Her nephew's wardrobe was a marvel to behold. Selene knew every inhabitant of the island so could tell exactly who had contributed what to the pile. The boy pulled out a white polo shirt with deep red stripes on the collar and dropped it on the floor before doing the same to a black top with a photo of a galaxy on it. Selene had grabbed a pair of dark jeans that she swore were just a miniature version of Scott's favourite pair, and pulled the boy onto her lap so she could wrangle them onto him. There was some moaning from the struggling boy, but she won the fight. She even managed to slip on a pair of socks, which she hoped were clean, before he crawled away.

"Okay, pick your top then."

Another three shirts ended up on the floor before her nephew turned around with a garish Hawaiian one grasped in his fists. It was a mix of yellow and green with white flowers which she had never seen on the child before. Selene was certain Scott had mentioned throwing out an awful flowery shirt before, so she couldn't understand why the child was currently beaming at her like he'd won the lottery. He offered it to her.

"You really want to wear this one?" She questioned, holding it between her fingertips.

"Yes!"

The child raised his hands in the air ready to receive the garment. Selene rolled her eyes and did as she was told, though she quickly grabbed her phone and snapped a picture. Her nephew gave the camera a giant dimpled smile, and Selene posted it in the family chat with the caption "He's so proud of his choices". Grabbing a pair of the boy's trainers, Selene beckoned the boy to the room she and John shared. Grabbing a clean pair of jogging bottoms and large comfy top, she changed as quickly as she could. She grabbed the brush she kept in the bathroom and ran it through her hair under the watchful eye of her nephew. Her phone buzzed and a few taps brought up the chat.

Scott: I thought I'd disposed of that one.

Scott: At least brush his hair.

Selene: I'm getting to it

She rolled her eyes. She hadn't forgotten. Kneeling in front of the child, she gently ran the brush through his soft brown locks. He screwed up his eyes a few times when she caught the larger tangles, but she worked them out before sweeping the hair into its usual style; not that it would stay neat for long. Snapping a picture, she posted into the chat.

Selene: Done.

Scott: Thank you, Selene

Placing the phone on the side, Selene unscrewed the lid on her sunscreen moisturizer and started rubbing it into her face, placing the pot on the edge of the sink. Out the corner of her eye a small hand reached up for the pot. A little finger got in before she could stop it. She screwed on the lid and put the pot out of reach. The child became incredibly curious about the white cream on his finger and Selene hoped it wouldn't end up in his mouth.

"Rub it on your face, sweetie."

Those blue eyes peered up with sparkling curiosity, and the finger was presented to her. Gently, she took his hand and guided it to his cheek where she helped him rub it in. Once it was all rubbed in, she left the boy to stroke his cheek. After she'd finished creaming her face, she grabbed John's Factor 50 from the side. Squirting a dollop into her hand, she rubbed it all over her nephew's face, grabbing his arm as he squirmed. Another generous squeeze and she rubbed the thick cream over the rest of his exposed skin. Her nephew huffed as she washed her hands. Grabbing her lip balm and a hairband from the jeans John had worn yesterday, she tied her hair back before rubbing the salve over her lips. A glance in the mirror confirmed she was all set to face the windy beach. She turned back to her sulking nephew.

"Go grab your shoes so we can go fly your kite."

"Kite!"

Selene sat down on the floor and helped the boy into his trainers, before reaching out and grabbing her trainers. Lacing them up was made difficult by her nephew wrapping his arms around her neck in and giving her an awkward hug from behind. The excited giggles in her ear warmed her heart, and once done, she twisted and pulled the child into a big tight squeeze which he returned. Warmth filled her as he buzzed with youthful energy. Releasing him, she stood and offered him her hand.

"Let's go have some fun."

Those deep blue eyes stared straight into her and pleaded with her soul. The quivering lip and watery eyes were a stark contrast to the large smile plastered on the kite in his hands. The small kite, with its picture of Thunderbird One, had flown well in the breeze. Her nephew had spent a good amount of time flying it, running across the sand and through the surf with glee as it chased him. However, that just wasn't enough for him and he wanted to fly the big kite. 'John's kite' as he called it. Technically it was Gordon's kite, which had been dug out of the attic of the ranch, but her nephew saw it as John's because he was the one that had introduced it to him. This kite required more force than the breeze was currently willing to give. Selene had tried to encourage it into the air, having already thrown it up multiple times only to jump back so it didn't hit her when it crashed back down to earth. She had stuck her finger in the air to work out the best wind direction and where to stand the boy. She had even jogged beside him as he ran with it, encouraging him to go as fast as his little legs could go, but the damn thing refused to take to the air. It's bright yellow smiling face mocked her as her nephew continued to plead with her. John had said it was kite flying weather, so it should be good kite flying weather! Did he take it with him? Closing her eyes, Selene inhaled the fresh salty air, summing up as much energy as she could.

"I'll run with it, but only there and back."

