A/N: Hello, sorry for my absence with this story. I've had a hard time typing this story, unfortunately due to lack of interest. I'd write a little bit each day and quickly lose interest. Been mostly reading other fanfictions as opposed to writing and what little I have been writing has been sporadic.
As you may have noticed, I've recently posted a new story titled Alone In The Wilderness - this story did not take my attention away from Walk To Remember or Rising From The Ashes, it's been done for a while and just kept succumbing to edits. Anyway, if you follow either of these stories and have yet to read Alone In The Wilderness, I only update it once a week and will continue to do so for a short while longer until it's fully uploaded.
Hope you enjoy and I won't have an Author's Note in the next chap.
Toodles!
Sad-Blue-Eyed-Angel 2010
The night came to an end for the party of four after the dance concluded. Tin-Tin was carrying her shoes in hand, complaining, saying that her feet were hurting. Brook stopped at the door to the hospital, kissing Alan on the cheek before giving him a hug.
"I had a great time tonight Alan." Brook said, leaning in close before delivering the last kiss of the night. "I wish you didn't have to go though."
"I know, but we'll get to meet up again soon." Alan replied as he leaned his forehead against Brook's smiling down at her. "Thank you for asking me to be your date."
"Thank you, for not turning me down." Brook replied in kind before standing on the tips of her toes to kiss Alan once more.
As Alan and Brook were separating from their kiss, a car horn honked and drew their attention to the pink Rolls Royce that had pulled up along the curb. Parker put the car in park before he exited the vehicle to open the door for his charges.
"Good evening, might you all be ready to return to the hotel?" Parker inquired as he offered a hand to Tin-Tin while she climbed into the vehicle.
"Yes Parker, thank you." Tin-Tin replied with a smile. She grabbed the hem of her dress and bunched the material in her lap, so she could scoot over for Alan and Fermat to get in with her. They'd already gotten permission from the hospital to take Alan and Fermat back to the hotel for the night rather than to check them back into their room past visiting hours at Blythedale.
"And you, young master Fermat?" Parker inquired as he assisted Fermat with getting into the interior of the car. Once Fermat was settled, Parker took Fermat's walker and folded it before stepping around back to stow it in the trunk. That gave Alan a few more moments with Brook.
"I'm e-ex-tired. Can't w-wait to g-get to bed." Fermat replied, taking off his glasses momentarily to rub at his eyes. He blinked rapidly after putting his glasses back on, raising his hand to cover up a yawn. "Oh, I-I'm sorry."
"Don't be young master Fermat, you've had a busy day." Parker said before he turned to greet Alan who was waving goodbye to Brook. She was walking back into the lobby which allowed Alan to get in the car himself. "Good evening Young master Alan? You've had a fun night I presume?"
"Yeah, thanks Parker." Alan said as he turned a tired gaze to the English butler. "I'm looking forward to getting to bed though."
"I know you must be young master. I'll get you all back to the hotel and you all can turn in for a bit of rest." Parker said as he aided Alan with climbing in the car as well. He made sure all three passengers were settled comfortably before closing the door gently and returning behind the wheel. "Safety belts."
Alan, Fermat and Tin-Tin, though all three were tired beyond all measure they took care to fasten their safety belts and replying with murmurs of acknowledgement that they were secured. Once the task was completed, Parker proceeded to pull away from the hospital parking lot.
They'd been on the road for about ten minutes the next time Parker spoke.
"I take it you all are ready to turn in?"
"You have no idea Parker, no idea." Alan said as he raised a hand and covered his mouth to hide a yawn. He looked at Fermat with a withering look. "Great, you passed the yawns to me."
"S-Sorry." Fermat said softly, even as he covered his own mouth to stifle a yawn that had escaped. "G-Gosh."
"Now you've got me doing it." Tin-Tin said with a groan of mock irritation even as she also covered her mouth to stifle a yawn. "I'm so ready for bed."
"You can say that again." Alan said as he yawned once more. Parker chuckled but resisted the desire to yawn as well. He'd do that when he had retired to his room and was preparing to lay down. "Shall I call your fathers and inquire of their assistance to get the two of you to bed?"
"No, I think I can get upstairs." Alan said even as he leaned down to rub at his calf muscles which had steadily grown sore. "God."
