#and now we wait for gordon and scott's indignant replies

[thunderbird-shadow]

SIBLING QUESTIONS ✨ 

Who is the:

Best dancer:

Most likely to be in a fight with each other:

Spends the most time in the shower: 

Most likely to steal your food out the fridge: 

Gives the best hugs:

First one awake:

Last one to bed:

Most impulsive:

Most accident prone:

Most cautious:

Best singer:

Most likely to get lost:

Most adventurous eater:

Most likely to get sunburnt:

Kindest:

Most likely to adopt a stray dog:

Most likely to write a book:

Bloody hell this is a long ask anon! I'll do my best to answer all these, but I'm on call at the minute so I might have to rush off at the last second.

Best dancer: They're all a bit rubbish, I have to be honest. John is probably the best because Lady P dragged him along to ballroom classes when they were in uni; they tried swing dancing, too, but he drew the line at jive classes. Scott looks a bit like those inflatable floppy guys they have at gas stations in America when he dances.

Most likely to be in a fight with each other: Alan and Gordon sometimes fight over things like Mario Kart, and Gordon and I sometimes fight for almost literally no reason. It's what happens when you're in the same year as your brother in school. But mostly it's Alan and Gordon.

Spends the most time in the shower: Scott. You've seen how much hair gel he uses. That's only the surface routine; he's got all these hair shower products and fancy body washes, even more than I have.

Most likely to steal my food out of the fridge: GORDON. Because he thinks he can get away with it. He's wrong, of course, but he hasn't figured out what I do in revenge every time he does it yet. Alan sometimes steals things too, but I let him off because he's a tiny child.

Best hugs: All of them for different reasons. Virgil's big enough to completely envelop you - plus he's like a radiator - but there's a certain charm to Alan and John's bony hugs. Gordon's as clingy as a starfish, and Scott doesn't give out too many full body hugs (he's fonder of the shoulder pat) so it's always a bit special to get one from him.

First awake: Scott and Gordon. They live on military time still (though if Gordon doesn'tget to bed early he sleeps till after noon). I'm a night owl and frankly their 5am starts disgust me.

Last to bed: Sometimes me, occasionally Virgil. Obviously we all live on weird times thanks to our jobs, and John doesn't really count because he runs on a different internal clock, but he's a borderline insomniac and if he was home 24/7 he'd be up till 3am all the time.

Most impulsive: Can I say all of them? Living here is ridiculously stressful, and the only thing making it easier is that I'm pretty impulsive too. I'd say the worst of them are Scott and Gordon, though Alan's pretty bad too, and even Virgil and John have their moments.

Most accident prone: John can be pretty clumsy especially when he's getting used to Earth gravity, but Alan's a walking disaster area and doesn't even have the excuse of living in space full-time. He trips over thin air a lot.

Most cautious: On the island it's obviously Brains, he's famous for it, but out of the brothers? Probably John. He's calculating more than curious, and only takes risks when he feels certain he's estimated the odds well enough. The rest of them are reckless idiots most days.

Best singer: Virgil sings in the shower and he's actually got a really lovely voice. Scott occasionally sings in the shower too, but unfortunately sounds a little more like a dying cat.

Most likely to get lost: Individually? Gordon. As a pair? Gordon and Alan. They're somehow even worse when they're together.

Most adventurous eater: Gordon - and me, honestly. We always end up going for the weirdest sounding things on the menu whenever we eat out, it's an ongoing challenge. My spice tolerance is better though.

Most likely to get sunburnt: You'd expect it to be John - and he does burn ridiculously easily - but the thing is he a) actually wears sunscreen and b) hates the sun with a burning (ha) passion. Meanwhile Alan forgets all the time and isn't lucky enough to have got the same tanning gene as Gordon.

Kindest: Virgil. All the boys are, of course, but there isn't a bad bone in his body.

Most likely to adopt a stray dog: Gordon or Alan. We do run into strays a lot on rescues to be honest, and we've already had a few... incidents, shall we say. There's a reason Scott set up an official Tracy Industries animal shelter.

