Unforgotten

AN - Hi all! Again, I'm overwhelmed by the support this story gets, big shout out to Harlow, LMC25 and Islandsandstars. I hope you enjoy this chapter as much!

Disclaimer - I do not own Thunderbirds

Chapter Twenty Five - Recovery

Angel was placed straight into the infirmary on the Island. Jeff gave Scott a look that promised they would be discussing the wisdom of bringing her here later, but Scott didn't care. He simply watched while Virgil checked her over once again, applying some bruise paste that Brains had cooked up to aid recovery. Jeff had been debriefed quickly by Virgil on the way in, but Scott unusually added nothing to the commentary. Jeff attributed this to the shock of seeing Ethan again, plus he was manning the hover-stretcher carrying their latest houseguest.

Brains had swept Tintin into his arms as soon as Thunderbird 2 had reached her launch bay. Now they had gone to Tintin's room, Brains fussing all the way and bringing her anything she asked for. Kyrano was also in there, just holding his daughter while she cried, releasing the emotion from the last couple of days.

Tintin would be alright, it wasn't her that Jeff was worried about. Her friend was very pale and had obviously been through a lot. Jeff still wasn't sure why Scott had insisted she come to the Island instead of a hospital but now she was here she would have to stay, at least until she had recovered.

He would expect a full debrief from all the boys later - including Scott - but for now he left them to it, Virgil wasn't going to be finishing anytime soon and Scott obviously wasn't going to abandon his charge either.

Once Jeff left, Scott moved closer to Angel. He resisted taking her hand again, knowing that it would only interfere with whatever Virgil was trying to do.

Eventually Virgil finished, making sure all the monitors were on and that Angel was as comfortable as could be. He turned to Scott, noticing how his older brother wouldn't take his eyes off the still form lying on the bed.

"Scott, you need to go and freshen up. I'll sit with her for a bit, but she won't wake up for a few hours at least.

"But Virgil-"

"No, Scott. In the nicest possible sense, go away. Dad will want you to debrief properly and you need to eat something. You don't want to have to be doing that when she does actually wake up."

Scott may have hated the thought of letting Angel out of his sight, but he did realise that Virgil was right. With very little grace he stomped out of the sickbay, heading for his room. Unlike the previous time he had been in the shower, this time he was in and out in record time. He then headed to the lounge where his father was sat waiting for the report. He gave him the sanitised version of the rescue, leaving the part out where he'd thrown somebody into a wall when they threatened Angel. He even managed to remember to call Angel Annie throughout.

His next stop was the kitchen, where he found Alan eating some beans on toast. He also elected for toast, confident he probably wouldn't mess it up too badly.

He was wrong. Scott stared disappointedly at the charcoal in front of him. At some point he had realised he was ravenously hungry, but he couldn't eat this.

The charcoal was removed and a plate of beans on toast dropped in front of him. Surprised, Scott looked up to see Alan returning to his own seat. "I may not be as good as Grandma, but this is one recipe I can do." Alan smiled slightly, before sighing deeply. "Do you ever get the feeling that you've really messed up, Scott?"

Scott looked up from his food, but Alan was busy pushing a fork around an empty plate. "You may need to give me a little context here, Alan."

"Tintin." Alan stated, still not looking up. Scott stilled and dropped his own fork onto his plate.

"Ah."

Alan had caused surprisingly little fuss when Tintin and Brains became an item the year before, far less than anyone thought he might. For a long time it had been assumed that it was Alan that wold eventually sweep Tintin off her feet and most of the Island had been very surprised when she chose the quiet engineer instead.

To Scott it had been less of a surprise. Alan had been pretty immature at the time and never really treated Tintin as she deserved. That aside, he also had very little in common with her really. Still, for Alan to be raising this now deserved some further inspection.

"I mean," the blond continued, not really noticing Scott's pause. "It's not like I still feel like that or anything, but when she was missing a bit of me kinda thought...what if I hadn't been such a prat back then? Would it have been me in his place?"

"I think that you'll probably never know." Scott replied. "Maybe it would have worked out, but maybe it wouldn't have done anyway. Maybe Tintin would always have found Brains eventually, you can't deny they're a good match."

