The boys gathered in the front room as, from Thunderbird 5, Gordon relayed the details of the mission to them.

"The slopes are pretty unstable and the authorities don't want to send anyone in. The problem is, the people in the villages upstream are now completely trapped. They want us to evacuate them by air."

"Okay Gordon. Right Scott, get on out there and set up mission control. I want you on the ground, but stay away from those slopes. I don't want anyone caught up in them if they fail."

"F.A.B Father," Scott said.

"Okay, Alan, John, Virgil, I want you in Thunderbird 2. Virgil, you think you remember how to do this?" Virgil's eyes lit up and Jeff swore he saw the faint hint of a smile."

"F.A.B Father," he said as Alan patted him hard on the back.

"Welcome back Virgil."

The tiny girl was limp in Alan's arms as he stumbled towards Virgil. The rain pelted them full force and Alan placed her down on the soggy ground at Virgil's feet.

"She's got a pulse…Virgil, you can help her…you know how to…you learned in New York, right?" Virgil got down beside the girl and checked for a pulse. It was there, but only just. Alan watched as Virgil carefully tilted her head back and checked for any blockages. John watched from behind as Virgil slowly began to blow air into the girl's mouth, watching her chest rise and fall abruptly.

"Come on sweetie," Virgil coaxed as he breathed life into her. She was so pale and lifeless and Virgil's attempts to bring her round seemed to be having no effect. John kicked at the ground, mud splaying up around him, unable to watch the girl's fight for survival.

"Virgil…I think she's gone," he said quietly.

"She had a pulse!" Alan yelled at him, but stopped as Virgil glanced up at him sharply. Ignoring John's comment, he continued to breathe into the girl. Becoming more exasperated, John grabbed hold of Virgil's shoulder, yanking him back from the child.

"God, Virgil you can't save everyone!" he exclaimed. Virgil pulled himself free and turned to face John, the rain cutting clear scars through the mud caked on his face.

"Don't you think I know that," he demanded, his deep eyes flaring angrily. "She can still make it." Turning back to the girl, Virgil adjusted her position and once again began forcing her to breathe. Alan watched with solemn eyes as Virgil sat up, waiting for a moment, and his face falling as she lay still.

"No…come on…come on," he whispered under his breath as suddenly the girl seemed to seize up, before choking as her lungs tried to draw in valuable oxygen.

"Thank you," Virgil whispered out loud as he helped her to sit, getting her to look at him and follow his lead in breathing, taking long, deep, slow breaths. Slowly the girl began to calm, her tears drying on her cheeks as she inhaled and exhaled in time with Virgil. Alan watched, mesmerised by his brother's new ability as the girl's family rushed to the scene, screaming the girl's name over and over, grabbing hold of her and embracing her tightly. Virgil sunk back into the ground, his eyes taking in the happy scene, but betraying no emotion. He was motionless, almost lifeless as Alan grabbed hold of him.

"Virgil, you just saved her life!" he yelled. Virgil smiled weakly, watching as the girl was kissed tenderly by her mother.

"Yeah…yeah," he murmured softly, breaking away from Alan's hug and making his way through the mud towards Thunderbird 2.

"Hey…what's…?" Alan trailed off as Scott placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Alan looked behind him as Scott smiled sadly.

"This is tough for him. Just give him a bit of space," Scott suggested.

John followed Virgil into the craft in preparation for their return home. He reached the cockpit to find Virgil facing away from him, in the pilot's seat. His breathing was harsh and John noticed his eyes were red rimmed when he turned to acknowledge him.

"You can't turn every dying girl into her, you know," John said. Virgil turned away wordlessly as John took his seat behind him.

"You saved her life, which is brilliant of course…but you were driven by your own personal grief Virgil…you can't have that dictate how you act on a rescue," John continued, emotionlessly.

"I'm not."

"You tell me you weren't thinking about how you could have recussitated Caitlin while you were under that rubble…can you Virgil? I don't think so." Virgil wanted to deny it, but John had hit a nerve and he picked at the dried mud on his hands. John sat back, watching the back of Virgil's head waver as he spoke.

"Why are you doing this John?" John's answer was simple.

"Because I want you to feel what everyone else felt while you were gone for three years."

"That's not fair," Virgil protested, turning on him furiously. His voice seemed much louder enclosed within the metallic cockpit. John's voice matched his for volume, but still managed to remain somewhat emotionless.

"No, what's not fair is that while Scott, Gordon, Alan and I continued trying to hold the family and this organization together, you were off having fun with some girl you happened to bump into in the street. You didn't even know her Virgil! Was she seriously more important to you than this family? Did she matter to you more than Scott?" Virgil looked at the ground and John guessed the answer. Virgil looked up at his older brother, always remaining calm and distant even during an argument such as this. He didn't flinch at the guilt and anger in Virgil's eyes.

"Why aren't Scott and the others mad at me then? Why haven't they turned on me like this?"

"I guess I saw it from a different perspective being up in Thunderbird 5 for so much of the time. It annoys me that despite all the angst you caused them, they are so blown away by your miraculous return that the feelings are gone, wiped away. Not so for me Virgil. And that Dad will let you back in as if nothing ever happened…I never thought I'd see the day. Scott has amazingly forgiven you as well…at one point, he claimed he hated you for what you had done…" John was interrupted as Virgil came flying towards him, grabbing him by his shoulders and shoving him to the ground. Virgil was breathing heavily as he leant over John threateningly.

"Bullshit!" he yelled, unwilling to believe what John was saying was true. John shook his head simply, waiting for the punch, but it didn't come. Virgil let him go, stumbling to his feet and sitting down in one of the passenger seats. His eyes were filled with confusion and hurt and John sat up slowly, watching Virgil finally realise what they'd felt for three years without him.

"Yeah Virgil. That was how bad things were for us."