Darkness.

That's all he saw, all he felt.

Pain.

There was a pain so bad that it was almost numb.

They had been on the main land because of Gordon's check up for his back and Alan's competition. It was hard for a boy who grew up on an island to not know how to surf. The plan had been, that dad and Gordon would go to his check up, Scott, John, and Virgil would stay at the apartment, and Alan would go get some extra wave time in before his heat the following Saturday.

While they were a bit put out at not being invited to go along, with Alan and his friends to their apparent secret surfing spot, they had decided that he was old enough and that since Rico's dad would be there that it was fine if he went without a Tracy Brother representative there with him.

They never realized how wrong they would turn out to be.

"Well, Gordon, everything seems to be just fine"

Gordon smiled as he put his shirt back on, so fluidly that you would never have thought that he had once had back injuries so severe that he had been told that he would never walk again.

"Told you it would be doc!"

Jeff shook his head at his red headed son.

"Gordon, I want to check over some other things while your here, just to make sure everything that needs to be in order is in fact in order"

Gordon groaned dramatically as he made a show of pulling his shirt back off, as if it caused him great pain to do so, Jeff rolled his eyes playfully and cuffed him over the head.

Alan and Rico were resting, after having had a few good rides they were left a bit breathless. Rico's dad and older brother Joe were farther back.

"Can you believe that we get to come out here, and do this?"

Rico flipped his wet hair out of his face.

"Nah man, I sometimes have to pinch myself to make sure that I'm not dreaming"

Rico was a good friend, him and Alan were in the same year at Wharton's and had met during tryouts for the soccer team the year before, after Fermat of course Alan would have to say his second best friend (not including girls and brothers obviously) had to be Rico. They got on real well.

Alan smiled and splashed salty sea water at his friend. Rico wiped the water from his eyes and smiled back, not having a care in the world. As they floated there, the two teenage boys looked off into the vastness of the ocean.

And then it happened.

The door to their room burst open, a nurse looking frantic ran in. Gordon and Jeff looked up as she grabbed onto the redheads doctors arm and started pulling him towards the door.

"Dr. Smith we need you in trauma one, its a teenage boy from Hampton, shark attack!"

The doctor nodded frantically, making to leave. Jeff shot from his seat, Alan had said he was going to Hampton. Alan was there.

"Who? Who is it!"

Gordon looked between his doctor and his dad, silently adding his question that was similar to his dads. Dr. Samuel Smith stopped as he was heading out the door.

"I'll check it out, Jeff, I'll check it out"-

And he was gone. Jeff and Gordon exchanged looks, both fearing the worst and hoping for the best.

The shark had come out of no where, clamping around Alan's left leg hard and pulling him under. Rico screamed drawing the attention of his dad and brother as he did so.

"ALAN! SHARK! SHARK!"

Everything seemed to slow down then, Alan surfaced, his face already paling. Somehow he managed to pull himself up onto his board. Behind them, they could hear David, Rico's dad, and Joe closing in on them.

"I need to get to the beach."

Alan wasn't sure when his hearing had gotten so bad. And why his leg hurt so bad but at the same time he couldn't actually feel it either.

"Oh God!"

And Alan wasn't sure that he liked the tone that Rico's dad had said that in either. The youngest blonde Tracy was paddling in as fast as he could, which he had noticed wasn't as fast as he thought it was. He felt dizzy and everything was getting blurry and it was getting hard to breath and he just needed to get to shore, he needed to get to the beach that was all he knew.

"Dad where's the shark at!"

"We need to get to the reef, just get to the reef"

They paddled as hard as they could, trying to not get separated, everything was becoming increasingly difficult Alan was beginning to notice. A wave splashed them gently (or as gently as a wave can) onto the reef bed.

"Keep him on the board! Keep him on the board! Joe you need to get to shore! GO! Go call 9-11!"

Rico's face was blurry and his voice sounded weird as he spoke something to Alan. All his focus was on trying to keep the air in his lungs.

"Its going to be ok Al!"

"Helps on its way, helps on it way"

He felt something being wrapped tightly around his leg and it hurt, he wanted to tell them to get it off but he found speaking an even more difficult task then breathing. He was hyper aware that he was moving again, but at the moment, he was far too gone to even care.

His leg jostled as he was pulled on hard shore, and it hurt like nothing else, but he didn't seem to mind at the moment. Everything was going numb in fact. David was leaning over him, throwing another board over as he did.

He didn't know where Rico was, was his friend ok? was he hurt?

He fuzzily heard someone retching. And then David was speaking.

"Rico, get over here!

Virgil came lumbering into the kitchen, at noon sharp.

John and Scott looked up, sharing a grin, and looked back at their middle brother.

"Morning guys"

"Morning sleeping beauty!"

Virgil shot John a look, one that clearly said 'Shut it!' as he bent down to look in the fridge.