Most likely to write a book: Depends on the book, really. John's already published articles and he's already talked about writing some kind of astronomy book featuring his experiences living in space. Virgil's been toying with the idea of maybe writing and illustrating his own kids' book, though - the concept is really sweet, and I'm doing my best to convince him to go through with it at the minute.

This was a lot more fun to answer than I thought it'd be! Thank you, anon :)

[tagsecretsanta]

From @Angelofbenignmalevolence

to @psychoseal

Secret Santa does not own this work, full credit to the author mentioned above!

Summary: Tracy Island has a situation! There is a missing stuffed cuddly squid. Gordon Tracy is on the hunt for a squidnapper!

-------------

“Alright, which one of you chuckleheads is responsible?”

The whole room seemed to freeze in place at the obvious vitriol in the statement. Virgil’s paintbrush paused mid stroke as he leaned around the canvas. Scott looked up from where he was seated behind their father’s desk. Alan looked at him from where he was laying upside down with his feet over the back of the couch, the sound of a game over emitting from the small system in his hands as he pushed the VR headset up off his eyes.

“Responsible for what, Gordo?” Virgil asked. Gordon frowned, his hands on his hips.

“You know perfectly well what!” Gordon said.

“No Gordon, we don’t,” Scott said, giving his younger brother a confused glance. Gordon took in an annoyed breath.

“Which one of you took Squidge?” He demanded. Virgil exchanged a confused look with Alan.

“Squidge?” he asked.

“My squid!” Gordon said. Virgil looked at Scott. Since when had Gordon gotten a live squid?

“He used to call him ‘Squiddy’ before he got big enough to give him a real name,” Scott reminded Virgil. A look of recognition crossed his face. The stuffed squid that Lucille had given Gordon on a trip to the aquarium when the boys were young. Gordon had taken to keeping the stuffed animal in Thunderbird 4, ostensibly for when he rescued children who were nervous and needed some kind of comfort.

“Guys, focus!” Gordon said, trying to bring his brothers’ attention back to the matter at hand. “Squidge is missing!”

“Are you sure that a kid didn’t just walk off with him after a rescue?” Alan asked helpfully.

“I’m sure that I got him back from the last rescue,” Gordon said. “Virgil and I stopped for coffee because it was so stupidly cold after that rescue. I have a picture of Squidge next to my coffee cup.”

“Oh yeah!” Virgil said.  That rescue was coming back to him now. “You threw him in the wash when he got coffee on him after a little turbulence.”

“Ok, that was more than ‘a little turbulence,’ but that’s not the point,” Gordon said folding his arms. “The point is that Squidge is missing and one of you took him!”

“No we didn’t, Gordon!” Alan said.

“You must have just misplaced him,” Scott said, trying to defuse the situation. Gordon sent a glare at his eldest brother, as if the very suggestion offended their ancestors. Virgil shook his head.

“At the risk of asking the obvious, have you checked the washer?” Virgil asked. Gordon turned his scowl on the second eldest.

“Of course I did! That was the first place I looked,” Gordon said with an indignant huff. “Honestly, I didn’t want to believe that I was living in a den of thieves!”

“Don’t be so dramatic, Gordon,” Scott said. “Did you look through all the compartments on Thunderbird Four. He might have gotten lost amidst all the canned cheese and other assorted snacks you have stashed away in there.” Gordon’s scowl turned more into a pout.

“Har, Scott,” he said. “Yes, I cleaned out all the compartments. He’s not in there!”

“But I’ll bet Four has never looked cleaner,” Alan said. Gordon picked up a pillow from the couch and threw it at Alan, who awkwardly deflected it and nearly overbalanced himself on the couch. Virgil rolled his eyes.

“Did you check the linen closet? He might have gotten swept up in some of the sheets from when we last did laundry,” Virgil supplied.

“Tried there. I didn’t find him.”

“Laundry hamper?”

“No sign of him.”

“Have you tried under your bed?”

