Six Degrees of Seperation Isn't Far Enough

by Criminally Charmed

Disclaimer - I do not own Thunderbirds. As Kate Eppes is featured heavily in this story, I don't own Numb3rs either. Sorry I have been rather silent but I was enjoying time with my family when I wasn't working my tushy off. But, the air is chilling...And I have Alan whump in the works. (Grin!)

Chapter One

Six degrees of separation refers to the idea that everyone is on average approximately six steps away, by way of introduction, from any other person on Earth, so that a chain of, "a friend of a friend" statements can be made, on average, to connect any two people in six steps or fewer. - Wikepedia

Spring Break – Tracy Island

Alan Tracy looked around, smiling at the sight in front of him. He had just returned from his first real mission with the Thunderbirds and the fourteen year old truly felt as if he was truly a member of the family once more.

Too bad it had taken surviving a homicidal maniac to make that happen.

But survive they had, and as he watched John and Scott question their father – about International Rescue or Tracy Enterprises, Alan wasn't sure – and Gordon help Fermat with his swimming lessons and Virgil discussing improvements to Thunderbird Two with Brains, Alan couldn't help but sigh in contentment. He knew he could join any one of the groups and be more than welcome. For now, however, he was content to simply watch.

Just then, a hand slid over his shoulder and he looked up to see the smiling face of Tin-Tin standing beside him.

"Hey, Alan," the girl smiled at him. "Mom said dinner won't be ready for almost a half an hour and asked if I would go check on Dad's work down on the beach. Want to come with me?"

Returning her smile, Alan stood up. As they began to walk away, the two teens unconsciously took each other's hand. Pausing when they realized what they had done, both blushed but kept walking towards the beach – still holding hands.

Jeff Tracy had been keeping an eye on Alan the entire time, worried if his youngest still didn't feel as if he belonged. Seeing his "baby" holding hands with a girl he viewed as the member of the family, Jeff couldn't help but smile. Penny had been right.

A wave of sadness rushed over Jeff as he remembered another young girl, one who had been like a member of the family. Both Lucy and his mother, Ruth, had sworn that Sarah Jane Woodbury and Virgil would someday be together. Tragically, the girl had been critically injured in a fire just as she and the middle Tracy son had prepared to graduate high school back in Bailey, Kansas. It had been the final straw that had caused Jeff to move his family to the Island.

Jeff wondered how Sarah Jane was doing. He knew she had made a full recovery. The billionaire had made sure all of the bills for her medical care had gone to him. But he also knew she never spoke of her life in Kansas. All too familiar with painful memories, Jeff felt that it was up to Sarah Jane if she wanted to reconnect with the family.

Well. Jeff thought, I will give Sarah Jane another six months. If I don't hear from her before the end of the summer, I'll send a note. Maybe she just needs to know we miss her.

Sure rocket-man, Lucy whispered. Forget thinking about the idea that if you have any grandchildren in the next few years, you would prefer they be from Virgil – and not Alan.

Jeff grimaced. A shrink would have a blast with him. Either Lucy was haunting him or he just couldn't let go…

Or maybe, he just didn't want to.

Seeing a laughing Alan return, Kyrano between the two teens as they joked and hugged the Malaysian man, Jeff relaxed. Kyrano loved Alan as if he was his own son, and from the look of the man he approved of the teen as a future son-in-law. Yet it was also clear that the man would do everything he could to make sure the two teenagers grew up – but not before they had to.

Life was good.

Life was rough.

OK, Katherine "Kate" Eppes had always known that. At least since she was nine. That had been how old she was when an escaped drug lord – who had been put into prison years before by her father – had tried to abduct the little girl. Kate had been shot during the rescue but the scars had gone beyond the one on the back of her neck. They had wounded her deeply, affecting her to a point that it had even influenced the person she had become. Kate firmly believed the incident was one of the reasons she had followed in her father's footsteps, becoming an FBI agent.

