It's TOS canon that during his time in WASP, Gordon spent a year under the ocean in command of a bathyscaphe (or a bathysphere, depending on the source). What was he doing down there, you ask? He was "investigating marine farming methods"…whatever that means, lol! Anyway, here he is saying goodbye to his family.

17. Saying Goodbye

Gordon wasn't surprised at all when he got up on the last morning of his leave from WASP and discovered that his whole family had converged on the old Kansas farmhouse while he had slept – it was just the way his family was. After their mother had died, they had all come to recognize the importance of being able to say goodbye.

What did surprise him was that they were all sitting around the table when he went downstairs. Unless Scott was home on leave from the military, Grandma was usually the only one up as early as Gordon. When John and Virgil were on break from NASA and the Denver School of Advanced Technology, respectively, they usually slept late. And Alan, in typical teenager fashion, clung to sleep for as long as he was allowed to. Jeff was an early riser, but he wasn't home often.

But there they all were, awake, alert, and laughing as they plowed through the hearty breakfast that Grandma had prepared. Even their dad was home after a long business trip that had taken up most of Gordon's two-week leave. He'd been off purchasing some island, although what his dad was ever going to do with that isolated little bit of land, Gordon had no idea.

Gordon stepped into the room and there was a loud chorus of greetings when his brothers noticed him.

"Hey, kiddo!" Scott exclaimed.

"Good to see you, Gordon!" John said warmly.

Virgil teased, "What, no gills yet?"

And Dad, his eyes laughing, "Better sit down and eat, son – the way these hooligans are going, there won't be anything left in another five minutes."

Gordon slid into his seat and piled his plate high, smiling at the happy cacophony that flowed around him. The house had been so quiet lately that he'd forgotten how much fun it was to have the whole family home.

He laughed as his mind registered what Alan was wearing. "Nice shirt, Al."

Alan grinned and pulled the T-shirt away from his chest to look down at the lettering. It read, "My brother lives on the bottom of the ocean," the words encircled by the outline of a bathyscaphe. "Thanks," Alan said. "Virg had it made for me."

There was a slight ebb in the conversation, a brief pause as little flickers of sad glances passed between various family members. Gordon frowned – he hated it when people were sad.

"Hey, you guys, don't be sad!" he said. "I'm going to be living in my natural habitat! It's like – it's like…well, it's like when you have to release an animal you've raised back into the wild. It's a happy thing."

That got some loud laughter.

"Our pet squid," John said, rolling his eyes. "Going back to the ocean. Be free, little Gordon – be free!"

The subject had been successfully changed, and time began flowing again. An hour passed in a blur of happy chatter, and then suddenly, Gordon was in uniform, standing by the front door with a duffel bag at his feet, facing his family.

Grandma made the first move. She and Gordon had taken the time for a longer goodbye the night before, so she just gave him a quick hug, a kiss on the cheek, and instructions to "Take care of yourself, dear, and know that I'll be thinking of you every day."

"Love you, Grandma," Gordon replied, kissing her back.

And then Alan was crowding into Gordon's space, wrapping his arms around him in the way that only a gangly teenage boy could. He squeezed a bit too hard. "I bet I'll be taller than you when you get back," he said, standing on his toes and trying to gauge how many inches that would be.

Gordon laughed and ruffled Alan's hair. "You want to grow, you've gotta eat your veggies," he teased. "Be good for Grandma, okay?"

Alan rolled his eyes. "You say that like you're actually a responsible big brother." Then he grinned and grabbed Gordon in one last rib-cracking hug. "Bye, Gordon. I'll miss you!" He ducked back out of reach before Gordon could squeeze him back and put an arm around Grandma's shoulders.

Virgil stepped forward and stuck his hand out.

Gordon raised an eyebrow at the formality, but he took Virgil's hand anyway – and then laughed as his older brother pulled him into a big bear hug.

"I can't believe they put you in charge of this expedition," Virgil said. "Careful you don't let it go to your head – I don't think maturity would suit you well." He grinned down at Gordon. "All teasing aside, though, I hope it's a really good year for you, Gords. We'll miss you, but we know that you'll be having a great experience and – hopefully – learning lots."

"Aww," Gordon said. "Such a good speech." He pretended to dab at the corners of his eyes. Laughing, he ducked under a swat that Virgil aimed at his head. "I'll miss you too, Virg."

John cleared his throat then, and Gordon turned toward him. "You won't be able to see the stars for a whole year," John said seriously. It would have sounded like an offhand comment to anyone who didn't know John, but Gordon knew him well enough to be able to tell that this was actually quite a big deal in John's mind.

"Well, I'll just have to call you every once in a while and have you describe them for me," Gordon said.

