Author's Note:
It seems I have a lot of apologizing to do. So, best get it over with. First, I apologize that it took so long. WAY longer than expected. I was working steadily on that novel (sheer crap, I tell you!), and had some school issues. As well, I apologize for having to resort to using the ever-annoying s to separate scenes. As well, I apologize if they don't come through. I must also apologize to computer peoples for the "cookies" joke. That was bad, I know. Finally, I must apologize to all the Nancy Drew fans (especially those who've played SSH) reading this. I'm sorry. TERRIBLY sorry. This entire story will be completely cheesy. I mean, Henrik? C'mon. You can't tell me that's not cheesy. lol
As well, I must warn you that this one is more "teen" than my previous fanfics.
Otherwise, I hope you enjoy the sequel to "Fires in the North"-which by the way, you must read before this. Enjoy!
EJM
Chapter One: In Jagged Pieces
Virgil Tracy loved Tessa Highlander - he had to, after all, that is pretty much a necessity for a fiancée. He loved her soft, red hair. He enjoyed the way her smile told him everything he ever wanted to know. He dreamed of the day she and him would be united in marriage.
But at this very moment, he wanted nothing more than to ring her neck.
"So, then I thought, 'Polyester!' but, then I remembered how uncomfortable that can get, so I nixed that idea. Cotton crossed my mind next, but I mean, are we having a wedding, or a hoe-down?" Tess laughed as she took another bite of spaghetti.
Virgil sank lower into his chair. Picking fabrics was not something he wanted to do.
Jeff pretended to be paying attention from where he sat at the head of the table. Scott wasn't even trying. John and Tin-tin looked like they'd rather be someplace else. Gordon was just plain distracted, like he had been lately.
Tess looked directly at Virgil. "Silk is another option, but it's a bit more traditional than I think we were going for. I don't know - what do you think?"
Virgil hated those four words - what do you think? They will be my downfall, he decided. Virgil sat up in his chair, and took her hand in both of his. He looked deeply into her eyes as he said, "I'm sure that you will better know which fabric will suit our wedding best." He resisted the urge to add, because I don't give a s-
"Are you sure?" Tess asked, slight hurt in her eyes, but more laughter. "It is your wedding too, Pooky."
Scott's head shot up. "Whoa, rewind and freeze! Pooky! Did she just call you Pooky!" The entire family looked in his direction.
He turned to Tessa. He had an unamused smile on his face. "I thought we'd already had the discussion on the name 'Pooky', Mudrashka."
Tess's eyebrows shot up. Her lips drew into a tight line. "It was a slip of the tongue. Now, back to this wedding, why don't you want a say in this?"
He turned away slightly. He took a bite of his dinner. "I think we need our priorities straight. I don't think we need to be selecting fabrics when we don't even know where or when we're going to be married. Can we wait until after dinner for this?"
Some would assume that Virgil was trying to weasel his way out of this by suggesting talking about it later. But Tess caught his slight glance towards Scott, and replied with a smile, "Sure, darling . . . so, how was your day?"
Scott was used to the pity. He was used to the saddened expressions. He was used to the feeling of his heartache. He was used to depression. He was even used to the thoughts of suicide roaming in his head.
But he wasn't used to the only woman he loved being gone.
How did my life get this messed up? Scott thought, sitting on the balcony, staring at the sunset.
First his mom had died. He wanted to help her so bad, but there was no way. She disappeared, and three days later, her name was on the 'recovered' list. His heart had snapped like a twig. He had to help his dad raise his younger brothers. It's something no one should've had to go through.
Then Tessa had washed up. His heart had soared when she took an interest in him. But when they broke up, he was devastated. Sure, he'd been the one who'd unfairly blamed her for things her father had done, but then she would not forgive him. She would not take him back. Tess had moved towards Virgil. He figured it was just a rebound thing, but they got engaged . . . that didn't exactly help him.
Finally, Alana Fitzgerald showed up. He hated her. His feelings for her ran deep. He'd had it with females by that point. He wanted none on his island, even if only for only a few weeks. But then he'd fallen in love with her . . .
