked.

"Pretty good now that I have Brains as a safety net," the Scottish man said. "Don't suppose you want to be my first passenger, do you? Your lovely lady friend can come too."

"Thanks, we'll bear that in mind," Scott replied, his arm warm around Anne's waist. She couldn't quite tell if he was being genuine or polite. She remembered the Hypercar incident having seen it on the news, but she hadn't heard the story from Scott.

"So it's definitely p-possible then?" Brains said, seemingly picking up his conversation threads.

"Easily," Tycho replied. "The ground work is already there. Shouldn't take more than a few days to install. And I'll do you a generous discount, of course."

"Oh, I'm sure that w-won't be necessary."

"What's going on?" Scott asked.

"Your father had an idea to install a modified version of Tycho's design," Brains told him.

"Oh? Where?"

"Apparently you have some underground tunnels that could use a travel upgrade," Tycho said.

Scott looked to Brains, clearly confused. Anne couldn't comment, since she doubted she knew even half of the routes underneath Tracy Island.

"You'll have to speak to Mr. Tracy," Brains said, adjusting his glasses.

"Well we needed to do that anyway," Anne spoke up, glancing at Scott.

"Where is he?" Scott asked, throwing a quick aside comment to the hologram. "Sorry, Tycho."

Tycho waved off his concern.

"I think he was talking to your grandma over coffee," Brains said.

"Thanks." To Tycho, he added, "Good to see you."

"You too, Scott."

Apparently that was all the information Scott required to find them, as he headed straight for the circular, window-lined room that Anne had forgotten the name of. Sure enough, Jeff and Mrs. Tracy were seated there, a plate of cookies on the seat between them as they talked quietly.

"You're hiring Tycho Reeves to upgrade some of the tunnels?" Scott began, his tone curious.

"I asked Brains if an upgrade could be done," Jeff said. "It was his idea to contact Mr. Reeves. Morning, Anne."

"Morning, Mr. Tracy."

"Please, call me Jeff. Mr. Tracy was my father."

"He used to say the same thing about his father," Mrs. Tracy put in.

"Which tunnels?" Scott asked, still hung up on the idea. "I can't think of any of our launch routes that would need an upgrade for that much speed. You know how fast the Hypercar can go, right?"

"He won't be building a Hypercar," Mrs. Tracy said. "Brains just thought we could adapt some of his technology. Something to do with floating on a magnetic field."

"I want to upgrade the tunnels to the other islands," Jeff explained, resting his coffee mug on his knee.

"How many are there?" Anne asked. She knew Tracy Island was the largest of a cluster, and that the Tracy family owned all of them.

"Eight, but two of them are too tiny to do anything with," Scott told her.

"We have tunnels that run under the sea connecting the other six," Jeff added. "One houses our back-up generator. The others…well, I guess we'll get to that eventually."

Anne knew she must have looked confused, but strangely, so did Scott.

"I didn't know we could get to the other islands except by sea," he said. "How did I not know that?"

Jeff shrugged. "I guess it never came up. I started a few building projects on some of them, but they were never anything for International Rescue, so it's possible I never actually mentioned them to you."

Anne frowned, trying to understand how something like that could have passed Scott by. He was far from unobservant.

"I figured those buildings were just part of the security system," Scott spoke up.

"They're that too," Jeff acknowledged.

"Tracy Island used to be a holiday home," Mrs. Tracy enlightened, clearly seeing Anne's expression. "The boys only moved here permanently when International Rescue was launched. There were a lot of years when they didn't get to come here for one reason or other."

"The Air Force kept me pretty busy," Scott said, sounding as if he didn't miss the old days.

Anne blinked, curbing her surprise. It wasn't that she hadn't known he used to fly in the Air Force, but sometimes she forgot that he'd been a military officer before becoming International Rescue's Field Commander.

"So do you have a project in mind?" Scott asked his father.

"Not exactly. But I have a feeling the topic's going to come up," Jeff said vaguely. Before either of them could indicate their confusion, he looked at them both expectantly. "Did you need something, by the way?"

"Well, we did need to talk to you about Tracy Enterprises," Scott said, sounding distracted.

