Thanks to everyone for hanging in there and waiting. A special thanks to emilyjayden101 who kept reminding me to update Rough Landings as well. Enjoy this chapter!

"DAD!" Alan screamed, running towards his father. He embraced his father within the first two seconds that he saw him. Alan's shoes, which had gotten Gordon's blood on them in the shooting, had disappeared. Colby Granger, who had been shot, but not as bad as Gordon, had simply been "patched up" on the ambulance. Since he'd refused to go home, Don had ordered him to take care of Alan and Gordon.

"Mr. Tracy," Colby said, nodding towards Alan. "I see he's yours."

"Yes," Jeff said, hugging his son again. "Thank you so much, officer…" he frowned. "Where is Gordon?"

Alan took that minute to find his socks extremely interesting. Colby had talked to him in the minutes after the gunfight and knew that Alan felt guilty for what happened. It sounded like he would need counseling, but while Colby could recommend that he get it, he wasn't sure he would.

From what he heard, Jeff sounded like a good guy. "Gordon is in the hospital," Colby responded. "He was trying to protect Alan from an assailant that had entered the area, and he was shot because of it."

Jeff spied the wound, still fresh on Colby's shoulder, and his eyes lightened ever so slightly. "Is that what happened to yours, too?"

Feeling distinctly uncomfortable – after all, he'd never really had any father to look after him – Colby nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Thanks," Jeff said. He looked absolutely exhausted. Colby didn't blame him. On his cell phone in the hospital – yes, he was breaking the rules and he knew it – he'd read into the Alan Tracy case. He didn't blame Jeff for being overwhelmed.

He glanced at Alan, and then back at Jeff. "I'm sorry. We've had some people claiming to be Alan's father, besides you, and while I know you're his father, I need to see the documents you brought with me, and to hear your story." He bit his tongue, half expecting to be lashed out at. He wouldn't have blamed the man.

Jeff Tracy just nodded wearily. "Right here is fine," he said, gesturing to the hallway. Alan's eyes lit up at the scene of some men behind him – his brothers, he guessed; Colby had read that he'd had five brothers, one of which had also been abducted recently, but had been rescued. Scott something.

"SCOTT!" Alan yelled, racing towards his eldest brother and embracing him. Colby grinned. Even though he had to do this interview for professional reasons – to cover his own ass from Don's wrath – he knew that Jeff Tracy was Alan Tracy's father.

There had never really been any doubt.

## break ##

The flight to Tracy Island felt incredibly long to Alan, who just wanted to see his home again. Scott, too, was antsy. After all, it had been nearly two weeks since the boys had seen their home, and Virgil knew that they would surely want to go back to it. And they had fought hard to get there. When Scott had been "freed", as he called it, from the hospital, he'd been worried sick about Alan. Mullion had basically threatened Alan's life, and had made sure that Scott knew who was in charge of his younger brother now.

It hadn't left Scott with a good feeling in his gut, but then again, it wasn't intended too.

"I can't believe I'm home." The other three brothers had left Scott and Alan alone for a minute, knowing that the two wanted to talk. Gordon had been allowed out of the hospital that night, despite the fact the doctor had wanted to keep him overnight. Virgil had debated with the doctor and had said they'd take care of Gordon if the doctor would simply release him tonight.

Since the Tracy family hadn't been together since Alan and Scott's abduction, the doctor had agreed, under the condition that Virgil keep a strong lookout for both him and Alan.

Virgil had readily agreed.

"I can't believe you're home, either." The two boys moved from the sunroom window to the bench that overlooked Tracy Island. Alan leaned on Scott's shoulder. He looked exhausted, but he was determined to stay up and have dinner that night with his family. Scott decided to go ahead and voice his fears. "Mullion seemed so sure that he was going to kill you when he dumped me. I wanted to get back and help you, but I couldn't. I was left on the side of the road."

"I know, Scott." Tears pressed against Alan's eyes and he hugged Scott even tighter. The next few months would be a difficult journey for them all. "I'm g-glad you were there while I-I was," he whispered.

"Me, too," Scott said, surprised to find that he really did mean it. He hadn't been able to protect Alan very much. If anything, he'd probably only been the cause of more pain to Alan. But he hoped that he had been able to provide his brother some much needed comfort.

"Really?" Alan asked, stopping to stare up at his brother. Scott blinked.

"Yeah," he said, not really wanting to go into a lot of details, but not wanting to brush off his brother either. "Alan, I would have been worried sick about you while you were missing. At least I could be with you and know where you were. As it was, I was really worried sick when you got separated from me."

"You mean you don't hate me?" Alan whispered.

"I would never hate you, Alan. The whole event wasn't your fault, it was the Hood's. He's a psychopath, Alan – he's someone who hurts people only for money. And Alan," Scott added, "I am not ashamed of you for being willing to say that you were the Hood's son. You aren't the Hood's son, you're Jeff Tracy's son. Being willing to admit that you would become his son probably helped save you in the long run – I have no doubt that he would have kept giving you pain until you said yes. Alan, I'm incredibly proud of you. You handled yourself remarkably well, and you got home safe. That's all that matters."

Alan embraced Scott in another hug, and that was where Virgil found them four hours later, when it was time for dinner. Both boys had drifted off to sleep.

The family still had battles to conquer, but soon, the boys would be back together.

And despite the Hood's destruction, the Thunderbirds would be ago.