Kat Cavanaugh: Wow. I had no idea!

Scott: Yep.

Kat: Does John know he's adopted?

Scott: Of course. They all know.

Kat: What about Virgil?

Scott: Well, I can't talk about Virgil without mentioning Gordon, those two are more than co-pilots.


Scott was ten when he asked for another brother.

By this time Jeff had retired from NASA and had set up his own business. It was going well, with both him and Lucy working on it the business grew fast. By this time Val Casey was working for the newly formed GDF and Uncle Lee, as Scott and John had taken to calling him, was still on Alfie, debating what to do now Jeff had retired.

Maybe they could have their seven after all.

The children's home they were directed to this time was a large brick building. Cheerful and full of children of all ages. Scott wandered the halls as the adults chatted, John firmly clasping his hand and a little bewildered by all the noise. He may have been seven, but the noise and amount of people made him nervous. He trusted his big brother implicitly.

Scott was drawn by the noise of a piano being played. His Mom had a piano, and he loved to listen to it as he did his homework. Sitting at the keyboard was a black-haired stocky child who ignored him completely because he was so involved in the piece he was playing.

Jeff and Lucy eventually found their children sitting on a couch listening to the child on the piano. Both adults were enchanted by the piece being played, Lucy recognising that the piece was advanced for the boy's age.

She sat with her boys as they listened to a new piece start up while Jeff went to find out who the child was.

Ivan was five and had been here almost a year. His mother had died in childbirth and his father had struggled to cope until he couldn't anymore. By the time Jeff had returned Lucy was beside the child and both were playing. John was snuggled into Scott's side and both boys were smiling as they watched the pair.

They knew that he was the one.

What surprised the family was that Ivan insisted that he couldn't go. When Lucy had gently explained on their second visit that they wanted to adopt him, Ivan had pulled her and Scott down the corridor to another room.

In this room was a two-year-old boy with sandy blond hair and almost identical brown eyes which lit up when the five-year-old appeared. The two watched as Ivan picked up the child and the toddler clasped him tightly around the neck. He smiled shyly at the newcomers.

'This is Gordon. He's mine.'

It was simply put and heartfelt, and before Lucy had time to process what was being said Scott had already moved forward. He held his arms open for the child and with only the slightest hesitation Gordon had reached out for him and firmly clung to their son as Scott chatted to the pair as if he'd known them all his life. Gordon had his head on Scott's chest and was nodding along, and soon fell asleep like that.

That third visit the Tracy family grew from four to six. The only change was to Ivan's name. He hated his name, and when Jeff explained that his favourite astronaut was Virgil Ivan Grissom he readily agreed to change to Virgil. He liked that much better.

Lucy and Jeff didn't think they could meet another child as bright as Scott and John, but it looked like they were wrong. Perhaps twice over.