Consider this an early Christmas gift. Angst with a happy ending for those who like that type of thing.

Turns out David isn't all he appears to be.

I own nothing aside from original characters and plot points.

ENJOY!


Indiana smiled when she heard the Christmas song through the Christmas radio station she had set as her alarm. It was the leadup to Christmas and she was with her family in the home they had rented from one of her father's friends for the holidays. She flew out here on the 21st of December and was planning on returning to Tracy Island on the 28th of December to see in the New Year with her boyfriend's family.

Her boyfriend. It felt so great saying that.

She took in the view of the mountain that had been afforded in the bedroom she was allocated.

Every year, she and her family had a tradition of travelling to different locations for Christmas. That especially came in handy when her parents divorced. They always picked places her mother would deem beneath her so they didn't worry about her trying to ruin their holiday.

This year, they were in Oakhurst, California, close to Yosemite and Bass Lake. The snow had fallen, giving them the perfect white Christmas Indiana had been hoping for.

She also couldn't help but be nervous about what she was going to do. Recent events had made Jeff reflect on his stance on keeping Indiana's family in the dark concerning the true nature of her job. So, he decided that, this Christmas, Indiana could tell her family that she was working for International Rescue.

She couldn't help but wonder how her family would react. Oddly enough, she wasn't worried about her siblings. Sure, they'd be shocked at first, but at least they would suddenly understand why Indiana would give up her job at Kessler.

Her dad would be a different story.

Steeling herself, Indiana busied herself with getting ready for the day.


Scott felt Indiana's absence more acutely than he did when she was at Parola Sands. Since they started being more open with their relationship – and started on the right footing this time – they were hardly apart. Of course, there was some time where they were apart for a few hours at most, like when Indiana was helping Brains with one of his experiments, or when Scott was dispatched on a rescue where Indiana's services weren't required. But they were never apart for more than a few hours. This was the first time they would be apart for several days since that time she went to Parola Sands.

There was a small part of him that felt sad. He was looking forward to the couple spending their first Christmas together, but Indiana's Christmas trip with her family was organised long before she joined International Rescue. She looked forward to that time with her family, especially since it would be the first time she's seen her siblings for several months. He didn't want to take that away from her.

He knew that Jeff had given her permission to tell her family about her role in International Rescue. This was a good thing. It meant they didn't have to initiate Operation Coverup whenever her family came to visit the island and they didn't have to stress about getting an emergency call when they were there.

Besides, with how serious Scott and Indiana seemed to be getting, they were going to be spending a lot of time together, he felt. He even hoped that the following year, her family would be spending Christmas with them on the island. He knew his father would harbour no objections.

"Say, Virgil," Scott began, "what are you and Arizona doing concerning Christmas?"

"We gave each other our presents when I saw her a few days ago," Virgil answered, remembering when they caught up while he was on the mainland for a supply run, "I'd have invited her over, but everything's still so new with us. We thought it was too soon."

"Especially since you haven't met her family yet," Scott pointed out.

Virgil nodded in agreement, "Arizona's reassured me that it's nothing against me, but her family has this rule about how long you have to be with someone before introducing them to the family. Apparently, it was due to this family member who was known to be a playboy and have 'flavours of the month'. Have to be together for at least six months before introducing them to family."

"Makes sense," Scott mused, "It's not exactly like we introduced our girlfriends to the family quickly. But we are in a bit of a unique circumstance this time around, Virg."

Virgil laughed, "Yeah. You started living with your girlfriend before you started dating her, and my girlfriend can't avoid my family if she wants to come see me."

"Say. What did you get Arizona?" Scott asked.

"I gave her a sketch of the island and a new field case," Virgil revealed, "She's going on a dig with some archaeologists after the New Year. Thought it'd come in handy."

"Nice," Scott praised.

"What about you, Casanova?" Virgil teased his brother, "What did you slip into Indiana's luggage?"

"Nothing," Scott shrugged, surprising his brother, "We decided to exchange gifts when we get back. Besides, I'm still working on mine."

"Need any help?" Virgil immediately offered.

