Day 3: Thought/Shoelaces

As Scott settled on the couch and Virgil swung his boots into his lap, the terrible two glanced fondly at them as they rushed off to their rescue. The two elder Tracy's may have initially pretended to fall asleep so quickly, but they nodded off for real before Two had even launched.

Virgil yawned and stretched out, hearing Scott do the same and feeling his brother's hands tighten on his ankle momentarily, and opened his eyes, glancing across the room to see Gordon and Alan chatting quietly on the other couch.

He swung his feet off of Scott's lap to a small grunt and stretched again. Gordon sniggered and he frowned.

'When did you two get back?'

'About half an hour ago. Man, you two were so out of it!'

'Well, thanks for not waking us.'

'Grandma said if we woke you she'd make cookies.'

That explained the fact that he and Scott had not been woken. Virgil shared a smirk with Scott and stood up.

And fell flat on his face.

There was a chorus of hooting laughter from his three brothers, and he felt only a little betrayed at that. It was typical of his brothers. Scott got up to help him.

And promptly fell on top of Virgil.

The laugher doubled.

It took a couple of tries for the two brothers to untangle themselves, and they sat there on the floor, glaring at Gordon and Alan. At Gordon, really. Looking down at their feet, both had their shoelaces tied together, and both chorused together:

'Gordon!'

Gordon looked affronted. He stopped laughing completely and spluttered a denial, which had Alan laughing even more.

'It wasn't me!'

'Yeah, right!'

'Pull the other one Gordon.'

'It wasn't! Alan, tell them it wasn't me!'

'Like we'd believe Alan.'

'Hey!'

A throaty chuckle silenced them all.

'Grandma?'

It was Virgil who asked. But the four boys – five now that John's hologram had joined them – just stared as their Grandma struggled to get her laughter under control.

'I'm sorry, Virgil, Scott. I just…couldn't resist. You both were sleeping so soundly.'

'Grandma! What were you thinking?'

'I thought that you and your brother could do with the rest. I thought that you all needed to have a lighter moment. I thought it would be funny.'

'It was funny, Grandma!'

'Gordon!'

'Well, it was, Scott!'

'Yeah, it was!'

'Alan.'

John chose that precise moment to play back the video of first Virgil and then Scott eating the carpet. There was a little pause and then all six of them burst out laughing.

Laughing, all together, especially after a rescue like the one they had, was cathartic and refreshing.