Hello apologies for the lateness with the update my laptop broke so its taken me some time to recover my files! nearly had to rewrite it all but thankfully all sorted now. Thank you for the reviews on the previous chapter :-)

Chapter 20

Jeff sat on the edge of the platform, his legs dangling over the precipice. Below him the bereft hangar sat empty; the launch plate hadn't returned since TB1 thundered out that fateful day. The charcoal scorch marks up the wall at the launch point were all that remained to suggest something was once housed here. It was odd, Jeff couldn't recall hangar one being this empty since he'd first embarked on this venture. He also couldn't recall the last time his eldest had been away from home this long. Like his father he was a stickler for the rules, only ever two weeks at a time for vacation no more that thrice a year. It was only when he'd started to date Rose that he actually requested to use all his leave without Jeff chewing him out over it.

He thumbed his phone, checking, waiting for news. Scott had become distant - he didn't blame his son in the least, he just wished he could be with him, to support him. Sadly, he'd simply not been able to go to him. The media had been a nightmare, invading his personal paradise here like locusts at a picnic. He couldn't put international rescue on lockdown. No launches or rescues within the public eye would instantly set tongues wagging, yet at the same time getting a craft clear of island at the moment was neigh on impossible. Thankfully John had been working around the clock with emergency teams across the world to advise them on how they could handle most emergencies with minimal intervention from them so far, but when the moment came, they would have to find a way to make it work. That was also another pressing issue. John was nearly two weeks overdue to return to Earth now, eating away through reserve rations. Sooner or later, they were going to have to launch.

Sick of banging his head against the wall in his office he'd felt the urge to come here, to the epicentre of all their woes. He rested back on one hand, skimming though and rejecting numerous ideas, frustrated with himself. His whole life revolved around problem solving, he'd always considered it to be a special talent and it had saved his life countless times. In fact, had saved hundreds of lives but that wasn't something Jeff liked to remind himself of, especially of late when he couldn't help but feel he should have done more to help bring Rose home: His phone buzzed, snatching it up he saw the message notification flash. Swiping it he read; Hello. Hope all's well with you and the boys? Fingers crossed your coping. I just thought I ought to let you know that I checked on Scott this morning as promised. He was down but we've had a chat and he's doing better. Hopefully he'll call you soon. He waited as he noticed an image was mid download – the signal wasn't so great down here in the bowels of the island. His eyes creased as his lips broke into a reassured smile. There was his son, head in a book, his arm propped on the armrest holding it open one handed. The look of concentration just visible over the fanned pages. He looked a little slim and the beard was new but otherwise well.

He composed a quick message. Hi Sue, all good thanks, the boys have plenty to be getting on with. Thank you for the update. It's good to see him. I hope you'll have some good news about Rose soon, if you need anything just call.

Jeff secured his phone back in his chest pocket. He'd yet to meet Sue in person but she had been fantastic during this whole nightmare. The moment Jeff had not been able to contact Scott, she'd taken it upon herself to reassure him and to look out for Scott, treating him as she would her own daughter. She'd admitted Scott had finally shared his secret with her and Mark but not her own kids just yet. He'd been worried she might blame them for her daughter's situation, but she and her husband had been nothing but understanding. She's had a little wobble the other night, no one expected Rose to be unconscious for so long but sharing his own experiences with Gordon and a few of the other boys' scrapes over the years had helped her to not feel so alone, or so she said afterwards he reflected. Once all this blew over, he resolved to invite the whole family over, it was long overdue.

He checked his watch it was just coming up on ten PM. Time to try and get the boys to come up. Carefully shuffling back from the edge (Jeff's age was starting to do his sense of balance a disservice) he staggered awkwardly to his feet, dragging on the handrail and wondering why he still did this to himself for he knew better than to sit on the floor for long periods. The gangway rattled with his footsteps as he retreated to the monorail that would take him through to the neighbouring hangar. As the monorail smoothed to a stop Jeff took in the sights below. Virgil had parked Thunderbird two right up to the edge of the hangar to give them as much space as possible to work on the beginnings of a new Thunderbird one.

The lads had several parts scattered below conducting an inventory. Virgil was primarily focused on spare engine components, Alan had the electrical looms and parts, Gordon was on salvage and Tin-Tin was itemising parts to order. Brains was in the corner at his lab bench station. Jeff had been forced to pull him off the project to come up with some creative ideas on how they could launch unseen.

Jeff strolled to the lift, the doors parting as he reached the bottom of the hangar, the safety cage doors retracting as the bar lifted. Stepping out he strode into the midst of chatter.

"Good news guys I have a full loom here ready for installation, fuses and some monitors. I even have a new camera detector. Gee Scott's paranoid. You could repair her four times over with what's here."

"I think it was when he lost her in that storm over Brazil. Since then, he's been obsessed about keeping as many spare parts as he could." Virgil wished his list was so healthy. Instead, he was looking at a new atomic fusion reactor, turbo jets and primary fuel tanks. Unfortunately, he was also missing some smaller items such as the ramjet air intake and fuselage refrigeration unit. He sighed in frustration; she was going to take years to build if they weren't careful.

