killhill2003: I'm glad you're liking my story! Don't worry about Gordon, he's fine. And about Liverpool- well, there's nothing really in Lyttleton either, but less people know that.

A/N: Thanks everyone for reading my story thus far, huge thanks to Quiller for being my ideas bouncing board, and Thunderbirds isn't mine, unfortunately.


CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: Puzzle Pieces

Addie grinned at she saw the familiar ginger hair bobbing towards her in the crowded airport, and she jumped off the chair.

"Gordon!" she called, and ran to him to give him a hug as he came into view.

"Easy, girl," he said, and put one arm around her. She looked at him in surprise.

"What happened to your shoulder?" she gasped, staring at the sling which held his arm in place, then her eyes went up to his forehead, and the nasty bruise and two stitches he was sporting. "And your head?" Gordon shrugged with his good shoulder.

"You know us boys, always adventuring. I had an accident while rock-climbing." Well, it was true enough. "I had to come here to get it looked at and thought I'd stop by to see you while I was here. Can you take my bag? I'm feeling a little weak..." he trailed off, his voice sounding weak and pitiful. Addie laughed and picked up his suitcase.

"Goodness, you pack light, what are you, a man?" she teased. Gordon chuckled and shrugged.

"Alan would debate that point, but I'll simply say, yes, I am."

"And what a man," commented Addie. Gordon kissed her cheek as the pair continued on. They headed out to the sea-shore to grab some fish and chips, then sat for a long time just chatting and cuddling and catching up. It was late by the time they trooped into the games room of the WASP barracks, where Gordon was spending the night on a pull-out stretcher. The small crew still up were sitting in front of the TV, watching a video.

"What are you watching?" Addie called, putting down Gordon's bag. Billy looked up.

"A programme taped from a while ago. We're bored and we taped too much, so we're watching last week's news aswell."

"Righto," commented Addie. Billy turned back to the TV as Addie and Gordon wandered over to stand behind them.

"And in other news, International Rescue has saved lives again! Several holiday makers became stranded on a cliff-face after their caving expedition went awry..." came the confident voice of one of the presenters. Gordon looked around at the TV, his attention drawn despite himself.

"Tell me again why you stood me up last week?" Addie asked.

"Father needed me to work longer, I told you," he replied, still distracted by the voice of the news presenter.

"Didn't you tell him you were supposed to meet me?"

"Yes, but he wouldn't be argued with, you know my dad." The girl he'd rescued last was on screen, looking scared.

"I thought I was gonna die for sure, and then this guy came down, and he was really sweet and reassuring, and I thought I was gonna die, but then he gave me his rope and I climbed up, and just as I got to the top a rock slipped and hit him in the head and he fell," she said, her voice still shaking from emotion. Gordon frowned slightly. Addie turned to see what he was looking at.

"One of the International Rescue team aparantly slipped from this ledge and landed on the second shelf below, and managed to cling on until his colleagues could get him up to safety," said the young field reporter. "The two marvelous Thunderbirds machines took off only ten minutes ago, taking the cavers, and their valiant injured member, to seek medical attention." The screen cut back to the girl. Gordon snorted quietly.

"Valiant," he muttered, laughing softly. The girl was talking again.

"The guy saved my life and I'll always remember it, I just wanna thank him so much for saving me, and I'm sorry he fell. He almost gave up his own life for mine, and I'm so eternally grateful." The girl smiled into the camera. "Thank you, International Rescue!"

"We got this amatuer footage of the young man's slip..." began the reporter. Gordon tensed.

"What? But there's supposed to be no photographs!" he breathed, and watched as camera footage, shot from below and with no hint of the Thunderbird crafts in it, caught an ant-sized girl climbing up over the ledge, then the dark figure of himself falling, and somebody screaming. His fingers tensed and his face worked to hide his emotion. Suddenly it hit him how near tragedy that had been. Addie turned her head to say something, and was surprised by the look in his eyes. It was fear, and relief. She looked back at the figure dangling by one arm, too far away to see anything decent.

"Thankfully, the young man's life was not lost, and International Rescue will return to save lives another day. Jennifer Laing, One News."

"Hooray, International Rescue save lives again!" said Billy, getting up and turning off the TV. "That's enough of that. Come on, Gordon needs to get his ass kicked at pool." And immediately Gordon snapped out of he reverie. Addie was caught unawares at just how fast his mood changed, and how easily he could hide what he thought.