Scott pushed the unpleasant thoughts from his head. He used to engulf himself in his missions, but now, he could only just keep his focus. His pain had intensified. He felt like he would never be whole. Every time he watched Virgil kiss Tessa, or noticed the expression Tin-tin gave Alan, he remembered Lana. He often wondered if this was what his father felt whenever he looked at his sons. Alan even looked like their mother . . . as much as a male could.
Lana had died in a plane crash. Her plane had been shot down by people who were angry at her for capturing their boss. There had been no survivors, and no bodies had ever been recovered.
Scott had cried so many tears, he thought he'd dry up. But they still came.
"Jane, darling, wake up."
Jane pretended to be asleep.
The patient voice grew slightly sterner. "Jane, it's time for your blood work."
Oh, yeah, that'll help me get up.
"Jane. I know you're awake."
Jane pulled the covers over her head. "I'm dead. That means no needles."
Nurse Bluefoot rolled his eyes. "Jaaaane . . . we need to take that blood. I know you don't like it, but we have to, so we can keep an eye on your condition."
"The artist formally known as Jane is currently TDL, AWOL, NIM and generally, not interested. But, please, leave a message."
His smile widened. He turned to leave. "Fine. I'll just have to tell Dr. Greg you don't want him to preform your blood work."
Jane hopped out of bed faster than a fox in a chicken coop. "I'm up - where is he?"
It was common knowledge that Jane and Dr. Greg had a bit of a thing for each other. It was also good blackmail.
Nurse Bluefoot pointed her in the direction to the door. "Right this way, dear."
Gordon checked his watch. Midnight - perfect. He checked the halls from his bedroom door. Clear. He quietly tip-toed it to the computer on his father's desk. It was the only one connected to the internet.
He checked once more before logging online. The last thing he wanted right now was for his life to become as "public" as his brothers'.
"Please enter your username and password," the computer prompted.
GordotronVal43
Once more he checked before entering his password. He was very paranoid by this.
GordotronVal43
onehotpranksta
He hit enter, and waited to be logged in. Finally the screen he wanted popped up. He got right down to business. When all was done, he made sure he logged off, and deleted his cookies (before running to the kitchen to replace them). He snuck back into his room as quietly as he snuck out. He was snuggled in his bed, picking peaches in the fruit-laden garden of his dreams, by 1 am.
"So, Muddy, have you picked your bride's maids yet?" Virgil asked with a smile.
Tessa turned with a sarcastic one in return. "Call me 'Muddy', 'Rashy', or 'Mudrashka' once more, and I will slap you, Pook-face."
He held his hands up in surrender. No one in his right mind would let himself be slapped by Tess. She had mastered it. "Fine, Tess. Have you picked your bride's maids?"
They had been engaged for about a month now. They were having trouble figuring out the fundaments of getting married. It's very hard to figure these things out when you live thousands of miles away from civilization. The only real thing they knew for sure at this point was it was going to be a long engagement.
Tess thought for a minute. "I guess Tin-tin and Penny are my choices."
Virgil nodded, having expected that answer. He thought for a moment. "Wait, then who will be your maid of honour?" he pointed out.
She smiled. "I have an idea." She leaned over from her seat next to the pool to whisper a name in his ear.
It took a moment for Virgil to register what she'd said. He laughed. "I'd pay good money to see them in a dress."
She smiled. "But they're okay, right? I mean, you don't have any problems with my choices, do you?"
He shook his head. "No, of course not. They're fine choices."
She smiled. "Good. Now, you have an important decision to make."
Virgil groaned.
She looked at him sternly. "Virgil, you have to have a best man."
Virgil turned to look at her. "Imagine this: you have 4 siblings, and you have to pick between them."
She smiled. "Virgil, it's not that bad. You have three siblings to choose from, and you can always pick your father."
Virgil leaned back, thinking over what she was saying. He looked at her again. "It's not that simple, Tess. I wish it were."
Scott was walking along the beach - again. This had become an unconscious ritual for him. He would walk out, and stare into the Atlantic Ocean in which she had gone. He wondered where her body rested.
Scott was sure that he'd only ever love Lana. She had been his world - heck, she still was. He thought about her every second, even though she wasn't there. Sure, it had only been a month or so since she'd vanished, and he was probably in the normal stages of grief, but it hurt more than he wanted it to.
