Jeff slowly stood and moved closer to Josh, putting himself between his sons and the gun. "Take it easy. We don't want any trouble."
"On the contrary," Josh replied. "You come into my house and take my hostages. That's just begging for trouble."
Overhead came the sounds of people scrambling. The gunshots had alerted the rest of the house's occupants to trouble, and any minute now they would be downstairs. Jeff had to get his sons out of there, now.
"I've told the police where we are," Jeff tried. "They'll be here any minute."
"Then I guess I'd better just kill you all now and get out of here before they arrive, huh?" Josh replied.
The distraction had been enough. While Josh was busy looking at Jeff, John was able to edge closer to the two unnoticed. As soon as he was able, he kicked out at the hand that held the gun.
Josh let out a cry of surprise, his gun firing into the ceiling. Jeff darted forward and grabbed the gun, pointing it up as John also wrestled for control of the weapon. While they were distracted, Virgil grabbed Alan and pulled him away from the fight.
"Where are you going?" Alan bellowed at his brother. "We have to help!"
"We'll just get in the way!" Virgil shot back, dragging Alan towards the door. "We've got to clear their escape so we can all get out of here!"
Alan clearly didn't like the idea of leaving his father and older brother alone with Josh, but he stopped resisting Virgil.
An unidentified figure stepped out of one of the doors near the exit and paused, confused upon seeing Virgil and Alan. The Tracys took advantage of the surprise and immediately attacked. Alan threw a fierce punch at the man's face, connecting with a satisfying crunch even as Virgil swept the man's legs out from under him. The man's head struck the ground hard, and he lay still.
They didn't have time to admire their handiwork as a third shot echoed throughout the house. Alan turned back as if to help his father and brother, but Virgil grabbed his arm.
"Come on!" he yelled.
They reached the door just as it flung open. Both boys let out a startled cry and assumed defensive stances, only to find Scott and Gordon looking back at them with identical looks of shock.
"Where's Dad and John?" Scott barked as he and Gordon tugged Alan and Virgil outside.
"Back in the house!" Virgil replied. "We were surprised."
"Gordon, Virgil, Alan, get to the police station and tell them what's going on," Scott ordered. "Wait for us there. We'll be right behind you."
"Scott!" Alan began to protest.
Scott dropped a hand on Alan's shoulder. "Alan, we need the police here. The sooner someone can get to them, the better. We're counting on you."
Alan drew himself up straighter and nodded. "Good luck."
Scott nodded and darted into the house. Virgil took one of Gordon's arms and pushed him away from the house. "Let's go!"
It took all of five minutes to explain the situation to the police. Gordon and Virgil, in their Thunderbird uniforms, were all that was needed for the police to leap into action. They exited the station and watched with looks of longing as several police cruisers sped back to the house that had held Alan and John, hoping that the rest of their family was all right.
Alan all but fell onto a nearby park bench, his expression a mix of shame and fear. "This is all my fault."
Virgil and Gordon took a seat on either side of him. "What do you mean, Sprout?" Virgil asked.
Alan leaned forward. "Dad and Scott and John could be hurt, or worse, and it's all because I was stupid enough to think Josh was my friend. If anything happens to them..."
Gordon and Virgil exchanged concerned looks over their younger brother's slumped form. "Alan, this isn't your fault," Gordon tried. "If anything, it's ours. If we had known how much our teasing really bothered you, we would have laid off."
Alan and Virgil turned as one to give Gordon a look of skepticism. Gordon shrugged, smiling ruefully.
"Okay, we would have laid off a little," he amended. Sobering, he continued. "Seriously, Alan, you aren't stupid for thinking someone wants to be your friend. You're a pretty fun and interesting guy. And you're entitled to make mistakes. Everyone's allowed every now and then."
"And some more than others," Virgil teased Gordon.
Alan let out a soft laugh.
"Is this a private party, or can anyone join?"
The three brothers jumped up and whirled around in shock as Jeff, Scott, and John approached them. Grins threatened to split the younger Tracys' faces, and Alan ran forward and hugged his father yet again. The other boys moved forward, greeting each other with relief.
Jeff smiled at all of his sons, loosening his hold on Alan but not releasing him. "What say we all go home?"
The answer was the same, from five different voices. "FAB, Dad."