Disclaimer: Look, I don't own the bloody thing!

Authors note: Guess what guys! I only JUST realised that the word 'Somewhere' in the title on has been miss-spelt! Wow! My observation's impeccable!

Somewhere In Between

By Bubblegum Thai

Chapter Twelve: Giji.

Jeff Tracy 'hmmed' as he scanned through a few small sheets of baby pink paper. He placed them down a top of his desk and 'hmmed' once again. Scott, Virgil, Gordon and Alan all watched patiently yet curiously as he did this, each with furrowed brows.

Finally, Jeff looked at them and spoke,

"Your sister will be arriving on the twenty-third. Christmas isn't that big a deal in Japan so their term ends late." He informed then, "Going on the assumption that you're not called out on a rescue, I need one of you to go and collect her from the air field and bring her home. Any volunteers?"

The four exchanged looks. The four were still somewhat upset that she hadn't written to them personally, only their Father and Tin-tin. The most hurt of these was Virgil, he'd always done his best and tried his hardest to include and protect his little sister, and she re-paid him by forgetting him?

It cut deep.

"I'll go." Alan suddenly said, "That is, if Tin-tin can come with me . . . I mean, I could take Tin-tin shopping on the mainland, maybe pick up some last minute groceries for dinner and then get Suzan on the way home?"

"That's not a bad idea, son." Jeff said with a smile, "I know the four of you are sour because she hasn't written, but don't you remember what it was like at school?" He asked, "It's tough finding time for every little thing like that."

"Yeah . . . we know . . ." The quartet droned.

- - -

"Chuui subete no jukyaku, ima de ha watashi tachi ha go sa kyuu toujou hikou kiroguramu ichi de aru, geeto dai nana no nyuuyooku he no toukyou. Joukyaku zei ha motte iru geeto de jubi ga deki ta karera no kippu oyobi toujou pasu wo yorokobasu?
Arigatou!"

"Attention all passengers, we are now boarding flight KG one five three nine, Tokyo to New York at gate number seven. Would all passengers please have their tickets and boarding passes ready at the gate? Thank you!"

Suzan looked around, frowning slightly,

"Gate seven . . ." She mumbled to herself, before spotting the small blue sign across the airport. She began to run, knowing she was late, her school uniform flowing around her as she sprinted, lugging her heavy duffle bag, across the airport towards the gate.

She hadn't had time to change, getting the school bus to Kobe and then a train to Tokyo, and now a plane from Tokyo to New York, all so she could spend a few extra hours with her family. She'd have plenty of time to shower and change on the island.

"Konbanha fujin! Watashi ha miru anata no kippu oyobi toujou pasu wo yorokobashi te mo yoi ka?"

"Good evening, Madam! May I please see your ticket and boarding pass?"

"Hai." Suzan nodded, handing the stewardess her ticket and boarding pass with a smile,

"Hai."

"Sore ha utsukushii . . . hontouni arigatou . . . de kika reru ni choudo tsuuro kono dara
faasuto, kurasu ha anata no hidari ni anata no hairi nasai you ni aru subarashii hikou wo mochi nasai, Tracy san!

"That's lovely...thank you very much...if you'd just like to head on down the gangway, first class is on your left as your enter. Have a nice flight, Miss Tracy!"

Suzan smiled and nodded. All of a sudden, she was extremely tired. Yawning, she staggered slightly down the gangway towards the waiting plane, heading strait for her first class seat where she near instantly fell asleep.

She slept the entire journey to America as she was roused by someone gently shaking her shoulder. Suzan opened up bleary eyes, startled,

"Excuse me, Miss. But we've arrived in New York." Quietly said a young Japanese stewardess,

"Oh!" Suzan gasped, "Arigatou!" She thanked before snatching up her duffle bag and making towards the exit.

- - -

". . . is that her?"

"No . . ."

"What about her?"

"Alan, don't you know what your own sister looks like?" Tin-tin snapped,

"Of course I do . . . she's there!"