He walked up to the house. He figured if he surrounded himself with something - even a family who was clearly happy despite his grief.
He opened the door to find Tess in the living room talking to Tin-tin. "Um, Tin-tin, dearest cousin, would you mind doing me a teeny-weeny little favour?"
Tin-tin looked at her suspiciously. "If it's anything to do with telekinesis, forget it."
Tess smiled. "I was wondering if you'd be interested in being one of my bride's maids?"
Tin-tin's eyes widened. "Seriously!" She got to her feet. "Yes! Of course! I'd love to!"
Tess smiled as her cousin hugged her. Tess had that grin that told them she knew her cousin would say yes.
Then, Tessa turned to John with that same expression. The entire family laughed.
John stared at her, wide-eyed. "Oh, no! You're not getting me in a dress!" he proclaimed.
The entire family guffawed including Tessa.
She smiled as she looked at John again. "John, I would be so happy if you would be my dude-of-honour."
John smiled. He thought for a moment. "Hey, sure, why not?" There reined a chorus of "aw"s from the family as she hugged him.
Scott smiled, but was weeping again inside (much like he always was). He turned to leave the happy family alone.
Gordon snuck out again. Crap, he thought, look's like Dad's still up.
His father was sitting in his desk. He worked late some nights - on what, heaven only knows.
"Gordon, what are you doing up?"he questioned, surprised.
Gordon faked a yawn, showing off by stretching his arms. "Oh, you know, just trying to relax so I can go to bed. Say, shouldn't you be in bed? All work and no play makes dad a dull . . . dad."
Jeff cocked an eyebrow, not buying it. "What do you want, Gordon?" He went back to his typing.
"Well . . ." Gordon tried to cook up a good lie. "Um, I was just . . . well, never mind. It's not important."
Jeff looked over at him. "Does this have anything to do with you getting up in the middle of the night to use my internet?"
Alarms were going off in Gordon's head. Busted. "Whatever do you mean, father dearest?" he asked, knowing when he said it that it sounded phony.
Jeff stared. "Oh, you know what I mean. Go back to bed now, Gordon."
He turned and did what he was told, wondering how much his father knew.
Scott sat by the pool, admiring the beach. He'd sat so many times with Lana on that beach . . . well, okay, it was only once or twice, but they'd only been a couple for a week.
He was smelling the fresh roses in Kyrano's garden. He'd set one at sea awhile ago for Lana. His one wish was that it floated where ever she was.
The only hope he had now was that she was in a better place. One where she was happy.
"Dinner's ready, Scott," Kyrano called to him from the door. Scott got up and walked to where he stood. Scott followed Kyrano to where the food lay on the table, the rest of the family was waiting.
He sat down in his customary spot next to his father and across from John. Virgil sat on his other side. They said grace, and began to pass around the salad.
"So, John, only two more days left on the island," Jeff tried to start a conversation.
John nodded. "Yeah, I guess."
"Do you ever wish you could spend more time with your little brother?" Tess asked, taking a bite of her salad.
John thought. He smiled. "No way."
There were giggles around the table before he added, "Just all the time."
There was silence. Tessa felt bad for throwing a stone into the mood. She wished there was something she could do.
But they had no idea that the awkward dinner silence was the least of their problems.
Some people have enough sanity left to deal with life after grief. Scott had decided he was definitely not one of those people.
Most people will go through those famous steps of denial, anger, etc. until they reach acceptance. Scott seemed to be stuck in denial. But the strange thing is, it wasn't this surreal feeling most people in denial get ; it felt as though everyone around him were simply lying.
Scott loved Lana with all his heart and soul. He wanted nothing more than for her to be there with him. Even if he knew she was in Canada, he would be happy.
Scott looked down from where he sat on one of the tallest rocks on Tracy Island.
It would be so easy to jump, he thought, Then I could be with her.
Scott got up, and walked right to the edge. It was about a hundred foot drop straight into water that was so deep, none of the boys had ever touched the bottom.
He looked behind him, beside him, and in every other general direction. The coast seemed clear. He looked down again. He lifted his head and closed his eyes. A single tear rolled down his cheek as he prepared to jump.
