sorry about the wait, problems getting this uploaded i'm afraid. anyway, thanks to everyone that has been reviewing regularly, it really means a lot.

The gentle kiss on her forehead roused Tin Tin from a light sleep, curled on the couch in Lucy's room. Alan stood before her, reaching out to stroke her cheek with his finger gently.

"Alan…" she whispered, her eyes filling with tears as she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him down on to the couch beside her. Alan slowly returned her embrace, running his fingers through her silky dark hair.

"That was too close today Alan," she said, her voice low to prevent waking Lucy. She pulled back and looked him in the eye. Alan nodded slowly and cupped one hand around her cheek, kissing her softly.

"Are you going to stop this Alan? Next time, you might not be so lucky," she said, taking his hands and holding them tightly, looking towards their daughter. Alan followed her gaze and bit his bottom lip, getting to his feet and standing over the cot.

"I'm only thinking of Lucy," Tin Tin continued. "Please Alan…" He said nothing, but gently moved the blanket around his daughter, stroking her hair before looking towards Tin Tin.

"How can I do that?" he asked, his voice a hoarse whisper. "Rescuing is what I do…look we all made it out ok…Scott and Virgil will be ok…"

"You could have been seriously injured…or even worse Alan and I don't want Lucy losing her father."

"You're being melodramatic here…c'mon…" Alan said, appealing to her, but as soon as he spoke those words, he knew she wasn't going to like them. Tin Tin got to her feet and walked towards him, until she stood directly in front of him.

"Melodramatic? It seems an almost regular occurrence for one of you to get injured on a rescue at the moment…how long will it be before there's a fatality?" Alan reached out to grab her arm, but she moved quickly from the room.

Jeff was elated when John told him Scott and Virgil were out and making their way to Thunderbird 2, but he let it show only as a smile. John knew his father's ways and did not expect any more. He'd deliberately not mentioned Scott's injuries, deciding that his father had went through enough for one rescue and that he'd leave Virgil, who at least had some idea of the medical matter, to explain later.

"When do they expect to leave?" his father asked him.

"I guess as soon as Virgil has got Scott sorted…" John trailed off, his face falling as he realised what he'd said, the terrible truth he'd blurted out without thinking. The reaction was as expected. His father's face registered shock before concern.

"John?" Jeff pressed him to continue. "What aren't you telling me?" John looked flustered and between wanting to yell at himself and feign transmission problems, he vaguely stumbled through an explanation.

"Uh…Scott's been injured…he…um…I think it's serious …" John stuttered, looking away.

"He's what!" Jeff cried. "Why didn't they tell me?" Jeff got to his feet, his stance, facial expression and clenched fists telling John his father was furious at being the uninformed one.

"I…uh…" But Jeff cut the communication, instead pressing the button which would link him to Thunderbird 2, to Scott and Virgil, and hopefully to an explanation.

"Are you in pain?" Virgil asked Scott as he got him settled into the bunk in the cockpit.

"I'll be ok," Scott said, smiling wryly. He watched Virgil touch the base of his foot and watch him for a reaction.

"Nothing…" Scott muttered dejectedly.

"As I said, it might be temporary," Virgil told him, trying to lift his spirits. "A shock to the spine that will wear off…" Scott tried to smile at his brother, but it slipped as Virgil turned away, swaying slightly. He placed his palm across his forehead, rubbing it wearily. He was beginning to feel sick, weak and dizzy. Not what he wanted when he had to get a seriously injured Scott back home as quickly as possible.

"You ok?" Scott asked.

"Yeah…" Virgil began, before he leant back against the cool wall, trying to focus his spinning head for a second.

"You don't look too good…" Scott began, but stopped as he watched Virgil slide down the wall, his body crumpled on the floor.

"Virgil! Virgil!" Scott yelled to him, helpless to move to his brother's side. Scott's attention was dragged from his fallen brother to the radio as he heard his father's voice calling to them, demanding that they answer. Scott sunk back into the bed, before grabbing hold of his wrist com and contacting John.

"Can you get Dad off our backs?" he begged.

"What's up?" John asked. "He's pretty angry…"

"I can't walk so I can't answer the radio and Virgil has passed out on the floor…I don't know what's wrong with him. There was a short silence as Scott heard his father curse before ending the transmission. Scott let out a shaky breath, looking back at Virgil, willing him to wake up.

"Yeah he's angry…look John, please just tell him we're…I dunno, we're having radio problems…I'm going to sit here and yell at Virgil until he gets up…"

John had only just finished communicating with Scott before his father was snapping at him once again.

