So this is sort of a remake of 'Family Helping Family' or at least of certain parts. I'm gonna continue that story, but I'm still trying to figure out where exactly I'm planning on taking it.

Anywho, on with the story!

He had tried to convince Alan that nobody really wanted him. That his family weren't really going to find him. That they would give up.

He had let Alan watch the vigils they had in honor of Jeff Tracy's missing son. As his family begged whoever had taken him to let him come home. As Scott broke down, and John lost his cool, and Virgil had to be escorted off the podium after he broke into uncontrollable sobs, as Gordon stopped talking and joking becoming a shell of his former self. But none of that was worse then what his father had gone through.

It was no secret that Alan Tracy, the youngest Tracy, was the life of the family.

The media had exploited that. Every picture of Scott smiling usually had Alan in it. All of John's book signings always had Alan somewhere in the background. Alan was the one in the background that wasn't caught by the eye very fast but once he was it was clear to tell that he was the center of the family's world.

And someone had taken the Tracy Family's world and stolen it right from underneath them.

Jeff Tracy was a wreck, just like his older sons.

Zach pulled Alan away from the news station on the television set in the cabin that they stayed in by the cuffs keeping his hands behind his back. Alan stood, without a fight, and was led back to his room.

Zach Zimmerman. He used to be an employee for Tracy Enterprises until he was caught stealing from the company and fired. It had ruined his marriage and lost him rights to his kid. Why should Jeff Tracy have his baby if he couldn't have his own. Zach had sworn revenge and what better way then by taking The Tracy Family's youngest boy, its light and joy.

Alan stumbled as he was roughly shoved, thinking about the past always made Zach angry. The older man shoved him hard enough that he landed sprawled on the floor in his prison. The boy turned in time to see the door being slammed shut and the locks being put into place. After he heard the faint sound of the front door of their cabin slamming shut and he was sure that Zach was gone, Alan stood on shaky feet and stumbled over to his worn out mat that passed as his bed nowadays.

Alan wanted to go home.

It was late when Zach had returned home that night. He was clearly drunk if you were going by the way his foot falls stumbled around while he marched through the house. Witnessing his family on the television had clearly pissed him off and Alan rolled over and tried to ignore the prickling sense of fear that had washed over at him when he realized that Zach usual at one point or another made it into his room before he turned in.

The cuffs around his wrists dug into the skin until it was rubbing raw. But Alan had gotten used to the feeling a while ago.

It was that night that Zach made his mistake, he had shown Alan Tracy he was not invulnerable.

After meal time, what ever it was that passed for soup (or at least thats what the teen hoped it was) was tossed in his room. The wooden bowl spilled over leaving him with the choice of trying to lick it up off the floor or waiting until his next meal came, whenever that would be.

It was then that Zach Zimmerman made his next mistake.

He left the wooden bowl in the room with Alan.

It was his only shot but Alan wasn't going to waste it. He was done, he was tired. He wanted to go home and that is what made him desperate enough to try something crazy.

From the other side of the not-so-solid door and wall the young Tracy could hear the television playing and voices speaking. Another vigil, another night of Zach Zimmerman being a pissed off man. Alan could use that to his advantage though and he reached out with dirty hands for his wooden bowl. Holding it tightly in both his hands he stood in his dark room waiting for the man to come in with his anger and frustration.

As if on cue Zach unlatched the locks, he seemed to be moving sloppily, his anger at its peak.

The door to his room slammed open and light flooded in.

"I'm gonna send them all a piece of your blonde lo-"

Zach never got the chance to finish his sentence, Alan swung his wooden bowl around and it made contact. There was a resounding crack as the solid object did as intended and his kidnapper's nose broke on impact and he was thrown back wards, landing on the floor in a heap. Red blood gushing down his face. Alan didn't waste time in staring, his mind immediately falling on the fact that Zach could wake at any moment.

Silently the boy crept over the man's body, his foot coming in contact with the mans head once as he climbed over him. He found the extra cuffs by the door and paused looking back at the man of his nightmares. Reaching out with both hands he grabbed them and crawled back over towards Zach, cuffed one arm to the leg of the table in the corner, Alan turned around and fled.

His feet stinging in the cold snow as he crept down the stairs of their cabin. His pants were torn and dirty, leaving little marks in the white snow. He was so high on adrenaline that he didn't even shiver as he walked down the drive and into the road. Alan was aware of his surroundings and jumped a bit at any noise he heard. But he kept moving forward, he had to get help.

