#cass mccready

[gumnut-logic]

Cassandra

You asked for a sequel, you got one.

This is ship. Oh so much ship in such a small handful of words. If you don't like m/f romance, this isn't your fic. If you do, then good luck, because there are only 700-odd words and I might have sprained a writing muscle cos these words are...well, I'll let you form your own opinion.

Virgil Tracy/Cass McCready

I hope you enjoy.

-o-o-o-

Soft lips on his forehead.

Fingers brushing gently through his hair.

A whisper. “Thank god for you, Tracy.”

Virgil pushed his heavy eyelids open and the white fuzz of the world bit into his retinas.

The fingers paused in his hair. Fingertips touched his cheek. “Tracy? You with me?”

His throat clogged with barbed tumbleweeds, but he managed to blink his eyes and force them to focus.

Cassandra.

She smiled at him and it lit up her eyes. “Hey.”

He loved her smile.

Her fingers brushed through his hair again as his brain finally booted and updated him on the fact he was in hospital.

And Jeremy had fallen through a window.

“Jer-“ The tumbleweeds clawed at his windpipe and he coughed, shaking what was apparently a body in pain underneath whatever he was high on.

She cupped his cheek. “Jeremy is fine. Thanks to you.”

“But-“

Another smile. “Scott did warn me.” She straightened and walked around the edge of the bed and disappeared beyond a blue curtain.

Scott? What?

The soft hiss of hoverjets and both Jeremy and Russell hurried into the room. “Virgil!”

Jeremy may not have had Gordon’s blond curls, but the five-year-old had more in common with his fish brother than Virgil did. The little rapscallion darted over and for a moment Virgil thought he was going to leap onto the bed.

“Gentle now, Jer, Virgil is injured.”

For a moment that energy in his eyes dulled. “He’s going to get better, though, isn’t he? Not like Russell?”

Cassandra stepped up between her two sons, a hand dropping to each shoulder, squeezing Jeremy’s. “Virgil will get better.” She leant over and kissed Russell’s tight curls. “And your brother is getting better at walking. He just needed the ‘chair today.”

Virgil blinked again, cursing the fog in his head.

The eight-year-old looked up at his mother. “It’s fine, Mum.”

Virgil swallowed. Russell was the eldest of the two boys, but he had suffered an injury in the fire that had taken the children’s father several years ago. Russell reminded him of John. All the smarts and the determination. Not so much for space, though. Russell wanted to build things.

“Thank you for saving me, Virgil.” Jeremy’s wide, dark eyes stared up at him from beside the bed.

He looked so much like his mother.

Virgil hacked through the bramble in his throat. “Y-You’re welcome.”

Little fingers intertwined with his.

Cassandra was smiling at him again.

“Okay, boys, go back to Gordon. I need to speak with Virgil.”

He loved it when she said his first name.

“Yes! Thunderbird Four rooooooocks!” Triumphant arm in the air, Jeremy dashed off, obviously none the worse for falling off a skyscraper.

Russell rolled his eyes and turned to follow his little brother. Hoverjets hissed out of the room.

Virgil found himself grinning.

“You know, I have my suspicions that you only asked me out because of my kids.”

His eyes widened and her smile became a laugh.

She leant in and kissed the corner of his mouth. “Don’t worry. I got a great deal.”

“Cass-!”

But then she was kissing him ever so softly and the fog became a pleasant haze.

He could have just existed there forever.

“Thank you for saving my son.”

He stared up into her dark, dark eyes. “Thank you.”

She smiled at him as if seeing something he was completely unaware of and loving it.

Loving…

“I need to let your brothers in before they break down the door.” She straightened up, still smiling softly.

A slow blink and she turned, disappearing beyond the curtain again.

“Cass…”

A clatter at the door and Alan burst in, almost as exuberant as Jeremy. John followed quietly with Grandma and Dad, questions about his health firing from all directions.

Virgil took the gentle hugs and the queries, but he was distracted by Cassandra stopping to speak to Scott at the door a moment before leaving.

He couldn’t see her face, but he could see his brother’s. Blue eyes flashed and he touched her shoulder briefly as she followed her boys out the door.

Virgil had all the questions, but as Scott turned towards him, his big brother only smiled.

Ever so proud.

-o-o-o-

[forest-falcon]

The Butterfly Effect

Chpr 11

🐦‍🔥🚒 💚👓👨‍🏫

"Keep her steady," Casey instructed on the approach to Tracy Island.

"Time to suit up."

Jonesy was all too-ready to strap into the exosuit.

Virgil and Brains had taken his measurements - so many measurements, to the point where it had become a borderline annoyance. That was, until the final suit had been unveiled. It wore like a glove - a state-of-the-art glove worth more than his entire flat. And oh...OH had it been fun to use in training.

Tam was strapping into her jet pack - the only one of them who had shown promise at mastering the bat-shit crazy device during training. Jonesy had given his own reenactment of Neville Longbottom flying a broom. The jetpack initially fired too much, and then, too little; dropping him a small height onto his rear.

"Just a tad more sensitive than the firetruck then?"

He gave an impish grin and rubbed his bruised backside.

Mac had passed on the chance to use the confounded contraption after that; but Tam, never one to shy from a challenge, had donned the pack, only to make it look easy.

"This is so much fun!"

"Looks it! I worked out all the bugs for you on my go!"

Jonesy smiled at the memory.

Her joy had been contagious, and it had been nice to see her elated smile mirrored on the Tracy brothers faces as they watched.

He'd only really met Virgil beforehand. It was at the Crystal Spire in London when brainiac, Yost, managed to set his own building alight.

Virgil had saved all their asses, several times, that callout.

"Say, Virgil? What was that badass Ironman suit you used to lift those rocks off Mac, in London?"

"You mean the exosuit?"

"Sure. Erm...do we get to try out one of those in our training?"

"I mean, I don't have anything against you learning how to use it-"

"I'm sensing a but..."

"But... it's made to my measurements, and I'm somewhat larger than yourself."

"Alright show-off," he'd grinned.

"I better get squeezing me some extra gym sessions in!"

"No objections here!" Mac winked.

"Oi, I'm gorgeous as is! Have to give the other guys a chance, is all."

*. *. *.

Jonesy had thought that would be the end of it.

Brains, the Island's resident engineer, inventor and down-right genius, had decided to upgrade their London fire uniforms. Their design was kept the same, as to not give cause for others in the firehouse to ask questions. Everyone in Phoenix had their measurements taken, so it had come as a complete surprise when his very own exosuit was unveiled.

He hadn't ever expected the need to wear it for real - well, a real life rescue.

Jonesy looked around the cabin; studious, contemplative, worried.

Tycho; typing God-knows what on his Tony Stark-esque device. Col. Casey and Captain McCready, busy analyzing a holoprojection of the island.

He leant towards to his best friend; Tam. Her worry was obvious. Perhaps not to everybody, but he knew her. He knew how much she had connected with the Tracy family during her training; their backstory not too dissimilar to her own. Not so much the rockets, and fantasy island; but growing up with only one parent, only to lose the other much too early in life.

He leant over and took Tam's hand.

"Hey. They'll be okay."

He gave her fingers a squeeze.

"How can you know?"

"Because I. am. Iron. Man!"

Jonesy whispered emphatically, flexing the suit with a small hydraulic whine.

Tam shoved him with a smile.

Mac rolled his eyes.