His eyes suddenly opened, and he straightened, turning. He'd heard a twig snap, and thought someone was coming. He took a couple of steps away from the edge, inspecting the area around him.
Nothing. His imagination was overreacting. Still, it caused him to rethink his position.
I can't do this to my family, he reasoned. He took one last, longing look at the edge as he walked towards the house again.
Yet.
Virgil sat on the couch as he watched Tessa. She stood by the large window, watching Thunderbird 3 trave into space to drop off her best friend.
"Virgil?"
"Yes?"
She turned to look at him. "When you thought I was dead, how did you get over it?"
He pondered a moment, remembering in his mind. "I didn't."
"Well, what were you feeling?"
He paused before speaking. "When your father almost killed you, I had many feelings going through my head."
"Like what?" Tess was full of questions.
Virgil pursed his lips. "Determination. Grief. Overwhelming guilt at saying the things I said to you . . . but I remember having a small ray of hope that you were still alive inside me. Why?"
She walked over and sat in his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck. "I'm trying to get an insight into Scott's head. He doesn't just seem grief-stricken, he seems down-right depressed."
Virgil shrugged. "That's just part of grief sometimes."
Tess was fascinated. "You said you felt a ray of hope. What was that like?"
Virgil leaned back, trying to remember. "It was odd . . . it was like, no matter what, I still had this small hope that you would come out of there alive. It was almost as though I knew it." He turned to look her directly in the eyes. "But my grief was a lot different from what Scott's going through. There was still hope for you, but Lana is definitely dead. No one could survive that."
Tess cocked her head and looked at him like he was being an idiot. "Virgil, you're forgetting," she began ticking them off on her fingers, "I alone have survived a ship wreak, a fatal allergy, and my father slitting my throat. Not to mention that time Jeff caught me making out with you in the pool. I think anything is possible in this family."
Gordon had the mission impossible theme song stuck in his head. He crept against walls, checking every few steps to make sure no one was around. He soon found himself in the living room, and relaxed when he found it empty.
The clock on the wall read 2 am. Gordon snuck to the computer, and logged on to the internet. He quickly went into his instant messenger service, hoping that he wasn't too late.
He let out a sigh of relief when one of the few names was online. He was about to send a message, when one popped up.
HenrikMan204: You're late. Very late. :(
Gordon quickly typed out his response.
HoboJoe214: Sorry . . . couldn't get on.
HenrikMan204: Why is that? o.O
HoboJoe214: Got busted . . . you know how it is. rolleyes
HenrikMan204: I don't see why this should be kept a secret. You'll have to tell your dad about us sooner or later.
HoboJoe214: Yeah, but you don't know Dad . . . he's not exactly . . . open-minded when it comes to things like this.
HenrikMan204: But this is really important to you - you have to tell him.
HoboJoe214: Look, I'll tell him later. My family's messed up enough as it is right now. They don't need me to add to their problems.
Virgil was sitting at the piano, only a day or so after Gordon's latest online escapade. He was waiting for his fiancée to come out. This was their unspoken ritual. He would play, and she would come. They had started this not long after Tess had washed-up. They'd continued it ever since.
Sure enough, Tess was soon sitting next to him on the piano bench. She used to sit on the sofa adjacent to the piano, but had moved closer about the time they'd started dating.
He played a new song he'd written for her. There were no lyrics yet, but she still melted when she heard it. By now, he'd written 5 songs (all about her) and they were all playing on various radio stations around the clock.
He stopped playing for a minute, and just drew her close, holding her. He loved her. Virgil often wondered why he'd waited so long in asking her to marry him.
He supposed he'd been in denial. Everyone had always said it would be Scott who'd be the first to get married (assuming any of the Tracy brothers - notorious among various College and University campuses for being ladies' men). It felt kind of weird jumping ahead of his brother, but it also felt very right. It was strange though, as well.
His dad had taken him aside a week or so ago. Jeff felt he'd needed a reminder of what was written down in his will. It stated that the first married Tracy son and his wife shall inherit the island. If none of the boys were to marry, than the eldest (Scott) would take over. Scott had always known he would someday inherit the island, and now . . . Virgil felt he was robbing his brother of what was rightfully his.
Tess held him back, though she was half-asleep. He kissed her on the forehead. "Why don't you go sit on the couch dear, if you're tired?"
