"Thank you, Virgil," Penelope accepted the cup of tea from the engineer who took a seat on the sofa next to hers in the lounge. John's hologram floated in the center, while Scott sat at their father's desk. The eldest's face held the pinched expression for when he was concerned, but this time, there was a war accompanying it. She had offered her complete trust in the man she had brought to their home, but little else as far as information.

"It's not that we don't trust your judgement, Lady Penelope," Scott started, willing to argue his point until he was satisfied that he'd covered all his bases. Penelope knew this and welcomed it. She preferred him to be cautious rather than blindly following her every whim. "It's just you said you met him a week ago, but John can't find anything about him -"

"And he won't," she took a sip of the tea, pleased she had left some of her own supply on the island.

"So, you can see why I'm worried," he put his emphasis on the last word. Of course he was worried. He had to keep his family and their father's legacy safe.

This time was different.

"Scott, I understand completely, but the issue here isn't if you can trust him," her gaze caught his, unwavering with the intent of her potential accusation. This was going to sting, but it would be necessary to instill the seriousness of her new companion's abilities. They were not to be taken lightly. "It's if I can trust all of you with him."

That certainly hit the mark as three sets of eyes looked at her like she'd just accused them of kidnapping Sherbert.

Another pair of eyes joined in just behind her as Kayo made her presence known - along with the knowledge she had overheard some, if not all of the conversation. "What do you mean trust us with him?"

How to put this in a way that wouldn't blatantly make her seem insane - "He's a very gifted individual. I can think of a few people who could cause great harm if they got their hands on him."

"Like the Hood?" Virgil presumed correctly.

"He would be at the top of that list." Along with countries whose leaders have just as much desire for power as the Hood.

Now, it seemed the tables had turned and Scott was squirming under the idea he or his family might mistreat anyone. "You know you can trust us, Lady Penelope. We'll respect your wishes in regards to what he can do, but we're going to need a bit more. If he is in trouble of being used, we need to know why and how."

"And you will, Scott, I promise," she gave him a sympathetic smile. "When he gets back, I'll need his help explaining it all. For now, Gordon just needs some time to be himself."

"Surfing with Alan?" The raven-haired brother questioned, his expression softening. He had been there to meet Gordon for the first time and been witness to the pent up energy. Alan was, in all honesty, the right Tracy for the job. Scott was wound too tight in procedure, John could barely handle coming down to earth, much less an exuberant and talkative stranger. Virgil understood all of this and it fed into his agreement. "Yeah, that's what I figured when he looked ready to claw his way through the hangar walls. If you trust him, that's enough for me."

"He did protect you," John voices subtly from space. Of the boys, she was closest to the red-head. He was her sounding board when she was working through a problem. He was also her first contact when her services were desired. Gordon keeping her safe would put him well above John's requirements for trust.

Penelope turned to Scott and Kayo, waiting for an answer. The woman might not be thrilled with being left in the dark, but she understood the power of delicate news that might cause people grief. "I'm willing to hear you out once he's here."

That left Scott. Grandma Tracy would need to voice her opinion as well, but she tended to agree to what her grandsons chose in the end. The eldest brother would be the main one to convince and she was hoping he would take the hint and wait until later to pass judgment.

The brunette's face was calm, but she could still see the battle raging within. He let out a low sigh, as he absently ran his fingers over Jeff's desk. Scott wore a heavy burden, but she would be one of the last to intentionally hurt him. He would see in time that Gordon was worth the wait.

"Alright, we'll wait until Alan brings him back up. It shouldn't be too long-" the sound of a comm chiming had them all searching the room.

Penelope had her compact out of her purse in one fluid motion and the lid flipped open to show Gordon's communication code. She activated the link with her thumb and watched his worried face appear before her.

"Gordon?"

"Penny! I need you to wish Alan to you, now!" He didn't try to hide the fear in his voice and it echoed around the group, sending eyes wide with the call to action.

She hesitated only a second, certain it was an emergency if he was willing to out himself without warning. "I wish Alan was in the lounge."

No one had a chance to ask what was going on as a second later the room filled with thick smoke. It dissipated quickly through the open balcony to reveal the two blondes that had been absent.

And one wasn't moving.

