Disclaimer: I do not own Thunderbirds. The following story has been written purely for entertainment purposes - no profit is being made by the author.

Strawberries and Moonlight

Chapter 1: Strawberries

In one swift motion, Scott Tracy's splayed fingers sliced through his thick, damp hair as he strolled along the corridor, picking up the pace a little once the kitchen door came into view. He'd worked up a monstrous appetite following his three-mile run along the beach earlier, and his stomach began noisily alerting him of its lack of sustenance soon after he'd showered.

Striding into the kitchen, Scott headed straight for the fridge, pulling the heavy door open with ease. Hungry eyes feasted on the vast array of tempting delicacies within. A clear plastic container virtually overflowing with plump strawberries caught his attention. He grinned wickedly.

I'll just have one, no-one will notice.

He reached in, blissfully unaware another pair of eyes was watching his every move. With a thumb and forefinger, he gently plucked out what appeared to be the biggest strawberry of the lot. His mouth watered in anticipation as the fruit neared his lips...

"I wouldn't touch those, if I were you."

Scott froze. He was sure his heart skipped several beats. His head slowly pivoted towards the source of the voice; a soft, masculine tone he'd instantly recognised. His shoulders visibly sagged when his gaze fell upon the tall, slender figure casually propped against the door frame.

"Jeez, John. Give a guy a heart attack, why dontcha."

John grinned broadly. "Sorry, Scott. Guess I should be more careful now that you're practically an old man, huh?"

"Hey, watch it, wise guy," Scott retorted in a mock scold. "I'm thirty-four next week, not eighty-four. And I'll have you know, I'm still in my prime." Irrespective of John's warning, Scott shoved the strawberry into his mouth and ate it with obvious pleasure. He then grabbed a wrapped chicken sandwich. "Anyway," he added, giving his brother a knowing smile, "you're not that far behind me."

"You got a point there," John mused.

Scott firmly nudged the fridge door shut with his elbow and hastily opened his snack. "So, who are the strawberries for?" he asked, before taking a large bite out of his sandwich.

"They're Alan's. He bought them on his trip to the mainland this morning. He's planning a romantic picnic with Tin-Tin later this evening, and I wouldn't be surprised if he's counted them."

Scott paused in mid-chew. "You gotta be kidding me, right?"

John chuckled. He made his way over to where Scott stood and perched himself on the edge of the kitchen table. He kept his voice low.

"Well, from what he's told me, everything has to be perfect." Looking directly into his brother's eyes, John leaned forward and smiled. "He's finally decided to ask Tin-Tin to marry him."

Scott swallowed. "Really? That's great! They've been together for a while now, so it's about time, I guess." He then frowned. "But Alan never said anything to me. When did he tell you?"

"Yesterday. During the trip home from Five."

"I see."

Scott couldn't help feeling a little disappointed knowing he hadn't been the first one Alan approached with the news. But before he could dwell on the matter, John offered an explanation.

"He's been meaning to tell you, Scott. I'm sure he would've said something last night, if it hadn't been for Tin-Tin not giving him a moment's peace. You know what those two are like after a month apart." John smirked before continuing. "He got up extra early this morning to go shopping and came back about an hour ago. The kid's had a lot to organise for tonight. He just hasn't had the chance to talk to you yet."

Inwardly appreciating John's effort to reassure him, Scott smiled thinly and nodded his head in understanding before devouring the rest of his sandwich.

"So, where's Alan now?" he asked, brushing away a few stray breadcrumbs from his denim shirt. He pulled the fridge door open again and took out two cans of soda, throwing one to John.

"Thanks. He went off to find Kyrano a little while ago. Dad suggested that he do the right thing and ask for Kyrano's blessing first."

"Dad knows?"

"Yeah, and Grandma does, too. But no one else knows. At least, not yet anyway. Alan didn't mention anything to Gordon during yesterday's change-over."

Scott grinned. "That reminds me, how's Gordon doing up in Five?"

