Hello! I'm so sorry this has taken so long! A combination of weddings, night shifts, overtime and house hunting left meant I had so much to do I was feeling guilty for even sleeping!

Rating goes up slightly for a naughty word in this part, you have been warned!

I want to thank Spense very much for her time and effort in beta reading this for me. I owe you several! Also thanks for the lovely reviews!

Responsibilities

Part 5

The next morning was stormy on Tracy Island in more ways than one. Grey clouds rolled overhead and waves crashed mercilessly against the shore as the ocean worked itself up for a spectacular squall. Two members of the extended Tracy clan were conspicuously absent from the breakfast table, and the other members were very obviously trying to avoid the subject of the missing Alan and Tin-Tin. Several threads of conversation started up but slowly died away. All anyone wanted to talk about was the one subject no one dared to bring up in the presence of Jeff Tracy.

"Hey Dad?"

"Yes Gordon?"

"Why do you still get that thing delivered?" Gordon indicated the broadsheet newspaper open in front of his father. "I mean, by the time it gets to us out here it's two days old and you can get all the news on the TV or the internet. What's the point?"

Jeff sighed and looked at his red haired son over the top of his paper. Young people these days.

"Because, Gordon, I like to read the newspaper. It's traditional, and I actually enjoy reading it. I could ask you why you bother to go diving in those caves of yours when you already know what's down there?"

Gordon looked scandalised and was about to retort when a deep southern accent cut the conversation short.

"For goodness sakes, I can't stand this dilly dallyin' any longer! Jefferson Tracy you go and find that boy of yours right this minute!"

The boys and Jeff looked up at Grandma Tracy. She had slopped tea all over the table where she had put her tea cup down forcefully in her annoyance.

"Mother?"

"Don't you 'Mother' me, Jefferson. You know exactly what I'm talking about. That youngest grandson of mine had a face like a wet weekend when he went to bed last night, which was uncharacteristically early for Alan I might add. And I know for a fact that it has something to do with you. Otherwise these other boys would be chewing my ear off about it. Besides, I know you too well Jeff. You're bothered about something. You've been staring at the same page of that newspaper for over half an hour now! I wish I hadn't chosen to go for a walk with Kyrano last nightor I'd have been here to stop all this madness when it started."

Grandma Tracy had gone very red in the face by now. The boys were all looking at their father with their breath held, Scott in curiosity, Virgil in trepidation and Gordon with an expression that was, in Jeff's opinion, something akin to glee.

"Mother," Jeff huffed, folding his paper and setting it before him. "If Alan wants some time alone then I am not going to frustrate him further by pestering him. He'll come out in his own time."

"And why is it that he wants time on his own? The rest of you might not think I need to know what's going on but I'm not going senile just yet. Don't think I haven't noticed that Miss Kyrano has yet to show her face this morning either. Those two have got themselves in a bother and we should be helping them, not pretending to ignore it."

Grandma looked at the other boys for support, but they all quickly averted their eyes. After having witnessed Tin-Tin's sudden decision to break their engagement after only a few hours, Alan's brothers had absolutely no desire to go to the youngest and try and get him to talk about it. Alan's devastation was obvious even though he never said a word. He had tried to speak, choked on whatever it was he was going to say, looked desperately at Tin-Tin, and walked away.

"No Mother." Jeff stood and faced his mother. "As Alan is so keen on reminding me he's an adult now. He has to learn to cope with things like an adult."

"What rubbish! He needs the support of his family, and a little understanding from his Father. You're all grown up too, aren't you Jefferson, but you still need help now and again."

Jeff pinched the bridge of his nose and mentally counted to ten. He was lucky that with his mother ten was still good enough. With his two youngest offspring the number ten had ceased to be effective long ago.

"Mother…"

Whatever Jeff was about to say was cut off by Alan's ill-timed entrance into the room. His eyes were red rimmed, whether from tears or lack of sleep Jeff would not like to hazard a guess, though he suspected it was a result of both. He was unshaven and something about the rumpled appearance of his clothes suggested that they'd been retrieved from the floor rather than the closet.

He lumbered across to the breakfast table, rubbing his eyes as he went, and sat down heavily next to Scott. Without looking up at the five expectant faces peering at him from around the table he reached for a handful of toast and proceeded to spread a liberal amount of butter and honey across it. Gordon smirked and nudged Virgil.

"Doesn't seem to have affected his appetite much, does it?" he whispered. Virgil scowled and elbowed him. Gordon sniggered to himself. The next moment his hand flew to his head where a fast growing bump was forming. He looked to his other side where Grandma was scowling at him having just smacked him round the head.

"I heard that young man. Enough cheek for one morning," she glowered.

Gordon opened his mouth to protest but a glare from his grandmother silenced him instantly. There was just something about a frown on the face of Grandma Tracy that made Gordon feel five years old again, five years old with a hand firmly in the cookie jar. Whenever Gordon got in trouble with his father he was yelled at and suitably punished, and that was an end to it. Jeff was always too busy to worry any further about it, and it never really bothered Gordon. But when Grandma caught him… that was something else entirely. She would rarely yell or punish him, but it was the look on her face. She always made him feel so guilty. It was a face that said, 'I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed.' It was always so much worse.

