It had been a couple of weeks since the incident. Kathryn had returned to school with Ben though they moved into a different housing option. Some of the changes were immediate. Her school records changed from Swicord to Tracy and suddenly a lot of people wanted to get to know her. Which meant she spent a lot more time in Ben's room. The photo studio was even closed off to her since it seemed there was always someone there who wanted to talk to her. The rolls of undeveloped film were beginning to pile up in a box under her bed.

Some of the changes were for the better. She talked to her brothers more often. Especially Virgil who had to stick around New Jersey for a while until his concussion lessened and he was cleared to fly. It didn't mean their relationships were spectacular, there were still plenty of awkward pauses and silences in their conversations. But it was getting there. What she appreciated was getting a call from one of them on the way home from a mission, giving her the all clear.

The nightmares stuck around for a while, and she would still wake up to the feeling of the gun in her hands. But like Scott said, they started to be less frequent and not as vivid. It helped that she could go to the counseling office and talk about it with someone. And Ben, Ben was always there to listen to her.

She liked to think that not much had changed between the two of them. Except for the kissing, there was now a lot of kissing. And hand holding, and hair playing. At least on her end there was more hair playing. She'd never realized how soft his hair was until now. And Ben, well he'd been playing with her hair since high school.

The leaves had fallen off of the trees a long time ago and the campus was on its third snowfall when Alan Tracy stepped foot on the campus once more. Scott wasn't far behind; he was trying to figure out where to park the car without being ticketed.

"I wouldn't stand around too much," a voice said behind him. "They tend to gather like hungry birds if you stand too long."

Alan turned to see Kathryn standing there, all bundled up to keep warm. He leaned over and grabbed her hat, which was falling off and placed it on his head. "Does this distract from my good looks?" he asked her.

She protested then laughed, hugging her brother. The sling had come off a couple days ago and she was attending physical therapy to regain complete movement of her shoulder. "I'm glad you made it safe," she told him as she linked her arm in his. "Come on, let's get out of the cold."

"So you're all packed?" Scott asked, standing at the door, overseeing everything. He looked at the two youngest Tracy members, splayed out on floor with a bowl of popcorn between them. The room smelled of hot chocolate, and didn't need to ask what they'd been doing the past hour.

"Yes Scott," Kathryn said before patting down ground space next to her. "Come, sit with us my dear oldest brother."

"Come on Kat, we have to go," Scott said coming over. "There's a snow storm heading south and if we don't leave now we'll be grounded for a couple days."

"And that would be a shame," Kathryn muttered. She was bound to spend her month-long winter break on Tracy Island. It would be the first school break she wouldn't be heading to South Carolina for, not to mention it would be the first break she would be spending with her family. Alone. Without Ben. And it freaked her out.

Alan pretended not to hear her as he sat up. Unlike some of his other brothers, he wasn't delusional at how hard of a task this next month would be. Sometimes he felt like he was the only who hadn't been outraged at the idea that Kathryn could have picked whether she was going to stay a Tracy and surprised when she had picked them. It didn't keep him from trying to get to know her though. It was weird, trying to befriend your sister. "Come on Kat. Tin-Tin gets in today too."

Kathryn looked at Scott and they both rolled their eyes. Alan's girlfriend had been gone the last month, spending time in Chicago working for Tracy Industries. Meaning it had been a month since the poor guy actually talked more than a couple minutes with her. And everyone knew how eager he was to be reunited. Though Kathryn would have rather like to not think about her brother's sex life.

"Fine," Kathryn said standing up. "If lover boy needs to get back to the island to see his girlfriend, then I guess we better leave." She held out a hand and Scott pulled her up the rest of the way. "You can't wear my hat though," she told Alan who had started dressing for the cold again.

"But it goes so well with my wardrobe," Alan said. "It's like having a tiger on my head." He placed the orange and black striped hat on his head and secured it over his ears. "Besides, we're going to a tropical island. You're not going to need it." He grabbed one of the suitcases and headed out the door.

"Jerk," Kathryn muttered but with a small smile. "Scott, you're going to let him treat your little sister like that?" she pouted at him as she grabbed her pea coat from its hanger. She slid one arm in, but then struggled with the other.

"Here," Scott said, coming over and helping her out. "It'll get better Kat. You just have to keep up with your PT over the break."

