As usual, I only own the characters I made up, please don't use them without my permission. Thanks!
Scott looked up as his father pulled up in front of the brownstone. "You sure he'll let me in?"
"He let me borrow his jeep to pick you up. That's something." Jeff smiled. "Relax Scott. John is fine."
"Sure he is." Scott muttered. It had been over a week since Scott had blown up at his brother. John hadn't been back to visit, claiming he was busy, but Scott knew better. Hope I haven't screwed things up even more. He sighed and waited until his father walked around the jeep and opened the door. He winced as he got out of the jeep, then slowly walked up the steps.
"Dead man walking." Jeff teased.
Scott merely glanced back and glared. "Shut up Dad."
Jeff laughed, but his smile faded as the door opened they saw John standing there, his arms folded across his chest, and an icy look in his blue eyes.
Scott gulped. "H-Hi John."
John nodded. "Scott." He said coldly. They stood there, staring for a long, uncomfortable moment, until John broke into a grin. "You going to stand out there all day, or are you coming in?"
Scott breathed a sigh of relief and they all went into the house. John gave his brother a careful hug. "How you feeling bro?"
"Better now that I'm out of the klink." He returned John's hug. "Scared me John-boy."
"Told you he was fine." Jeff said as he walked by them. "Where's Christa?"
"Upstairs in the shower." John replied, following his father into the kitchen.
"Then why is your hair wet, brother-mine?" Scott ruffled John's hair affectionately as John blushed red.
Jeff put his hands over his ears. "I'm not listening, I'm not listening!"
Christa walked in at that moment. "Not listening to what?"
Scott grinned. "Dad doesn't like knowing we have a sex life."
"You and who? From what I've heard John's the only one of you that has one right now. Unless you count Mr. T himself here. Penny someone, wasn't it John?" Christa breezed past them, totally missing the shell-shocked look on all their faces.
They were saved from further embarrassment, but the ringing of the phone. "I'll get it!" John bolted from the room.
"Why does he keep doing that?" Jeff asked.
Christa shook her head. "I have no idea, but it's starting to drive me a bit nuts."
Scott frowned in puzzlement. "What's going on?"
Jeff sighed. "John's been jumping at the phone for the last two weeks. He won't answer any questions about it, says he's just waiting for a call."
Scott shook his head. "Weird."
John walked back into the room, muttering to himself.
"Son? That the phone call you've been waiting for?" Jeff asked.
"Huh? Oh, no, no it wasn't." John sighed. "Look gang, I've got some work to do, I'll be up on the roof." He gave Christa a quick peck on the cheek and wandered out the door.
"Weird." Scott said again, shaking his head. "Want me to try and talk to him?"
"No!" Both Jeff and Christa said at the same time. Jeff sighed. "Don't Scott, he's just starting to open up again, and after what happened at the hospital last week..." Scott blushed and looked away. Jeff continued. "I think you should just leave it be."
Christa nodded. "I agree."
Scott looked towards where John had walked away, then grinned. "Well, at least we don't have to put up with his cooking tonight."
John stood leaning on the balcony, and watched the sun glinting off the Hancock Building. He sipped at the beer in his hand and sighed. I should have heard something by now, good or bad. It's been ten months and the announcement is always made this time of year. He sighed and took another pull from his bottle. Just wish I'd hear something...
Virgil sighed as he read the latest report on Thunderbird 5. He and Gordon had brought Brains and Fermat up two days ago, and the scientist had just faxed him the current information. He skimmed over the report and sighed. Well, looks like things are working fine up there. We can go back to our normal rotation as soon as Scott and Dad get back. Or as normal as things can be without John.
He had spoken to his father earlier in the day. Scott had been out of the hospital nearly a week and Jeff was making plans to go to London to be with Penny during the Hood's arraignment. I just wish things would just go back to the way they were.
Virgil glanced up at the mural on the wall of his father's office. His eyes rested on each of his brothers in turn, then he sighed again. "Que sera, sera. What will be, will be." He flipped on the computer and glanced through the headlines. Skimming through them he froze. "What the..." He back-tracked and stared at the screen, reading the article in its entirety. "Holy shit!" Virgil bolted to his feet flew out the door towards the lounge. "Gordon! Alan! Turn on the TV! You're not going to believe this!"
John dozed on the couch, the book in his hand resting on his chest. Christa sat at the other end, watching him and smiling to herself.
Scott walked in and shook his head. "He used to do that all the time as a kid. Any idea how many nights I took a book out of his hands?" He smiled fondly at the memory.
At that moment, the phone next to the couch rang. John's eyes snapped open as he jumped up and grabbed it. "Hello?...Yes, this is he...What?...No...Are you kidding me?...No fucking way! Sorry sir...When?...Yes, yes, I'll be there...Thanks!...We will!" John stared down at the phone in his hands.
"John? Who was it?" Scott asked.
John looked up, a dazed look on his face. Suddenly his face lost all color and his knees buckled as he fell back onto the couch.
"John!" Christa was at his side in an instant, taking the phone from his hands and hanging it up, then checking his pulse. "John, what's wrong? Is it a headache again?"
John merely looked up at her, his mouth opening, but no words coming out. Christa looked up at Scott. "Get your father. Now."
Scott nodded and bolted from the room, hollering for Jeff as he left.
"Honey, you're scaring me. Say something." Christa pleaded to John.
Moments later, Jeff and Scott came rushing in. "What happened?" Jeff demanded, kneeling at his son's side.
Christa shook her head. "I'm not sure. He got a phone call then this."
Jeff frowned. "John, answer me."