"Remember when we used to think Meccano was fun?" Gordon quipped as he chucked another damaged item from the salvage, throwing Tin a boyish smile. She looked up from her books coyly returning the gesture, eyes sparkling.

"How goes it boys?"

"Hey dad." They chorused.

"Not bad father. We're close to getting an itinerary together and Tin-Tins organising the ordering and production of what we don't have. What's the next stage?" Virgil leaned back on the edge of a nearby work bench watching his father expectedly.

"The next stage is to package this up and get it shipped off to our partners across the globe under the public radar. Just like we did when we made them the first time. The engines, reactor, thrusters, injectors will all be assembled in isolation and carefully shipped over once the drama's died down. We will construct the shell and internal fixtures here, seeing as they are a bit of a giveaway." Jeff picked up a throttle linkage threading it through his hands lost in thought. Losing their reconnaissance craft was a real blow not to mention expense. Thankfully Penny and Sir Jeremy had pledged enough that between them that money for the project was no longer an issue with the rest of his funds included. He'd hadn't wanted to accept but they insisted on it as soon as they'd heard what Scott had intended to do to rescue Rose.

"Do we know what we're doing if we have to launch yet?" Virgil asked.

"Still working on that one son. Anyway, its late and I came down here to round you all up for the night. You've been working around the clock since you came home but you need to pace yourselves, if we do have a call out, I need you ready and not knackered, we're already one man down and can't afford anymore."

The others sobered at that. Steadily they began to pack away, the clunk of tools and parts being downed filtered across the cavern. "Any news dad?" Gordon asked. They all paused what they were doing, silence filling the hangar.

"No, not yet."

Virgil's shoulders slumped as Gordon sighed. Alan had gone from hopeful to crestfallen, would she ever recover? Poor Scott had to be tearing his hair out by now. Jeff disappeared up the steps as they others strived to catch up. Virgil and Alan walked in tandem shoulders butting into each other on the narrow walkway.

"Gee, I was really hoping for some good news by now." They stepped into the lift where their father was waiting.

"I know but she's one tough cookie. We just have to keep hoping." Virgil filed in next to him placing a steady hand on his shoulder. They waited as Gordon and Tin filtered in next to them, their heads bent quietly in conversation with Brains bringing up the rear.

"Have you heard from Scott?" Gordon asked Virgil.

"Not of late no, I didn't want to intrude so I've only messaged him but not in the last couple of days, I got the impression he wasn't willing to talk about it."

They all fell into an uneasy silence once more as the lift jostled them upwards into the villa. Stepping out they quietly said their goodnights to each other before branching off to their respective rooms.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

He felt a myriad of emotions from relief and elation to bittersweet sadness. Scott was sat trying to hold himself together observing those gorgeous hazel blue eyes he'd missed for so long. He just wished they weren't looking straight through him.

"So, this is me now huh?"

She'd been awake a couple of hours now since coming around from sedation. Long enough for her parents and sisters to feel comfortable to pop off for lunch to give her time with Scott. He'd asked if she wanted time alone, but she didn't. Right now, she never wanted to be alone again, flashes of being confined to a basement floor, shifting as she crawled along in the dark – no stop.

Scott paused, warring with something to say that wouldn't offend her fragile mood. Instead, he offered his hand and squeezed hers. "I'm so glad your awake."

Her gaze re-focused reacting to the ragged relief in his voice. She looked at him properly for the first time. He was slumped slightly leaning into the edge of the bed, his eyes haunted with a dullness she's never seen before. His hair was a little flyway, the flecks of grey just starting to come through at the temple. The most startling aspect was the facial hair. It changed his whole appearance, the pepper flecked with salt thick beard, making his face appear more weatherworn, disguising his fading tan. What worried her the most was how slim he seemed even under the big hoodie. To the casual observer he was still a very well-toned man, but he had a wiriness to him now, his bodily condition akin to John who was one of the slimmest. Rose could see the deeper shadows in the dips of his collar bones, the way his face had shrunk a little, his cheekbones even more defined. As her hand closed around his wrist, she could feel the gap under his watch strap. His arm was obviously bad again too, she could tell by the way he was carrying himself; he should be wearing his sling.

She felt his hand squeeze hers, drawing her back to the present. She let go, lifting her hand to caress his face. Understanding flowed between them like a conduit. Both knew how close they'd come to losing each other.

Scott struggled for words as they clotted in his throat. He swallowed hard. "For a moment there…...I thought…. I thought I lost you." He rasped; his voice raw with emotion. Rose had never seen him lose his composure like that before, the fact she was the source of that pain hurt her deeply. She drew him into a fierce embrace, burying herself in his neck.

"I never thought I'd see you again." She sniffed pulling back. "I dreamed of you. Every hit, every beating, when the pain set my world alight - I retreated to find you. Knowing you were out there safe kept me sane in those moments where I just wanted it to end, you pulled me back from the brink because I knew I could never leave you."