"I know," she snapped at him, crossed that she was needing help to put on a stupid coat. "I've done this before Scott. It's not the first time I've hurt my shoulder." She took her anger out on him and a silence fell upon them. She sighed and rubbed her face with a hand. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "I'm just frustrated and I shouldn't have taken it out on you."

Scott half smiled at her and grabbed her other bag. "I know. It's good right? Snapping at me. Means you aren't afraid to be rude." He tried to say it teasingly but it didn't come out as well as he'd hoped. He motioned with his head for her to follow and he went out into the hall.

Kathryn sighed and looked around her room. The familiarity of it would be here for her when she came back in January. But it was a goodbye for now. She slung her backpack over her good shoulder and closed the door behind her, making sure to lock it.

"You're not leaving without saying goodbye are you?" Ben asked as he walked down towards her, hands in his front pockets. His dirty blond hair was in a mess, meaning he'd either been sleeping or studying hard.

"I thought you had that exam today," Kathryn said as he took her backpack and then her hand. They walked hand in hand down the hall.

"I did. Just got out and came running. Had to see my girlfriend before she left me for the month," he smiled at her as they stopped just before the door to the outside.

"You can come too," Kathryn said hopefully.

"You know ma's already upset your missing Christmas. I'm afraid she'd be too depressed to make her pies if I'm gone too."

Kathryn sighed and nodded, knowing very well what he said was true. She fixed the collar of his jacket, taking her time. She really didn't want to be leaving him behind.

"It's going to be okay," he whispered to her as he pulled her into an embrace. "You'll do great, just wait. You'll come back and it'll be like nothing ever happened."

"It's a whole month on an island," she whispered. "That's a whole month without seeing you." She leaned up and kissed him softly at first. His hands cupped her face, holding her there as their kiss became something more. Not quite a goodbye, but a long farewell.

The sound of a throat being cleared very loudly broke the two of them apart. They turned to see Scott standing there uncomfortable. "I've pulled the car around," he said before stepping out, no doubt needing not to see his baby sister make out with some guy.

"I guess I have to go," she sighed giving him one last quick kiss.

"Wait," Ben said and pulled his scarf out of his backpack and wrapped it around her neck. "Keep warm this winter," he teased. And then he let go and took a step back, knowing well she wouldn't leave until he pulled back.

Kathryn caught Ben's scent on the scarf and smiled. She didn't even point out that she was going to spend the next winter month on a tropical island. "See you next year Benny."

"Talk to you tomorrow," he laughed as she opened the door and stepped out into the cold New Jersey day.

It was Christmas week and Kathryn could hear the holiday cheer on the rest of the island. She sat on the hammock on her balcony, looking out at the ocean and the island's forest. Alan had been right, the ocean wasn't as wild as it used to be. It just lapped the shoreline in a calmly way, enticing people to go in.

She supposed she should be going down to be with her family, but couldn't. The need for solitude was important to her right now. Besides, her hair was still wet from the pool and she smelled like chlorine. But her shoulder still hurt and she just wanted to sit and look out at the sea.

In retrospect, she probably shouldn't have yelled at Gordon. He was just trying to help her out, teaching her some of the water PT he did from his back. But it was frustrating because they were new, and the pain of extending her shoulder higher each time made her annoyed. But what had really bothered her was Gordon recounting his experience with PT and how it actually made his stronger for the Olympics. It felt like he was insinuating she could get back on the bars, that if she worked as hard as him, she could do it too. But she couldn't. Gymnastics wasn't the same as swimming. She couldn't get back on the mat and do the same tricks she used to do. Her chance at the Olympics was gone and she didn't enjoy the reminder.

She heard a closer laugh and looked down to see Alan and Tin-Tin walking out of the house and towards the beach hand in hand. The girl was another one of her issues. Well not Tin-Tin exactly, but what she represented to the people on the island. It was hard to admit to herself, but Kathryn knew she was jealous of Tin-Tin. She was a sister to her brothers, having the kind of relationship she'd been wishing for years. She knew it wasn't Tin-Tin's fault either, it was just the way the stars had played out. But that didn't mean she had to like it.

