A/N: All mistakes are my own and since I had to meet my self imposed deadline there may be some mistakes that I missed in my proofread. Flames are not accepted and I'd appreciate that if anyone reads my stories and doesn't like them that they'd put any comments in the form of constructive criticism.

Later that night after Alan had been returned to his room and his brothers had taken their leave for the night, Alan was left to reflect on all he'd done. The last person to be surprised would be his dad, though with Virgil and Gordon informing him that they'd been forced to reveal the nature of their frequent visits to him at the hospital…it'd certainly make for an interesting visit. That Alan had no doubts. He smiled as he thought back on the excitement in Scott and John's faces as they got to take part in Alan's recovery process, even being allowed by Lacey to help in the pool much like Virgil and Gordon got to do.

To say Alan was anxious to see his dad and to let his dad see all that he'd worked on was an understatement. He wanted his dad to be surprised, he wanted his dad to be proud that for once Alan's stubborn nature was helpful in his pursuit of recovery.

Scott and John didn't like the idea of passing Alan off to their dad without trying to get more involved in his recovery so with Alan's permission and Lacey's approval, they decided to separate Alan's appointments so they could help Alan with therapy before they'd go back to their hotel and tell their dad that Alan was asking if he'd go visit him.

When Alan was done with his therapy for the day and he'd been taken back to his room, Scott and John took it upon themselves to call a small meeting and they'd called Gordon and Virgil and asked them to come visit also. When the next two younger brothers arrived, Alan talked with his brothers about how to go about getting their dad involved.

Scott had suggested that he just come out with it and tell their dad not at all like he'd done earlier to him and John. Gordon had suggested a prank, that Alan intentionally move away from their dad and then drop his crutch and when their dad moved to pick it up, Alan just say 'Oh no, I've got it' and just stand up and walk over to it. Virgil and John shook their heads with an emphatic NO, Virgil warning that their dad may have a coronary if Alan dropped a surprise like Gordon was suggesting. John suggested that Alan simply ask their dad to help him up and let their dad believe he was helping Alan take his first steps. Virgil remained on the fence when it came down to how Alan should show their dad just how far he'd come in his recovery process.

Alan had shrugged at his brother's suggestions, knowing that he'd figure it out when his dad showed up. He didn't really want to make his dad have a panic attack when he stood up, but he didn't want to come right out and spoil the surprise by telling his dad outright. After his brothers had returned to their hotel room, Lacey who had been present for several of his visits with his dad even if he wasn't actively rehabilitating had suggested that Alan ask his dad if he can show him something. Alan kind of liked that plan of action.

He knew his dad would appreciate learning about Alan's newfound ability to walk even with a little bit of difficulty. He hoped his dad wouldn't be upset that Alan had kept this from his family, it was just…he had his reasons.

Alan's reasons were that he didn't want to see his dad be disappointed if he couldn't walk. He remembered the day his dad had sat his brothers down, including Alan, Fermat and Tin-Tin. He was nine and his dad had told each of them that he and Brains had begun manufacturing the parts that would one-day form each of the International Rescue air/land/water crafts. When Jeff had asked his sons, who would volunteer for International Rescue, Alan had eagerly raised his hand despite his dad reminding him that he was far too young at the time. Alan had remarked back to his dad that while he may be young right now, one day he'd be old enough to take part and when he was of age, he'd be putting in his papers to apply for his role in International Rescue.

His other reasons were that he wanted to prove to himself that he could do this before trying to prove to his father and brothers that he was capable of walking. It wasn't just because he was a teenage boy trying to compensate for something, he genuinely wanted to know that he could try to walk before making a fool of himself in front of his dad. It might seem audacious of him, but he didn't want his dad and his brothers to try to stop him when he was attempting to recover back to what he once was.

Alan was anxiously awaiting the time that his dad would come to the hospital to see all that he'd accomplished now. He'd asked his brothers to pass the message along to their dad that he wanted their dad to come over within the next day or so. His brothers were planning to feign ignorance to the best of their abilities as to the nature of Alan's request.