"Actually, yeah," Scott nodded, "I could definitely a second opinion on a couple of things."


Indiana stood in her room as Linda fussed around her with her pins and needles. Her light brown-haired, hazel-eyed sister fussed as she made alterations to a dress she was making for Indiana.

"You like it?" Linda asked worriedly.

"Liddy, I love it!" Indiana proclaimed with a smile, twirling around when she was allowed to, "It's perfect."

"Almost," Linda corrected her, "Just got to make these final alterations, but it'll be ready for Christmas. Maybe for spending New Year's with that boyfriend of yours."

Indiana did nothing to hide the blush that was dusting her face. She knew her boyfriend would also like the dress. He proclaimed recently that she looked beautiful in everything she wore… and didn't. But she wasn't going to talk about that with her baby sister.

"Say, what are you doing for New Year's?" Indiana asked.

"I'll be in Manhattan this year," Linda revealed, "I'm attending a charity ball on Francois' behalf. At least I'll be there to see the ball drop."

"That's something," Indiana laughed, "Say, can I tell you something?"

"Sure," Linda nodded, "You gonna tell me you're a mob doctor?"

"No," Indiana quickly shook her head with a laugh, "Although, I did think that when Jeff Tracy first approached me with a job offer."

Linda snorted. Yeah. They were totally related. Their minds went to the same place.

"Okay. So, what's up, Inds?" Linda asked her worriedly.

"Nothing," Indiana reassured her before sighing and blurting, "My boyfriend's family are International Rescue."

Linda sat there for a moment blinking, allowing what Indiana had just blurted out to sink in before responding, "Wait. Seriously?"

"Yeah," Indiana nodded, "Jeff Tracy came to me at Kessler because he wanted me to join International Rescue as their Chief Medical Officer."

"Well, that makes sense," Linda mused, "I'd imagine a trauma surgeon would be perfect for that. Also, it definitely sounds like something you'd leave Rochester for."

"You're pretty calm about this," Indiana observed.

"Oh, trust me. I'm freaking out on the inside," Linda reassured her, "Just tell me nothing happened to you on a rescue."

"How did you know I go out in the field?" Indiana demanded.

"I know you," Linda drawled, "I didn't think you'd leave Kessler to be stuck in some infirmary. You'd probably make going into the field a condition of your employment?"

"Yeah, Scott wasn't happy about that one," Indiana winced slightly, "Well, I did get shot once by someone I was trying to rescue. And I was stuck on a bridge rigged to explode with Alan and Grandma Tracy, but the latter incident didn't happen on a rescue."

"Back up!" Linda cut in, "You got shot?!"

"Guy went crazy in the desert. Scott pulled me out of the way, but it's pretty hard to be quicker than a bullet," Indiana pointed out, "But the injury wasn't as bad as it could've been."

"You got shot!" Linda repeated herself.

"And I'm still alive!" Indiana retorted, "I'm fine! The bridge thing threw me for a loop, though."

"What happened then?" Linda demanded.

"Alan's racing rival happened," Indiana grumbled, "He left me, Alan and Grandma Tracy on top of that bridge in San Miguel with a bomb and an ultrasonic generator that would detonate the bomb ahead of schedule if anything on the bridge moved. Scott and Virgil managed to get us to safety, but we were left with heatstroke."

"And that's when you and Scott went on that date?" Linda winked, recalling one of her letters.

"Yeah," Indiana's blush deepened, "Which Gordon and Alan spied on through this device Brains was building."

Linda lost it at this point. She almost fell off the bed laughing before stopping to help Indiana out of the dress so she could keep the pins in place.

"You're taking this rather well," Indiana pointed out.

"Well, when I think about it, it's not that surprising," Linda shrugged before asking, "Do Dad and Matty know?"

Indiana shook her head, "I'm going to tell them over the trip."

"Matty will be fine. Honestly, I think the smug little shit already knows," Linda grumbled the last part, "Dad might be the problem. He still sees us in diapers."

"Oh yeah," Indiana nodded in agreement.

"Speaking of your boyfriend," Linda began, changing the subject as Indiana slid a robe on, "what did he get you?"

