Hello again, folks! Well, compared to what poor John went through in this morning's eppie (OMG, it was BRILLIANT!), being offline for a couple of days suddenly doesn't seem so bad. So, now that I've got my internet and my breath back, let's see how Scott and Virgil are getting on in this latest chapter.

Me? I'm away for a soothing lie-down. And for some strange reason, I won't be having bagels for breakfast either! Speaking of which... now, Scott, what have you been up to?!

Balancing Act

Chapter Three - Food For Thought

Studying the plates in front of him, Virgil's stomach flipped with an approval he was fighting to hide. As usual, his eldest brother had surpassed himself.

'Now that's what I call a breakfast!"

Pancakes. A towering stack of them. Enough to feed a small army. Or one hungry Tracy. Or, if the unsung chef who'd made them got in fast enough - two.

If he voiced that approval aloud, of course, Scott would never let him hear the end of it. So, he chose a response that would save him the trouble. No point adding to that big brother's smugness. He was insufferable enough already.

Folding his arms, he then met Scott's eyes again, feigning indifference to their eager-beaver brightness.

"You think you can buy me with those?"

Studying the 'those' in question, Scott almost took him seriously. Almost. Then he, too, started to grin. So, little brother wanted to play hardball, did he? Well, big brother could play that game with him too. All day.

"Hey, if you'd rather chance your luck on Grandma's muffins..."

Yeah, that did it. Still wincing, Virgil pulled the rare treat of real, edible food back towards him, while finding a less than flattering use for their grandmother's latest 'experiment.'

"I'd rather use 'em as ballast for Thunderbird Two. No, these'll do fine."

Still enjoying his moment of glory, Scott knew he was about to chance his luck, and his life. As all those childhood food-fights had taught him, God help anyone who came between Virgil and his breakfast. Or lunch. Or dinner. Or anything else that came in between. But for what he was about to suggest, tugging that plate away again would be worth that 'hands-off-or-you'll-wear-it' growl.

He hoped.

"Looks to be a great morning out there. Might as well make the most of it."

In truth, of course, it wasn't full morning just yet. A few stars still dotted the brightening sky. But Virgil wasn't about to quibble. He'd already seen this suggestion for what it was. Another offer of healing peace. Even as he accepted it, though, he couldn't resist making his own contribution to help it along.

"Bring some extra syrup, and a fresh pot of coffee... oooh, and some bacon too, and you've got yourself a deal."

Sorely tempted to remind his brother that he wasn't a damn waiter, Scott then thought better of it. Watching him stride outside with such a broad grin on his face was worth this moment of servitude.

Just this once, though. For both serious reasons and not-so-serious, Scott had no intentions of letting this happen too often.

By the time he re-joined him, Virgil had tugged most of their poolside loungers back to their places, and was returning with the last two. The sight made him smile again. Ah, yes, he'd forgotten about that. One of these days, he'd really have to get around to grounding those seats into the patio.

Not surprisingly, Virgil thought so too - another moment of brotherly wit and wisdom falling on ears that conveniently refused to rise to its bait.

"...damn downdraft... seriously, Scooter, you've gotta throttle back on those thrusters."

Still muttering why it was always him that ended up fetching them, instead of some over-throttled flyboy, Virgil settled into his seat - making full use of its length to stretch his six foot plus frame into its most comfy position.

Following suit alongside, the cause of that flying furniture wisely hid his smirk behind a mugful of coffee. Waited for another forkful of pancake to re-soothe the grumbling beast beside him, before tucking into his own.

Washed down with his secret stash of coffee, this feast of a breakfast played its role to perfection. A morning that had started so lousily now felt infinitely better. More to the point, it would help them resolve the issues that... oh. Okay. Virgil had beaten him to it.

"God, I'm such an idiot."

As startled by his brother's outburst as he was surprised, Scott responded to it before the cautioning voice in his head could stop him.

"What, in general? Or just when I'm around?"

Uh-oh. Virgil wasn't smiling back at him as easily as he'd hoped, and... damn. Another of those foot-in-mouth 'oooops' moments ran through Scott's mind. He really had to learn to engage his brain before his mouth. In that respect, his brother had it down to a fine art. It was a skill that had soothed out countless family squabbles, and - yeah, listen up, Scooter. Brother Peacemaker is speaking.

"No, I'm thinking you've got enough on your plate, without me adding to it."

A pause, while he considered what he'd just said. Then a rueful but priceless grin, as Scott found it impossible not to do the same.

"I mean, seriously? You've got enough syrup on there for Gordon to go swim in it!"

"For the millionth time, Virg... don't exaggerate," Scott fired straight back at him, mushing his latest forkful of pancake through as much syrup as it could soak up, before lopping it into his mouth.

Rolling his eyes, Virgil left him to it while he thought out a more serious response. Subtly watching him, Scott smiled at what lay behind that pensive expression. If Virgil was thinking through what was really bothering him, then the solution to it wouldn't be far behind. As he'd hoped, his brother was already on the right tracks.

"You've got enough to deal with, Scott, without having to babysit me and my melodramatic imagination. I mean, it isn't as if you're a kid any more either. We're both old enough to make the right decisions. And it's not like anything in that dream actually happened."

Sipping his coffee, Virgil then frowned. In contrast, Scott's smile grew proudly wider. Yes, he was on the right tracks now, all right, but - well, a little brotherly help would help him get there just that little bit faster.

"Well, some of it happened for real," he said at last, leaving just enough bait on that verbal hook for Virgil to latch onto it.

Already nodding, Virgil continued to separate fact from the mental worst case scenario that had always troubled him. As he did so, he glanced across at Scott, and returned the smile he found there with one of dawning understanding.

"Yeah, I kept telling you to wait 'til I got there... you told me to wait to protect me from that radiation..."

'...yeah, you're getting it now, Virg... come on, you're almost there...'

"...you realize if I'd done that, Scott... if I had sat back, and waited, you and Marion would be dead now?"

'...ooh, it's Marion already...? Sorry, bro', but she landed on me first... I've still got the bruises to prove it...'

The grin on Scott's face grew silently wider. Yeah, if he ever voiced that aloud, he'd have even more. But as he then discovered, a smile could reveal just as much as the private thoughts behind it. Damn dimples - gave him away every time.

"You knew, didn't you? You knew I'd ignore that warning, and come in to get you out of there!"

And... bingo. If there'd been a bathtub around, he'd have jumped in it, and yelled 'Eureka!' For the sake of his health, though, not to mention self preservation, Scott went for a more tactful nod.

"I knew you'd go with your instincts, Virg. I knew you'd trust them to make the right call. Just as I did when I went into that mine."

Aah, the wisdom of greater experience, that he knew Virgil would appreciate now, and... hmm. Maybe not.

"Smartass."

Frowning at what should have been a far more touching moment, Scott threw a scolding glare towards him. Brotherly loyalty or not, there were times when the head of the house just had to assert his authority.

"Virgil?"

"What?"

"A little more respect for your elders."

"Bite me."