"That's not even a girl, Alan!" The slightly older woman huffed, "Honestly . . . she's not been gone THAT long . . . you must remember what she looks like!"

"I do! I'm telling you . . . look . . . there! THAT'S her!" He said, pointing at, surprisingly, the correct teenager,

"Suzan!" Tin-tin called, waving above her head, "Over here!"

"Tin-tin!" Suzan gasped, running over in her black pleated skirt and blazer, crinkled from her slumber on the plane, "Alan!" She beamed, reaching up and hugging the blonde, "Sorry I kept you waiting, I fell asleep on the plane."

"You slept through the landing?" Tin-tin asked,

"The way she snores, she can sleep through a nuclear explosion!" Alan scoffed,

"Giji . . ." Suzan muttered under her breath,

"Bastard . . ."

"Oh great . . . now she's muttering in a foreign language!" Alan fumed, throwing his arms up in the air, dramatically,

"Suzan! Ten wo mochi nasai, kare ha kousei na nayamu koto de aru!" Tin-tin scolded,

"Have some respect, he's just teasing!"

"I forgot you could speak Japanese, Tin-tin!"

"What did she say, Tin-tin?" Alan asked,

"She said, 'Nogasa' . . . I think she meant, 'Nogasa Reru', it means 'Missed you'." Tin-tin said with a smile, "Right, Suzan?"

"Huh? Oh, yah! I'm always making grammar mistakes like that, no wonder the shop owners in Kobe give me funny looks!"

"Awh! You missed your big brother, huh?" Alan teased, wrapping an arm around his sister and hugging her tightly, "I missed you too, kiddo!" He chuckled, "So tell me about this boyfriend then . . ."

"Uhm . . . ok . . ." Suzan mumbled, blushing, "His name's Suguru. Hijikata Suguru."

"Hijikata?" Tin-tin asked, raising an eyebrow, "As in the computer company, Hijikata?"

"That's the one!"

"Wow . . . my sister . . . dating a computer nerd . . ."

Suzan scowled,

"No . . . his Father owns the company . . . Suguru's not that kind of guy . . ."

"What kind of guy is he?"

"Well . . . he's a musician . . . he's sweet, he's kind . . . he's caring . . . y'know . . . I think Dad'll like him!"

"Does he speak English?"

"Not . . . well, no. Uhm, he started learning when he met me."

"Awh! That is so adorable!" Tin-tin gushed, "I mean . . . that's so cute!"

"Heh," Suzan smirked, "He's been trying really hard so he can talk to Dad and the guys, you and I'll be fine though." She giggled. Tin-tin nodded,

"Tonight, you'll have to tell me ALL about him! We'll have some ice cream and watch a movie in our pyjamas!"

"It's a date!"

- - -

"They'll be here any minute." Jeff told his Mother who could hardly contain herself with excitement as she hopped about slightly from the ball of one foot to the other,

"I know it's only been four months but I can't wait to see my little Suzan again! Oh I remember the day she was born like it were yesterday. You held her in your arms, she looked so much like Lucille, even back then!"

"She looks just like her now," Jeff sighed. Ruth nodded,

"Those big blue eyes and lovely brown hair . . . hah . . . the boys were so curious about her . . . do you remember what John asked?"

"What's wrong with her face?" Jeff chuckled, "She had Jaundice and he thought she was a mutant."

"Well, he was nine . . ." Ruth sighed with a smile, "It'll be a shame for Alan to go up to Thunderbird 5 tomorrow though it'll be nice to see John again . . . he seems to spend a lot more time up there than Alan does."

"I know . . . that's just how it works out, though, it's only fair as John was up there for Christmas last year, so it's Alan's turn this year."

Ruth nodded slowly,

"I know . . . though I would love to have all six of them here for Christmas and Easter . . ."

"Well, Brains is working on an automated system for Thunderbird 5 but it'll be a long time until that's suitable. I would never use it full-time anyway, nothing is more efficient than my boys."

