The final night of their summer in paradise is upon them sooner than they would have liked. Kyrano has promised Gordon that the tank of his captured tropical fish will be well taken care of, but he is still not happy to leave. He has grown to love the Island and can't wait to come back next summer.
Kayo has promised her new family that she will not get into any more fights at her new school, the 10 weeks she has spent with the boys and Lady Penelope have given her a new outlook on her life and she in no longer the bitter resentful teenager they first met. Her heart is still encased in cement, but there are cracks appearing, getting bigger every day.
Looking around at all of his favourite people in the dining room, Jeff smiles happily, scarcely able to believe that the summer is over. Kyrano has been cooking all day, and the table is straining under the weight of dishes full of chicken, pork, beef, vegetables, and roast potatoes.
"Can we bring Kyrano back with us daddy?" Alan asks, his mouth full of roast chicken.
"Why?" Jeff replies amused.
"Because he is so much better at cooking than Grandma!" Alan tells him.
"So you want us to bring Kyrano back with us to cook for you?" Grandma asks.
"Yes" insists Alan. He has no idea why they are all laughing at him.
10 weeks ago Kayo would have been incensed at the idea of Alan treating her father as his own personal maid, now she finds it amusing and in his own way Alan is complimenting her fathers cooking skills.
"I thought you were going to teach him tact?" Kayo asks Scott with a grin.
"We tried; we are fairly sure by now that he is a lost cause!" Scott replies, with a good-natured roll of his eyes and an indulgent smile at his youngest brother.
"I don't want to go back dad. It's going to be so cold in a few weeks and you know I hate the winter" Virgil tells him, hoping that his dad agrees to let him stay on the Island and be home schooled.
"Does it snow in Kansas?" Kayo asks. She has never seen snow having always lived in hot tropical climates and the concept of snow is fascinating.
"You will find out at Christmas when you come to stay" Gordon tells her.
"Excuse me?" Jeff asks, he doesn't remember organising this!
"I invited Kayo and Lady Penelope to stay with us for Christmas, I was going to tell you soon. Lady Penelope said she can't as she has to attend all the snooty high society Christmas parties with her mom and dad, but Kayo accepted the invite" Gordon tells him.
"I guess I will see you in December!" Jeff tells her with a grin.
"Snooty parties Gordon? I did not refer to them as that. I am not snooty" Lady Penelope tells in in disgust.
"You said they were all snobs" Gordon insists.
"Another lost cause" Scott tells Kayo laughing, not noticing the daggers Lord Creighton-Ward is staring at Gordon.
Lord Hughs initial opinion of Gordon as a spoilt brat has not altered in the 10 weeks, he has had to get to know him. There is a tension between Gordon and Lady Penelope has been building slowly ever since the crazy golf game the previous day and his gloating over his victory has not endeared him to the aristocrat.
Lady Penelope has grown fond of his brothers, John in particular, she finds to be calm and polite. Happiest when he is left alone, she has found herself drawn to him, joining him with a book in the evening after supper. Scott and Virgil are charming, and Alan is adorable, but Gordon drives her mad. She doesn't understand how he can be so thoughtful and gentle with every animal he finds yet so obtuse when it comes to people!
Virgil, ever the peace maker, and aware that Lord Hugh does not like his brother decides changing the subject is the only solution.
"What time is our flight home dad?"
"4 o'clock tomorrow afternoon, Lord Hugh will fly us over to Australia and we are flying back from there rather than New Zealand. Get an early night because we are leaving at 6" Jeff tells him.
"You're coming with us?" delight lighting up his face, Gordon asks.
"Yeah, I promised your grandma after the trip out here that I would take you home. Shall I remind you why?" his dad replies with a grin.
"I would like to hear this story Mr Tracy" Lady Penelope tells him.
"Well, there was a spider" Pointing at Gordon, who laughs unapologetically, "The airport runaway" pointing at Alan, who looks abashed, "the spanking" this time it is Scott he points out "the art work on their sleeping brothers. I think that covers everything!"
"Scott got spanked?" Lady Penelope asks in shock, her eyes boring into Scott's, who finds himself looking ashamed.
"No dear, Scott smacked Alan" grandma tells her.
"That's barbaric" She tells him in disgust.
"He did, and it really hurt. Scotty is super mean" Alan insists.
"I am not, and you deserved it." Scott replies.
"Boys!" Grandma puts a stop to the conversation before it escalates into war, she doesn't want a war on their last evening together. "Scott Virgil get into the kitchen and start serving dessert" she adds in a softer tone.
Happy that his babysitting skills are now no linger under scrutiny, Scott starts to gather empty plates and take them into the kitchen, with Virgil's help serves up 11 slices of cake. He too wishes Kyrano could come back to Kansas with them and cook meals forever!
*TB*
Getting up the following morning is just as difficult as always, but the promise of one last Kyrano breakfast gets them moving and they all gather in the kitchen like hungry wolves who have no idea where their next meal is coming from as they scarf down porridge, toast, bacon, eggs, John has even discovered a liking for black pudding, much to the delight of Lord Hugh!
And they are ready for their final goodbyes. Alan throwing himself into Kyranos arms, before they all join in for one last group hug. Then they are gone. Tracy 1 is flying them to Australia for their flight home.
"Did anyone remember to search Gordon?" Scott asks, having already confiscated a frog from him this morning. They have left the airport and are waiting for a taxi.
Gordon rolls his eyes. "I was going to let the frog go, I was releasing it when you caught me!"
"Why are we here so early daddy? You said our flight is not for hours yet" Alan asks.
"We need to say goodbye to one more before we go home Allie" Jeff tells him.
Confused, Alan frowns. "Who?
"Tell him Gordo" Jeff smiles at the confused look on their faces before Gordon is hit with the realisation.
