Again, thankyou so much to everyone who reviewed! Without you, continuing this story would be impossible. I apologise for the delays in updating this story. I've just started university, so I don't have as much time on my hands anymore. ButI will make an attempt to get chapters up quickly.

Please continue to review!

Love always, Boann

Jeff ran as he had never run before, following the sound of the shot. He stopped when he saw two bodies beside a tree just ahead.

No! Please no! Don't take him away from me! Jeff silently cried, tears welling up in his eyes once more.

He ran over and froze. Peter was slumped over in front of Alan, a bullet hole in the side of his head. Alan was up against the tree, blood splattered over his face and clothes, his face twisted in fear. Jeff was relieved to see that the blood was not Alan's.

Jeff held his son's shoulders gently. "Alan" he whispered.

Alan's eyes opened ever so slightly then widened as he saw his father. "Dad…"

Alan fell forwards into Jeff's embrace. Jeff sat down and cradled his son's limp body in his arms, soothing him gently. "I'm here, its ok. Its over."

He became aware of the other's catching up to him. Immediately both John and Gordon's arms embraced him and Alan.

Alan began to shake with sobs. To hear any sound from his son filled Jeff with hope, despite how painful the sobs were to hear.

Jeff pulled back to look at Alan. His son's face was ghostly pale and every now and then he let out a racking cough. "Easy, Alan, easy. Shhhh, you're safe. Stay with me now," Jeff pleaded as his tears fell onto Alan's face.

John and Gordon's emotional states were no different from his own.

"Dad," John whispered as he gently ran a hand through Alan's hair. "We need to move."

Jeff didn't want to move. He wanted to stay like this, embracing his son, never letting him go again. But Alan was losing the battle to stay conscious, he knew. Gingerly, he rose, still holding Alan in his arms.

"Lets go."

TBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTB

Hours later, the clock in the hospital told Jeff it was approaching eight o'clock. It had been the worst few hours of Jeff's life.

Alan had been taken straight to the hospital by the awaiting ambulance. By the time Jeff and the others reached the hospital, Alan had been whisked away to the intensive care unit by an army of nurses and doctors. Orderlies had physically held Jeff back from storming into the ward. A little while later, having no hope of reaching his youngest son, he retreated to the private room in which his eldest lay in a bed, being watched by Parker. Parker explained that Scott had a mild concussion and had been sedated, but was going to be fine.

Jeff had sat beside Scott along with John, Virgil and Gordon. Penelope had accompanied the police back to the station to tie up any loose ends. But Jeff almost wanted her here with him. Perhaps her presence would make the pain he felt go away. Not sadness, not anger, but guilt. It had all been his fault. If only he hadn't let Scott go alone…if only he had spoken to Alan properly before school had started…if only he hadn't let him go back to the school office…if only he'd taken the time to listen to Alan…

As a leader, Jeff normally didn't ponder the 'if only's, but at the present moment, he couldn't think about anything else. They rolled through his subconscious like an endless tape, whose music he couldn't block his ears against.

Many times he'd tried to find one of Alan's doctors to talk to in order find out how he was, but they'd been unable to give him any information as of yet.

Now as the clock read eight pm, Gordon sat dozing in a chair, John sat beside Scott's bed with his head in his hands. Virgil was sitting on the floor against the wall looking like he too was fighting the urge to sleep and Parker was standing at the door like a trained guard dog.

Jeff stifled a yawn just as the door quietly opened and a man in his forties wearing a white coat poked his head in. Catching sight of Jeff, he strode in and shut the door behind him,

"Mr Tracy," he addressed.

Jeff immediately stood and shook the man's hand.

"I'm Doctor Fletcher. I'm in charge of looking after your son, Alan."

Jeff nodded, noticing that the others were suddenly wide awake, "How is he?"

"Mr Tracy, I'll be frank with you. Alan is very, very sick." Dr Fletcher rubbed his neat beard. "During his time with Corper he developed a case of pneumonia so severe, he now has pneumococcal meningitis. He is extremely weak and he is still showing signs of having some difficulty breathing now and again. We're also struggling to bring his temperature down."

Jeff let out a ragged sigh, "Can I see him?"

Dr Fletcher nodded and showed him out of the door. Jeff answered his other sons' looks of dismay with, "You boys keep an eye on Scott, I'll be back soon."

He followed the doctor into a small room in ICU.

Dr Fletcher paused with his hand on the doorknob, "I warn you, he's hooked up to a few machines and-"

"Just let me see him," interrupted Jeff, too exhausted to wait another minute.

Dr Fletcher opened the door and let him through. "Just call if you need anything."

Jeff didn't acknowledge him as he entered Alan's dimly lit room. He stopped at Alan's bedside to look over his son. As Dr Fletcher had tried to warn, Alan was hooked up to monitors for his heart rate, temperature and blood pressure, tubes had been inserted into his hand and wrist, feeding him saline and antibiotics and an oxygen mask rested over his nose and mouth.

Alan looked so peaceful, so fragile it was all it took to make Jeff crumble inside. He pulled up a chair and sat beside his son, gently holding his hand.

"Alan," he called softly, "Alan, its me. Its your father."

Alan made no movement, his breathing softly resonating in the mask.

"I know you probably can't hear me," Jeff continued feebly, ashamed of how his voice trembled. "But I want you to know…Alan, I'm sorry. God…I am so sorry!" His voice cracked as the tears that had long been threatening to fall streamed down his face, "What kind of a father am I?" he sobbed.

"Jeff."

Penelope's soft voice drifted towards him, but he didn't move or turn to see her. It was until her hand softly rested on his back that he realised he hadn't been dreaming. He tried to hide his face from her, not wanting her to see him like this.

She sat down beside him and handed him a tissue, which he took and wiped his face with. Penny was silent, letting him pull himself together.

In the end it was Jeff who broke the silence, "What kind of a father am I, Penny?" he asked. "What kind of a father would let someone do this to their child?"

Penny still remained silent.

"Before Lucille died, we made a pact. A pact that whatever happened, if either of us…we would guard our children with our lives so that they could live…" Jeff rambled, not sure how to tell her what he meant.

Penny put a hand on his arm, "And your children love you. They love you, Jeff and they think the world of you"

Jeff scoffed, "Even after this? How could they forgive me? How could Alan forgive me?"

"Because they love you, Jeff. Alan loves you, that is clearer than anything else. He held on because he hoped you would find him," Penny said gently.

"How do you know?" whispered Jeff.

Penny manoeuvred his face with a hand so he was looking directly at her, "Because I have seen the love that binds your family, Jeff. It is strong and it is what will see you through the hard road ahead. You will face a difficult time, Jeff, you all will. But you will face it together. As a family. And you, as a father and a family, will learn from this." Her voice was firm.

There was a silence as Jeff thought about what she had just said. Her words seemed to give him a new determination.

He took a deep breath, "You know," he said, "I never thanked you." He looked into her eyes emphatically. "You saved us from a situation that could have ended in tragedy"

Penny smiled warmly, "All in a day's work"

Before Jeff could help himself, he planted a kiss on her cheek. He pulled away to see her looking rather embarrassed.

"I'd better go and see how the boys are doing," she said.

"If Scott wakes up, will you let me know?" he asked.

She smiled and nodded on her way out, before gently closing the door behind her.

She is right, through Jeff, a difficult time lies ahead.

"But we'll face it together," he said, grasping Alan's hand once more. "Won't we?"