"That's true," Alan nodded. "He's good for her and she for him - in a way I never could be. At least, not back then. I think maybe it's just the thought of having somebody like that, you know? This Island can be quite lonely at times. Still, it's hardly just me in this situation is it?" Alan hopped up, clearing away his dishes quickly. "I'm going to go out to the pool, I need to blow off some steam after today." He paused in the doorway and gave his brother a quick smile. "Thanks for trusting me to handle your 'bird earlier." Then he was gone.

As Scott finished his light meal, he decided that Alan really had grown up over the last year. He cleared up after himself, ditching the cremated toast in the bin where no one would be able to see it.

He returned to the infirmary feeling much better, just in time to see Virgil running around checking monitors.

"She's waking up," Virgil informed him, then turned to Gordon who had also materialised in the doorway. "Can you go and get Tintin? Tell her Annie is waking up."

Gordon disappeared and soon came back with Tintin, Brains and Jeff. The latter had seen Gordon tearing down the hallway and was curious to meet the girl he had heard a lot about.

Angel slowly came too, blinking at the bright tropical sunlight. She looked at the cluster of people, eyes moving from face to face. Scott held his breath as she looked at him, but her gaze slid by with no recognition. His heart plummeted, he had been so sure that she had recognised him earlier.

"Tintin!" She called when she reached her friend. Tintin leapt forwards and gently hugged her close, breaking back out into tears. Angel patted her carefully on the back, wincing slightly at the pull on her muscles to do so. "Are you ok?" She asked seriously, studying Tintin's face.

"Oh yes," Tintin replied, still sobbing. "I was so worried Annie! But you're safe now, we're safe."

"Where am I?" Angel asked, eyes darting around the room.

"Oh you're on Tracy Island," Tintin told her. "We brought you here to look after you, Virgil has been tending to you." The middle brother, still reading monitors, gave her a quick wave. "Then Brains and Gordon you know, this is Mr Tracy and that is Scott."

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you," Jeff said smoothly. "I just wish it had been under better circumstances."

Scott couldn't trust himself to speak, he just nodded curtly. Angel scrutinised them both briefly before bestowing a smile on Jeff as she thanked him for letting her come here. She then turned to Virgil.

"How bad is it?"

Virgil looked up. "Not at all, considering. The concoction Brains has made is rapidly reducing your bruises and other than one cracked rib you'll be right as rain soon. I'd like to keep you in here overnight but you'll be able to get up and about tomorrow. Nothing strenuous for a while, though."

"You're welcome to stay for as long as you'd like," Jeff offered. "We don't often have guests here, but I gather you probably know all about our outfit by now."

"Yes," Angel replied sheepishly. "I'd pretty much guessed from working for Dr Clifford, but that man confirmed it."

"Well it will be nice to have a new face around here. I'll leave you to rest, now. I'll ask my mother to bring you something to eat in a bit, but I'm guessing you'll not want too many people around tonight."

"Thank you, I am feeling very tired."

"That will be the sedative," Virgil informed her. "I didn't want you to be waking up on the flight home and panicking."

"Ok everyone except Tintin and Brains, out." Jeff commanded. "Even you Virgil, Brains can take over here for a while so that you can rest. You can check up on your patient in the morning."

"OK father," Virgil replied, passing the notes he'd made to Brains. Scott left reluctantly, looking back at Angel on his way out the door but she didn't spare him a second glance, she was busy talking softly with Tintin.

Scott was in a foul mood for the rest of the night, in stark contrast to the tired jubilation that everyone else was feeling. Grandma had cooked a huge meal, full of Tintin's favourite dishes despite the fact the brunette was still in the infirmary with Annie. Brains had materialised and grabbed trays for all three of them, telling Virgil that Annie was doing much better and that she had allowed him to take notes on how well the bruise paste was working.

They then all went to the lounge, everyone was too tired to think about doing anything other than sitting and talking quietly or watching television. Scott sat and glared, too caught up in his own thoughts to participate in the conversation around him. Virgil, taking pity on the rest of the family, challenged him to a game of chess which at least kept him occupied.

It was late by the time that Brains appeared, telling them that Annie was resting and that Tintin had gone to bed. It was the catalyst for them all returning to their rooms for the night.

Hesitating before entering his own room, Scott instead went downstairs to the infirmary. He paused outside the door, listening hard. No sounds came from within so he sighed despondently and returned to his room, assuming that Angel was now asleep.