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Tin-Tin laid on her bed with a harsh breath blown up at her bangs. She was bored and neither her mom or her dad needed her help at present, so that left for a very bored teenager. She wondered when Alan and Fermat would come back or when she could go visit them at the hospital. When she asked her parents, they reassured her that she'd get the opportunity to see Alan and Fermat in time.

Kyrano had said that she'd get to see them, just not right now. That statement had earned an eyeroll from Tin-Tin. She wanted her best friends back. She was lonely and knowing that they were no longer at school was what was maddening. Her mom had said that she needed to be patient.

Patient…yeah…right. Tin-Tin could be patient, but she didn't want to be. She wanted to sit up late at night on the beach with her friends and watch stars, roast marshmallows over a campfire.

As she was lost in her thoughts, it occurred to her that it'd be cruel to make Alan and Fermat face fire so soon after their ordeal. It made her feel like a bad friend for even wanting to take part in what was once a very harmless event. She looked at her bedside table at one of her most cherished photos.

Leaning back, Tin-Tin grabbed the picture frame and she smiled when she glimpsed the photo contained within. It was a photo at one of Lady Penelope's garden soirees. Alan, Fermat and Tin-Tin had been encouraged to go after Lady Penelope had dragged them all out to get them fitted for outfits to wear. They'd been sitting at one of the many fountains within the sprawling landscape and someone had taken a picture of them poised together. Tin-Tin's dress was a fashionable midnight blue cocktail dress while Alan and Fermat were wearing near identical white dress shirts and black slacks. Fermat had left his sleeves all the way down at his wrists which was customary dress code at Wharton's while Alan had rolled his sleeves up to his elbows and unbuttoned the top two buttons at the neck.

Tin-Tin adored this picture in particular because it was only a little over a year prior that the picture had been taken. She hadn't yet developed the mildest of crushes on Alan and they had been incredibly close. Not to say they were no longer close, it was just that now Tin-Tin felt like she couldn't be in the same room without smiling and blushing. Alan and Fermat hadn't been sent to Wharton's yet and they were all in their happy worlds of homeschooling before being separated.

Grabbing her notebook, Tin-Tin grabbed a pen before making a rough draft of a welcome home party for her two friends. She didn't know yet when they'd be coming home, she hoped it'd be soon though she wasn't holding her breath. She knew from John's descriptions of the injuries sustained that they'd be in the hospital for a while. It was only natural that she'd want them to come home, they were her best friends and they meant the world to her. They had meant the world to her since they quit poking the other in the shoulder hard enough to bruise.

Taking a moment to brainstorm, Tin-Tin smiled at how she would love to greet her two friends when they did eventually return home. She envisioned running to them and hugging them both so tight that they thought she was never going to let them go. She knew she would need to be gentle with them though. It wouldn't be very nice to tackle her friends hard enough that they needed to stay in the infirmary once they got home. Even she knew she couldn't go overboard and she knew that Brains, Mr. Tracy and Alan's brothers would urge them to stay in their bed…Tin-Tin however hoped they'd allow them to bunk in the movie room.

It wasn't uncommon for Alan, Tin-Tin and Fermat to drag out their camp cots or simply roll out their sleeping bags before commencing in a movie marathon. It was actually a tradition of theirs.

Returning her thoughts to the task at hand, Tin-Tin planned a movie marathon to take place on one of the days immediately after their homecoming. Giving it a little more thought, Tin-Tin figured that instead of an open campfire she could coordinate a movie marathon followed by video games…yes video games. She played video games with Alan and Fermat when they indulged in such frivolities. She'd arrange for several movies and video games to be set aside with junk food galore. Her mom and dad would try to stress on a healthy diet, but Tin-Tin knew Alan and Fermat loved junk food just as much as she did. Maybe she'd even make Alan and Fermat's favorite desserts.

