Disclaimer: I do not own the Thunderbirds.

A Special Connection

Staring off into the summer sky that was flecked with stars, a young girl silently whispers a prayer. "Mom, if you can hear me, please know that we miss you very much."

Suddenly the young girl began to sob with an intensity that had not diminished at all in the year since her mother's death. So wrapped up in her emotions, Sam did not hear her fraternal twin brother John walk up to her. It was not until he put his arm around her shoulder did she even notice that he was there.

"Sammie, what's wrong?" he asked, concerned. Sam looked at him and noticed the pain in his eyes, eyes that mirrored her own. She knew that it would be pointless to keep her pain to herself because he felt it too.

Instead of answering she just hugged him closer to her, knowing that he was aware of the problem, as he missed their mother just as much as he did. Both had felt guilty when their mother died in an avalanche during a family vacation, when she had tried saving them from a tree as it toppled towards them. Just as it had fallen she managed to shove both of her children out of harm's way, the tree hitting and killing her instantly. John and Sam had suffered from hypothermia, broken bones, and shock from the result of the avalanche.

"Johnny, why did she have to die? She has missed out on so much in the past year and will miss everything that is yet to come for all of us." The anguish on her face, evident even in the shadows of the approaching darkness, tore at John's heart. Of all the people in their family she was the one he was the most protective of.

"I don't know why she had to die, Sam, but you know that she is still watching over all of us. Remember the story she told us when we were stargazing? She said that a star is the soul of someone who has died and that if you talked to their star they would always be with you," said John quietly. "I talk to her star and feel closer to her. Maybe you should do the same." Looking up to the stars again, he pointed out the star he had designated as their mom's.

Sam looked up and realized that the star that John pointed out was the one she had talked to for the past year. Smiling slightly, he nodded his head he knew that they had picked out the exact same star and neither of them knew it until that moment.

"Grandma rang the dinner bell over 15 minutes ago and you know as well as I do, if we don't get back now Scott will be out here and he'll be angry because he's hungry and we both know that nothing is to come between Scott and his food," chuckled John. Scott was known for his appetite and everyone knew to move when it came to mealtimes.

As if on cue, they could hear Scott calling out to them as he ran out into the field where they were standing. "Dinner's ready and you are supposed to be at the dinner table now!" Their oldest brother was evidently not happy about getting them from the back field.

John just muttered a not so subtle remark that had Scott ready to tackle him to the ground. Fortunately, Sam intervened before either of her brothers could do anything to each other.

"Sorry, Scott. I was looking at the stars and enjoying the breeze and didn't hear the dinner bell. I'll tell you what, how about we race to the house and the loser has to do the dishes for Grandma?"

Without another word she took off at a full-sprint. Sam was able to keep ahead of John but Scott overtook her in just a few seconds. He was on the same cross-country team as Sam and had been prepared for her challenge.

Scott was 14 and played soccer as well being a member of the cross-country team. He also maintained a near perfect grade point average. Sam, 12, played soccer, ran on the cross-country team, and was on the gymnastics team. She excelled in English and foreign languages. John, 12, played soccer and was on the gymnastics team with Sam. Math and science were his strongest subjects. Both he and Sam had a love of astronomy. Virgil was next in line at 11 years old. He was more into painting, playing the piano and composing original scores, though he was also involved in soccer and martial arts. Gordon, 9, was the prankster in the family and he preferred swimming and soccer. Alan, the baby of the Tracy clan, was 8 and known as the speed demon. He had a love of racing dirt bikes and practicing martial arts with Virgil.

Scott reached the house first and turned to see who was going to lose, not in the least bit surprised when the twins tied for last place. "Guess you two will be on kitchen duty tonight," he gloated before going into the house.

John glanced over at his sister with a knowing glance. Looking down at her feet, she shrugged her shoulders as if to say "What?" Neither had ever left the other behind and never would. They had a special bond that caused them to look out for each other as well as their other brothers As strong a bond that they had each of the Tracy children had a special connection with one sibling in particular. Scott and Virgil were as close to each other as Sam and John were, while Gordon and Alan were known as the Terrible Two because they were always together. Even though each had their favorite no one dared mess with any of them because then they had five others to contend with. Bullies learned the hard way. Mess with one Tracy kid and suddenly you were dealing with six.