The phone rang and Virgil reached over to answer it.

They flipped him over onto the other board, trying to be quick and gentle, but they were both a bit rushed. David reached for the ankle cord, tearing it from the board and began wrapping it around Alan's knee.

"Alright buddy, an ambulance is coming alright"

Alan felt really light headed, everything was coming in and out. But he managed to lick his lips anyway.

"I..want...my dad"

David's face was going in and out as he leaned over him.

"I know, we're going...get your dad..We...get...Dad"

Virgil held the phone closer to his ear, turning slightly to motion for Scott and John to keep their conversation down.

"Wait wait wait..What?"

Both elder Tracy brothers watched in growing concern as Virgil's eye brows came together in worry and his face paled. The jumped up from their seats at the island when the family medic all but dropped the phone and bee-lined towards the door.

"Virg?"

They waited to hear something, anything, and then their worst nightmares came true. Dr. Smith opened the door looked shell shocked as he did. Slowly entering, the door snapping closed behind him as he did, slowly making his way to them.

"Jeff, its Alan"

"No"

Alan can't really remember much after that.

Scott broke traffic laws getting them to the hospital.

Gordon looked torn between screaming, throwing something, or crying.

Jeff, he was... He was just... There was no words...

John was scared, very very scared. And silently he prayed, to anything that would listen.

"Where's my family?"

"They're going to meet us at the hospital"

"BEEEEEP"

"He's going into hyperbole-mic shock"

"Hang in there"

"Breath deep"

Silence.

They ran up to the ambulance as it pulled up, the Tracy boys pushing themselves to their little brothers side. His eyes were shut, and there was lots of blood coming from what was left of his leg. They heard the medics saying something, but what it was they didn't know.

"We're here Sprout!"

"Everything's going to be ok!"

"Hang in there Allie!"

They ran with them as they rushed him into the hospital and into Trauma room one, right passed Dad and Gordon. They were pushed away to stay out of the room as a trauma nurse ran in, the door closed and they watched as the paddles were pulled and placed onto Alan's chest, his body convulsed.

And then the heart monitor beeped.

A single beep.

And then another.

And another.

Almost three days later, they were in a private room.

Alan's leg was gone. All that was left was his knee and above. Swaddled in white sterile bandaged and wraps. Scott stood, facing the outside world through the window. Jeff was at Alan's side, one hand to his mouth watching for any sign of movement.

John was on the other side, his chin resting on his chest. His blue eyes were shut.

Virgil and Gordon had taken up chairs at the end of Alan's bed, also shut eyed.

Jeff looked up when Alan's finger twitched. Once and then again. Alan reached, tried to feel his leg, and then he realized with a shock that it was gone.

His left leg was gone.

"Dad..."

Jeff stood quickly, grabbing Alan's hand as he moved from his chair to the side of his bed, bending down to kiss his youngest on the forehead.

"Hey.. buddy I'm right here"

John grabbed his other hand, and Alan's eyes traveled from his dad's face to John's in a drowsy surprise.

"We're all here"

Alan looked around, still obviously tired, and slowly the others came into focus. Scott was seated by where his left foot was meant to be. Smiling gently.

Gordon was on the right, a warm hand resting on his leg, he could vaguely feel his fingers messaging the appendage gently.

Virgil was leaning over the foot of the bed, smiling at him gently much like Scott was. Alan wondered if they ever really realized how alike they were sometimes.

"It hurts"

Looking back over at his dad, Jeff nodded, Virgil didn't need to be told to go get the doctor.

"I'm really thirsty"

Gordon nodded, tapped his good leg, his only leg, softly as he stood up to go get something for him to drink. He turned his head to the side as Scott took a deep breath and bent forward, leaning his forehead against Alan's cold hand. The young blonde licked his lips, they were pretty dry as he noticed, his voice was a bit raspy.

"Scottie...Please don't cry"

Scott took a breath, shook his head, Alan felt his hair rubbing against his hand.

"I'm not crying"

Alan knew his brother though, better then Scott thought he did, better then they all thought he did.

"I'm gonna be ok"

Scott smiled, a teary smile.

"I know"

It was a week later when the reality of only having one leg finally came to the front lines.

Alan had tried to get up on his own, to use the bathroom, but he was still not used to only having one leg to use. He sighed as he looked out over the floor, took a deep breath, and with his hands clamped around the edge of the bed pushed himself forward.

He was able to stand on his one foot for about half a minute, made to hop forward only for his knee to give out underneath him.

Alan let out a yelp as he fell forwards, bracing himself for an impact that never came. Warm strong arms wrapped around his waist at the last minute.

"Woah there Sprout! Where do you think your goin?"

Alan was pulled back up and he leaned back into Gordon's chest. Tilting his head back, his eyes met his brothers.

