Sally enjoyed the moment as she signed her son out of the rehabilitation centre. It was only for the weekend, but it was his first weekend home and she was going to make the most of it. Everyone was eager. John was heading down as they spoke, EOS being left in charge of Thunderbird Five, though John was sure to check in with her now and again. Jeff had progressed so well over the past few months and had surpassed all the doctors' expectations that they were talking about his treatment becoming outpatient based in a few months. The idea of Jeff being back where he belonged, in the house he'd built, was a dream come true. Every mother wanted their son close, but after having him so far away, Sally was finding it hard not being near him. Turning to her son, the grin on her face widened. Jeff Tracy stood tall in his favourite flamingo shirt and jeans.

"Let's go home," Sally spoke, as she slipped her arm around Jeff's and grabbed the crutch that had been leaning against the wall. He may think he can walk around the facility without one, but the island villa was much bigger and had very few places to rest along the way. The black chauffeured car waited for them and took them to the private airport where Sally had landed Tracy One.

Alan sat, swinging his legs from the gangway above the cavern where they kept the civilian aircraft, if you could call two private jets and a couple of old planes civilian. One of the 'old planes' was the bi-plane which Grandma had flown around the world in, once upon a time, with Grandad as company. When he was younger, Grandma would tell him her travel stories at bedtime, though he always preferred Dad's space adventures. It was the plane she had taught Dad to fly in so many years ago. It no longer flew, its engine long rusted together and although both Virgil and Brains had offered to mend, replace or upgrade it, she'd always refused. It now sat beneath a dust sheet. He'd once gone searching for her when his brothers had all been busy and found her crying in it. He'd been a teenager and just backed out slowly, not wanting to disturb her. At least he now understood why she kept it.

He lay his hands along the bar and rested his chin on them, his eyes fixed on the entrance to the cavern. At some point Tracy One would return, and Dad would be back amongst them, even if it was only for a short time. Alan didn't know how to feel. He was getting on with Dad at the facility and when they chatted online, but would it be the same on the island? The atmosphere was already changing, buzzing with excitement, but Alan was more observant than they give him credit for. He'd seen Scott tidy up Dad's desk and carry his things back to his own study. He'd also seen the same brother sitting with a whiskey late at night with that look on his face. Something was troubling Scott, and that worried Alan. Scott had been Alan's rock for the past eight years, the one he went to for advice. The family dynamic was changing again. Alan wanted to believe it would be a good thing, that things would be better than they were before. He'd wanted Dad back so much, just like his brothers, but maybe that was only because he was forgetting. He'd forgotten things and it had scared him. Now it was the idea of having Dad back that scared him.

Alan glanced down at his dangling feet, not bothered in the slightest by the drop beneath. This was his spot, where he had sat waiting for Scott to come home from business meetings and Gordon from WASP training. When Scott hadn't been the one to fly Kayo and himself home from boarding school, his oldest brother would wait a little further down the gangway. Scott would be leaning against the top rail and smiling down at him as he exited the plane. Alan had hated being away, and after Gordon's WASP accident he'd managed to convince Scott to let him be home-schooled. Alan didn't know if Gordon had told Dad about that yet. He was only meant to have passed basic training but the hydrofoil project he had been part of was almost complete, so Gordon had decided to spend a few extra months at WASP to see it to the end. The crash had almost ended Gordon's life, and Alan had been called home from school. He and Gordon had always been close and Alan had wanted to be by his side as he recovered. Scott had finally relented.

Alan sighed, resting his cheek against the cool metal. The metallic clang of footsteps bouncing along the gangway announced Gordon's arrival. Alan smiled at his brother, who slipped his feet over the railing Alan had his face against, shaking it slightly as he planted his bottom on it. Alan leant back so he could look up at Gordon.

"Ready for Dad to return?"

The grin on Gordon's face matched the excitement that leaked from his brother. Yet Alan could see the nervous twitching in his cheek, that gave away what he was really feeling.

"Of course, are you?"

Gordon turned from him with a slight air of sheepishness.

" 'course I am."

