ArtisticRainey asked for Kayo and Coin

He was home! Found! And Kayo was as excited as anybody else. Looking older, gaunter, greyer hair, but it was still him – Jeff Tracy.

Except…. There was something that seemed a little off. But they all ignored it. After all, he'd been gone for twelve months. And from what he had said, it was hardly surprising he was a little changed.

Although…. Yeah. Dinner had been hard tonight. The whole family was there, including Penelope and Colonel Casey. And it was clear that, by the end of the meal, those two woman had been severely pissed off.

With Jeff Tracy. Though Kayo would have sworn that was not possible.

It was keeping her awake. And when she was kept awake, John was kept awake and a John without sleep was a grumpy John. Except, it seemed, John had a similar problem.

"He's not dad," John said softly. "He looks like him. He sounds like him. But… he's not him." He put his arm around Kayo and held her close.

"No – I don't think he is either. What about the other boys?"

"Scott and Virgil are suspicious. Gordon is furious with him about what he said to Penny, and Alan… Alan just wants it to be dad."

Kayo nodded. "Alan's desperate for your father to be back."

"But what if it really is him, Kayo? What if he's changed that much?" John's had bowed. "I don't… Kayo – If that really is dad… I'm going to have to leave. I can't work with him. Can't respect him."

They were both silent. "If you go, you know I'll go with you." Kayo rested her head on his shoulder. "I'm not going to risk losing you."

"We've already lost Penny and Gordon," John said. "The only reason they haven't left is because of your birthday tomorrow."

"Casey too, I think," Kayo said. "And I never thought I'd see the day that the Colonel and your father would fall out."

"Me either. That's what really made it come clear to me. If Casey has doubts it's dad, then perhaps I'm not just imagining it."

"But how do we prove it? So far, he's not tripped up."

"He has – but it's been covered well. And whoever it is knows a lot about our family. That's what I'm finding frightening."

"So we have to force a confrontation. Somehow." Kayo was frowning. "Call him out on the errors."

"We'll talk to Casey," John said. "She's got dirt on Dad that we don't. If anybody can trip him up, she can. Especially if we all work together feeding him reminiscences."

"You know, tomorrow would be perfect. My birthday and all – we can throw other stuff into that."

"We need to keep him out of the hangars," John said. "If he's really dad, he'll know how to get down there anyway. But if he asks, we can't tell him." He paused. "I'm scared Kayo. I'm scared that he is dad, and I'm scared that he isn't. Because if he isn't – then where is dad, and how does this person know so much."

The two held each other close, and neither of them could day which they wanted more – for the man to be a hopelessly flawed Jeff Tracy, or for him to be an imposter. Sleep was fitful, despite loving arms.

Some birthday presents were better than others. Being woken by kisses and more from the man she loved, was the best birthday present she could have. Good enough that it almost drove their other concerns from their minds.

Almost.

Jeff handed her a box at the breakfast table. She opened the small card on the top. The handwriting was his. Even the use of her birth name was how Jeff always referred to her.

And yet something was still off.

She opened the box and took out the small velvet bag. From it, she slipped a large gold coin. She balanced it in her hand and then dropped it on the table.

At that point, several people moved, and Kayo's gun was at "Jeff's" head. "Who are you," she asked, her voice cold.

"What the hell...? What's all this about? You know who I am. I'm Jeff Tracy. How can you forget that?"

"It's not what I forget. Now… who the hell are you. And where is the real Jeff Tracy?"

The man's voice took on a different tone. "Wouldn't you like to know. You were all so pathetically glad to see him back." He tried to move and was stopped by a pair of hands on his shoulders.

"We'd very much like to know," Scott said, flexing his fingers into the imposter's shoulders. "Because we've all had suspicions about you. And now they've been confirmed." He turned to Casey. "Take him away, Colonel. I'm sure the GDF can get the information out of him."

Casey's face was blank. "We will, Scott. Can I take Kayo as well?"

Scott swallowed and nodded. He didn't want to know what methods they used.

Jeff Tracy sat back in his chair, behind his desk. His hands caressed the arms of the chair and then touched lightly the blonde hair of his youngest child who was sitting on the ground clutching at his legs. His other sons were similarly close and his mother was seated on another chair next to him, not bothering to hide the tears in her eyes.

He was gaunt, his hair no longer salt and pepper but steel grey and buzz cut to a length he hadn't had it at since he had been a full time astronaut. He hated it then too.

"How did you know? I mean, I was fooled myself." Jeff hated his voice at the moment. He didn't sound like him. He didn't look like him.

"We were all feeling funny," Kayo said. "But on my birthday he gave himself away." She took out a gold coin and dropped it on the table.

"What's that?"

"My birthday present from 'Jeff Tracy'," she said. "The coin that you always give me."

Jeff picked it up and turned it over and over, looking closely. He smiled. "Such a tiny thing to catch him out."

She nodded. "Every year you give me a coin. But he couldn't get from your mind the most important thing about that coin. It's never been the monetary value of it that makes it precious to me."

Kayo came to his side and John stood away, but placed his arm around her waist as she bent over and kissed Jeff's cheek. "Those coins, the value to me is the meaning behind them. Thank you dad."

Jeff stood suddenly and hugged Kayo tight, smiling at John as he did so. "Thank you, Tanusha. Thank you for putting everything together. And thank you all for not giving up."

He wasn't surprised when his sons and mother joined the hug, and his smile grew even broader when his oldest friend, and Penelope joined in as well.

"We're International Rescue," Kayo said. "We don't give up."