A/N: Sorry this update has been such a long time coming. I've been struggling to keep up with my self-imposed deadlines between work and school.

If you haven't already, go check out my latest one-shot story Stinky Business. I rated it as teen to be safe, but there is nothing adult in it.

Reviews welcome!

Reggie Lyle sighed impatiently as she looked at the others that were a part of deliberations. She herself wasn't at all pleased with having to sit in on the case that would no greater affect her as much as they would have liked. She like the other eleven jurors had been pulled from the daily act of living and participating in their own lives to be placed in a hotel, not of their choosing and kept for a week minimum. She thought it was unfair honestly. She could have been on a plane to Florida with her boyfriend right now to celebrate their anniversary, but instead she was stuck here.

"Honestly, I don't like the defendant's attitude. Every time he's in the room, he doesn't even seem sorry for his actions or the kinds of things he's accused of." Donald said from his place in the room. He was sitting on the far side of the table and his voice annoyed Reggie to no end.

"Well, you have to admit…the plaintiff didn't have to keep the money. He has plenty of it himself." Gerald another of the jurors said in what appeared to be defense of Robert. Reggie looked at him in disbelief for his statement before she opened her mouth in retort.

"Nu-uh, we're not pulling that crap in here. This was just a preppy school, with a bunch of preppy boys that come from families rolling in the dough. It would have seemed unfair for anyone in that school to keep the money, but they won it fair and square. They competed, the judges voted, by majority rule the money is the plaintiff's. He shouldn't have had to give it up if he won it." Reggie said before Piper across the room spoke up.

"We have to keep in mind that the plaintiff didn't keep the money for himself. He and his friends, fronted the money to have proper headstones made for the younger boy in their group of friends. His grandparents meant a lot to him, and they gave every penny of the money won in the competition to the creation of the headstones."

"True, but he could have divided that money with the other boy." Gerald pointed out once more and Donald shared an eye roll with Reggie and Piper.

"You make it seem like the Defendant didn't do anything wrong. We've seen how crazy this kid is and I think it'd be best to get him off the streets. He's a menace to society if you ask me." Tonya said with a shake of her head. "He's practically signed his own death warrant with his multiple blow up in the court room. This kid doesn't know how to control his temper and he's made it known that he'd going to keep going after the plaintiff until he succeeds in killing him. I think that's cause enough to lock him up where not even the crows can land their droppings on him."

"Exactly Tonya! Thank you! It doesn't matter if the plaintiff kept the money or not, he did, it's been spent and there isn't a penny left. Moving on." Reggie said seething.

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Jamie stood in front of the sink brushing his teeth and thinking back on his impromptu visit three days earlier. He was happy that Alan and Fermat were okay. He was happier to see Alan, though he wished Fermat had felt well enough to want to visit with him too. He wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth though. He got to see one of his best friends and spend some time with him. That's all that mattered to him.

There was a knock on the door and before Jamie could open the door, Eddy had opened it and leaned against the door jamb with his arms crossed.

"So, aren't you curious about what's going on behind those doors every time the jury leaves to discuss?" Eddy asked pointedly.

"Yeah, but I know we won't know until they get through deliberations." Jamie said through his toothpaste and he looked at the older boy when he pushed Jamie lightly to the side so they could share the sink and brush their teeth. "I just want this to be over."

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Dr. Andreesen sat in his office, writing lengthy dissertation after dissertation when he stopped to run his hand down his face with a sigh. He read over his notes and re-read over them before he sighed again. Alan had been his patient for right around six months. He'd had all the surgeries that he, Dr. Warner and Dr. McNulty could do for him. Sure there were other surgeries that could be done, such as scar removal surgeries – but those were purely cosmetic. Alan could decide later if he wanted to pursue those surgeries.

He glanced over his notes again before he decided that maybe it was time to set things in motion. Sure, Alan was still recovering from his many surgeries. But he could begin with a physical therapist much like Fermat had done and ease his way into the more trying exercises.

Leafing through Alan's file, Dr. Andreesen pulled up pictures of Alan's surgical sites and where his skin was recovering from the epidermal transplants. Dr. Andreessen felt that Alan and Fermat both were as recovered as they were going to get with him as their primary provider.