McCready glared at him through the holoprojection of Tracy Island.

[flyboytracy]

[demilypyro]

Fallout 4 to me had companions on the same level of New Vegas. Almost all of them have incredible voice acting, and I find their stories and personalities very compelling. Nick of course is the dev and fandom favorite, but they're all great.

I'm not sure I agree... they definitely put more effort into Fallout 4's companions than 3's and them all having a little personal quest is great, but when I think about 4's companions none of them really compare to those from New Vegas. Let's not pretend McCready or Preston or Danse are even in the same galaxy as Arcade Gannon or Boone or Cass when it comes to writing or performance. Shout-out to Curie though. I am gay.

[gumnut-logic]

“Hey, Virg, c’mere.”

Virgil nearly lost his drink as Gordon yanked on his arm. “Gordon?!”

His fish brother muttered something that could possibly be considered an apology in some reality, somewhere, but kept pulling, dragging Virgil across the room.

They were at a London function, dressed to the nines, cufflinks and all, and Virgil had been in a very interesting conversation with his plus one. That plus one being Cass McCready and she was dressed in a most appealing manner that had him itching for a paintbrush…among other things.

Instead, he was being dragged across the floor by his fish brother and Cass was fast vanishing behind him in the crowd.

Her amused smile was rather alluring at least.

Gordon and he were going to have words after this.

His brother finally stopped tugging when they reached a group of rather burly looking men and women. All of them were dressed in evening wear, but there was a certain anticipation in all their expressions.

What?

A small table had been set up with two chairs. A particularly large man was sitting in one of them, an air of confidence emanating off of him.

Virgil stared.

“Virg, it is up to you to uphold how Tracy honour.” Gordon straightened beside him.

“What?”

“I need you to arm wrestle this man and prove your heavy lifting muscles to these dunderheads.”

There was a muffle of snorts at that and Virgil suddenly realised he knew a couple of these guys.

This was Blue Squad. Cass’ firefighting team.

A soft sigh of silk and Cass appeared at his elbow. “Looks like you have a challenge there, Tracy.” She was smiling at him.

It was a nice smile.

“C’mon, Virg, Tracy honour is at stake.”

He turned to his brother and glared, only to find Penelope on the fish’s arm.

Oh, honour, definitely.

Shows of masculinity really weren’t his thing. Scott had been known to flex his muscles occasionally for the ladies, even if it wasn’t immediately obvious, but Virgil was quite happy to draw attention in other ways.

Cass placed a hand on his arm and whispered in his ear. “The team need a little encouragement. Show them how it is done.”

He arched an eyebrow at her. This was her squad…and then he saw the sparkle in her eye. His lips curled as he saw the pride in her people shining there.

“Virg…” It was almost a whine as Gordon tugged on his tux again.

“Okay. Fine.”

“Yess!”

Gordon should never play poker.

Or maybe he should. His military brother did know how to play a situation, after all. This was possibly all a show.

Virgil folded himself into the chair opposite and found himself looking up at the firey opposite him. “Hi. Virgil Tracy.”

“Butch Huggins.” His voice was like a rumbling rock fall and his smile ever so confident. This was definitely a guy you wanted on your side when busting into a building on fire. He looked like he could take down a wall even in his tux.

Gordon, what the hell have you gotten me into?

A glance up at the spectators involved and he found himself ringed in eager smiles, Cass’ included.

She did have a lovely smile.

“Are we doing this?” The rock fall was apparently getting impatient.

Virgil swallowed and, unclipping his cufflinks, a present from Scott some time ago, rolled up his sleeve.

Butch did the same, revealing tattoos of flame up the length of well-defined forearm.

Maybe he should have brought his exosuit with him tonight.

The image of his claw and everything it was capable of filled his mind for a moment.

Gordon was dead when they got home tonight.

One dead fish.

And Scott might even grill him. Yes, Virgil was petty enough to bring in big bro on this one.

Where was Scott anyway?

Probably enjoying some female company. This Firey’s Charity Ball was full of very capable women, after all.

Butch slammed his elbow down on the table enough to trigger Virgil’s funny bone from afar.

Okay, well, apparently he was doing this.

Why did he feel so small? He wasn’t used to feeling small.

But confidence wasn’t something he was lacking, it was just the laws of physics didn’t seem to be leaning in his direction at the moment.

Cursing his fish brother from here to Atlantis, Virgil placed his elbow on the table. Butch grabbed his hand.

It was like being grabbed by a gorilla. Honestly, the man’s hand was huge.

If he was injured doing this and off rescues for any time at all, Gordon wasn’t going to be the only Tracy death later on.

Scott would kill both of them.

Cass was watching, though.

Virgil kicked himself for being so stupid.

Could he kill Gordon twice?

“Okay, we ready?” Gordon was flicking his eyes between Virgil and Butch.

“Ready.” Seriously, the man had a crumbling mountain for a voice.

“Let’s get this over with.” Virgil glared at his little brother.

Though something was warm in his stomach that Gordon was proud enough of him to set him up like this.

A little warm.

Very little.

“Ready, set…” Focus. “Go.”

And suddenly the mountain was falling on him.

Butch grunted, obviously throwing himself into this.

But Virgil Tracy had had mountains fall on him before and his shoulders were well trained in catching them.

The force travelled up his arm into his shoulder. His bicep was assisted by a considerable trapezius and deltoid, and while his forearm worked, his well-built pectoral joined in the refusal to move. Virgil pivoted just a little in his seat as practised reflexes took the strain.

And negated it.

Butch yelped as his hand was flexed backwards and slammed elegantly to the table top.

Oh, shit.

Virgil let go immediately. “Are you okay? Let me see that.” He reached for the man’s hand as it was quickly yanked away the moment he released it.

Butch stared at him. “How the hell?”

But Virgil didn’t have the chance to answer as the crowd around them erupted into cheers and hollers. There were hands patting him on the back and grabbing at him.

Someone kissed his cheek.

He blushed as he realised it was Cass.

Suddenly appreciating that he was still sitting down and there was an entire squad of fireman glaring at him…with some respect along with the outrage, Virgil hurriedly clambered to his feet.

“Way to go, Virg, I knew you could do it!” Gordon was bouncing on his feet.

Virgil shot him with his eyes.

The fish ignored him and kept bouncing until Penelope wrapped an elegant hand around his arm and distracted him with a smile.

She winked at Virgil.

A strong hand wrapped around Virgil’s bicep in almost a mirror move. “Smooth, Tracy. Huggins needed to be put in his place. I can use this to up the training regime. You’ve slapped down a benchmark.”

Virgil turned to find that beautiful smile on her face again. Her squad was grumbling behind her, shooting admiring glances mixed with glares in his direction.

Maybe he should join the squad next vacation just to fix that.

Yes, that was the entire reason why that suddenly seemed even more attractive.

Cass’ smile widened as she tugged gently on his arm, letting her head drop to his shoulder as it became a laugh.

Hmm, maybe he should thank the fish after killing him.

-o-o-o-

[forest-falcon]

The Butterfly Effect

Chpr 6

🩷🩶🚒🚀

Cass slipped into the mess room and boiled the kettle, for herself, for the first time in...oooh, what was it? Going on four days.

The station had experienced back-to-back callouts all week, and she was ready for a strong, semi-decent, cup of coffee. One that she didn't have to neck, stone-cold, between tasks.

