A/N: I've never liked how suddenly Rigby became more friendly between his and Kayo's first and second meetings, this scene popped up as a potential way to bridge that gap.

Scott sat himself at the breakfast bar, sipped his juice and scrolled through the latest emails on his tablet. A rare quiet morning was perfect for getting stuck into the accumulated pile of paperwork and clearing the various inboxes. Perhaps halfway through an unusual email jumped out at him, sent to the 'general' IR inbox that they'd set up for the GDF. Usually that inbox was reserved for post mission reports and queries about said reports but this one was addressed to Kayo. Scott frowned. That was odd. If she wanted someone to contact her she'd give them her direct email, not the general inbox.

Standing, he went out to the pool where Kayo was swimming laps. "Kayo, there's an email here for you in the general inbox for the GDF." He told her, crouching beside the pool with the tablet.

Golden eyes blinked in surprise as she paused and treaded water, looking up at him. "Who's it from?"

Scott poked the tablet to bring up the sender. "A… Captain Wayne Rigby."

"Rigby? Huh. Read it out for me?" She asked swimming over to rest her arms on the edge of the pool.

"Okay." Scott opened the email and skimmed over it. "It's an invitation to the GDF officer's ball in New York next month. He says he wants to make up for the 'rescue organisation' comment."

"Really?" Kayo hauled herself out of the pool and had a look at it over his shoulder, careful to not drip on him.

"Did you want to go?" Scott asked curiously. "From what you and Lady P said he sounds like a jerk."

"You know, I think I might go." Kayo replied. "Rumour has it Colonel Casey is grooming him to eventually take over her role and the more friends we have at the GDF the better." She smiled slightly to herself with not a little amusement. "Besides, a nice night out and a couple of drinks is the least he can do after his behaviour."

Scott took a moment to check his calendar. "The timing's good," he said, "we can take Tracy 2. I've got a morning meeting in New York the next day, you can fly us out and I'll fly us back in the afternoon."

"What, you don't trust me to fly out there by myself?" She bantered, a mischievous twinkle in her eye. "Or did you want to have a 'private word' with Rigby as my big brother?"

"No, it's that Thunderbirds aren't kind on formal wear, you can't fly back if you've had a drink and it'll count towards flying hours for your commercial pilot license; S counts as private since she can't take passengers, remember?" Scott pointed out. "And if anyone needs to have a private word it'd be because I need to remind you to not break him."

"Ugh, let me guess, my hours are dropping again?" Kayo groaned and muttered something unflattering about bureaucracy under her breath.

"Yup, John's got spreadsheets with automatic alerts and everything."

"Are you sure he can't just hack the system for me and fix it?"

"Kayo." Scott warned. "You know the rules about hacking."

"Only on rescues, only if we have to, I know." She sighed ruefully and shifted back to the edge of the pool to pick up where she'd left off. "Send it to my inbox before Gordon spots it?"

"Already done."

0o0o0

Three weeks later, Captain Rigby was standing by the private Tracy Industries hanger he'd been directed to, waiting as the blue painted LearJet taxied to a halt. He was in his dress greys, every medal and ribbon perfectly placed, his boots shined to a mirror finish and he had an auto-cab on standby.

The air-stairs descended and Scott stepped out, a clipboard in hand for the post-flight checks while the engines cooled. "Hi, I don't think we've met. I'm Scott." He introduced himself, holding his hand out. "Kayo will be down in a minute, she's just changing her shoes."

Rigby took it and shook his hand politely. He knew that Scott was ex-Air Force, while it wasn't the same as the GDF, service was service and worthy of respect. "Let me guess, you're here to give me the 'be nice to my sister, I know how to hide a body' speech?" He asked dryly.

Scott blinked, belatedly remembered that not everyone grew up with women who could be defined as 'formidable', and laughed. "No, I don't need to. If you upset Kayo enough there won't be a body. She's the one we'd go to for hiding bodies."

This time it was Rigby's turn to blink as it started to dawn exactly what sort of woman he had so easily dismissed out of hand. "...understood."

"Hello Captain." Kayo stepped out and made her way down the stairs, an ankle length dress of midnight blue silk and gold lace whispering around her and a matching shawl over her shoulders. Her hair was caught up in a bun aside from two locks that had been artfully curled and placed to frame her face and the gold drop earrings and pendant necklace matched the gold of her eyes.

She smiled at both men with not a little mischief as Scott teasingly reminded her. "Be nice Kayo, Colonel Casey will want him back in one piece."

"Since when am I not nice?" She asked back in mock offence, then offered her arm to Rigby. "Shall we go?"