As he entered his room he kept his head down, too busy thinking about the events of the day to realise he wasn't alone. A movement by his window caused his gaze to snap up and for him to take a sharp breath.

Standing in his window, the light from the rising moon framing her silhouette, was Angel.

Scott didn't even breathe, scared that if he made a single movement she would disappear. Seeing his hesitation, she took a step towards him, face unsure. He just drunk in her appearance. Angel was here, in his room. Which meant that he hadn't been wrong, she must remember. She would have no reason to be here if she didn't remember.

But he still didn't move, his body frozen as he watched her.

Angel raised her gaze to his face. "Scott." She whispered and it jolted him into action. Without even realising he had moved he was suddenly by the window and she was in his arms. He was kissing her, desperately, trying to prove to himself that she was real and she was there. She returned his fervour, hands gripping his hair and pulling his face down to hers.

He didn't know how much time passed while they stood locked together, hands roaming as he pulled her against him. But eventually she pulled back with a hiss when he touched her bruised ribs.

"Oh god, Angel, I'm sorry," Scott retreated immediately. She pulled up her top to check the damage. Already the bruises were fading fast, her eye was no longer swollen and her cheek had faded to an ugly yellow. Scott touched her side gently, relieved to see she didn't flinch under his probing fingers. "This looks a lot better," he commented.

"Scott," Angel started again, grasping his chin and pulling his face back to look at hers. "I didn't come here to discuss my injuries."

"You remember?" He asked, having to be sure.

Angel nodded at him. "Everything."

Scott enveloped her in a hug, crushing her against his torso. "I thought so but then earlier...I couldn't be sure."

"I'm sorry," Angel replied, pulling back. "I didn't know what to do...I still have so many things to sort through in my mind, I thought it best to stay 'Annie' for a little while longer."

"I'm sorry too," Scott replied, sitting down heavily on his bed. Angel sat next to him, legs touching his. "I know your life was hard, you must have been happy as Annie."

"But how could I be truly happy when I didn't have you?" Angel stood up and moved in front of him, kneeling and taking her hands in her own. "Scott, my life has been hard, and when I first remembered it hurt. But then... then I remembered you. I would rather live ten lifetimes of hardships but be able to return to you than to live a bland, happy existence without you in it."

"You really mean it?" Scott asked, touching her face. Angel leant into his hand gently.

"Every word. I may not know much at the moment, but I know that I love you."

Scott also came down from his bed, kneeling in front of her and kissing her again. This time it wasn't desperate but loving and tender.

"What now?" Angel asked, resting her forehead against his. "I think I need to stay being 'Annie' for a bit... at least until I can sift through the memories and work out who I am now."

Scott nodded seeing the sense in her words. But at the same time... "Stay here tonight?"

"They won't check up on me?"

"I doubt it. If anyone does, it will be Virgil and he knows about you...well, kind of. I'll set an alarm and we can get you back before the house wakes up somehow." He then looked around the room. "How did you get in here in the first place?'

"Ah ah!" Angel waggled her finger at him. "A good thief never gives up her secrets. And I am the best thief."

Scott smiled indulgently at her and kissed her again. "So, will you stay?"

"With you? Always."

Scott helped her up from the floor and showed her his small bathroom. While she readied herself he pulled on pyjamas. When Angel came back in her passed her one of his tops. "To sleep in," he explained with an embarrassed smile.

She looked at the musician depicted on the front. "I'm not sure I had you down as a Ziggy Stardust fan," she commented.

"A relic of my misspent youth," Scott smiled before disappearing into the bathroom himself. When he came back out she had got into the bed. Seeing Angel in his bed wearing his T-shirt was a sight that stopped Scott in his tracks. If you had asked him even the day before whether it was a possibility he wouldn't had believed it.

He climbed into the bed himself, gently pulling her down with him and cradling her against him, her back pressed against his chest. He held on tight, terrified that he may wake up and find her gone. She squeezed his arms as though hearing his thoughts. "Good night," she murmured.

"Night," Scott replied, pressing a kiss into her hair. He lay for a while, listening to Angel's even breathing as she drifted into sleep beside him. Eventually he too slept, feeling lighter than he had for over two years.