Silent Tears
By Puzzler
Disclaimer – Thunderbirds is owned by Gerry Anderson and Working Title Films. I'm only borrowing them for fun.
Summary – After the death of their mother, the lives of the Tracy brothers change dramatically. How did they get through this traumatic time, and become the family of heroes we now know? Slightly AU.
A/N – I am writing this AGAIN to avoid any more reviews saying 'Scott is the oldest' – they are getting a little annoying, and some people obviously didn't read the note last time.
I KNOW that in the puppet series, Scott is definitely the oldest, and I have already written another story based on that (Accidents). However, this story is based on the movie and I have read two official books on the movie and they couldn't agree on the order of the brother's ages. I think John 'acts' older than Scott in the movie, so in my story, John IS older.
I'm sorry if that annoys you, but that is what I am using for my story.
A/N 2 – Here you go, next chapter up! Thank you for all the reviews (even if some of them were not particularly helpful). I will warn you that the next few chapters are understandably not very 'happy', but please bear with me. ENJOY!
Silent TearsChapter 2 – Chaos
"Dad! Dad!" Jeff looked from where he was just helping his younger sons finish their snowman to see Scott running up towards him. Scott skidded to a stop beside him. "Dad, you've got to come. There's been an accident. There were loads of people on stretchers and…"
"Scott, please. Slow down." Jeff pulled him away from the others. "Now, tell me what happened."
"I…I had gone to the café to meet up with one of my friends, when one of the managers came in and told everyone to leave as they needed the room for the injured. When we left I saw dozens of paramedics coming, carrying stretchers." Scott looked up at his father again. "Whatever happened, it was bad."
"Alright. Scott, stay here and look after your brothers. I'm going to see if I can help in any way with the injured."
"But dad…"
"I need you here Scott." Jeff interrupted sharply, before seeing the slightly lost look on Scott's face. "I know you can do this for me. Just…get them inside somehow. I shouldn't be too long." Jeff quickly strode off in the direction Scott had come from. Scott watched him go. He didn't know why, but something felt very wrong.
He noticed Virgil watching him curiously, before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. "Virgil, Gordon, Alan. Let's say we go inside and watch a film. Dad's had to go somewhere for a while."
"What film Scott?" Alan asked, now completely covered in one of Virgil's scarves, which was far too big for him, to avoid him catching a cold.
"You can choose."
FABFAB
As soon as Jeff walked into the communal dining area, he was hit by barely controlled chaos. Voices were shouting orders from all directions, and all the tables had been taken over by medical supplies or the injured.
"I'm sorry sir, but we're in the middle of a crisis here. I suggest you go back to your cabin." One of the resort staff said as she passed, carrying several thermal blankets.
"I'm here to help. What can I do?"
"Volunteers are always welcome. Do you have any sort of medical training?"
"Advanced first aid training."
"Then you can help out treating some of the minor injuries. Most of the doctors and paramedics on site are busy treating those more seriously injured. Go through into the next room on the left." She quickly walked off, handing someone else the blankets when she reached the other side of the room.
Jeff walked through a second set of double doors to the next room. It was quieter and less crowded in here, with several young children.
"Can I help?" Jeff asked one of only two medical personnel in the room. The other was trying to calm a very agitated 7-year-old.
"Sure. Here." She handed him a first aid kit.
Jeff started treating an older woman with a broken wrist, which she had gotten when she fell. "What happened here anyway?" Jeff asked as he finished tying off the bandage.
"There was an avalanche." The doctor answered simply. Jeff looked up, surprised.
"I thought there were systems in place to prevent, or at least detect possible avalanches and give advance warning."
"Supposedly, but they didn't work today." The doctor turned back to what she was doing. "I'm just glad it didn't happen during the busier time of the day, or there could have been a lot more casualties. The ski slope would have been far more crowded."
Jeff's face turned from concern to horror. "It was on the ski slope?"
The doctor looked up again, noticing the change in Jeff's voice. "Yes, why?"
There was silence between them. The doctor quickly realised that something was wrong. "Someone you knew was on the slope today, weren't they?"
