Thunderbirds – Missing After Scene from 'Terror in New York City.'

By Allyson.

(A/N – I don't own Thunderbirds, just having a bit of fun)

The blasting noise of competitive video games and the crowing and arguing between the two youngest Tracy brothers came to an abrupt silence that caused Scott to momentarily believe that he'd gone deaf. Curiosity caused Scott to put down the paper he'd been reading and move towards the kitchen door to find out what was wrong. The distinctive growl of a brother unhappily woken up early caused Scott to wince and contemplate going to work on Thunderbird One while he still had the chance to escape. Before he knew it, Gordon and Alan hurtled towards him down the corridor, a rumpled looking Virgil close on their heels. Gordon paused to snatch the half-full coffee cup out of Scott's hand and thrust it quickly into Virgil's hands.

"Here, take it," Gordon said, quickly stepping away. "Alan, run! Save yourself!"

As Virgil reached out to grab the collar of Gordon's shirt with his free hand, Gordon took his own advice and scampered out of sight. Scott suddenly found himself alone with a very grumpy brother. Stepping to the side to allow Virgil into the kitchen, Scott gestured towards the oven.

"Coffee pots over there," he told him, taking back his drink. Scott waited until Virgil had poured himself a strong cup of coffee and taken a gulp before asking, "Everything okay?"

Virgil slouched into a nearby chair at the table. "Despite being woken up so early? Yeah, fine."

Scott resisted the urge to point out that it was now well passed noon and his brother had slept through lunch. Instead, his attention was fixed on the bandaged wrapped loosely around Virgil's left hand, badly concealed by the long-sleeved baggy jumper he was wearing. Before his tired brother could react, Scott's hand darted out and snagged a firm grip on Virgil's sleeve, pulling it towards him for a closer inspection.

"Scott," protested his younger brother, trying to yank his arm back.

Scott, as usual, ignored him and questioned, "What did you do to your hand? You weren't injured on the rescue last night, were you? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Relax, Scott," replied Virgil, in irritation, as Scott swatted his other hand away. "It didn't happen at the rescue, I promise. It's nothing to worry about."

"Mmm," grunted Scott, in disbelief. "I'll be the judge of that."

Virgil sighed in resignation and slumped further down in his chair. Scott carefully unwrapped the bandage and studied the livid burn mark across the palm of his hand. He glared at Virgil, who stared back at him with an unflinching neutral expression.

"It's a minor burn. Brains checked it out last night and said as long as I kept it covered up it would heal just fine," Virgil calmly stated. Giving Scott a knowing look, he added, "And if a call was to come in now for us to go on a rescue, I would still be able to fly."

Scott fumed for a moment. "You could have at least bandaged it up properly," he replied, fussing with the bandage so that it covered the wound better.

"It's hard to do one-handed," shrugged Virgil, sipping his coffee and ignoring Scott's mothering habits.

"So, are you going to tell me how you did this?" asked Scott, finally letting go of his brother's arm.

Virgil absent-mindedly studied the bandage while his cheeks reddened slightly in embarrassment. "Tin-Tin's hair straighteners," he murmured, quietly. When he saw the questioning and somewhat worrying look he received from Scott, he hurriedly explained. "They were broken and she gave them me to fix. I must have left them still plugged in when I fixed the faulty wiring and forgotten about it when we went on that rescue last night. When I got back, I picked them up to give them back to Tin-Tin and burnt myself."

Scott smirked in amusement. "Very safety conscious."

"I was tired," defended Virgil. Eyeing the dark smudges under his older brother's eyes critically, he commented, "Looks like I'm not the only one."

"Huh?" responded Scott, moving to fill his coffee cup again so that he could avoid the gaze that followed him. "Don't be silly, I'm fine."

"Still having those nightmares?"

Scott almost dropped the coffee pot at Virgil's quiet question. Turning, he made the fatal mistake of becoming trapped in his brother's somber knowing eyes. He struggled to find an excuse to deny the question while at the same time wanting to confess. As usual, Virgil didn't need an answer; he already knew. He'd had the same conversation with every member of his family.

"Scott, I'm fine. You can't keep blaming yourself for the Sentinel firing on Thunderbird Two. You were there when I needed you. If you'd set off first without chasing and dealing with those reporters, chances are I would currently be lying at the bottom of the ocean. Don't look at me like that," Virgil interrupted, when he saw Scott open his mouth to protest. "You know that's true. Besides, Dad would never have let me go out on that rescue last night if he didn't think I was 100 fit."

After a moment of contemplative silence, Scott grudgingly conceded, "I know . . . I know you're right. It's just hard for me to accept."

Virgil allowed an amused expression to grace his features. "You and your big brother prerogative," he shook his head in mock resignation. "What are we going to do with you?"

"Put it to good use," murmured Scott, with a mischievous grin, as he caught sight of something through the kitchen window.

Virgil frowned. "What?"

Turning, he caught a glimpse of both Alan and Gordon's hair at the window as they hurriedly ducked out of sight. A smile crept across his face.

"Come on," said Scott, putting his drink down and slapping a hand on Virgil's shoulder as he walked by. "I think our younger brothers are in need of a training run."

As Scott yanked the kitchen door open there was a sound of two panicked voices shouting, "Run!" before Scott and Virgil went in hot pursuit. From the shadows of the kitchen door, their father, Jeff Tracy, stepped further into the room. He'd overheard Scott's and Virgil's conversation and now, as he watched his son's running passed the window, he was relieved that things in the Tracy household were returning back to normal.

The End.