She shook her head, but her eyes were closed. "I want to stay with you."
He smiled, and let go of her. She still held his waist, and snuggled into his side as he began to play a softer song.
Virgil was playing, but he wasn't watching anything but Tess. He couldn't get his mind around how much she looked like an angel, half asleep. He stopped playing, and gently pulled her hands off of him - quite reluctantly. He got up, and picked her up into his arms. He walked over to the couch, where he laid he down, so she could rest.
Tess smiled, but didn't open her eyes. "I love you," she whispered.
"I love you too," he whispered back, sitting down next to her on the couch, realizing how tired he himself was.
Maybe I'll just rest my eyes for a moment, he thought, leaning back against the couch.
Dr. Peterson was flipping through some papers on his clipboard, staring in complete concentration when suddenly everything went black.
"Guess who?" an annoyingly perky voice asked.
He smiled in recognition. "Hmmm . . . Mr. Van der Hune?"
"Nope," the girl laughed.
"Jane? Lexi? Nurse Bluefoot?"
"Nope, nope and nope." There was a giggle.
Dr. Peterson shrugged. "Well, I give up. Who are you?"
The hands were removed from his face, and he turned around to see a 5-year-old standing on a chair. She held her hands out in a gesture of surprise. "It's me! Livvy!"
He laughed. "Of course it is! How could I be so silly?" He slapped his forehead in a pretend gesture of stupidity.
Libby laughed (Libby couldn't pronounce her own name). "Because you are, silly!"
"And, uh, what is silly doing for lunch today?" an eery feminine voice sounded.
He turned to see who'd asked. He smiled. "Simone. Hi. What brings you here?" He lifted Libby up into his arms.
Simone walked towards them with a creepy smile on her face. "I was wondering if you wanted to have lunch? Unless you had other plans, of course." She smiled with her deep red lips. It was common knowledge that almost every woman in the hospital wanted Greg Peterson. It was also common knowledge that Simone was one of those women, and that what Simone wanted, Simone got.
Greg opened his mouth to reply when Libby beat him to it. She folded her arms in a dominant gesture, and replied snottily, "He's having lunch with me, Sim-own."
He smiled and shrugged. "Guess I have plans. Sorry, Simone, maybe another time."
Simone cocked an eyebrow, and gave him a curt smile. "Maybe," she replied in her smooth British accent, walking away.
Greg turned to Libby gratefully. "Thank you so much."
She laughed. "No problem." She stuck her chubby little thumb up.
"WHAT ON TRACY-FREAKING-ISLAND IS GOING ON HERE!"
The shout could've awoken the army. In all of 3 seconds, every person living on that freaking island was awake. In about 5 more seconds they'd all be up trying to figure out what was going on.
Jeff began spouting out random four-letter-words, with phrases like, "NOT IN THIS HOUSE!' and 'WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING!' in-between them.
Virgil woke up, very disoriented. What was his father yelling about? Why was he standing in front of him, having a hairy fit? Virgil took a quick glimpse at the world around him. His eyes went wide when he saw where he was.
Virgil muttered under his breath, "Oh, shoot."
Tess was awake too. Only she realized sooner than he had what Jeff was yelling at.
Virgil probably should've gotten up right then, but he was in such shock . . .
Tess did the only thing she could think of. She pushed Virgil away so she could get up. He followed her lead. By now, the entire household was in the living room.
Tess and Virgil frantically tried to explain themselves.
"Dad, it's not what it looks like!"
"I had nothing to do with this!"
"Nothing happened!" They both shrieked.
Jeff exploded, with my bystanders nearby. "SILENCE! Are you trying to tell me that I came in here to find you two . . . what? Playing doctor? No!"
"Dad, please-" Virgil tried to reason with him.
Jeff stuck his hand out to silence him. His voice was calm, but they knew from the tone he was about to kill something. "Let me tell you about my morning. My alarm went off about 10 minutes ago. I got up, and dressed - more than I can say for you two, in your pyjamas. I'd had a heck of a night. I'd had to put of with piano music at midnight and a headache. Now, all I wanted this morning was an Advil and a cup of coffee. Maybe even a newspaper. But when I got to the living room, do you know what I found? Does anyone here know what I found?" He spread his arms apart, open for suggestions from the room.