For the last two months, Kate had been working on an inter-agency task force, hunting a serial killer who had struck repeatedly in southern California. Eight women had died so far. They seemed to have nothing in common – different races, different jobs, different backgrounds. The only commonalities were they were all under thirty-five, single, attractive and successful.

Kate's cousin, Edward, a cardiac surgeon, had been worried about his girlfriend, Emily Haas. The young emergency medical specialist seemed to fit the victimology perfectly. But, for better or for worse, Emily had moved away shortly after breaking up with Edward. Her cousin had been upset but had tried to be understanding.

Snorting lightly, Kate shook her head even as she pulled a cold bottle of ice tea from the fridge. Kate could never understand people like Emily's mother. The bitch had swooped in like the witch she was, belittling Edward and damaging the couple's relationship. Susan Haas had objected at first because Edward's mother was originally from India but had gone ballistic when she discovered that Eppes was not an Old English name as she had first thought, but was, in fact, Yiddish.

"No daughter of mine will soil herself with some –"

Kate would never know exactly what Susan would have said because she interrupted at that moment, making it clear she felt the loss of her badge would be worth the revenge she would have if the socialite finished that sentence.

The irony was that Edward's father – Professor Charles Eppes – didn't even practice his religion and had rarely entered the temple the Eppes family worshiped at. It was their grandfather, Alan, and Kate's father, Don Eppes, who were the ones who practiced their faith. To some degree, Kate and her brothers did as well, but –

Shaking her head again, Kate set down her drink and moved to the balcony. Grandpa hadn't been feeling well lately. Maybe she should call him and see if he wanted some company…

Suddenly, Kate felt something around her neck, pulling tightly into her flesh. Grabbing frantically, she cursed the fact she had already secured her service weapon before her hands grabbed a crystal paperweight her uncle had given her the month before.

"Hey, Katie-Bear."

Kate smiled as she looked up and saw her uncle at her desk.

"Uncle Charlie," the agent stood, quickly going into the older man's arms for a quick hug. "How was Italy?"

"Not bad," Charlie said before teasing, "but not a single decent pizza to be found. You'd think they never heard of deep-dish pizza before."

"Considering that deep-dish pizza was created in Chicago," Kate said wryly, "I can't understand why."

"Well," Charlie laughed, "your grandpa will be wondering what is keeping me. But I called from the airport and told him I would swing by and see if I can convince you to come over for dinner."

Kate groaned. "Sorry, Uncle Charlie. This case is – Well, it's bad."

"Honey," Charlie grasped her shoulder, pausing as he thought about what to say. "Kate, I watched this job almost devour your father. Don't make the same mistake."

"Uncle Charlie, I'll be fine."

Charlie shook his head, his once dark curls still bouncing, even as they were turning white. "Katie -"

Whatever Charlie Eppes would have said was lost when Kate's phone rang. As she answered it and began to speak, the man pulled out a small bag and placed it on the desk, patting his niece's hand before leaving.

Kate had barely acknowledged her uncle leaving, and it was more than an hour before Kate was able to open the bag. A heavy crystal paperweight fell into her hand. Looking at the tiny teddy bear etched into the crystal's surface, the agent sighed. "Katie-Bear" had been her father's nickname for her since she was a toddler, crawling into bed with her parents and cuddling up to her father so that her mother teased that their baby was more like a teddy bear for Don Eppes.

She really should call her uncle and thank him – But her good intention fell to the wayside as her phone rang once more. When she left that night, Kate took the paperweight with her and set it near her phone at home – a reminder to call her uncle.

Kate still hadn't called a month later.

Grabbing the paperweight, Kate clenched her fist around it, and smacked it as hard as she could in what she hoped was her attacker's face. A satisfying crunch and a howl of pain assured her that she had hit her target.

The intruder released Kate for a moment but quickly lunged grabbing her arm.