'Maybe it's time to have a talk with the boys' dads and have them transferred to a rehab center that specializes in pediatric burns.' Dr. Andreesen pondered as he continued looking over the medical records of both patients in his care. 'I prescribed Alan the use of a companion animal and so far, that's helped him in numerous ways. He seems to be wanting to eat more and hasn't fallen in and out of depression as much as he had been prior to Gemma's arrival.'

Dr. Andreesen sighed audibly as he pondered over whether it'd be good for Alan and Fermat to be moved to a rehab center or not. It's not like Alan wouldn't get rehabilitative services at the hospital but Dr. Andreesen was just trying to think more on Alan's long term outlook. His primary focus was on Alan since he was injured worse than Fermat. Fermat would at least be able to walk, Alan could feel a few sensations in his feet but it wasn't quite as developed as much as Dr. Andreesen was hoping.

"Looks like a consultation meeting with the boys and their fathers are in order." Dr. Andreessen mused aloud to himself. He was also thinking in terms of Alan's safety. He knew that if Alan and Fermat were moved to one of the many rehabilitative burn centers in their area it would be a little riskier, since whomever had planted the pipe bomb would have better access to Alan. But he didn't want to have to evacuate the hospital every time someone became murderous towards one of his patients. It was very inconveniencing for the doctors performing surgery primarily because their patient is unable to respond due to being unconscious and can't defend themselves should a threat happen upon the hospital.

Dr. Andreesen didn't know whether moving Alan and Fermat would be more beneficial or not. At least if they were in the hospital should any further complications arise, there wouldn't be the additional cost of emergency transport tacked on to the final bill. Dr. Andreesen knew the hospital bill would be hefty already and though he knew Jeff Tracy had more than enough to pay the medical bill, he didn't think it fair to slap on additional costs when they weren't necessary.

"I'll discuss it with the family and go with their decision." Dr. Andreesen mused to himself before he leaned back in his chair and looked at his desk top at the picture of his wife and baby girl. He knew he was a new dad, but he knew there wasn't anything he wouldn't do for his little girl. Heaven forbid something like what happened to Alan should ever happen to his angel, but he knew that should anything of the sort occur…he'd do whatever it took to see to her care. Just like Jeff Tracy was doing for Alan.

Dr. Andreesen didn't even want to imagine the heart stopping fear Jeff felt when he'd gotten the call from the school when the fire occurred. It couldn't have been any better than when Dr. Andreesen had one of his nurses call the primary number in Alan's medical file which was provided by the school and report that Alan was in their care. Jeff was calm when Dr. Andreesen felt it safe to break away from Alan and go speak with his family, though Dr. Andreesen knew that Jeff was probably close to exploding by the time he'd come out to update the family on Alan and Fermat's conditions.

Thinking back on it, Dr. Andreesen recalled that Alan's older brothers were huddled close and they had been sleeping in the family waiting room waiting to hear word on Alan and Fermat. Jeff practically paced a groove in the floor. Hiram sat the entire time keeping to himself and just staring at the wall. At least that was what the nurse had reported to him.

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Fermat shot up when he heard it. A scream. His chest was heaving as he looked around in a panic. Though when his eyes landed on the form of the believed scream, Fermat couldn't help but to heave a great sigh of relief. Alan was still soundly asleep and was most certainly not screaming. It was just a bad dream. A memory of the night of the fire.

Fermat didn't like having memories of that night. It was terrifying at best. He didn't like thinking about it, didn't want to go back to Wharton's once it was rebuilt and certainly didn't want to relive it every time he closed his eyes. Taking off his glasses, which he'd fallen asleep in again. Fermat scrubbed at his eyes before he looked over at his friend again. Alan was doing a lot better since his last surgery. It was remarkable really. When the fire first occurred, Fermat was more afraid for Alan than he was himself and he should have been worried over his own wellbeing.

Alan must have detected that Fermat was awake, which was normal for the older boy to do and he looked at his friend from across the room with eyes that were open only a slit.

"Wh-t you doin awake?" Alan mumbled.

Just a bad dream is all

"N-Nothing." Fermat said though his subconscious screamed at him to tell Alan the truth behind his being awake.

