The silence resided over Tracy Island, the only sound heard was the lapping
of the waves onto the nearby rocks. Somewhere a seagull flew above them,
flapping its wings in the strong breeze.
Virgil, John and Alan stood huddled at the edge of the cliff.
Virgil stepped forward a little, stared down in front of him and shivered violently, but he kept his face schooled to some level of neutrality, he'd been through some tough times in the past but the kidnapping of his brothers had been the worst.
Eyes tearing up, he swallowed hard and stared at the graves in front of him.
Shaking his head silently, he stepped backwards and let John move forward.
Virgil watched as his brother tilted his head to the side and read and re- read the inscriptions upon the gravestones. John touched each grave and then moved away to put a reassuring arm around Alan.
Alan, still sporting a large bruise on his jaw, frowned as he moved forward. He knelt down gently, he began pulling out the weeds starting to grow when he felt a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Looking up, he gave a small smile, 'thanks mom, thanks grandpa' he said softly, 'thanks for keeping us all safe.'
Turning his head slightly he smiled up at Gordon who held out a hand and then helped him to his feet.
They turned back and walked over to where Scott stood a little further along the cliff, with their father. The kidnapping had given everyone a scare and they had all felt the need to come and see their mother and grandfather.
Virgil and John stood silently both realising how close they had come to losing three members of their family.
When the last explosion had sent them onto their backs Virgil was pretty sure they wouldn't see Scott, Gordon or Jeff alive again. But they'd been lucky, very lucky that no one was seriously hurt or killed.
Alan linked his arm with his brothers as he and Gordon walked towards Scott and Jeff who headed to his wife's grave.
Scott nodded at Alan, Alan frowned and looked away, he was still annoyed with Scott over the whole sock to the jaw incident. He knew Scott was only trying to protect his family as Alan himself was but he also knew that if his brothers and his father had been killed he would never have gotten over the guilt of leaving them.
Yet as he stood there at that Cliffside with his brothers, watching his parents interact the only way he'd ever seen,one leaning over the others grave, he realised just how petty he was being.
He was lucky to be alive, he was lucky his family was alive.
He looked up at Scott waited until his brother met his eyes and then gave a half smile. The gratitude and love Alan saw in his eldest brother's eyes made him feel worse. Scott smiled and squeezed his shoulder, before staring past him to watch their father pull the weeds away from the woman he had loved with his entire being.
Xxxxxxx
Later that night the Tracys were sitting in their lounge after one of their grandmother's meals. Elaine Tracy had been waiting for them when they'd arrived back at their house. She'd taken a taxi and was sitting on her suitcase on their drive.
After nearly crushing her son and grandsons to death, she had proceeded to fuss about them all, cooking all day, bestowing her own special brand of attention on the men who adored her.
They sat in the lounge reflecting on the day, Fallon had escaped, no one liked to think about that and Scott still wanted to rip the guys head off, but they were all alive and together and in that sense they were extremely lucky.
The silence was broken when Gordon began giggling, causing everyone to look at him.
'What's so funny?' Alan asked his brother, from where he was sitting next to him on the sofa.
'Why don't you tell us Scott.' Gordon replied, lowering his mobile from his ear, the smile spreading further across his face.
The eldest Tracy brother frowned in confusion, 'what?'
Instead of answering his brother, the auburn haired Tracy stood and plugged his phone into the speaker on his father's desk, pressing the keys on his phone he stepped back as Scott's voice echoed around the lounge.
'Gordo, if you two get out of this ok , I swear I'll cheerlead at the soccer final naked.'
Gordon cut off his brother before the rest of his family heard the next part of Scott's emotional speech.
Laughter rung out around the room, Scott turned a dark shade of scarlet.
'Oooh' Alan giggled, 'you'd better get a move on Scott, the final's tomorrow.'
Scott shook his head, 'no way, I was desperate and distraught I didn't know what I was saying.'
Alan frowned, 'Scott a promise is a promise, we're ok so you have to fulfil it, you can't go back on it now.'
Scott looked to Virgil and John for support. They shook their heads.
'He's right' Virgil muttered, 'you can't break a promise.'
John looked mortified, 'Virgil don't encourage him, I don't want my brother streaking at my most important game, I'll be a laughing stock.'
'No that'd be Scott' Alan grinned.
Scott again shook his head, 'no way'.
Gordon turned his eyes towards the ground and looked hurt, 'well I guess you don't care about us then.'
'How'd you work that one out?'
Alan cottoned on to what his partner in crime was up to, he pouted a little and looked at his eldest brother, recrimination in his eyes.
'You said and I quote', he said seriously, "if you two come out of this ok, then I swear I'll cheerlead at the soccer final, naked."
'And?'
