Disclaimer: Don't own Thunderbirds. No money made from this fic etc, etc.

Authors Note: Thank you, once again for your reviews, everyone! As you already know, I am eternally grateful...(have I mentioned that before?!?!)

Onward!!!!

Fate By Suzi Roberts

Chapter 6 – Which Tracy? Part A.

"Thunderbird One calling Thunderbird Two. I am at the danger zone. What is your ETA?"

"Thunderbird Two calling. ETA is six minutes."

"Right. Thunderbird One to base. Come in Scott."

Scott flicked the switch at Jeff's desk, and Alan's face appeared on the screen.

"Go ahead Alan. How's it going?"

"I'm at the danger zone Scott. Thunderbird Two should join me any minute."

"How's the situation looking?"

"Fairly routine, Scott. With the fire fighting equipment we'll have the family out in no time. Over and out."

Scott closed the link and waited for Gordon's confirmation of arrival. He didn't have to wait long, though it seemed like forever.

"Thunderbird Two calling base. Have reached the danger zone. Will rendezvous with Thunderbird One and get to work."

"Thanks Gordon. Over and out."

******

Jeff stared into the mug of coffee in his hand. The doctor had assured him that Virgil would be allowed to come home until the transplant. Each day transport would be arranged so that he could get to the hospital and back for his treatment.

That was simple enough. But Jeff had been thinking of something else more major.

The kidney donor.

Who should it be? He thought. He knew Scott would want to be tested immediately. That young man would have given his life for any of his brothers if they were in trouble.

Yet Scott might not be a match.

If each of Virgil's brothers agreed, they would all be tested for a match. While Jeff knew the chances of none of the boys being a match to Virgil were small, he couldn't help wondering if they'd have a stroke of bad luck and Virgil would have to wait for a donor.

Jeff pushed the thoughts away. Of course there'd be a match.

There had to be.

******

"Thunderbird One to base. Mission successful."

"Great job boys!" Scott replied. "Any casualties?"

"One of the children has got a little trouble breathing, but the doctor should be able to sort that out. Otherwise, they're all fit and well!"

Scott breathed a sigh of relief.

"Emergency over. Everyone back to base!"

Scott gratefully drank the coffee Tin-Tin had brought in.

He glanced up from desk at her. She was sitting on the sofa, reading her magazine.

"What are you reading, Tin-Tin?" Scott asked, genuinely interested.

Tin-Tin looked up.

"I don't know, Scott. I've been trying to read the same story over and over but I can't stop thinking about Virgil."

Scott guiltily came back to his senses. What with all the rescue business, he had forgotten about Virgil.

"Yeah. I wonder how he his." Scott thought aloud.

And, by sheer coincidence, the radio link began to bleep.

"Scott, come in. This your father speaking."

"Hi Dad. How's everything going?"

"We're coming home in a couple of hours, Scott. I want everyone in the lounge when we get back. There's something important that we all need to discuss. As a family."

Scott frowned worriedly.

"Sure Dad. I'll see to it."

"Any emergencies?"

"Just a bush fire in Australia, Dad. Routine rescue, really."

"Right. Our ETA should be about 1900 hours, Scott. Over and out."

Scott closed the link, surprised. His father hadn't even asked how the rescue had been or if anyone was hurt. It was most unusual.

It was also very worrying.

******

The buzz of the Helijet shook Tracy Island for the second time that day as it made it's landing.

The entire family stood on the balcony, awaiting Virgil's return. They watched as Jeff and Virgil climbed off the jet, exchanged words with the pilot, and made their way indoors.

Scott ushered everyone to their seats in the dining room, and waited.

*****

"Virgil," Jeff said, poising a hand over the automatic door release, "I think we should tell everyone about your news straight away."

"Sure Dad." Virgil shrugged.

Jeff looked worriedly at his son. He had been utterly silent on the journey home, and when his condition was mentioned he answered with as few words as possible, or sometimes only a gesture.

All were signals that Virgil wasn't taking the news well at all.

Oh, come on Jeff! He thought to himself. Of course the poor boy's not going to have taken that sort of news well! Would you?

Jeff hit the door release almost violently and the door slid to one side. He and Virgil stepped into the lounge, where every family member was present. Even John's video link was open so he could be "present" at the gathering.

Virgil didn't know where to look and dropped his gaze to the floor.

"Hi, Virg." Scott finally said, breaking the heavy silence that hung in the room like a thundercloud. "How...are you feeling?"

Initially, Scott had been going to say, "How did it go?" but he thought better of it when he had seen the expression his father wore.

"Fine, Scott. Fine."

A lie, they both knew, but at least it broke the silence up a little.

"Er..." Scott started, looking around. "Why don't we all have a seat and sort out what's going on, eh?"

Virgil sat down uneasily on the only empty sofa in the room. His father took the place next to him and began to speak.

"Well," Jeff said, wishing he didn't have to be the one to do this job, " As you have probably realized, Virgil definitely does have diabetes. This, I'm pleased to say, can be controlled with daily doses of insulin, which your brother can administer himself."

Scott half-relaxed. Well, at least they'd got a proper diagnosis at last.

"The thing which came as more of a shock," Jeff paused, silently willing his sons to brace themselves, "Is the fact that Virgil has a more serious underlying problem. The diabetes has been lingering for some time now, so I'm told, and has therefore done some damage."

He momentarily stopped to look around, and wished he hadn't. The looks on their faces were making this job worse than it already was.

Virgil was still sitting in silence, yet his face was becoming redder and redder with...what? Jeff didn't know.

"So what is it, Dad?" Gordon asked, his honey-coloured eyes looking into his father's deep blue ones.

Jeff tore his gaze away and looked at the floor once again.

"Kidney failure." Jeff said so quickly that it came out as one word.

With no warning, Virgil got up and stomped out of the lounge. Despite the shock of the announcement, Scott watched his brother go, understanding how he felt.

Even as a child, Virgil hated to be put in the spotlight for any reason, unless it was playing his piano. So all this fuss obviously made him feel terribly uncomfortable.

Jeff cleared his throat and eventually spoke.

"We need to find a kidney donor before anything can go ahead. The doctor thinks it would be a good idea if you boys were tested."

Jeff wasn't really surprised when each one of them nodded in agreement.

*****

Virgil sat on the edge of his bed, already feeling ashamed of his actions in the living room. He'd been trying not to make a scene, he really had. He knew how hard it was for his father to have to tell the family such a thing, and he knew how hurt everyone would be by such news.

But all the emotion he'd tried to bottle up since he'd found out...

He wasn't like Scott or Jeff. He couldn't sit back and pretend his feelings didn't exist. If he did, then that was what happened – he couldn't take it.

Virgil walked over to his wardrobe and opened the door. From the top shelf, he took down a photo of his mother, Lucy.

He just stood and looked at it for a while, like he sometimes did. The family never talked about her aloud – it seemed that Jeff just found it too painful to discuss.

He put his beloved possession back in the wardrobe and went back to the bed, taking his shoes off and curling into a ball in the middle of the mattress.

His concerns weren't only for himself. He was more worried over which brother would have to give away a kidney to him.

What if something happened to them during the operation? What if the chosen brother died in surgery?

Virgil would never forgive himself.

A loud knock on the door roused Virgil from his thoughts.

I'm just being paranoid, he thought as he got up. Nothing will happen. It'll all be fine and then I can get back to living. Yeah, that's what'll happen.

He opened the door to arrive face to face with Scott.

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End Note: Not too heavy a cliff-hanger today, folks! Watch this area for Chapter 7 – Which Tracy? Part B – Two Brothers Talk.