Disclaimer: As much as I wish I could lay claim to them, I can't. The Thunderbirds and those gorgeous Tracy brothers belong to others.
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Chapter Three: Warm Cookies and Cold Beer
It was a quiet night on Tracy Island. And one that John was determined to enjoy. He'd just returned from Thunderbird Five, leaving an unhappy Alan up there. But it was John's turn for a month planetside. So after spending the afternoon in the sun, dinner with his family and the evening with his brothers, he was still wound-up and unable to sleep. But he usually needed a night or two to readjust to sleeping on the island. So, in the midst of his sleeplessness, he wondered into the kitchen. In the refrigerator, he unburied the tube of cookie dough and set it on the counter.
Oh, how Grandma Tracy would have a fit if she ever saw that.
He got the oven preheated, lined a cookie sheet with aluminum foil, and sliced some of the dough into cookies.
"I hope you're making enough for two," he heard someone say from the doorway.
He looked up to see Virgil standing there, leaning against the doorjam. The only evidence that he'd even attempted sleep was his unruly hair.
"I will now," John replied, slicing a few more.
Virgil came in and sat at the breakfast nook, across from where John was working.
"Can't sleep?" Virgil asked.
"First night back," John answered. "Never can. What's your excuse?"
Virgil just shrugged and John knew that there was something on his younger brother's mind. He intended to ask about it soon enough, once the cookies were done.
"I heard Alan's not too happy about doing his stint up there," Virgil said, pointing up in reference to Thunderbird Five.
John laughed a bit. "He never is. It takes him away from Tin-Tin."
Virgil smiled, but offered nothing in response. The two brothers sat in a comfortable silence until John announced that the cookies were done. He took them from the oven and let them sit for a couple of minutes before serving them on paper towels. But before they went out onto the patio, John grabbed a couple beers from the refrigerator. John led Virgil onto the patio, where they sat next to each other.
"Here's to being planetside once again, big brother," Virgil said.
"Being planetside," John repeated, and they clinked their bottles together in a toast.
"It's been too long," Virgil said after a minute.
"What?"
"Warm cookies and cold beer," Virgil laughed.
"You still can't legally do this in the US," John laughed, referring to the fact that the US was still the only country in the world to have a legal drinking age of 21 instead of 18.
"I can everywhere else. Including here."
After a few minutes of companionable silence, John asked, "What's on your mind?"
Virgil just glanced at John, he'd been staring off at the stars. "Huh?"
"Don't try it. I know you, Virgil. Something's on your mind."
"Just don't tell Scott, alright?"
John sighed. "Of course I won't tell Scott."
"I nearly freaked at yesterday's rescue," Virgil admitted. "I mean, Scott knows I was getting nervous. I just don't want him to know how close to freaking out I really was."
John furrowed his brow in concentration. "The tunnel?"
Virgil nodded. "When I was in there and it shook. I really thought I was going to be buried alive. I almost started panicking again."
"Well, you didn't. You got to those people and got them out."
"Thanks to you."
"What did I do? Beside be a pain in your rear end."
"You kept me talking…kept me focused…you kept me from panicking. After the tremor, I was frozen until you got through to me. You and Scott kept me going down there."
"Then we did what we wanted."
"Huh?"
"While you were getting ready to go down there, Scott and I had a talk of our own. We weren't sure how you'd take being down there alone, so we decided on the distraction tactic. Scott really didn't want you going down there, but it would've been more difficult for Gordon or him to go."
"They would've had some problems. I almost got stuck in a few places. That's why I was so slow… well, partly why."
"Well, you made it in and out just fine."
"Just don't ask me to do that again for a long time. And now Gordon knows."
"You told him?"
"He heard the comment about the parade and asked. He said he wouldn't tell Alan."
"You believe him?"
"Yeah," Virgil said with a grin.
"What do you have on him?"
"Enough to ensure his silence."
John just laughed, he knew Virgil would never tell him.
John was definitely glad to be home. And there's nothing like warm cookies and cold beer on a quiet night with his younger brother.
"Virgil, about that last comment to me in German yesterday…"
A/N: This chapter was totally brought about my own desire for the warm cookies/cold beer combo. I learned it from a friend when I was in college (except we used toaster ovens to make cookies and she had to buy the beer). Exceptionally good…and I miss it lots now.