Alan made a face like he didn't believe Fermat but didn't say anything to argue the point. He raised his blanket slightly and looked down at Gemma, smiling at her. She too was asleep and as Alan learned since having her – she loved to cuddle. He looked off in thought for a few moments before he pressed the nurse call button. He did need a nurse here anyway; his feet were hurting him a little again and he didn't want to be scolded again for removing the bandaging on his feet.

When a nurse, not his regular nurse came in she checked Alan's bandages, removing them and re-applying another only less tightly wound. Alan smiled her, before asking her to lean in so he could whisper to her.

Fermat watched them for a few moments, trying to stay awake instead of go back to sleep like his body wanted. He didn't want any more nightmares tonight. He was surprised when the nurse walked over to him and even more surprised when a sleeping baby bunny was placed in his lap. Fermat looked over at Alan to see him smiling at him.

"She helps me sleep, maybe she'll help you too." Alan said before he thanked the nurse and hunkered down under his blankets, quickly going to sleep making it impossible for Fermat to argue about having Alan's companion animal in his bed. Fermat looked at a loss when the nurse left before he looked down at the bunny and started petting her. He grazed a finger under her chin and she kicked one foot in her sleep, making Fermat smile. He carefully handled Gemma and laid back down, remembering to take off his glasses and pulling the baby bunny close for snuggles.

When he was asleep, Alan who'd been feigning sleep sat up and looked across the room at his best friend. He knew Fermat's dreams were keeping him awake, much like they did to him on occasion. Gemma, though only a baby bunny offered comfort and unconditional love. Something Alan needed when he was in isolation and something Fermat obviously needed too. He didn't mind sharing Gemma with Fermat, they were both in the same room so it's not like she could go anywhere.

Alan watched Fermat and Gemma for a few minutes more before he'd lain back down and fell asleep for real. It was only a few hours later that Alan woke up and he smiled at his friend who was still sleeping. He could see Gemma burrowing in Fermat's blankets, a tiny lump moving around beneath the blankets near Fermat's feet. He half expected Fermat to awaken with a squeal because his friend's feet were super ticklish much like Alan's had been prior to the fire. He watched the lump tunnel beneath Fermat's blanket, counting down after a few moments waiting for the inevitable.

"Gah!" Fermat yelped as he shot up and awake, pulling his legs to his chest as he looked for the culprit that woke him up. He shot a venomous glare at Alan when his friend started laughing in earnest, pointing at Fermat as his face lit up a bright red from the hard belly laugh.

"Shut up Alan." Fermat groaned as he pinched the blanket and raised it up to look under blankets for the warm fuzzy body that woke him up. "G-Gemma, come o-out of there…"

"I can't believe you got scared of a baby bunny!" Alan laughed continually. He couldn't help it if he found humor in Fermat's reaction. He didn't find humor in much else lately so he took the laughter when he could get it.

"She t-tickled my f-feet!" Fermat said as he patted the mattress, making Gemma hop back up toward him. Once he had her in hand, Fermat looked around before he reached across the expanse of his bed and grasped his walker. He pulled it closer, putting Gemma in the basket that hung from the front of the walker before he lowered the safety rail of his bed and delicately slid from his bed. He got up unsteadily, wobbling briefly before he regained his sense of balance. He started forward, taking it one step at a time. Alan watched as Fermat struggled to shuffle his feet, noticing the favoring of his bad leg.

Alan watched as Fermat made his way towards him, before he reached Alan's bed and sat on the edge of the mattress with a sigh.

"I wish I could walk again." Alan mused, tipping one foot to the side before lifting it back up. "It's taking forever for my feet to heal."

"D-Don't rush i-it. It h-hurts to l-learn how to d-do it a-again." Fermat fumbled his way through the sentence before he stood up again and made his way back to his bed. Once he was back in his bed, he propped one of his legs up onto a pillow left solely for elevating his feet. He glanced across the room, watching Alan scratch Gemma behind the ears. "T-Thanks for l-letting her s-sleep with m-me last n-night."

"No problem Fermat, I know your dreams were keeping you awake again last night." Alan said, letting his little secret slip intentionally.

"W-What do you m-mean?" Fermat asked.