A knock at the door made Tin-Tin perk up before her dad leaned through the archway.

"Tin-Tin, there's a video call for you from Alan and Fermat in the den." Kyrano said, seeing the smile burst forth on her face at being able to talk to her friends again after almost a whole week of near radio silence from them.

"I'm coming!" Tin-Tin said before she jumped from her bed and practically flew from the room.

"No running in the halls!" Kyrano called after her before he ventured into her room to straighten the wrinkled bedding. He saw the notebook with several scratched-out words on it and he gave a little more than a cursory glance before understanding came to him.

It wasn't a secret that Tin-Tin missed Alan and Fermat as if they were her own family and he and her mother both remarked on it when they saw their daughter pouting over their absence from the island. Smiling to himself, Kyrano turned to follow Tin-Tin up the hall. He'd give it a little thought over how he and his wife might possibly begin to help Tin-Tin organize a homecoming party not only to Alan and Fermat but their respective families. They'd been away equally as long. Maybe he'd talk to his wife about discussing the possibility of a visit for Tin-Tin to the mainland so she could see her friends before long. He himself didn't know how much longer he could stand to hear his daughter moaning and sighing over missing them.

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The following morning as agreed, Scott and John came in place of Virgil and Gordon. They'd passed along the message to their father that Alan was asking for him to come visit and they were pleased that their dad didn't seem none the wiser to the ruse. Virgil had talked with John and Scott about things Lacey covered with him and Gordon in regard to Alan's rehabilitation. The next two younger brothers coached Scott and John about how they helped Alan with his exercises, just so they'd be up to date.

Brains had been sworn to silence by Alan and Fermat so he couldn't let slip to their father what Alan had learned to do over the last few weeks. Brains had been coming to visit after Alan's brothers left for the rest of the day and he'd talked with both Alan and Fermat as well as offering to walk with them when they wanted to get up and stretch their legs.

Lacey had recently lifted the ban on Alan being mobile outside of therapy as long as he had someone to walk with in case he needed help. Alan couldn't walk very far quite yet, could only tolerate walking about three yards before he'd need to stop and rest, but Lacey kept reassuring him that he'd eventually be able to increase the length of time he walked without pressuring his body and potentially causing himself more harm.

As it were, Alan was eagerly waiting for his dad to arrive even though he knew he'd be coming later in the day. Scott and John were coming up from the parking lot as we speak and Alan was determined to be ready to go before his brothers arrived. He'd managed to dress himself in the scrub pants borrowed from the hospital and he was anxious to see his dad and brothers. His dad hadn't known much besides Alan beginning his therapy, he wasn't aware yet that Alan had been chipping away at his therapy or had learned to walk a little bit.

A knock on the door made Alan smile in greeting when the door opened to reveal his brothers. "Scott, John. Hi!"

Alan opened his arms and hugged his two oldest brothers as tightly as he could stand. He heard John and Scott greeting Fermat amidst the hugs he was getting from them and he smiled brightly once more.

"So, you all ready for therapy?" Scott asked as he pulled a pair of shorts out of the backpack he wore before handing them to John. "Go get changed then I'll do the same."

"Okay, bossy." John said before he pulled the bathroom door closed to get changed. When he stepped out a few moments later, he stepped lightly to get to his shoes. Gosh this floor is cold."

"I wouldn't know." Alan said before glancing down at his feet to show a pair of blue socks with the little rubber grippers on the bottom.

"Awe, your socks are cute." Scott teased when he saw the little rubber grippers were in the shape of rubber ducklings.

"Shut it, or I'll tell grandma that you wanted another of her fruitcakes for Christmas." Alan threatened, knowing his brother would be aware that Alan wasn't bluffing at all.

"Okay, you win." Scott said before he gestured that he was locking his mouth and tossing the key away.