His eyes lit up as he thrust the kite at her. Reluctantly she took it, turning it so she could hold it by the crossed poles. She stared down the beach and held it high, waiting for a good gust of wind. Feeling a light pull, Selene ran down the wet sand as fast as she could. She hated running. The kite filled with air and she released it from her grip. It paused, almost like it was deciding whether to fly or not. A tug on the string forced it up and it stayed in the air, much to her nephew's delight. Squeals of joy followed her down the beach until she slowed to a stop, her body already complaining about the effort. The kite hit the ground as Selene took deep breaths.

"Again, Selene. Again."

Those sparkling eyes gazed into hers and she started to prepare herself for what was going to happen later. The surf washed at her bare feet, trying to sink her into the sand. Picking up the kite, she held it out yet again before running back down the beach. Her nephew's giggles let her know he was behind her. She slowed to a stop when she got back to where they had started. Her lungs inhaled deeply, as her legs complained of not having been warmed up before activity.

"Again, Selene."

"No more. I only promised there and back."

Those eyes turned on her again, trying their hardest to change her mind and failing. She could be swayed on a lot of things, but voluntarily running up and down a beach was not one of them. Still holding the line, she made her way back to the blanket she'd spread out earlier, with the bag in the middle surrounded by a few toys. Selene collapsed on it and slipped her hand into the bag and retrieved a water bottle. She glugged it as her nephew pottered up the beach with the kite. He stood before her. She knew exactly what was coming.

"Fly kite, Selene."

His voice was soft as he pleaded, but Selene shook her head. It was not happening. She stretched out her legs as the boy came up close and put his arm around her back. His cheek pressed into her shoulder while one of the kites corners poked her chest. With her left hand guiding the kite away from her body, she scooped him onto her lap with her right and gave him a one armed hug. Using her leg as leverage she managed to slip the rods from the fabric, though he also saw the second part of the maneuver.

"No!"

"It's not windy enough for this kite. You can play with the little one."

"No. Selene, no."

"The big one is going away."

The child burst into tears and wailed. Selene knew this was going to happen, she'd seen the signs. Her nephew threw his arms around her and buried his face into her chest. Dropping the kite, she consoled the sobbing boy, rubbing his back. She could feel her top getting damp.

"Come on, sweetie. No need to cry, everything is okay."

She continued to soothe the child until his tears started to slow. A few snivels came from him as he turned to wipe his face with his hand. Selene knew this was about more than the kite. Picking up her water bottle, she popped the top and offered the remains to her nephew. Eventually his small hands slowly reached out and took it, before drinking it greedily. The tears had stopped, though his eyes were still red and his cheeks rosy. Grabbing a packet of raisins from the snack stash, she offered it to him. Eyes widened and an exchange was made. His fingers happily pulled the fruit from the box one by one. He kindly offered one to her and she sucked it from his slimy fingers. It put a smile back on his face. Selene brushed her hand through his now windswept hair, before pressing a tissue to his running nose. He blew reluctantly, before finishing off the raisins.

Now fed, her nephew happily grabbed the smaller kite and ran off with it trailing behind him. Dusting off the sand he'd thrown up with his departure, Selene smiled as she rolled up a towel and placed it beneath her head. She kept her eyes on the boy as the sun warmed her skin and the breeze blew the odd purple strand across her vision. It was almost relaxing. Almost.

"Selene!"

She guessed she'd gotten ten minutes of peace before he'd called. The child was staring down at something on the floor, the kite slowly fluttering down behind him.

"Selene, squishy thing."

Selene bolted upright, having spent enough time around Gordon to know that squishy could be dangerous. She hastened over to the child and breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of an old plastic bag that had washed ashore. She grabbed his hand before he could touch it though, not knowing if it could contain something that wasn't so mundane.

"Let's not touch it. It's just a bit of rubbish, nothing fun."

Her nephew deflated before turning back to his kite which was floating in the wash.

"Uh oh."

Her nephew brought a smile to her face as he hurried over and picked up the dripping diamond. She could see Scott rolling his eyes at the thought of Thunderbird One taking an unscheduled dip in the sea. Heading back to the blanket, she grabbed a fresh nappy bag and used it to scoop up the plastic bag before it was dragged back to sea, knowing Gordon would be furious if she let it happen. He had gone off on so many tirades about sea pollution and marine conservation over the years that she couldn't take another. Doing her environmental deed for the day, she joined her nephew in the wash, where the kite had been discarded in preference of stones and shells. The water lapped at their feet, bringing sporadic giggles from the toddler, as they made their way down the beach. Selene's hands slowly filled with her nephew's 'treasures', which were made up of his favourite broken shells, stones and occasional piece of smoothed glass, from goodness knows where. As the sun took its place high in the sky, Selene's stomach growled.

"Let's head back now and get some lunch."