He had to get home.

Alan Tracy wandered for a couple miles before he came to a tourist stop. There was a couple of buildings that appeared to be closed, but he found a restaurant that was still open. They would have a phone and he could get help.

The people at the counter looked up as the door opened and the automated door bell rang announcing the arrival of a new customer.

People looked in the direction of the door and many gasped. Some stood up. Others ran to help the kid.

A boy, no older then 15, covered in dirt and grime stumbled into the heated restaurant on bleeding feet. His red cuffed hands came up to wipe at his face as he looked around.

People recognized him instantly, it was Alan Tracy.

"I want to go home"

The manager of the McDonald's picked up the phone and dialed 9-1-1 as he watched his employees rush the boy. Blankets were produced and phones were pulled out.

Alan Tracy had been found, at last, at long long last.

Tracy Island had gone silent that day when the youngest Tracy son had gone missing, months ago.

But the silence was broken as the phone started ringing.

Jeff Tracy, Father of five boys, founder of Tracy Enterprises and International Rescue, ran out of his office with the phone pressed to his ear. Scott and John looked up at him as he ran past, towards the flight deck.

"Dad? Wha-"

"They found him!"

It was those simply three words that had the eldest Tracy sons running along side their father, yelled them at Virgil and Gordon as they passed them by.

Their baby had been found and he was coming home.

Arriving at a hospital in Colorado, the Tracy family ran through the gathered media and into the hospital.

People turned to look at them as they ran passed. Jeff Tracy didn't even stop to take a breath as he ran to the nurses station and practically wheezed out his name.

The young nurse behind the desk nodded at him and pointed the Tracy family in the right direction. They barged through the doors surprising the doctor who was trying to get the small saw tool close enough to the dirty blondes wrists to remove the metal cuffs and the blondes head snapped in their direction for a moment, but his eyes were full of fear and he didn't seem to recognize them at the moment. He turned on his heel and ran into the body of the closet person to him.

Scott grunted at the impact but wrapped his arms around the tiny frame none the less. Alan struggled momentarily, pulling against the person who held him in place. But a voice broke through his crazed fear filled state of mind. It was the voice that had scolded him when he was younger, that had comforted him when he was frightened, who had never left his side for months following The Hoods attack on their island.

Alan fell from his haze and looked up at the person behind the voice, his eyes meeting Scott's. And it was like a dam had broken as tears soared down the mud covered face and he latched onto his oldest brother. His knuckles white as he held on for dear life, as if should he let go they would all just disappear, as if none of them were real.

Scott was all but happy to hold him, to feel the familiar warmth that could only be brought by Alan. He was reluctant to let him go, despite the doctors trying in vain to allow them to let Alan be looked over. But no one actually ever moved to separate them, not wanting to get on the Tracy's bad side. Instead, they stood back only slightly and waited as the Tracy's surround their youngest.

Alan for his part, was in complete happiness. He was home, or as close as, and his family was here and he was safe. Everything would be ok. As his sobs died down and Scott's grip never faltering, the others closed in. Alan felt John's soft hand on his back, rubbing in slow circles. Virgil was looking at the marks on his arms, red and raw, his eyes meeting Gordon's as both came to the same conclusion, someone had poured a boiling liquid on the boys arms. Jeff Tracy, ignored the doctors for a moment as he placed a hand on the side of Alan's head and gently guided him to face him. Alan's grip on the front of Scott's shirt never faltered as he turned to look his dad in the face.

"Allie?"

"Dad?"

He didn't have to move from his position against his eldest brother, and Alan didn't need to, his voice was enough for Jeff. The ex-astronaut had tears filling his eyes as he rubbed his thumb softly across his youngest's cheek. Alan released one of his hands from Scott's shirt and made to grab his dad's, but was stopped when the cuffs got tight and threatened to pull his other hand away from his anchor.

Gentle hands closed around his and Alan turned to face John, the elder blonde smiling at him softly, encouragingly.

"Al, let the doctors get these off, alright little blondie?"

Alan shook his head and tried to pull his hands away from his brother as he buried himself deeper into Scott. But John held fast, his grip gentle but firm.

"Johnny, no, please, don't make me go, please"

John's eyes widened briefly, before he tugged and pulled him into his chest. Not caring that he pulled Alan away from the others, he needed his turn too.

