It was slow going. Repairing the burnt out controls on Two's helm had proved tricky but the entire crew had pulled together and now headed back to the mainland.

The atmosphere on the flight deck had completely turned. Jeff sat in the co-pilot's seat and happily soaked up the laughter and joviality. It was almost over the top, even hysterical. But that was understandable after all that had happened. The fact that they had not been blown to pieces was more than worthy of a little celebration.

Half listening to the merriment and simultaneously forcing his focus back to the matter at hand, Jeff leaned forward and opened a comm. channel.

"Mobile control from Thunderbird Two."

"Hardly 'mobile'." Came Scott's reply.

Jeff smiled; sarcasm was hardly professional but right then it somehow sounded good to hear. "How's it going?"

"I've managed to scrounge enough cable and we should be ready for pick up. The President wants you to touch down and have coffee but I thought a scoop and run seemed best."

Jeff laughed softly, "Ask her for a rain check."

"I will."

"I think we just need to all get home." Jeff offered quietly.

"How are things back there?"

Jeff's smile faded. "Pen said all's well but … there was something … something in her voice."

"Yeah … but it's probably just the stress of the past few hours." Scott replied, unconvincingly.

Jeff nodded in thought. "See you in four." He closed the connection and sat back against his seat with a sigh. Then aware of his sons watching him in concern, he turned and met their suddenly sombre faces. "No … he didn't sound right, did he …"

It was hard to picture it but President Mitchell was convinced that the city was on total lockdown. Scott sat in the relative quiet of the office and closed his eyes. She was full of assurances and he wanted to believe her but it seemed all too easy. Shut down the city and trap the bad man. Yeah. Like that happened in real life.

"You okay …?"

Scott was startled. He opened his eyes and saw Lisa watching him in concern. He had completely forgotten she was there and he smiled what he hoped was both assurance and apology.

"You really think he'll come after me?" Lisa asked quietly.

Scott shrugged, "Anything is possible with him. I think you should listen to the President's advisors and seek shelter."

Lisa nodded slowly.

"As soon as they catch him, you'll be safe."

Lisa searched his face and managed a thin smile. "At least one good thing came out of all this."

"Oh?"

"You've got some powerful people fighting on your side now."

Scott pondered this for a moment and then nodded in agreement. But he could not help but consider the price they had already paid for this new allegiance.

The clean, disinfected air of the small medical lab was far too familiar. John closed his eyes and held Alex closer to him, trying to keep unwanted memories at bay.

Alex then flinched slightly and he stepped closer to the bed she was sat on and pulled her further into his embrace. Not that it was easy. Alex's left arm was stretched out at an odd angle and supported by pillows and Onaha was moving around the end of the table, working on repairing the broken fingers. John wanted to be as close as he could to Alex but was also trying to keep out of Onaha's way.

In more ways than one.

He had seen the look she had given him when she had arrived in the medical lab. It was one of those gut-wrenching disappointed and hurt expressions that he was sure only a parent knew just how to deliver.

He had offered no explanation and had used Alex's need for medical attention to skirt round anything Onaha might have had to say about what he had done.

And now he wished she would just yell at him. Her silence was far more painful than an all out shouting session.

"Ow!" Alex grumbled into his neck and squeezed him with her free arm.

John turned and watched in morbid fascination as Onaha continued to carefully dislocate and realign the badly broken fingers. Anaesthesia had been achieved to some degree through the tight grip of a blood pressure cuff and ice-cold lidocaine gel liberally applied over the skin. Onaha had tested the block but the cracking of bones was perhaps a sensation that nothing short of unconsciousness could mask.

Onaha stepped back and admired her handiwork for a moment. She then moved off to find splints and bandages and John watched her somewhat obvious attempts to avoid eye contact with him, his throat becoming tight.

"Is she nearly done?"

John leaned back a little and peered at Alex's pale face. "Yeah, babe."

"Good." Alex sighed, "Cos I think I might throw up."

John frowned and leaned across her to grab a small plastic dish from the other side of the bed. He placed it on the mattress beside her and then resumed their tight embrace.

"So … is this how you spend most of your vacations?"

John couldn't help but smile. He pressed his lips into the soft hair above her forehead and pulled her closer. "Nah … they're usually far more interesting."

Alex laughed gently, "God … I'm going to need a holiday to get over all this."

"I hear ya …"

"Somewhere cold."

"Yeah?"

"Freezing, in fact."

"Skiing?"

Alex laughed, "Hmm, let me see, shall we chance the breakage of more bones? Um … I think not!"

John chuckled in agreement and kissed her again. He was then aware of Onaha rejoining them and caught the disapproving frown that she shot him. And he so wanted to explain, wanted to defend their need to laugh as opposed to the fast approaching alternative.

And it hurt to think that she would not understand. Or if anyone would. About any of this.

There were many different types of father hugs. There were the brief good morning and have a good day at school hugs, the well done on hitting a home run backslaps, the half hold while reading a book together and the you are so precious and I have to protect you from the world hugs.

This was the latter.

And suddenly Scott was four years old and Jeff held him as if ever letting go would allow the fabric of the universe to split apart.

It was a while before either of them realised that half the Whitehouse staff were watching in interest from the top of the lawn. Not that they cared.

"I think - " Jeff cleared his throat, "I think putting you in harm's way was the worst decision I ever made." He managed hoarsely.

Scott made no reply. Unable to do anything but hang on to his father and fight back tears.

"Come on." Jeff stepped back a little, careful not to break contact but feeling the need to get home. He helped Scott limp up the ramp and into the cargo bay of the gently idling Thunderbird 2.

The greeting from his brothers was perhaps a little subdued but he was grateful for that. Scott hopped along to the small medical area and flopped onto the narrow stretcher. He closed his eyes and allowed himself a moment to collect his thoughts.