"We're exchanging gifts when I get back," Indiana revealed, "Scott wanted a bit more time with this. I think he's making me something."

Linda squealed before asking, "And what are you giving him?"

Indiana smiled before telling Linda to follow her back to her room. When they got there, she pulled out a book that she was working on for Scott. '100 Reasons Why I Love You'. Linda squealed once more before deciding to flick through the book, reading through some of the reasons.

1. You make me deliriously happy.

2. You are the best man I know.

3. You let me be myself.

4. You have a gentle and calming voice that soothes me when I'm upset.

5. I can be myself around you.

6. You trust me unconditionally.

7. You're my missing piece.

8. You don't just tell me you love me; you show me every day.

9. You make me laugh.

10. I love our hikes together.

Linda just screamed some more before demanding, "How many reasons have you done?"

"75," Indiana admitted, "I was going to finish it while I'm here."

"Well, let's go!" Linda proclaimed.


Virgil hummed in approval when he saw the envelopes before him. (He didn't dare read their contents; he had a strong feeling some of the letters were for Indiana's eyes only.) Scott decided he was going to do a series of 'Open When' letters filled with sweet words and little gifts (and maybe a bit of spice). Some of the topics he included were their respective birthdays, their anniversary, Valentine's Day, when they're angry with each other, when she needs a hug, when she missed him, she's wondering how to make him smile and more.

"This is actually a pretty good idea," Virgil praised, "How long have you been working on these?"

"A while," Scott admitted, "I'm surprised Gordon and Alan haven't found these."

"Well, I'm obviously not going to read what you wrote," Virgil declared, "but maybe I can help you come up with some topics you haven't thought of?"

"That'd be great," Scott smiled.

"How about one for compliments?" Virgil suggested, "Or one for when you want her to know how she makes you feel? Or just feel romantic?"

Scott nodded eagerly, grabbing some envelopes to write the ideas down, planning to write the accompanying letter later.

"Hey. What did Arizona get you?" Scott suddenly asked.

"Some art supplies," Virgil answered cryptically, "And a coupon book."

"A coupon book?!" Scott repeated in surprise.

"Yeah," Virgil nodded, "You know, one of those coupon books for couples where you can cash in a specific date night or activity and things like that."

Scott hummed in recognition. He knew there were a lot of templates available. Some had prewritten ideas, like a dinner and a movie, and the rest of the pages were blank for the person to fill in themselves. People were generally free to get as creative – or as naughty – as they liked. He figured it'd come in handy, especially since Virgil and Arizona would be dating long-distance for the foreseeable future.


Telling Linda about International Rescue had gone remarkable well. Indiana decided to tell Matthew next.

But she quickly found that Linda was correct. Matthew knew all along.

"I was waiting for you to tell me," Matthew remarked as he accepted a mug of cocoa from his sister, "Where's the whipped cream?"

"Fridge," Indiana answered before demanding, "And how long have you known?"

"I kind of connected the dots when International Rescue started operating," Matthew revealed, "I couldn't understand why you would leave your life in Rochester behind, even for something as noble as bringing trauma care to struggling areas. Then, I saw the newspaper article about the first time International Rescue saved Fireflash and I just knew. I also figured an outfit like that needed a doctor."

"You figured right," Indiana chuckled, "We've had a fair share of scrapes."

"Yeah, I know," Matthew responded, "When you got shot, I figured it happened on the job."

"Why didn't you say anything before?" Indiana asked.

"Well, I figured you were hiding it for a good reason. There's been whispers around my base, sis. There are people out there who want to get their hands on that technology," Matthew warned her, "I figured you didn't say anything because you didn't want to put us at risk."

"That does play a part," Indiana relented.

"So, who pilots what?" Matthew asked before spraying some whipped cream into his mouth from the can.

"Gross!" Indiana cried, "We all use that, you dork!"

Matthew just poked his tongue out at her.

Rolling her eyes, Indiana answered his question, "Scott pilots Thunderbird 1, Virgil pilots Thunderbird 2 and Gordon pilots Thunderbird 4. John and Alan take turns manning Thunderbird 5 and whoever's earthbound pilots Thunderbird 3."

