Woooooo! Next chapter! And it didn't take me 3 years this time! Lol. I've been doing some thinking about the story, and I've decided that there shouldn't be too many more chapters, by my reckoning, there should only be another 4 at the very most, and hopefully I can have it finished fairly soon in that case, so long as I can keep up my current writing schedule. What happens in this chapter should also be obvious from the title.

Calling Home

Six weeks of non stop searching for Scenchia had occupied all of Gordon's time; he barely ate or slept as he threw himself into trying to find Scenchia. The added bonus, of course, was that he simply did not have the time to think about his family or about the situation at all. He had no time to worry about Leo and Jenna's continued awkwardness around him; and for a little while he could forget that everyone knew who he was, and just be Gordon Miller again. Just plain Gordon Miller, who didn't have problems like the one's Gordon Tracy did.

When the six weeks were over Gordon was left drained and tired, and very unsatisfied. Nothing had come from the search at all, and Gordon had been left more than a little stressed. Commander Shore had ordered him to take some leave, and had strongly suggested that Gordon use the time to reconnect with his family.

Gordon had done the cowardly thing and signed up for the Submarine Tour's; he's made his case to Commander Shore, a tour in the submarines would give him the leave time he had been ordered to take, as well as letting him start his Oceanography degree he had been toying with the idea of applying to do. The material was taught during the tour, and all he would have to do was the exams when he returned to base at the end.

It was a popular course with the members of WASP, and Commander Shore could hardly refuse him the chance to do the course, and come out with more than just the required Essential skills certificates he had had to take to prove he could do at least basic GCSE English and Math's.

A standard WASP Submarine Tour lasted a full year; the course required a year's worth of hands on dedication, and Gordon was more than happy to do it. Searching the wide ocean for new things as yet undiscovered, and taking some time away from the looming presence of his family and the hidden shadow of Scenchia. And he was still doing his job, which was also a good thing.

The first month he threw himself head first into the course studies, joining the trainer on swims, listening intently to everything about the ocean that he did know before, spending his evenings pouring over the study guides, and doing his best to ignore the headaches he got from reading the material to long (making sense of what was on the page was more accurate), but he was getting there.

It wasn't until month two that his eyes kept straying to the vidphone in the corner of the bunk room, freely available to use by all the crew. He'd seen everyone use it at least once since coming on board, always to call their family, or someone waiting for them back on shore.

He steadfastly tried to ignore it, as if the longing in him would go away if he did.

By month three he had plucked up the courage to dial the number for home; but when he heard it ring just once, he lost his nerve and hung up. He refused to look at the machine for three days, before he couldn't help himself and tried again. He managed four rings the second time before he hung up in a panic.

About a quarter of the crew on the sub was on board for the training; another quarter simply for ocean study, the remaining half was onboard for security purposes, locating and documenting possible Aquaphibian areas and similar things. Gordon too took note, and sometimes he took patrols with them; always a little bit tense, as if Scenchia was going to appear and make good on this threats to kill him.

By the end of month three he had managed to let the phone be answered before he hung up and buried himself in his bunk and cried himself silently to sleep. Ashamed of how hard it was for him to just talk to his family.

The next time he tried, he made sure he was completely alone, and waited, willing himself to be man enough to speak this time. Just as the call was accepted he reached out and hit the audio only button; knowing that if he saw whoever was on the other side that his nerve would go completely.

"Hello?"

Gordon swallowed thickly. His father.

"Hello?" there was a pause, and Gordon knew his dad was waiting for a picture to appear on screen, or for someone to speak. "Gordon?" there was so much hope in that one rendition of his name, that Gordon couldn't hold back a choked sob and reached out and disconnected the call.

It got easier after that; calling on audio only, and listening to the voice of whoever picked up the phone. Even if he never found the courage to speak himself. If it was Alan, he would hear several funny stories about what his brothers had been doing in his absence, as if he was only on holiday and would be coming home any day, and he found himself smiling around the lump in his throat sometimes. If it was John, he would hear all about what he had been doing in space, and he would tell him, softly and easily that they missed him and when he was ready, they'd all be ready to welcome him.

The one time he'd gotten Virgil, the call was silent after Virgil's initial hello's, only the faint drumming of Virgil's finger on the table the vidphone sat on could be heard. Gordon only hung up because another crew mate wanted the use the phone. Scott had been explosive, and Gordon had been glad of the soundproofed booth the vidphone sat in, as he was called every name under the sun, and everything had been questioned. Gordon had listened, silent as always, and filed every comment away, knowing they were all true and that he deserved every word. Then Scott had stopped, and just asked him to come home.

Since the first time, he hadn't heard his father's voice on the other end of the phone; so when he called late one night, and his father answered, he decided that now was the time to talk.

X

Jeff Tracy had not taken a single one of Gordon's calls since that night when he'd heard his lost son sob and the dial tone shriek. He'd stood just outside the door during every call, listening to his son's take the calls, wishing that just once, Gordon would speak. But he never did. A month's worth of calls passed in this fashion before Jeff could sit himself in front of the vidphone, and pray that Gordon would call.

When the phone rang, he hesitated just for a moment before accepting it, and said "Hello." Keeping his voice as steady as he could. "Gordon?"

There was silence, and Jeff closed his eyes, resigned to it now.

"Ye… Yeah dad, it's me."

The voice sounded so hesitant, so unlike the Gordon he remembered that Jeff was barely able to check his own sob at the sound. What had he done to his son? Why had he let it get this far. He could have prevented this, all he'd had to do was tell Gordon the truth, three years ago he should have just told the truth.