"I know you're still having nightmares Ferm…I figured if she helps to keep my nightmares away maybe she'd help with yours too." Alan said, offering a little shrug. "I know you try to let it roll off your back that you're still just as bothered by the fire as I am. I doubt our nightmares will end as soon as the trial is over. As much as I'd love to forget, sadly I think we'll both have nightmares for years to come."

"I w-wish it n-never happened." Fermat admitted softly, his eyes shining from behind his glasses. "I just…I w-want to go h-home."

Alan felt the pang of hurt in his chest. Fermat sounded younger than his age and he felt sad but honored that Fermat openly revealed his feelings, even if he couldn't always do it himself for anyone, let alone Fermat.

"We'll be home soon." Alan said though he knew it would be several more months before at least he was okay enough to go home.

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Jeff pursed his lips as he sat in his hotel room. He'd just gotten off the phone with the boys' doctor and he was contemplating the news he was given. He knew it was time to gather his other sons, his mom and Fermat's dad. The doctor wanted to have the family talk it over before they mentioned it to their injured little lambs.

Heaving a soft sigh, Jeff focused on the future. He had to be sure of his decision. Sure, he wanted Alan to come home, be safe back on their island but was it the right thing to do? Was Alan ready to be discharged from the hospital, relocated to a rehab facility that specialized in rehabilitation after being burned? Jeff waited until his sons came, with their grandmother and he gave them and Brains a tight smile before inviting everyone to have a seat. It wasn't his decision alone and ultimately, it'd be up to Alan and Fermat.

"What's up dad?" Virgil asked as he casually crossed one leg over the other.

Jeff argued with his inner beliefs. His beliefs as a father told him to keep his child in the hospital where he'd get the best care, while another part of him argued that Alan would need to leave the hospital at some point. He battled with his wants and desire over those of his son's. Would Alan want to be relocated, must get used to new help, begin a new routine, meet new people like him.

"Dad?" Scott prompted. "You called us all here, what's going on?"

'Now or never Jeff, just tell them.' Jeff told himself. "I just got off the phone with Dr. Andreesen and he raised the subject that maybe it's time to relocate Alan…and Fermat to a burn center that doubles as a rehab facility."

The silence in the room was maddening. You could hear a pin drop in the room. Jeff looked around at the faces of those he loved and saw the looks of shock as they struggled to understand the meaning behind his words. Scott was staring straight ahead, mouth closed as if he were staring off into space. John was staring at Gordon who was staring back at his older brother and Virgil was covering his mouth as if to keep a torrent of words he wanted to say to himself. Brains looked like Jeff imagined he'd looked on the day that Fermat was born, wide eyed, shocked at the news and out of his element while Ruth his mother sat by with her lips in a tight line.

"Please say something." Jeff asked softly, waiting for the fallout.

"Dr. Andreesen wants to discharge Alan?" Virgil asked, astonishment damn near taking his very breath away.

"Not discharge per se, but release Alan from the hospital and relocate him to another facility. He'll still be under Dr. Andreessen's care, same as Fermat but they'll be at a new location." Jeff said re-thinking over what Dr. Andreesen had bestowed upon him.

"Where is, he thinking?" John asked softly. John, ever the thoughtful son was thinking of possible rehab centers he'd heard of during his time in IR.

"He only mentioned one and it's actually also a hospital, but it has a rehab center on site. It's a pediatric center." Jeff said, beating around the bush.

"Why does he want to move Alan? There's a facility on site at the hospital Alan and Fermat are at now." Gordon said.

"Because this other hospital is more tailored towards pediatric burns and wound care. Alan and Fermat were taken to the hospital initially because it was the best option considering how badly they were injured. I hate to say it but it needs to be said, Alan and Fermat almost died that night. I doubt the burn facility would have been able to help Alan and Fermat as much as this hospital did." Jeff argued.

"Where is it?" John repeated his question. "What's its name?"

"It's called Blythedale…Blythedale Children's Hospital. It's right in New York state." Jeff said.

"I've heard of Blythedale, it's a great facility." Virgil commented, having been in the medical community long enough to have heard through the grapevine if a hospital or specific facility was good or bad. He trusted Virgil's judgement.