Tess tried. "Dad, it was an accident." Normally, when she called Jeff "Dad", he'd bend like a twig. But not this time.
He motioned again for silence. "I walked into the living room, expecting it to be completely empty. But instead, I find my son - whom I'd thought I'd raised to be a gentleman - lying on top of his fiancée, looking pretty comfortable. And, now, I'm being told it was an accident!"
"I fell asleep," Virgil tried to explain. "I was playing the piano, and Tess was tired, so I helped her unto the couch. I was tired, so I just leaned back on the couch, and rested my eyes. I guess I fell asleep . . ."
Jeff closed his eyes, and placed a finger to his temple. "This is giving me an even bigger headache than before. We'll talk about this after I've had my coffee . . . and Advil." He walked away, signalling that the conversation was over.
The room looked toward Tess and Virgil in almost perfect unison. Then they all preceded to shudder in the same manner and walk away.
Virgil turned to Tessa. "We're in big trouble."
Tess's eyes were wide. She nodded. "There's the understatement of the year."
" . . . and, in addition to that, the both of you are suspended from any missions for the next month."
Tess's face was buried in her hands. Her head shook, repeating the words "This is so unfair," over and over. Virgil's eyes were closed, and his head hung.
Alan and Tin-tin were sitting in the same room, the only others for the moment. "Dad, that's a little harsh . . . like, I can understand Virgil's punishment, but we'll be needing Tess. If you hadn't noticed, she's the best pilot for Thunderbird One, and Scott's not exactly stable enough to fly on his own."
"He's right, Mr. Tracy," Tin-tin added.
Jeff held up his hand. "Scott is fine. He's getting over Lana well. It takes a long time to get over the person you love dying, believe me. He's fine. It's normal. I'll have Tess on ground helping, but she's still just that - grounded."
Tess turned to him. "Jeff, I know I've said this dozens of times now, but nothing happened. Nothing."
"But something could have. You two simply should have taken more responsibility."
Virgil tried to wipe the bad mental images that were floating inside his head away.
Jeff ignored his son's shuddering. "That's another thing, too. And that's why I brought you two in here as well, Alan, Tin-tin. This applies to you, too."
Alan and Tin-tin exchanged looks.
Mr. Tracy laced his fingers. "This situation with boyfriends/girlfriends on my - yes, my - island has gotten far out of hand. I know that Tess and Virgil are engaged, and I respect that. I also know that Alan and Tin-tin are also very serious about each other. However, I want no more public displays of affection in my house. None. No making out, no kissing, limited hugging, no sitting in each other's laps. Holding hands is alright, but none of the other stuff."
Four heads turned at once. "WHAT!"
"That's ridiculous!"
"I'm engaged, for Cripe's sack!"
"What did I do!"
"Ths is so unfair, this is so unfair, this is so unfair . . ."
Jeff held up a hand to silence them. "Not in my house! It's disgusting, and it's depressing for those of us who will likely be single for awhile. Besides, you don't have a choice." He had a sick grin on his face. Jeff knew that they wouldn't be happy about this, but he also knew that in time they would fully understand his reasons.
The four of them groaned. Tess's head was back in her hands.
Scott had been excited when he'd heard about the ban. This would probably help him get over Lana. But, it was still kind of unfair. He knew Virgil well, and knew that nothing happened. His brother was not that kind of man.
Scott was sitting on the couch, next to Tess, reading the newspaper. She was reading over his shoulder (which was annoying him terribly). Virgil was studying them from the other couch, and Gordon was noisily tapping away at the computer. Jeff was out for a walk.
He turned the page. "Hey! I was reading that!" Tess protested.
He turned to her and smiled. "Tough."
She pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes jokingly. She held no grudge against him.
He went back to reading the paper, when he was interrupted by his youngest brother's frantic calls.
"Frodo! Come, Frodo! Frodo, where are you!"
Which was followed by Tin-tin:
"Frodo! Frodo, sweetie - come out!"
Alan appeared in the doorway, his face flushed with worry. "Have any of you seen Frodo?"
Tess blinked. Virgil and Gordon shook their heads. "Nope," Scott added.