Gordon sighed, his gaze turned down toward the ground below them. His demeanour shifted. His shoulders slumped like they were weighed down by extra gravity.

"Penelope's going to get here any minute, and she wants to tell Dad about us."

"Oh, but that's a good thing though. It means she really likes you."

"I know, it's just. You wouldn't understand. Dad's always, I guess, I feel like Dad's always expected less of me."

Alan didn't understand. He struggled to remember how his own relationship with Dad went, let alone how it was for Gordon. Both brothers stared down at the floor in silence. So many words left unsaid between them, yet neither one was ready to be completely honest. The sounds of a familiar motor vehicle had Gordon up and down the gangway in a shot. FAB 1 pulled into its spot and Gordon was at its side, waiting for Parker to release Lady Penelope. It was Sherbet that darted out first, jumping against Gordon's legs. Gordon's laughter echoed as he scooped up the pug before pulling Lady Penelope in for a kiss. Alan wanted to make a yuck face but held back, knowing how long Gordon had liked Lady Penelope. Alan had teased Gordon enough about it over the years that he knew retaliation would come. From his perch, he watched Parker's back stiffen at the sight of the kiss, the chauffeur still not convinced by the pairing. The three of them moved away from the car, towards the wall, Parker's arms full with Penelope's luggage. Voices drifted up from below but Alan wasn't paying them much attention, his mind mulling over Gordon's words. Gordon had never admitted being nervous before, and for it to be about Dad too. Gordon had grown up just as much as he had over the last eight years, so maybe he too was unrecognizable from the teenager Dad had left behind. They had been catching up with Dad in their own way, so Alan had no idea what his brother's current relationship with their father was like. Was it strained?

Footsteps echoed along the gangway and Alan turned to see the rest of his brothers approaching. With their appearance Alan knew Grandma and Dad were close. Alan pulled his legs up and stood, one hand on the rail.

"You alright there, sprout?" Scott asked, his hand falling on Alan's left shoulder with a squeeze.

"Yeah, just waiting."

Alan smiled, trying to hide the butterflies that were dancing inside him. Scott's hand was reassuring, its warmth a reminder of the many times Scott had comforted him over the years. The low rumble of jet engines echoed through the cavern and they all turned. Scott threw his arm over Alan's shoulder and guided him down the stairs with his brothers. As they reached the bottom, the arm fell and his brothers seemed to bound ahead towards Tracy One's bay. Even the usually calm and collected John had a skip in his step, and Alan hadn't seen Scott this excited in years. One of Alan's earliest memories was of the day Scott had left for the Air Force. Alan had cried in his Grandma's arms, not wanting his big brother to go, but Scott had been so excited that day. Gordon had said losing Mum had been tough on everyone, but particularly Scott, who'd stepped up when their Dad was consumed with grief. There had been a bounce in Scott's step in the lead up to leaving. Grandma had rocked Alan, telling him Scott had to go, that he was an adult and that's what adults did. Alan had just wanted his big brother to stay. Grandma had recounted that Alan had slept in Scott's bed the next few nights. Alan had cleared memories of his brother after his first flight in Thunderbird One. The young man had the biggest grin on his face and had ruffled Alan's hair while chuckling, muttering about going faster. That sat alongside the memories of Thunderbird Three being constructed. Dad had made an exception and taken him down to the hanger to see it. Alan had been in awe of the robotic arms and platforms that surrounded the half-built rocket. Leaning against the cavern wall were the large bright red panels waiting to enclose the rocket. Wide eyed, Alan had started hopping eagerly, which resulted in a hearty chuckle from his father. Apparently Scott had been the same with Thunderbird One. Thanks to Scott, Alan could still remember the weight of his father's hand as he knelt down and looked him in the eye to tell him that it would be years until he would be able to go into space in Thunderbird Three. That Alan would have to go to college and pass all the space requirements before Dad would train him to fly the rocket.