"You know, that actually makes sense," Matthew mused.

"Yeah," Indiana nodded in agreement.

"And Lady Penelope… is she involved?" Matthew asked.

"Yeah. She's our London field agent," Indiana nodded before noticing the look on his face, "What? You've got a crush on her."

"I'll never tell," Matthew answered cryptically, taking a sip of his cocoa. "You tell Linda and Dad yet?"

"I told Linda this morning," Indiana responded, "I haven't told Dad yet. I'm trying to find a way to tell him."

Matthew leaned in like a co-conspirator and asked, "All his favourites for dinner to soften him up?"

"Yep," Indiana immediately nodded.


Scott rolled out a kink in his neck. He had finished writing out those letters Virgil suggested and a couple of others he thought of on the way through. Including a couple that left him needing a cold shower.

Now, he was putting them in a nice box, making sure he put the letter with the instructions on top. He wrapped the box with the Christmas-themed wrapping paper Grandma Tracy provided him and stuck the gift tag onto it when he was done wrapping it. Now, all he had to do was hide it in his room until he could give it to Indiana when she got back. He'd put it under the tree with the other presents, but there was no guarantee that Gordon and Alan wouldn't find their way into it. They're notorious in the family for going through everybody's Christmas presents and he didn't want them going through this.

So, he hid it in his closet, burying it under some clothing for good measure.

He couldn't help but reflect how the last couple of weeks had been. They had a rescue in the Nevada desert. Something went wrong on a movie set and two actors got trapped in a flooding cave. Scott couldn't help but feel like it was a strange ploy to lure International Rescue into a trap because as he went to depart, Scott realized that cameras had been filming the whole time and the automatic camera detector built into Thunderbird 1 didn't go off. Then, he saw someone the movie director didn't recognize flee the film set with footage of the rescue, presumably to sell to the highest bidder.

Fortunately, that situation resolved itself. In the mystery person's arrogance, and perhaps a bit of desperation, he stole a plane from a nearby airfield that, unknown to him, was due for a major overhaul. He ended up crashing into a mansion when the plane malfunctioned and the film was destroyed in the crash.

All's well that ends well in that regard.

Satisfied, Scott left his room and headed to the kitchen, wondering if he could sweet talk Grandma Tracy into giving him a slice of apple pie before dinner.


David should've known something was going on when every meal consisted of his favourite foods. Usually, that told him his children had something to tell him and they were afraid of how he would react.

"Okay," David sighed halfway through the meal, "What's going on?"

"I told you two he'd see through this," Linda boasted to Indiana and Matthew.

In response, both Indiana and Matthew stuck their tongues out at her.

"I do have something to tell you," Indiana began, "About the true nature of my job."

"Go on," David encouraged her.

"I didn't just leave Kessler to work on rural outreach and consult at various trauma centres. Jeff Tracy approached me to be the Chief Medical Officer for International Rescue," Indiana blurted out, deciding it would be best to 'rip off the Band-Aid'.

David just sat there. He didn't say anything. For one thing, what could you say to something like that? In a lot of ways, everything made sense now.

But it didn't mean he had to like it.

"International Rescue?" David repeated in disbelief.

"Yeah, dad. International Rescue. You know, we go out and save people where normal means can't reach them," Indiana drawled.

"Indiana Charlotte Evans, now is not the time to be a smartass!" David snapped irritably, "What in the hell are you doing in an organisation like that?!"

"Dad!" Matthew cut in, "They're doing a lot of good! She's doing a lot of good!"

"Yeah, dad," Linda nodded in agreement, "I mean, she's saved a lot of lives. A lot of newspaper articles mention how having a doctor onboard allowed a lot of the people they rescue to survive until they can get to a hospital. In fact, a lot of them don't need hospitalization. She can treat them on the spot."

"Wait! You two knew?!" David demanded.

"She told me this morning," Linda admitted.

"I knew from the beginning," Matthew boasted, "Indiana simply confirmed my suspicions today."

"Smartass," Indiana grumbled once more.

