AN: The quote that starts this chapter is from the pool scene at the end of the movie now whether it was actually John that said it I'm not positive but to me it sounded like John and for this story it is. Thank-you to all my reviewers for making this story fun to write and for your wonderful reviews. This will be the last chapter for this story and I hope you all enjoy it.

bograt- thanks for reviewing chapter 8. I didn't have your review when I posted chapter 9. Glad you enjoyed it.

Devlinn Reiko-sama - glad your feeling better and got a chance to catch up with the story. Thanks for the review.

ladc- I'm glad I wasn't the only one who notice Jeff looking to John in the movie. I thought that was an interesting thing they did in the movie and it just jumped out for me. Thanks for pointing out those mistakes and I did go back and fix them. To be honest, I'm surprised this is the first time the misspelling of Gordon's name got passed me as I'm always going back and fixing it. I think I might subconsciously have something against his character.

Thunderbirdgirl - thanks! I hope you like the ending.

May Portland - was Scott grumpy. Oh well! Truth is I just don't like that character but I figured he would be a good one to have a POV from in that situation. His grumpiness is probably just a manifestation of the author's dislike for him. Glad you enjoyed chapter 9 and the way I dealt with everything (it was hard not to make it predictable and make the story make sense).

Marblez - cliffhangers are fun! (As long as you're the author). Here's your apologetic conversation. Hope it was worth the wait. As for watching T-bird 5 explode in slow motion that's a scene I haven't yet but I'll have to take a look at it!

Sarah - thanks!

AngelMouse 5 - yeah, I guess alan getting set up was predictable but I thought a natural flow for the story. I'm glad you thought it was well done. I'm glad you like the background info on Gordon. Like I said I'm kind of staying with movie-verse and from what I found all the Tracy boys are suppose to be quite younger than in the series - Gordon 18 and then the others each two years apart, 20, 22, 24. I thought the NASA bit kind of fit with Gordon being with Thunderbird 3. Thanks for commenting on that I was wondering how people would take it.

Andrewjameswilliams - here is what Alan has to say to John. Thanks for the support throughout the whole story.

Queen of the Elven City - actually I wasn't laughing until you told me to stop laughing! Nice idea for John and his hurt wrist but as you'll see its not accurate. Thanks for putting me on your favorites list. I'm flattered!

Laura B - thanks for the review. I like getting them even if its only one word. Its nice to know people are actually reading.

Pheonix - glad you liked chapter 9. Thanks for reviewing!

Moonlightbear- well here's the continuation of the little cliff hangar.

Kitkat Tictac - I think of you as my cheerleader - short, sweet, and motivating reviews. Thanks for taking the time for even short reviews.

Alan's POV:

"That's my boy, Alan! That's my brother!"

I'm not sure where the memory of those words came from but that had been what John had said to me after Dad had given Fermat, Tin-tin and I our IR pins. I had heard those words even as Virgil and Scott had tossed me in the pool. I hadn't really thought about it then or anytime afterwards until now. That was starting to seem like such a long time ago.

As the door to the sleeping quarters slid opened at my approach, I saw John sitting on his bed. His head was bent down, as he tried to wrap an ace bandage around his left wrist.

I stood there for a moment, not sure of what to say. What did you say to someone that you had just yelled that you hated them?

I saw John reach up and wipe his cheek. I realized then that my brother was crying. I don't remember ever having seen any of my brother's cry, although I'm sure they had when Mom had died, let alone been the cause of those tears.

I walked over and knelt down in front of him. I still wasn't sure what to say. Wasn't sure there was anything I could say.

Wordlessly I took the ace bandage from him and finished wrapping the wrist for him, trying desperately to find something to say to him.

"John I'm sorry. I didn't mean what I said. I wasn't thinking when I said it," I finally said the words tumbling out.

"Alan I was only trying to help. Trying to get you to see exactly what your are capable of."

"I know," I said moving to sit on the bed beside him. "If I would have just told you what was going on when you asked then none of this would have happened but I was scared."

"Scared of what?" John asked me. I tried to think of how to answer that question. "Scared of not being believed?" John ventured when I didn't answer.

"Scared of you," I told him finally admitting to someone my the one fear I had since I was told I had to come up here. "You scare me John. I've never had any idea where I stand with you. The others I know love to tease me, give me a hard time. When I mess up, I know I'm never going to hear the end of it. Like if they were to find out about my less than stellar grades at school, they'd have a field day with it but I didn't know what you would do."

"It was my idea for you to come up here this week Alan." John said. I looked over at him in surprised. I had figured he got stuck with me. That my Dad was really just trying to get me away from the island. "I hardly ever see you between me being up here and you being away at school. I'm not there to run interference with Dad for you like I did with the others."

"Even Scott?"

"Especially Scott," John told me with a smile. "Alan, you're so much like Scott it's scary. The attitude, the thirst for adventure, and the dislike of school. Scott's lucky if he brought home one A his entire life. Scott sees that's too. I think that's why he gives you a harder time than he did the others."

