Prologue

Another day on Tracy Island was drawing to a spectacular close as the summer sunset bathed the calm shores in a red and orange glow.

Another day over in the lives of the Tracy brothers in their roles as International Rescue.

Today had seen its fair share of action with Scott, Virgil, Gordon and Alan involved in a heated rescue which had included one of the largest hospitals on the eastern coast of America. A major electrical fault in a nearby factory had resulted in a power failure at the high-profile hospital, with the overheating of emergency generators being used to keep premature babies alive resulting in a dire situation for nearly twenty blocks. Ten floors of the maternity section were alight before International Rescue had even become involved and it had taken quick thinking and rapid action to avert a major disaster.

With Gordon working feverishly in the Firefly under Scott's direction to extinguish the raging blaze, Virgil and Alan had been kept more than just busy evacuating expectant mothers, mothers in labour, premature babies and newborns to nearby hospitals.

The sweat had poured from Gordon's brow as he worked. He knew full well the survival of many of the tiny human beings would depend on the retention of the millions of dollars worth of equipment on the floors still in danger above him. Some of it could not be found anywhere else in the world. It hadn't helped that Scott was on edge and seemed to be riding him harder than he normally did. On several occasions they had exchanged heated words; Gordon hating to be told what to do when he knew how to do it and Scott anxious that he wasn't doing it fast enough. At least Gordon took comfort in the fact that Scott was giving his other two brothers the same treatment, barking instructions and demanding they step it up.

The fire had eventually been controlled but not before Alan had been given a massive dose of reality as not one, but two of the mothers in active labour, gave birth to their babies in the hull of Thunderbird Two.

Alan, usually capable in most situations, had asked to take a back seat, telling Virgil he'd prefer to take over the controls of Thunderbird Two. Virgil had cut to the chase and told him, point blank, to cut all the crap and just grow up. It wasn't the time for him to decide what his role was. It was time to knuckle down and just do the job. In the end Virgil continued to fly Thunderbird Two giving Alan verbal instructions on emergency childbirth.

After Thunderbird Two landed and the paramedics rushed forward to take over, Alan said he was the one who needed a gurney, not the two mothers. The young astronaut who could spin thousands of revolutions in space without giving it a second thought, returned to Tracy Island knowing there was a lot about the rescue business he still had to learn. During the debrief, he'd said that he'd never be the same again after this rescue.

His brothers had agreed and, worse still, had all said they believed him.

The same young astronaut now walked along the darkening shores of Tracy island with his friend - Tin-Tin Kyrano. Tin-Tin was the daughter of his father's retainer and confidante, Kyrano. Tonight, they walked hand-in hand, unlike most evenings when they just strolled together, happy to just enjoy each other's company. For Alan it was a sign their relationship was changing. He'd always been drawn to her even as a child but the physical attraction had only started since they'd graduated from College. However, whether he cared to admit it to himself or not, she was fast becoming more than a physical attraction. Alan was worried he was falling hard for his childhood friend Miss Tin-Tin Kyrano; and the more he was growing to love every thing about her, the harder it was becoming for him to act as he always had.

Tin-Tin too had sensed that their friendship was different. Tonight, the warmth of her hand in his, cemented this was moving past the point of friendship. The annoying little boy with the curly blond hair and the cocksure blue-eyed teenager were nowhere to be found. Alan could still be annoying, and he was definitely still cocksure of himself - but - she couldn't put her finger it - it wasn't the same, anymore.

The waves lapped the beach gently and the tropical flowers from the garden near the villa, gave the air a sense of romance. Alan took the opportunity to put his arm around her to pull her closer to him. He kissed the top of her head softly, without saying a word.

"You're quiet tonight," she observed gently, slipping a slender arm around his waist. "Is there something wrong?"

Alan sighed a little.

"I'm sorry, Tin-Tin."

She stopped and looked up at him. His eyes looked sad, instead of gleaming with their usual mischief and love of life. He cast her a brief half-smile that was meant to reassure her.

But this was Tin-Tin and he should have known it wouldn't work.

Taking both of his hands , she looked up him earnestly. "Can I do anything to help?"

He thought about it for a while and then declined the invitation. "No, Tin-Tin. There's nothing you can do."

Tin-Tin knew Alan well enough to know that silence was key if she wanted him to eventually admit what was bothering him.

Her patience was rewarded.

"Tin-Tin … you know it's my birthday, tomorrow and you also know what happened on this island last year."

Tin-Tin bit her lip and looked away awkwardly. Yes, she did know.

Last year had spiralled out of control in the close-knit Tracy family and it all had to do with just one thing. Every year Alan shared his birthday with a memory. The anniversary of the day he entered the world and the day his mother had tragically left it. A death that no-one really talked about - especially Alan's father. A gaping wound that had never healed even after twenty-one years. Jeff Tracy still hadn't moved on from the medical emergency that had left him alone to raise his five young sons. Last year, he had founded International Rescue in the hope that no-one else would ever have to go through the hard times that he did. At the age of thirty-five, the former ex-astronaut had been forced to become father and mother; Lucille Tracy dying when Alan was only four hours old.

In Alan's eyes, every year was exactly the same. It was his birthday but it was never a real birthday. It was always going to be the day they travelled to Boston to lay flowers on his mother's grave, the day his four older brothers talked quietly amongst themselves and last year, the day Alan ended up having an altercation with his father.

Tin-Tin still remembered it.

Still shivered at the the thought of it.

His father had been mulling over past history with his whiskey glass. Alan had said he was tired of his father being down in the dumps, every single year since he'd been a child. It didn't help when he went on to say in front of everyone that he couldn't be sad about someone when he hadn't known them. Jeff Tracy had growled that he'd needed to respect his mother and appreciate the fact she had died to give him life. An argument had erupted and to the dismay of all his brothers; Alan had threatened to leave International Rescue and resurrect his racing career. It had taken his grandmother to step in before both Alan and Jeff agreed that, in this family, no-one was going anywhere. Alan hadn't spoken about it since but Tin-Tin knew that he'd banked what his father had said into the place where he kept his private hurts.

Hurts which had the habit of resurfacing at the most inappropriate times.

"Things will be better this year," she promised him.

He said he wished he could believe her.

"Just one year I'd like to go to bed and not be disappointed in my father." He paused for a moment and sighed. "And how I conducted myself."

She squeezed his hand in sympathy. "I know."

Then she smiled at him to change the subject. "But I do have a gift for you."

The mischievous sparkle returned. He prodded her nose with his finger causing her to wrinkle it up.

"Wrapping yourself up for me, then? I told you last year that I like my presents unwrapped." He winked suggestively and grinned from ear to ear, sidestepping her inevitable attempt to slap him.

"Don't, Alan!"

He laughed out loud but then they looked at each other, his eyes holding hers as if for a split second the thought had maybe occurred to them both.

"Don't what? Want to unwrap you? You're not much fun. "

She frowned and made a face. "I'm going in for dinner since all you want to do is make jokes."

"Who says I was joking?" he teased, pulling at her ponytail.

"Alan! I said…"

He swung her around to face him and touched her lips with his.

"You said, what?" he breathed and then kissed her again. " Now you can't think of anything to say at all."