She'd used up the last of the blend Virgil had gifted her, so station-sludge it was. Well, it wasn't that bad. It was just that ThunderBrews were indescribably better.

Rain thrummed steadily on the misted window pane - the London skyline, melting into one long, silver-grey blur. But, the addition of her coffee and a more-manageable workload had her staving off her mound of paperwork - just a moment longer, to savour the subtle autumnal vibe.

"Quiet one today, Chie-"

"-DON'T...say it Probie."

Her mug was moments from her lips and...

An alert sounded on her phone. It was one she had never hoped to hear. One that most of the station had no clue existed.

Protocol Phoenix.

It instantly triggered the station alarm.

Boots could be heard running down the hall, as her team grabbed kit and headed for the trucks.

Chief McCready headed them off, making use of one of the old fire-poles, that was mainly kept for show, to dart between floors.

"LISTEN UP, LISTEN UP!

Her voice drowned out the clatter of boots on the stairs.

"THIS IS A NON-STANDARD EMERGENCY!"

"LINE UP, LINE UP."

A number of firefighters looked visibly confused, dithering momentarily, as they looked between their Chief and the trucks.

A select few understood. Their faces wore a different shade of concern.

Right, I'm gonna need Jonesy, Mac, Tam - you're with me.

Where's Ashwell?

"Ash, you're in charge of the station. You can have my brew. Enjoy."

"Probie, you'll be cleaning the trucks until needed."

"What did I do?"

"Tempted fate."

Cass shrugged at a run.

* * *

The GDF carrier was already waiting at the rendezvous point. She was sleeker than the rest of their fleet; designed by Brains himself, and equipped with state of the art rescuewear befitting a Thunderbird.

Cass strapped in and braced herself. Training days with Scott and Virgil had already proven the serious Gs the aircraft could pull.

Col. Casey gave her a small nod of acknowledgement before a blue hologram projected out between them.

"Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward here, confirming attendance of myself, Parker, and Tycho Reeves."

Tycho offered a derpy smile and half-wave from the edge of the projection.

"All present and correct here, also. Setting coordinates for Tracy Island. Protocol Phoenix is Go."

The projection blinked out.

"Just noticed, you added a name to the carrier since last time," Jonesy called out over the noise of the engine.

"Lucy?"

"Any reason behind the name choice?"

"She was the boys' mother," Casey supplied.

[sailing-on-a-puddle]

More Numberblocks/TAG observations

Some of you might remember when I got a bit excited that Rasmus Hardiker voiced 18 in Numberblocks, who is a super speedy super rectangle. Teresa Gallagher (Eos) is also several characters.

Today we had more Numberblocks on the telly and I thought 100 sounded familiar. 100 is Sharon D. Clarke, who voices Cass McCready. I'm starting to think the whole cast might be a copy.

I am also definitely feeling a Numberbocks/TAG crossover coming on somehow, but it currently has no plot and I can't write until after some building work so maybe not 😂

[tagsecretsanta]

From @emtb319

From @emtb319 to @vitanirigatoni

“It’s Time”

Prompts:

Welcoming a new family member Christmas Day

Picking the right tree

All we want for Christmas is mother and father

No preferences on people

Characters:

Kyrano family

Tracy family

Cass McCready

Penelope Creighton-Ward

Parker

-Christmas Eve-

Cass McCready hadn’t expected to see Virgil or his brother today.  This was supposed to be a fun little holiday for her and her rock obsessed son.  Her son Derek had a rather keen interest in fluorescent rocks.  A few weeks ago, he discovered a small town that was known as the Fluorescent Mineral Capital of the World, so he had to see it.  She reached out to a local travel planner.  She happened to be related to the captain of the local fire department and mentioned that she could also arrange some ride-along time for Cass.  It didn’t take long for them to be invited to stay with the Fire Department Captain Babcock and his family.  This would save them the time of having to travel 25+ minutes to the nearest hotel.  Cass always liked the opportunity to visit other fire departments, and this one was in a rural area.  It would be very different from her city department.  Her visit would give her a chance to practice some seldom used skills and maybe she would learn something new.   

While Derek was on a museum tour, the fire sirens rang.  This department had one of those very old fashioned audible alarms, the ones that rang so loud that you could hear them from across town.  Many fire departments had them before they had portable radios, but few departments actually used them anymore.  One of the mines had collapsed and there may have been some people trapped inside.  While the department mobilized, Cass discovered that Derek was safe.  He told her that a few people had talked about going into a closed part of the mines.

“Mum.  I haven’t seen them,” he said.  “What if they’re in there?”

“Don’t worry Derek.  Stay with the group.  We will find them.”  As the search began, Cass and Captain Babcock realized that they may not have the apparatus or time needed to get to the trapped people.  They used drones and  found the group in a deep part of the mines.  This part of the mines was prone to flooding and water had started to seep inside.  They estimated that the trapped people had about 3 hours before they were submerged, but it would take at least 5 hours to get to them with the equipment and the manpower that they had.  The town had closed this mine off many years ago because of the water issue.  Even locals who were highly trained cave climbers would not enter this mine.  It was simply too dangerous to allow people to walk around there.  This group took a huge risk and got trapped.  Captain Babcock weighed his options, but he couldn’t see how they would get to the trapped people in time.  Cass called International Rescue.  It didn’t take long for her to hear the familiar roar of Thunderbird 2’s engines.  

“You’ll see Captain Babcock.  These boys are great,” Cass assured the fire captain.

“I’m sure they are,” he answered, “I’m just not used to having to call them for help.”

“It’s ok.  I know how that feels, but they really just like to help people.  They’re a nice family.  Highly trained too,” she said as she saw Virgil and Gordon approach them.  A short while later, with the help of International Rescue, they were able to get the trapped people out of the mine and close it off.  

Virgil left the tourists with the local emergency medical services.  They were more rattled than injured, but they needed a quick once over.  He thought about the mines and the little museum that he saw near the entrance.  This place was supposed to be known as the Fluorescent Mineral Capital of the World, but it didn’t appear to be a protected heritage site.  

“Captain Babcock, these mines, are they a heritage site yet?”  Virgil asked him.  

“No, they are not.  I wouldn’t know where to start to get them declared that way,” he answered.

“That’s what I thought.  Let me get you the contact information of a friend of mine over there,” Virgil started.   “Lady Penelope would be happy to help you.  If you can get the mines declared a heritage site, the World Heritage Foundation would help maintain them, so that something like this doesn’t happen again.”

“That would be wonderful!  I’d be happy to pass on her info to the history people here in town.”  They talked about the history of the mines and the minerals, as they packed up their gear.  Gordon’s attention turned to the fire department’s parking lot.  He really wanted something.  Virgil saw Gordon’s energy change.

“Gordon, whatever it is, I’m tired and ready to go home,” Virgil said with a sigh.  He was really  tired.  It had been a long day for all of them, and they would be over their flight hours soon.  

“Come on Virg.  Can you imagine the smell tomorrow morning?”  Gordon said/whined, while he bounced.  It took a moment for Virgil to realize what grabbed Gordon’s attention.   

