Ooooh, what lovely reviews! Thank you so much!

Aaah yes, Tunnels Of Time. A fanfic writer's dream. Angry!Scott, all that drama, Angry!Scott, all that angst, and... oooh, did I mention Angry!Scott too? :o)

Now, this is where my plot bunnies had a bit of a... well, bunny fight on how this second chapter should go. One wanted me to stick with my original idea, while the other kept nagging me to try a different one. With thankfully little damage to both, here's what I finally decided to go with.

You'll also notice that it's rather longer than the first - closer to the length that I normally write. Then again, an awful lot happens within it. I think my winning bunny went a bit mad on the carrots :o)

Having said that, the story will run to four chapters. I thought it would be nice to use each of the virtues that I mentioned in my first author note to title each one.

So, Scott has some unexpected company, and isn't too happy about it. But which brother is it? Well, he has brown eyes, so that narrows it down to two, right?

Enjoy!

Fire And Ice

Chapter Two - Prudence

"What the hell are you doing here?!"

The words were barely out of Scott's mouth before he regretted them. Damn it, the brother who still stared down at him, in such surprise, and concern, and now puzzled hurt, was the last person in the world who deserved the annoyance within them.

'For God's sake, you idiot, calm down... what the hell's wrong with you?'

Through the apology of a sheepish grin, more words quickly masked the chaos of his thoughts.

"Sorry, you... uh, just startled me. Thought you'd gone to bed."

To his relief, Gordon just grinned as he sat down on the edge of the pool, and playfully splashed his face with his foot.

"Nah. Thought about it, but then saw that sky up there, and... well, just felt like a dip."

"Yeah, me too," Scott nodded, levering himself up to sit beside his brother, then following his eyes up to the same part of the sky.

She was almost directly over them now, glowing even brighter than before - as if trying to shelter them both under her light. It was a poignantly comforting thought that made Scott smile one moment, then sigh and lower his head the next.

'Oh, mom... if you just knew how much I needed you today.'

Glancing back at him, Gordon's eyes narrowed. His famous 'Squid Sense' wasn't just tingling now, it had ramped up to full alert. He knew something was wrong with his eldest brother. Something that Scott wasn't ready, or willing, to discuss, but that had worried Virgil enough to go into Smother Brother Two mode.

Back at the site, he'd watched Scott like a humanised hawk. Saying nothing, but letting the concern in his eyes speak for itself. And even through the hugs of relief when he'd finally reached the surface, Gordon had still felt the simmering tension between them.

The same tension that had just made his brother inexplicably snap his head off.

Then again, his own intuition had put most of the puzzle together already. Throughout their time with him, Professor Harold had been more interested in what they'd found in that tomb than their safety. All he'd cared about was its wealth of treasures, and - uh oh. If he'd pulled that on Scott, even just hinted at it, then... yes, all hell must have let loose.

The thought almost - almost - made him smile. While his brother's temper had no doubt raged above it, being stuck in that tomb had probably been the safest place to be. But as he studied that brother's face, sensed the emotions that were churning within him - no, Gordon didn't feel like smiling at all.

Instead, he edged himself closer to him until their shoulders touched. That was all, he didn't say, or do, anything more. Just let this simple contact between them offer reassurance at the same time as he tried to find it himself. From the merest hint of a smile, he knew how much it was appreciated.

Still not quite ready to talk about it, though. Well, that was okay. He wasn't quite ready to do that either. He had his own thoughts to try and sort out first. As time to reflect on it had so dishearteningly reminded him, he really hadn't had the best of days. In Parker's eyes, he came way down the list of who to call for help. His own grandmother came above him, for Pete's sake, and as for Lady Penelope - jeez, where to start with that?

'...God, what an idiot I made of myself. What must she think of me?'

No, right now, there wasn't a hole on Earth that was big enough to open up beneath him, and -

"You sure you're okay?"

- yeah, even if such a chasm existed, he could be sure his big brother would be there to haul him out of it.

The smile made it onto his face this time, widening as he felt Scott's arm slide around his shoulders. The tension in his eyes had all but gone now, replaced by the warmth that could reach right into your soul, and make you feel as if you were the most precious thing on the planet.

"Yeah, Scott, I'm fine. Really, I'm fine."

Oooops. Wrong thing to say.

An eyebrow rose, and Gordon knew all too well what it meant. The same gentleness in his brother's eyes was also too damn good at ferreting out anything that you were trying to hide. No secret in the world was safe from Scott Tracy.

So now it was Gordon's turn to sigh, take a deep breath - and softly confide an absolute doozie.

"Scott, I've - I've really messed up with Lady Penelope. Back in that pyramid, I - I did something really, really dumb."

Both brows rose now, into a familiar look of puzzled concern. And Gordon could easily imagine the thoughts that were running through his brother's mind.

'Oh, jeez, Gordon... being stuck in a damn tomb was no place for pranking our London agent.'