"John, what's going on?" he demanded and John wiped his face, trying to look somewhat normal and composed, despite the ongoing concern for Scott and now the worry that Virgil was in no condition to attempt the flight home.

"Problems with the radio," John said quickly, but his eyes betrayed him and Jeff shook his head.

"Why don't you tell me what is going on? I'm ordering you John." The continual demands from his father were grating on John; it appeared he didn't trust his three eldest to make decisions and deal with situations on their own terms.

"'Alright!" John snapped, glowering at his father. "Virgil's collapsed…Scott's in the first aid compartment, so the radio is going unanswered. Scott just called me on his wrist com to tell me." Jeff slumped back in his seat, looking towards the ceiling.

"What else could go wrong…" he muttered. John's scowl faded and he cleared his throat nervously.

"Maybe you should send Alan out…" John suggested, but Jeff shook his head, dismissing John's suggestion immediately.

"He's too exhausted to even contemplate that…Tell Scott to call me." John hesitated, but hearing the lingering fury in his father's voice, he decided that now was not a time to disobey him. There was a moment before Scott's portrait came alive, his face dirty, and his eyes flickering with fear.

"Scott…I know you're injured, but I need you to get Virgil to come round…"

"He's exhausted Dad," Scott said. "You have no idea what he just went through back there…"

"You're not safe and sound yet. Do something to get him going…" Scott tried to get a word in, but his father continued to berate him, ordering him to wake Virgil.

"I can't move Dad! I can't feel my legs!" Scott yelled over his father's orders. There was a stunned silence before there was a soft groan in the background. Scott's eyes glistened with tears as he looked towards where his brother had collapsed and saw his eyes flicker.

"Virgil's back," Scott said numbly before his portrait froze, his transmission having been cut. Jeff was frozen; Scott's screamed revelation causing him to shut down. For the first time, he had no idea what to do. Ignoring John's sympathetic eyes, Jeff got up from his desk and moved to his study, closing the door behind him and shutting himself in with his grief.

Having moved Scott from the sick bay to the bunk in the cockpit, Virgil sat in his chair, trying to control his shaking hands long enough to drink a mug full of strong, sugary black coffee. Scott watched him, obvious concern scarred across his tired face.

"It's just exhaustion," Virgil assured him. "Honestly…" He trailed off and he gulped down a mouthful of coffee, scalding his tongue. Scott didn't look convinced, but didn't want to stress Virgil out by arguing with him.

"I'll be fine. John's going to keep an eye on our progress home and you're here to throw stuff at me if I dose off…I'm giving you permission Scott," Virgil smiled at his brother. Scott laughed softly, eyeing a wrench located in the wall mounted tool box.

"Makes me want you to black out, despite the obvious danger we would be in." Virgil followed his gaze and half-smiled.

"You're in safe hands Scott. When have I ever let you down?"

"Don't get me started…" Scott laughed, rolling his eyes. Virgil laughed with his brother, glad that for even just a moment, his mind was distracted from the terrifying possibility of the seriousness of his injuries.

"Ok…I'm going to fire her up," Virgil said, turning to face the controls. "Are you ok back there?"

"As comfy as I can get," Scott replied. "Just take it easy Virgil…and keep drinking that coffee with the ton of sugar in it."

"F.A.B…wait, I thought you'd delegated all responsibility to me," Virgil said, glancing over his shoulder at Scott.

"Stuff that…I've never trusted you to be in charge of a mission and I never will!"

"I repeat these are the first pictures that have managed to be collected of the organisation in action. These were filmed live at the rescue site earlier today…you can see clearly two members of the team…one is clearly injured and is being aided by another…" Gordon and Alan stared at the screen, their incomprehension painted on their faces. There on the television, on a sleazy, tacky late night chat show, were the images of two of their older brothers and the struggle Virgil had had to help the injured Scott to Thunderbird 2.

"Why didn't they stop them? Normally the alarm goes off…" Alan said. Gordon shook his head,

"You think Virg was caring about an alarm when he realised Scott couldn't actually walk?" Both brothers returned to silence as they watched the fuzzy forms in close up.

"Well…you can't really see them…really…" Alan tried, but trailed off as slowly the chat show host explained their technology that would 'de-fuzz' the picture and give the world the clarity of picture they'd come to expect. Their groans were in unison as firstly Scott's pain-stricken face came on screen, followed by Virgil's alarmed one.

"Dad's gonna freak…" Alan murmured as Gordon nodded mutely.