"Don't push yourself too hard Alan." Tin-Tin advised as she watched Alan rub his leg.
"Yeah, yeah…sure Parker. If you could call on one of my brothers or dad, I'd greatly appreciate their assistance." Alan said as he closed his eyes in defeat. He didn't exactly want to call his family for help, but Tin-Tin always managed to play the voice of reason for him, much like the way that Fermat did as well.
"Young master Fermat?" Parker inquired even as he glanced in his rearview mirror to spy on the young teen that was beginning to doze against the shoulder of his best friend.
"I think if you just ask for another of my brothers they can offer a hand." Alan advised even as he smirked at his best friend that was snoozing whilst leaned against him.
"Aye sir." Parker murmured softly.
TBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTB
Jeff met the kids and Parker downstairs with Scott who readily volunteered his time to assist with getting the kids settled. It was agreed upon that they'd separate. Alan would share a bed with his dad and Fermat would share a bed with his, while Tin-Tin would sleep in Lady Penelope's room in her spare bed. The kids weren't happy about being separated but figured they could spend all morning together before the boys would need to return to Blythedale. Alan requested to take a bath before bed and Jeff drew up a bath for him before leaving Alan to it to grant him privacy.
Jeff knocked on the bathroom door after a little bit and stepped back in when Alan granted him permission for entry. The teen was sitting in the hot bath that Jeff had drawn up for him and was fighting the sleep that was so desperately tugging at his eyes.
"You about ready for bed?" Jeff asked as he set the pile of clothes he'd gotten from Alan's overnight bag on the bathroom sink counter.
"Yeah, having trouble keeping my eyes open as it is." Alan mumbled as he rubbed his eyes before holding out his hand. "Can you give me a hand up, my legs are tired."
"I'd say so." Jeff said before he picked up a large fluffy towel and proceeded to wrap it around Alan after he'd aided his son with standing up. "Easy does it."
Alan stepped from the tub with a hand holding his dad's hand tightly. "Thanks for the help."
"No problem son." Jeff helped Alan to dress before he handed Alan a new retainer box. "I called your orthodontist and he still had the mold for your old retainer, he made you a new one to prevent you needing to be put back in braces."
"Is he sure it'll fit?" Alan asked even as he brushed his teeth and inspected the new retainer. "Purple?"
"He was trying a new product color, and this was all he had available." Jeff offered lamely. Alan shrugged before he rinsed his new retainer and put it in his mouth after he finished brushing his teeth.
"Still fits." Alan said, his retainer making him slur a little.
"That's good, I was worried that your teeth might have shifted since you haven't had your retainer for a few months." Jeff said as he leaned around Alan to see when he smiled to prove the retainer was a perfect fit. "Does it feel okay?"
Alan used his tongue to check the fit of his retainer and he nodded before offering an answer. "It fits pretty good. I'm surprised Dr. Mason didn't want to see me before he made another retainer for me."
"He just saw you before the fire, he knew your teeth have been holding pretty well even though you do sometimes forget to wear your retainer." Jeff said while giving his son a look of warning. "You better be sure you're wearing your retainer from now on, I don't want to drag you back in for a second set of braces."
"Yes dad, I'll try to be better about wearing my retainer." Alan replied solemnly before he followed his dad out of the bathroom and smirked when he saw both Fermat and Brains passed out cold. "I guess we should go to bed, shouldn't we?"
"Yeah, unless we want to be tired come the morning." Jeff replied before he aided Alan with getting to the bed and holding the blankets up so Alan could climb under. "You comfortable?"
"Yeah." Alan replied before he watched his dad walk around the bed and climb in as well. After his dad was settled in, he turned to Alan and reached across him to tuck the blankets around Alan so that he was warm. "Um, dad…you know you don't have to tuck me in."
"Humor me, I almost lost my chance to ever tuck you in again with the fire." Jeff said as he continued tucking the blankets in on Alan's other side. "Night son."
"Night dad." Alan murmured as he laid down and sighed. The bed was more comfortable than his hospital bed and he practically melted into the mattress.
With Alan going to sleep, Jeff was left with his thoughts and he smiled. He was glad, thankful even that Alan allowed him the opportunity to tuck him in once more for old times' sake.
