I don't realize until the next morning that I had fallen asleep in Alan's
protective arms. It is accustomed to me that I just let myself nod off
without a second thought. When my eyes open and I find my eyelashes batting
against the material of his worn t-shirt, I sit bolt upright, surprising
him.
Alan pulls away from me and that's when I realize something else - he didn't sleep when I did. I can see the drowsiness creating ominous shadows under his eyes and the exhaustion shining unmistakably as he looks down at the sheets of his bed. I reach up and turn him to me, concern for him veiling every inch of my mind.
"Alan, I didn't mean to fall asleep like I did. You should have woken me," I say quietly, searching his expression and finding nothing but fatigue.
He pulls back, as if fearful of my touch, and the look on his ashen features stings like a million needles to my heart. He simply shakes his head and lowers his gaze back to the rumpled blanket that had slipped off my shoulders sometime during the night. Without a word, he picks it up and wraps it around me, not meeting my eyes.
"Don't push me away," I murmur, once again forcing him to look up by placing a finger under his chin and raising it.
"So what am I supposed to do?" He counters, surprising me at the sudden reply. "Hug you, kiss you and plead for you to be mine?" His tone darkens with each word, matching the look on his face as he holds my eyes with his own valiantly.
I shake my head slowly and force myself to focus on something other than his unbreakable stare. "Living on the island with you is going to be tough," I cogitate aloud, more to myself than to him.
"Then we'd better resolve this, and soon," Alan answers tenaciously. His voice lowers to a soft whisper. "I don't want things to ever be awkward between us, Tin-Tin."
I can scarcely believe he's saying these things. He's being so. . .mature about the whole situation. I reach over timorously and take his hand, staggered at how cold it feels in mine. I squeeze it tenderly as I speak. "Then we won't let them, Alan."
He sighs and takes his hand back, though it's not an aloof gesture. I stand up, pulling the blanket around my shoulders and making my way out of the bedroom to the core of Thunderbird Five. I hit the button on the side of one of the screens that will immediately put me through to Tracy Island and huddle under the warm coverlet as I wait for the monitor to come to life.
The first face I see is Virgil's and I smile at the look of emancipation he displays. "Tin-Tin! Are you all right?"
"I'm fine," I reply, my eyes sparkling merely at the sight of him.
"John told us everything when he came back. Boy, was Father angry! I'm sure glad I'm not him right now. I think he finally let him go to bed just before the sun," Virgil says as he sits down on the corner of his father's desk. "I can't believe you did that."
"Did what?"
"Hijacked Thunderbird Three!"
"I didn't hijack it, Virgil. I mean, I did in a way, but John was with me."
He shakes his head. "You're lucky he caught you when he did, or else there would be even more trouble than there already is."
"Is your father angry with me?"
"Positively livid," Virgil responds with a grin.
I bite my lip worriedly. "I didn't mean to upset him."
"We know that. It'll take some time to cool him down, but since you're not here for him to blow up at, he should be fine by the time you return." He glances behind me, evidently looking for his brother. "How are things going with Alan?"
"I think we've come to a bit of a mutual understanding. For now, anyway."
"She slugged him!" Someone yells from the other side of the picture. I can't see him, but I know right away who it is.
"Shut up, Gordon. She did not." Virgil looks over his shoulder for a minute and then back at me, dropping his voice. "You didn't, right?"
I almost laugh out loud. "No, I didn't."
"I want to see the bruise!" Gordon appears in my line of vision and positions himself beside Virgil.
"There isn't a bruise to see, Gordon." Alan comes into the main room and stands a few feet away from me. "She didn't hit me."
His two siblings take him in silently, seeing his vague expression, dull eyes and enervated stance. Virgil is the first to speak, obviously feeling terrible about everything that has happened. "I'm glad she didn't, Alan." He smiles slightly. "It would have screwed up that pretty-boy look you have going on," Virgil says teasingly.
"Well," Alan grits his teeth, "I'm going to need it more than ever now, since I'm single again." He glares at Virgil and I can nearly feel the resentment beginning to come to the surface again.
Virgil shrinks back visibly, stunned at his younger brother's sudden change in behavior. "When you return to the island, we'll talk about everything, okay?"
He interrupts Virgil by shaking his head. "No. I don't want to talk to you about anything, Virgil. What's done is done."
"I'm glad you seem to be putting it behind you, Alan, but I don't want you to hate me."
"I do not hate you. Granted, I did for a brief moment a little bit ago," Alan confesses, "But I no longer do."
"That's good to hear."
"A part of me wants to kill you, though."
Virgil raises an eyebrow and I find it just about comical. "Glad you're in the space station, then." He drops his voice, speaking only to Gordon, though I can hear his soft words through the speakers. "I wouldn't want him anywhere near me right now."
"I heard that, Virgil. Just wait until John relieves me. You'd better run for your life." Alan is kidding now and I'm thankful to see his usual character beginning to re-emerge.
"I'm going to go look for breakfast. I'm curious to see the junk you boys keep up here," I say to Alan. "I'll set something out for you. Come around when you're hungry." I'm sure he would like a word with his brothers without my presence hanging over his head.
"Thank you, Tin-Tin."
It's when he reaches over and touches my arm reassuringly that I begin to feel my spirits lift. It's casual contact, but it takes the needles that had earlier protruded from my heart away, leaving a sense of calmness I haven't felt in days. I nod my goodbye to Virgil and Gordon and leave the area, feeling as if the gravity controls in the space station have miraculously been turned off.