"And you two are okay with this?" David demanded once more.

"Yeah!" Linda and Matthew nodded without hesitation.

"Well, I'm not!" David declared in a stubborn tone, "After the New Year, you're resigning from International Rescue and begging Dr. Millers for your job back. You're going back to Rochester!"

"No, I'm not!" Indiana scoffed.

"Yes, you are," David growled defiantly.

"No, I'm not," Indiana repeated, "I'm an adult, dad. I can vote. I can drink. I can join the military. I can get married without your consent. I can make my own decisions about my life, including where I live and work. And I want to stay on Tracy Island working for International Rescue because, for the first time in my life, I actually feel like I'm doing something good and worthwhile. I'm not just sitting on the sidelines, waiting for the trauma to come to me. I can go to them. I can provide the care people need onsite. I'm not going to give that up just because you think you can run my life."

"I'm your father! What I say goes!" David fired back at her.

"No, dad. It doesn't!" Matthew intervened, rising to his feet and towering over his father, "Indy's right, dad! We're all adults! We can decide what we want to do with our own lives! I chose to go into the Air Force! Liddy chose to work in Paris! Indy chose to use her talents to make the world a better place! You can't tell us what to do anymore!"

"I damn well can!" David growled.

"No, dad!" Linda cut in, "You can't! Indy's given up a lot for this family already! While you were too busy gallivanting the world for 'work', Indy raised us and shielded us from our mother's abuse!"

"Linda," Indiana pleaded.

"No, Indy," Matthew interrupted her gently, "Dad needs to hear this."

"You can try to justify it all you want! You can say you were working to get the money and the means to leave mum and take us with you! But at the end of the day, you were just doing everything in your power to not be home! Indy was the one who helped me with my homework! She walked me to school! She sang me to sleep when I had nightmares! Is it any wonder that Matty and I encouraged her to go off and do her own thing that summer in North Carolina and she met Scott?"

"Scott?" David repeated in surprise.

"Yeah, dad. I remember that summer," Indiana revealed bitterly, "Did you tell him I was dead? Did you send him a fake death notice so he wouldn't keep trying to contact me? Because you knew that would be the only way he'd give up?"

"I did it for your own good!" David imploded, "You had no memory of that time! It would've jeopardized your recovery!"

"And that justifies hurting someone else?! Someone innocent?!" Indiana snapped, "That nearly destroyed Scott! If it weren't for Grandma Tracy, it would've! All this time, I thought it was my mother who did that! But it was you! You stooped to her level! You were no better than she was!"

"Don't you talk to me like that," David growled.

"DAD, STOP!" Matthew roared, "Don't you talk to my sister like that! Ask yourself this. If my mother never beat Indiana so badly that she ended up in the hospital – comatose, wondering if she'd wake up with brain damage – would you have left her?! Would you have gotten us out?! Or would you have waited until we were all out of the house and we had cut you all off?!"

"I would've divorced her…," David tried to argue weakly.

"When, dad?! When?!" Matthew pushed, "Even before Indy was hospitalized, you had more than enough evidence of my mother's actions to make sure she never got custody of us!"

"What? Were you resentful of the fact that my mother got pregnant and you were forced to marry her?" Indiana demanded.

"Of course not!" David objected vehemently.

"Really?" Linda challenged, "Your actions scream otherwise."

"ENOUGH!" David cried, slamming his fists on the table and stood up, "I refuse to be treated like this! You will resign from International Rescue in the New Year, or you will never see me again!"

"Are you nuts?!" Matthew and Linda gasped in horror.

"You're making me choose?!" Indiana said in disbelief.

"Yeah. I am. You need to make a choice, Indiana. Because you can't have both," David declared, "If you choose to stay with International Rescue, you will never have a home to come back to. Not with me."

"I don't need it," Indiana growled, "I have a home. With people who love me. Who respect me. Who support me. I thought I had that in you. I never held you responsible for everything that happened. But now? Now, I can see that, even if you never laid a hand on us, you're no better than she is. You screwed us over. You hated that you had to stay home with us. You barely waited for Matty to graduate high school before you were taking jobs that required you to travel again. I was blind to it because I told myself, 'Hey. Dad never raised a hand to us. Dad got us out. Dad made sure my mother stayed away from us.' But now? Now I see it."