"Go, get dressed Scott before we have to dawdle on the sloth." John said, pushing his older brother towards the bathroom where John had just been. When Scott was through the threshold of the bathroom door, John instantly turned and came back to Alan. "So, how're you doing kiddo?"

"I'm okay…ready to get out of here and go back home." Alan said softly as he regarded his brother. "Lacey is always telling me that I need to stop thinking of the future and just stick with the now, but I want to know how I'm going to be later. You know? I just want to know that I'm going to be the old me."

John heaved a soft sigh before he sat on the edge of Alan's bed. He knew Alan didn't like being touchy feely, but John took Alan by hand before leveling a serious look at him.

"The old Alan is gone, I hate to break it to you but the old you died in that fire. This is your new reality. You're going to be in and out of the hospital periodically for a few years, having appointments to ensure you're healing accordingly. You'll get to go home, that I have no doubts. But you're always going to have a struggle here or there and it'll be a lingering effect from the fire and your injuries sustained. You know me and you know I don't often sugarcoat things, but this is the new you. The scars, the PTSD and the nightmares. You'll need prescriptions of pain medications for a while yet and you'll need therapy for quite possibly years to come." John said, seeing the understanding dawn on Alan's face. "It'll be a while yet before you're running and I don't want to scare you but it's okay if you never get there. The damage was astonishing and in all honesty, I wouldn't have been surprised if you never walked again. So many people struggle with the same injuries you incurred and so many don't progress beyond life in a wheelchair. But you've already shown what you're capable of and I am proud of you for not giving up. Lacey is right, if you look to far into the future…dream about the day you can kick a soccer ball…well you're going to be sorely disappointed when you don't reach the goals you have set in your head. And I'd rather not see you hit rock bottom because of unrealistically set goals. The key is baby steps and before long you'll surprise yourself when you can walk those few extra feet."

Scott who was prepared to step out of the bathroom, dressed out in his swim trunks gave pause as he heard his brothers talking. He agreed with John and it was often a conversation that John, Virgil, Gordon and himself had late in the night. They all feared that Alan's stubborn attitude would get in the way of his recovery and make Alan feel like he needed to push himself further than his body was ready for. He decided he'd let John be the bad guy in this moment, not make Alan feel like they were ganging up on him. Scott figured he'd wait until Alan came to him to ask his opinion on what John said.

When they reached a lull in their conversation, Scott took that as his cue to exit the bathroom.

"So, are we ready to go meet Lacey for Alan's hydrotherapy?" Scott asked as he tried to keep his voice upbeat but not forced.

"Yeah, let's go." Alan said, quiet disposition speaking loudly to the brothers that what John said was indeed a very sobering reality. They hoped that John providing some tough love wouldn't make Alan take several steps back in his recovery.

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Alan stared ahead as he walked. Lacey had surprised them today with a tossup of Alan's therapy and now Alan was walking on an aquatic treadmill. John and Scott were sitting on the side of the pool, their feet dangling in the water as they watched Alan walk. Already Alan had fallen three times, not being able to keep up with the speed of the treadmill. Like John advised, Alan had shown severe disappointment when he came up for air only to slap the water with a growl of frustration.

"Come on kiddo, you've got this one in the bag." Scott said encouragingly. He was still drying his hair and shaking water out of his ears.

Lacey was keeping a log of how long Alan was able to go after every setback. So far he'd been going for a little over two minutes without a fall, though Scott and John could see Alan was tiring out.

"You can do it Alan. Keep going." John said, trying to cheer Alan on. Alan walked for a few more moments, before he tripped over his own feet and dropped beneath the surface of the water. When he didn't come right back up, Scott slid off his seat on the side of the pool and went down after Alan. He pulled Alan up and immediately could see the exhaustion on Alan's face. When his little brother didn't react like he had been, namely smacking the water with an open palm or a closed fist – Scott called it to Lacey.

"Do you suppose we ought to stop?" Scott asked.

"No, I can continue." Alan tried to say despite his chest heaving after holding his breath.