"Oh, I know that . . ."

"Look . . . on the horizon . . ."

"Oooh, Yesssss!" Ruth squealed. Jeff arched an eyebrow at his Mother who sent him a look back, "My only Granddaughter, Jefferson!" She snapped, placing her hands on her hips, "If it wasn't for Tin-tin, I think I'd go insane!"

The duo watched as the little red and white plane bobbed it's way across the ocean and landed on the island, somewhere out of view. Virgil, who had recently entered hearing his Grandmother squeal, lit up his cigar. He smirked,

"They must be home." He said between puffs. Jeff nodded,

"Yes, son . . . where's Scott?"

"Uh . . ." Virgil raised his eyes to the ceiling in thought,

"I'm right here, Father." He said from behind, "I was just running a couple of checks on Thunderbird 1."

- - -

Hi.

My name's Suzan Louise Tracy, I'm sixteen years old and I was born in New York, in the United States of America. I have five older brothers; Scott, John, Virgil, Gordon and Alan.

Because of my Father's finances and enterprise, we moved to our very own island . . . which initially one would think is cool . . . but once you constantly get sent away to go to school, it becomes more and more tiresome.

Suzan huffed, scribbling out everything she'd just written.

My name's Suzan Tracy.

I was abandoned at the age of fourteen.

Another huff, yet ore scribbling.

I'm Suzan Tracy, sixteen years old. I attend school in Japan and am fluent in three languages other than my own. I live on an Island in the Pacific Ocean with my family and some people who work for my Father. I'm currently dating a musician named Suguru.

I am happy with my life.

"UGH!" Suzan fumed, "I'll never finish this homework!" She growled,

"What homework's that then?" Gordo asked from the doorway,

"Hey Gordo . . ." Suzan sighed as he sauntered up to her desk, placing down a small plate with a slice of pie on it,

"From Grandma," He said, "So what's this homework about?"

"I have to write an introduction to myself. I figured I'd write it in English and then translate it later. It'll be easier . . . my Kanji's not very strong."

"Ah. I see . . . well, what've you written so far?" He asked, reaching down to pick up her notebook. She slapped her hands down on it firmly,

"No!" She exclaimed. Gordon frowned, "Sorry . . . it's just . . . I need to do this myself . . . no help . . ."

"Well you could say that you're a control freak . . ." Gordon muttered, rolling his eyes, "We're all gonna play Sherades in a few, fancy joining us?"

"Yeah . . . sure . . . just let me have one more whack at this . . . ok?"

"Ok . . . see you in a few then . . ."

Hello.

I'm Suzan Louise Tracy and I'm sixteen years old.

If it weren't for my Father and brothers, I think that I'd be lost. There's not a better family I could wish for, we fight sometimes but deep-down, I love them as much as they love me.

"Well . . . that's cheesy . . ." She sighed, dropping her pen down on top of the desk and closing her ledger up with a sigh, "I've got two weeks to do it I suppose . . ." She breathed, standing, pushing the chair back away from her and heading out onto the landing where she bumped into Tin-tin,

"Hello Suzan!" Tin-tin grinned, wrapping an arm around the younger girl's shoulders, "Are you coming to play some party games?"

"Yeah . . . though, I hate Sherades!"

Tin-tin giggled,

"Don't worry . . . me too . . ."

"Then why the pain!" Suzan giggled, "Why the torture…!"

"Who knows?"

"There they are!" Jeff exclaimed as Tin-tin and Suzan walked into the lounge together.

The entire household were all sat waiting, except for John, who was of course, still up in Thunderbird 5. Lady Penelope and Parker were also both present, much to the excitement of Suzan. She'd spent a lot of time with Lady Penelope at her mansion in England when he Father or her brother's could pick her up and take her home for any occasion. She rushed forwards and embraced the sophisticated woman,

"Oh, Suzan . . ." Lady Penelope gushed, "You look so beautiful . . . I haven't seen you since your birthday! You've got a nice healthy glow! Now . . . what's all this I hear about your new boyfriend?"