John smiled, and the hint of sadness in his eyes faded. "That'll work."

Gordon held out his arms. "And now that that's settled, do I get a hug?"

"I suppose," John said begrudgingly. But once he wrapped his arms around Gordon, he held on for a long time. He sighed when he let go. "See you in a year," he said.

Scott moved forward then to hug Gordon. After a moment, he took a step back, but kept his hands on Gordon's shoulders, his warm blue eyes smiling as he met his brother's gaze. "I'm proud of you, Gords," he said. "Work hard, stay safe, and have fun. A year sounds like a long time, but it'll fly by, so make sure you make the most of every minute." He started to step away, but then something flashed through his eyes, and he grabbed Gordon in one last hug. Then he retreated to stand by Virgil, clearing his throat self-consciously.

His dad was driving him to the airport, so Gordon didn't need to say goodbye to him quite yet. He picked up his duffel bag. "Right. Well, then, goodbye everyone! I'll see you in a year! I love you all!"

Followed by a chorus of goodbyes, he stepped out to the porch, and wasn't too surprised when they trailed out after him, leaning against the railing and waving as the car pulled away.

It was a half hour drive from the rural farmhouse out to the airport. Gordon and Jeff sat in comfortable silence – they had taken the convertible, and Gordon was enjoying his final few minutes of sunshine and fresh air. He suspected that that was the reason his father had chosen to use that particular vehicle.

They arrived at the airport and pulled into a parking space, stepping out onto the sidewalk. Gordon pulled his duffel from the back seat and set it down, then faced his father.

They stared at each other for a minute, taking in each others' faces, their expressions sober as they realized that they wouldn't see each other in person for twelve whole months. Sure, they could look at photos, and Gordon would be able to make the occasional vid-phone call, but it wasn't the same.

Gordon studied the lines on Jeff Tracy's face, and thought about the fact that another line seemed to appear every time he had to say goodbye to a son. And with the number of sons that he had, he'd had to say a lot of goodbyes in his time.

"I'll miss you, Dad," he said. He stepped toward his father, arms outstretched, and caught his breath when he was seized in an unexpectedly tight embrace.

"I'll miss you too, son," Jeff replied.

Gordon felt his father's deep voice as a rumble against his chest. "It's just for a year," he said softly. "It'll fly by."

"I know," Jeff said. His grip tightened slightly.

And Gordon, in a moment of insight beyond his years, knew that he couldn't be the one to pull away. He had to wait for his father to let him go.

Jeff Tracy was a strong man. He'd delivered two sons to boot camp and later watched those same sons depart for their tours of duty. He'd seen two other sons leave for college every semester for years. His youngest son was already thinking about where he wanted to attend college. But his grip on Gordon told the second-youngest Tracy that no matter how strong his father was, the goodbyes never got any easier.

So Gordon waited, enjoying the last moment of feeling his father's warm, familiar arms wrapped around him for the last time in three hundred and sixty-five days. He could stay there all day, if it made it a little easier for his dad. Well, actually, he really couldn't…his plane was leaving in ten minutes…but, hey. In the grand scheme of things, what was a super-important WASP mission compared to spending a minute hugging his father?

Finally, Jeff sighed and released his grip on Gordon, taking a big step backwards. He was smiling, and his eyes were shining with pride, but Gordon could still see a layer of grief there, hidden in the deepest of the lines on his face.

Jeff cleared his throat. "Take care, son," he said. "I'll be here in a year to pick you up again."

Gordon smiled and picked up his duffel. "I love you, Dad," he said – and no, his voice didn't crack. It was just a tickle in his throat.

Jeff backed up toward the car. "I love you too, Gordon," he said firmly.

Gordon straightened his shoulders and threw his father one final grin and a quick salute as he backed away. "See you next year!"

He turned around and marched away down the sidewalk. He was a forward-thinking kind of guy, and his mind was already moving to the mission ahead, but he knew that his father was different – a sentimental old fool, he had occasionally called himself – and so just before he entered the terminal, Gordon turned around and waved one last time.

Jeff returned the wave, then opened the car door and sat down, disappearing from sight.

Gordon walked into the terminal, and his heart started beating faster in excitement as he saw his crew members waiting for him – he was ready for this mission. It was going to be a good year, and he was eager to see what adventures he'd face living under the ocean for twelve months.

Still, though…he knew that, in the back of his mind, he was always going to have a picture of his family as he had seen them that morning, gathered around the table, talking and laughing – together. Ha. Maybe he was a sentimental fool too.

And it was that realization that made him think of something – maybe someday – well, it was a stupid thought, but maybe…someday…they wouldn't have to say goodbye any more.

The End.