The hospital stay had been no longer than two days, mostly because they wanted to get home. Virgil had collected what he could from the medical staff, determined to make sure his brothers followed their doctor's recommendations. Plenty of rest, physical therapy for the muscle and nerve trauma, and ideally some form of psychological treatment. For John, it would be six weeks of wearing a cast, followed by therapy. EOS could handle Thunderbird 5 in his absence.

Professor Moffat had been more than willing to join them on the island, unsure she could stay at her flat alone for a while. After some quick tidying, they had given her Alan's room, the youngest Tracy taking up residence with Gordon. To no one's surprise, he hadn't complained, the two of them near inseparable.

It wasn't until a few weeks later that the aquanaut sought out Virgil's attention while he was performing his usual maintenance to Thunderbird 2. Gordon hadn't announced his presence immediately, the medic only alerted by the subtle creak of the metal plating in the entryway. Even then, his brother stayed hidden in the shadows.

"Hey, Gordo." He gave his brother a quizzical look as he leaned against the door frame, tapping his wrench against his leg. "Everything alright?"

His eyes didn't meet Virgil's and the haunted look of post-nightmare was etched on his face. Fatigue was there too, the result of multiple evenings of interrupted sleep. "I uh -" His hand came up to wipe across his face. "I couldn't talk to Alan about this."

Virgil couldn't help but feel a sudden ache as amber eyes finally met his and he saw the tears barely held at bay. "Come here." His arms bundled the small form into a protective hug, wanting to take away his brother's fear and pain. The tears fell with the sobs, the medic guiding Gordon to one of the rear seats. As he settled the blonde into the chair, Virgil knelt down, forcing the distraught eyes to look into his concerned face. "What was it about this time?"

For a second, it seemed like he wasn't going to speak. His mouth would simply open and close, a tear following the earlier tracks. The words finally came out as a whisper. "I dreamt I -" He took in a shuddering breath. "I killed Dad."

The look that took over his little brother's face was heartbreaking and he felt his own tears beginning to develop. "Just a dream, kiddo." He caught one of the trembling hands.

"But I -" He turned away, unable to keep the eye contact any longer. "In that system… Virgil, I saw him. Twice, I knew it was Dad, but then…"

"The Hood created that world specifically to mess with you." He tried to keep the anger out of his voice as the contempt grew. "He could have programmed Dad in any situation."

Gordon's eyes had changed while he was talking, staring off as if remembering something. His words were calmer this time. "That's just it, he couldn't have… I'm not sure if it was my mind or - He helped me through some the roughest moments."

Virgil nodded, unsure of how to respond. He eventually decided to bring it back to the reason why his brother was down there to begin with. "So you had a dream about killing him?"

The aquanaut's face fell in his hands as the emotions returned. "There was a third time…" The words were muffled, but he heard them. "The Lich..."

The name sent a jolt through Virgil's gut, recalling the part of their story where Gordon was bit in half. The images he'd conjured up couldn't match what his brother had experienced. "What about it?"

"When we finally brought it down, it just… stared at me." His hand ran through his already ruffled hair. "I swear it had Dad's eyes... And then it called me -"

Virgil could see the distress rising again and he moved both hands to the blonde's shoulders. "Take it easy, it's alright. Nothing in that world was real."

Gordon was back to his feet, taking a few steps across the cockpit before spinning. "He called me 'son' just before he died! Not like he was calling out to some unknown character in the game, but to me. Me, Virgil! And now I have these nightmares that it's Dad laying there with my sword in his head!"

For what felt like a minute, neither of them moved, the only sound Gordon's shaky breaths. Virgil finally stepped forward, pulling his brother close. "You didn't kill Dad. You protected John. You kept that thing from hurting Alan and the professor. Dad would never hurt you." He pushed his brother back to look him in the eyes. "Whatever that thing was, it's gone now. Dad would be proud of you for what you all did. I know I am."

Gordon sniffled, wiping away the tears that wouldn't stop. If it weren't for the barely visible stubble, he would have looked about ten. He brought him back into a hug. There was a muffled 'Thanks' before he released him. "Come on, I'll take you back upstairs."

Looking a little less distraught, Gordon hesitated. "Couldn't I just stay down here and help you?"

"You really need to sleep, Gordo." An idea came to him he knew would be regretted later, but this was for his brother. He could handle a little teasing. "Plus I'm offering a one time only piggy-back ride, so…"

The slightest hint of amusement lit up the amber eyes. "Seriously?"

"Or I could just make you walk if you're not interested." Virgil smiled as the blonde didn't hesitate to take up the offered ride. Arms hugged his neck and as they headed out, he could feel the slightest tremors. The sudden urge to track down the Hood was only overcome by the contented sigh in his ear. Right now he would protect his little brothers from the dreams the villain had put there.