"When would we be relocating them?" Scott asked, his forehead furrowed into a deep V.

"It was just mentioned to me today, so we won't be transferring them anywhere right now. Not until we've figured out what the plan is." Jeff said as he looked around at his family. "Dr. Andreesen asked that we discuss it amongst ourselves before we decide if it's worth mentioning to Alan and Fermat or if we'd rather keep quiet and choose not to move them."

"So why would we be moving them?" Gordon asked, not understanding the reason behind moving the boys when they were receiving excellent care where they currently were.

"Because they would receive tailored care. It'd be more towards their rehabilitation. Dr. Andreesen and the hospital have done all they could for helping the boys recover from their injuries, but it's also a matter of man power. The hospital is also helping so many others, at Blythedale, they'd have rehabilitative services readily available. A pool to help with weight bearing activities, a gym on site to help with learning how to walk again in Alan's case and physical therapists that don't have to travel but just a few flights of stairs. It'd be better if we transferred them. And Dr. Andreesen said it'd have the added benefit of cheaper costs. I'm not worried about cost, but Dr. Andreesen told me he feels guilty at the idea of keeping both boys at the hospital knowing how expensive their services cost."

The boys and Ruth remained quiet, but one look at Hiram's face told Jeff that something was on his friend's mind.

"What's on your mind Brains?" Jeff asked, knowing from the look on Hiram's face that he was remembering the past.

"Nothing." Brains said, dismissing Jeff's concern. Jeff knew he'd have to wheedle it out of his friend later, but now was not the time.

"So, let's look at the plus side of this. If we mention it to Alan and Fermat and they choose to relocate, we'll be that much closer to being able to take them home. They'll get acute care that is more along the lines of their injuries and can be rehabilitated hopefully much sooner than they'd be at their current location. The downside is that they'd have to get reestablished with new caretakers, they'd probably not see their friends they'd made at the hospital and they'd need to adopt new routines." Jeff said ticking each thing that'd change off on his fingers.

"Honestly, because I want Alan to get better – be able to go home soon I think it's worth mentioning to them." Gordon said. "I mean, he's been asking about going home since he got hurt, since they got hurt and I hate to see the look on his face when we tell him no."

"I agree with Gordon. He looks like he's that much closer to just giving up every time we tell him no and I hate to see him get mad." John said sympathetically towards not only Alan's case but Fermat's. Every time they went to go see the boys in the hospital, Alan and Fermat both seemed less interested in the things that had been brought to them. Their laptops, they both seemed short tempered a lot more lately and John felt that it would be time to move them, to a new location so that they could explore new surroundings.

"I can't offer an argument, Alan and Fermat deserve to go home soon. They've been through so much…it's not fair to keep them in the dark when they could be given the ultimate choice in their own care." Virgil said, offering his two cents.

"They've got a point dad…we told them that they could make decisions concerning their care without our interference. I think it's only fair to let them decide." Scott said in agreement to his brothers.

"Mom?" Jeff asked.

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Alan bit his lip, supporting his chin in the palm of one hand. He was watching a musical stage performance of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, having reached the finale of the performance and couldn't fight the tears that were welling in his eyes. He hated Brook as of this very moment…okay, maybe hate was too strong of a word. He felt embarrassed big time to be crying, but it was such a beautiful performance. It was a school play performed at Brook's school before her accident. Brook had played the role of Esmerelda and Alan must admit that she'd done a fantastic job of representing her character.

Brook had sent him the link to the play on a public viewing station with a small blushing emoji and asked Alan if he wanted to watch what she was watching with her. Granted they were on a separate link, but Alan and she had agreed to start at the same time so they'd finish it at the same time. Alan had a while to himself so it was nice to have someone to talk to. Fermat was a therapy and wouldn't be back for a while yet.

When the video was over, Alan gave a sharp exhale and began wiping away his tears and sniffling deeply. He reached over and snagged a couple tissue from the box and blew his nose before he opened a new chat window with Brook. He didn't want her to see him with red puffy eyes. He'd only just sent her a message telling her that he'd finished the video when he heard a knock at his door. He sent her a knew message that said be right back though he'd shortened it to BRB. Then he'd given another swift swipe at his eyes to make sure they were dry.

