Scott left for his shower after that, leaving Virgil at a loss of what to do. Eyeing the duffel, he picked up the discarded clothing and shoved it back into the bag.
Beyond the ensuite door, the shower started up. Virgil stared at the sound. It was obvious Scott needed time to process, but Virgil was worried at his brother's initial reaction. There was defiance, as expected, but the tone of defeat and loss in his brother's words felt wrong.
Scott took everything on. All the responsibility, all the trust and all the derision thrown at them, Scott stepped up to catch it. Both as a shield for his brothers and because he believed that that was what he had to do.
He didn't.
But he would never understand that.
Virgil sighed.
A night to sleep on it. He would tackle his eldest brother again tomorrow.
In the meantime, he had a space brother to track down.
-o-o-o-
As expected, Virgil found John's room empty, but it wasn't hard to guess where he might be.
He ran into Grandma in the hallway.
"How are you, honey?" Blue eyes searched his.
"I'm okay, Grandma."
She reached up and laid her hands on his shoulders. "I find that very hard to believe, young man." She sighed. "How is Scott?"
"Been better."
"Should I drop in on him."
Virgil held her eyes, his lips thinning. A moment of thought. "No. He needs time. I'll check on him tomorrow."
Grandma frowned. "You're sure?"
Virgil straightened just a little. "I'm sure."
His grandmother looked away for a second. "I've looked in on Alan. He's sleeping on the floor again."
A sigh. Alan had taken up the habit while Gordon was recovering from the hydrofoil accident. His big brother had been too fragile to crawl into bed with, so Alan, desperately in need of reassurance and his brother's presence, had taken to curling up on the floor beside the bed to keep close.
His brothers had immediately shoved an extra bed into the room, but Alan still ended up on the floor. It was a habit that he had never quite lost, even if he was alone in his own room. He seemed to gain comfort from the position in some way.
Many fluffy rugs had been purchased for this exact reason.
It was always a sign that the youngest of them was upset or worried.
It was inevitable tonight.
"Gordon?"
Grandma squeezed his shoulders gently. "Still in the pool." She eyed him again. "John?"
"I'm guessing on the roof."
"No surprises there."
"I'm chasing him up." A crooked smile. "To make sure he isn't hacking into the World Bank and creating financial ruin for certain people…or worse."
His smile was mimicked. "Good idea. I'll check on Brains. No doubt he is shouldering enough blame to fuel one of the Thunderbirds."
Virgil frowned. "How could this possibly be his fault?"
She shrugged. "Geniuses think too much? It seems to be a defining trait." Her hands slid down to his biceps. "You sure you're okay, honey?" Her eyes latched onto him again, resting on his cheek bone. "Remember to rest. You are still healing."
"I'm okay, Grandma." It was only a bruise, for goodness sake.
She stared at him a second longer, but didn't say anything further. She drew him into a hug, her bowed head just under his chin. He wrapped his arms around her.
"We'll be okay, Grandma. We'll work it out."
She pulled away gently to look up at him again. "I know we will. Now, you need to find John." A gentle squeeze of his arm. "And don't forget to look after yourself." A raised eyebrow. "Or I will look after you myself, young man."
His eyes widened just a little. "Yes, Grandma."
She leant up and kissed him on the cheek. "Off you go." She gave him a little nudge.
"Yes, Grandma."
A fond smile and she headed off down the corridor.
His eyes followed her until she turned a corner. His grandmother was an amazing woman. He just… she was amazing.
-o-o-o-
He turned and headed in the opposite direction towards the stairs to the attic and the roof beyond.
As expected, he found John, wrapped in a blanket, staring at a holographic display as his hands wove code.
Virgil made no secret of his presence, his boots scuffing on the rooftop.
John said nothing as he approached.
Nothing as he sat down beside him.
John simply continued what he was doing.
Virgil stared up at the night sky, a rare clear and cold evening. The milky way stared back. As always, he was confronted by the enormity up there, the majesty, the existence-questioning vastness.
He knew John saw it differently, that it inspired him in a different way, and Virgil respected that, encouraged it, even. He felt he almost understood it.
Almost.
"Beautiful night, if a little cold."
John grunted an acknowledgement, his frown solely for whatever it was he was doing.
Virgil glanced at the code and while he was no newbie to computer programming and could hold his own when needed, this was something else, another dimension and it meant nothing.
"I hope you're not taking down a country this time."