“Gordon, there’s nothing wrong with the tree we already have at home.  And, we don’t have to worry about it becoming a fire hazard after you forget to water it,” Virgil retorted while Cass and Captain Babcock looked between the two of them and silently giggled.  Then came the puppy eyes.  Cass had to excuse herself to laugh out of earshot of Virgil.  Captain Babcock used her as an excuse to step away for some coffee and a snack.  He was trying his best not to laugh in front of Virgil and Gordon.  Virgil saw them slip away and looked back at Gordon and sighed.  He could argue and lose tired, or he could let Gordon take a few minutes to get his tree.  On the bright side, it would support the local emergency services and his little brother would be happy, so Virgil gave in.  

“Fine, but be quick,” Virgil didn’t even get to the word ‘but’, before Gordon shot off.  Virgil turned back towards Gordon and yelled,  “just make sure it’s not a Frasier.”

“I know, I know,” Gordon yelled back, as he bounced across the lot in search of his tree.  There were a few reasons why they didn’t typically do fresh trees at Christmas.  It wasn’t just a fire hazard, but the wrong one could bring back smells and memories that belonged well in the past.  Tomorrow was for them as a family, and it will be a good day.  Virgil and John would make sure of it.  It was their dad’s first Christmas home after his long trip to the Oort Cloud.  Even Colonel Casey made arrangements so that they would not be bothered.  International Rescue had a rare day off.  Colonel Casey promised not to call them unless the world had fallen apart.  

Cass returned to Virgil’s side, having regained her composure.  She grasped Virgil’s shoulder and said, “I love his energy.  Let me buy you a cup of coffee.”  They went off towards the fire department auxiliary’s tent in search of some coffee.  With coffee in hand, Cass went over some tree basics with Virgil and even got him the base that they’d need for it.  

Gordon was happy that Virgil let him get a real tree.  He wanted this Christmas to be extra special.  He and John had worked really hard on their surprise for everyone, and things needed to be perfect when that gift arrived at the island tomorrow.  A fresh tree would make it more special.  As he made his way through the rows of trees, a fire department cadet approached him and offered to help.

“Just trying to find the right one.  Big day tomorrow,” Gordon answered.

“Hmm,” the cadet started.  “How big?  What color?  Anything you don’t want?”

“No Frasiers,” Gordon said a little too quickly.  The cadet looked at him a moment, then decided that it was better not to ask.

“Okay.  We have some really nice Spruces this year,” he said, as he guided Gordon to another side of the lot.  They made small talk, as Gordon looked through the trees.  He told Gordon a lot about the local history.  His own family had been on the department for over 140 years.  

“Maybe something a bit fuller,” Gordon said, as they looked through more trees.  “We have a tall ceiling and lots of room in our lounge.  It doesn’t have to be too tall, but maybe wider is better.”

“Oh!  I know the one.  It’s over here,” the cadet responded.  He grabbed Gordon’s arm and led him further down the row of trees.  The kid was right.  It was the perfect tree.  A nice, hearty Blue Spruce.  Not too tall, nice and full.  The cadet tagged the tree for him and asked some other helpers to wrap it up.  

“Thunderbird 5 from Thunderbird 2.”  Virgil needed to check in with John and let him know about the delay.

“A fresh tree,” John said.  “Really?  He’s not getting a Frasier, right?”

“No he’s not,” Virgil answered.  He looked over his shoulder to see if he could spot the squid. “Looks like he’s by the spruces right now.  Don’t tell anyone about the tree please.  I’m pretty sure he wants to surprise everyone.”

“Understood.  Dad is trying to help Kayo with the decorations.”  That statement earned John a look from Virgil.  Virgil’s medic mode immediately kicked in.  

“Dad should not be carrying things like that yet.”

“He knows,” John answered.  “After 1 trip, he realized his error.  He just wanted to see if he could do any of it.”  John stopped a moment while he checked on the island,  “Right now, he’s in the lounge.  Looks like he’s detangling lights.”

“Wait,” Virgil interrupted.  “Detangling lights?  I thought we put them away well last year.  What happened?”

“We did, but then Dad touched something.  And now,” John gestured, “tangled mess.  So, he’s in the lounge, trying to sort them out.  On the bright side, it’s good exercise for his hands and fingers.”

“True,” Virgil answered.  “That works.  He’s staying out of trouble and exercising a little bit.  I take it Grandma’s keeping eyes on him?”

“Oh yeah,” John said.  “She’s been giving him that look.”  Virgil chuckled at the comment.  They talked for a few minutes until Gordon hollered for Virgil to come over and see his pick.  Cass smiled ear to ear as she watched the boys. It didn’t take long to package up his tree, and the next thing Virgil knew, they were in the air, on their way home.  

“I can’t wait for Penny and everyone to see it.”  Gordon’s excitement continued.  

“Yea little brother.  It’ll be nice.  Now, let’s get home.  We both need showers before we help decorate,” Virgil responded with a stifled yawn.  Coffee or not, it had been a long day, and he looked forward to a nice shower and some down time.   

The ride home didn’t take very long.  Gordon was excited to announce to everyone that they had brought home a fresh tree, as he dragged it in behind him.  “Can’t wait to get her up,” he chirped.  Scott gave a glance towards Virgil, but Virgil’s expression gave him all the answers that he needed.  

“Come on boys, go get washed up and changed.  It’s time to get this tree up and decorated,” said Grandma Tracy from the kitchen, as she wiped her hands on her apron.  Max helped her cook popcorn and hot chocolate, while Kayo brought up the last of the decorations from storage. 

While he waited for everyone to freshen up and come back to the lounge, Virgil reminisced about their mom and some music that she liked to play and hear around Christmas time.  He tried to remember where she had gotten the music, but he couldn’t remember the name of the song or artist.  He sat down at his piano and tried to recreate the songs in his head.  John listened in from Thunderbird 5.  He was about to take the elevator down to join the rest of his family.  John always liked to listen to Virgil play, so it was no surprise when John interrupted his thoughts.  

“That’s TSO,” John said.  

“TSO?” Virgil questioned.

“That music.  It’s from a group called Trans Siberian Orchestra,” John answered.  “Mom loved their Christmas show.  She would play it for us around Christmas time.  Want Eos and I to try to find it?”

“Yes please.  I think it would be nice to play it while we’re decorating the tree, don’t you think?”

“It’ll be nice,” John replied.  “It shouldn’t take us too long.”

With TSO in the background, the boys got to work on the Blue Spruce.  Virgil showed them all what Cass and Captain Babcock showed him about the set up and upkeep.  He reminded everyone that they didn’t want a fire.  By the time the Christmas show was over, they had the lounge and the tree all decorated.  They ended their evening with hot chocolate and fresh popped popcorn.  

Once in his room, Gordon reached out to Penny.  “Is everything set?”

“Of course.  He’s here for the night, then will come with us in the morning.  Are you sure she doesn’t suspect anything?”

“The only other person that knows anything is John.  Kayo doesn’t suspect a thing.”

“I’ll see you in the morning my love.  Happy Christmas.”

“Love you too.”  It didn’t take long for Gordon to fall asleep.  By the time they’d wake up tomorrow, Penny would be well on her way with a very special gift for everyone.

-Christmas Day-

He looked at the old picture.  It was the same picture that he looked at every day.  His girls.  It was taken during a nice day at the wolf preserve.  This particular preserve was dedicated to the wolves that needed long term rehab or the ones that wouldn’t survive in the wild.  When they were done with their tour, they each got a small ice cream cone and sat on a bench overlooking one of the enclosures.  Only 3 copies of the photo were ever made.  The one he kept, the one he gave to his daughter, and the one that he buried with his wife.  