'What would have become of this family if we'd lost Alan, let alone Fermat as well?'
TBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTB
The following morning came quickly for the Tracy Island inhabitants. Jeff was first awake in the room he shared with Brains, Alan and Fermat and he couldn't help but to smile at the disheveled bedhead of his youngest son. Alan always was an active sleeper and he always managed to kick off every corner of his blankets every night. Jeff had woken up three times during the night to pick up the blankets Alan had kicked off and he'd re-covered his child with a smile.
The next to awaken was Brains who much like Jeff smiled at the youthful features of his only child.
"Good morning Brains." Jeff whispered as he tucked an errant strand of hair behind Alan's ear while he slept.
"G-Good morning Jeff, how w-was your n-n-evening?" Brains inquired softly as he mimicked Jeff's action and ran his fingers through Fermat's dark hair. His fingers caught a few gnarls, but he gently separated the tangled strands.
"It was well, thank you." Jeff murmured even as he took care with speaking softly so as not to awaken Alan or Fermat. "They must have had a blast last night."
"Y-Yes, Fermat s-said they h-had fun." Brains said even as he looked up at his employer. "I t-think attending t-that dance w-was good f-for them."
"Yeah, I think so too. Alan was sore last night though." Jeff said as he smiled down at his son when the boy twitched in his sleep. "I half expect him to be back to his four-year-old self, asking me to carry him around everywhere."
Brains couldn't help but to chuckle at that. He remembered Alan when he was little and always complaining that he was tired and wanted to be carried. Brains recalled a time where he was stuck babysitting the kids when Jeff had to go away for one of his many meetings and he'd carried Alan and Fermat in his arms. Scott, John, Virgil and Gordon had laughed when he'd entered the house while carrying both boys who'd fallen asleep in his arms.
"I'm not, rest assured." Alan mumbled under his breath, having woken up shortly following the twitch that had his dad smiling. "I may complain about being sore though."
"How'd you sleep Alan?" Jeff inquired as he watched Alan wash his hands down his face.
"Like a log." Alan said before he sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed, stretching long and hard. His dad reached out and rubbed a hand up and down Alan's back. "Feels good, but man I'm sore."
"I suppose you would be, especially after the long night you had last night." Jeff said as he stood also to hand Alan his crutches and to dig out some clothes for Alan to wear before he'd have to return to the Blythedale. "Did you want me to run up another bath for you?"
"No, I'm fine. I'll just take my meds and relax for a bit." Alan said as he hobbled to the bathroom to get dressed. He felt like an old man and he was sure he looked like one with the way he was hobbling around.
"What did you want for breakfast son?" Jeff inquired before Alan made it to the bathroom. The teen turned around slowly and tilted his head a little as though he were in thought. "Room service or did you want to go somewhere for breakfast?"
"Can I even go anywhere else for breakfast?" Alan inquired, recalling how the last time he was out of the hospital for the trial, he wasn't permitted to go anywhere but his family's hotel room and the courthouse.
"I don't see the harm in it, you're not taking the immunosuppressants anymore." Jeff said as he looked at Brains to see what he thought. "What do you think about going out for breakfast, do you think Fermat would be keen to have breakfast outside of the hotel room?"
"He loves going out for food, he'd probably like to get breakfast." Alan said, thinking along the line to the rare times that he and Fermat would be able to go off campus for food. Their dorm parent would occasionally get permission from the headmaster to take the boys they were assigned to out for dinner or every so often, out for ice cream. "Can we go to I-Hop if we go out? The hospital pancakes are good, but the butter rarely melts, and it tastes like cardboard."
"P-Pancakes do sound g-good." Fermat mumbled under his breathe as he came awake from the constant talking. He reached out groggily to the bedside table and grasped his glasses before putting them on.
"Good m-morning son." Brains said as he watched his son come awake. "H-how'd you s-sleep?"
"Good." Fermat replied before he was interrupted by the need to yawn. He put both hands behind him and pushed up against the bed to prop up against his hands. "Are w-we going out f-for breakfast?"
"We were talking about it Fermat." Alan said before he stood straighter and took to leaning against the door jamb. "Please tell me you're as sore as I feel."