"No, just an organisation."
Virgil reached out and touched his brother's arm. "John-"
"Don't say it, Virgil." The words were punctuated by gestures that flung variables across the screen.
"Say what?"
"The speech about good and bad and crossing lines. They crossed the line first."
A sigh. "Bad guys do that."
Another variable was tossed, this time with no shortage of frustration. "And apparently we let them do it."
"I wouldn't put it quite that way." Damn, it was cold up here.
John turned to him at that, his profile lit up by the blues and yellows of the hologram, making him look somewhat dark and ominous. "So, what would you call it, Virgil? I have the power to do stop this right now and I can't."
"Because that would be wrong."
"It's not that black and white, never has been."
"It is pretty clear what is right and wrong in this situation."
"Really? So, you think it is fine for me to cross the legal line to save someone else, but not to save ourselves."
Virgil stared at his brother. John's eyes were almost the colour of the dark sky in this lighting, his copper hair teased by the lack of a full light spectrum and much darker and shadowy than the flame it usually was.
It was scarily appropriate.
"I think...we need to do what is right."
John stared at him a moment longer before turning back to the hologram. "Even if we lose everything?"
Virgil swallowed. "I don't have all the answers, John."
"Well, you'll just have to excuse me if I refuse to wait for the questions."
"Please don't do anything rash." It came down to pleading apparently.
John stopped, the variables dancing around by themselves as he turned to look at Virgil again.
"Do you trust me, Virgil?"
Blink. "With my life."
"But not with this." He waved his hand in the direction of the hologram.
"I-"
"You're scared."
"John-"
"And you don't trust me, otherwise you wouldn't be out here checking up on me."
That crossed a line and Virgil shot to his feet. "I would be 'checking up on you' even if you were in bed asleep, John." His frown deepened as he stared down at his brother. "I am concerned, yes." He waved a hand towards the wing of the manor that held their rooms. "Scott...is angry. He might punch a hole in a wall. Gordon might evaporate the pool water due to friction. Alan...Alan doesn't know what to do. You...you have Dad's temper, but instead of striking out, you channel it, put it to a purpose and yes, I am worried exactly what that purpose might be. You're angry, I understand. But there are lines, John."
John rose slowly to his feet. "And you think I'll cross them?"
A step closer. "I know, you'll cross them." He grabbed those dark eyes with his own. "You've done it before."
"Virgil-"
"No. Hear me out." His finger came out, pointing in admonishment. "I understand it, John, believe me, I do. But you do not get to sacrifice yourself for the rest of us."
"I'm not-"
"You get caught and it is all gone, John. All of it, Five, your freedom, everything! I will not lose you to these assholes."
"You don't think I can do it."
For the love of-! "Oh, I know you can do it. Just don't. Not yet."
John took a step back. "That's not your call."
Virgil nodded once. "No. But it is not yours either. It's Scott's. He is still processing."
John's lips thinned. He was never one for outbursts of anger, but Virgil could see it swimming in his eyes.
"It's frustrating, I know."
His brother physically deflated. "You have no idea." The man folded back down, drawing the blanket around himself like a shield. "You don't have to listen to it, read it, see it. They are..." John looked away a moment. "...bastards."
"Ask Eos to filter."
A blink. "Eos?"
"Yeah."
"Not a good choice." He turned back to the hologram.
Another frown. "Why?"
John looked up again. "Because she is as pissed off as I am and far more capable of destroying the people responsible."
"What?"
His brother stared at him, his turn to frown. "Aren't you angry, Virgil?"
"Of course, I'm angry."
John continued to gaze up at him a moment longer, his lips thinning, before shaking his head and turning back to his hologram.
"John, promise me you won't do anything drastic."
Put upon. "Define drastic."
"John-"
"Fine. I won't do anything 'drastic'." There were finger quotes.
He felt like he was talking to Gordon.
Virgil let out a frustrated sigh. A moment of indecision before he sat back down beside his brother and looked up at the stars. God, it was cold.
"You staying out here?"
"Yep."
"You'll freeze."
"Don't care."
John grunted and suddenly half the blanket was dumped in his lap. "Wrap yourself up or Grandma will be after both of us."
A grunt of acknowledgement and Virgil found himself curled up beside John. His brother continued to play with the hologram. Virgil still had no idea what it was.
He would have to trust John.
And he did.
Enough that he fell asleep on the roof while staring up at the stars.
-o-o-o-