Alan's shoulders sagged, and he ran down the hall. "Frodo! Frodo, where ever the heck you are, come out! . . . pl-ease? Frodo . . ."
Tess turned to Scott, her eyebrows drawn closely together. "Scott, can I ask you a question?"
"Shoot," he replied, not looking up.
She placed her head in her hand. "Who or what, pray tell, is Frodo?"
Scott turned to her, an equally questioning look on his face. "Are you saying that you've lived on this island for over a year, and you don't know who Frodo is!"
She shrugged. "So, who is he?"
Scott looked at her carefully and smiled. "Oh, I'm sure you'll figure it out soon enough." He went back to his paper, a grin on his face. Gordon and Virgil secretly watched from across the room.
Tess was confused. She creased her forehead.
Whispering just loud enough so Scott and Virgil could hear him, Gordon commented, "3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . ."
Suddenly, she felt something odd against her neck and shoulder. She turned her head, and her eyes immediately popped out. The small mouth opened and closed playfully.
Tess jumped up. "Oh my gosh! Someone get it OFF OF ME!" She began to jump around in circles, screaming. "Get it off! Get it off! GET IT OFF!"
The three brothers fell back laughing. Alan immediately showed up again.
"Frodo!" he cried, lunging for Tess.
Tess stood still for a moment, while Alan removed Frodo from her shoulder. The small pigmy alligator chomped playfully at Tess, obviously teasing her.
Alan smiled. "Tess, this is Frodo. Frodo, this is Tess. Tin-tin got me him for my birthday a couple years back. He's a small breed of Alligator."
Frodo tried to climb back on Tess's shoulder. Tess jumped back.
Alan smiled. "I think he likes you."
Tess had a look of fear on her face. "Get that thing away from me!" she shrieked, running out the door to the beach.
"Okay, Scott, time to put out the fire."
Scott listened to Gordon. "F. A. B." He flew in closer to the burning oil rig, and waited just long enough to release the foam.
There was a flash of white smoke, and then . . . nothing.
Tess cheered from the base, where she had been briefly left alone. "Way to go, Scott! Perfect!"
"Thunderbird One from Thunderbird Two, nice shot Scott! Even Tess couldn't pull one of those off."
Tess rolled her eyes. "You do realise I'm listening don't you Gordon?"
"Oh, he does, believe me," Alan piped up, laughing. "And he realises when he gets back, he'll be getting it."
"Yes, make sure he remembers that." Tess smiled. "Virgil and I will get him good, now that we have nothing better to do." There was laughter from the entire group.
Jeff rejoined her. "You'll have plenty of work to do, believe me. This island could use a good cleanup." He turned to the speaker, "Time to come home boys, mission accomplished. You should be proud."
But Scott wasn't proud. He was depressed. He had nothing. No girlfriend to dream about. No island to look forward to . . . nothing.
Scott saw his brothers in Thunderbird 2 turning around to head home. Scott stayed where he was. He looked at the ground below him.
Scott estimated that he was well over 1000 feet in the air. A long way down. He turned once more to look at his brothers.
"Earth to Scott, time to come home," Jeff's proud voice boomed.
Scott awoke from his trance. He reached for the steering, turning east.
"Scott, what are you doing? You're heading in the wrong direction," Jeff pointed out, confused.
Goodbye, Dad, Scott thought. He hit the acceleration and pointed his craft downward.
Tess's eyes widened. "Scott, no, don't! SCOTT! STOP!"
Gordon and Alan heard the screech from over the radio. Gordon looked over to see his brother's craft taking a nosedive. Oh, no.
"See why Tessa should've come now, Dad!" Alan thundered, as Gordon turned the Thunderbird around.
"SCOTT! STOP! It won't solve anything!" Gordon yelled.
"NO! Scott! This is not how you deal with grief!" Tess yelled.
"Scott!" Jeff yelled, desperate, "This is your father! Don't do this! It's not worth it! I'll take you off of missions for awhile, give you a vacation, anything! Just don't do this!"
Scott looked at the radio. "Why should I? Can you bring her back? No! Nothing could possibly help me!"
Tess leaned into the radio. "Scott, listen to me! You don't want to do this!"