"Y-Yes. I feel l-like my l-legs have a s-second heartbeat." Fermat said as he scooted back so that he was leaning back against the pillows and took to rubbing his legs. "T-the last t-time I felt l-like this, w-we had to d-do the s-school e-en-end-stamina r-run."
"I hated those stupid endurance runs and we still had to attend class the next day even if we could barely walk." Alan said, pinching the bridge of his nose as he recalled how not fun those endurance runs were and they were a bi-monthly thing. It didn't matter what the weather was like, Alan recalled they did one of those endurance runs just before Christmas and they'd all flocked to the gym when they thought it'd be an indoor run. They were severely disappointed to find that they'd be outside in the snow running.
"Yeah, b-but you don't h-have asthma." Fermat replied as he stretched.
"True, but coach expects me to make an example out of all the sprinters and runners on the team. I had to practically run ahead of the pack with coach hollering in that dumb megaphone. Remember?" Alan asked before muttering under his breath. "I thought my lungs were going to explode running that fast for so long."
"Go get dressed Alan, then after we're all dressed we'll all go on out for some pancakes." Jeff said as he stood to shoo Alan into the bathroom where he'd just placed a stack of fresh clothes for Alan to wear. Thankfully they lived in an age where it was acceptable for people to go out dressed in lounge wear, so it wouldn't be seen as unusual or out of the norm for Alan and Fermat to arrive at a restaurant with their family while dressed in pajamas.
"Okay, okay, I'm going." Alan replied with a cheeky grin.
TBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTB
Within the next hour, everyone including Lady Penelope and Parker had arrived at a local pancake house. Jeff and Brains escorted Fermat and Alan who were in the middle of the group to the table the hostess led them too. Once seated, Alan and Fermat both leaned over to Tin-Tin who was seated between them and proceeded to whisper with her.
"Have you all decided what you're having?" Grandma inquired as she looked across the table at the three teens.
"Not yet grandma." Alan replied softly before returning his attention to his previously discarded menu.
"Best be looking before I order something for you." Grandma said which made Alan bury his nose in the menu. He knew his grandma would order him something he didn't necessarily want, but it'd be hard to convince her otherwise if he wasn't actively looking through the menu and trying to decide on what to eat.
"Yes, ma'am." Alan replied as he made an honest effort to look for all the world like he was enthralled in the menu.
After several minutes of silence interspersed with conversation, everyone had decided on what they'd like for a meal. The server returned and she pulled a pen and a pad of paper from her apron pocket. "What can I get for you all?"
"Alan?" Jeff inquired after Alan fiddled with his fork and knife. "Why don't you start us off?"
"Can I get the pancake combo?" Alan asked as he looked up at the server.
"Sure, you can hon. And would you prefer bacon or sausage link?" The server inquired as she began jotting down Alan's answer of bacon. "And how would you like your eggs?"
"Over easy, please." Alan replied before he picked up his menu and reached out to hand it to the server. He wished he had missed it, but unfortunately he didn't miss the pitying look the server gave him when she saw the scars on Alan's hands.
The moment he saw the look on the server's face, Alan withdrew his hands and placed them in his lap. He didn't look around in embarrassment, feeling like the server had indirectly brought attention to Alan's burn scars. Fermat after a moment, did the same and it became clear to the family that both boys were withdrawing into themselves after the server left with everyone's orders.
"What's the matter boys?" Ruth inquired when it occurred to her the Alan and Fermat were acting out of sorts.
"Nothing, it's nothing." Alan said, keeping his hands in his lap and shrugging his shoulders as if to readjust his shirt so that it better covered his neck.
"Bull honky, what's the problem." Grandma asked, watching her grandson closely.
"The server was staring at their burns." Tin-Tin spoke up when everyone continued questioning Alan and Fermat about their unusual behavior. Both boys lowered their heads in shame at being found out so easily, but Lady Penelope stood up after a few moments.
"I'm heading to the powder room, I'll be right back." Lady Penelope said before she left the table and stepped away. She was not happy about finding out that those two boys were being made to feel shamed because they were caught in a fire. This was the first time they'd all gone out as a family and it incensed her to know that those boys who she saw as family were uncomfortable because the server was caught staring.