“Nope, he’s not there either.”

“Did you check in Thunderbird Two?” Scott asked. This time it was Virgil’s turn to scowl.

“You are not ripping apart Two to find your squid,” Virgil protested before Gordon could answer. “I just took stock and got her all ready for her next call out. He’s not there. That’s a fact.”

“Have you asked grandma?” Alan asked. “She always seems to know where everything is.”

“And risk breaking her heart when she finds out that at least one of her grandsons is a squidnapper?” Scott rubbed his temples he opened his mouth to say something when Lady Penelope’s portrait made a soft ping.

“Hold that thought, Gordon,” Scott said, activating the holoprojector. Lady Penelope’s hologram winked into being in the center of the room. Gordon smoothed down his shirt as Lady Penelope smiled.

“Good afternoon,” she said, looking around at all of the boys gathered in the living room. Usually such gatherings meant either the beginnings of a callout for International Rescue or some kind of family meeting. “I certainly hope that I haven’t interrupted anything important.”

“No, no,” Scott replied. “We were just having a…brotherly chat. What can we do for you Lady Penelope?” She pushed the hair back off her shoulder.

“I’m afraid that I must report to you that my efforts in converting over many of the leftover oil rigs in the Atlantic to clean solar energy may have inadvertently caused a situation,” She said. She made a motion and a small screen appeared next to her on her holoprojection. The footage shown was of an oil well that had been capped but had begun to leak oil. “While this is by no means an emergency situation, a crew cannot get out to cap it for longer than I truly feel comfortable with. I was wondering if I might impose on our friendship to have Gordon come out to take a look at it?”

“I’d be happy to,” Gordon said, all thought of the lost squid forgotten, at least for the moment. Virgil set down his paint palette and got to his feet.

“I’ll go get Thunderbird Two ready for transport. I’ll meet you down in the hangar, Gordon.”

“F.A.B.” Gordon gave Lady Penelope a smile. “Don’t you worry, Lady Penelope. I’ll take care of that leaking oil.” Gordon headed straight for his chute, pressing his hand against the aquarium glass and beginning his descent. The case of the missing squid would have to wait until he returned.

- - - - - - - - - - -

Gordon came out of the shower unit in two, having rinsed off the oil that had been clinging to his suit. Once he and Virgil had told Lady Penelope of their success in capping the leaking oil well, Lady Penelope had insisted on their presence for afternoon tea to thank them both for the favor. Virgil happily accepted and Gordon normally would have jumped at the chance but he was starting to worry that he still hadn’t found his little cuddly squid. Virgil landed Thunderbird Two in the courtyard of Penelope’s manor. She met them at the door.

“Virgil, Gordon,” she greeted warmly.

“Lady Penelope,” Virgil said in return. “Gordon was able to cap the well. You shouldn’t be having any more trouble with it. Lady Penelope smiled.

“Thank you so much for your efforts. I very much appreciate you allowing me to abuse our friendship like this,” Lady Penelope said.

“Oh it was no trouble at all,” Gordon said.

“Are you sure? You look a little troubled,” Penelope said.

“I…oh…it’s…it’s nothing…”

“One of the things Gordon got from mom went missing a little earlier,” Virgil explained. “We were trying to help him find it when you called.”

“Oh no,” Lady Penelope said understandingly. “I’m so sorry to hear that. Is there anything I can do?”

“No no, it’s just…I’m afraid I might have left it at a rescue site somewhere. We couldn’t find it anywhere at home.

“Oh dear…” Gordon sank onto the couch, putting his elbows on his knees as Parker brought in a tray of tea and sweets. Sherbet looked up from where he laying in the sun streaming through one of the windows. His little tail wagged slightly at the company, but stopped wagging when he saw how sad Gordon looked. He didn’t like it when Lady Penelope’s Tracy friends were sad. Sherbet decided to do something about it.

He moved over to his bed and rooted around for a toy he had buried in there for safe keeping. His little teeth grabbed the plush toy and dragged it across the floor, bumping into Gordon’s leg. Gordon looked up.