John had initially been scheduled to relieve Alan the previous day, but a last minute change of plan ensured Gordon would be covering John's duty instead. Two days ago, Gordon had been adding some finishing touches to one of his most elaborate practical jokes to date. Unfortunately, being called out on a rescue mission meant he had no time to do a safety check, and his father just so happened to be in the wrong place, at the wrong time, with disastrous results. Despite his son's desperate pleas for forgiveness, Jeff was adamant Gordon would be spending time in Thunderbird Five to mull over his actions for a while. And so it was arranged, much to Gordon's displeasure.

"He's doing okay so far," John replied, with slight trepidation. "But you know what he's like. It'll only be a matter of time before he starts complaining about something."

"Hello, you two," a gentle, melodious voice greeted from the doorway.

With characteristic grace and poise, and her usual display of cheerful exuberance, Tin-Tin made her way into the kitchen. She carried, in both hands, a large silver serving tray, laden with empty cups.

Scott met the young woman with a warm smile. He put down his drink and ventured over to her.

"Here, honey, let me take that for you."

Tin-Tin flashed him a dainty smile. "Thank you, Scott." She lightly brushed a hand over her glistening brow. "I think someone should have a word with your father about the amount of coffee he's been drinking today. All that caffeine can't be doing him any good."

"Oh, it's okay, Tin-Tin," said Scott, placing the serving tray onto the counter carefully so as not to disturb its fragile load. "Grandma made Dad switch to decaf after the doc warned him to permanently cut out anything that makes his blood pressure skyrocket."

John took a sip of his soda before adding, "Shame he can't do the same with Gordon."

Both brothers laughed.

"Well, it's certainly very quiet around here today," Tin-Tin observed, elegantly crouching down to sort through the large cupboard under the sink. "Where is everyone?"

"Alan got back from the mainland a short while ago," John offered, exchanging a brief glance with Scott. "And I think Virgil's out by the pool."

"Oh," replied Tin-Tin, vaguely.

The young woman eased herself up. After smoothing out the creases in her blue satin dress, she reached for the high shelf above the sink, skimming a delicate hand along its smooth surface. Muttering unintelligibly under her breath, she then pulled out a drawer. Her shapely eyebrows pinched together as she meticulously rummaged through its contents. When it became evident she hadn't found what she appeared to be looking for, she pulled out another.

Scott regarded her with mounting curiosity. "Is something wrong, honey?"

Tin-Tin sighed. "You two haven't seen my ring anywhere, have you? It's the silver one with the large emerald stone. I was sure I'd left it in my room, but it's not there." Unsuccessful in her search, the young woman gently pushed the drawer closed. "And it doesn't seem to be around here, either."

Scott shook his head. "No, I've not seen it."

"Maybe Grandma found it and put it someplace safe," said John.

Tin-Tin frowned thoughtfully, running a slender finger along her lower lip. "Yes, maybe." She looked up at John and smiled. "I'll go and ask her if she's seen it."

Scott waited a few moments after Tin-Tin left before he spoke. "You don't think she overheard us talking about Alan before she came in, do you?" he asked anxiously.

John smiled and rested a hand on the elder Tracy's shoulder. "You worry too much." Then, leaning closer, he made a point of inspecting his brother's hair. "You know, you might wanna get some hair dye for that little grey patch you got coming through there..."

"Will you cut that out!" Scott growled, swatting his brother's probing hand.

John chuckled, eyes twinkling in amusement. "Grey hair and old age come hand in hand, Scott. But you'll discover that soon enough."

"Oh, is that a fact?" Scott snatched the soda can out of John's hand and lifted it a few inches above his brother's head, tilting the object precariously on its side. A playful sneer touched the corners of his lips. "Care to run that by me again?"

John wisely refused.

"Psst! Hey, fellas!"

The two men frowned at each other, then simultaneously looked up to see their youngest brother gingerly poke his head around the door frame.

