AN: Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chpater. Glad you all enjoyed it. This chapter starts to resolve all the conflict going on in the Tracy family. There will be at least one more chapter maybe more, I'll have to see how everything works out. Thanks again for all the reviews. Keep them coming.

Gordon's POV:

As I made my way toward the house, I passed Kryano and Tintin busy with caring for the plants. I said a quick hello to them as I walked by, not really wanting to talk to anyone but knowing it would be to rude just to walk by. Fortunately, I didn't pass anyone else as I made my way into the house and up to my room.

I went right to my dresser to get my swim trunks but I never even got the drawer open, as something white on my bed caught my eye. Leaving the dresser I walked over to the bed, curious as to what had been left there.

Coming up to the bed, I found that it was an envelope. My name was written on the envelope, and by looking at the writing I knew in was from Alan.

I felt anger rising in me once more. Alan's words echoing in my mind.

"I'm not the one that sent John to the hospital."

Those words had hurt, maybe even more so, because I knew there was a truth to them. Still, to have Alan throw it back at me like that hurt even more than the words. He had said it to hurt me. To get back at me and it had worked.

I started to rip the envelope in half, without reading it when a voice stopped me.

"Do you really want to do that?"

I jumped at the voice. I hadn't expected anyone, least of all not John.

"I would've thought you would have left to take Alan back to school," I said as I got over my surprise.

"Virgil took him back. I figured you'd find your way back inside after they left and I think you and I need to talk," he told me taking a few steps into the room.

"Talk about what," I said looking down toward the bed as I tossed the envelope back down on it.

"About what's going on with you and Alan and about what happened the other night," he told me.

"I think you need to talk to Alan about that first incident," I told him trying to steer away from both topics but especially the second one. I had talked to John about the mission yesterday. He had tried to convince me that it wasn't my fault but I hadn't been able to believe him and I didn't want to go into that again. I was trying to forget about it.

"I already did," John said.

His statement took me by surprise but maybe it shouldn't have. John was always playing peace maker in this family.

I kept quiet. There wasn't much I could say.

"Gordon, Alan regrets what he said to you. He was just angry and wasn't thinking but you won't even give him a chance to apologize. I told him to write the apology down," John told me nodding toward the discarded envelope on the bed. "If you're not ready to listen to an apology yet then don't open it but don't go destroying it either. You'll regret that even more."

I just nodded. What John said made sense. Even though I was furious with Alan right now I knew that it wouldn't last. That it couldn't last. He was my little brother and no matter how angry I got with him I still loved him.

"It's just that I can't believe he said that to me. Those words really hurt," I said softly needing to say something. I looked up at my brother. Suddenly, I didn't want to avoid the mission incident. I wanted to tell someone how I felt inside. Share it with someone so I could get rid of that burden that I was carrying around. "John, I'd never want to do anything to hurt you. To hurt any of you."

"I know that Gordon," John told me patiently, just like he always did. He took a few steps toward me.

"I was just trying to lighten up the mood. I realize that was stupid. That I should've been paying attention to what I was doing but I never thought anyone would get hurt," I said. I knew I was babbling but I couldn't stop myself. Now that I had started talking about it, all I wanted to do was get everything out. "Maybe I shouldn't really even be a part of International Rescue. You guys need to be able to depend on me and I'm the last person that you should be depending on. What if I make another mistake and someone else gets hurt, or worse killed. I don't think I could . . . "

I let my words trail off as John pulled me into a hug.

"Its okay Gordon," I heard John say softly as I let my head rest on his shoulder. "There isn't one of us who haven't had those kinds of doubt at one point or another."

"Really?" I asked not really believing it. All of my older brothers always seemed so calm on missions all the time. Like nothing ever phased them. No matter what happened they kept there cool and adapted to the situation, all the while I'm trying to keep my lunch down. Trying not to completely freak out. Trying to be the professional that everyone expects me to be.

"Really. Would I ever lie to you?" John told me.

"I guess not."

"We all know you're still learning and that you're going to make mistakes. None of us expects you to be perfect. We don't expect ourselves to perfect. No matter how much training we do, how many missions we go on, the unexpected is going to happen. That's just the nature of what we do."