She turned away from them and looked into her room. In the week she'd been there, she tried not to spend too much time in it. The balcony she wasn't counting as part of her room. It was a reminder of the girl they'd been expecting. A girl she no longer was. One full of dreams of becoming an Olympic gymnast, being an active member of her family's life and one who adored being a Tracy. Kathryn was beginning to think that fourteen-year-old her had high expectations. Expectations that were making her feel alien to her own room.

"Gordon wants me to work on lifting weights. Virgil thinks I should make the room mine, well they're both going to get what they want," Kathryn muttered as she got up from the hammock and moved inside. There were empty boxes on the ground from the summer clothes that Mrs. Benedict had shipped her so that she'd have appropriate tropical island attire. She grabbed one and let it drop on the bed. Then she started to work around her room. First, she grabbed all the medals hanging on hooks and dropped those in the box. Then she went for the trophies from youth competitions. The signed posters from past gold-medal winners soon followed along with her own pictures.

She stepped back and looked at her handy work. Her walls and shelves were bare, but at least she wouldn't try to avoid looking at them every time she came in. With some difficulty, she picked up the heavy box, tapped close and labeled donations. She was sure someone else would benefit from having all of this. Maybe they could melt them down and make some nice silverware. Or even get rich off of selling her pictures on Ebay or something.

"Need help with that Kat?" John asked as she passed him going down the hall. He was down for the holiday and Brains was up there doing system upgrades.

"Nope. I got this John," she huffed as she readjusted the box. The place it needed to be was much farther than she'd anticipated, but she would get this box out of her life if she ended up having to push it with her feet.

"You're dripping," he noted.

"That's my coolness. It's too much for my body to handle so it drips out of me. Try not to slip in it," she called to him as she turned the corner and headed down another flight of stairs. He laughed and continued onwards towards his room at the end of the hall. He passed Kathryn's room and slowed to look inside it. He hadn't seen it in a while since the door was always shut. Peering in he found it to be very bare. John definitely recalled shiny things hanging on her walls and on the shelves. He wondered what was in the box.

Kathryn was on a stool by the kitchen, freshly showered and blow dried, flipping through a magazine when the klaxon pierced the air. She yelped and jumped, still startled by the sudden loud piercing noise. She covered her ears and watched as her brothers flooded into the house and ran to their dad's study. Alan slowed enough to give her an apologetic smile about the noise before catching up. It went off soon after, signifying the arrival of everyone to the meeting.

"You get used to it," Tin-Tin said sitting beside her. "The noise."

"I probably won't," Kathryn said as she turned towards the Malaysian girl. "Sudden loud noises tend to freak me out."

"I'll keep that in mind when Alan lets any of his pranks slip," Tin-Tin grinned. Kathryn knew she was trying to be nice, but there was no real need for it. At least not on her end.

"It's okay. They twosome don't really prank me," Kathryn admitted. "They tend not to do it to people who aren't a part of the family. Never know how well they're going to take it." The implication was there and a silence fell between them. Way to kill the conversation, Kathryn thought to herself. "Sorry," she apologized. "Ben says I tend to be a conversation kill."

"Ben's your boyfriend right?" Tin-Tin asked. Kathryn nodded with a slight blush.

"We were best friends first," Kathryn told her, swinging towards her to talk better. "We met in high school. We definitely didn't hit it off right away, at least not on my end. People issues you know. He found out I wasn't going home for winter break and insisted on going with him. I'm actually not sure how I ended up agreeing to it, but one night I had one of my nightmares and Ben was there. He's been there ever since."

"It sounds like the two of you are really close," TIn-Tin smiled at her. "No wonder it makes Alan nervous."

"It makes Alan nervous?" Kathryn asked, intrigued. "Do tell how." Tin-Tin laughed.

"It's a double standard," Tin-Tin said. "He thinks my dad shouldn't be nervous that we're together because he's a good guy. But the idea of you being alone in Princeton with Ben makes him even more nervous." Kathryn's blush returned in a dark shade, making Tin-Tin laugh even harder. "You and Alan have that same embarrassed look. It's cute."

Kathryn shifted uncomfortably in her chair, compliments from strangers being new and made her nervous. "You know what's cute?" she asked instead. "That dress." She pointed to the model on the page she'd flipped to in the magazine. Tin-Tin took the hint and turned to the page.