"Help!" Gordon shouted as he fell to his knees by Alan.

Maybe it was the urgency behind such a familiar word to this family, but it shocked them out of their awed stupor. Magic be damned - their brother was in trouble.

Penelope hung back as she watched Scott and Virgil begin their assessment of Alan's injuries. Gordon quickly explained what had happened and how long the young man had been under. He eventually made it over to her with a frightened expression that sent her heart plummeting.

"Are you alright?" She felt breathless against the severity of the moment, placing her hand on his arm as they watched everyone work.

He nodded unconvincingly, his eyes glued to the teen. "Is he breathing?"

Penelope focused on Virgil who was hovering over Alan's head, while Scott returned with a large pack of medical equipment. They hadn't started any CPR or rescue breathing, so that was good, right?

"I think so - John?" Sapphire turned to find the astronaut staring directly at her - at Gordon. "John?" She tried harder. This wasn't the time.

"His vitals are stable," he offered without averting his gaze.

As if to add further relief to the statement, they heard Scott's voice, gently commanding his little brother to hold still.

"S'ott? Mmm-ow..." Alan's voice floated through the lounge and she felt Gordon physically relax under her touch.

"Don't move, Sprout," Virgil ordered this time and it appeared to make it through the ache as Alan's arms stopped shuffling over the floor. "You took a pretty significant blow to the head with a surfboard."

"Or so we've been told," Scott groused as he placed the collar around his little brother's neck.

"Och - yeah -" Alan winced, taking a few breaths through his nose and out trembling lips. "Hit somethin' with my board."

The sound of footsteps drew Penelope's attention to Kayo, hoverstretcher in tow. There was one thing about International rescue she appreciated - they were fast. They had Alan secured and off to the infirmary for scans before any more questions could be asked. Once he was gone, however, Scott and John remained, the elder whirling on her with a glare born of fear and ignorance. She couldn't blame him for being angry.

Gordon made a move to follow the young astronaut, but her hand held him firm, whispering a quick, "stay" before regarding the commander of IR once more.

His eyes moved to Gordon. "What are you?"

Perfect.

Now that the genie knew Alan was in good hands, all of his attitude was back and written all over his face. "Excuse me?"

"Sorry, I meant what the hell are you? What did you do to my brother?" Scott never handled backtalk well and it seemed Gordon thrived on it.

"I saved his life," Gordon stated plainly, arms looping over his chest. "So, you're welcome."

This wasn't helping matters and the Tracys deserved an explanation before it went too far. "Gentlemen, please. Scott, if you'll let me explain -"

"What did you bring onto our island? You want us to trust him, but now I've got a brother getting his head scanned, so I'm sorry if I'm upset!"

"Scott!" John's voice boomed through the room, amplified by the speakers.

The pilot shot a look to his brother's hologram, but didn't speak. Penelope watched him take a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"I'm going to check on Alan," his words were strained as he tried to hold back the need for more answers. "Stay here."

Penelope had no intentions of leaving, but as soon as Scott disappeared around the corner, Gordon started to twitch.

"Gordon?"

"You wished for me to stay with Alan - he's getting a little far," he gave her an apologetic smile.

"Oh, sorry," she glanced to John, still hovering over them. "I wish for you to stay with me."

Immediately after a quick snap, he stilled, his shoulders sagging. "I'm sorry."

Penelope frowned, maneuvering him to take a seat on the sofa. "None of that now. You saved Alan's life and that's all that matters."

"Pissed off old blue eyes though," a humorless laugh as his face fell in his hands.

She felt a smile pull at her lips at the comment, "Since when has that brought you concern? I thought you enjoyed getting under people's skin?"

Amber peeked around his palm and the amusement was only marginally dampened by the scraggly bangs that dripped onto the floor. "Yeah, but you don't - and now they're probably all pissed."

"Understandably so." John interjected in a tone typically not directed towards her.

There was a moment Penelope thought about asking him to give them a moment alone, but another idea presented itself and she took a seat next to the genie. She currently had the most logical brother's full attention.

"John, I have a question that might help with our situation." It was the right strategy as he regarded her with a nod. "What would be the best way to get you all to believe my friend here is a genie?"

