Wow. I can't believe it. All done, for now at least. And your reviews are what got me through it. I will have my Gordon one-shot, a song fic, up in a couple of days, then I have some more stories to work on. I have all these ideas and even phrases in my head. It is like the boys are talking to me. Either that or I am going insane. In any case, hope you join me for the ride.

Epilogue

"I can't believe your Dad is OK with this." Kate whispered to her husband from the front seat of the seat of their rental car. Peaking over her shoulder to her in-laws in the back seat, she couldn't help but smile. Jeff didn't seem to want to let Alan to leave his side, as if he could make sure nothing bad could ever happen to his youngest again. Alan and Jeff were ensconced in the back of the car, talking quietly. While upset, Alan was much calmer than after his abduction. Whether it was because he wasn't held as long or because Mitchell was dead, no one was sure, not even Alan.

Kate and Scott had decided they wanted to tell their fathers – and Kate's mother – together. So when Kate suggested breaking up the return flight home by stopping in Los Angeles to see her parents (she swore her father was spending more time in California than Washington these days), Jeff had agreed. But when her father told her that on that day, all of the Eppes were going to be at a family housewarming at her cousin Edward's new Malibu Beach House, Kate felt stymied. There would be the other three Tracy brothers to think of. When Edward called her to ask if anything was wrong, Kate hemmed and hawed, so Edward said to just bring all the Tracys with her, Kate was shocked when Jeff said OK. The brothers would meet up with them in Los Angeles.

Scott looked thoughtful. "I think he wants to thank you for saving Alan, so he wants you to have this time with your family. And he knows the boys have been frantic to see that Alan is really OK, and it would be cruel to make them wait. Let's just hope nobody needs rescued for a day." Kate chuckled when Scott continued, "I can't wait to see the look on their faces."

TBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTB

Don Eppes stood at the edge of the patio of his nephew's new house. His brother Charlie came up beside him. "She'll be here soon Don. Take it easy."

With the exception of Lisa MacKenzie's funeral, this would be the first time Don was seeing his daughter in months. Well, he had seen her six weeks ago, but that was not as his daughter, now was it? And then there was that whole mess in Manhattan. Kate had told her parents she hadn't been shot, but had strained her left shoulder. And Alan would be fine. Don was relieved as he knew how fond Kate was of her youngest brother-in-law.

Jeff Tracy had flown into the Johnny Carson Airport in Malibu, while his other sons had flown into LAX. Yet somehow, Don noted with humor, they were pulling up to the house at the same time, even coming from different directions. Charlie began to laugh softly. At Don's puzzled look, his younger brother pointed out what kind of rental cars the Tracys had selected. One was a convertible, one wasn't, but they were the same model – Ford Thunderbirds.

TBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTB

The way the Tracys had merged with the Eppes had definitely improved since the wedding, Kate mused. It helped that her brothers seemed to have let go of their issues. She was unsure if their news would create or dispel the last of those issues.

Kate and Scott had repeatedly tried to get their entire families' attention. They wanted to only say this once. But Cousin Maggie had cornered Jeff about "snatching away promising public employees for private industry"; Don was debating with his sons and Gordon about a variety of sports subjects; Aunt Amita, Ben's wife and Kate's mother were trying to get Uncle Charlie to rest more; Cousin Edward and Virgil were discussing the beach erosion issues; and somehow, John had gotten wrangled into helping Cousin Ben and Maggie's husband with their kids. Alan looked at the crowd, then at Kate and Scott. He quickly determined their problem and solved it in typical Alan Tracy fashion.

"Hey, Kate, when were you and Scott going to tell everyone about the baby?"

Alan's raised voice had carried above the din. A din which seemed to abruptly die out as everyone in the room turned to Alan first, and then looked at Scott and Kate.

Don and Jeff both approached the couple. Jeff smiled, then pulled both of them into a hug. Don just stared until Kate looked at him and softly said "You OK with this Dad?"

Laying gentle hands on the sides of his daughter's face, Don Eppes now understood the look on his late father's face when Charlie had told him about Maggie. A first grandchild and it was from his baby. Kissing his daughter softly, he smiled. "My baby is having a baby. Of course I am OK. I'm gonna be a Grandpa."

"Hey Dad," Virgil laughed. "You get to be Grandpa, too!" Jeff looked torn between annoyance and happiness.

Jeff hugged Kate again, while reaching out and touching Scott's arm. "Your mom would have been so happy." Scott smiled, "I think she knows, Dad, I think she knows."

A smug Alan stood nearby. "You look proud of yourself Sprout." John cracked, before frowning. "Hey, how did you know?"

Alan smiled. "How do you think they got me to wake up? They told me I wasn't going to be the baby anymore."

Charlie smiled at the – currently – youngest Tracy. "Hate to tell you Alan, but as far as Don is concerned, I am still the baby. And we still consider Kate the baby of her generation. So you will always be the baby." Alan looked around and saw that they were serious. "Great," he groused.

Kate laughed and hugged Alan. "Welcome to the club Alan." Hugging her uncle as well, she smiled at her brother-in-law. "We babies have to stick together."

Alan smiled at his sister-in-law. Kate's mother had begun to pepper her daughter with questions. When she asked when her daughter how far along she was, Kate and Scott almost laughed when the Tracys did the math and figured out just when and where the first Tracy grandchild was conceived. They had trouble deciding who was more dismayed – Jeff or John. As Charlie and Don realized where Kate was at the time, Don joined in the surprise, while Charlie was hard pressed not to laugh.

Kate felt the happiness throughout the room, everything was perfect. She finally felt she had been accepted as a Thunderbird. Now she was bringing the happiest change of all to the Tracys – a new generation.

fin