"Is Tin-Tin around?" he whispered, baby blue eyes almost bursting out of their sockets.

"Nope, the coast is clear, Al," said John, stealing back his drink while Scott was off guard. "In fact, you've just missed her."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Alan quickly slipped in.

Scott noticed the bunch of loosely-tied pink roses in his brother's hand. "Are those for me?" he beamed, clutching his hands beneath his chin and blinking theatrically for emphasis. "Aww, Alan, you shouldn't have."

Alan grinned. "I didn't." He rolled his eyes when Scott gave him a mock pout. "They're for Tin-Tin."

With a subtle wave of his free hand, the young man signalled Scott to move aside, allowing him access to the sink. He reached for an empty crystal vase situated on the shelf above him, then proceeded to fill it with water.

"So, what's the special occasion?" asked Scott, winking at John whilst Alan's back was turned.

Alan placed the roses into the vase and looked up expectantly at his eldest brother. "I'm gonna ask Tin-Tin to marry me. Isn't it great?"

Scott heaved himself up onto the counter and listened intently as Alan went into lengthy detail about his plans for the evening. It warmed his heart to see his youngest brother so passionate and excited. The fact that Alan hadn't told him first didn't matter anymore. As far as Scott was concerned, if the kid was happy, so was he.

"We've talked getting married before," Alan concluded. "But that was a while ago and neither one of us were ready at the time. It's different now, though. It feels right."

Scott smiled fondly at his brother and clapped him on the shoulder. "That's good to know, buddy."

"How'd it go with Kyrano, by the way?"

Alan met John's gaze with his own. "It went okay. It was kinda awkward, though."

"Why, what happened?"

Alan stared thoughtfully for a few moments, then winced. "He cried."

"Gee, I hope for your sake they were tears of joy, kiddo," Scott teased.

Ignoring John's muffled snort, the young man shot his eldest brother an icy glare. "For your information, yes, they were. In fact, he was delighted..." Alan paused, face suddenly serious. "At least, that's what he said."

"Aww, don't be so hard on the kid, Scott. He's only young." John grinned at Alan and jerked his head in the elder Tracy's direction. "Unlike some people we know. Right, Al?"

Scott made a vague sound in the back of his throat.

"Yeah, Scott," Alan jeered, completely oblivious to the danger signal. "Just because you're almost middle-aged now, it doesn't mean you got the right to-"

"Oh, that does it!"

Scott hurled himself off the counter and lunged at Alan, pulling him into a firm headlock and ruffling his hair. When the young man protested, Scott began to tickle him mercilessly; poking and prodding in places he knew would have the kid squealing for sure. Alan thrashed about wildly, pleading his release amid fits of laughter.

"Careful, Al, we shouldn't let the old fella get too excited. He might have a coronary."

Scott's brow puckered at John's comment, but he was unable to hide his grin. "Knock it off, or your next."

Taking advantage of Scott's distraction, Alan quickly wriggled free from his hold. He ran his fingers through his hair, combing down the tousled blonde locks. Before allowing Scott the chance to grab him again, he took the roses and made a dash for the exit.

"I gotta find someplace to hide these before Tin-Tin sees them. See you guys later."

"Let us know if you need a hand with anything," John called.

"Will do." Before he disappeared from sight, Alan abruptly stopped and looked back. "By the way, you haven't eaten any of those strawberries, have you, Scott?"

Scott cringed. "Uh, no."

"Good, 'cause I'll know if you have." Alan's lips curled into a devious smile. "I counted them."

To be continued…

Author's Note: The ages and birth order of the Tracy boys has always been a subject of debate. Personally, I like the idea of a ten year age gap between Scott and Alan. I also believe that John is the second eldest and Virgil was born third. My stories are written with these concepts in mind. I understand that others may have different opinions regarding this information and I respect that as I don't consider my beliefs to be factual.

Reviews will be most appreciated. Thanks.