"Yeah, Suz' . . . I'm kinda curious about this guy, too." Scott mused, taking a drag of his cigarette. Almost everyone was smoking savour for Suzan, Kyrano, Ruth and Alan, though it was not entirely uncommon in this household,

"Hmm . . . you didn't say much in your letter." Jeff chimed in,

"Let's play a game!" Tin-tin said, coming to the rescue, "I'm sure we don't want to know all this now!"

"Oh, I do." Scott said smugly, crossing his arms over his chest,

"Yeah, Tin-tin! Me too!" Virgil added,

"C'mon . . . do tell!" Gordon smirked,

"It's like they're enjoying watching me squirm . . ." Suzan thought. She shrugged, "His name's Hijikata Suguru . . ."

"Yes, as in Hijikata computers!" Alan suddenly said,

"Wow . . . Suzan's bagged herself an heir!" Scott laughed,

"Well . . . yes . . . though, he's not really interested in that . . . he's a musician."

"A musician?"

"Yeah . . . y'know . . .? Plays guitar . . . sings . . . he makes good money doing it too."

"Good money?" Jeff was suddenly alert, "You mean he doesn't go to school?"

"How about that game, then?" Tin-tin intervened desperately,

"No, Father. I think you should know that he doesn't go to school. He's nineteen."

"What about college?"

"He didn't want to go."

"Didn't want to go or didn't have the grades?"

"He didn't want to go, Dad, he's brilliant! He really is! I can't wait for you to meet him! His mind . . . his thoughts . . . they're extraordinary!"

"He can't be that brilliant if he doesn't speak English!" Alan scoffed,

"He doesn't speak English!" Scott exclaimed, eyes wide,

"Well, going on that premise, Alan, you must be a complete idiot as you can barely manage the simplicities of English!" Suzan snapped, "He's not an idiot because he doesn't speak English. He's never really had to, though he's learning. He speaks Mandarin very well! And French!"

"You two must make a right pair!" Gordon chuckled. Suzan rolled her eyes,

"You see . . . this is why I was hesitant to tell you! I knew you'd judge him before you met him. When you meet him, you'll understand. He's a genius and just because he doesn't use his intelligence to fly silly planes all day, or drive fast cars, or . . . or fix things . . . or fly around in space doesn't mean he's an idiot! He's a great man!"

"Ok . . . alright . . ." Jeff soothed, "This remains to be seen, but until then, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt."

"Thank you, Father . . ." She sighed, "Please guys . . .?" She asked, looking at the Tracy brothers desperately, "I know you're looking out for me . . . and I love you for it . . . but don't scare him, please?"

"Fine . . . the four of them droned . . ."

"And besides . . ." Alan began, "It won't be me he'll be contending with, it'll be John."

"Oh great . . ." Suzan drawled, "So I'll have those four! The morality brigade? Grrrrrrrreat . . ."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Scott asked,

"Face it, Scott, when you and John pair off it's like you're Dad re-born or something . . . the two of you think you've got so much authority!"

"We do."

"Anyways . . . on with a game . . .?" Lady Penelope began hopefully, "C'mon . . . that's enough of this . . . how about . . . uhm . . ." She trailed off, thinking.

Suzan sighed, resting her head on Virgil's shoulder who reassuringly patted the top of her head,

"Sorry, kiddo." He said honestly, "I didn't realise they'd push you so much."

"It's ok Virg'. Not a problem." She sighed, "When they meet him, they'll understand . . . so . . . uh . . . how's every little thing?" She asked, looking up at him and smirking. She knew about his 'little crush' as much as Scott did and he knew that. What he didn't know is that she'd been sworn to secrecy by Lady Penelope on some interesting information.

- - - To be continued . . .

Just out of curiosity, who's everyone's favourite?

I realise that I rarely mention Gordon . . . but that's because I cannot stand him . . . lol