"I think your brother is right Alan, we're going to be doing another appointment alter today and I don't want you to hurt yourself. Let's go ahead and stop so you can go have a bite of lunch and rest up for your next appointment." Lacey said, eyeing Alan carefully.

"Alright." Alan said sullenly.

"Hey, chin up kiddo. This isn't a setback, just think of it as a milestone." Scott said, knowing that John's talk was getting to Alan as well as his 'letdowns'.

"Your brother is right Alan, this is just one of many milestones. Every step up will be your next milestone." Lacey said, trying to make sure that Alan didn't let this stop him from his progress. He could do so much when he puts his mind to it and that was what Lacey was trying to tap into. "Come on kiddo, it's lunch time."

Alan let Scott help him out of the pool before he accepted the towel John offered. He dried off as best as he could before he took the forearm crutches from John and getting a move on. He was flanked by his brothers who stayed close enough to catch Alan if he fell but not so close to impede.

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A few hours later found Alan waking from an unintended nap. He quirked a smile when he opened his eyes to see his dad by his side.

"Hey there son, how're you feeling?" Jeff asked as he raked his fingers through Alan's hair.

"I'm okay…am I late?" Alan asked tiredly, looking at the clock behind his dad's head to see that he had a half an hour before he had to be meeting Lacey for his next appointment.

"Late for what?" Jeff asked, slightly confused by Alan's question.

Alan seemed to realize that his dad wasn't completely in the know yet and he needed to deflect so his dad wouldn't figure it out.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Alan pretended he didn't know what his dad was talking about.

"You woke up and asked if you were late." Jeff said, confused if he caught Alan talking in his sleep again or if he was awake but just mumbled.

"I dreamt I was late for class, I ran into the classroom and asked my teacher if I was late?" Alan said, hoping his dad took the bait.

"Oh, I had no idea what you'd be running late for. I was gonna ask if you had a hot date or something that I didn't know about." Jeff said, teasing his son for his apparent sleep conversations.

As it turned out, Alan was also taken by surprise when a knock at the door sounded and before Alan could say anything Lacey opened the door and peeked in.

"Hey boys, can I come in?" Lacey inquired softly as she took in the mussed look that Alan had as well as the bored expression on Fermat's face.

"Yeah." Alan said granting permission to Lacey to enter the room. "Dad, this was the hot date you thought I had…it is a hot date too…I'll be getting hot."

"Alan." Jeff scolded when Lacey giggled behind her hand at Alan saying that she was his hot date.

"It's quite alright, I can take a compliment." Lacey said coyly, making Alan blush. "I'm here to get him for his therapy, so looks like it will be a hot date."

"Oh, I suppose I can go if you wanted to take him for therapy." Jeff said feeling mildly put out that he'd only been there few minutes.

"Actually, you're more than welcome to tag along. I always say more the merrier and my policy still stands." Lacey said, reassuring Jeff that she wasn't going to exclude him from the activities. She'd already been forewarned that Alan's dad would be stopping by and she had agreed to Alan's plan to bring his wheelchair, leaving his forearm crutches in the activity room. Alan had a plan for showing his dad his progress and she was coo with it.

"Well, okay then. Where are we going?" Jeff asked looking between his youngest child and his physical therapist.

"We're going on a little field trip." Lacey said before maneuvering Alan's wheelchair closer to his side of the bed. "You ready Alan?"

"Yep, I was born ready." Alan said, a sly smile on his face. He let Lacey help him into his wheelchair, played the poor me role to lead his dad to believe that he hadn't yet progressed to moving around on his own yet.

His dad asked if he could push Alan's wheelchair and Lacey permitted it. The trio made their way to the activity room and there Jeff saw the activity room for the second time ever. The first time he'd seen the activity room was when Alan and Fermat were being settled in and their families had been given the grand tour of the facility.