OoOoOoO

Alan couldn't remember spending this much quality time with John… ever. Even after telling his space-happy brother he wanted to be an astronaut too, they'd only spent a few weeks going over all the requirements and training he would need. Then it was back to his own training with dad. Now, they were coming to the end of week seven, the cast already long gone, and John was getting ready to head back up to '5. Alan could still see the hesitation behind his big brother's eyes as he announced his decision to leave. Although, it wasn't much for him to come down at least once a week. Alan had made him promise he would for at least the first month.

After their rescue, video games had been all but banished from the island. Although, his older brothers knew it would only be a matter of time before he was ready to play again. Maybe not those games, but there were others that wouldn't hold the same memories. John had made it his priority to help the blonde through it. They'd played board games, read books on quantum mechanics, given Brains more than enough ideas to upgrade their 'Birds, and basically just talked. Alan had appreciated the conversations the most.

Scott found him later, alone on the couch in the lounge. Alan had been typing on his tablet, lost in the conversation.

"Talking to your girlfriend again… PocketRocket?" Alan jumped from the closeness of his eldest brother's voice.

"She's not my girlfriend." The exasperation from having to repeat this fact was wearing on him.

"Sure." Scott smiled. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah." He moved over to make room for his brother to sit, leaning into him as he did. "She still wants us to keep her involvement a secret. Hacker stuff, I guess."

Scott nodded, giving his shoulder a light squeeze. "I can understand the need for secrecy. She has nothing to worry about from us."

They'd played it off as Brains and John using Mini-Max to send out the S.O.S., but when Alan had seen the playback of the message, he'd asked her about it. She'd started apologizing that she couldn't do more, but he had squashed the apology almost immediately. She'd saved them, there was no doubt about that. International Rescue was alive and together because of her.

OoOoOoO

It was late afternoon when Moffat found them sitting by the pool, their legs dangling into the clear water. They hadn't seen her yet, too engrossed in their own conversations. For a moment, she didn't move, not wanting to disturb them. Occasionally, she would catch one of them smiling and it sent a flutter through her chest. These were the moments she wanted to remember.

Adjusting her bag, Moffat moved past the lounge doors and onto the patio, raising her hand to shield her eyes from the sun. Gordon and Alan quickly turned, finally aware of her presence. They both gave her welcoming smiles until they noticed what she was carrying.

"You're leaving?" Alan was the first to ask. He couldn't hide the pout that betrayed how he was feeling about her decision. She could yell Gordon had already prepared for this inevitability by the soft smile he gave her in understanding.

"I need to get back to my research." Which was true. Her company had given her time off to cope with the events caused by the Hood, but she was finally feeling more like her old self. She was ready to get back to work.

Before the professor could react, she was surrounded by a sea of blonde hair, their arms wrapping tightly around her. She felt the tears begin to surface, blinking them back as she returned the embrace.

So much had changed between the trio. She'd be lying if she said she wouldn't miss them.

"You two stay safe, hear me?" Moffat knew she was asking a lot of the youngest members of International Rescue. Their lives were spent on the edge of a precipice. One wrong move could take them away from the world that needed them.

"We'll do our best." Gordon finally stepped back, pulling a reluctant Alan with him. "Promise to keep in touch?"

At this, she gave a light chuckle. "The only way I could convince Hiram to let me leave was if I called everyday."

They laughed, Gordon shaking his head. "Well, at least that'll keep him from freaking out more than he already has."

It wasn't that she didn't appreciate the attention from the engineer, but he'd been by her side almost every minute of the day. She was only alone right now because he was busy getting the pod ready to transport her to the new flat.

"We're really going to miss you." Alan's melancholy smile made her realize how close she'd truly grown to them. It was like leaving a pair of brothers she never knew she had.

The tears were threatening again and she had to pull the astronaut into another hug to prevent them from spilling over. "I'll miss you, too."

Moffat stepped back, arms open to accept an embrace from the elder blonde. "Thank you." There was no need for an explanation. He'd been through so much to keep them safe.

Footsteps in the lounge pulled their attention to the new occupant. Brains regarded them with a mix of relief and sadness poorly hidden behind his glasses. She hated that he'd been forced to witness everything they went through, unable to help.

"Time to go." Moffat gave them one last smile. "I'll call as soon as we land."

They were content with that, or she hoped they were as they nodded. Gordon gave her a wave as she turned to follow Brains. She caught the quick "bye" before Alan was pulled back towards the pool. She grinned, hearing the splash.

Yes, she would miss them, but they would all be just fine.

OooooOOOOooooO

Just one more chapter left! And the off to a new writing project! Thanks again to MadameWinter and TigreMalabarista for all their help!