Disclaimer: I don't own Thunderbirds.

The ocean wasn't something Jeff had ever thought he'd miss. It had never been a particular area of interest for him, and growing up landlocked, then likewise raising his sons in a landlocked state, meant that the oceans of the world had never been more to him than any other part of the planet he resided. The sky and the ever-expanding expanse of star-studded space were where his interests had lain for his entire life.

Sitting on a deckchair, legs securely embedded amongst the shingle of their pebble beach, Jeff was thoroughly distracted by the sound of waves running over stones, tumbling them against each other in a muted clatter that was probably background noise to most people, but rattled straight through his mind and shredded any concentration he might have had.

Unsurprisingly, spending time out on the beach had been Gordon's idea. His second youngest son had always loved the water in a way most Tracys had never thought to, and once upon a time, Jeff hadn't understood the appeal.

After eight years in space, the scent of salt floating in on the breeze held a nostalgic feeling that Jeff had never expected the ocean to generate. He was supposed to be working, in a manner of speaking – it was hardly work-work, what with his family's ban on him doing anything strenuous – but the manuscript on the tablet discarded on his lap hadn't been edited in hours.

It had been Lee's idea, a suggestion that sounded like a joke but had been exactly what Jeff had needed to occupy his mind – something his long-time best friend was no doubt perfectly aware of. Years ago, tucked away on Alfie, the pair of them had written the original book on space survival. The advice he'd crammed into that had been what had kept him functionally alive, even if the thought of his sons had been what had kept him going, but after eight years in space, he'd inevitably learnt new things.

Lee had mentioned that perhaps he ought to update the guide, branching out a little further than simply lunar and Martian survival. It would also double as a fascinating autobiography, his best friend had shrugged, and while Mom had had her doubts about him throwing himself into a new project, he'd clutched the idea tightly with both hands to give himself something to concentrate on.

She had, at least, conceded that it kept him from constantly worrying about what his sons were up to, although it was a father's prerogative to worry when his boys were out risking their lives to save others'.

Not that they were doing that right then. At least, he hadn't heard any of the craft take off, so he assumed all Earthbound sons were still on the island. Gordon had been periodically checking in on him, claiming that he just wanted to sit and watch the waves every hour or so, and while none of the others had made their presence known, Jeff knew they were occasionally circling in the vicinity, not wanting to disrupt his concentration but still lingering in a way that might be considered clingy if he didn't think eight years being presumed dead wasn't a perfectly good reason to keep an eye on him.

It was why he was aware of their occasional presence on his periphery despite their obvious attempts to remain under the radar, after all. Things like that went both ways.

Still, Lee's idea about the book had been a good one, and Gordon's suggestion about writing on the beach had been almost as good – almost only because Jeff was failing to actually get any writing done when surrounded by the sounds, sights and scents of nature he'd been forcibly separated from for far too long.

But that was okay. The book didn't need to be written in a day. He had time to enjoy the little things in life, whether it be the smell of the ocean, the flitting of his sons doing their best to remain unnoticed, or even just the warmth of the sun on his face.

Little things he was never taking for granted again.

Fluffember/Fluff&Fun day 7 with the prompts "write" and "sea breeze". No Scott today, surprisingly - my muses decided they wanted a different character in the limelight for a chance, so here's yet another post-series Jeff ficlet, just because I can.

Thanks for reading!
Tsari