John blinked a few times then shook his head. "Dad...Christa..."
"Who was on the phone son?"
"My—my professor, from MIT. He...he said..." John stammered.
Scott placed his good hand on his brother's shoulder. "Easy John-boy. What's wrong?"
"Nothing." To their surprise, John broke into a grin, his blue eyes filling with tears. "Nothing's wrong. I won." He said hoarsely.
"Won what?" Christa asked, her face a mask of confusion.
Instead of answering, he got to his feet, lifting Christa in his arms and twirling her around the room. "I won!"
Jeff shot Scott a look of concern. Scott shrugged, just as baffled as everyone else in the room. "John, what did you win?" Jeff asked.
John put Christa down and grabbed Scott next, placing a smacking kiss on his brother's cheek. He then moved to Jeff and did the same. "Get dressed all of you, we're going to The Season's for dinner."
Christa shook her head. "We'll never get reservations there. Not tonight anyway." She frowned. "Are you sure you're alright?"
John merely grinned. "Honey, I've never been better! And when they find out that the new Nobel Prize winner in Physics wants to dine there, bet they'll manage to find us a table."
They all stared at him in stunned silence. The phone rang again and John picked it up. "Hello...Virgil!...Yeah I just got the call!...Thanks!...It's already on the news?" John quickly turned on the television. "No they're right here." He eyed his father and brother with a wide grin. "They're still a bit shell shocked at the moment." John laughed. "Thanks Virg...I'll call you later...Yes, Alan I'll fill you in soon, let me tell Dad first...Bye." He hung up and turned back to his family.
Jeff finally found his voice. "John, what's this about a Nobel Prize?"
John beamed. "I won. Wait here." He rushed from the room, and they could hear him pounding up the stairs.
"Dad? Did you know anything about this?" Scott asked.
Jeff shook his head. "I'm as much in the dark as you are."
Christa merely sat down and started surfing through the channels, trying to find a news station. "This is crazy..."
John returned a moment later. "Here, read this." He thrust a folder into his father's hand.
Jeff opened it and began reading the contents. A few minutes later, he sat down on the couch and placed the folder on the coffee table. "My God...John!"
John grinned. "I called it the Tracy Quasar. It's mine...ours."
"A quasar, I don't understand..." Jeff shook his head.
John sighed. "A quasar is s class of celestial—"
Jeff interrupted him. "I know what a quasar is John. What I don't understand is how you found it."
"And how that snowballed into a Nobel Prize!" Scott added, joining his father on the couch and leafing through the folder.
Christa continued surfing through the TV channels. "Yeah honey, tell us!"
"Well, I first found it while I was on...at work." He glanced from Christa to his father. "Then I confirmed it when I was earthsi—back in the states."
Scott frowned, then he looked up. "Your trips to Hawaii and California!"
John nodded. "Went to the two observatories in Hawaii and Spitzer at Caltech, then finished up at Kitt Peak in Tucson." John grinned. "Sent my data to Andrew Patterson, my old professor at MIT, for verification. He's the one who submitted me. Apparently he's on the committee. I didn't know until a few months ago."
Jeff shook his head. "Why didn't you tell us John?"
"I don't know. I guess in all the excitement, I forgot to mention it."
Christa interrupted them. "Shh! Here it is!"
"The Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm announced the winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics today. John G. Tracy of the United States was awarded the honor for his discovery of the Tracy Quasar system. Mr. Tracy holds degrees in math, astronomy and physics, and was a former astronaut with NASA. The official ceremony and presentation of the Prize, will take place on December 10th in Stockholm."
"Told you." John's grin spread from ear to ear. "Now get dressed! I thought I said we were going out!"
Christa jumped up into his arms, tears pouring down her cheeks. "I'm so proud of you!" She pulled his head down and kissed him full on the mouth.
"Ahem." Scott grinned as John looked up blushing. "Want us to leave you two alone?"
"Not now, but definitely later." She placed another kiss on John's lips. "I'll be ready in fifteen minutes." She hurried from the room.
Scott raised an eyebrow at his brother and smirked. "Hey John—"
"Shut up and go get ready Scott." John muttered, still blushing.
Scott laughed and followed Christa out of the room. A moment later they heard him call out. "Hey Lynch! Wanna help me out when you're done? Can't do the damn buttons on my shirt one handed!"
Jeff shook his head. "His shoulder isn't that bad anymore, and if it was, you or I could help him."
"Yeah, but why ask us when there's a pretty girl in the house?" John grinned. A moment later, his smile faded. "Dad, what do you really think?"
Jeff looked up and met his second son's eyes frankly. "What do I think?" He walked over and placed his hands on John's shoulders. "Nobel Prize not withstanding, your discovery is extraordinary. You found a whole new...galaxy! I am so unbelievably proud of you."
John's eyes were bright with tears. "Dad..."
"And you named it for us, not for you. John, how could I not be proud." Jeff pulled him close. "I love you son."
John buried his head against his father's chest. "I love you too Dad." He whispered hoarsely.
When Jeff pulled back a few minutes later, his cheeks were wet with tears. He laughed as he saw John wiping at his own cheeks. "Look at us. Pair of blubbering idiots."
John grinned. "Idiots? You maybe, I have a Nobel Prize." He said haughtily.
Jeff laughed. "Brat! C'mon, let's get dressed." He draped an arm across John's shoulders. "You know, that prize comes with a million dollars."
"Yeah, so? Worried I'll spend it all in once place?" John teased.
Jeff's brown eyes twinkled mischievously. "Nope, just reminding you who's paying for dinner."