Suitably chastised, Gordon looked up at his younger brother with every intention of apologising. Alan however, seemed to have remained completely oblivious to the entire episode. He was chewing drearily on his toast and staring obliviously at the pattern on Grandma's tea cosy.

Grandma looked a the men around the table. They were all looking from Alan to each other with expressions ranging from nervous to bemused to distinctly uncomfortable. She shook her head, resigning herself to the fact that she would once again have to fix this herself. She never did hold much stock in letting men resolve things, and now she was surrounded by them. What she wouldn't give for one granddaughter. Just one

"Good morning, Alan dear," she said breezily. "Would you like some pancakes?"

Alan did not respond.

"Alan? Did you hear me?" Grandma reached across the table to gently pat Alan on the arm. Alan looked up at her, startled.

"Hmm? Oh sorry Grandma. What did you say?"

"Would you like some pancakes, dear? I know they're your favourite. Made them especially for you, seeing as how you were looking so blue last night. Won't you try some?"

"Oh, no thanks Grandma. I'm not really very hungry."

Gordon looked down at Alan's already empty plate which only moments ago had held four slices of toast. He snorted.

"Could've fooled me! Ow!" The hand which had been rubbing his head shot to his ankle where Virgil had kicked him under the table. He looked at his brother in irritation. Virgil was scowling at him. As was every one else around the table. Gordon mumbled something indecipherable and shovelled a mouthful of pancakes into his mouth.

"Say kiddo," Scott said to Alan, sensing the need to steer the conversation elsewhere. "Do you have any plans for the day?"

"There's something I need to take care of. After that I'll be free as a bird," Alan said curtly. Scott was concerned by the closed expression on Alan's face. He was usually animated about anything and everything. The coldness in his youngest brothers voice was not something he was accustomed to.

"What's that then, Alan?" their father enquired. Alan looked at his father and his expression turned as frosty as his voice.

"Like you give a shit," he spat.

A stunned silence descended upon the group. Grandma's hand had shot to her mouth and her eyes widened in surprise. Scott was staring at Alan, his mouth opening and closing but no sound coming out. Gordon hid a smirk and refrained from telling his big brother that he looked like a fish. Jeff had slammed his newspaper down on the table.

"How dare you use that language! I thought I taught you boys to show respect!"

Alan's cheeks had flushed bright red and he sprung to his feet, pointing an angry finger in his father's direction. His wiry frame was trembling with barely restrained fury.

"You showed me absolutely no respect yesterday, so why the hell should I show any to you. You know what, Jeff…"

Whatever Alan had been about to say was cut off by the sound of the door opening. Tin-Tin stood in the doorway, staring wide eyed at the confrontation about to play out before them. Alan's mouth clamped shut immediately, his jaw twitching. His fists clenched and he dragged his gaze away from his erstwhile fiancé.

"Excuse me," he said tightly and headed around the table and out of the double doors onto the patio. Tears sprang to Tin-Tin's eyes and she fled in the opposite direction. Jeff cleared his throat and retrieved his newspaper. He then left the room without a word, his shoulders taught with anger.

Having been tensed only moments ago to intervene in an intense quarrel between father and son, the other members of the family could only stare at each other in equal parts relief for being spared distress of the argument, and trepidation at the unavoidable strife heading straight for Tracy Island.

Danver's shook his head in confusion. The information coming in from his fire crews was worrying. The blaze they were battling simply wasn't coming under control. The fire crews had ordered the evacuation of everyone within a two mile radius, but Fire Chief Danver's was beginning to wonder whether he would need to order further evacuation.

The fire had broken out in a leisure centre, and as yet the cause was unknown. There was no reason Danver's could think of for the blaze, other than foul play. But what should have been a relatively straight forward job was turning into a nightmare. The fire was extending from the centre of the building at an alarming rate, and if the structure wasn't so big it would have already spread to the surrounding buildings. Luckily it was the middle of the night and there was no one around at the retail park where the leisure centre was located, save a few security guards patrolling the perimeter.

Danver's had already had to call in additional crews to battle the fire. Several of his fire fighter's had been injured already, and it was only a matter of time until someone was killed. The situation was spiralling rapidly out of control and Danver's just couldn't understand it. Nothing they did made any difference, not even the fancy new foam recently developed. The foam worked not only to smother the fire, but reduce the heat of the structure that was burning, and even it was useless.

As a rule, Ted Danver's was not a gambling man. But he would put money on what would happen if the fire grew any bigger. It had been a very dry summer, and the grasslands surrounding the retail park and leisure centre that separated them from the more densely populated suburbia would ignite. If that happened, there was no way they would be able to get away without casualities. And if the fire reached the town…there would be a huge loss of life. There just wasn't time to get everyone out.

It was time for drastic action. Danver's picked up his radio and contacted base.

"Jack?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Get me International Rescue."