"What happened, dad?" Linda asked brokenly, "Why are you like this?"

"I'm the man in this house," David growled.

"That doesn't fly, dad," Matthew proclaimed, "It makes sense now. You weren't happy when we all decided not to follow in your footsteps. You hated that Indiana pursued medicine. You hated that Linda wanted to continue modelling and go into fashion design. You hated that I joined the Air Force. Not because you were afraid for us. But because you couldn't control us. You were always a good dad to us… as long as we did what you told us to."

David said nothing more. He just stood up and stormed to his room. He stopped and threw over his shoulder, "You have a choice. International Rescue or your family. You cannot have both."

Linda looked over at her older sister. She was grabbing at her chest and struggling to breathe. Recognizing this as a panic attack, she immediately grabbed Indiana and guided her towards a bathroom.

Matthew nodded resolutely and went to the telecall in the house.


Scott looked shaken when he got off the call with Matthew.

"Something happen, son?" Jeff asked worriedly, "Is Indiana okay?"

"No," Scott quietly shook his head, "Ana told them about International Rescue. Matthew and Linda took it well. David… didn't. A lot of things came out at the dinner after he tried to make her leave and go back to Rochester. Turns out, there was a lot of things Indiana didn't tell us about David and how he really was."

Jeff looked in confusion before Scott told him the story. Virgil, Gordon and Alan, who inadvertently overheard everything, watched as Jeff rose up from his desk in disbelief and horror.

"He WHAT?!" Jeff boomed.

"I never thought David was like that," Alan remarked, recalling his visit to the island.

"Arizona's told me a couple of things," Virgil admitted, "Some things she's observed from when she and Indy grew up together. He seemed to be what she called a covert narcissist. But it didn't seem as bad as that."

"Scott, invite them to the island for Christmas," Jeff ordered him.

"Already did," Scott revealed.

"Virgil, get Thunderbird 2 ready to pick them up. Scott, you can go with him," Jeff continued.

"I'll make three extra plates," Grandma Tracy declared.


Matthew walked into Indiana's room, where she was curled up on the bed in tears as Linda tried to comfort her.

"Liddy," Matthew cut in gently, "I got her. You need to go check your sugars."

"You sure?" Linda asked worriedly.

"Go," Indiana sniffled, "I don't want you to spend Christmas in hospital again."

Nodding, Linda went to her room to retrieve her kit. Matthew knelt on the floor next to Indiana's bed, brushing her hair out of her face and grabbing tissues for her to blow her nose and wipe her tears. This was something they always did for each other when things went bad. They took care of each other. Indiana shielded Matthew and Linda from their mother's abuse, but they helped her in the aftermath.

"I'm sorry, Matty," Indiana said miserably.

"Don't apologize. You have nothing to apologize for, sis," Matthew told her firmly, "We had no way of knowing dad was going to be like that. In a lot of ways, it made us open our eyes to how he really was. A lot of things that didn't make sense back then make sense now."

"I don't want to leave International Rescue, Matty, but I don't want to lose you and Liddy," Indiana sighed.

"Who told you you'd lose me and Liddy?" Matthew asked coyly, "You don't think we're with you, do you? You always had our backs growing up, sis. It's time we had yours."

Indiana let out a sigh as she sat up. Matthew handed her a small bar of chocolate, smiling as she took it and began nibbling on it.

"I usually do this with you," Indiana pointed out.

"Well, whatever works, right?" Matthew smirked.

"Yeah," Indiana nodded, "Whatever works."

"You'll be happy to know," Linda began as she walked in, "my sugars are fine."

"Thank God," Indiana sighed in relief.

"I heard dad in his room," Linda warned him, "We may want to find other arrangements for Christmas."

"I took care of that," Matthew declared.

"Tell me you didn't call Scott," Indiana pleaded.

"I did," Matthew admitted, "All three of us are going to spend Christmas in a tropical paradise."