Something about the man struck Kate as familiar, even as she repeatedly used every self-defense technique she knew. In the back of her mind, Kate suspected that this wasn't an everyday intruder or someone from a past case. This was from a very current case. She had somehow drawn the attention of the very serial killer she had been tracking. How or why was irrelevant. Kate was determined not to become victim number nine of this scum.

Luckily for Kate, she had forgotten her cell phone in the car of one of her teammates. Nick Gibbs was approaching her apartment when he heard the sounds of a struggle inside.

"Eppes!" Gibbs called out.

"Gibbs! A little, ugh, help would be – will you stay down you bastard! – a little help would be nice, if you have the time."

Nick was trying to break down the door – the unfortunately steel reinforced door – when the neighbor across the hall opened her door and looked out.

"What are you doing," she exclaimed. "You better watch it – she's FBI!"

"So am I," Nick growled. "And Kate needs help, but I can't get in."

"Oh!" the neighbor cried, even as she examined his badge. "I have a key - to water her plants and get her mail if she has to go out of town. Kate has mine. Well, not for plants. I kill all plants. But she feeds Bubba for me."

"Bubba?" Nick muttered even as she grabbed a key chain from a table near the door. As if in answer a fifteen pound Maine Coon cat raced out of the apartment, hissing at the Kate's apartment. Nick opened the door, rushing inside.

The cat beat him to the target, however.

Twenty minutes later, a bystander could be forgiven for mistaking Kate Eppes' apartment for the bull-pen of the FBI office. In Kate's eyes, it was worse.

Her home – her asylum from the madness of her job – was now a crime scene.

"You called it, Kate," Colby Granger said as he entered the apartment, even as Kate was being treated for the minor injuries she had received in the struggle. Looking around, he frowned. "Where is the suspect?"

"On his way to the hospital," Kate shrugged before wincing when the paramedic touched her split lip with a piece of gauze. Feeling the LA Director's eyes on her, Kate shrugged once more.

"Guess none of the other vics were sixth degree black-belts," she muttered even as a crime scene tech picked up the bloody crystal paperweight.

"I want that back," Kate growled. The tech nodded.

"We'll note that Agent Eppes. Did he hit you with it?"

"No," Kate muttered. "I hit him. And my Uncle Charlie gave that to me and -" Kate's breath stuttered before she calmed herself. "And I hadn't even thanked him yet for it."

As if her words had conjured the man, Charles Eppes raced into the apartment. One cop tried to stop him only for half a dozen other members of law enforcement to waive the frantic uncle through.

"Katie, oh, God, baby," he gasped grabbing her and pulling her into his arms. "Katie, are you alright?" Looking at the paramedic he asked, "Is she aright?"

The paramedic stood up, having put his equipment away. Nodding, he gestured at Kate.

"Bumps and bruises, split lip is the worst of it."

With raised eyebrows, Charlie looked back at his niece. "And the suspect?"

"Dislocated shoulder, skull fracture, three cracked ribs, broken nose, broken jaw and possible internal bleeding," the paramedic rattled off. Looking around, he frowned. "How many of you against him?"

"Actually," Nick Gibbs interjected as he walked over, "the suspect was going down for the last time when I finally got in. Kate did all the damage."

"Not the bites and scratches," Kate muttered. "That was Bubba."

"Oh, yeah," Nick chortled. "Attack cat!"

Kate's neighbor had managed to get in, led by the officer who had been questioning her.

"Kate, you're alright," she gasped, cuddling her large cat to her chest. "And look who was so brave, Mama's big boy, Mama's brave angel."

Rubbing the cat's ears as the large feline purred loudly, Kate nodded. "And someone is getting ground steak the next time I cat-sit."

When the neighbor and Bubba had left, Gibbs addressed his boss. "What were you saying about Kate being right?"

"Kate's first report indicated that she thought this was our serial killer. Devon Flint – that's the suspect's name – is without a doubt our killer. He had files and photos on all the vics. Flint worked for some magazine – Modern Woman -"

"Modern Woman?" Kate asked in surprise. "They tried to interview me last year. And they had interviewed Emily."