They continued to gush about the pages filled with the newest fashion trends for the upcoming spring season. They criticized the ridiculousness of the sizes one needed to be to wear it as great as those models. And Kathryn loved it. It kind of felt like talking to Julia or Emily, no expectations just girl talk. It was nice, talking to Tin-Tin. And they kept talking, just about random things and it was actually weird. A good weird, though, that Kathryn appreciated.

She and Tin-Tin were on their third plate of snack food when her youngest brother appeared next to them, sweaty and dirty but planting a kiss on his girlfriend's cheek anyway. "You two having fun?"

"Alan you smell," Kathryn said, scrunching her nose. "Did you just get back? I didn't even notice you leave." It was true, she'd been so interested in talking with Tin-Tin that she hadn't even heard the engines start up and leave. She hadn't had the time to worry about them to a close point of losing her mind.

"I'm hurt," Alan said, faking a heartbreak. "Your words wound me."

Tin-Tin shoved him away with a laugh. "Go shower and do your debrief. I'm sure dad wants to have dinner on the table soon now that you're all back."

"Ugh. I don't think I can do dinner," Kathryn said, grabbing a cookie from the tray. "I'm stuffed with all this food he's already given us." She took a bite and jumped off the stool with the cookie in hand. "Make out with your girlfriend Alan. You reek and I have things to do," she grinned. "See you later."

Alan waited until his sister left before turning towards his girl. "Thanks," he said, kissing her. "For taking care of her, keeping her distracted."

"I wasn't taking care of her Alan," Tin-Tin him. "I just hung out with her. You have to stop treating her like she's fragile or you're expecting her to panic or yell."

"Did she say something?"

"She didn't have to. I said something about watching her back and she started to shut me out, became defensive. So I changed tactics, talked about something else."

"Oh yeah, what did you talk about?" Alan asked, sitting in Kathryn's former seat.

"Ben," Tin-Tin grinned. "You should have seen the way she lit up. Then we talked about girl things. We're going to see if we can go to the mainland during the break and hit the shops. But I think it would be cool if we could use the Tracy name and see if we can get into a studio and get some early looks on the spring line. There's a dress she really liked that I think would be cool if she could have it pre-fitted."

Alan looked at her amused. "You like her don't you?"

Tin-Tin laughed and pushed him slightly. "Go shower. Kathryn's right, you stink."

Kathryn lets her head hang off the bed as she stared at the now-bare wall in front of her. Music was jamming in the background as she tried to think of what to do with all the white. Her door was wide open to ensure people didn't think she was being antisocial and a loner. She did not need her brothers sending in one of them for a therapy session or something.

"I don't remember this room being so bare," Scott shouted over the music as he leaned against the door frame.

"I'm redecorating," Kathryn said as she turned the music off with a button from her remote. "Trying to make it more me."

"What was wrong with the old look?"

"Obviously not me." Kathryn stated as she flipped over. "What's up?"

"The box downstairs, you want that to go out?" he asked. "I'm doing a run to the mainland for last minute food things for Kyrano and I thought I'd take it with me while I'm gone."

"Do it. Take it and give it to the needy," Kathryn told him. "I'm telling you, it's the way to go."

"Alright. Hey, we'll watch a movie or something when I get home?"

Kathryn looked at him curiously. "Are you going to try and psychoanalyze me?" she asked. "Cause I can tell you right now a movie isn't the way to go. I 'd try something over milk and cookies." She tried to pass it off as a joke, but it came out slightly stiffer than she meant.

"Just thought you'd like it," Scott said heading out.

Kathryn sighed. "Hey Scott," she called out and he popped his head in. "I like Sweet Home Alabama. And buttered popcorn. None of that healthy stuff, though."

"I'll add it to the list," he grinned and walked out. "Try not to be asleep when I get back."

Kathryn was in her pajamas waiting for Scott to get back. She was dozing off on the couch when a big jolt woke her up. "No sleeping," Gordon grinned mischievously at the end of the couch.

"That's not a nice way to wake up people," she muttered, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Scott's coming in," Gordon said. "Let's go to the hanger," he nudged her with his toes. "Come on, get up. Get up."

"Why are you so insistent?" Kathryn asked, sitting up straighter and moving off the couch. She stretched, bones popping, but winced slightly as she lifted her bad shoulder. "I know, I know, it gets better with exercise and use," she said the second she saw Gordon open his mouth. He put his hands up in a surrender position.

