A simple wish

Disclaimer: Don't own Thunderbirds or any part of it – I'm merely borrowing it all for the purposes of being able to write a good story (hopefully)

Plot: John is missing his mother deeply and wishes to see what life would be like if she were still alive. To his uttermost surprised his wish is granted and things are certainly different – including the arrival of his unborn sister.

A.N Angst a guarantee and general family loveliness

Chapter 1 – Sunday

A speeding black car...flashing headlights...no, oh god please no...screeching brakes...a child's scream...dad swearing...another scream...no! Not again, please not again...tears...fear....crying...blood...no...a voice...

"No!" shouted John as he startled himself out of sleep and away from the nightmare. He found himself shaking and did not want to believe that he had just witnessed that incident again. Sweat poured off his back and down his forehead, tears stinging his eyes.

Luckily no one asked if he was okay, Virgil was fast asleep in his bed snoring slightly in the middle of some dream and Scott was lying on his front occasionally mumbling. John flopped back onto his bed and stared up at the ceiling waiting desperately for sleep to overtake him once again. But it didn't come.

He knew the reason why, he knew what his dream would show him and he did not wish to see it again. It was still hard to grip that his mother was dead...the accident had happened almost five years ago now but it still only felt like yesterday. He still hated the sight of black sports cars and was still battling his fear of speeding vehicles.

Scott had often questioned him about it but John had lied and said that everything was okay, he knew that if any of his brothers found out about these nightmares then there would be hell to pay but right now he wanted to get through this himself without the help of his brothers...it did hurt him though to think that he wouldn't accept their help but what could they realistically do?

Sighing like a lonely dog, he turned and pulled himself as quietly as he could out of bed. He decided that maybe a cup of hot chocolate would help him to drift off or if worse came to the worse then he could always go and stare at the stars. Quietly as he could he slipped out of the room and with only a slight backwards glance – to check that Scott and Virgil were still asleep – he started down the corridor.

It was quiet in the Tracy house but that didn't really bother him much, it was slightly nicer than listening to everyone shouting at each other. He paused and silently checked on Gordon and Alan – the babies of the family – who were both asleep though by the looks of things it wasn't that long ago that they had. Toys and books were spread all over the place and Gordon was half-lying on the floor.

Suppressing a slight chuckle, John moved into the room and trying not to stand on anything, lifted Gordon onto his own bed and tucked him in. Gordon grumbled but continued sleeping, a fact that John was thankful of. Alan was at least in his bed for once but the blankets had gone adrift and John didn't really need to guess as to why.

Gordon and Alan were deliberate troublemakers and every night they caused a storm about going to bed. John smiled as he located the missing blanket and gently laid it on top of his baby brother. True he was coming up to the age of 10 now but he was still the youngest and no matter what he did he would always be the baby at least to John anyway.

With another sigh he left Gordon and Alan and headed out of the room, tripping up on one of the toys and hearing a faint chuckle that was soon lost in the folds of sleep. Quietly relieved John got up and headed down to the kitchen. He reflected quietly on life and wondered what everything would be like now if Lucille was still alive.

His mother had always been there for all of them but then a simple accident had taken her away in a flash of seconds. John still didn't know why his mother had been targeted or how anyone had known that she would be where she was but it was enough to choke him every time. From what little information he had pieced together from his Dad and news reports, Lucille had been the target of a hit and run gang who chose their victims.

The click of the kettle finishing almost startled John out of his thoughts, he had been in automatic mode when he had entered the kitchen and hardly seemed to notice that he had even started to make himself a hot chocolate. He sighed and starred down, trying to think about anything other than the nightmare. "John? What are you doing up at this time in the morning?" came Jeff's voice from behind him.

John started and turned around, before becoming shy and sheepish, "Couldn't sleep that well" he said looking down at the ground. "I think I can guess what. It's okay son" said Jeff, taking a couple of steps forward. John tried to keep his emotions in but they were threatening to overflow, within seconds his knees buckled and tears streamed down his face.

Jeff caught hold of his second eldest son and held tight hold of him, whispering softly about everything being okay. Every year this happened, the nightmare effect all of his sons and even himself but it was always curious to him as it was at this time of year. Jeff glanced at the calendar, June 2nd it read. The nightmares always started on that date but Lucille had been killed back in February not in June.

But this was not the time to be worrying about things like that...right now John was his main concern and he could only hope and pray that this would once again pass. Jeff ruffled John's blond hair and simply allowed him to cry, there was no use in talking about anything – he already knew that it would cause more problems than required.

"John?" he finally asked after a long pause in the sobbing. Watery blue eyes looked up at him with all the innocence of a child even though John was mentally older than most of his brothers. "Don't worry about anything, son, I'm always going to be here for you...you remember that. Once a Tracy..." Jeff started before John finished, "Always a Tracy" with a faint smile.

The embrace was a little tighter than it had been previously but it was worth it, "Go to bed John, get some sleep huh?" Jeff told his second eldest. John shook his head, "Nah...I'll have this hot chocolate or Grandma will kill me" he said only slightly chuckling.

"Don't be up too late" Jeff called after shaking his head and leaving the room. "Okay Dad" John called before picking up the mug of tepid chocolate and heading towards the telescope that somehow miraculously survived numerous knocks and drops. He sighed and sat down, not really in the mood to look at the stars but something made him feel inclined to.

As he reached forward for 'just a quick look' his foot caught on a cardboard box that was partially hidden under the table. "Huh? How did you get out from under there?" he asked it before pulling it out and opening the lid. Inside lay a beautiful handcrafted porcelain doll. She had long ringlet blond hair, sparkling green eyes and wore an Victorian style dress done in reds and blacks. Any girl would have died to have her but she was rare and had cost a lot of money.

John had bought her the summer of Lucille's death though he had never really known why. He presumed that it was an impulse buy but it was something that a lad would buy for a daughter or a girlfriend come wife – or a younger sister reflected John. He didn't have any younger sisters but if he did then this doll would belong to her. But since his Dad was not liable to get married and have another kid anytime soon then there was no chance that he would ever give it to a younger sister.

Possibly a future niece could have it or maybe his own daughter if he were to have one but for the time being the doll was his and no one knew about it – except Grandma but she had sworn never to tell the others about it. He smiled silently and packed the tissue paper around the doll once again, ready to put her away. "Good night Philadelphia" he said before replacing the lid and pushing the box back under the table.

That was another thing that he had never really understood, he had called the doll Philadelphia Tracy when he had bought it. It was a custom in the shop to allow customers to name the dolls and give them proper birth certificates. John had been a little embarrassed at having to choose a name but his eyes had fallen on a map of America and the state of Philadelphia stood out to him. He still had the birth certificate but it was hidden away from the box.

He sighed and looked through the telescope, marvelling at the stars. Before his eyes a shooting star flashed across and seemed to pause, John wasn't a believer in myths but he had always made a wish on a shooting star, "I wish that I could see what our lives would be like if our mother was still alive" he said quickly and hurriedly.

The star was already long gone but John felt that something was defiantly different about it. Slowly his eyes began to drop and sleep overtook him.

"Wish granted" said a voice just on the edge of his hearing.

A.N What you think? Let me know by pressing review please