Before letting the boys out the car and loose within the confines of the airport, Grandma decides that they all need a lecture in safety. It is the lecture they have all heard hundreds of times before. Scott can recite it in his sleep!

"Listen up boys, because I am only going to go through this once, and anyone who breaks a rule will spend the entire trip in this harness being walked around the airport by me! Scott Stop Mouthing Along!" She adds, holding up the set of baby reins.

"Alan and Gordon, you will both stay within either mine or Scotts sight at all times, you will be polite and respectful at all times. If we get separated you will report to airport security and they will call me over the loudspeaker for me to come and collect you. Any attempted pranking will result in punishment, and any successful pranking will result in all of you being punished no matter who was the instigator. Seriously Scott stop it!"

"Sure, your lecture is done anyway!" Scott replies laughing. "You will need to repeat it later, Gordon is still asleep"

"just get your cases and stand by the car" Grandma replies, releasing the locks on the door so they can get out.

"Gordo, we are here its time to get up" Virgil tells him, gently shaking him awake.

"How? Grandma said we had to fly there, and we never got on the plane!" Gordon replies, his voice thick with sleep, letting the hoodie fall from his shoulders, looking beyond Virgil and out the window.

"We are at the airport, dad is meeting us in New Zealand, and then we are going to the Island on the family jet, remember?" Virgil tells him.

"Yeah sure" Gordon replies, "did Grandma give her lecture already?" he adds in a whisper just in case he has missed it and she starts up again!

"Yeah" Virgil whispers back. "Come on, lets get out of this car, and stretch our legs for a bit"

The airport is crowded with the early morning rush, people darting in all directions. Families on vacation, businessmen and women smartly dressed pulling impossibly small suitcases on tiny trundly wheels, speaking into wireless headsets in multiple languages.

Alan can't stop staring at everyone, fascinated by all the people, and the noise.

Together the 6 of them check in their bags and go to security. Gordons leg sets of the metal detectors, but a quick conversation with Grandma saves him from a complete search, his carry-on bag is not so fortunate as the X-Ray machine picks up a small skeletal body, which leads to a full search of his bag.

"GORDON COOPER TRACY!" Grandma can be heard yelling from the other side of the airport lounge, as a large wolf spider in a jar is taken from the bag.

"You are in so much trouble young man, for the rest of the trip you don't speak unless you are spoken too, you are lucky I am still allowing you to breathe! Why would you do something not only dangerous but illegal?" she questions once she is done lecturing him. The spider having been taken away.

"Because Virgil told me I wasn't allowed to bring the fake one!" is how Gordon attempts to justify it, this is Virgil's fault not his! "Can I at least ask for the jar back?"

"No! And when your brothers get burger king for lunch, you can make do with a bag of carrot sticks and a bottle of water" Grandma tells him.

"But I hate carrots" Gordon whines.

"Tough, and keep quiet, or I will get the reins out" she tells him.

Gordon turns to Virgil, who has always been his champion when he is in trouble. His puppy dog eyes fixed on Virgil's, tears threatening at the prospect of being made to eat carrots.

Virgil cannot help himself; he has never had immunity from Gordons puppy dog eye pleas.

"Grandma, please. He has not eaten since breakfast and that was hours ago. And look how bad it would look if the rest of us were getting burgers and fries and he only got carrot sticks, what happens if social services find out, they might think you are being cruel deliberately" Virgil tells her, his arms firmly wrapped around Gordons shoulders, while he buries his face in his shirt. "Look at him, he's really sorry, aren't you Gordy?"

Gordon pulls his face away from Virgil's shirt, his fists still clinging to it, he turns to face Grandma.

"Uh-huh" he whimpers quietly.

"Oh, come here" Grandma sighs, holding her arms out for him. Like Virgil she cannot resist his charms.

John rolls his eyes at Scott.

"How long do you think Grandma and Virgil are going to keep giving in so easily?" he asks.

"Forever!" Scott replies, joining in the family hug, not realising at Alan is no longer with them.

Gordon finally pulls away from Grandmas embrace, happy now he is not going to be fed vegetables for lunch.

"Where is Alan?" He asks, looking around at his brothers, realising at he is missing a small annoying blonde one.

"He is with Scott" Virgil tells him.

"I thought he was with you guys" Scott replies, starting to panic.