“Hey little buddy. What do you have – Squidge!” His eyes went wide with surprise and delight. Sherbet wagged his tail as Gordon lifted the pup triumphantly in the air, spinning him around. Yes, Sherbet had done something right. Nothing left but smiles now.

[tagsecretsanta]

From @Psychoseal

to @avengedbiologist

Secret Santa does not own this work, full credit to the author above! The sun is blazing overhead. Even by tropical island standards it is hot. 

“It is too hot to move” Gordon complains from his spot by the pool where he is lying on one of the loungers, wearing nothing but his tiniest speedos. Showing off his perfectly sculpted abs, there is a scar on his chest. A streak of white on his otherwise evenly tanned torso. Virgil has slathered him in sunscreen from head to toe to avoid him getting burned. Partly because he cares about him and mainly because he is cranky and irritable when he is in pain! 

“Why don’t you go for a swim?” Kayo asks. She is on the lounger next to him, having just pulled herself up out of the water. 

There is a jug of lemonade on the table in between the two loungers and Kayo pours herself a glass before choking on its bitter taste. “Ugh, that is disgusting. Who made it?” she asks.

“Alan” Gordon replies with a shrug. 

“What did he put in it?” 

“No idea, I wasn’t silly enough to try it” Gordon replies, poking his tongue out at her. 

Kayo grins back at him and in one swift movement dumps the left-over lemonade on him before racing back into the house. 

Gordon squeaks with indignity, but rather than chasing after her he dives back into the pool. Revenge is the last thing on his mind as he lets his anger wash over him in his happy place, and besides, it is Christmas Eve and he is in too good a mood to let anyone ruin it now. 

He stays in the pool until his father comes out to get him. “Come on Squid there is food on the table and you need to have an early night. You know Father Christmas won’t come if you’re still awake!” 

“Dad, I am not five years old!” Gordon reminds him. 

“Do you want presents?” Jeff threatens with a smile. 

Gordon doesn’t respond, instead he jumps up from the pool before grabbing his father and pulling him close for a hug. 

“Gordon! You’re soaking” Jeff reminds him. 

Gordon shakes the water from his head all over Jeff’s shirt. 

“Never change Gords” Jeff says, as he struggles to free himself from his son’s vice like grip. 

“Ooh pizza” Gordon announces, when he enters the kitchen ten minutes later, now fully dressed in a pair of light blue pyjamas and no shoes. 

On the table are several pizzas neatly cut into slices. Steam rising up from the cheese and Gordon’s mouth is watering in anticipation. Reaching across Virgil, he grabs hold of the nearest pie and pulls it towards him. Taking two slices and mashing them together before shovelling it in whole, bits of stringy cheese are dripping down his chin. “H-h-hot!” he gasps. 

“Do you regret that?” Scott asks.

Gordon glares at him, while he gulps down a glass of water. “Nope! Never!” he finally spits out. 

Between the boys, Jeff, Grandma, Kayo and Brains the pizza doesn’t last long. 

Jeff has no idea what traditions the boys have kept or made anew. “What are we doing now?” he asks Scott. Jeff is so proud of the way Scott stepped up to help raise his brothers after his disappearance and is more than happy to sit back and let him take the lead. 

But it is Alan who replies. “Well we are going to have an early night. Eos is looking out for any hints of an emergency so we are going to make sure we are well rested.” 

Scott and Virgil burst into laughter. 

“Yeah right Al” John says, banging his fist on the table while he chokes on his coffee. 

“I am an adult now. A real grown up!” Alan insists, he knows that he can’t reveal his true plans yet. If this works he will finally get the respect he deserves. 

Grandma and Jeff break open a bottle of wine, which they take out onto the balcony to watch the sunset. “Do you ever miss Christmas in Kansas?” he asks. His mom gave up her own life to raise her grandchildren and he will never be able to repay her.

Grandma shakes her head. “Miss the sub-zero temperatures and the snow and the ice? No thank you!”