"If it means I can be with her, I'll do it!" He was getting closer to the ground.
"It's not what Lana would have wanted! She would have wanted you to die with dignity, not like this!" Tess yelled.
There was silence. Everything was quiet. The dot on the tracking screen stopped. It was as if time stood still. The Gordon's voice came over the radio.
"He's turning around." A wave of relief engulfed them.
Jeff fell into his chair. Tess leaned against the desk. Virgil was next to her, making sure she was okay. Tin-tin let out a huge breath.
Tess turned to Jeff. "I guess we underestimated his depression."
Scott was sitting on his bed, having said nothing at all since landing safely at home. He held a rose, stolen from Kyrano's garden, and he rubbed it back and forth in his fingers. Scott just stared at it like it was all he had left to stare at.
His family now knew how depressed he was. They knew he was a time bomb, and that they had been ignoring it. Finally, maybe they would pay him respect.
Then again, maybe they'd just ship him to a mental facility.
He fell back against the sheet on his bed. He let the rose slip slowly from his fingers onto the floor, hoping that all his memories of Lana would go with it. They stayed.
He sighed. Only two things remained certain right now - number one, his dad wasn't going to let this slide. Something was going to happen to him.
Number Two? He was definitely not getting over Lana anytime soon. If ever.
Scott sat up slowly, having heard someone knocking on his door. "Come in," his voice croaked, as if he had not spoken in years.
Jeff slowly opened the door, a worried look on his face.
Scott slumped back against his bed, aware of the discussion coming. Jeff was worried. More than worried, actually. Up until now, he'd never expected any of his sons would ever try to commit suicide, especially Scott.
"Son, how are you?" Jeff asked, having no idea how to start this type of conversation.
Scott rolled his eyes. "Wonderful, Dad. Just wonderful." He smiled sarcastically.
Jeff recognized that he had just asked what was possibly the stupidest question ever. "I know you're upset about Lana, Scott, but there's nothing that can be done. The men who killed her are on trial as we speak."
"Dad, I don't care what happens to them . . . nothing on earth could be bad enough for them." Scott sat up on his elbows.
Jeff frowned. "You need to learn to forgive, Scott."
Scott sat fully upright, full anger in his voice. "How can I dad! They took away the one person I truly loved, and now I'm a mess because of it! You expect me to forgive them?" Scott knew in hindsight that he should've stopped there, but he was in the middle of a whirlpool of emotion. "How would you feel if Mom was murdered as opposed to dying in an avalanche!"
Jeff felt like his son had stabbed him. He hated the topic of their mother. Every time she was in a conversation, all he saw was her pleading face vanishing in a mask of white, stealing her from their lives forever. His heart had ripped in two, and the only thing that kept him from dying were his sons.
Scott realized he'd hit a nerve. "Dad-"
Jeff held up his hand. "This isn't about your mother, Scott. This is about Lana. I know it will be hard for you to get over her, but someday you will. Right now, though, I don't think you're stable enough to do much of anything."
Scott was confused. "What do you mean?"
Jeff turned to him. "I'm sending you away on vacation. You can pick the location, or I can do it for you, but either way, you're going away until you feel . . . relaxed."
"What! Dad, you can't be serious! We're short-handed as it is, what with Tess and Virgil both being suspended! They need me." Besides that, Scott didn't want to go.
Jeff shrugged his shoulders. "We managed before Tess came with you 4 boys on ground, and then there was almost always one of you with nothing to do but ground work. And, if we need her, there's always Tin-tin. And of course Brains. He did design these crafts. The least he can do is fly them. I'm not worried about us, Scott, I'm worried about you."
Scott searched his brain for an answer. "But, it's our busiest time! The summer heat can create fires and draughts! We need extra people!"
Jeff laughed. "Scott every season is our busiest time. Summer there are fires, fall - more fires from leaves, winter - lots of snow, very hazardous, as we all know, and then there's spring, which brings floods from the melting snow. Then there's always the possibility of hurricanes, tornados, and earthquakes. Anyway you slice it, Scott, you have no reason to stay. You need a break."
Scott fell back against the bed again. "You realize this means I hate you?"
Jeff laughed lightly. He patted his son's leg before getting up to leave. "It's okay, son - I still love you."