He hugged her close, kissing her cheek as the tears began. "I'm so sorry this happened to you. I feel so responsible, if I wasn't" –

She physically shouldered him off her, forcing him to look at her in surprise. "Don't you start! This isn't your fault, and I don't want to hear it. Did you jump in front of a sniper's bullet when we met?"

"No but" –

"Exactly. Scott it was always my choice. I was the one that saw the situation, I was the one who ran towards it, and I knew the danger. You didn't make Jo – that asshole come after me." She couldn't say his name. not yet. She trembled.

Scott was silent. For once he didn't have a counter argument which was rare but he knew how he felt, and that feeling was guilt. Logically he knew he wasn't entirely to blame but he still felt some accountability but maybe now wasn't the time to discuss it. "Your cold - here." Scott drew the covers up to her chest, encouraging her to lie down.

He gently stroked her hair, carding it through his fingers. The movements soothed her mind and led her away from the thoughts that were threatening to overwhelm her. Instead, she said "I can't believe you sacrificed One. You should have just left me."

"I couldn't. I would never leave you." He replied vehemently. "At the end of the day she's a craft that can be rebuilt as vital as she is, there are others in the fleet that can tie us over but there's only one you and I wasn't about to just sit there and watch you sacrifice yourself." A flicker of anger slipped into his tone; he eyes flashed with fury momentarily, but she saw it. She knew the real reason for his outburst stemmed from the fear of losing her, not because he was angry at her. She remembered the blinding panic on his face in those last moments where he scrabbled over to her, his face covered in dirt and streaked with blood. The moment he realised she was fading away, he clutched onto her so hard she could swear she could still feel the bruises, he'd almost been shouting at her to stay, begging her to hold on.

She placed a hand on his once more. "You would have done the same if the roles were reversed. We would both die for each other." She added softly.

He gazed at her before sighing in resignation, she had him there and there would be no denying it and as much as he was willing to ball her out and make her swear never to do something like that again, he could see she was drifting off. "Rest sweetheart, I'll still be here when you wake. "Almost as if he knew she needed that validation she slipped away feeling safer than she had in a long time.

He came to surrounded by Sue and her family. He straightened in his chair, running a hand through his hair in embarrassment. He was pretty sure he looked like hell. He tried to casually wipe the dribble from the corner of his mouth.

"Everything alright?" Sue asked, offering him a sweet. He took one gratefully.

He whispered back "Yeah fine, still got a few things to work through but she seems to have started to acknowledge her injuries. In time I think she will be alright; her tenacity astounds me." She was far more resilient than him. He remembered the time he thought his arm would have to be amputated. He never spiralled out of control like that before and hadn't again since, but he understood partly how she must be feeling, and he'd do his upmost to support her through that.

"She shouldn't be in the position where she has to accept these injuries." Laurel stated angrily, sat in the chair across from him.

"Your right, she shouldn't but it's a testament to her character that she can and in a way for the best. The quicker she can adapt the better her wellbeing will be and hopefully that will reduce her recovery time."

"I'm not talking about that; I'm saying she's only in this position because of you."

"Laurel" Mark started in a warning tone.

"What it's true! He lied to us!" She stood pointing a finger furiously at him. "If he wasn't in international rescue, they would never have taken her."

"That's enough!" Rose had been awake to hear enough, her tone dangerous. "Everyone out. I need to have a word with Laurel."

"It's fine" – Scott started.

"It is not fine!" He shrank back, knowing when to retreat and recognising she was not in the mood to be countered. Giving Laurel a look that radiated good luck, he dipped out of the room.

"Rose darling." Her dad started.

Rose pulled herself up getting ready to vault the bed. "Fine we'll take this outside."

"No, no – we're leaving alright? but five minutes." Her dad stood ushering the others out. She flumped back in bed staring at her sister if she could have spat venom she would of, she was that livid.

The door shut as Laurel looked suitably cowed on the defensive. "I was only saying what we were all thinking. He's dangerous Rose."

Rose scoffed. "Scott's the least dangerous person I know. Do you understand what he's going through?" She was desperate to know how she had worked out who Scott was, but she had to make this point first.

Laurel watched her sister warily who could still put the fear of god in her from her sick bed. "He took a bullet trying to save me and I died in his arms. The only reason I'm here is because he refused to give up and got me the medical attention I needed. He doesn't need you blaming him, can't you see how much he loathes himself right now? The guilt he's carrying is eating away at him. I see it every time he glances at me, feel it in every touch, hear it in his voice. I will not have you or anyone on else slandering him. Do I make myself clear." Rose practically growled the last four words.

"Yes." Laurel ground out with her arms crossed.

"Good. Now I want you to tell me why you have such a stupid notion that Scott is part of International Rescue."

Laurel's Smokey eyes widened in shock. "You don't know?"

"Know what?"

Laurel backed up against wall looking uncomfortable. "I should get Scott, he'll tell you."

"No. you'll tell me."

"Well, its just…when you were taken a video got leaked to the net. It's been taken down now, but it went viral in minutes. It was about Scott."

Rose's stomach flipped, the bile flooding her throat as overwhelming feeling of dread crept over her. No, no, no

"It was you Rose, you told the world who Scott really is."