Even in the darkening evening the heat is oppressive and muggy. “I don’t know about you Jeff but it is nicer inside with the air conditioning. You have wrapped the boys presents?” 

Jeff nods. “Of course. This is the first time in nine years that I have been able to do this and I am going to make tomorrow special. The whole family is home under one roof. It is a shame Lady Penelope couldn’t make it; I know Gordon is missing her” 

“Her family plans couldn’t be rearranged, but I know they are going to meet up for New Year instead.” 

The house is silent when they go back in, all five boys having agreed to an early night, so that Father Christmas can deliver their presents in peace. The living room has the look of a tinsel explosion and the main tree is covered in lights and baubles. The morning after the tree had been decorated, they arrived downstairs to find Gordon had replaced the baubles with hundreds of them shaped like his own head. Which even now gives Alan nightmares of a parallel universe where he is haunted by a thousand Gordon’s! 

“I am off to bed myself Jeff dear. I will see you in the morning.” 

“Night mom” Jeff replies watching her go up the stairs past Virgil’s latest art project and into the comfort of her own suite. 

Jeff gets to work as soon as he is alone. Removing a box from the safe and pulling out the bright red suit and long white beard and getting changed into his old outfit. There is a large sack of presents waiting to go under the tree, which are hidden in his room.

Alan waits until he is sure that his father has gone to bed, before he sneaks out of his room and back down the stairs into the living room. Creeping as quietly as a mouse Alan sets up his great plan to catch Father Christmas and prove to Gordon once and for all that he does exist! 

“What are you doing?” 

Alan turns round to find Gordon staring at him in confusion. 

“Catching Father Christmas!” Alan insists. “What are you doing out of bed?” 

“Getting a glass of water. Do you need any help?” 

Alan shakes his head. “No, I have everything I need here. Can you remember the time you trapped Scott in that net and forced him to watch five hours of Into the Unknown?” 

Gordons eyes crinkle with the laughter of the memory. “Yeah, fun times!” 

“Well that. I am going to use that to catch him.” Alan reveals his plan. 

“Good luck. I am going back to bed” Gordon says yawning. “You want a drink?” 

“I’m good” Alan replies. Turning his attention back to the trap. He doesn’t go up onto the roof to trap the reindeer, the last thing he would want to do is accidentally cause Rudolph to fall and hurt himself! 

Once the net is set up Alan realises that he needs a place to hide, and he knows the perfect spot. The boy’s old fort. To help them adjust to the move, Jeff helped them build a fort in the living room behind his desk. The entrance is hidden by a pair of curtains which used to hang in their mom and dad’s room in Kansas. Inside there are five squashy mismatched armchairs which Grandma helped them decorate. Alan’s is bright red and adorned with pictures of rockets. Here he has the perfect view of the room, as he gets settled in his chosen hiding spot. 

He has not been in here for ages and he starts to think about the times he spent in here. 

That first night on the Island when he was too frightened to sleep and ended up in here joined by his brothers they all slept in here, snuggled in a bro pile on the soft carpeted floor. 

Their first Christmas where they strung fairy lights across the entrance and all stayed in here to open their presents and eat the cold dry turkey Grandma cremated for their dinner. 

The night their father disappeared. Alan sought refuge in here, curling up on the floor on his own while he cried himself to sleep. Alan hasn’t slept in his own bed since, preferring the floor. No one else has vanished while he sleeps on the floor.

There is a box next to his chair. A box full of memories. Smiling now, Alan starts to look through the box. there are ticket stubs from movies they went too, old school reports, John’s science fair trophy and Gordon’s Olympic gold medal. Family photos from Kansas and the Island. At the bottom of the box, Alan finds their old flag. Designed and painted by Virgil “Fort Tracy” and tomorrow he is going to put the flag back where it belongs. 

Alan sits down on the floor, and before he knows it he is fast asleep.