"ALAN!" He calls.

But there is no answer.

"Scott, take Gordon and go back to the duty-free store see if you can find him there. Virgil, you and John go over to the food court. I am going to inform airport security". Grandma gives them orders. "NOW!" she adds fervently when they hesitate to move.

Scott grabs Gordons hand and they run back to the duty-free.

"Where first?" Scott asks him, of all his brothers Gordon has spent the most time with Alan and he knows him best.

"Toys" Gordon replies, panting from the sprint.

"Where are they?" Scott asks, looking around, "this place is a maze, we will never find him."

"We will, you found me remember?" Gordon tells him seriously. "Let me get on your shoulders I might be able to see him."

The last thing Scott needed a reminder of was the car accident, visions of Alan in danger swim in front of him and he is struggling to breathe.

"Scott? Scott calm down". Gordon begs him. "Please Scott. We will find him, and it is all going to be okay, we will take him back to Grandma and she will kill him!" He adds, trying to lighten the mood. "And just think, this will make her forget all about the spider!"

Scott cannot help a laugh escaping. Taking deep breaths, he smiles at Gordon.

"Okay Ghastly Grandchild whatever number John gave you, lets go find Allie!" bending down so Gordon can get on his shoulders.

The height helps, and Gordon spots him over by the sweet stand.

"GOT HIM! FORWARD SCOTT" He calls.

"Left left 2 degrees" he adds.

"Huh?" Scott replies confused,

"No idea, I heard it on tv once!" Gordon replies. "Just keep going"

"Alan" Gordon calls.

Alan looks up to the noise and stops shovelling the free samples into his mouth.

Scott allows Gordon to drop to the ground as he grabs the startled Alan into a big hug.

"Oh Allie. You're safe." He cries, before straightening up and giving the 4-year-old a hard, stinging smack on the backside.

"Never do that again! Do you have any idea how worried we have all been?" ignoring his howls, he starts to drag him back to the meeting point.

"Gordon, call Grandma to let him know he is okay and that we have him" Scott asks, turning back to him. Alans hand still firmly gripped in his.

Gordon does not answer him, he is still standing statue-still staring at Scott as if he is a total stranger.

"What's wrong Gordy?" he asks.

"Y-y-you hit h-h-him" Gordon stammers.

Keeping a firm grip on Alan, Scott wraps his arms around Gordon, his whole body is shaking.

Realisation of what he has done dawns on Scott and he knows he has messed up, reacting without stopping to think. The last thing he wanted was to upset Gordon, and he has no idea what to say to make it better. He needs Virgil for this.

Taking his mobile from his pocket he calls Grandma.

"Grandma I have him, but I really messed up, can you ask Virgil and John to meet us by the sweets in the Duty-free zone?" he asks.

"Is he okay?" She asks. "What did you do?"

"He is fine, but I hit him, and Gordon is freaking out and I have no idea how to stop it"

"We will be right over" Grandma replies.

Scott hangs up the phone and just stands there holding Gordon tightly to his body, his other hand still holding onto Alan, afraid to let go.

"Allie!" Grandma cries as soon as she spots him, who rips his hand from Scott's grip and throws himself into her arms and sobs.

"Scotty smacked me!" He cries in anguish.

"That we will talk about later Allie, but you do not under any circumstances run away. Especially not in an unfamiliar place."

"I w-w-wanted the s-s-sweets" Alan continues to wail.

"Any. Circumstances" Grandma repeats.

While Grandma is talking to Alan about his future conduct, Virgil takes over calming Gordon down from Scott.

"Scott will not do this again Gordy, he knows how he reacted was wrong, its okay Gordy. You have me, you will always have me too look after you. And you have Scott, and John, and you have Allie to look after. We mess up occasionally, but it will never stop us loving you and caring about you." Virgil tells him, talking to him in the clam rational voice he has perfected when dealing with his upset younger siblings.

Gordons body is no longer shaking, but there are still tears on his cheeks.

Will it help if I smack Scott?" Virgil asks, grinning as Scott hides behind Alan and Grandma.

"No" Gordon replies quietly.

"How about lunch, we still have an hour until our flight is called" Grandma asks.

"Can I get a burger?" Gordon asks.

"Sure Gordy, and Scott is paying!" Grandma tells him smiling. "Consider it a fine Scott. You never hit your siblings"

Scott accepts it, he knows he should never have hit Alan, vowing never to do it again as they join the queue for Burger King.