"I hope we're meeting up with them away from here," Linda remarked, "We've heard the stories."

"Fresno," Matthew reassured her, "We can leave tomorrow."

"How did this go downhill so quickly?" Indiana asked miserably.

"Well, it was going downhill for a while," Matthew mused, "The more we made our own path, the more unhappy dad was. Didn't you say when you guys were alone when he visited the island, he kept pushing for you to go back to Rochester?"

Indiana nodded. This was the truth. David acted like he was proud of his daughter and what she was doing when the others were around. But behind closed doors, he kept trying to push for her to go back to Rochester. Heck. A couple of times, he tried to get her to move back to Boston. He never liked that she decided to go to the University of Rochester. (Well, how could she be expected to pass up REMS?) He expressed his displeasure about Matthew joining the Air Force. But it wasn't because he was scared of what could happen to his son, despite his strong objects that it was exactly that.

David Evans was a covert narcissist.

They couldn't help but wonder if their great-aunt always knew. After all, she was the one who provided the most vocal support in following their dreams.

"I just feel so…," Indiana trailed off, "I thought he was…"

"I know," Linda reassured her, "Compared to our mother, anyone could look good."

"It's one of the things with covert narcissism, sis," Matthew piped in, "They're covert. I don't think he likes we're achieving a lot more success than he did. He never really went anywhere in life, now that you think about it."

Nodding, Indiana stood up, looking at the wrapped present she had completed that day for Scott. She thumbed the gift card she attached to it before turning to Matthew and Linda and declaring,

"Let's have a beautiful Christmas."


Thunderbird 2 landed near Fresno International Airport the following morning. Dressed in their civilian clothes, Virgil and Scott rushed out to meet the Evans siblings at their car to help them with their bags. But understandably, the first thing Scott did was pull Indiana into the tightest embrace possible. She reciprocated in kind, clearly still emotional over everything that happened.

"Are you okay?" Scott asked her worriedly.

"Yeah," Indiana nodded, sniffling slightly, "I am now."

"I wish we were meeting under better circumstances," Virgil quipped to Matthew and Linda.

Linda gave a small smile while Matthew remarked, "It's not all that bad. We get to see Thunderbird 2 up close."

"If you don't mind me asking," Scott trailed off.

"We left dad at the house," Indiana revealed, "with a strongly worded note. Who knew Matty was so creative with words?"

"Well, I'd be writing if it weren't for my love of planes," Matthew quipped.

"Let's go," Virgil cut in as he and Scott grabbed their bags, "Grandma's made you a chocolate raspberry cake."


David stormed towards the kitchen, where Matthew had left him the 'strongly worded note' Indiana mentioned.

With a growl, he bundled up the paper and threw it into the nearby trashcan when he read it. Matthew had written about their plans to spend Christmas with a real family. One that provided unconditional love and acceptance. One that didn't get upset when they didn't do what he wanted and didn't make him look good.

Don't they understand they owe their lives to him? It's because of David that they weren't still with their mother. It's because of him that Indiana was alive today. It's because of him they were successful. Successful in ways he never was.

But as Matthew said, it turned out David was a narcissist in his own right. He just wasn't as obvious as their mother.

But just they wait. They will come crawling back to him one day. Indiana will see he was right in demanding that she leave International Rescue and go back to working in a regular hospital. His children will be back in Boston for him to guide.

He had always sworn they he would never be like his father. He would break the cycle with his own children.

Well, he failed miserably, and now the image of the perfect father who rescued his children from their abusive mother crumbled more and more every day.


Jeff smiled when he saw his sons readily welcome Matthew and Linda as eagerly as they had welcomed Indiana. Tin-Tin was particularly excited when she learned that Linda was working with Francois Lemaire, one of her favourite designers, and was eager to ask her a bunch of questions about what he was working on.

As predicted, Matthew and Alan hit it off right away. It pleased and terrified Indiana simultaneously.

"I'm glad to have you home," Scott remarked to Indiana later, "I just wish it was under better circumstances."

"You and me both," Indiana laughed dryly, lifting her head up from his chest, "I never thought he was like that."

