'How old are you, Scott?'

Scott stared at the purple-headed woman before him.

'I mean, when is your birthday?'

He shrugged. He had no idea at all. The woman smiled sadly and pulled him into a hug. Which, bearing in mind she was shorter than he was, wasn't easy for her to do…but Scott was beginning to enjoy these moments with the woman whose first words to them had been 'call me Grandma.'

Jeff's mother had been standing out front, waiting for them all. She was a smaller woman than Lucy, around the same height as John and a couple inches shorter than Scott was himself. Her son fairly towered over her.

The boys had all gaped at her. Bright purple hair, purple tracksuit, purple shoes, she was like no woman they had ever known, not that they had really known any females. She had briefly but tightly hugged both adults before coming over to them.

'Call me Grandma. I am Jeff's Mom and I am so very, very happy that you are here!. Food first, then Jeff will show you to your rooms.'

She then pulled them all into a group hug, just as brief, and shooed them into the house, Lucy leading them into the kitchen. The huge wooden table was laden with food, both savoury and sweet, and the boys were told to help themselves and eat until they were full. Scott didn't miss the look between mother and son, but for some reason the answer 'I didn't cook any of it' seemed to be enough.

Scott didn't think he had ever eaten so much, but eventually he could barely move he was so full. He had Alan with him and Virgil had Gordon, the two youngest still sleeping frequently now that there was no fear. Hell, they all were.

No fear.

The week they had spent at the town house before flying here had cemented a deepening faith in the two adults, that they actually were genuine, and now this new person felt the same – a safe place for him and his brothers.

'Scott?'

He blinked. Grandma had continued talking while he had zoned out in thought and he had no idea what she had said.

'I'm sorry, Grandma. What were you saying?'

'That's alright, dear. I was asking if you would like us to find out about your birthday?'

Scott stared at her some more. The thought of trying to find his birth, his family, filled him with a terror he didn't really understand, but by the hand on his arm Grandma did.

'It's ok, Scott. We don't have to do anything yet.'

That first night there had been individual rooms for the three oldest and one shared room for the youngest two, but they had all ended up in Scott's room, too used to sleeping together to be comfortable alone just yet. No one had said anything about it.

Grandma had given them all thorough physicals the morning following their arrival, leaving Scott to last, and had sprung the question of his age when they had finished, but now she dropped the subject.

'Scott, Lucy is going to show your younger brothers around the farm, but Jeff and I would like to talk to you and John and Virgil about some things that, while not important now, do need time and thought about. Is that ok?'

He nodded. Scott knew that plans for the future needed to be made, they had spoken of little else since being rescued. What those plans entailed he didn't know, and Scott hated not knowing something that was going to have an effect on his brothers.

Alan and Gordon had bloomed in that week. Both had put on weight and looked like normal children now. Gordon had even begun to act more grown-up, Scott had caught him copying some of Jeff's words and actions when talking to Alan. Alan was brighter, happier, and he delighted in being picked up by one of the adults, invariably falling asleep on them. Scott had been worried about how much they slept, but Grandma had reassured him it was a natural part of being relaxed and happy, the body was using the time to recoup and grow as it should.

They waved them off and the five gathered at the table, hot chocolate – a newly discovered delight – for the three boys and coffee for the adults. They chatted like old friends planning a trip. The discussion soon turned to schooling, and the idea of having a tutor assess them for learning skills. None of them had ever had any formal schooling, and at this point only the three eldest could read, John being the best at it. While none of them liked the idea of being sent away to learn stuff, they also understood the importance of it.

It was settled. Jeff explained that the head of International Rescue's head of the Asian branch would be arriving by the end of the week. Kyrano was going to be their security when Jeff could not be there, he would be their tutor and he would also teach them some basic self-defence.

Oh, and he had a daughter they estimated to be of an age between Virgil and Gordon.

The thought that Jeff wouldn't always be around sobered the boys up greatly, and Jeff gently explained that as a legitimate businessman and astronaut, he had certain responsibilities to maintain. He had already handed in his notice to NASA, but he needed to work that notice out. Once he had finished his last mission to the moon, Jeff would be all theirs.

John's ears had pricked up at the thought of Jeff travelling to space, and he had begun to ask lots of questions. It surprised them all – John was the quietest of the boys, and he could go days without uttering a word. There was obviously an interest here that no one had been aware off.

Five weeks. Jeff had five weeks before NASA's quarantine would start, and he intended to spend every second with his boys.

His boys. The words just rolled of his tongue. Even in just the week they had spent together he felt that they were settling down. Lucy had mentioned it too. Alan and Gordon had latched on to them as if they had always been theirs. The older three were certainly more relaxed around them.

By the end of the week Kyrano had joined them. He brought his daughter, Tanusha, with him. There had been much amusement among the adults at how the two youngest had stared at her, had followed her around for the first few days until she had tired of it. Jeff and Lucy had spoken to both of them about it, but Kyrano had smiled and told them to let Tan take care of it.

She took care of it by punching Gordon.

The startled child fell back onto his arse, a silent 'O' on his lips. Alan's eyes had grown wider. Scott and Virgil had initially rushed forward, but there was a discrete shake of Jeff's head so they hung back.

Tanusha reached down and hauled Gordon to his feet. His face soon returned to its' impish grin, and he scuffed a foot as he spoke.

'That was awesome! Can you teach me to do that?'

'Sure!'

And so began, not only a fast friendship, but the beginning of their training.

Kyrano drilled the six of them for a week before splitting them up into smaller, more tailored training groups. Afternoons were spent training the boys for learning. It turned out that all the boys had high aptitudes, they just hadn't had the opportunity to learn even basics.

Scott, John and Virgil showed an amazing ability for lateral thinking, math and science. Both Scott and Virgil thought that they couldn't read, but once they began it was clear that they were just out of practice.

By the end of the five weeks they had a good basis of where the boys were at academically and had been enrolled in the local high school to start after Jeff had left for NASA, except for Alan, who was too young and would stay home with Lucy.

It was going to be a huge challenge for them all, they had never been apart for such long periods of time. But Scott was honest to himself and his brothers and they were equally as honest.

This new life was exciting.

For the first time they had hope.

They had faith in a future.

They had friends.

They had a family.

They had love.