But then his brother's eyes changed again. Took on an equally familiar softness, as if Scott already knew what he'd meant all along. And when he smiled, Gordon took that as his cue to explain himself - too grateful for the relief it brought him to notice the further range of expressions that flew in turn over his brother's face

"I mean, the pyramid was falling in around us, and we were stuck on this statue, with no way out... and we'd lost the cable cam, so I didn't know if you and Virgil still knew where we were, so... well, I took her hand, and started to tell her how I feel about her, you know, and... then when we were safe, I said how it couldn't work, you know, with me, and her, and -"

Halfway through this tumble of words, Gordon finally noticed how wide the eyes in front of him had become - and he instantly skidded to a scandalized halt.

"Oh, no! Aww, jeez, Scott, you - you know this already, don't you? She told you herself... that's why you were so mad at me just now!"

As his brother continued to stare at him, Gordon shot an assessing glance towards the pool. Yeah, maybe he should just dive into it now, before Scott did the honours himself, and - oookkaay. Maybe not.

"No, Gordon, she didn't tell me anything about that. What she did say was how well you handled yourself down there. You kept calm, and focussed, and refused to give up trying to get you all to safety, and... okay, close your mouth, Gords, before you swallow a fly."

Duly doing as told, Gordon then frowned as he tried to work out why his brother was smiling back at him like that. Not just in amusement, but a pride that had thrown him for a total loop. A pride that he really didn't think he deserved, but would still happily accept.

"She - She did?"

To his surprise, the smile on Scott's face didn't disappear, it actually widened. But it held a different message for him now. None of the teasing that he'd expected, but more of that gentle understanding he'd seen before. As if his brother knew exactly what he was feeling, and sympathised with all the emotions it had stirred within him.

"You thought you were going to die, Gordon," he said at last, giving his brother a gently rallying hug. "Believe me, you're not the first one who's faced that situation, and done or said exactly the same thing. And I doubt you'll be the last."

There was something else in his brother's eyes now, betraying a memory that slipped away before he could share it. A pained regret that still revealed itself in what he said next.

"And no, Gordon... no, you're not the one I'm mad at. I'm mad at myself, for losing my head while you went through hell and back to keep yours."

Now it was Gordon's turn to stare, his eyes widening as realization combined once more with that famous intuition.

"You mean the Professor? Yeah, he kinda bugged me too, he seemed more interested in the gold deposits I'd found than getting us out of there."

"Yeah, tell me about it," Scott sighed, running his hand through his hair, leaving it even more tousled than before. Its dampness, and a sudden change in the wind, reminded him how late it was. How warm and comfy his bed would feel to him now, and that his brother would surely be ready to get some rest too. As the tiredness on his face conveyed, he'd had one hell of a day.

Knocking just a bit too loudly at death's door? Yeah, Scott thought ruefully, been there. Done that. Have a lifetime of scars to prove it. And the pain of unrequited love? Yep, still had the scars for that too. So when he heard Gordon's voice again, still so full of that last part's uncertainty, it was all he could do not to wince in empathy.

"So you think Lady Penelope will still be okay with me, Scott? I mean, you know... after what I said to her, and how we both misunderstood it?"

Yeah, the poor kid had it bad, all right, and Scott couldn't help but smile at another bittersweet memory. Time to do what big brothers who'd been there too did best.

"Tell you what, first thing in the morning, call her on your private comm-line," he said at last, tightening his arm around Gordon's shoulders into a proper, big brother hug. "I'm sure you'll find she'll be fine. In fact, I think she'll be really happy to hear from you. Like I said before, she was really proud of you today. And even if it's a bit late coming, so am I."

As he'd hoped, the smile that had slipped from his brother's face instantly re-appeared, the amber brown eyes brightening with grateful relief. Cautious hope.

"You - You think so, Scott? You don't think this will affect us working together?"

Ah, the timeless joys of being a big brother. And Scott Tracy wouldn't trade that honouring role for anything in the world.

"No, I don't think it'll change anything that way at all, Gords," he grinned, rising to his feet, and hugging his brother against him as soon as Gordon did the same. "In fact, I think it'll help make you into the same unbeatable team that you made today."

"Yeah, it... uh, sure had its moments," Gordon agreed, frowning slightly as they started to walk back towards the villa. While he felt so much better now, he couldn't help but wonder if the same went for his brother. And as soon as that question slipped into his mind, Gordon knew he wouldn't settle to sleep until he'd asked it, and Scott answered it.

"So, uh... you gonna be okay now too?"

The smile that grew over his brother's face was answer enough. But Gordon still gladly accepted the hug, and ruffled hair, and the soft kiss on top of it that followed.

"Yeah, Squid, I'm gonna be fine. Now, get to bed, I'll see you in the morning."

Several hugs later, Scott watched his brother head in happier strides towards his room - safe in the knowledge that he'd sleep through the healing hope of dreams.

And him? Well, yes, hopefully he'd do the same too. First, though, he had to make one last, long overdue call. And before that, he had to make a poignantly special goodnight.

Glancing over his shoulder, he smiled up at the softening glow above him - and whispered the same words that he said to her, without fail, every night.

"Love you, mom. Still miss you, so much. But if you sleep well tonight, then I will too."