Anne glanced at him, trying to decipher the spark of sudden clarity in his eyes.

"But there was also something else," he went on. "I was going to wait, but…"

He sent her a glance, and she understood that he wanted to mention their chat from earlier, even though she hadn't given him an answer. She trusted him not to jump ahead, so she gave a slight nod.

"I'll get rid of these cups," Mrs. Tracy said decisively, doing just that and heading out.

"I've asked Anne to move in," Scott spoke up. "She's taking some time to think about it, but we're giving you a heads-up now because…well…we'd like our own space. But I have a feeling you know that."

Jeff smiled enigmatically, and got to his feet. "Let me show you something."

Puzzled, Anne and Scott followed him down into the main part of the house, where he busied himself with trying to move an enormous pot plant out of a corner.

"Wait, Dad, let me help you with that," Scott said, stepping forward. As he did so, he glanced at the floor, and his brow furrowed. "Is this another elevator?" he asked, and for the first time Anne noticed the clean lines between floor sections. "How did I never notice this was here?"

"Because your grandmother put this triffid on top of it," Jeff grunted as they shifted the plant out of the way.

"I heard that, Jeff Tracy!" came a voice from the kitchen.

Anne moved to stand on the section of floor that Jeff indicated, and he pressed his palm to the wall. It lit up as it scanned him, and then the floor descended, dropping them into a tube-like space that took them beneath the house. At the bottom, they stepped out onto a concrete platform, where the entrance to three tunnels awaited. The elevator rose back up, most likely to prevent anyone accidentally falling down. The room was pleasantly cool, and Anne felt a faint breeze stirring the loose strands of her hair.

Scott looked around with interest, although there wasn't much to see, just the same rock face that was prevalent throughout the house and hangar. Each tunnel had a track set into the ground, and a simple transport awaited on each. It was just a rectangular metal platform with a basic handrail and a small control panel, and it looked older than any of the stuff Anne had seen in the hangar.

Jeff led them to one, stepping on and powering it up. Scott followed, his face openly curious, and Anne took his hand, unsure how the unexpected tour was relevant.

Once they were all on board, Jeff started the thing, and it began to move surprisingly smoothly along the track. It wasn't exactly fast, although it was an improvement on walking. Anne could see why he might want a small speed upgrade. When the tunnel reached a fork, they kept left, grateful for the low lights that lined the track.

At the other end was a small docking station much like the one they'd left from, and Jeff summoned a similar-looking elevator, ushering them both on. Anne wasn't sure who was more surprised when they reached the top, herself or Scott. They emerged into a spacious, window-lined room. It was empty of furnishings, but she could see the fittings of a small kitchen at one end. A single corridor led out of it, lined by a few doors. The décor was similar to the house on the main island, but not identical, indicating that it had been built slightly later.

It was, there was no doubt about it, an empty apartment. An empty, spacious apartment set into the rock. Anne closed her mouth from where it had fallen open, unable to quash the burst of excitement in her chest, the possibilities of what it could mean.

"I had these built as a contingency plan," Jeff explained, casting a critical eye over the place. "There are three more of them on the other islands. Figured some of you boys were going to want to settle down sometime without leaving the organisation. This seemed like a good solution. Just need to speed up the commute a little bit."

"Holy crap, Dad," Scott exclaimed, looking around. "This is…" He trailed off, sending Anne a hopeful grin, which she could not help returning.

"There's no rush on your decision," Jeff added to her. "I just wanted you to know what your options are. Moving in with a partner is a whole lot different when their entire family's involved."

Anne darted forward to give him an impulsive hug. "Thank you, Jeff, this is amazing!"

He chuckled, lightly patting her back. "Well, no pressure. If you decide the timing's off, it'll still be here."

She stepped back, offering him a warm smile before turning her gaze to Scott. It seemed too good to be true, and yet completely unsurprising that Jeff would have thought ahead enough to put something like it in place. They didn't stay much longer, as Jeff needed to take things slowly, and the short trip seemed like an effort for him. It had given Anne a lot to think about, and convinced her even more that she already knew what her answer was going to be. She just needed to sort out the rest.