"Allie one of us can go with you, alright, you won't have to go by yourself"

Alan nodded into his chest and John slowly turned them to the previously silent doctors, all of whom looked slightly nervous now that they knew that none of the Tracy's were going anywhere. John slowly lead them back to the table that had not been noticed before, and sat down, pulling Alan up into his lap. He felt his brother lean back into his chest and over his shoulder John nodded at the doctors.

The short round one with the saw came forward, and Alan flinched back, but having no where to go was forced to remain where he was. He felt more then saw John's arms wrap around his waist and his head settle on his shoulder, his own blonde hair tickling the side of Alan's neck. It took a moment, and a small screech, and the cuffs around his wrists were gone. Immediately, Alan grabbed at John's hands, and his elder brother was more then happy to fold his smaller hands into his larger hands.

One of the doctors pulled Jeff Tracy aside and informed him about the room that was set aside for them. But, due to the circumstances and the police investigators, Alan needed to be checked over immediately. While he understood, Jeff was obviously reluctant to let his youngest son out of his sight. They all were.

"Listen, Doctor, I understand that you need to look my boy over. For his safety and health, as well as the police investigators needing their evidence. Trust me I want this son of a gun locked up and the key thrown into the deepest darkest ocean and forgotten. But I, we, just got him back after months."

The doctor nodded in understanding. While they never actually had to deal with this type of situation nor someone of the social status that Alan held, he was still a child that had been taken from his family and was gone, missing, for months. It was understandable that the family was reluctant to leave his side. And, looking over at the blonde child who had calmed down enough in the midst of his older brothers to the point that his eyes drooped (the safe feeling his was feeling must have let his body finally react to its fatigue, he'd walked in the dead of winter a long ways) it was clear that if forced to go at it alone, there would be more problems then not.

"I can go with them"

The doctor and Jeff turned to see Virgil standing before them. In their discussion they had failed to see him break off from the gaggle of boys and make his way to their side. Jeff nodded at his middle son, and Virgil was more then happy to gently scoop his youngest brother off of John's lap in order to get the business done. The gaggle of doctors motioned for him to follow and the Tracy's watched as he was lead from the room, Alan's now free arms binding around his brothers neck.

An elderly nurse came in and took them to what would be Alan's permanent room for the time being. An officer came in after she left, explaining that they now had the man in custody, and that Alan would still need to answer some questions and make a statement.

"That can wait", Jeff Tracy's voice was firm and left no room for argument, "Do you have any clue on how Alan may have gotten away?"

This question peaked the other's interest. They had been wondering that themselves but weren't dumb enough to ask the traumatized kid.

"Sir, we found Zach handcuffed to a table in a hidden back room, the front of his face smashed in with what we assume was once a wooden camping bowl. We aren't sure what the kid actually did to gain his freedom, but whatever it was, he was not holding back."

With that being said, the cop took his leave. They waited in silence on baited breath for Virgil and Alan to return. Minutes sped on and on. Finally, half an hour after they had arrived and gotten Alan under control, Virgil returned. A now clean Alan bundled in a hospital gown and blanket cradled in his arms, sound asleep. John opened to door for them and Jeff took his baby from Virgil. Gently settling him on the bed.

Alan stirred and his eyes cracked open, but just. His hand was fast when it struck out and latched onto his dad's wrist.

"Stay...Daddy"

Alan never had to ask him twice. Jeff was scooping him up and settling in the bed with him, holding Alan in his lap, a hand lightly keeping his head planted on his chest as he gently scratched the back of his scalp with his nails. Alan mumbled something about them all staying and was out like a light again. Looking over his baby boy's head concernedly at Virgil, who, like his other brothers, had taken a spot on Alan's bed as to be as close to their safe and sound baby brother as possible.

He mouthed something along the lines of 'sedative' and Jeff nodded in understanding. He'd have to call Penny, later, and have International Rescue put on hold until further notice, for there was no way that Jeff himself would be leaving their youngest's side and with that being said, there was no way he could ask his sons to do that either. There would be a long road a head of them, that they all were sure of, but they would take it one step at a time, as a family, together.

And, Jeff (and the others) thought darkly, when it came to Zach, there would be nothing left for the system to send to prison.

And, he would never see the light of day again.

Nobody harmed (or simply messed) with the baby, the life, of the Tracy family, and lived to tell the tale.

Soo? Hope you liked it!