Lady Penelope bided her time until she spotted the same server that had taken their order and she tapped the young lady on the shoulder to gain her attention when she was within reach. When the server turned around, she smiled at Lady Penelope briefly before realizing that Lady Penelope wasn't smiling back.
"May I help you ma'am?" The server asked a little less politely than she had earlier.
"I don't rightly know if I'm being honest. But I'll tell you what you can do for me." Lady Penelope said before she gestured for the server to turn around and face the main dining area. "You see that group there? The one with eleven people seated around?"
"Yes, that's the table where those two scarred boys are seated." The server replied, not realizing that she was digging a hole for herself.
"That table exactly, and if you'll recall I am accompanying that group and I must say that I am appalled at your behavior just a few moments ago as well as just now. Those boys are my family and I don't take kindly to people such as yourself making them feel bad for their physical disfigurations. I consider myself as something akin to a mother type figure to both those boys and I don't take kindly to my boys being made to feel inferior or ashamed of their injuries. I'd greatly appreciate it if you'd go over and extend your apologies to my boys or I will be having a talk with your manager. They're out of the hospital and this is the first meal we've all had with them in a long while and I know I speak for everyone when I ask that you not cause any more disruptions." Lady Penelope said, watching the blood drain from the server's face at being made aware that she'd been caught staring and embarrassing Alan and Fermat.
"I'm sorry ma'am. I didn't mean to make them feel bad. I just noticed their injuries and couldn't understand how…" The server began to say before Lady Penelope interrupted.
"I wouldn't finish that thought if I were you, young lady. Just promise that you'll extend your apologies to my boys before we finish our meal or rest assured I will be talking with your manager."
"Yes ma'am." The server said before she hurriedly excused herself.
Satisfied, Lady Penelope returned to the table where a new server was delivering the plates of food including Lady Penelope's omelet. She seated herself and smiled at those gathered whom she considered family. Alan and Fermat took to toying with their food, making halfhearted attempts at finishing their meals. It wasn't until the end of their meal that the server who must have requested a different table approached them and addressed Alan and Fermat.
"I'm sorry for staring when I initially took your orders earlier. I didn't mean to make you feel bad. I realize now that I was wrong and I'm so sorry to you and your family for ruining your outing." The server said before she extended a hand to Alan and Fermat and giving them both a gift card. "Please accept this as an apology from this facility for my actions."
"Oh, um. Thank you. But I don't need a gift card." Alan said as he attempted to hand said gift card back.
"Please accept it, I feel awful for hurting your feelings and ruining your family's outing. I'd feel better knowing you received some compensation after my poor customer service." The server said hurriedly as she pushed the card back toward Alan. "A little birdie told me that my actions were uncalled for and it was brought to my attention how rude I was. You didn't deserve that."
"It's okay Alan." Jeff said, telling his son that it was okay for him to accept the gift card for later use. "Maybe sometime before you get to go home, you can treat your little friend to a breakfast date."
Alan blushed at that but he nodded. Turning to the server, Alan addressed her.
"Thank you for apologizing to us. I appreciate it." Alan said before he smiled. Fermat nodded silently, not desiring to speak in case the server noticed his stutter. "No hard feelings."
With their meal having come to an end after the server made her exit, the family stood after paying their bill. Jeff and Scott aided Alan with maneuvering around the table and chairs with his crutches. Scott pushed the chairs in to minimize Alan's chance to encounter hazards. Brains and Virgil aided Fermat with maneuvering his walker around the chairs as well. From there the family made their way out to the cars.
"I was thinking we could go back to the hotel and relax before taking Alan and Fermat back to the hospital. What does everyone think?" Jeff inquired before he climbed behind the wheel. "Parker and Lady Penelope said they needed to return to Britain, so they're returning to their hotel room."
"Can we go back also? I'm kinda tired." Alan asked as he looked at Fermat and Tin-Tin. It would be nice to spend time with their island friend without having to wait for the internet connection to buffer.
"S-Same." Fermat responded in kind with Alan's statement.
TBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTB
By the time they all returned to the hotel, Alan and Fermat could be described as using toothpicks as a means to keep their eyes open. Both boys were confused by the server's earlier actions, but they didn't let it bother them. They got a free twenty-five-dollar gift card each and both were taken by surprise. When they arrived at the hotel, Scott took it upon himself to escort the two younger boys upstairs. However, instead of taking them back to their father's room, they took the younger boys to their room and got them settled in their beds. Tin-Tin joined the boys after a few moments and they all talked softly amongst themselves about the server's earlier actions.