"My wife and son." Jeff answered, not really paying much attention. He was lost in the memory of seeing them walking off together, Lucille carrying her skis. The doctor hesitated for a moment, before standing up and gently pulling Jeff to his feet.
"Go and find out where they are. You need to." Jeff looked as if he was going to object. "No, please go. I know you want to help but you will not do anyone any good if you stay here worrying about them."
"Alright. Thank you."
"The relatives' area is the other side of the main hall. I really hope you find them." Jeff walked out of the room to find the rest of his family.
FABFAB
"Scott, where's mum?" Alan whined when they had finished watching 'The Lion King'. They had started watching it two days before when Jeff had taken Lucille out for a surprise romantic dinner, leaving John and Scott in charge at the cabin, but Alan had fallen asleep partway through. Alan had now insisted that they finish it. Virgil and Gordon had gotten bored quickly and gone into their bedroom to play something.
"I'm sure she'll be back soon. She's probably just helping out with dad."
"But I'm bored. I want mum!" Alan shouted, trying to get away from Scott and towards the door.
"Alan, please…" Scott tried to calm his frantic brother down, and failed dismally. "Virgil, Gordon, some help here" he called into the next room.
"What is it Scott?" Gordon asked, before Alan finally freed himself from Scott, who was doing his best not to hurt his little brother, and made a dash for the door, which was locked, just as Jeff had insisted whenever the children were alone. "Hey, calm down Alan. What's the matter?"
"I want mum!"
"She'll be back in a minute." Virgil answered quickly. Alan looked ready to argue again, and a smile crept onto Virgil's face as he knelt down next to him. "Are you hungry? I think mum put some chocolate biscuits in the cupboard…"
"Cocolate!" Alan cried happily, following Virgil into the kitchen area, his previous argument completely forgotten.
"That works every time." Scott said conspiratorially to Gordon, who smiled.
FABFAB
"Excuse me sir, this area is for families only…" A young, blonde orderly said as Jeff came in the door. She stopped at the slightly distraught look on his face.
"I'm looking for my wife and son."
"Of course. Your name?" she asked, looking down at the list of names on her clipboard.
"Jeff Tracy."
"As in Tracy Industries?" she looked up again, surprised.
"Yes."
"I haven't got any Tracy's on this list, so it's likely that they're in one of the other rooms. If you stay here, I'll see what I can find out."
"Thank you."
Jeff moved towards the seating area while the orderly walked back out the door. She enquired in several rooms before moving into another waiting room.
"Please, I have to go." A voice cried desperately from the far corner of the crowded room, where someone was fighting to escape one of the volunteer first-aiders.
"Young man, you have suffered a serious shock and have slight hypothermia. You should try and take it easy…"
"No! I have to find my father and brothers, they don't know what's happened…" Silent tears continued to stream down John's face as he collapsed back into his chair, drained. The orderly used this lull to get into the conversation.
"Excuse me, are you Mr Tracy?" She asked John.
"Yes."
"My name is Jenni Alnor, I've been trying to help locate missing family members. Your father is here. He is looking for you." She had barely finished her sentence before John was back on his feet again.
"I have to go to him, please." John almost begged the first-aider still trying to hold him back.
The first-aider hesitated a moment before letting go "Alright, I can't stop you now. But please take it easy for a while." John nodded slightly, then turned to Jenni, his eyes almost demanding her to show him the way.
FABFAB
"What did you find?" Jeff asked as soon as Jenni walked through the door, with John slightly behind her. As he had got closer, John began to feel nervous about facing his father: he would have to be the one to tell him what had happened.
Jenni didn't answer, and merely moved out of the way so father and son could have some time alone.
"John, thank goodness, I feared the worst." Jeff exclaimed as he engulfed his eldest son in a hug, not noticing the tears on his face. His relief quickly faded to dread when he realised who wasn't there. "Where's your mother?" he asked, afraid to hear the answer.
John buried his head against Jeff's shoulder, his words muffled. "She…she was caught in the avalanche." He said amid tears. "She's gone."
TBC…