"Come in." Alan called, bracing hard on his palms and pulling himself back so he was sitting up.

The door opened and a face Alan hadn't seen for a few days peeped in.

"Dad!" Alan called in excitement. His dad had been busy with the case, keeping his brothers from killing each other and his work. Alan had convinced his dad to respond to a few emails and catch up with a few colleagues that he was close with. Thus, his dad had been absent for a few days as he continued to tie up loose ends. Alan put his arms out as his dad got closer, reminding Jeff of how affectionate Alan had been as a small child – always wanting hugs and unashamedly asking for those and kisses. Jeff couldn't stop himself from wondering when Alan had quit being so affectionate.

Jeff walked up and hugged Alan, his youngest son's head resting comfortably against his own neck and shoulder.

"How've you been son?" Jeff asked as he pulled away to look at his son and saw the little ball of fluff pop up out of Alan's blankets. "And hello Gemma."

Alan reached over, placing his hand beside Gemma and letting her step into his hand before he picked her up and cradled her against his chest. Jeff reached out and gently rubbed his thumb between Gemma's lop ears and smiled at both her and his son.

"I've been okay. Bored mostly, tired of just staring out my window and watching the world pass by while I'm stuck here." Alan said as he gazed toward his window, hoping his dad wouldn't detect that he'd been crying only a few minutes ago, it was one of the biggest reasons he wanted to be off the list of medicines he was on. They all played a part in screwing with Alan's emotions, some having the side effect of being uppers and downers. Consequently, Alan's emotions went haywire. Sometimes even those heartfelt television commercials making Alan burst into tears. Fermat was kind enough to not say anything about it when Alan did randomly burst into tears, but Alan knew his brothers wouldn't be nearly as forgiving.

"Well, I might have a solution for you and Fermat…" Jeff started before he craned his neck to see Fermat was gone. "Where's Fermat?"

"He's at PT…going to be gone for maybe another half hour or so." Alan replied evenly. "Why?"

"Your doctor called me today…I was hoping to discuss it with both you boys. He suggested that it might be about time to transfer the both of you to a new facility, one that is better apt to caring for your case." Jeff began, seeing Alan blanch.

"Is he getting rid of us because of the bomb threat the other day?" Alan asked, eyes wide with terror.

"No, no…he just feels that since you're finished with your surgeries as is Fermat, that maybe it's time to move you to a rehab center so you can start re-gaining your independence." Jeff said, trying to ease Alan's fears. "I've already talked with your grandma, brothers and Brains and we felt that this decision lies with the both of you. You're both old enough now to make decisions concerning your care and…ultimately it's your choice to move or stay here."

"No pressure…" Alan said shakily, his thoughts immediately turning to his fears. 'What if I try to rehabilitate and I find I'll never walk again? What then? What about the Thunderbirds? What about Brook and the others?'

"I wanted to let you know that you have a few days to think it over. Dr. Andreesen wasn't rushing us to decide, he's more than happy to keep you here. Even if you do move, he'll still be your primary until you've officially been discharged and even then, you'll still be overseen by him for a few years as you continue to grow." Jeff said, trying still to assuage Alan's worry.

"Thanks, I'll mention it to Ferm if he's not hurting too badly after therapy." Alan mumbled. He hoped his dad didn't just stop by for a few brief minutes, he wanted to spend some time with the man. He rarely got to spend time with him when they were at home, his dad's attention concentrated elsewhere often. That and they could never seem to quit arguing.

Jeff remained standing, unsure if he should leave or stay. He was not too keen on Alan throwing him out of his room, but he'd concede and leave if it was what Alan wanted.

"Got anything else planned?" Alan asked, hoping his dad didn't have anything planned for a while.

Jeff didn't say anything, simply shaking his head slowly. He didn't have anything planned, had intended to spend time with Alan if he was willing.

"Want to stay and keep me company? Hang out?" Alan asked before he held Gemma out to his dad to let him pick up the lovable fluffball. He smiled happily when his dad accepted Gemma and he eagerly moved over so his dad could sit beside him on his bed.

"Sure son." Jeff replied with an equally eager smile that Alan was desiring his company.