"TOES! Daddy are we going to see Toes?" he asks excitedly
"I promised you that we wouldn't leave without saying goodbye Gords" Jeff reminds him.
Gordon is welcomed into the sanctuary and taken to the large vivarium that is Toes' new home. The reptile is snoozing on top of a rock, under a heat lamp contented. Gordon understands that he can't keep Toes, and that he can't be released back onto the Island. He wouldn't survive, now he has gotten used to humans, and besides, he likes his rats microwaved to a certain temperature before he eats them!
Jeff lets Gordon have some time alone with Toes, taking the time to look around the rest of the sanctuary which is home to over a hundred different snakes including some that were rescued from illegal breeding farms and kept as pets in unsuitable conditions, like Toes, these snakes will never know life outside the safety of the sanctuary again.
He is just saying goodbye when the door opens and Melanie, the head care worker comes in. There is a big smile on her face, and she is accompanied by Jeff.
"Hi Gordon, just before you go, I have something for you." She tells him, holding out a small box. Surprised and a bit confused Gordon takes the lid off to reveal a snakeskin.
"Wow is this from Toes?" he asks in awe.
"It is, I think he wanted you to have something to remember him by, as he only shed this the other day. I know you wanted to take him home with you, but this is the right place for him Gordon" Melanie tells him.
"I know, I am going to miss him so much" Gordon tells her. "Thank you for everything you have done for him"
"just doing my job Kid, and I take it you are coming back next year?" she asks.
"Yeah, there is no way I cannot come to visit my friend" Gordon tells her.
"Toes or me?" She asks teasingly.
"Both of you" Gordon tells her with a smile. Turning on the cool Gordon Tracy charm he was lucky enough to have been born with.
"Come on squid, it really is time to leave now" Jeff tells him. He is pleasantly surprised when Gordon takes his hand and walks out of the room with him, without a protest. The box hugged tight to his chest.
With Jeff firmly in charge they successfully navigate security and are seated on the plane with the minimum of fuss and having been woken up several hours earlier than they would have liked all looking forward to a nice long sleep. Gordon once again grabbed the window seat so squid could look out the window, with Virgil next to him.
Yawning heavily, Gordon grabs the blanket provided by the airline and wraps himself up in it taco style, and is sound asleep before the steward, a different one this time is even half way through his safety instructions.
"They are being so well-behaved Jeff" Grandma says to him just as the plane lifts off into the air.
"It is because they are exhausted mom, and now they know they have enough time to catch up on their missing sleep. Why do you think I made sure they were up so early?" He replies with a sly grin.
"Sneaky Jefferson, sneaky!" Grandma replies returning his grin.
"Well it was this or chloroform, and that's illegal!" Jeff tells her, as he raises his glass, filled with his favourite 25-year-old whiskey.
"Can I have some of that?" Scott asks.
Jeff rolls his eyes, maybe he spoke to soon!
"Take a guess?" he asks his eldest son, who is looking at the glass longingly.
"Yes" Scott replies.
"Take another guess!" Jeff tells him. "Not until you are 21 Scott"
"That isn't fair, I bet you drunk way before you were 21" Scott tells him.
"Do as I say Scott" Jeff replies, he is not letting his 17-year-old son get drunk on his watch!
Scott sullenly sinks back into his seat, gazing past Gordon and out the window, and at the last few minutes of his summer in paradise.
*TB*
"Airplane food is disgusting daddy; I am not eating this" Alan insists.
"You were saying about well-behaved Jeff!" Grandma tells him.
"Don't eat it then Allie, but if you don't you won't get ice cream for dessert" Jeff replies, ignoring the barb from Grandma.
"That's not fair" Alan whines.
"Life isn't fair" Scott replies, still sulking. And agreeing with Alan, this so-called lasagne looks like it was cooked by Grandma, but he eats it anyway. He hasn't eaten since breakfast, and there are still 13 hours to go on the plane.
Alan noticing that his brothers are all eating the watery lasagne gives in and takes a bite. Grimacing as he forces the food down his throat.
The food gives the group a renewed vigour, and Gordon asks his dad if he can explore the plane.
"Only if Scott or Virgil go with you, and you be polite and respectful of the other passengers or when we get home you are grounded for a week" Jeff tells him.
"Of course daddy, I know how to behave in public, I am not Alan" Gordon tells him.
"Seriously Squid?" Scott asks laughing.
Ignoring him, Gordon turns to Virgil, pleading with him to go exploring.
"Come on then" Virgil tells him, he too is looking forward to stretching his legs.
"Awesome, bye guys" Gordon waves back at them before escaping their first-class compartment.
"Remember what I said Gordo, any trouble and its grounding for a week." Jeff tells him.
"I get it dad, I will behave" Gordon insists.
"Good" Jeff replies.
The plane seats 1500 passengers over two levels but is fairly empty. A few families are dotted around. Children of all ages are running up and down the empty aisles or playing catch.
"Dad never let's us do this Virg" Gordon tells him the disappointment in his face at his sheltered existence in first class. "Can we play?"
"If you are careful, I don't see why not" Virgil tells him grinning.
They are invited to join the group playing catch in the aisle. No introductions are made, but Virgil notices Gordon slip into this group like he has known them his whole life.
The ball they are throwing is not one he recognises and is advised that it is a cricket ball. It is made from cork, and is solid, like a baseball, he thinks only this has stitching on the sides and is enhanced with a logo of a golden coloured bird.
Gordon is getting into the game, getting more and more competitive and rowdy, throwing the ball at Virgil, who misses it by a mile as it sails through his outstretched hands and smacks cleanly into his nose.
Virgil hits the ground hard and doesn't move.
"Virgil?" Gordon asks tentatively.