Jeff Tracy stared out at the ocean. With nightfall came the calming of the waters after the storm. To look at the sea now one could be forgiven for thinking it were calm. But the stillness of the surface concealed the currents he knew were surging beneath. Jeff laughed humourlessly to himself. The sea was much like Alan had been today. Stoic, expressionless, but if you looked carefully you could see the turmoil behind those ice flecked eyes.

After his outburst at breakfast Alan had spent much of the day in his room. When he occasionally did come out to eat or get some fresh air, he did little more than nod grimly at Jeff in acknowledgement before shutting himself away again.

Jeff comforted himself that at least it wasn't just him receiving the cold shoulder. He had not spoken to any of his brothers, and even Grandma had only received the most cursory of acknowledgement. This in itself was a bad sign. Alan usually doted on his grandmother as much as she did on him. To Alan, Grandma Tracy was the only maternal figure he'd ever had in his childhood, and he had thrived on the attention she lavished upon him. Alan's adoration of the female of the species was down to Grandma's nurturing, as the respect he always showed them.

Not today though. Grandma had been tying herself in knots with worry over Alan's withdrawal from the family. It just wasn't like him. If he was upset, then everyone had to know. Alan's temper would sweep through the villa, sparing none the intensity of his hurt feelings. Not even John escaped an ear bashing, space station or not. For Alan to remove himself from those around him like this made Jeff worry whether this time things wouldn't be so quick to blow over.

Of Tin-Tin there had been no sign. That was another worrying development. Never one to let the sun set on an argument, Tin-Tin usually went to pains to ensure that life on the island was peaceful, particularly where Alan was concerned. She was never one to let him sulk. If they ever disagreed one of them would always crack under the pressure and seek the other out.

Not today it seemed. Scott had told Jeff what had happened between Alan and Tin-Tin after they had left his study last night. Jeff had been ashamed later, but the first thing he had felt on learning that the engagement was off was relief.

Scott told him that both Alan and Tin-Tin had been distraught, but Jeff couldn't help feeling pleased at the news. No, pleased wasn't the right word. He wasn't sure exactly what it was he felt, but what he did feel was as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

What was he going to do? No matter how short sighted he believed Alan was being, nor how relieved he was that Tin-Tin had put a stop to their budding romance, it didn't change the fact that Alan was head over heels for Tin-Tin. And now he was devastated. The extreme nature of Alan's anger was also reflected in the other aspects of his personality. Alan's penchant for heroics was an endless source of both pride and worry for Jeff. He was courageous to a fault, and Jeff was convinced that it had been the sight of Alan rushing into heavy traffic to rescue a dog when he was only 12 that had finally begun to turn him grey.

Unfortunately this trait meant that he was very slow to commit himself to people (due to previous bad experiences of bestowing trust where it was not deserved), but once he did he threw his heart and soul into it. He was fiercely loyal and loving to his brothers, even if he didn't act it sometimes. If Alan said he loved Tin-Tin, it would be with a burning, all-consuming intensity which now, since Tin-Tin had broken off their engagement, had no outlet. Before he could indulge himself in their deep friendship, but now? Jeff shook his head. Alan must be hurt deeply, and he was beginning to wonder whether letting the pair get married might have been the lesser of two evils. Why had he reacted so suddenly? Why had he said no with what seemed to him now to be such little thought, when at the time he had agonized over the decision?

'Because you're too much like Alan, that's why,' thought Jeff. 'Or Alan's too much like you. That temper of his was passed directly from father to son.'

Jeff ran his hand over his face tiredly. Hindsight was a wonderful thing. What was done was done, and Tin-Tin obviously had some of the same doubts as he did. All he could do was watch closely as this thing played out and remind himself to react to anything that happened with Alan and Tin-Tin with a little more foresight and sensitivity. How must Tin-Tin and Alan be feeling if he was this upset and confused.

He was startled by a noise behind him. He spun to see Alan standing there. He looked terrible. There were dark circles under his eyes and the fact that he hadn't shaved this morning was becoming increasingly obvious. He still looked furious, but there was a growing desolation in his eyes too. Jeff steeled himself for the possibility of another confrontation, reminding himself to remain calm. Alan needed his understanding now more than ever.

"Yes, son?"

"I have this for you Father."

Alan walked forward and thrust an envelope into Jeff's hand. He stepped back quickly, as if he had no desire to be near Jeff any longer than he had to be. Jeff looked down at the envelope in his head with suddenly dawning alarm.

"What is this Alan?"

Alan looked away for a moment, as if wrestling with some inner demon. He forced the anger that had been so obvious on his face moments ago down, squared his shoulders and looked calmly at his father.

"I want to thank you for the opportunities you've given me within International Rescue, Father, and I continue to believe it's a very valuable and worthwhile organisation. But I no longer feel that this life is right for me. I'll stay and help out for a couple of weeks, just until I can get things sorted."

Jeff looked at Alan aghast. Although he knew the answer, he couldn't help himself from asking.

"What do you mean, Alan?"

"I'm resigning from International Rescue."

The stunned silence was broken by the sound of a klaxon and the flashing eyes of John Tracy.

TBC