Except Dad never did. Scott and John had shown him the controls and taken him on his first trip to space. Alan suspected they were unaware of Dad's rules when they started to train him, not that Alan was going to tell them. He'd spent years watching his brothers flying out onto rescues and he wanted to pull his weight. Simulations and early space training meant he was able to start flying the red rocket at age fifteen under supervision. No need for a college degree. He took the title of youngest member of International Rescue from Gordon. Dad had mentioned his schooling to him a few times since being back, and the option of college, but Alan had always changed the subject. He'd had to admit to Dad that he'd passed his high school diploma to get him off his back, but he still hadn't told his brothers, though he was sure they must know. John, at least, always knew everything. With the return of Dad the topic of his lessons just hadn't come up and that was the way Alan wanted it to stay.

The plane entered the cavern as Scott and Virgil started manoeuvring the steps towards the bay. The stairs were completely autonomous with sensors that not only guided them into the correct place without human aid, but would also move back to their docking station automatically when requested to. It was just quicker to push them. Gordon, Parker and Penelope joined them as the plane continued to slow as it rolled into the bay. No one flinched as it inched closer, all trusting the veteran pilot who had done this many times. Once it had stopped, she waved down at them with a massive smile on her face. His eldest three brothers got the ramp into place, John guiding them from behind. When International Rescue first started, and their identities were still rather secret, the media had wondered how the team could work so efficiently as a team, though once it was revealed to be a family business, it made perfect sense. The brothers knew each other so well, understanding each other's strengths and weaknesses and how best to communicate. Alan remembered how it had been when he was first being integrated into the team. Now it was instinctual.

The media had talked so much about the new rescue organisation, and when he was at boarding school it was often the only way he got news about it. His brothers would only open up about International Rescue when he was home. It felt like scraps at the time. It was a secret he had kept, knowing that Scott and John were monitoring everything. He knew he would be in trouble if he told, and that it would put his family at risk. They had become more open with the media in recent years, still keeping their secrets, though now Dad was back the media's focus was entirely on him and his return. Interviews had been demanded. The media would camp outside anywhere they thought Jeff was, hoping to grab a glimpse of him or to get just one word from the great astronaut. All asking the same questions. What would happen now? Will you take control of Tracy Industries? Will you lead International Rescue? Those questions had yet to be answered, because as a family, they hadn't broached the subject.

The door of the plane opened and Grandma exited with her arm looped through Dad's. They started to descend slowly, Grandma obviously moving at Dad's pace. His free hand gripped the rail. It still shocked Alan just how frail his Dad seemed. It was a very different image to the powerful man he remembered. Once at the bottom of the stairs, his father pulled John and Virgil into a hug. Wiping away the tears that had come to his eyes, his father glanced around the cavern.

"How I've longed to return."

"Well, keep up with your recovery and it'll be permanent in a few months."

Grandma smiled at her son, handing him the crutch that had been hooked in her elbow.

"Let's get you upstairs, onto a sofa and we'll get you a cold drink. I've already got your room sorted, all your clothes have been washed and are back in your wardrobe."

"Thank you, Mum."

Scott was the next one to be caught in a hug, then Gordon and finally Alan. It was a tight one-armed squeeze that had pressed Alan's face into his father's chest. Alan hugged back carefully, not wanting to squeeze him too hard. His Dad still felt so fragile. A few inhales brought a familiar strong scent that filled Alan's mind with memories of Kansas and hugs goodbye. It was the same aftershave Dad had been wearing the last time he said goodbye, in front of his boarding school. Alan was released and Jeff stepped up to Penelope and Parker, the crutch thudding with each step.

"Good to see you well, Lady Penelope. I've heard you become an asset to International Rescue."

Dad shook her offered hand, before raising it to his lips and giving it a quick kiss. Alan was a little taken back by the action but Penelope waved it away.

"No need for such formal formalities, Mr Tracy."

"If you want no formalities, then call me Jeff. Not that your father ever did."

Penelope smiled politely and nodded in response. Dad's eyes fell on her chauffeur.

"Parker, you old dog. Good to see you're still looking after young Penelope here."

"I wouldn't have it h'any other way, Mr Tracy, sir."

The handshake between the two men was short but ended with an odd hug with a pat on the back. It struck Alan that he'd seen it before but had completely forgotten the way Dad would greet his friends. Another thing he could add to the things he'd forgotten.