'You will always be grateful to you, Scott. No one else has ever risked his life for me. I've returned to Soul Society to redeem my sins, but I don't regret what I did. I made a human friend. Still, everyone's memory has been wiped clean. Yours too. You won't ever remember me, ever.'
For a second I wondered what was going on. The floor was harder than it usually was…A groan beside me told me I wasn't alone, and I cracked an eye open.
Why was I on a pathway? Why was Gordon, John and Virgil with me? And Dad? What was going on?
John seemed to recover first, activating his comm. He listened to whatever was being said while the rest of us pulled ourselves together. Dad was blinking in confusion and suddenly we all realised where we were and what we had been doing.
Mom's grave.
And then we all realised that Scott wasn't there. He'd gone back to the rooms to get…
'Guys, we gotta move. Looks like a tornado has ripped through town!'
'FAB, John. Get going, boys.'
We scrabbled up and raced for the bottom of the hill where Two would be waiting for us.
The town was a wreck! I'd seen tornado damage before but this was extremely contained damage.
And then, in the middle of the square propped up against a car, sat Scott. He looked a mess. There was blood everywhere, but I couldn't see any wounds.
'Virgil! Virgil! I found Scott – he needs you!'
I admit that everything else in the rescue passed in a blur – except for Conrad. Gordon had pulled aside a car door and found the young space controller spark out underneath it. He too had blood on his clothing but no wounds. He was taken to the impromptu medic tent set up. The tent was full of frightened people but there were no major injuries.
Miraculously, Scott and Conrad were the only two unconscious.
Scott was unconscious when we landed home on the island, and Grandma insisted that we put him in the infirmary and let him sleep. Looked like my big bro had overdone it again. The evening was…weird. I kept feeling that something wasn't right, that something was missing, and from how everyone else acted it seemed they all felt the same way. Eventually we all drifted off to our rooms for sleep.
Next morning I was actually up early – Dad had insisted that since Lady P was with us we would have a family breakfast, although he threatened to skin anyone alive if we woke Scott up…
Scott woke up in the infirmary. There were no brothers present so that must mean…he was alright! He grinned and jumped off the bed with the barest of groans. Wow, he must have been in a hell of a rescue – he ached all over. Funny that he couldn't remember it, but Virgil would have been there waiting for him to wake up if there was a head injury.
Padding into the kitchen he almost didn't see Gordon and Alan sitting at the table. The Squid was obnoxiously chewing on one of his lurid celery crunch bars while Alan was munching on toast. Scott ignored them and grabbed a bowl and some cereal from the cupboard. Gordon's sing-song voice, his 'I am aiming to annoy you' voice, called out.
'Morning! You slept in late – is there something wrong?'
Scott poured out cereal and milk before turning to his brother, stirring the bowl as he contemplated an answer.
'I had the strangest dream. I can't remember any of it, but it was a long one.'
He continued to stare into the distance, stirring a cereal that was rapidly becoming soggy. Gordon and Alan looked at each other and burst out laughing, and all at once Scott's mood lifted. He still felt a little out of sorts, like there was something missing in his life that he couldn't quite put his finger on, but the thought was chased out of his head when his father placed a hand on his shoulder. Scott hadn't even seen him approach, he'd been so lost in thought.
'So, you finally decided to join us!'
In with him came Virgil and John, Grandma and Penny, and they all sat at the table while Jeff dished out plates of pancakes Scott hadn't even noticed. Bowls of chocolate sauce and maple syrup, plates of bacon and eggs appeared as if by magic, and Jeff talked while he worked.
'You've gotta live well and eat well, Son, and age well until your hair falls out.'
Jeff ignored the laughter around the table, and Scott stood there, listening to his father and watching his family and friend as they laughed and began the usual family battle for food. He moved over to take his usual seat when his Dad paused in front of the portrait of their Mother Virgil had done when they had moved to the island. Scott found himself waiting in front of his father, holding his breath.
'And then die smiling, Scott.'
Jeff reached up and tenderly stroked his wife's cheek before turning back to his eldest.
'Make your life worth living, that's all I'm saying, Son.'
He patted Scott on the shoulder as he walked past him. Scott continued to stare at his Mom. He hadn't failed to notice his father's eyes look fleetingly at Penny before returning to him.
Scott smiled, picked up his plate and chair and shoved Alan out of the way, sitting beside Penny. He didn't fail to notice her cheeks flush ever so slightly and the small smile that lit up her eyes…
'You look…different, Scott.'
'I feel different, Penny.'
And they engaged in quiet conversation as his father looked on and his brothers talked about the latest rescue they had been on, the one where he'd apparently been injured.
After the dishes had been cleared away they all disappeared to do whatever tasks they had scheduled for the day. Penny had business with his father and Scott found himself wandering through the house listlessly, thinking over the last few weeks.
He still felt that something was missing. Penny had been a surprise…but then Virgil and John had always ribbed him that he was oblivious to such things.
No – it wasn't that what he was missing.
Scott found himself in the gym. He picked up a wooden bokken, wondering when iR started training with them. It just added another piece to the puzzle. Something on the ground in the corner caught his eye and he knelt down to pick it up.
It was a hair scrunchy.
Clenching it in his fist Scott gasped as a flood of memories hit him, forcing him to sit down on the floor suddenly.
'Kayo!'