Years ago, he left them all behind because of grief.  He just couldn’t stay there any more.  All he could see was his lost friend.  After Ohana died, his friend was the rock that kept him alive.  With him gone, he couldn’t handle it.  In every person he saw on the island, in every corner, with every sound of the waves.  At first, he tried to stay strong for his daughter and his dear friend's kids, but he couldn’t even stay strong for himself, so he left.  Now, he’s not even sure if this is the right thing to do.  It had been too long.  Parker and Penelope have tried to assure him over and over that it will be alright.  They all miss him, and if he’s ready to come back, they’d all be there for him.  No matter when (or if) that day may come.  He had debated coming back, but it was Parker that pushed him to this moment.  He didn’t know if today meant to stay forever or just for a little bit, but he wanted to be with the people that he loved and missed dearly.  He pushed his nerves aside and got into FAB 1 with Parker and Penelope.

As they took off, he looked over at Parker.  He silently thanked him.  It caught him off guard when Parker had shown up on his doorstep a few days ago.  Parker said only a few words, but it was all that he needed.  He needed his family just as much as they needed him.  Parker was right, it was time, and now he was in the sky and on his way home.  Parker smiled back and returned his focus to the skies in front of them.

It would take them a little while to get to the island from England, so he sat there with his thoughts.  His mind wandered to all of the missed moments, and how he would never be able to get them back.  Penelope saw the change in his face.  She knew where his thoughts had gone.

“Stop worrying.  And don’t try to tell me that I don’t know what you’re thinking.  I can see it all over your face,” she said.  “They love you and miss you.  She loves you and misses you.  It’s time to come home, to be together, to heal together, to move forward together.  It will be ok, you’ll see.”  He considered her words, nodded, and held his head high for the rest of the trip.  He could do this.  The decision was made.  They were right.  It was time.  He thanked Penelope and watched the water as they flew closer to his old home.  

-Meanwhile on Tracy Island-

With Grandma and Max on pie duty, Jeff and Scott cooked Christmas pancakes for everyone.  John manned the proteins, and Gordon made the coffee and juice.  The smell of food brought down Alan, and the smell of strong coffee brought Virgil.  As Gordon sat down, John quickly whispered to him that their package was on the way.  

“Thanks John, “ he responded quietly.  Gordon looked around the room, “say, where’s Kayo?,” Gordon asked.  

“I haven’t seen her yet this morning,” John answered Gordon.

“I’ll go look for her,” Scott said.  “You guys relax.”

“Thanks Scott.  I’m worried about her.  She seemed a little off the last time I saw her,” John said.

“It’s the season John.  She really misses him.  I wish that she’d let us look for him.”

“Yea Scott.  Maybe this year will be different.”

“I can only hope.  I’ll go find her and see if she wants to join us for pancakes.”  With that, Scott went off in search of Kayo.  

Kayo tried to use the boys’ holiday energy as a distraction, but it didn’t work very well.  She didn’t like this time of year anymore and needed some alone time.  Over and over, she told herself that her dad needed space.  She wouldn’t look for him.  When he was ready, he would come back to them.  She was determined to respect his wishes for space to grieve.  John and Scott both offered to find him multiple times, but she always refused.  She was determined to respect his wishes, but with each day, each holiday, each missed moment, it got harder and harder to do,

It was no secret that Jeff was back now.  They tried to keep it quiet for a while, but it didn’t take long for 1 person to make an innocent comment and for the wrong person to hear it.  The next thing they knew, Jeff was in the news.  Public Relations was on it right away, but they couldn’t stop what was already reported.  Jeff improved little by little every day.  He even started to help with Tracy Industries and International Rescue.  The family was sure to keep an eye on him to make sure that he didn’t overdo it, but Jeff watched himself and made sure to tell them if things were too much.

She wished that her dad would come back.  Jeff had asked about him, but Kayo explained what happened after the accident and why she hadn't gone after him.  Jeff understood and respected both Kayo’s and her father’s decisions.  Jeff wanted his old friend back too.  He assured her that if her father wanted to come back, that it was ok.  Whether it would be a visit or permanent, there would always be room there for him.  

She heard Scott enter, but she couldn’t look up from the picture in her hands.  She didn’t know why, but this year felt different.  It wasn’t just her father’s absence that made her sad.  She missed her mom too.  All of the things that she wished that she could ask her, the things that she wished that her mom could teach her, but she was gone.  Grandma Tracy tried her best, but she missed her mom, and with her dad gone too, it had become a little too much.  

It didn’t take long for Scott to find her.  He found her in the library that overlooked the ocean sunrise.  Kayo was focused on something in her hands that Scott could not see.  

“Kayo,” he said quietly, but she didn’t answer him.  “Tan,” he said a little louder as he approached her and placed a hand on her shoulder.  She looked up at him with unshed tears in her eyes.  He saw what was in her hands.  He recognized the people in the picture.  It was Kayo, her dad, and her mom, shortly before they lost her mom.  “Breakfast is ready, if you want to come down,” he told her.    

“Thanks Scott.  But,” she started, but she couldn’t find her words.  Scott saw her distress and sat down beside her.  

“You miss him.”

“Yea.  I wish that he’d come home.  I don’t care that he ran away.  I just want him back.”  Scott brought her into a side hug and held her as she shed rare tears.  

“You never know Tan, maybe he’ll be ready soon.  The offer to try to track him down is still on the table for you.  If you want me to find him, I will.”

“No Scott.  I don’t want to push him.  Losing your dad, then watching us grieve was a lot.  I understand why he left.  He needs his space, and I will give it to him.”  She tried to be strong, but her eyes told him the truth.  

“But dad’s back now.  We can go find yours too and bring him home.”  She had it in her head that she needed to give her father the space that he needed.  Everyone processes grief differently, but Scott is right.  Jeff is back.  He’s downstairs right now, at the table ready to have Christmas breakfast with his family.  That’s why she was up here in the library today.  She wanted to be selfish, but was it the right thing to do?  She wanted him to come back because he was ready, not because she went and dragged him back.  

“I’ll let you know Scott.  I don’t want to push him any further away.”  Scott gave her a squeeze, then let her go.  Kayo excused herself and took a moment to wash her face. After that, they went to join the rest of the family in the kitchen and arrived to utter chaos.  The tinies had decided that the pancakes needed whipped cream and sprinkles.  So naturally, the entire kitchen had become a sticky mess.  Everyone was covered in something and their laughs filled the whole house.  Scott and Kayo took in the scene and joined them. 

After breakfast, they started on the clean up.  Once most of the mess was cleaned, Grandma shooed everyone to get showered. The cleaning robots could handle the rest.

Once showered, they came down to the lounge to relax together.  Presents would wait until later that day, but Gordon decided that the tree needed something.  It wasn’t quite right yet.  Before anyone knew it, glitter was everywhere.  Gordon’s idea of what the tree needed didn’t mean more sparkly tinsel, it meant sparkly glitter.  Lots of sparkly glitter, which exploded on everything.  This was the scene that their guests saw as they walked in.  Kayo was too busy with a very sparkly/annoyed/mad Alan, so she didn’t notice them arrive.  