"I know," Scott reassured her, "I knew someone just like how you described David. When we found out who he really was, it was a shock to us all. You think you know someone."

"I just still feel indebted to him in a way," Indiana admitted, "I mean, he did keep me away from mum."

"You need time," Scott told her firmly, "You need to grieve in a way. You're not going to accept this overnight and shouldn't expect to."

"I'm sorry," Indiana sighed, "I'm probably driving you nuts with this."

"Baby," Scott cut in, "you have nothing to apologize for."

Just in case she felt the need to ramble off more apologies, Scott captured her lips in a passionate kiss that served to make her forget anything she was going to say in the next few minutes.

"Very effective," Indiana praised with a laugh as he pressed a final chaste kiss to her lips.

"I thought so," Scott smirked, nuzzling his nose with hers.

Indiana rolled over so she was fully on top of him, deciding she wasn't done with him just yet.


Christmas Day had arrived on the island before they knew it. Gordon and Alan saw to it that everyone was up bright and early, like they did when they were kids. Everyone gathered in the main lounge with their cups of Christmas cocoa before they began opening their presents. John contacted them from Thunderbird 5 so he could take part. Alan had done a quick supply run to the space station in Thunderbird 3 so John could have his presents to open on Christmas Day, something that was very much appreciated.

Before long, the living room had wrapping paper sprawled out all over the place, everyone expressing their appreciation for the presents they received. Indiana dissolved into fits of laughter when Gordon opened his present from her and got hit with a wad of glitter.

Well, he did it to her on her birthday. Turnabout's fair play.

"Touché," Gordon praised her before humming in appreciation at the swimmers necktie she got for him, declaring, "I'm wearing this at the next board meeting dad makes me go to!"

Jeff glared at his fourth son, but there was no malice behind it. In fact, it wasn't long before Jeff broke out into a smile and declared he'd love to see everyone's faces when Gordon did wear that tie.

Nobody said anything when Scott and Indiana declared their intention to exchange their gifts for each other privately. It was their first Christmas as a couple. Some things should be between them.

The day went by in a blur. The Christmas feast Grandma Tracy and Kyrano cooked for them went down a treat. They even got Brains out of the lab long enough to exchange presents and at least join them for Christmas lunch. Matthew and Linda announced their plan to leave the island on the 27th on December. They had prior obligations for New Year's Eve; otherwise, they would've accepted Jeff's invitation to extend their stay on the island.

They were readily assured that, now that they knew the truth behind Indiana's employment, they were welcome to the island anytime they wished.

David didn't even cross their minds once.

Scott and Indiana were curled up together in Indiana's bedroom, finally exchanging their Christmas presents. They were full from the delicious food they had consumed (and there was still more of it!) and the love they all had for each other.

Indiana carefully removed the wrapping paper from the intricate box. Looking at it in confusion, Scott told her to open it, reassuring her that it wasn't one of those prank boxes that were impossible to open (for one thing, he wasn't Gordon). When she finally opened the box, she gasped.

She had heard of the Open When letters. At Scott's insistence, she opened the first letter containing the rules. No early peaking. Only open each letter when they apply. Don't show the letters to anyone else. Try not to open more than a certain number of letters a week (exceptions were allowed in special circumstances, though). Save the letters in case she wanted to read through them again later.

Scott also mentioned that he may be adding more letters along the way as he thinks of them; and sometimes, he may tell her to open a specific letter.

"Honey, I love it!" Indiana declared.

Scott smiled as he happily accepted Indiana's embrace and kisses. Wordlessly, she handed him his present from her. He opened the present as carefully as she opened hers and felt his heart sing when he saw the title of the book. 100 Things I Love About You. He opened the book and read through some of the reasons she had written down, flashing her a sultry smirk when he read some of her reasons that were most definitely for his eyes only.

Indiana gasped when she suddenly found herself on her back and Scott hovering over her, making sure she knew how much he loved her present.

It may have had a rough start, but it turned out to be a beautiful Christmas.


Merry Christmas! Yeah, I know it's early, but I was in the mood.

BYE!