"I have to use the restroom"

Gordon nodded in understanding, the slight blush to his brothers cheeks was also understandable.

"Let me help you little man"

Alan wanted to protest but also knew that it was in futile, he couldn't do it by himself any more. He couldn't do anything anymore. But Gordon waited, for Alan to give him the ultimate good ahead with helping him in use the restroom, something for which Alan was thankful for.

After a long moment Alan nodded in assent and Gordon slowly turned them towards the bathroom. He walked slowly, as Alan had to hop on one foot to keep up, and let him feel as if he were walking on his own, even though his brother was helping him.

Gordon held him up from under the arms, turned his head to the side, and allowed Alan to feel some form of privacy while doing something personal and private such as using the bathroom.

When he was done relieving himself, Alan nodded slightly and shifted a bit to allow his brother to lean forward and flush it, then turn them towards the sink so Alan could wash his hands. After having been able to let go of his urine, Alan asked quietly if he could return to his bed.

Gordon nodded silently, helping him to turn and make his way back.

After getting his brother situated in his bed, Gordon sat in the chair next to it. Alan wanted to say something, that much Gordon could tell, but waited patiently for his brother to build up the courage to say whatever was on his mind. After what felt like a long moment, Alan turned to face his brother.

"Can you?...Can you please?..."

He knew that it must be hard for Alan to ask for help with something, it was against everything he was, but Gordon understood what he was saying, for he had been in Alan's position once (granted not quite like Alan was, but all the same) the nightmares were almost as bad as the real thing.

Well for him it had been anyway.

"You want me to stay with you?"

Alan nodded, and ever so slightly scooted over. Gordon gave a small smile and slid in beside his little baby brother. Alan struggled to move into a comfortable position, so assisting his little brother, Gordon wrapped an arm around Alan's waist and pulled him around and into his side. Settling down in the more comfortable position, Alan rested his head on his brothers chest.

They didn't speak after that.

Not a word.

They were just happy to be together, alive.

Almost three months later, they were ready to go home.

John and Scott had stayed behind to help Alan get dressed and ready to go. Virgil was out side the door with a wheel chair if Alan called saying he needed it, but other wise wanted to stay out of his way to allow him a sense of normalcy.

Alan frowned every time he looked in the mirror, not liking that it was so noticeable that he only had one leg. But no matter what he put on, how he wore it, his missing left leg was still noticeably missing. He sighed heavily as he slumped over, gaining the attention of both his oldest brothers. John and Scott exchanged looks, both signalling for the other to do something.

Eventually John waved Scott away, muttering about being the bigger person, and turned to sit next to their baby brother as Scott went back to getting all his things together and ready to take home. John sat patiently, waiting for Alan to be ready to talk about whatever it was that Alan needed to talk about.

Alan looked up when he felt the bed dip, met John's eyes for a moment, before looking back down once more.

John understood, this types of things take time, and he was patient. That was what made the elder blonde Tracy so easy to talk to. And he listened when Listening was what the person needed, and responded when they needed a response.

The elder leaned over and gently bumped shoulders with the younger.

"You know, we're all so glad your going to be ok"

Another moment. And sometimes they needed a push.

"What's on your mind kiddo?"

Alan took a breath before looking up into his brother's eyes. John was shocked to see sadness and fear in his brothers eyes.

"Um...They're trying to help... I know, I know.. But, um..."

It was John's turn to look strangely, even Scott stopped moving around so much to hear this. He nudged his mini-me again gently.

"But, what?"

Alan choked a bit and took another breath, "You know how, after mom had died, that you had said its hard to see things clearly sometimes? I mean, your too close?'

"Mh'm"

"Well, I've been trying to get some perspective," John nodded and Alan continued, "I've been really trying."

It was in that moment that Alan broke, he choked on his breath and his eyes filled with un-shed tears. He looked away from his brother in favor of looking down at his left knee, all that was left of it. He gently poked at it, rubbed it, before turning back to his brother with a look of total devastation (which admittedly sent off 'big-brother' alarms off in John and Scott's minds).

"John, how can this be Gods plan for me? I don't understand!"

John looked away for a moment, he wasn't a very devout religious person, as he was a man of science, but did believe that there was a God, that everything happened for a reason. He took a breath and turned back to Alan.

"I don't know why terrible things happen to us sometimes, but I have to believe that something good is going to come out of this," Alan nodded at him, wiping his eyes on his hoodie sleeve, "I don't know what it is, I really wish I did"

"C'mere"

Scott had put down what he had been packing and made his way over, wrapping his arms around his youngest brother. They didn't say anything after that for a long time.

And nobody dared to bring up the Thunderbirds.

That was a bridge they would cross when they came to it.

Sooo? What do you think? Should I continue it?

As the hint from the AN, this is based heavily on the movie Soul Surfer, with my own little Twist, I own nothing but my little twist!

:D