"Emily? Edward's ex-girlfriend?" Charlie asked in surprise.

"According to what we found in Flint's apartment, Dr. Haas left town before he could get to her. She got lucky."

"She was a target?" Kate asked.

Colby nodded. "He had tons of anti-feminist rhetoric. Seems he felt these women were trying to take away the rightful place of men in the world. They were young, healthy women and should be bearing children for their husband – not taking away men's jobs."

"Son of a bitch," Kate muttered before raising her head. "Uncle Charlie – I need you to do me a favor."

"Sorry, Katie," Charlie sighed. "I can't keep this one from your father."

"Since he's the director of the FBI," Gibbs added, "I doubt you could."

"Not Dad," Kate insisted. "Grandpa. Please – get Grandpa out of town for a couple of weeks. Just until this dies down. Please, Uncle Charlie."

Charlie nodded. His father had suffered a massive heart attack six months earlier. Alan Eppes was recovering nicely but the news that his beloved youngest grandchild had nearly been the victim of a serial killer…

"Maggie and her husband are getting ready to come back to LA County," Charlie mused. "I'll have her call him and ask him to come to Florida and help her with the baby while they are packing everything up."

"Will that work?" Nick asked.

"A chance to get unlimited access to his first great-grandchild?" Charlie grinned. "He may not wait for the plane to fly off."

Kate nodded, watching tightly as her uncle moved away as he pulled out his cell phone to call his daughter. "Director Granger," she said formally to her boss – a man who had known her all of her life.

Colby looked at Kate in concern, the young woman was too much Don's daughter for him not to worry how she was handling this.

"I'm taking that position in Chicago – the one with Computer Crimes."

Colby nodded. It was probably for the best. Kate Eppes was a brilliant agent and a real asset to the FBI, but to say that Don Eppes was going to freak…It may just be the understatement of the century.

Life sucked.

Jackson Mitchell was a gifted computer software designer. Landing a job out of college with Tracy Enterprises had been a real feather in his cap. But he had never moved up, never been put in charge of a team.

Jeff Tracy himself had admitted to Mitchell why the man had never been promoted. Mr. "Big-shot" Tracy had set Mitchell down and said that the man hadn't managed to fit in, that he wasn't the sort of person that Tracy looked for to lead his teams.

Jack had found himself struggling not to attack the man and stared at a point beyond his boss' shoulder. Glancing at where Mitchell was looking, Jeff Tracy had smiled. Jeff had caught Mitchell staring at the pictures in his office. Softness had crossed Tracy's face as he had picked up a picture with five young men – well, one was really just a boy.

"My true treasures, my real wealth, my boys. Jackson, when you have someone in your life like that, you know what really matters in this world. You need to step away from your computer at times, appreciate what is around you and realize you have to work with people as well as machines. Life is nothing without those who give it real meaning."

Jeff had sighed. "Listen, Jackson – I'll give you another chance. We are opening a new software division in Chicago. It's not a supervisory position, but it will be on a major project. Do well, show yourself to be a team player, and we'll put you into a supervisory position on a trial basis."

"Make the most of this opportunity," the billionaire said as he escorted Jackson from his office.

Mitchell packed up the last of his belongings before leaving the New York office. Another opportunity? Being transferred anywhere from the crown jewel of Tracy Enterprises could only be seen as a demotion.

Looking up at the steel and glass castle in the clouds that was the New York home of Jeff Tracy, Mitchell glared as if he could see the man. "I'll be back, Mr. Big. And then we'll see who the king is and who is peasant. You were nothing but the miserable off-spring of a farmer. I'll show you. I'll show them all."

Just then, his cab pulled up and Jackson Mitchell left New York.

But he would be back. They would all be back there one day.

So - should I continue? And do we want convos on even chapters again? - CC