'Well if you go back on that it's like you're jinxing us, we're ok, and it's like God carried out his end of the bargain but your not carrying out yours,'
He fixed his brother with a hurt stare, 'you're jinxing us!'
'Rubbish' Scott replied, but he looked upset, his brothers had got to him.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The next day Virgil, Jeff, Alan, Gordon and Elaine stood in the stands at the soccer stadium.
'GOOOOOOOOOOO JOHN!' shouted Elaine.
Virgil, Alan and Gordon stifled grins and Virgil leaned across his father to whisper, 'uh Grandma, we usually wait till they kick off before we cheer.'
Elaine frowned at Virgil, 'young man, there is nothing wrong with giving your brother some extra support.'
Virgil looked sheepish and leaned back into his seat.
'Can you see him yet?' Alan asked Gordon as his brother peered down at the pitch.
'No, twenty dollars says he doesn't do it.'
Virgil grinned at his younger brothers, he knew Scott wouldn't go back on his word, 'call it thirty and it's a deal.'
'You're on.' They both muttered.
A cheer suddenly erupted from the lower stands and the three Tracy brothers leaned forward eyes gleaming, there sure enough below them was the lithe, attractive and brazenly naked form of their eldest brother.
Jeff's jaw dropped in astonishment, as his sons dissolved into laughter.
Elaine pushed her glasses up a little further, 'oooh I can't see anything, we haven't had a streaker on the pitch since, well let me see, it must have been 1981, whoo, in those days, it was considered something of a sport, the streaker themselves got themselves in the paper or sometimes even on the local......'
Her voice trailed off as she squinted, 'jesus, mary and joseph' she gasped, 'tell me that's not my grandson with his crown jewels hanging out!'
Gordon, Alan and Virgil were in hysterics at their grandmother's comment.
Jeff shook his head ruefully, 'I'm afraid it is ma.'
Elaine mumbled, 'my goodness, god almighty..'
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The Amberleigh team beat the visitors 3 - 1 in the final.
John played well and set up one of the goals, Jeff enjoyed himself immensely and Alan, Gordon and Virgil had the biggest laugh of their lives at the embarrassed Scott being pulled to the car by his ear by their embarrassed grandma.
The crisis was over and the Tracys had one of the happiest afternoons of their lives, they were together again and it would be a long time before someone tried to destroy their family again.
Unfortunately, the next time was much sooner than they all thought!
Xxxxxxxxx
Hope you all liked it! Nice ominous ending! xxx
Virgil, John and Alan stood huddled at the edge of the cliff.
Virgil stepped forward a little, stared down in front of him and shivered violently, but he kept his face schooled to some level of neutrality, he'd been through some tough times in the past but the kidnapping of his brothers had been the worst.
Eyes tearing up, he swallowed hard and stared at the graves in front of him.
Shaking his head silently, he stepped backwards and let John move forward.
Virgil watched as his brother tilted his head to the side and read and re- read the inscriptions upon the gravestones. John touched each grave and then moved away to put a reassuring arm around Alan.
Alan, still sporting a large bruise on his jaw, frowned as he moved forward. He knelt down gently, he began pulling out the weeds starting to grow when he felt a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Looking up, he gave a small smile, 'thanks mom, thanks grandpa' he said softly, 'thanks for keeping us all safe.'
Turning his head slightly he smiled up at Gordon who held out a hand and then helped him to his feet.
They turned back and walked over to where Scott stood a little further along the cliff, with their father. The kidnapping had given everyone a scare and they had all felt the need to come and see their mother and grandfather.
Virgil and John stood silently both realising how close they had come to losing three members of their family.
When the last explosion had sent them onto their backs Virgil was pretty sure they wouldn't see Scott, Gordon or Jeff alive again. But they'd been lucky, very lucky that no one was seriously hurt or killed.
Alan linked his arm with his brothers as he and Gordon walked towards Scott and Jeff who headed to his wife's grave.
Scott nodded at Alan, Alan frowned and looked away, he was still annoyed with Scott over the whole sock to the jaw incident. He knew Scott was only trying to protect his family as Alan himself was but he also knew that if his brothers and his father had been killed he would never have gotten over the guilt of leaving them.
Yet as he stood there at that Cliffside with his brothers, watching his parents interact the only way he'd ever seen,one leaning over the others grave, he realised just how petty he was being.
He was lucky to be alive, he was lucky his family was alive.
He looked up at Scott waited until his brother met his eyes and then gave a half smile. The gratitude and love Alan saw in his eldest brother's eyes made him feel worse. Scott smiled and squeezed his shoulder, before staring past him to watch their father pull the weeds away from the woman he had loved with his entire being.