OoOoOoO

Scott walked beside Virgil, but he wasn't completely present. His mind was still reeling with what had happened not an hour ago. Alan was stable and being monitored by Brains. Kayo had already left to keep an eye on Lady Penelope's friend.

And that was the worst part.

They had all witnessed the strange events in the lounge and their friend had never given them reason not to trust her. So much of him wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt, but the other part - the part that honestly mattered - wanted to keep his family safe.

"Deep breath, Scott," Virgil edged closer, letting his arm brush against the eldest's. It was the best the engineer could do while Scott was on edge, baring the chance to go for a run.

"Kind of difficult when I don't understand what's going on," he growled as they stepped into the elevator.

"Which is why I suggest you take a second to calm down," Virgil voiced, one dark brow lifting. "Lady Penelope said she would explain."

Regardless of his earlier statement, the commander took a breath, letting his eyes shut with the release of tension. "I know - but I keep thinking what if she's compromised? She's only known the guy for a week. A week! It took me months before she would talk to me about anything other than the assignments Dad had for her and her father! I thought she hated us, and now, she treats Gordon like they've known each other for years."

"So, we use caution, but you're angry, Scott. That's not going to help anyone if anything goes south."

"It already has…" It was grumbled under his breath, but the concerned look on his brother's face made him straighten. "Fine, I'll try not to tear his head off. Stoic Scott until we all come to an understanding."

Virgil chuckled, surprising the brunette enough to shoot him a quizzical glance. "I've not seen you achieve 'stoic' yet. This should be interesting."

Scott frowned, just hearing the chime of the elevator door as it opened. "I beg to differ, but I get first dibs if we're throwing him off the island."

"All yours, big brother."

And they were back in the lounge.

And so was John.

He was standing in the center with his hand clasped over his mouth, eyes staring straight at the smirking blonde now in a Hawaiian shirt - the wetsuit draped over the patio overhang. Scott's brain stammered to a halt, as did his feet. Logic was screaming profanities at the image along with the ramifications of his space-happy brother coming down to earth too quickly. That part seemed to take hold and his feet started working again as he grabbed Virgil's shocked form and pulled him towards the small group.

"John, you need to sit down," the words sounded ludacris coming out of his mouth - john was supposed to be in space - but the sway and shake of the astronaut's limbs was proof they were warranted.

He didn't make it far before Scott was forced to take two running steps to catch the red-head as he slumped. The pilot lowered him the rest of the way, stepping back as Virgil took his place and he turned livid eyes to glare at the blondes.

Scott wanted to yell. It would be justifiable to kick them off the island, but a grip on his arm stopped him long enough to look back at John. Green eyes bore into him in warning.

"Let them talk," the astronaut's voice was calm despite the strain his body was under.

"But John -"

"No - you need to listen."

"Did he do this to you?" He asked, digging his heels in to contain his rage.

"Yes," and the grip on his arm kept Scott from jumping up. "Scott! He did it because I asked him to."

"What?" Virgil asked, more surprised than angry. "Why?"

"Because he made a wish," the blonde man's voice offered as though that would explain everything.

It didn't and John's grip had lost its ability to keep the eldest in place. Their guest didn't move as Scott put himself between them, towering over the blonde.

"Give me one reason I shouldn't throw you off our island," the growl would've sent a larger man quaking.

Gordon didn't seem phased as he tilted his head back to look him in the eye. "Make a wish, Mr. Tracy."

"I wish I knew what the hell you were!" He snapped without thinking twice and felt his anger grow with the wide grin that spread over the man's face.

Amber turned to regard Lady Penelope, but Scott didn't bother seeing what her response was. The smile was still in place when he turned back. Gordon took one step away before undoing the top button of his shirt. It was over his head and landing in the London agent's hand.

"What are you doing?" The rage shifted to confusion as he watched the denim jeans slip down to his ankles to reveal the boxers underneath.

"Lady P bought me these. I'm not about to mess them up." The blonde shrugged.

"Gordon, not the boxers," the woman in question warned as his thumbs pulled at the elastic.

The man's expression was unimpeded by her command and he made his way to the balcony overlooking the pool. With his back to it, his eyes found Scott's, mischief reeking havoc through them.

"Your wish is my command," Gordon said, a hand lifting with the sound of his snap echoing through the room.