*TB*

“ARRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!” A scream wakes him up nearly an hour later. Alan jumps in shock, and momentarily confused before he realises where he is. He scrambles to his feet and races out the Fort where he finds exactly what he is waiting for. 

“YES I CAUGHT YOU!”  Alan cries. 

“Get me down!” The figure dressed in his red suit calls from above his head. 

Realisation that it is his father and not Father Christmas dawns on him, and he releases the net. “DAD?” 

“What the hell Alan?” he asks.

“I just wanted to catch Father Christmas” Alan says, there is a deep look of disappointment on his face and tears are threatening. 

“Oh Allie” Jeff melts. “You know that Father Christmas doesn’t exist. Come on, help me pop the presents under the tree and then I will make us hot chocolate.” 

The disappointment isn’t fading as he helps Jeff place the gifts until he finds ones with his name on. “Hey, look this one is for me!” 

“Of course it is. Do you think we would leave you out?” Jeff asks.

“Gordon said…” Alan starts.

“Say no more! Never listen to Gordon” Jeff reminds him with a grin. 

Jeff makes the hot chocolate, and the two go back to the Fort. “I haven’t seen you use this for ages” he says while he sits on Scott’s customised chair.

“I think we outgrew it” Alan says, there is a hint of sadness in his voice now. 

“Nothing lasts forever Alan, you must know that by now” Jeff says, placing his mug on the floor and giving his youngest son a hug.

“Everything changed when you disappeared dad” Alan admits. “And none of it for the better, I missed you so much” and he finally realises that he knew all along that his father was playing Father Christmas. Since he got back, there has been hope in his life again.

“I missed you too. I missed you all so much but I am back now, and I am never going anywhere like that again” Jeff reassures his youngest son. 

“Please don’t” Alan replies resting his head on his father’s shoulder, he can feel himself falling asleep here and he has never felt so safe before. 

Jeff is starting to snore when there is a loud thud outside. 

“Dad? What was that?” Alan asks, shaking him awake. 

“Whaaaa?” Jeff replies sleepily. 

“There is something outside” Alan tells him. 

“No there isn’t. Go back to sleep” Jeff replies. 

“Come on!” Alan says, trying to drag him to his feet. 

Jeff knows when he is defeated and allows Alan to lead him from their sanctuary to find out what is going on. 

Out by the pool, there is a sleigh parked which is housing eight reindeer. “DAD!” Alan shouts, “LOOK!” 

“Hello Alan, you are meant to be in bed!” 

“FATHER CHRISTMAS!” Alan exclaims in shock. “How? My brothers said you didn’t exist. But I knew you did, I just knew it!” 

“And that Alan Is why your brothers are getting a lump of coal each and your getting a plush model of your thunderbird” Father Christmas replies. “But you have to keep my secret, okay?” 

Alan nods. “Anything for you. I promise that I will always keep your secret” 

“Good, now go to bed and get some sleep” 

Alan is sitting up in his room when Father Christmas leaves, watching the sleigh fly up and away into the night sky with a “Ho ho ho” which he knows he is the only one who can hear. 

“Merry Christmas” Alan says to the retreating reindeer before he lies down on his bed, and for the first time in nine years Alan sleeps soundly in his own bed. 

*TB*

Christmas morning is a blur of laughter and present opening. Until there is only one gift left. 

“Dear Kayo,

Have a lovely Christmas 😉

Love from Gordon” 

“Gordon, you are the only person I know who can make have a lovely Christmas sound like a threat!” She tells him as she pulls the ribbon and lifts the lid from the box.

Lemonade explodes all over her. 

“GORDON!” She yells running her hand through her sticky hair.

“Gotcha!” Gordon replies with a grin.

“Oh you are lucky it is Christmas!” Kayo tells him laughing. “Truce?” 

“Yeah truce” Gordon agrees. 

“Excellent, I am going to check on the turkey” Grandma says.

Identical looks of horror flash upon everyone’s faces. 

“Merry Christmas boys” Jeff says with a grin. Glad that it doesn’t matter how many years have passed, somethings just never change!