With a quick hug Sam walked into the house. As they sat down with the rest of the family at the table everyone began to dish up their food. Suddenly Gordon and Alan started laughing. Everyone looked to the Terrible Two before they realized that Scott was sitting on the floor with his dinner on his lap. Unbeknownst to Scott, Gordon had hooked a foot in the chair leg that Scott was just starting to sit in. When Scott was close enough he pulled it out from underneath him. Scott had tried to grab the table but only managed to grab his plate as he fell to the floor.

"I am going to give you thirty seconds head start before I kill you," grumbled a thoroughly irritated Scott.

Gordon and Alan did not need to be told twice and took off like Death was at their heels. True to his word, Scott took off after them. Sudden laughter could be heard coming from the family room moments later. Curious as to what was happening to The Terrible Two, the rest of the family headed to the family room.

Virgil, John, and Sam were the first ones there. Peering into the semi-dark room, they could see the outline of two forms sitting on something lying prone on the floor.

"P-p-p-please help me," begged Scott, laughing. Gordon and Alan had him pinned to the floor and were tickling him. With a quick glance at each other Virgil, John, and Sam grabbed the youngest two and began to tickle them. Scott was unable to do anything except to try and stop laughing.

Jeff and Grandma watched the kids with amused expressions. Both were glad to see them behave like this. Just like they did before Lucy had died. Much as he hated to interrupt the fun that his kids were having dinner was waiting so he began to cough lightly to get their attention. As one, all of them looked up fearing that they were in trouble for leaving the dinner table unexcused.

"Everyone back to the dinner table," said Jeff. The grin on his face let all of them know that they were not in trouble.

As the family got back to the kitchen, Sam began to clean the mess off the floor while John got another plate of food for Scott. Not wanting to be left out Virgil stood behind Scott's chair to ensure that he didn't end up on the floor again. After dinner was over Sam and John told their Grandma that they would be doing the dishes that night.

While the rest of the family went to various parts of the house John and Sam quietly did the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen. When they were done they went to their father's office to tell him goodnight. They stopped Grandma's sewing room and gave her a hug and kiss goodnight. As they made their way to the second floor they could hear their brothers getting packed for the vacation that they were all going on in the morning. Pausing at the room Scott and Virgil shared they told them goodnight. Without a word Virgil and Scott pulled both of them into their room.

"The Terrible Two need to be taught a lesson. Their pranks are beginning to escalate and a little retribution seems to be in order," said Scott with a conspiratorial gleam in his eye. Virgil, John, and Sam all nodded in agreement.

"What are you planning to do, Scott?" asked Sam. Her eyes were lit up at the prospect of getting her youngest brothers back for the joke that they had pulled on her last week. It took a trip to the hair salon to get her hair to change from the green dye that Alan had poured into her shampoo bottle back to its natural blonde. Even now her hair had to be treated with a special conditioner to keep it healthy.

"That is what we are going to discuss. I think we should be able to do it better tomorrow when the brats fall asleep on the airplane to wherever Dad is taking us. That way it will be harder for them to interfere with out plans. Agreed?"

After they all agreed, John and Sam left the room and quietly walked to Gordon and Alan's room. They could hear some whispered conversation and realized that the Terrible Two were about to plan another prank. Cracking open the door, Sam peered in to see what they were up to.

"Did you get Virgil's sketch pad and John's astronomy book?" whispered Gordon.

"You told me to, didn't you, bossy?" groused Alan. It was his bedtime and he still had to pack some of his stuff. He knew that Sam would help him in the morning but he wanted to try and do some on his own. Without looking at Gordon, he crawled into bed and promptly fell asleep.