Back in Los Angeles, Scott accompanied her to Tracy Enterprises to give his statement. He kept it short and to the point, saying that yes, Jeff Tracy was back on Earth, but he needed privacy and a long recovery time before he would be getting involved in anything. Nothing would be changing at the company right away. Then they had a meeting with Tim, where Scott assured him that his position wouldn't be changing any time soon. Things would tick along as they were until Jeff felt up to coming back. Tim looked sympathetic, if a little disappointed, and Anne told him that Jeff would most likely call him himself soon. Although they had never been close friends, as Tim had always seen himself as ranked below Jeff and maintained distance accordingly, Anne knew that Tim valued the relationship they had.

Jeff had announced to everyone at the island his intentions regarding his place in International Rescue. Although the boys had objected at first, they soon accepted it. It made sense, considering his condition. Anne suspected that coming back to Tracy Enterprises would be far less taxing, and therefore more likely to eventually happen, but she kept that thought to herself. Maybe Jeff really did intend to fully retire.

After seeing Scott off, left with his promise that he would join her family for dinner the following week unless there was an emergency call, Anne ventured back to the office and sent Mary Kate on an impromptu break. She could see that Viresh was itching to talk to her, but he'd been in the middle of a call every time she'd walked through reception, and she had other things to think about.

Tim looked at her in surprise when she sat down not at her own desk, but in front of his. "Everything all right?"

She nodded, clasping her hands and resting them on her knee. "I need to talk to you about the practicalities of me being able to work from home."


At the end of Anne's two week 'thinking it over' period, Scott brought her back to the island for a weekend stay. Although he burned with impatience to hear her answer, he forced himself not to ask. She would tell him when she was ready.

They had barely had chance to let her greet anyone when an emergency call came through. John reported a satellite knocked off course by a meteor, now on a collision course with a transport ship, and Alan stood up to take care of it, looking thrilled when Kayo volunteered to tag along.

Kayo had spent four whole days with the GDF, in conversation with her uncle. It was partly to help them with his interrogation, but Scott suspected she was also trying to convince herself that he wouldn't escape again. Without his cybernetic eye, the chances were slim, but Scott knew not to underestimate him. He wouldn't be at all surprised if the Hood found a way. Sometime. It was an uncomfortable feeling, knowing they'd always be looking over their shoulder, or keeping an eye out for the next enemy, but he was hopeful that it would come to nothing. The Mechanic and Chaos Crew wouldn't have caused so much trouble without the Hood's involvement, after all.

Havoc was locked up tight too, unable to do much without all her stealth tech and tricks. The Mechanic was serving a short sentence, being rehabilitated and using his skills for the benefit of the GDF under heavy supervision. Fuse, too, had been given a shorter sentence than his sister, and was being given the chance to follow in the Mechanic's footsteps and work towards a more worthy purpose. Since he'd not only given up his sister, (even if it had been mostly to save her from earning herself even more jail time), but also informed Kayo who the spy in the GDF was, he was considered lower risk than Havoc or the Hood.

Things had been relatively peaceful since the Hood's capture. Calls had still come in, but none of the rescues they'd helped with had been the result of troublemakers, just the usual accidents or human carelessness. It made a nice change.

Scott and Anne joined Virgil, Jeff and Gordon in the lounge, listening to the comm chatter of the rescue, but it was pretty straightforward. Alan just needed to nudge the satellite back into its orbit. When he was on his way back, Scott was finally able to take Anne to his room so she could drop off her bag. As he'd hoped, she wanted to take advantage of the privacy to talk, and they sat side by side on his bed.

"You're right that this seems fast," she began, "but…it doesn't feel like it is. We haven't spent that much time together, but the time we've spent apart was time that I spent loving you, thinking of you…you were never very far away from my thoughts. And with how often we talked…I feel like I've known you forever."

"I feel the same," he told her.

"So…my answer's yes."

Scott felt his face break into the widest smile, and she grinned back, reaching for his hand. He swept his thumb across her knuckles, squeezing her fingers.

"I have some conditions, though," Anne added.