I thought about what John had just said. It sounded a lot like what my Dad had been saying that night of the mission along with the lecture I had received. That night I had only been concentrating on the lecture part of what Dad was saying. Concentrating on the fact that I had let him down. Let my brothers down. Even though I had heard the underlying message I had tuned it out. Hadn't thought about it until now.

"I'm sorry John," I said without really thinking about it, still unable to let go of the guilt I felt about John getting hurt. Mistake or not it was still my fault.

"There's nothing to be sorry about Gordo," John told me softly, hugging me a little tighter. I didn't fight against it. After the last couple of days of beating myself up I needed the comfort. Needed the forgiveness that I couldn't seem to be able to give myself.

"However," John said after a little while, "Here's something to consider. What Alan said to you hurt in the same way as what your comments about what happened at the chemistry lab hurt him."

"I was just joking with him," I said defensively, pulling away from him. "Alan was purposely trying to get back at me."

"Does that really matter?"

I didn't answer him, just like I hadn't answered Virgil when he had said almost the same exact thing to me last night.

"Think about it," John said as he rested his hand on my shoulder briefly as he walked out of my room, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

Alan's POV:

"Do you want me to come in with you?" Virgil asked me as the cab pulled up in front of my dorm building at the Churchill School for Boys. We had taken the cab from the local airport.

"No," I told him. "I didn't even need you to come this far," I told him. "All you had to do was drop us off at the airport. I am capable of using public transportation by myself."

"Sorry if I wanted to make sure you got here okay."

"More like you wanted to make sure I came back to school," I muttered under my breath as I climbed out of the cab behind Fermat.

"Alan wait a second," I heard Virgil say even as I shut the cab door, not wanting to hear what he had to say. I already knew he was on Gordon's side.

Fermat and I headed up the steps of the dorm building. I expected to hear of the sound of the cab pulling away. I didn't though. Instead I heard another door shutting.

"Alan, hold up a second," I heard Virgil call out. Evidently he wasn't going to let me get away with that comment.

Figuring that he would simply follow me right to my dorm room, I stopped halfway up the steps. I turned to face him.

"Alan what's up with you today?" Virgil asked me stopping a few steps below me.

"I can't believe you just asked that," I told him. "You're as bad as Gordon."

"I apologized for making the jokes about the chem lab fire. What more do you want me to do?"

"Show a little support. I make one insensitive remark and I'm a rotten person. Gordon was making jokes all weekend but no one is upset with him."

"That's not true."

"Sure seems that way to me. You sure seem to have taken Gordon's side in all this."

"I'm not on anyone's side," Virgil said defensively. "Sure I'm worried about Gordon. He's taking what happened Friday night really hard but that's it. What's going on between you and him the two of you need to work out between yourselves. And I do agree with you. The two of you did exactly the same thing to each other and I told him as much."

"You did?"

"Yes," Virgil told me sounding a little exasperated. "The two of you really need to get things worked out and I know you've been trying and he's being stubborn but don't give up on him Alan. I don't like seeing the two of you fighting. I don't like to see any of us fighting."

"But this morning at the breakfast table," I said thinking about the looks I had been getting from him.

Virgil didn't answer me right away. I stood there looking down at him. Waiting for an answer. Waiting for him to explain his actions this morning.

"I guess I did act like a jerk, this morning," he finally said, taking me by surprise. That had been the last thing I expected for him to say. "I can see how you thought I was on his side. I guess I just thought that if Gordon wasn't ready to work things out that anything that you said would just make things worse. I guess I should have thought a little bit more about your feelings. I should probably leave the peace making in this family to John."

"I'm not going to argue with you about that," I told him, still a upset with him but not mad anymore. At least I knew Virgil didn't hate me.

Virgil laughed and held his arm out for a hug. I came down the few steps in between us and gave him a hug.

"You should probably be getting home. They're going to wonder where you got to," I said a few minutes later.

"Okay, stay out of trouble Alan and good luck on your finals," Virgil told me, getting the hint.

"Thanks," I said.

I watched as he went down the steps and got back into the cab. As the cab drove away I turned around and headed for the door. Fermat was waiting for me by the entrance of the dorms.