Kyrano didn’t know what to expect when he arrived with Penelope and Parker.  The kids were all covered from their heads to their toes in glitter.  Grandma and Jeff looked at them with twin looks of astonishment.  The kids had all grown, but they were still as he remembered them.  He couldn’t contain his laughter.  It took a moment for everyone to realize that there were more people in the room than before.  As Kayo turned her head, she couldn’t believe her eyes.  Barely a moment later, she ran into her dad, and nearly knocked him over.  John and Gordon smiled, the same smiles that Penelope and Parker had on their faces.  

Gordon came up behind Penelope, hugged her from behind and gave her a kiss on the head.  “Thank you,” he whispered into her ear.  

“Of course my love.  They deserve this.”  She looked around the lounge and pointed “Glitter?  Really?”  Penelope didn’t need to ask which brother did this.  Yes, Alan has his playful side and routinely helped Gordon with mischief, and they both learned their mischievous ways from their next oldest brother John, but this glitter bomb had Gordon’s name all over it.  

“Yup,” he said, with some extra emphasis on the ‘p’ and a huge grin on his face.  Penelope smiled and sank deeper into their hug.

Lots of tears and many hugs later, everyone settled into the lounge to finish the tree.  After Gordon declared that the tree was perfect, Grandma and Max brought out the pies and ice cream.  

They exchanged gifts.  Little things, made from the heart or found.  The boys always made it a point to carefully pick their gifts for each other.  They didn’t have many rules about gift giving per se, but the boys all seemed to agree that the presents should come from their hearts, not their wallets.  Gordon held onto 1 special gift for Penelope for later.  Today was about Kyrano’s return home.  That was the big gift for everyone.  Tomorrow, so long as Penelope accepted of course, they’d announce that she’d become a Tracy in the near future.    

-Later that evening, on the balcony outside the library-

“I am so sorry Tanusha.  Nothing can excuse my actions.  You should tell me to leave.”  Kyrano rambled.  He had a lot to say, but he couldn’t seem to get the words together, so he rambled.  He hoped that his words would come together enough to make some sense.  

“Dad, stop please” Kayo started.  She gently grabbed his face so that they were eye to eye.  She needed him to stop for a moment, so that he could listen.  “I’ve missed you.  When we thought we lost Jeff,” she paused to collect her thoughts, “we each handled it in the best way we could.  I don’t blame you.  I hoped that with him home that you would too.  I hoped that it would bring you out of your ‘retirement’, but I didn’t know where you went or if you wanted any of us to even look for you.  So, I waited.  Scott and John both offered to look for you a few times, but I wanted to give you the space that you needed.  I’m glad you’re here now.  After Jeff came home, he asked about you, and I explained what happened.  He didn’t hesitate to tell me that if you do decide to come back that you’d have a place here.  We all understand Dad.  I do ask one thing though.”

“What is it my blessing?”  He answered.  Kayo smiled at the old nickname.  

“If you don’t stay, please call more often.”  With that, Kyrano brought Kayo into a tight hug.  After a few moments, he let her go and retrieved a box that was put aside.

“This is for you.  It’s time that you have it.”  He handed her a small box, and Kayo recognized it immediately.  It was one of her mother’s jewelry boxes.  She opened it and saw her mother’s favorite necklace.  It was the same one that she wore that day in the picture.  “She would have wanted you to have it,” he said as Kayo ran her fingers over it.  

“I remember this necklace,” she started with barely a whisper.  “She was wearing it that day at the wolf preserve,” Kayo paused.  Kayo asked Kyrano to help her with the necklace.  Then, they moved over to sit on the balcony bench to enjoy the tropical evening sunset.  After a little while, Kayo broke the silence.

“Dad, I understand if you can’t stay right now, but please come back to the island,” Kayo said, as she placed her head on his shoulder.  She whispered.  “I miss you.”  Kyrano didn’t need to think about his decision anymore.  He knew exactly what he wanted most.  

“I’ll talk to Mr. Tracy.  I want nothing more than to be back with my family,” he replied, placing his head on hers.  It would be ok.  He wouldn’t pass up this chance.  

The picture from the wolf preserve:

[silverstarfics]

Since tumblr ate your asks (most scary thing, very evil)

REVERSE TRICK OR TREAT!!!

*stuffs treats, tricks and candy into your mail box *

Extra bonus part of my fic that even grew extra long, because I just had to write this scene!!

----

(9- bonus!) Virgil took his brand-shiny-new firefighters uniform from Chief McCready’s hands, grinning face splitting wide. His own uniform, because for the next few weeks he was a proper part of Blue Watch, and a firefighter! 

It had even been modified to incorporate his IR tech and most importantly his green baldric over the top because couldn't imagine feeling properly prepared for rescues without it. 

He tugged the new jacket on right away over his flannel, feeling like a kid on halloween. He gave it a spin, the coat flaring out around him. Heh, if little Virgie could see him now, a proper firefighter.

“Whatcha laughing at, Tracy?” Cass clapped him on the shoulder. 

As soon as Virgil explained what had been his halloween costume for every year of his childhood, he was surrounded by Blue Watch, good naturedly demanding that they had ‘got to see photographic evidence.’

Virgil rolled his eyes, but called up John, the keeper of all the family photos on Five’s massive storage banks.

John obliged, and firefighters crowded around the holos projected from his wrist comm.

“Aww, you were an adorable kid, Tracy!” 

“Cuuute!” 

“You sure did grow up, but I don’t think the expression has changed at all!”

Then a snickering John decided to chime in with the whole practicing fighting fires with the garden house incident, and the consequences to hanging laundry and open windows.

Cass, serious, no nonsense Chief McCready was giggling, tears streaming down her face, hanging onto his shoulder to stay upright. 

Virgil snorted, then couldn’t help but burst out laughing too.

He was proud of his achievements to become a firefighter, they were all laughing with him, not at him, they were his team. He threw his arms around them, grinning along. 

AHHH THANK YOU <333

Love love loveee this!!

[shirubie]

Can I get some Virgil/Cass McCready fluff? Maybe Cass posing for one of Virgil's paintings? Or just anything with those two interacting, I'm not picky! ^_^

Prompt request

The words are flowing.

I'm making writing back into a habit/priority.

Hit me up with any ideas you want to see me write while I'm on a roll!

[tracybirds]

Happy March of the OCs Part 2!

okay, so I don't really write with OCs very often, but I do like thinking about side characters and giving them random backstories and families and things :) So here's some more sims posting, this time with all the characters I've pulled out to pad up the world!

Sara Cavanaugh

Sara is Kat Cavanaugh's sister, and they love each other a lot but cannot stand to be together for longer than approximately four hours. Kat thinks Sara is materialistic and vain, Sara thinks Kat is pig-headed and selfish. They're both right and they're both wrong, as often is the case when it comes to people. Sara does appreciate material things and takes pride in her appearance, and she can be quick to judge based on appearances, but she also works hard for very little thanks and cares very deeply about her community.

Eleanor Rigby

Eleanor is about eight years old, and she's Captain Wayne Rigby's daughter. I picture him as a single dad, and someone he worries about a lot and that a lot of his grouch with Kayo was misdirected anxiety about having to constantly leave Eleanor behind while he was working overtime. Eleanor's super resilient though, and mostly saw bouncing around her friends' homes as a bit of an adventure. She love love loves the outdoors and is a huge 'Into the Unknown' fan. Her biggest dream at the moment is to become a vet at a zoo.