He nodded. "Okay. What?"

"Well, I talked to Tim. I can do a lot of my work from here, but there'll be meetings and conferences that I'll need to go to pretty frequently, and I'll need to be at work in person at least twice a month."

"Okay," he agreed. "That's fair."

"Maud and Viresh are insisting on a monthly meet-up for drinks, which is ridiculous because we don't even do that now," she said, letting out a small, amused huff. "And obviously I'll need to visit Cathy and Mom occasionally. So…what I'm basically saying is that you need to teach me to fly."

He blinked at her, startled. "I do?"

"Yes," Anne said firmly. "You said yourself you can't be a Tracy and not know how to fly. If I'm going to be an honorary one like Kayo and Brains, that should include me."

Scott smiled at her reasoning. "Okay, but Brains can't fly."

"Even still. I need to retain some measure of independence," she argued, "and I'll have a lot of travelling to do. I don't want to use up someone else's time flying me here, there and everywhere when I could be flying myself. So I'm going to need lessons." She considered, briefly looking at the ceiling, and added, "And…access to your least expensive plane."

He laughed. "Okay."

"Okay?" she repeated with a smile.

"Okay. When do you want to start?"

"I don't know. When do you want me to move?"

Scott thought about it practically. "Well, you can move in right away if you're willing to share this room while the house gets furnished and the tunnels get upgraded. Or we can wait a few weeks. It's up to you. As long as I get to be with you, I don't care about the timeline. We can start your lessons whenever you're ready."

"It'll probably take me a few weeks to get organised," she admitted. "I'll have to pack, change my address with everywhere, put the apartment in Cathy's name, sort out what I'll need for work…"

"Okay, let's say a month," Scott suggested.

"Okay," she agreed. Then she grinned. "Oh my god, we're really doing this."

"We really are," he said, returning the grin. "And hey, at least it will be an easy transition. Can you imagine the craziness if Gordon and Penelope decide they're serious about each other? Can you see either of them compromising?"

Anne thought about it, looking dubious. "No," she said at length. "Guess that puts this in perspective!"

He toppled backwards onto the bed, pulling her with him. She laughed, leaning her clasped hands on his chest and resting her chin on them. He reached up and tucked her hair behind her ear.

"I hope you don't get bored of me," she said. Her tone was light, but he caught the strand of real concern behind it.

"It seems unlikely," he told her. "I hope you don't get bored of me."

Anne shook her head. "Not possible."

"I guess we'll be okay then."

She smiled, leaning down to kiss him, and he cupped the back of her neck. She'd mentioned being an honorary Tracy, but Scott knew she'd be a real one someday. Maybe not for a while. They needed to find their feet together first. But one day.

The room rumbled, signifying the return of Thunderbird 3, and they broke apart.

"Want to go break the news to my family?" Scott asked.

Anne nodded, pecking him on the lips before moving back. "Lead the way, Mr. Tracy."

"After you, Ms. Ashton."

She smiled at him, slipping her hand in his, and they headed out to make the announcement that would jump start the next stage of their lives. Scott wondered if he should feel smug, but he was too thankful and happy for such a petty emotion. He had his whole family around him, the most rewarding job in the world, and the woman he loved by his side for the foreseeable future. Life was pretty damn good.


A/N: So that's it for now! Scott's reflections about the Hood aren't necessarily meant to be foreshadowing, by the way. Just that they'd be foolish to underestimate him.

Also, I'm curious to know your thoughts on what Penelope and Gordon's future would be if they are serious about each other, because I'm pretty stumped! They're both so ingrained in their own lifestyle.

Everyone has been so enthusiastic about the idea of a sequel, and I'm so touched. Thank you, guys :D While my idea of doing one-shots is still on the cards, the little storyline idea that I had has quickly turned into multiple chapters, so I will have a think about what I'm going to do. (And I've just realised this means I need to come up with another title. I suck at titles!) I'm probably going to take a few days to try and get a few chapters ahead, and then it'll be up. I'll post a new chapter on this story to announce it when that happens :) Thank you to everyone who followed and reviewed, you guys are the best. Stay safe!