It was a relief to hear that. It was nice to know that I wasn't the odd ball of the family. The only one who didn't get decent grades. That I was a lot like the older brother that I admired so much.

"Okay, so that explains why you didn't want to be up here with me but what's with this disinterest in the Thunderbirds all of a sudden."

"What do you do read minds too?" I asked him looking over at him in surprise. He seemed to know me so well. After everything that had just taken place I knew I would tell him about my fears and I already felt relief just having the opportunity to tell someone about what I had been feeling this past week.

"No just people," he said with a smile and then waited for an answer to the previously asked question.

"I guess it started on the way up here," I told him. "When Gordon was docking I guess it really dawned on me how dangerous this all is. How one little mistake could be disastrous. I never thought about that before. To me it was all just cool rockets and neat adventures. Ever since then what Scott said when I came home for spring break has been haunting me. I guess part of me started thinking he was right, after all I don't exactly have the best track record. I've broken countless of windows, wrecked a bike and damaged the headmasters car in the process, blew up a school . . ."

"Just the chemistry lab," John said interrupting me.

"Might as well have been the whole school," I said. "John, what if I make a mistake on a mission and someone gets hurts or worse."

"Alan your not alone with that fear. Everyone of us lives with that fear everyday. Its part of what we do Alan," John told me. "But that's what all of the training is for. We train so that we know what to do and we look out for each other. And we all makes mistakes. It's a part of life. Its what makes us human."

"I'm not sure I can do it."

"You can Alan. You've done it twice without training,"

"But the second time just now wasn't real . . ."

"That doesn't matter Alan. You thought it was real and you handled it well. If it had been real, everyone would have come home and that's what matters. Just think of what you'll be capable of when you've had all the training the rest of us have had."

"And if I decide not to," I ventured, "will you be disappointed in me?"

"You've never once in your life disappointed me Alan," John told me and I knew without a doubt that he meant it.

"I love you John," I said throwing my arms around him.

"I love you too," I heard him say softly as he returned my embrace.

"How bad is your wrist?" I asked him pulling away from him.

"I'll be fine. I think its just a sprain," he replied. "I guess there is one thing that I didn't train well enough for."

"What's that?" I asked him.

"How to take a fall."

I couldn't help but laugh.

"Hey John, I have a favor to ask you."

"What is it?"

"I still have some finals to take next week, and I have no clue what I'm doing in math."

"I thought you said you were fine when I offered help earlier."

"Yeah, well I was showing off another wonderful trait I can blame Scott for - stubborness."

"He also can't do math to save his life, so your in good company Alan," John told me. "Where's your book."

"I think in the control room."

"Why don't you go get it and meet me in the kitchen and we'll see what we can do."

"Thanks John," I told him as we both stood up.

Jeff's POV:

"Docking complete," I heard Gordon announce even as I heard the tell tale sound of the connection being made between Thunderbirds 3 and 5 late Friday night. "I bet Alan is waiting at the airlock for us," Gordon said getting out of his seat as we had things to unload. We were using this run to pick up Alan as a supply run too which meant less things we would need to transfer at the normal personnel transfer the following week.

"Don't count on it," I told him with a smile. I had talked to both Alan and John since the Tuesday afternoon incident and knew for a fact that things had calm down up here.

"We were suppose to come get him this morning and then that mission delayed us. He'll be itching to get out of here."

"We'll see," I said as we waited for the airlock to pressurize.

The door opened and Gordon and I walked from Thunderbird 3 to Thunderbird 5. As I thought, Alan was not at the airlock waiting for us. In fact, nobody was in sight.

"John, Alan," I called out my voice echoing against the station walls.

"We're in the kitchen," I heard John's voice call back.

Gordon and I madeour way to the station's small kitchen to find both of them sitting at the table. Alan had his history book open and John was reading something, pen in hand.

"Alan's actually doing school work," Gordon said incredulously from behind me. I shot a look over my shoulder at him. "What I'm surprised. You usually have to twist his arm to get him to do his school work."

"Is your stuff packed Alan?" I asked not commenting on Gordon's last comment.

"Except for this stuff, yeah," Alan said referring to the school things he had out on the table.

"Well, Gordon and I are going to unload the stuff from Thunderbird 3 and then I want to get going."

"I'll come help," Alan said closing the history book and sliding it into his backpack. "I need a break."

I nodded and looked from Alan to John.

John glanced up from the paper he was reading.

"Sorry, I need to finish proofing Alan's paper so he can make the corrections before going back to school Monday."

"Okay," I said. "Come on you two. Let's get started."

Alan and Gordon both headed toward Thunderbird 3 side by side already teasing one another. I was about to follow when John spoke up.

"Dad, you might want to let those two go into the cargo bay first," John said looking up from the paper.

"What did you do?" I asked but John just shrugged his shoulders. I guess I was about to find out.