"Sorry lads, dislocated shoulder you know. I'm not supposed to use it for another two weeks," he said, which brought a chorus of derisive comments about skiving out and being chicken. Addie smiled, and held his hand, leaning her head on his arm.

"I'm tired, Gordie," she whispered, and Gordon smiled.

"Yeah, I might head to bed myself, accident, you know, arm and stitches," he called, putting his arm around Addie's shoulders. The guys all laughed.

"Sure, to sleep, I suppose you want us to believe!" Gordon smirked and let Addie lead him away, shooting the guys a thumbs-up, which brought on another round of laughter. Addie snuggled into his side.

"Don't worry, I'll go easy on you," she murmured, kissing his cheek. Gordon grinned and caught her in a deep kiss on the mouth, a kiss that seemed to be touching her soul. She sighed and melted into a puddle in his arms.

A while later, Addie lay curled up in the crook of his arm, his cheek resting on her head. It felt good to lie there like that, lie they were together forever, and she wished it could last as long. Gordon was dozing off, she could tell.

"Gordon? Hey, Gordie?"

"Yum?" he murmured.

"Will you please stop hogging all the duvet?" Gordon stirred and laughed a little, then relaxed.

"FAB," he sighed. Addie smiled and tugged the duvet over a bit, then began to drift off to sleep. FAB. What was that supposed to mean anyway?

Addie sipped her coffee the next morning, feeling happier than she had in a long while. Gordon had left early, his appointment with a physiotherapist being at about 8:30. She was going to meet him before lunch and take him to the airport, after which he was going to head home. She sighed and glanced up at the clock, then got up and tipped the remains of her coffee down the sink. Then she grabbed a newspaper to fill in the time and headed out.

She wished that she knew what Gordon did. Whenever she asked he was very vague about it, just mumbling something about vehicle testing and new technology development. Whatever it was, she knew that he would want to do it. WASP had been his dream since childhood. He'd dreaded telling his father of his dream, but once he'd finally said it after putting it off for months, his father had been better about it that he'd anticipated. And why not? WASP was as respectable an organisation as the US Airforce or NASA, and equally as valid.

She sighed and settled herself on a bench to wait for him, flicking her paper open. There on page 3 was a large colour image of a destroyed plane, a cluster of survivors standing closer to the photographers. Another Fabulous Rescue for the Thunderbirds. Addie shook her head. Those guys were heroes all right. They'd given up everything they'd ever wanted just so they could save the lives of these innocents. But then, maybe someone had been working their whole life to make this dream a reality? Anyway, it'd take a lot of money to back-up something as huge as this. They couldn't have sponsors could they? No, because then the companies that did it would be well known for their work. It would have to be an independant source. Someone with a lot of money and a heart big enough to share it. International Rescue played no favourites. Anywhere there were people in trouble, they were there to pick up the pieces and save lifes. And as far as she could tell there were only half a dozen members.

Her eyes were drawn back to the headline. Another Fabulous Rescue. That reminded her of something- Oh yes, what Gordon had said last night. F-A-B. It was odd. Last night International Rescue towed an oil tanker to safety, preventing it from exploding on an Antartic iceburg and causing a majour envirnmental disaster, as well as saving the lifes of its twenty crew members. The fabulous Thunderbirds were there in full force, although there was no sign of the courageous man who dislocated his shoulder last week in the caving accident in Australia...

Addie's mouth dropped open. It was like, all of a sudden the pieces just managed to slot into something that made no sense. Gordon's injury- The call from the Thunderbird last week who had also used the phrase FAB- Gordon's disappearance from the occupation he'd dreamed of since he was ten and then the timing of IR's creation after that, and his refusal to return-
No. It couldn't be. It was all a coincidence. There was no way. Gordon was a member of International Rescue? How could that be? And yet-

Addie? Addie! Earth to Addie, do you read me? Addie jumped and looked up at Gordon, who was standing over her, a smile on his face. Sorry to disturb you, you looked pretty wrapped up in your thoughts.

i- I was. Its okay. Lets just go to the airport. We can grab some lunch on the way, okay?

Addie smiled and stood up, tucking the paper under her arm. No, way. It was so far fetched, how could it possibly be true?