A/N: I know its been awhile since I've updated this. What can I say my thunderbirds muse went on strike. I had to force it to let me right this short update as it was. I'm hoping maybe when I get the movie and DVD and can watch it again that it might help out. Anyway, I wanted to give you all at least some kind of update as this is the most reviews I've ever gotten on one chapter on a story so thank-you all for your feed back.
Devlinn Reiko-samma - I guess three months isn't exactly soon is it. I'm really glad you liked the first chapter and hope you enjoy this chapter too.
Andrewjameswilliams - I'm going completely off the movie with these characters as I never was a fan of the puppet tv show. Hope the wait hasn't made you lose interest in this story.
Bograt - thanks for the review. As long as I still have readers out there I hope the next chapter won't take me as long.
Fiona12690- hope you're still interested in reading more. Sorry about the wait.
Killhill2003 - thanks for the review and compliment.
AngelMouse5 - I'm glad you liked the story idea. I wasn't sure how the concept would go over. And I'm glad you liked the title. I only saw the movie once and he's not in it much but I fell in love with John's character. What can I say, I tend to like the overlooked characters in tv shows and movies.
Penelope Hudson - Well there's a second chapter now but that's as far as it goes. Hopefully the third chapter wants to come out of my head and onto the computer screen a little easier than this chapter did.
QueenofElvenCity - thanks for the review. As for Scott failing a class, what can I say I had to make him seem a little more human. He came off as too perfect and too cocky for my taste in the movie.
Miz Greenleaf - glad you liked the last chapter and thanks for the review.
Lady Elizabeth-Jayne - sorry this is only a short chapter but I figured a short update is better than no date. Thanks for the review so long after the story was posted. It finally spurred me to sit down and work on this story ( I just had to wait for classes to end and I wasn't so stressed out to tackle this story).
Alan's POV:
As I walked out of the house and down to the pool I could still hear my father's voice in my head. His words echoed through my mind.
"Alan, I can't begin to put into words how disappointed I am in you. I've never asked anything more of you than to do your best and I know you can pass these classes. I know that you are capable of graduating from high school. That's all I'm asking of you. I want you to graduate high school, even if that means you graduate with straight C's. What you chose to do after that is your choice."
His voice had been even when he had said those words. No yelling. Somehow that disturbed me more. I was use to the loud lectures. This I wasn't use to though. I could tell that this was more than just anger at some stupid mistake I had made. I had really let him down this time and I felt bad about that. Sure, I griped about my father at times and I wouldn't say we had the best father-son relationship but no matter what I knew my father loved me and I wanted him to be proud of me. I knew that even now my father still loved me but he sure wasn't proud of me.
"You can still pass those three classes with a little bit of hard work, which your teachers and I all know you're capable of. That means completing that extra report, and studying for your finals. Making sure you know the material."
"There are too many distractions here on the island. I don't think you'd get much of anything accomplish here. That's why I'm sending you up to Thunderbird 5 to spend the week with John. If you need help with your school work he'll be able to help you and you can also start your training. Your going to have to spend some time up there at some point and this seems as good a time as ever."
I couldn't believe it. My father was sending me away. Being with John was like going to see a complete stranger. I barely knew him. I had been hoping that when the time came to learn about Thunderbird 5 my Dad would do it while Scott or maybe himself was up there. Most of the time when I was home John wasn't and then even when we were both here I barely talked to him. John wasn't like my other brothers. He kept to himself more.
It was kind of ironic that of all my brothers, John was the one that scared me. Maybe because I was never quite sure where I stood with him. Scott, Virgil, and Gordon always teased me. I knew they thought I was a joke. The screw-up of the family. I wasn't sure what John thought of me and I wasn't sure I wanted to know. Like Dad's disappointment rather than anger, John's silence was worse than my other brothers' teasing.
I had reached the pool by now . I sat down on the edge and dangled my bare feet into the cool water. This was definitely not how I had planned on spending my break from school. He hadn't said so but I knew if I failed any of my classes, summer school was a very real possibility.
"There you are," I heard Tin-tin's soft voice say. I hadn't even heard her footsteps but then I guess with Tin-tin that was to expected. "You've been awfully quiet tonight Alan."
"I'm failing three of my classes."
"And could you have done better?" she asked me as she sat down on the edge of the pool and put her own feet into the pool.
I nodded. I knew I could've done better. All those assignments that I hadn't turned in hadn't gotten done because I was busy day dreaming. The same thing with studying. Instead of studying for a test I had tended to have a book in front of me but in my mind I was out with Dad or one of my brothers on some great adventure.
"Well what's going to be done about it."
"Theoretically, I still have a chance of passing the classes," I told her. My teachers words came to me. A's on the finals. I couldn't remember the last time I had ever scored anything higher than a B on a final and even though were rare. The more I thought about it the more inevitable summer school seemed.
"Alan, if you don't think you can do it then you've already failed," she told me. "You need to have some confidence in your self. Like when you went up against the Hood to save your family. Fermat and I kept doubting that we'd actually be able to save them but you never gave up. You kept trying."
"That was different," I told her.
"Yes and no. Anything that you set your mind to Alan you can accomplish. You've just got to want it bad enough."
I looked at her. She might have been the same age as me but at times like these she seemed so much older.
"My Dad's sending me away. He's sending me to Thunderbird 5 for the week. Less distractions he said."
"Your father is only doing what he think is best for you Alan. Besides at least up there you won't have to worry about your brothers teasing you."
"I guess," I said absently. I didn't know how to tell her that facing John scared me more than facing my other three brothers ever could. Yes those three would have a field day with me when they found out I was failing three classes but I knew what to expect from them.
Not to mention Thunderbird 5 was the last place I wanted to be. This was where all the action was. That was one thing I had to agree with Dad on, there were a lot of distractions here on Tracy Island. There was always something going on and that was where I wanted to be. Right in the middle of everything not stuck up in space on a station with someone I didn't know.
But there was no way I was going to tell anyone, not even Tin-tin, how I felt about John. They would probably take it the wrong way. Think it meant I didn't love and that simply wasn't true. I loved him as much as I loved my other brothers. I knew that from when the Hood had attacked Thunderbird 5. I had wanted to go with them. Had hated being left behind although in the end it had been a good thing that I had been.
I felt Tin-tin put my arm around my shoulders. I liked the feeling. I liked having her with me. When I was around her I felt like I had someone, who despite all the mistakes I had made in my life, believed in me.
I'm not sure how long we sat there before she broke the silence again.
"Want me to help you pack?" she asked me.
I nodded. I could keep putting off but I knew it wouldn't change anything. My Dad's mind was made up. If I wasn't ready to leave in the morning the only thing it would accomplish is getting Dad mad. I figured I had already done enough of that for right now.