"Why do I have a feeling that Lady Penelope had something to do with the server issuing an apology?" Tin-Tin conjectured aloud to the brothers while Alan and Fermat slept soundly.
"What gives you that idea?" Virgil inquired as he picked up his sketchbook and proceeded to draw.
"Well, that Lady Penelope excused herself barely five minutes after I pointed out the reason behind Alan and Fermat's unusual behavior and she was gone longer than one would expect her to be…it was just kind of interesting that she excuses herself and then the server who was so rude to Alan and Fermat just happens to return to apologize and give them gift cards." Tin-Tin explained.
"Well, I suppose that's a plausible belief. I mean, the server didn't need to give them a gift card. An apology would have been fine." Gordon said as he sat with his back to his brothers on the floor while folding his clothes and replacing them in his suitcase. "Hey John? Is this your sock?"
Gordon held up the sock in question before having it snatched out of his hand. He turned to glance over his shoulder at who had taken it and caught his brother grinning bashfully.
"Uh, no…that's not one of my socks. I don't wear those mismatched atrocities." John said as he smirked at Virgil whom was grinning bashfully. "Virgil has those socks. Which I must ask, why do you have those? I thought you hated the mismatched socks."
"Alan got them for me as a gag gift, I wore them a while back when I went to visit Alan for one of his therapy appointments. It got a smile out of him when he saw me wearing them." Virgil explained before he grabbed the mate to the lone sock. They were obnoxiously colored, and one sock had multiple little sleeves with French fries in them while the other sock had a unicorn kitten flying over a rainbow. Virgil always commented how gaudy they were, but he had to admit that he treasured the socks Alan had gifted him. They hadn't meant anything or been for any occasion, Alan just gave them to him during one of his visits back home prior to the fire.
"Cute." Scott commented playfully, making every effort to embarrass his younger brother.
"Guys, ssh. They're sleeping." John said, noticing how Scott and Virgil who'd begun bickering had started to awaken the younger boys. Once they'd quieted, John turned to Tin-Tin. "Why don't we leave these boys to their sleep and go ask Lady P if she had something to do with the server's apology. If she hadn't I wonder what made that server change her mind. If she hadn't given an apology for her poor treatment of Alan and Fermat, I'd have contacted her manager and given them a talking to.
"That makes two of us. I thought that server was out of line by making them feel bad." Scott said, being brought back to the original conversation.
"I think all of us were irritated by the server's treatment of Alan and Fermat and hopefully she learns better." Virgil said, speaking up on the matter. "Let's go talk to Lady P."
With that, the group exited the room to go talk with Lady Penelope and Parker before they returned to the Lady's estates.
TBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTB
Lady Penelope surveyed her hotel room, checking that everything was packed away accordingly. She was preparing to summon Parker from his room to aid her in transporting her luggage to the car when there was a knock on the door. Glancing over her shoulder, Lady Penelope pondered over who was at her door. She soon found whom it was though when she opened the door to see the older Tracy boys and Tin-Tin standing outside her room.
"Hello, might I ask for the reason behind your impromptu visit?" Lady Penelope inquired as she permitted her unexpected guests to enter her room.
"We just wanted to ask a question before you return home." Tin-Tin prefaced before she stepped further in the room. "Hope you don't mind."
"No, I don't mind. Ask away." Lady Penelope granted before moving over to sit on the edge of her bed. She delicately tucked one ankle behind the other before gesturing to Tin-Tin to carry on.
"Did you say something to the server that stared at Alan and Fermat's scars and convince her to apologize?" Tin-Tin questioned, seeing that Lady Penelope's face didn't reflect anything regarding a valid answer before the aristocrat gave a gentle nod. "May I ask what you said to her?"
"I just warned her that I didn't take kindly to either of those boys being scrutinized when this was our first outing as they'd been in the hospital as of late and didn't deserve to be made fun of or harassed. I also told her that if she didn't apologize to them, I'd take the matter to her manager." Lady Penelope said before she smiled. "I consider you all to be closer than simple friends, you're all my family. Family protect their own."