The list continues under the cut ><

Aidan Hawkins and Theo Hawkins-McCready

I imagine by the time Virgil meets Cass, she's a single mum with two very rambunctious sons, but for my sims save, I'm playing a little further back in the story haha, so meet her fiance, Aidan, and eldest son, Theo. Aidan is a very romantic and outgoing person but it's paired with intense insecurities and poor communication that creates a very tumultuous relationship for Cass. They both love each other, and Cass gets swept up in his grand gestures, but they struggle a lot with co-dependency and trust issues. Cass sacrifices a lot for Aidan at the expense of her career and eventually they split. Theo right now is just super cute lol <3 He's about three or four when Cass meets Virgil, and his younger brother Jordan (not pictured) is two.

Lesley Hoffman, Franklin Hoffman-Casey and Dante Hoffman-Casey

This is Colonel Casey's family :D Lesley is her wife and they have two children, Franklin and Dante. They're good friends with the Tracys through Val of course, and although they grew apart a bit after Jeff disappeared, they're still considered family friends. Lesley and Val met through a mutual friend and connected over their shared love of music and breakfast foods. Franklin is about Kayo's age, just a little younger than John, and Dante is between Alan and Gordon. Lesley "and the kids" get a brief mention in this story here :)

The Patterson Family (aka Space Controller Conrad's Family)

Conrad's family are ultra high-achievers and high-expectations and they expect big things from Conrad - he's the youngest and as he says in the episode Long Haul, his siblings are heroes in his eyes (a fire-fighter, a police officer, and a paramedic) and he feels the pressure. I kinda roll with the idea that he's several years younger than his siblings, similar to Alan being several years younger than his brothers, and so here they are. Anyway, this is them in the sims world! From top left to bottom right: Daphne and Ed, then Lawrence, the fire-fighter, Raelynn, the police officer, and Quentin, the paramedic. I have more thoughts, but they're mostly about Conrad so I'll move on for now ;D

Joanne and Walter Hackett

Joanne and Walter are Madeline Lemaire's parents :) I put the Lemaire's in a big giant house, and then made myself sad by headcanoning that they wanted kids and couldn't have them, and so I moved in her parents to make things seem a little less lonely. They're much more sensible than their son-in-law, but mostly see him as harmlessly eccentric. Walter is really into fishing and constantly taking Lemaire out on the boat for a boys day (which he hates lol), and Joanne is very into throwing dinner parties and trying out new cocktail recipes for her guests.

David Reeves

David is Tycho's twin brother purely because I think I'm funny xD He's a bit geeky and works as a primary school teacher, coaching a kids' football team and things. Because Tycho's busy jetting off around the world, David keeps a guest room for him and takes in his mail and things (I know paper mail probs won't exist but SHH). Their parents died when David and Tycho were in their twenties still, so they make sure they do Christmas and birthdays and things together and catch up as often as possible.

Gregory Moffat

This is Gregory, who is Moffie's teenage son (and also my son) and I am extremely fond of him <33 He's pretty quiet really, and plays bass guitar in a band with his friends. Moffie was a little exasperated, because he learnt the cello first and she had visions of seeing him play in an orchestra and things, but he got into an argument at the first practice and ultimately ditched it. He also like art and architecture and is very loyal to his friends.

The Taylor Family

I love the headcanon that Lucille and Lee are siblings, and I also love that she came from a large family as well (it makes sense in my head) and also I stole @avengedbiologist's idea that all the siblings have L names because I love it. I aged up the family to show you what they look like, but I haven't fixed them up fully so it's just a general idea :D Anyway, here we have Connor and Payton Taylor, and then Leonard, Laura and Lily. Leonard is the oldest, then Laura, then it's Lucille and Lee (twins for maximum ow), then Lily is the baby of the family.

I have actually written them into a story (veeeeeery loosely) here :)

[kwebtv]

Wonder Woman - ABC - March 12, 1974

Superhero / Action / Adventure

Running Time: 75 minutes

Stars:

Cathy Lee Crosby as Diana Prince (Wonder Woman)

Kaz Garas as Steve Trevor

Charlene Holt as Hippolyta

Ricardo Montalbán as Abner Smith

Richard X. Slattery as Colonel Henkins

Andrew Prine as George Calvin

Anitra Ford as Ahnjayla

Beverly Gill as Dia

Sandy Gaviola as Ting

Robert Porter as Joe

Jordan Rhodes as Bob

Donna Garrett as Cass

Roberta Brahm as Zoe

Thom Carney as Fred

Ed McCready as Wesley

[teapotteringabout]

Number 10 for the thunderbirds ask!

Any version :)

Oooh this sounds like a fun one - and of course you would ask something about background characters lol. I'm not a huge conneisseur of 2004 and I can't really think of anyone I'd have from TOS aside from Jeremy Hodge and Jeremiah Tuttle so I'll stick with TAG.

10. International Rescue have been kidnapped by the hood. Pick 5 guest characters to help you rescue them.

Buddy and Ellie

Aside from them being my favourite guest characters, these two have proven to be pretty hardy and can tackle high-pressure, life-or-death situations remarkably calmly.

Cass McCready

She's basically Virgil, and we all know how vital Virgil is, so.

Professor Moffat

I have brawn, now I need brains and plenty of them! I can't see her getting too 'in the thick of it' like the Pendergasts and McCready would, so she would kind of be the John of the group, doing the vital techy stuff.

Kinnear

Might be an odd choice, but I like him. The lad's clever, will listen to instruction (case and point, working for Fischler) but has since grown a backbone and will stand up if he thinks something is too risky. I'm not sure it's been given enough recognition of how much character development he goes through.

Thanks for the ask! I'm sorry I've taken so long to reply.

[shirubie]

Oh, nice! Always there for some Virgil x Cass ^_^

Let's not forget Cass' squad would certainly be as happy as Virgil that someone is hurting their captain. A whole bunch of angry firefighters plus one or more Thunderbirds are about to hunt the Hood down, possibly planning to drag his ass behind a fire truck in retaliation.

Tag Fic Idea free to use

Cass McCready gets targeted by the Hood, because of Virgil and her companionship. Virgil isn't happy to say the least.

[gumnut-logic]

Catch

This is just a short little scene.

This is also @onereyofstarlight​ ‘s fault.

We have possible ship here, so be warned.

But it is just a scene.

I hope you enjoy anyway :D

-o-o-o-

“Tracy! Catch!”

He had split moment to spin on one heel as a firmly wrapped BLT was thrown in his direction.

He caught it without thought, specialised rubber squeaking against pavement as he shifted his weight. “You know you’re going to have to think of another name to call me if you’re going to work with all of us.” He put the sandwich down on the hood of her fire truck and undid his gloves. Bacon, lettuce and tomato did not go well with soot and ash.

His wrist control clunked on metal as he tapped in its security protection code.

The Scott in his head ranted about not letting the device leave his body when out in the field, but it was damned hard to eat his sandwich with it on.

Cass sauntered up him, her helmet perched back on her head, her grin breaking through over the huge bite she was taking out of her sandwich. “So what’s your callsign then, Tracy?”

He unwrapped his own. “Thunderbird Two, most times.” He didn’t realise how hungry he was until he took his first bite. There must have been something special on the sandwich because it tasted divine.

She arched an eyebrow. “Most times? What about other times?”

Virgil smirked. “It varies. Virgil. Virg, tank, tankhead, bear, Rembrandt, piano man, big bro, but mostly ‘hey, you’ or ‘Oi!’.”

