A/N gordon has never been able to resist an animal who needs his help, so when he finds an injured frog there is no way he is going to give up trying to save its life. Based on my own plush Gordon and his need to rescue the frogs my cat keeps bringing home


"Hey Virg" Gordon calls out from near the pool. "Come quickly. Bring the first aid kit!"

Oh god. Not again! Virgil thinks as he races down to the sick bay and grabs hold of the small green box, stuffed to the brim with bandages and plasters and antiseptic wipes.

To his surprise Gordon is not bleeding profusely. In fact his brother doesn't seem to be injured at all.

"What have I told you about crying wolf?" Virgil asks him angrily.

"I'm not" Gordon replies indignantly. "Look"

Virgil looks at the thing in his brother's gloved hand.

"A frog?" He asks in surprise.

"Yeah. I think it has hurt its leg." Gordon replies. "He can't hop properly. We need to get him down to the sick bay and get it X-Rayed"

"It is a frog Gordon. Just put it back and it will be fine" Virgil replies.

Gordon gives him a disgusted stare. "How can you be so heartless?" Gordon asks

"We save people Gordon. Not frogs"

"You nearly dislocated both your shoulders rescuing a panda! How is this any different? Virgil please" he pleads.

"Okay fine. Give it here" Virgil replies, taking the amphibian from his brother. "Let's save this little guy"

"Thanks Virgil!" Gordon replies skipping past him and back into the house.

"What kind of frog is this anyway?" Virgil asks. Following him into the sick bay, where Gordon is setting up his frog hospital.

"Poison dart frog, has enough venom to kill ten grown men, so be careful!" Gordon replies.

"It's poisonous?!" Virgil replies in shock. Placing the frog gently down on a rock in the tank.

"No. It's venomous" Gordon replies.

"What's the difference?"

"Simple. If you bite it then die it is poisonous. If it bites you and you die it's venomous" Gordon tells him with an unconcerned shrug.

"And you picked it up? Gordon it could have bitten you" Virgil tells him angrily. "And you let me handle it!"

"I was wearing gloves, not my fault you weren't" Gordon replies with a shrug. "Now if you look carefully at its right back leg you can see that it is deformed. We will need an X-ray to confirm it's definitely broken, and then we can put a splint on it. It is going to have to stay here until it's better, but that's fine. I have a spare tank in my room"

Virgil can do nothing other than stare at his younger brother. He has this all planned, and he has been rescuing every stray animal he can find since the day he was old enough to explore the world. Hopefully a frog will be easier to look after than the deer he found one night and managed to keep hidden from both his father and grandmother for a whole week! If he is really lucky it will smell better than the skunk!

Brains had no idea when he invented the micro X-ray machine that it would be used for this purpose, but between Virgil and Gordon they get the frog x-rayed and manage to get a splint wrapped around its leg.

"What do you think I should call him?" Gordon asks once the frog is settled into his new temporary home. Gordon has popped a few insects in for him to snack on, and is sitting on the floor, his arms wrapped around his knees which are drawn up under his chin as he is deep in thought.

"You know Scott has banned you from naming them as you get attached Fish" Virgil admonishes him.

"I do not!" Gordon splutters in protest.

"Smellatrix the skunk?" Virgil replies

"That was during my Harry Potter phase, I wanted to name it Alan, but the skunk smelled better"

"Deerdree the deer?"

"Even dad liked Deerdree, and he was going to let me keep her!" Gordon insists. "Ooh, how about Froger. He looks like a Froger"

"You can explain it to Scott!" Virgil insists before getting up from his spot on Gordon's bed and leaving him alone with his new friend, trying to ignore that look of love and longing in his eyes. Virgil knows that despite Scott's warnings, Gordon is already hopelessly attached.

*TB*

"He told you it was venomous? And you believed him?" John has tears of laughter streaming down his face.

Virgil can't believe he fell for that! Again!

"It's a common tree frog Virg and it was more afraid of you than you were of it!" John informs him.

Froger has been living with Gordon now for three weeks, and his leg has fully recovered and he has taken to sitting on Gordon's shoulder while the pair watch Into the Unknown! with Buddy and Ellie.

"Gords it is time" Scott tells him gently. "Froger is fully recovered, and he needs to go home. You know that this was only temporary"

Scott has been having slightly different versions of this conversation since Gordon first bought him home a "rescued" cricket he found about the be food for a hungry spider.

"I know" Gordon's voice is barely audible as tears threaten his eyes. "Maybe tomorrow Scott."

Scott knows that the longer he leaves it the harder it will be. "Come on Squid. We can take him over to the pond by the main path in the jungle he would love it there"

Gordon nods. Deep down he knew this day was coming and he has been putting it off, but he knows that Froger is better off in his own home.

Even John joins Scott, Virgil and Gordon as they walk slowly through the vast dense jungle towards the pond Gordon discovered years ago. Froger safe in a small pet travel case.

Bending down near the water's edge Gordon carefully lifts the lid.

Froger turns to look at him and gives a small croak of thanks before he hops from the case and into the cool water.

"It was for the best Gordon. You know you can't keep every animal you find" Virgil tells him. Placing a hand on his shoulder as he starts to stand up. "You did a good thing here today, you should be proud of yourself"

"I know" Gordon replies sadly. Allowing his brother's to embrace him in their warm and safe arms.

"Goodbye and good luck Froger, I will never forget you" Gordon says before turning and heading back to the villa before anyone can see that he is crying.

"You okay Gords?" Scott asks.

Gordon turns back to his brother's before hurling himself into their ever waiting arms.

"It never gets easier does it?" Virgil asks.

"No" Gordon replies. "Never"

The walk back to the villa is a somber affair and Gordon just wants to escape back to his room so he can sulk in peace, but that doesn't happen, as he is forced onto one of the sofas in the lounge, with Scott sitting on him to ensure he doesn't escape before they have cheered him up!

Virgil brings in a large tray of hot chocolate with a side of mini marshmallows and a box full of celery crunch bars.

"Want to pick the movie Squid?" John asks.

Gordon finally manages a genuine smile. It doesn't matter how difficult today has been, his brothers are always there for him.