"Lightweight! Fine, I will do it by myself," muttered a grumpy Gordon. He couldn't believe that his partner in crime had left him to work alone. With that thought he slowly began laying out his next prank. The book and sketch pad in question were stuffed into a seldom used cabinet. Knowing that Virgil and John would want those books ensured Gordon that they would tell him what Scott was planning. He had overheard the conversation in Virgil and Scott's room as he came out from the bathroom after brushing his teeth. He had promptly sent Alan down to the family room to get Virgil's sketch pad and then went to John's room and got his new astronomy book.

"I am going to kill him if he tears up my new book," threatened John.

Sam closed the door and tiptoed back to Virgil's room to let them know what was going on. She had to pull on John's arm to get him away from Gordon. Quietly they knocked on the door and waited until given the all clear to enter. Sam was afraid of embarrassing a brother by walking in on them if they were undressed. Quickly pushing John in ahead of her, she followed him into the room. Virgil and Scott were already lying in their beds. Each of them was reading a book before their dad called lights out. Glancing up at the twins with a look of confusion in their eyes they waited until Sam began to speak.

"Gordon overheard our conversation and in order to get the heads up he had Alan get Virgil's sketch pad from the family room and then he went into John's room and took his new astronomy book," explained Sam, hurriedly. She and John still had to brush their teeth and get to their rooms before their dad called lights out.

Scott looked up and grinned. "So Gordon is getting desperate. That can work to our favor. We'll discuss it more on the plane tomorrow. Now get to bed before Dad gets you."

Sam and John hurriedly left the room and went to brush their teeth. As they each got to their bedroom doors they gave each other a nod and a hushed goodnight.

30 minutes later, Jeff came upstairs to make sure that his children were in the correct rooms and asleep. Going into Virgil and Scott's room, he took the books that were lying on their chests and placed them on their bedside tables. Before closing the door, he shut the lights off. Next he went to Gordon and Alan's room upon entering he cringed at the mess that was their room. Dirty clothes were piled everywhere as well as what appeared to be all of Alan's toys. He looked at his two youngest sons and was amazed at how angelic they looked while sleeping. Pulling at the light blanket Alan had kicked off in his sleep, he gently covered him up. Turning to Gordon he brushed a lock of red hair out of his eyes. He slowly and carefully made his way to the door making a mental note to have them clean their room a little before they left for vacation. With a last glance at them, he shut the light off and closed the door. Knocking quietly at Sam's door, he waited to see if she responded. After a few moments of silence, he entered her dark room. The only light was that of the moon that shone through her open window. A shaft of moonlight fell across her face as she slept. Jeff was again reminded of how much Sam looked like Lucy. It had hurt him after Lucy had died but he slowly realized that Sam looked like her so that he would never really lose her. John resembled Lucy but not as much as Sam. Leaning over slightly Jeff kissed his only daughter on her cheek and whispered goodnight. After leaving Sam's room he thought to himself, "Five down and one to go." Upon entering John's room he became aware that he couldn't hear the even rhythmic breathing that signified his second son was asleep. A quick glance around the room and he saw John sitting on the seat next to his open window, gazing at the stars.

"Sam was crying again, Dad. She wanted to know why Mom had to die and if she knew how much she was missing out in our lives and what she would be missing in the future," whispered John. He didn't want to let on that he too was crying because he didn't want to be seen as weak. Suddenly, he broke down and began to cry for all that they had lost. Jeff pulled him into his strong arms and just held him and let him cry. Rocking him back and forth in an effort to sooth him. When he was able to get his emotions in check, he gave his dad a hug and got into his bed pulling a thin blanket over himself. Within minutes he was asleep and Jeff wondered what he could do to heal his children. He knew that they all had nightmares and still missed their mother. Not knowing what else to do, he left John's room and went to his own. He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't realize that a pair of blue eyes was watching him from the shadows.

As Jeff walked into back downstairs to his room the person in the shadows stealthily made her way to John's room. Quietly so as not to wake her brother, Sam pulled a spare blanket and pillow out of a cabinet and made a little pallet on the floor between John's bed and the open window. Leaning over her sleeping brother she softly kissed him on the cheek and thanked her mom for giving her such a wonderful brother and friend. Completely exhausted, she lay down on her pallet and promptly fell asleep.