Xxxxxxx
Later that night the Tracys were sitting in their lounge after one of their grandmother's meals. Elaine Tracy had been waiting for them when they'd arrived back at their house. She'd taken a taxi and was sitting on her suitcase on their drive.
After nearly crushing her son and grandsons to death, she had proceeded to fuss about them all, cooking all day, bestowing her own special brand of attention on the men who adored her.
They sat in the lounge reflecting on the day, Fallon had escaped, no one liked to think about that and Scott still wanted to rip the guys head off, but they were all alive and together and in that sense they were extremely lucky.
The silence was broken when Gordon began giggling, causing everyone to look at him.
'What's so funny?' Alan asked his brother, from where he was sitting next to him on the sofa.
'Why don't you tell us Scott.' Gordon replied, lowering his mobile from his ear, the smile spreading further across his face.
The eldest Tracy brother frowned in confusion, 'what?'
Instead of answering his brother, the auburn haired Tracy stood and plugged his phone into the speaker on his father's desk, pressing the keys on his phone he stepped back as Scott's voice echoed around the lounge.
'Gordo, if you two get out of this ok , I swear I'll cheerlead at the soccer final naked.'
Gordon cut off his brother before the rest of his family heard the next part of Scott's emotional speech.
Laughter rung out around the room, Scott turned a dark shade of scarlet.
'Oooh' Alan giggled, 'you'd better get a move on Scott, the final's tomorrow.'
Scott shook his head, 'no way, I was desperate and distraught I didn't know what I was saying.'
Alan frowned, 'Scott a promise is a promise, we're ok so you have to fulfil it, you can't go back on it now.'
Scott looked to Virgil and John for support. They shook their heads.
'He's right' Virgil muttered, 'you can't break a promise.'
John looked mortified, 'Virgil don't encourage him, I don't want my brother streaking at my most important game, I'll be a laughing stock.'
'No that'd be Scott' Alan grinned.
Scott again shook his head, 'no way'.
Gordon turned his eyes towards the ground and looked hurt, 'well I guess you don't care about us then.'
'How'd you work that one out?'
Alan cottoned on to what his partner in crime was up to, he pouted a little and looked at his eldest brother, recrimination in his eyes.
'You said and I quote', he said seriously, "if you two come out of this ok, then I swear I'll cheerlead at the soccer final, naked."
'And?'
'Well if you go back on that it's like you're jinxing us, we're ok, and it's like God carried out his end of the bargain but your not carrying out yours,'
He fixed his brother with a hurt stare, 'you're jinxing us!'
'Rubbish' Scott replied, but he looked upset, his brothers had got to him.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The next day Virgil, Jeff, Alan, Gordon and Elaine stood in the stands at the soccer stadium.
'GOOOOOOOOOOO JOHN!' shouted Elaine.
Virgil, Alan and Gordon stifled grins and Virgil leaned across his father to whisper, 'uh Grandma, we usually wait till they kick off before we cheer.'
Elaine frowned at Virgil, 'young man, there is nothing wrong with giving your brother some extra support.'
Virgil looked sheepish and leaned back into his seat.
'Can you see him yet?' Alan asked Gordon as his brother peered down at the pitch.
'No, twenty dollars says he doesn't do it.'
Virgil grinned at his younger brothers, he knew Scott wouldn't go back on his word, 'call it thirty and it's a deal.'
'You're on.' They both muttered.
A cheer suddenly erupted from the lower stands and the three Tracy brothers leaned forward eyes gleaming, there sure enough below them was the lithe, attractive and brazenly naked form of their eldest brother.
Jeff's jaw dropped in astonishment, as his sons dissolved into laughter.
Elaine pushed her glasses up a little further, 'oooh I can't see anything, we haven't had a streaker on the pitch since, well let me see, it must have been 1981, whoo, in those days, it was considered something of a sport, the streaker themselves got themselves in the paper or sometimes even on the local......'
Her voice trailed off as she squinted, 'jesus, mary and joseph' she gasped, 'tell me that's not my grandson with his crown jewels hanging out!'
Gordon, Alan and Virgil were in hysterics at their grandmother's comment.
Jeff shook his head ruefully, 'I'm afraid it is ma.'
Elaine mumbled, 'my goodness, god almighty..'
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The Amberleigh team beat the visitors 3 - 1 in the final.
John played well and set up one of the goals, Jeff enjoyed himself immensely and Alan, Gordon and Virgil had the biggest laugh of their lives at the embarrassed Scott being pulled to the car by his ear by their embarrassed grandma.
The crisis was over and the Tracys had one of the happiest afternoons of their lives, they were together again and it would be a long time before someone tried to destroy their family again.
Unfortunately, the next time was much sooner than they all thought!
Xxxxxxxxx
Hope you all liked it! Nice ominous ending! xxx