"Gordon." He whispered.

He could hear him shifting over the phone, and wished he would turn on the screen. He wanted to see him. Needed to see him again.

"Dad… I… I need to…" he could hear the frustration in his sons voice, and it made him want to smile, but this feeling of grief was crushing down on him, so he couldn't. He reached out and touched the blank screen.

"Gordon. I should have told you this before." He said, not letting Gordon continue. "I should have said this before you ever got it into your head to leave. I'm proud of you Gordon, I always have been, and nothing, nothing in the whole world is ever going to change that, or ever could."

The silence hung heavy for a long, drawn out moment.

Then the screen flickered to life, and Jeff was looking at Gordon for the first time in months, red roots very obvious now in contrast to the black dye, green eyes wet with tears. "I'm sorry." He said.

Jeff shook his head. "No Gordon, no. I'm sorry. I never should have let it get so far, I should have…"

"Dad." Gordon said, and Jeff stopped and looked at his son. "Dad please, just stop. It's not your fault. I'm the one that left. I'm the one that messed up." He looked off to the side and shut his eyes tight.

Jeff swallowed hard. "Gordon, where are you?" he wanted to know if his son would come home soon.

Gordon looked back at him, a ghost of a grin on his face that faded quickly. "In a sub a thousand miles away from home." He said quietly.

"A Submarine?" Jeff asked, surprised.

Gordon nodded. "Yeah. I joined the Navy."

Jeff was shell shocked, and he could see the concern and fear wash over Gordon's face when he saw his expression, but all Jeff could think was that his son was far more resourceful that he had ever been at 16. Joining the Navy was no mean feat, and it was not one he should have had to go through without his family to support him.

"Dad I…" Gordon trailed off, clearly not sure what he could say, and clearly frightened of his father's reaction.

Jeff shook himself. "The Navy?"

Gordon nodded slowly, looking wary.

"Why the Submarine Corp?" he asked, Jeff knew little about the Navy, but he did know they had a submarine corp.

Gordon shrugged. "Doing a degree in Oceanography." He said.

Jeff could see his eyes darting, he was clearly growing more and more uncomfortable, and when he suddenly said. "Someone else is looking to use the phone. I have to go Dad." Jeff let him have the lie. Just glad he had had the chance to speak to him son for even a short while. But that didn't stop his feelings of failure crashing down on him in a wave that left him weeping for hours after the call.

X

Things didn't get easier all at once. It was over a month and a half later of regular calls before Gordon felt comfortable enough to start behaving a little more like himself, sharing a joke with Alan, telling an amusing story from his time with the Navy; carefully leaving out anything about WASP, Scenchia or the fact that he had killed people. He was acutely aware that he was very much different from the Gordon they had known, and he didn't want them to look at him like he was a monster; so he hid that part of himself that could do those things.

But over time things did finally get easier, and by the time Christmas was over, he had promised to come home to see them. It was almost like he was part of the family again, and he hoped the rest would slot into space when he went to see them in person.

The remaining months went by paradox idly slow and fast at the same time. Too slow when he was waiting anxiously for the year to be up so he could see his family again, and too fast when the panic set in and he realized he would be going home. When not sleeping, eating or talking with his family, Gordon was completely immersed in the world of Oceanography, and even though the written work was hard, his trainer was pleased with his progress.

The Year was up in, looking back, seemed like no time at all; and he was given a week to rest up before the exams. He was doubly nervous as the time for the exams approached, because he would be going to see his family the day after he finished. Commander Shore had beamed at him when he'd mentioned going home.

X

Gordon smoothed down his dress uniform. It might have been a little silly to wear it home, and he had all his regular clothes packed in his hold all. But he wanted to make a good impression, to show everyone that he wasn't that stupid, joker, kid he had been. That he was grown up now, and was successful in his own way.

It was early, just past dawn. Too early for anyone to be up; so Gordon waited outside the front door, afraid to use the key he'd kept hidden in his wallet just in case it didn't work anymore. In case the locks had been changed.

He smoothed down his jacket again, before picking at a loose button on the sleeve, frowning in annoyance that he hadn't noticed it before now. He looked at the front door, studied it hard. It looked, like everything else, exactly the same as when he had left; as if he never had. His eyes strayed to the lock for the hundredth time and his fingers itched to try out his key; but if it didn't open the door he didn't know what he would do.

So he stood, and he fidgeted and waited for signs of life within the house.

Gordon's patience had never been very good, and half an hour had crawled by, and every second made the tension build up more and more inside him, and he couldn't stop himself pushing the doorbell. He held his breath as he waited for the door to open, straightening his jacket again, his palms sweaty with nerves.

All too soon, and not soon enough the door swung open, and Gordon saw his father there, with his brothers crowded in the doorway behind him; and then he could see nothing as his father reached forward and pulled him into a hug, warm arms encircling him, and Gordon closed his eyes and hugged back for all he was worth.

X

There. Short I know, but it's how it came to me. Now, in Gordon's Bio, I recall something about the submarine corp. or something and Gordon was them for a year, and he did do an Oceanography course (or something similar, let's pretend it was Oceanography and that it is a real subject if it's not ok). I just combined the two. Writing this I came to realize that I think I gave Gordon rather bad dyslexia, which would explain his difficulty with school work and his headaches when he does try to read. Ah well. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Not too many to go now.

PS: I hope I managed to do the reunion properly, and that it pleases you all. It has been a long time in coming.