“Family?”

A snort. “Of course.” And ninety-five percent Gordon on the prod before coffee. His little bro continued stretch the boundaries.

Virgil wouldn’t have it any other way, but eh, the occasional revenge prank fixed most things.

“Colourful.” She was still grinning and her sandwich was almost gone.

Virgil needed to pay more attention to his food.

He blinked slowly, but instead of doing exactly that, he took the moment to really look at his fellow rescue operative.

She was as grimy and as covered in soot as he was. That was the result of digging six people out of a burning and partially collapsed building on the outskirts of London.

Both of them and the fire truck were standing in what little shadow Two could cast on this murky cold grey day. He had hoped for rain, but John had shattered that thought early on. The fire was dead only because of the efforts of Blue Squad and Two’s water cannon.

But despite the soot on their clothes and the haze in the air, she was still grinning at him and he couldn’t help but return it.

Her eyes carried her silent laughter.

It had been great to run with the Squad today. They worked well as a team and Cass was a good leader. They put out a fire and saved lives and, in the process, had shared ideas and techniques.

After all International Rescue may have the best equipment out there, but it was his family that made it work. In this case it was Cass’ team, without the tech, that did their job well.

And while it was still a rescue and he had Two with him, along with all her equipment, it had felt good to run with people who were as good in spirit as all the members of his family.

Though, if he was honest with himself, it wasn’t just about the team and professionalism.

It was about Cass.

“You gonna eat that?” Her grin was still there, but her eyebrows were questioning his sanity.

He mentally shook himself and took another bite. Definitely something in the mayonnaise, or perhaps a seasoning. “It’s good.”

She smiled at him and swigged a gulp of soda. “Good.”

As he tore further into his sandwich, she looked away a moment and shouted across the road to one of her team.

He took the opportunity to look at her again - the dark hair curling around her earlobe, a tiny scar on her temple, the dimple that formed in her left cheek each time she smiled.

Yes.

It wasn’t about the team.

It was about Cass.

-o-o-o-

[forest-falcon]

Whumpy/Angsty WIP

Trigger warning for blood, angst, shock, whump.

OCs: Tamara Fielding, Jonesy and Mac who work with Captain Cass McCready as firefighters.

💚♥️🚒👨‍🚒👩‍🚒🧑‍🚒

As far as Virgil could tell, only two figures had stood in the direct path of the falling glass; Alan, and the firefighter who had pushed him to safety.

Alan was clearly unharmed; already scrambling to his feet, ready to assess the situation. He may be the youngest Tracy, but he was International Rescue material through-and-through.

The firefighter who had dived to save Alan, however, was still curled in the same position on the floor. Her fire jacket, and the settling dust, making it nearly-impossible to tell whether Alan's Good Samaritan was even breathing.

Please be alive, please be alive…

Maybe, by some sheer miracle, she had dodged the shards unscathed?

Maybe, she was simply lying and waiting for the immediate danger to pass?

Another second, and her ragged breathing became apparent.

Shit.

At least she was alive. He could work with alive.

"TAM!" Jonesy dashed towards his prone friend.

"Wait!" Virgil made a quick scan of his immediate surroundings.

Of course, the fire helmets were properly stored, and not immediately reachable in the decimated foyer. He'd have to improvise.

There was an upturned coffee table. That could work.

"Okay, with me" he gestured, using the table for cover from further debris.

Alan had followed suit, sheltering under the canopy of a firefighter's jacket.

Admittedly, the risk of further falling glass was relatively low - a large portion of the roof above them was now sky, but the wind outside had picked up, toppling the odd piece of loose rubble with a flurry of silt.

Virgil knelt whilst simultaneously removing his plaid shirt.

The casualty's fingers were hovering, quivering above a ragged piece of glass protruding from her abdomen.

"Tam, was it?"

"T-Tam-mmm-m," she nodded as she shivered.

"Short for Tamara." Jonesy offered.

"Tam, I'm Virgil. I'm going to need you to lie nice and still for me."

"O-k-kay…”

The firefighter gave a small laugh as a few rogue tears ran from the corners of her eyes.

“I'm o-kay. M'okay. M’kay. This is ..fineee!" Tam grinned against the tears, as though merely rejecting the situation would suffice

Virgil bunched his shirt and gently guided the woman's quivering fingers away from the wound.

What he'd give for his baldric right now.

"Tam, I know it's hard, but I'd like you to focus on your breathing for me...nice n' steady. Try to control the shivering if you can. We want this wound nice n' still."

"D... don't know...w-why... I'm...sh-shivering so m-much. Doesn't hurt that much...if-f-f I s-stay s-still."

Jonesy was staring at him. A silent conversation passing between the first responders.

Confident the risk of further glass falling was negligible; Jonesy set the desk down to shield Tam's eyes from dust. Sliding himself under the table, he reached for his friend.

"Hold my hands."

"M-M'okay" Tam's protest was feeble, and somewhat pointless, given that she conceded with a simple look.

"I'm sorry Tam, but this will likely hurt." Virgil apologised as he covered the wound (barring the glass) with his shirt.

"Alan, I need you to keep the pressure on this for me, while I set up an IV."

Fielding's sharp wail flooded the room, before fading to a choked whimper as the pain swallowed her voice.

"Ambulance should be with us in five." Mac called.

Five minutes? She'd bleed out in that time.

"Great, thanks," he mustered with as much positivity as his voice could muster.

Virgil rummaged through the medical rucksack for supplies. There must be something...anything, that could buy them some time. First thing’s first; IV.

He turned back to Alan, who was staring at the darkening shirt, his arms slack.

"Like this." Virgil manually guided Alan's hands back down to put pressure back on the wound. His brother's hands were surprisingly cold and clammy.

He's going into shock.

Virgil willed the thought away. Alan was a professional, he'd seen numerous rescues - some arguably worse than this. And right now, he could use all the help he could get.

Professionals aren't immune to trauma, though. She saved his life, possibly at the expense of her own. You need to watch him.

As soon as Virgil removed his hands from Alan's, the necessary pressure was gone again. Jonesy was quick to fill in for Alan, though his face wore a similar shade of grey.

Alan slowly stood, staring at the blood still slick on his palms. He continued to stare as he silently stumbled away in no particular direction.

Virgil tapped at his watch and dialed his emergency code.

Within moments, John's voice washed over him like a tonic.

"Virgil, you've activated your emergency beacon."

"Multi-casualty situation. Building’s unstable. Alan's in shock. Require urgent assistance."

"FAB, we're on our way."

"Your status, Thunderbird Two?"

"Uninjured."

"S-s-lot of-blood. M' S-scared." Tam continued to shiver.

"Hey, hey Tam. Look at me. Look at me."

Wide eyes fixed on his.

"Do you trust me?"

Tam gave a hesitant half-nod.

"You just saved my youngest brother. Do you think there's even a chance I'd let anything happen to you?"

The prone firefighter managed a weak smile.

"I mean, a feat like that's gotta be worth...oooh...at least two drinks at a London bar."

"Two whole drinks, huh?" Her voice was breathy.

"Have you seen London prices? Last time Scottie and myself were here, they charged him £35 for a small measure of whisky! £35! Even I needed a drink after that."

Tam's smile grew a fraction before her eyes suddenly rolled back, and her head lolled to the side.

"Tam? Tam?”