+++++++
Holy smokes, Alan being mature? I know there's people out there who despise the brat, but hey, I wanted to try and make him a bit more adult, for my fic at least. Review review review!
Angelina
Alan pulls away from me and that's when I realize something else - he didn't sleep when I did. I can see the drowsiness creating ominous shadows under his eyes and the exhaustion shining unmistakably as he looks down at the sheets of his bed. I reach up and turn him to me, concern for him veiling every inch of my mind.
"Alan, I didn't mean to fall asleep like I did. You should have woken me," I say quietly, searching his expression and finding nothing but fatigue.
He pulls back, as if fearful of my touch, and the look on his ashen features stings like a million needles to my heart. He simply shakes his head and lowers his gaze back to the rumpled blanket that had slipped off my shoulders sometime during the night. Without a word, he picks it up and wraps it around me, not meeting my eyes.
"Don't push me away," I murmur, once again forcing him to look up by placing a finger under his chin and raising it.
"So what am I supposed to do?" He counters, surprising me at the sudden reply. "Hug you, kiss you and plead for you to be mine?" His tone darkens with each word, matching the look on his face as he holds my eyes with his own valiantly.
I shake my head slowly and force myself to focus on something other than his unbreakable stare. "Living on the island with you is going to be tough," I cogitate aloud, more to myself than to him.
"Then we'd better resolve this, and soon," Alan answers tenaciously. His voice lowers to a soft whisper. "I don't want things to ever be awkward between us, Tin-Tin."
I can scarcely believe he's saying these things. He's being so. . .mature about the whole situation. I reach over timorously and take his hand, staggered at how cold it feels in mine. I squeeze it tenderly as I speak. "Then we won't let them, Alan."
He sighs and takes his hand back, though it's not an aloof gesture. I stand up, pulling the blanket around my shoulders and making my way out of the bedroom to the core of Thunderbird Five. I hit the button on the side of one of the screens that will immediately put me through to Tracy Island and huddle under the warm coverlet as I wait for the monitor to come to life.
The first face I see is Virgil's and I smile at the look of emancipation he displays. "Tin-Tin! Are you all right?"
"I'm fine," I reply, my eyes sparkling merely at the sight of him.
"John told us everything when he came back. Boy, was Father angry! I'm sure glad I'm not him right now. I think he finally let him go to bed just before the sun," Virgil says as he sits down on the corner of his father's desk. "I can't believe you did that."
"Did what?"
"Hijacked Thunderbird Three!"
"I didn't hijack it, Virgil. I mean, I did in a way, but John was with me."
He shakes his head. "You're lucky he caught you when he did, or else there would be even more trouble than there already is."
"Is your father angry with me?"
"Positively livid," Virgil responds with a grin.
I bite my lip worriedly. "I didn't mean to upset him."
"We know that. It'll take some time to cool him down, but since you're not here for him to blow up at, he should be fine by the time you return." He glances behind me, evidently looking for his brother. "How are things going with Alan?"
"I think we've come to a bit of a mutual understanding. For now, anyway."
"She slugged him!" Someone yells from the other side of the picture. I can't see him, but I know right away who it is.
"Shut up, Gordon. She did not." Virgil looks over his shoulder for a minute and then back at me, dropping his voice. "You didn't, right?"
I almost laugh out loud. "No, I didn't."
"I want to see the bruise!" Gordon appears in my line of vision and positions himself beside Virgil.
"There isn't a bruise to see, Gordon." Alan comes into the main room and stands a few feet away from me. "She didn't hit me."
His two siblings take him in silently, seeing his vague expression, dull eyes and enervated stance. Virgil is the first to speak, obviously feeling terrible about everything that has happened. "I'm glad she didn't, Alan." He smiles slightly. "It would have screwed up that pretty-boy look you have going on," Virgil says teasingly.
"Well," Alan grits his teeth, "I'm going to need it more than ever now, since I'm single again." He glares at Virgil and I can nearly feel the resentment beginning to come to the surface again.
Virgil shrinks back visibly, stunned at his younger brother's sudden change in behavior. "When you return to the island, we'll talk about everything, okay?"
He interrupts Virgil by shaking his head. "No. I don't want to talk to you about anything, Virgil. What's done is done."
"I'm glad you seem to be putting it behind you, Alan, but I don't want you to hate me."
"I do not hate you. Granted, I did for a brief moment a little bit ago," Alan confesses, "But I no longer do."
"That's good to hear."
"A part of me wants to kill you, though."
Virgil raises an eyebrow and I find it just about comical. "Glad you're in the space station, then." He drops his voice, speaking only to Gordon, though I can hear his soft words through the speakers. "I wouldn't want him anywhere near me right now."
"I heard that, Virgil. Just wait until John relieves me. You'd better run for your life." Alan is kidding now and I'm thankful to see his usual character beginning to re-emerge.
"I'm going to go look for breakfast. I'm curious to see the junk you boys keep up here," I say to Alan. "I'll set something out for you. Come around when you're hungry." I'm sure he would like a word with his brothers without my presence hanging over his head.
"Thank you, Tin-Tin."
It's when he reaches over and touches my arm reassuringly that I begin to feel my spirits lift. It's casual contact, but it takes the needles that had earlier protruded from my heart away, leaving a sense of calmness I haven't felt in days. I nod my goodbye to Virgil and Gordon and leave the area, feeling as if the gravity controls in the space station have miraculously been turned off.
+++++++
Holy smokes, Alan being mature? I know there's people out there who despise the brat, but hey, I wanted to try and make him a bit more adult, for my fic at least. Review review review!
Angelina