Her nephew ran to her grinning, hands outstretched for his 'treasures'. Selene gladly dumped the damp pile into his hands, drying them against her bottoms. Shaking out the blanket, she packed their things knowing most of it would be doing straight into the laundry basket. The walk back to the villa started off slow, with her nephew slowly picking through his 'treasures' and throwing the ones now deemed unworthy away. Once happy with his selection, he held them up to her, just as he did to his father, so they could be kept safe. Two smoothed out glass fragments, one green, one white, and a small intact spiral shell were dropped into her hand, which she slipped into her pocket. They would be put in the boy's treasure box, which Scott kept in his room. Selene had seen both Scott and Gordon go through the items with the boy. The more interesting items in the box were normally suggestions from said uncle, having been found during one of their rock pooling expeditions. Her nephew took her free hand, his little fingers wrapping round hers, and gave her a content dimpled smile that melted her heart. The kid was so much like his father. Having his hand in hers was great but didn't last long. He was off again, running ahead to explore the foliage that surrounded the path. Selene sighed as flowers were poked, leaves grasped and sometimes pulled off. Thankfully the leaf he decided to wave around was picked up from the floor and not yanked from the plant. He danced around Selene with it, flapping it around and above his head until it too became boring as was discarded on the path. She would not mention this to Virgil, who had tried on various occasions to teach the curious tornado to be gentle with the plants, and given Scott a death glare in the process.

Upon reaching the villa, Selene grabbed the child's arm and guided him down the side of the house to the pool's changing rooms. Removing his now sandy shoes, she dumped her nephew in the large metal basin used for washing Sherbet. Soap and warm water turned it into a foot bath that resulted in some joyous splashing from her nephew. Scott seemed to stash clean clothes everywhere, and having found some in a nearby cupboard, Selene dried and redressed the boy. He was now in blue shorts and a red check shirt that screamed Virgil. Selene rolled her eyes. After giving her own feet a quick wash down, they headed to the elevator so he could put his 'treasures' in the box. The moment the doors opened her nephew was off.

"Daddy! Daddy!"

Selene swallowed as she hurried after him, knowing Scott wasn't due back until late that evening. The board meeting he and Jeff were required to attend meant he had to be away for two days and as much as Scott wanted to come back to the island to see his son, it made no sense as the boy would be asleep. This was the longest the child had been on the island without his Dad being with him.

"Daddy?"

Selene knelt in the middle of Scott's room as the boy's lip trembled and pulled him into a hug.

"He'll be home later, when the sky is dark."

Scooping him up into her arms, she grabbed the box and opened it for her nephew. He sniffled as he dropped his treasures in.

"You can show Daddy tomorrow."

He nodded, wrapping his arms around her neck. Selene's stomach rumbled, reminding her of their intended destination. Carrying the boy downstairs, she headed through the living room, receiving a brief wave from a busy Sally as they passed by.

"Grammie."

Her nephew's voice was soft and sad in her ear.

"Grandma is busy, but we can make her some food to help."

He started playing with her hair, brushing the deep purple strands along her neck. Selene shifted him as she collected up the things she needed, her arm already aching from carrying him so far. Ultimately she had to put him down. Thankful he hadn't complained too much as she let him cling to her leg instead, allowing her to make some sandwiches. Sweeping them, crisps, juice and some bananas onto a tray, she coaxed her nephew upstairs. A plate was slid before Sally, who smiled gratefully while taking a bite. Selene curled up on the sofa with her nephew, where they ate their lunch listening to the comm line. The boys voices filled the room, on a delay as EOS filtered out anything young ears shouldn't hear. Her nephew relaxed to the chorus of his uncle's voices, and eventually drifted off to sleep in Selene's arms. Putting him to bed with a kiss, she tapped on the monitor and headed back to the couch where she collapsed. As if on cue, John floated before her, seated in Thunderbird One's cockpit with a bottle of water. There was dirt on his uniform, breaking up the sensor lines that traversed his frame. His eyes were half distracted, obviously reading something on the display before him.

"How's it going back on the island?"

Her heart fluttered at his voice. Damn, it never got old hearing him.

"Tiring, he's got so much energy. You were wrong about the wind, the kite wouldn't fly."

John's brow creased as his emerald eyes met hers.

"Really? EOS was certain the wind speed would be ideal for kites."

"Well, she was wrong. That yellow monstrosity wouldn't fly."

"Hey! It's not a monstrosity!" Gordon piped in, suddenly floating next to John, though he was clearly in a pod. "That's the happiest kite in the world and always flies great."

John rolled his eyes, making Selene bite her lip.

"So that's why you threw a tantrum and hid it away in the attic? Because it flew too well?"

Gordon's glare was adorable.

"Boys," Grandma's stern voice echoed around the room, "pay attention to what you're doing. John, there's a family not far from your location in need of evacuation."

"FAB, grandma."

John gave Selene a parting grin, while Gordon stuck out his tongue. Selene slipped out her phone, allowing herself to catch up on her emails, sorting through her clients requests so she could tackle them tomorrow. Lying back, she relaxed into the sofa, knowing she only had a few hours to herself.