When they walked in, Lacey instructed Jeff to push Alan's wheelchair over to the parallel bars much like he'd been using when Gordon, Scott, John and Virgil were helping Alan with therapy. There Lacey had given Alan his forearm crutches, helping him to adjust them so they weren't too tight or too loose.

Lacey conveniently placed a chair near where Jeff was standing prior to directing Alan and Jeff to the activity room. She knew Jeff would need someplace to sit when Alan surprised him.

"Alan, let me help you." Jeff said trying to offer his son a hand.

"I've got this dad. It's cool." Alan said as he nodded at Lacey to signal that he was ready for her to remove his foot pedals. Once that was done, Alan let Lacey help him get his feet into position before he got his crutches where he needed them. When he was ready, Alan stuck his tongue out in concentration and pushed against the crutch handles until he was standing up on his own. He may not act like it, but his legs felt like jelly after his previous session with Lacey.

"Alan, what?" Jeff asked in astonishment when he watched his baby stand on his own and he was glad he'd had a chair nearby. He sank down into the chair and just stared at Alan in silence. Alan was trembling, but with a minor readjustment of his crutches; he was standing with minimal wobbles.

After a few seconds, Alan looked up at his dad before smiling at him shyly. He chuckled softly before he shrugged playfully. "Surprise."

"Alan…my god…you're standing. When did that happen?" Jeff asked still more than a little astonished that Alan was upright and standing on his own two feet. He remained seated, gawking at his youngest.

"It's something we've been working on…I had some help." Alan said, looking down at his feet in chagrin.

"Were your brothers in on this?" Jeff asked, putting a hand over his heart as if to calm its fluttered beat.

"If I say no, I'd be lying and I know you'd rather we tell the truth…so…yeah they were in on it." Alan said before nodding at Lacey when she indicated that she wanted Alan to begin his therapy. He walked around a few laps, legs shaking with every step. It wasn't until he began to walk by his dad that he was enveloped in a massive hug. He smiled to himself and then peeked over his dad's shoulder to see Lacey smiling approvingly.

Alan's physical therapist knew that Alan was nervous about his dad learning that he could now walk. It wasn't much, he couldn't walk but maybe a couple hundred feet…but it was a start.

"I'm so proud of you son." Jeff said, more than a little honored to be shown that Alan could now walk.

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Later that evening after Jeff had returned to the hotel, Alan's brothers were bombarded by their dad.

"Why didn't you guys tell me that Alan had started walking?" Jeff asked, curious why it was kept from him for so long. He wasn't angry, just blown away.

"Alan asked if he could keep it a secret until he was sure he could continue making progress." Gordon said, knowing his brother hated to be looked down on. He also knew that Alan wasn't one to roll over and let someone walk all over him. "You know our Allie, he's more stubborn than the most stubborn mule on grandma's farm."

"What's grandma going to say when she finds out?" Scott asked as if this was the first time grandma had come up in conversation.

"You let me handle your grandma, I know how to talk to her and to ease her into this latest development." Jeff said, assuring his boys that he'd make sure their grandmother would handle the news well. That Jeff had no doubt of, she was the one that kept telling him in the beginning that Alan would indeed walk one day and that he should be the one keeping faith.

"Do you think it'd be easier for her to digest if we all went to see Alan in one of his therapy lessons and she learned with all of us that Alan could walk that way she doesn't feel left out?" John inquired, getting a nod in agreement from Virgil and Gordon. None of them wanted their grandma to be mad at them for keeping her in the dark and they reasoned that it wasn't keeping her in the ark if Alan was trying to limit how many of his family members got their minds blown by the revelation that Alan could walk baby steps for the time being.

"Let me break the news to her. I'll take her out for dinner and a brandy before I tell her." Jeff said, convincing his sons that this would be better if one of them told her rather than all of them. Jeff knew his mom and he knew she abhorred being singled out and that she wouldn't appreciate not being told that Alan could walk now. Trust me, I can handle my mother."