Disclaimer: Car (death trap, according to Lissysue), truck, iPods, and books…Darn, no Thunderbirds or Tracys are owned by either of us. So please don't sue.

A/N: We know it's been a while since we updated and you are probably ready to send a lynch mob after us but we do have a good excuse. Well, we have an excuse. Well, okay we don't. But in our defence, two of my brothers thought it would be really fun to make me ill again.

Chapter 9

Having fallen asleep after collapsing to the sand, Alan was unaware of time. Time in which the tide had turned and was now rapidly rushing towards him.

Scott stared after his second youngest brother. And not for the first time in his life, he felt torn. He was the big brother and as such had given up so much for his younger brothers since their mother had died. Now, was no different, he'd give anything he could to fix the slight rift he felt separating him and Gordon. On the other hand, he was so damned tired of being the one who was always wrong or responsible for making things better. He rubbed his hand over his face. "If I'm thinking like that, then I need a break. Away from the Island."

Pushing those thoughts from his head, he shifted his focus to Alan. If it was Gordon he was looking for then he would be headed for the pool right now but Alan wouldn't go there. Virgil would be staring out across the hangar from the flight deck of Thunderbird Two. Alan wouldn't go there either but he might have gone to the silo that housed his own 'bird. Shaking his head, Scott quickly shut down that possibility. Given what had happened on Three on the return trip from Five, Alan would stay as far from his 'bird as he could.

He glanced towards Alan's bedroom and shrugged. "Good a place as any to start." Several raps on the door and after overriding the code, Scott quickly checked the empty suite of rooms. He left the empty rooms behind and jogged towards the stairs and down them, heading for the lounge.

"Alan, where the hell are you?" Scott asked to yet another empty room. The late afternoon sun was partially blocked from the special windows that Brains had designed.

He looked towards his father's desk and with a slight grin, gazed at the portraits of him and his brothers lining the wall. With a sigh, his gaze locked onto one portrait in particular. John's. "What did you do to yourself up there, little brother?" Much like Alan had done earlier, Scott rubbed the back of his neck. "I could use your help right about now, Johnny. Seems as though I've screwed up and I'm not sure how to fix it this time." He dropped his gaze to the floor. "I'm not good at being the peacekeeper or...Hell, all I know is watching out for you lot. You know, protecting you? Keeping you from getting into trouble."

Looking back up again, he was drawn towards the doors to the balcony. Stepping out, he gazed out over the island, wishing he could run off some of the stress he was feeling. It then hit Scott just where his baby brother might be. Like him, Alan found running along the beach was a great stress reliever especially after a grueling or hard rescue. He walked past the pool, absently noting the still water. He glanced down the steps leading to the beach and noticed a pair of boots. Moving closer, he realized they belonged to Alan and knew he was headed in the right direction. Pausing for just a moment at the top of the steps, Scott looked out where the incoming tide overtook the beach. "Dad couldn't have picked a more beautiful place to live." Thinking back to his younger years on the family farm in Kansas, Scott felt a moment of longing. "Kansas was beautiful, too. Only in a different way. There we had winters and changing seasons." In an almost whisper, he added, "And Mom." Swallowing down the lump that had formed in his throat, he began walking along the beach. Keeping his pace steady, he watched as the waves rolled onto the shore. The tide was coming in and soon the waves would be lapping around his feet. Looking ahead, Scott saw a sight that caused his blood to run cold. Laying on the sand just a few metres ahead was the collapsed form of his baby brother. As if that wasn't enough to frighten him, Alan had collapsed closer to the water. Close enough that before he could even utter a cry of warning, a wave hit his baby brother's face.

Sprinting forwards, Scott could see Alan had awoken and was choking on the water that now surrounded him. Reaching his brother, Scott dropped to his knees in the cold water and pulled Alan up. Supporting him with one arm across his chest, he began to rub his back to help expel the water. Finally, Alan stopped coughing and sank weakly against his oldest brother. "I've gotchya, Allie."

The two brothers stayed in the cold water until Alan felt that he could move. Teeth chattering, Alan motioned towards the drier parts of the beach. "C-c-cold...Scotty." Berating himself for not getting his brother out of the water sooner, Scott stood up, pulling Alan up with him.

"Come on, baby bro, let's get you indoors and into some dry clothes." Alan just nodded still shivering and allowed Scott to lead him away from the beach. He only half-heard his older brother's ramblings. "Allie, you scared the crap out of me back there."

The only thing that penetrated Alan's brain was the warmth of Scott's arm around his shoulders. "Sorry, Scott...didn't mean...to."

Glancing down at the baby of the family. "I understand that you needed to burn off the stress from seeing John like he was and the flight home."

Guilt suddenly flashed in Alan's eyes as he remembered why he had ended up out here in the first place. Feeling the need to talk, Alan shook his head. "That wasn't all of it, Scott." He shifted his gaze up towards their home. Just catching a glimpse of someone diving into the pool. "Gordy tried to talk to me. Heck, he was the one who came down to Three to check on me." He swallowed hard as Scott hugged him closer. "I was horrible to him, Scotty. I...gawd, he was only trying to help me."

Scott now realized why Gordon had seemed so angry when he first entered his room. He was still reeling from Alan's outburst at him. Noticing his baby brother was looking at him, he gave him a reassuring smile and squeezed his shoulder. "Gordy will be okay, Al. You know nothing gets him down for long. You and he will soon be plotting your next evil prank." Having said that, Scott groaned inwardly at himself. He knew exactly who was going to be the target of their next prank.

Alan smiled at his older brother but it didn't quite reach those crystal blue eyes of his. Although he knew Scott was right, he wasn't looking forward to speaking to Gordon. He, alone, knew just how much he'd hurt his closest brother and repairing that damage was going to be no easy feat. Then there was the guilt he felt over John. They had been back on the island for a while now and he still hadn't been down to see him. He felt like a coward, hiding from his brother because he was scared John might freak out again.

Suddenly, Alan wanted his dad. To be held in his dad's protective embrace. But that was the easy way and he was a Tracy. Tracy's didn't cower when things went against them even if it was their own fault. They faced everything head on and that was what Alan intended to do. With new found determination, Alan moved away from Scott and headed inside to get changed before heading to the Sickbay.

A/N: Just a quick reminder, there is obviously going to be a mixture of British and American terms throughout this story. Simple explanation…Lissysue is British and I'm American.