Grandma starts on her 5th coffee of the day, anything to get through this day in one piece! Looking at her watch she realises that it is only midday, and she is going to need a lot more coffee to survive!

Sitting back in her seat, surveying the scene. Scott is also drinking coffee, and trying to fit a double cheeseburger, stuffed with fries into his mouth. Unfortunately, not being a snake, Scott cannot dislocate his jaw to fit the food in! Alan and Gordon are both eating kids' meals, Alan content to play with the small plastic squirrel he got, while he pushes the fries around the tray. Gordon is feeding fries to the Squid, which he got out of his bag. Virgil has already finished his meal and is eyeing up Alans abandoned fries with a look of longing on his face. She has no idea how John is getting on as he has a book propped up in front of the plate and his nose buried deep in it.

They are however quiet, and no longer arguing. Content to let them sit there, until their plane is called, Grandma gets herself another coffee refill.

"You okay Gords?" Virgil asks once she has left the table. He knows Alan will be fine, its Gordon he is concerned about.

"Yeah Virgy I will be okay, it just bought back memories I keep trying to forget" he replies, still quieter and more subdued than his normal voice.

"I am really sorry Gordy" Scott tells him, getting up and moving round the other side of the table and behind him wrapping his arms around him. "If it makes you feel better Virgil can smack me!"

"It won't, but ice cream might" Gordon replies, deciding to let this go. He knows Scott feels terrible about hitting Allie and making him feel worse isn't going to help.

"Sure thing Squid. Anyone else?" He asks.

"Duh!" John replies

"Do Grandmas cookies taste like feet?" Virgil replies.

"YES!" Alan shouts.

"Yes you want ice cream, or yes Grandmas cookies taste like feet?" Scott asks

"ICE CREAM!" Alan shouts again, starting to get overly excited again.

"Okay, So that's 3 ice creams and one cookie that tastes like a foot" Scott repeats the order.

"Something like that" Virgil tells him laughing.

Scott jumps the queue to join grandma.

"Ice cream order" He tells her simply.

"Ah, I should have thought of that. You know I will have to tell your dad about today?" she tells him.

"How much of it?" he asks apprehensively.

"Just enough to get you, Gordon and Alan grounded for a few days" she replies. "Alan shouldn't have run off, but you can't hit him Scott. You know what Gordon went through; do you really want to put Alan through it too?" she asks him.

"No, I don't, and I am really sorry Grandma" his voice wobbling slightly.

"I know you are. I love you Ghastly Grandchildren so much, more than you will ever know" She tells him smiling.

"It has been a really long day grandma" Scott tells her, resting his head on her shoulder.

"And it ain't over yet honey!" Grandma tells him grinning.

Scott pays for the ice creams and gets himself another coffee to go with it.

"Come on Scott, lets go and see what the terrors are up to now" Grandma tells him.

"I left Virgil in charge; they won't be causing any chaos." Scott replies.

"I will bet you 10 bucks they have John tied to the chair!" Grandma says.

Scott doesn't reply, there is not a bookie in the world that would give him odds against that happening!

Getting back to the table, Alan is standing on it. Gordon is standing on the next table, and they are playing catch with Scott's backpack.

Virgil is heading back in the opposite direction, where the toilets are, and John is still reading his book.

"Virgil you were told to keep an eye on them!" Grandma says exasperated. "Get down you 2!"

"I left John in charge, and I was gone for literally 2 minutes" Virgil replies, shooting his 3 younger brothers the evillest look he can muster as he sinks back into the seat and takes his ice cream from Scott.

"When is our flight Grandma?" John asks.

"Half 1, they will call us soon." She replies. "And before anyone panics, I have your passports and boarding passes".

Alan climbs onto her lap, setting down with the ice cream, yawning sleepily.

"Getting tired baby?" She asks.

"Nuh-huh" he shakes his head, fighting to stay awake, licking the ice cream spreading it all over his face.

"Flight 4414 to Auckland is now boarding at gate 5, that's flight 4414 to Auckland boarding at gate 5"

"That's us" Grandma tells them, grabbing a wet wipe from the pack in her back she starts to wipe Alans face clean while he squirms and complains.

"Come on boys, lets go and see your daddy"