"Just going to say you should probably put on a sweater. It's cold in the hanger," he added, taking his off and throwing it at her.

Kathryn looked at him calculating what his motives might be. She slipped the baggy sweatshirt on and followed him to the hanger.

Her cell phone rang half way there. "Ben!" she smiled as she picked up. "Isn't it like two in the morning?"

"I'm glad you're so concerned with my sleeping pattern," he said to her over the phone. "I can't sleep. So I called you."

She laughed. "What's keeping you up?"

"The sound of the engine." They were walking into the plane hangar and Gordon told her to wait right there.

"Engine? What engine? Your house is in the middle of the farm. And there's no way the tractors are going this late into the night, or the year."

She could hear Ben laughing at her, it sounded so close through the phone. "Kat," he started. "Stop looking at the floor and look up."

Confused, Kathryn looked up and dropped the phone. "Ben!" she shouted and ran at her best friend who met her half way between her and the plane. Laughing, he dropped his bag and caught her, spinning her once before setting her down.

"I'm guessing you missed me," he said. His southern accent was evident, as always after he spent more than a week on the farm. To his question, she leaned up and kissed him, wrapping her arms around his neck. His hands went to her waist and pulled her closer to him.

Scott's cough broke them apart, and Kathryn knew she had this goofy smile on her face but didn't care. "What happened to your ma being too depressed to bake pies?" she asked him.

"Julia's over in my stead. Sides, ma thought you could use some holiday cheer too," he whispered the last part to her, knowing well that vacationed could be just as stressful as relaxing. She just hugged him again out of excitement. It wasn't just that her boyfriend was here, it was that her best friend was. She'd used to imagine that Ben would get to see Tracy Island one day because he was her best friend and her family. And him being there was a sign that she didn't have to pick one over the other. But as the years had gone by, it had seemed that she had to choose, and she'd always choose him.

But now he was here. With her. And she didn't have to choose at that moment. She got on her toes and looked at her brothers over his shoulder. Thank You, she mouthed to them and smiled. It caused both of them to smile back as she got back on her heels and grabbed Ben's hand.

"Come on," she said, letting him grab his bag. "We're about to watch a movie." She looked over at Scott. "Right Scott?"

Scott's smile grew. "Right."

"Hey, I want to watch it too," Gordon said, adding himself to the group as they made their way in. "What are we watching exactly?"

"Please don't tell me you let her pick," Ben pleaded.

"Sweet Home Alabama," Kathryn smiled, causing Ben to groan.

"You had to let her pick didn't you? That's her favorite movie, I've already seen it a thousand times. At least y'all get to suffer with me. Y'all committed now," he told Gordon who had a less than enthused look on his face.

"Hey, it's a good movie," Kathryn debated. "Besides, your issues with it have nothing to do with the actual movie." She nudged Ben in the ribs.

"So basically we don't let Kathryn pick the movies anymore," Scott added.

"Agreed," Gordon and Ben said at once. Kathryn looked at her guys with a hurt look on her face.

"Don't gang up on me!" She said as they laughed.

And at that moment, Kathryn smiled. For a long time, she was afraid she was going to have to pick being a Tracy over Ben, but at that moment she wasn't. They way her two lives started to meld together was nice. It didn't mean it wasn't going to be hard and without obstacles. There would probably be more fights and tears, but that was alright.

Because family was something worth fighting for. Family wasn't perfect, or always happy. But family was family. It was more than just a blood tie. It was more than just being related by name. Being family meant that you put up with everything and everyone, during the highs and the lows, because you loved them.

Family means love.

A/N: Alright and that's a wrap! I want to thank everyone who read this fanfiction from beginning to end. You guys were awesome readers! And thanks a million for all the great reviews! They made my day!

This also won't be the last of Kat and Ben. I'm thinking of putting up some one-shots that I have, and there's an idea for a sequel story, but I'm not sure if I'm ever going to get around to writing it. I mean I have their lives planned to about 30ish years from now (all in my head) so who knows what you'll get!

There will also be another Tracy-sister, but not Kat. And possibly not a happy ending?

Anyway stick around for more later, but It's All in The Name is done!