Aware of someone waiting nearby, Scott opened his eyes and looked up into his father's somehow much older face.

"Are they - ?"

Jeff nodded. "You did a good job co-ordinating those guys. Brains just needs to hook up the lines to the rescue platform."

And, as if on cue, they heard the cargo bay ramp close and Two began to lift from the ground.

Jeff perched on the edge of the bed. "It'll be a slow journey with the weight of One and the doors open." He offered and then smiled thinly. "And we need to go the long way round to avoid attracting attention."

Scott nodded slowly, "But we've got an escort, right?"

"Yup."

"Good."

"Seems you made quite an impression on the President."

Scott shrugged, "Maybe not quite with the entrance I would have liked …"

Jeff reached out and placed a hand on Scott's shoulder. "But a good move. Thank you."

Scott searched his father's tired face for a moment. "You sure? I mean … I totalled her."

"She's fixable."

"And will you?"

Jeff made no reply.

"I guess it's too early to think about it now."

Jeff was quiet in his thoughts as he studied his hands and then turned back to his son. "You know, Scott, if I'm honest with myself … it was over months ago - the moment the Hood breached our security."

"No, Dad, don't say that!" Scott gasped, tears brimming. "We can move past this. Can't we? And surely it's good to have so many more allies now. The Hood doesn't stand a chance with so many people looking for him."

"Yeah." Jeff's face then darkened and he took a deep breath. "But … speaking of the devil … I need to give Penny a heads up and get our people on his case as well." He stood slowly. "Will you be okay?"

"Yeah." Scott sank back against the pillows. "Unless you need me?" He added quickly.

Jeff laughed softly, "I think you've done enough for one day!" It came out wrong and he was worried for a second but then a glimpse of Scott's usual dry humour sparkled in a small grin and Jeff smiled back before heading up to the flight deck.

The smell of cleaning fluids was even worse up here. And he shuddered slightly as he realised why.

Not that what had occurred bothered him. More that his friends had cleaned it all up; he had been quite prepared to do so himself. But then he supposed it was a little off putting to have her lying there while you're trying to bring standard operations back online.

And that was what Penny now seemed to be doing. John paused midway along the corridor that led to the office and listened to her talking to his father. He heard her report that all was well island side, short of a few systems still being down. John wondered if she was including him in that statement.

He waited there as the conversation continued. It was hard to hear what his father was saying but Penny's replies outlined enough of the problem. And the scale of it seemed overwhelming.

John stepped back and fell against the cool wall, his head spinning as he took it all in. So International Rescue's secret identity was no longer secret and the Hood really had survived Kazakhstan and had made a move. All in all it was becoming one hell of a day.

"John?"

John was startled by the low whisper and spun to see Alex watching him in concern. "Hey …" he hurried over to her, "I thought those painkillers would have floored you."

Alex glanced down at her splinted hand in its high sling and shrugged slightly. "Maybe a sedative would have more luck but …" She looked back up at him, her face sombre, "After all that's happened …"

"Hmm …"

Alex glanced along the corridor towards the office. "What's going on?"

John sighed and relayed as much of the conversation as he had heard.

"Oh." Alex offered, "It gets better then."

John couldn't help but smile at their matched dry wit.

Alex watched him for a moment. "What will happen?" She watched his smile fade; he knew what she meant.

"I don't know."

"We could lie." Alex urged, "Tell everyone it was self-defence."

John laughed gently, "I don't think even that would win the old man over … and as for the others …" he shook his head and turned back towards the office. "Not that I'd blame them …"

"She's dead anyway, though."

John looked back at her.

"Supposedly killed soon after the Hood's botched transfer. Or so her file says." Alex shrugged, "That's why Pen couldn't find her at first."

John was studying her in interest and then a frown shadowed his tired eyes. "What are you not telling me, Al?"

Alex nodded and stepped closer to him, reaching out to place her free hand on his arm. "Look, it wasn't important before but … now …"

"Who did you call at MI5?"

Alex smiled thinly, she should have known that nothing would get past his keen mind – whether it was fully functional or not. "My uncle."

The frown lifted and surprise replaced it.

"Henry. Henry Shaw."

And John laughed suddenly. "Wo! You're kidding!"

Alex shook her head and watched him in interest. There was delight when she had expected disappointment and he seemed to be mulling this new piece of information over with relish. And somewhere deep down she knew what he was thinking.

But the smile faded and he groaned as he stepped closer to her. He carefully enveloped her and pressed a kiss into her hair. "Al … I think I know what I have to do."

Alex nodded slowly. She had seen it in his face after he had killed Mishka. And she also knew what he would need to do.

Penny closed the comm. channel and sat back into the chair with a sigh. It was all so close to over that she could almost taste it. They could close this chapter and move on. Where to she wasn't entirely sure but she had faith that Jeff would find a way.

The thought of being able to hold him brought tears to her eyes and she found herself wondering just how she had managed to convince herself for so long that he was simply a friend.

Thunderbird Two was eighty-five minutes out and she found herself experiencing mixed emotions. To have them home would be wonderful. To have them know what John had done would not. Perhaps that little piece of news could wait. Let them settle and recuperate first. Hell, even wait till someone went for ice cream and found what was stored beside the Ben & Jerry's.

But it had to come from John. There was no way she was telling on him or even beginning to try and explain it all. That was up to him. If he could.

Penny closed her eyes and let out a heavy sigh. She didn't see the flicker of interference that crossed the screen in front of her and never noticed the brief interruption in the island systems. The first she knew that something had happened was the roar of the company jet as it left the main runway.

Out of her seat in an instant and hurrying towards the window, Penny watched in confusion and fear as the small craft climbed away from the island and was gone.

Tbc …