I went to Thunderbird 3 and grabbed one of the containers to transfer to Thunderbird 5. My two sons and I madeour way to the cargo bay. Remembering John's words I lagged a little bit behind Alan and Gordon who were walking side by side down the wide corridor. As the two walked through the doorway to the cargo bay I saw a cascade of water fall down.

"Alan," Gordon yelled in surprise as if it wasn't a prank that Gordon had done himself then it was usually Alan.

"It wasn't me," Alan said laughing which got him a disbelieving look from Gordon. "If I knew about it I wouldn't have volunteered to help let alone walk through the door first. I guess John's getting back at me for all the pranks I pulled on him."

"He's never retaliated against me," Gordon said.

"You've never been worth it," I heard John call from behind me. I looked over my shoulder to see him looking through the doorway of the kitchen.

"Come on boys, lets get this done and make sure you dry off those containers and I'll clean up the floor," I told them laughing. After everything John had taken from Alan he deserved a little revenge of his own.

Alan's POV:

"So Alan, h-h-how do you th-th-ink you did?" Fermat asked me as we packed our stuff up Thursday afternoon. We had taken our last final that morning and were now packing to go home. Someone would be here after dinner tonight for us.

"I don't know Fermat," I told him honestly. I had feeling that once my Dad received my report card next week my summer vacation might get cut short. "I can honestly say that I tried my best but it might have been just a little too late."

I saw Fermat nod as we continued to pack. A few minutes later I heard a knock at the door. Sitting the shirt I had in my hand down in the suitcase I went to the door. I opened it to find Mrs. Madison standing there.

"Mrs. Madison hi," I said quickly surprised to see her. "What can I do for you?"

"I just wanted to stop by and give you this before you left for the summer," she said handing me a paper. "The grade in red is your test grade and the one in green is the final grade for the course."

I took the paper from her and glanced down at it. I saw an 88 in red, which meant I had come up short with scoring an A on the test. I had failed science. Then I took in the grade in green. It was a C-. I looked up at my teacher and saw a smile on her face. She must have seen the questioning look on my face because she spoke before I had a chance to say anything.

"I know I said you had to score an A on the final for me to pass you but you did come close and the extra credit paper you submitted was exceptional and beyond what I had in mind when I gave you that assignment. When your brother John contacted me about having you redo the experiment and doing the paper on that I thought it was just a bit too much to ask of a ninth grader but given what you had done I agreed to it."

"Thank-you, Mrs. Madison," I said still shocked that I had actually passed science.

"There's nothing to thank me for. You earned that C Alan although I also know your capable of doing better, that 88 on the final shows me that. I expect to hear your doing much better in your classes next year Alan."

"Yes, Mrs. Madison."

"Oh, and Mr. Marshall wants to see you in his office before you leave. He has the rest of your grades for you. He thought making you wait until next week would be unfair under the circumstances."

"Okay," I said as she headed down the hallway and out of the dorms.

I closed the door and turned to go back to my packing. As I turned around I saw Fermat standing by his bed looking at me expectantly.

"I passed science," I told him ecstatically, holding up the paper.

"That's g-g-great, Alan," he told me.

After dinner Fermat and I started dragging our stuff out to the front of the dorms. My father should be arriving shortly to pick us up. I knew from my conversation with the headmaster that Dad already knew my grades as Mr. Marshall had contacted him.

Fermat and I were sitting on the front steps in front of our stuff talking when I heard a familiar but unexpected voice.

"You two ready to go home?"

I looked up to see John standing at the bottom of the stairs. His blonde hair back to the normal color with no trace of orange in it.

"John!" I said in surprised rushing down the steps and giving him a hug. "I didn't think you would be back until tomorrow."

"I convinced Scott to switch with me early," he told me. "So how did you do? Dad wouldn't tell me before I left."

I looked down at the sidewalk trying not to smile. "I passed," I said calmly. It took a moment for my words to register but then John was hugging me again.

"That's great Alan! I knew you could do it."

"Yeah, thanks to you," I told him. I had no doubt that if it hadn't been for John I would be spending summer in a classroom rather than on Tracy Island.

"I didn't do anything Alan. You passed because of the hard work you put into it."

"Which I wouldn't have done if you hadn't made me believe that I was capable of it. Face it John, you're the reason Tracy Island is going to be stuck with me all summer."

"I think I can deal with that," he told me messing up my hair. "Now, how about we get this stuff packed and head home. We have some money to collect."

I looked up at him wondering what he had meant by that.

"Scott, Virgil, and Gordon were all taking bets as to how many classes you would failed so I decided to get into it. I told them you wouldn't fail any of them. I figured you and I could split the money," he said putting his arm around my shoulders and leading me up to where Fermat stood with our stuff.

What can I say? It felt good to know that at least one of my brothers was on my side. I couldn't believe that I had ever been afraid of him.

As for the others, well Scott was safe for now. It would be kind of hard to get at him up in Thunderbird 5. However, I planned on spending the trip home thinking of a way to get back at Virgil and Gordon for betting against me.