Disclaimer - Ah,to disclaim yet again, seems like a waste of time. But we do it yet again, even as it rots our mind.
OK, remind me never to post at the same time a Harry Potter book is released. It took until Sunday for most people to notice the new chapters. Well, it gave me time to polish this - thanks Sam1 for the feedback. I adore you for it!
Chapter 11 – Coming Home to Emily
John Tracy was anxious. He had never been so happy to see one of his brother's pilot Thunderbird Three up to Thunderbird Five for his week down rotation. As often as Gordon had flown Three, you think he could dock a little faster. In truth a routine docking of Three to Five ran approximately 11 minutes, start to finish. If Dad ever caught them trying to pare down the time without a life or death reason, you would be wishing you had stayed in space. The fact that John was looking forward to seeing Emily would not count.
Gordon wondered if he could delay opening the hatch, any longer. If he waited too long, he began to suspect that John would cheerfully tear the door off. John was usually the calmest, most relaxed, and slowest to anger Tracy brother. Previously, he had always been glad to be relieved for his week down, but now there was Emily to go home to. Gordon wondered how it would have felt to have Lisa back home waiting for him. Both women had been blond with blue eyes, but there the resemblance ceased. Lisa had looked like an ad for the California Beach Girl, while Emily resembled a Dresden porcelain doll that his grandmother had owned. Even the increased color Emily had picked up seemed to only add to her delicate appearance. Not that Em was in truth delicate – Gordon still remembered with awe her work at the cave-in. Covered in muck, mud and blood, no one had needed a shower as badly as Emily after. But he had to remember not to tell her that again. Emily's tongue could be as sharp as her scalpel.
When the hatch finally opened and Gordon entered the space station, John was pure professionalism. Gordon, prankster that he was, couldn't resist repeatedly asking the same questions, or making up some rather dumb ones. Sensing John's patience growing very thin, Gordon finally took mercy on the newlywed and sent him on his way.
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Making the final approach to Tracy Island, John began the preparations that would nestle Thunderbird Three back in its silo beneath the library. He had to admit, his Dad had style. One came out of the lower pool, Two from the side of an extinct volcano and Three's launch site was under the library, a circular building that split apart whenever the 'Bird went up or returned. While usually, the transfer had a co-pilot, there had been a rescue just before Gordon was due to leave. Kate had passed the physical, so Tin-Tin was running Command back on the Island and her mother was watching baby Jason. John suspected that Scott would have his wife running Field Command, easing back into field work. He knew that Emily was on the mission as well – an oil field fire in Saudi Arabia – as casualties had been confirmed.
John frowned slightly at this, his wife's second rescue. When Jeff Tracy had proposed recruiting Dr. Emily Haas for International Rescue, John had thought she would simply come when called for serious injuries. Then John had married her and he thought that it would be great for Emily to be actually on hand, since the Tracys tended to understate injuries or illnesses. The idea of his wife as a Thunderbird was frightening to John. It was bad enough that he had to worry about his father and brothers, but now his wife was in on rescues? They would have to discuss this later.
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Emily Tracy was tired, but it was a good tired. Civilian rescue personnel at the scene had been thrilled that the Thunderbirds had brought a doctor along. Emily had been able to set up near Field Command again and knew from the injuries of the oil workers that at least eight of the men would have died if not given advanced care at the scene. She also knew that there were few missions that it would make sense for a physician to go along on. In most cases, basic EMTs, either from one of the team or civilians, would be sufficient until they could be taken to a hospital. And Emily did have to be at the clinic at least two days a week. But the work she had contributed to International Rescue thrilled her; she hoped John was as proud of her as Jeff kept saying he was.
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John had thought that his wife would be on Thunderbird Two. He had gone to that 'Birds silo to wait for her. But somehow Kate had convinced her husband to let her fly One back by herself and she had taken Emily with her. By the time John had found this out – via his brother Virgil – Emily had already gone back to their room to shower and change. John left Jeff and Virgil to secure Thunderbird Two while Scott went to check and make sure his wife hadn't scratched the paint on Thunderbird One.
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Emily was just finishing up her shower when John walked in. Well, here was something he hadn't known, Emily sang in the shower. Or at least when she took showers alone she did. While Emily would never fill a stadium, her voice was pleasant and made him smile as she sang an old song he could recall his parents dancing to.
At last, my love has come along
My lonely days are over
And life is like a song
Oh, yeah, at last
The skies above are blue
My heart was wrapped up in clovers
The night I looked at you
I found a dream that I could speak to
A dream that I can call my own
I found a thrill to rest my cheek to
A thrill that I have never known
Oh, yeah when you smile, you smile
Oh, and then the spell was cast
And here we are in heaven
For you are mine
At last
By the time the last line had left her mouth, Emily found it occupied by her husband's bracing kiss. John wanted to discuss Emily going on missions; Emily wanted to tell John how exciting it was to be included in something so vital and important. But that could wait until later.
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Later came much too soon.
After welcoming John back home, the newlyweds joined the family for dinner. As was common, much of the discussion revolved around the latest mission. The official debriefing was scheduled for after the meal. Jeff smiled at Emily as he excused her from the debriefing. John had to resist the urge to knock the smirk off Virgil's face after that. At least Scott didn't dare make a comment. Kate was there and Scott liked sleeping in his own bed.
Emily led John down to the beach, reminding them both of that first day in Auckland. She realized that her husband was quiet – even for him. "OK, what is the problem, John? And don't try to deny it, something is bothering but you don't want to say it."
John smiled at his wife while he sat on the sand. Watching waves rush to the shore, he looked up and pointed. "About there is where Thunderbird Five is, did you know that?" Emily nodded as she sat beside him. John had pointed it out on their wedding night as well. Looking very solemn, he continued, "Do you know how hard it is to be up there, three-fourths of the year while my family puts itself at risk for the world?" Gently touching her face, Emily urged him to continue with her eyes. "Emily, I have only just found you. I don't want to lose you. It scares the hell out of me for you to be at the sites of rescues."
Emily nodded. "I understand. And it scares me for you to be up on a satellite most of the year. What if the Hood or some other lunatic targets it again? What if a meteor were to damage it? How about technical failure? It takes over an hour to get up there in Thunderbird Three, what if that is not enough time to save you? But you love this, just as your family does. And you love being among the stars. I will love being here for you to come back to. I can't guarantee nothing will happen to me, just as you can not make that promise in return. But I can promise you this John Glenn Tracy; whether I die tomorrow or we live to be a couple of seniors rocking on a front porch together, I will love you every day of our lives. Will you accept that or are you actually not able to accept who I am? Because I need to know before it becomes impossible for me not to live without you."
Looking at her bright blue eyes and running a hand along her waves of golden hair, John smiled. Damn, he knew she was right. And he knew that she would probably be perfectly safe with the Thunderbirds. John could only pray the day would never come that Emily would be put at risk out there, because he already could not imagine living without her. And then Emily leaned over to kiss him. At that point John decided to save the argument for a day he might win it.
OK, so that might take a while. Who cares?
a/n - Yes, that is their version of a fight. Kate and Scott yell a lot, then agree. Emily and John are rational people who will allow each other to express their views and will respect their opinion.
By the way, the song is At Last by Etta James. That can be added to my disclaimer. That isn't mine either. But I thought a fairly short but very romantic song would be a great way for Emily to welcome her husband back for the first time as his wife.