Disclaimer: I do not own the Thunderbirds nor am I making any money from this story.

A/N: This story has been bouncing around my head and I finally decided to just let it out. There is no connection to any of my other stories.-sam1

First Meetings

"Scotty, was I that small?" Three brothers stared in awe at their tiny brother being held protectively by their mother. Scott at five-years-old was the oldest of the Tracy brothers and the one John and Virgil followed everywhere.

"No, you were lots bigger than Gordy," Scott answered. "Mommy and Daddy told us that he wasn't s'pposed to be borned yet."

"Why, 'Cotty?" A slight whimpering from the newest Tracy drew their attention back to their baby brother. "Why him red?"

"Him pottying. You get red, too." Pleased with the logic of his answer, he turned to face his big brother again. "When can we play wif him?" A deep chuckle and a warm breath tickled his neck and caused him to look behind him. "DADDY!"

"Gordon won't be able to play with you for a while yet," he answered. "Are you boys ready to go home and see Grandma?"

"YEP!" The three brothers cried out which startled Gordon who immediately began flailing his tiny arms in protest to their loudness.

"Sorry, Gordy," they each whispered, reaching out to gently touch his leg.

"Bye-bye, Mommy," Virgil said, kissing his hand and placing it on hers. "Love you."

"Bye-bye, Mommy," John echoed. "Bye-bye, Gordy. Love you."

"Bye, Mommy," Scott said. "I'll protect Johnny and Virgie 'til you and Daddy come home with Gordy." Lucy smiled at her sons and blew kisses to each of them.

"I love you all so very much," she told them. "Behave for Grandma and we'll all be home soon."

Five years later

Red-faced, Gordon sat in the designated time-out chair for another bout of misbehavior. Alan sat in the second time-out chair in another corner for being party for said misbehavior.

"Scotty, look at how red his face is," Virgil called out. Scott had just passed the family room where Gordon and Alan were serving their punishment. Virgil was sitting at his piano, playing around with some of the pieces he'd mastered.

"Well, I think we can rule out that he's pottying," Scott teased, remembering that long ago conversation of the three oldest brothers the day that Gordon Cooper Tracy came into the world.

"Why would you say that, Scotty?" John asked from the couch. Scott hadn't seen his quiet brother curled up under a blanket. The faint redness to his cheeks let everyone know that he had a cold and fever but didn't like being isolated in his bedroom.

"You probably don't remember but the day he was born," Scott explained, pointing to Gordon. "Virgil asked how come he was so red. You're brilliant answer was that he was pottying and that Virgil often got red just like that, too." Gordon had perked up a bit hearing a little about the day he was born until that comment. Virgil snorted in indignation at the comment much to John and Scott's amusement. Alan remained uncharacteristically quiet.

"What else did we say?" John asked. "I don't really remember too much."

"Um, you asked if you'd been that small," Scott answered. "Not that I remember too much of seeing you after you'd been born but I can honestly say that Gordon was definitely the smallest at birth. I can't say that he's the smallest now." Like his brothers, Gordon had taken after their father and averaged taller than the growth charts for their age groups.

"What did you think of each of us, Scotty?" Virgil asked, curious. Scott thought for a moment and looked at each of his brothers and recalled his first meeting with each of them.

"With Johnny, I don't remember too much but I do remember he was quiet and watchful. I get the feeling he had been sizing me up. Virgil, I can remember a bit more and I think I was a bit resentful that I'd have to share Mom and Dad with yet another brother. Until Mom let me hold you and you kind of snuggled up against me with my finger in your hand and then you feel asleep. Mom said that you trusted me and that allowed you to fall asleep in my arms," Scott recalled. "With Gordy, there was so much worry because he was early but he was just as stubborn then as he is now."

"HEY!" Gordon cried out. The rest of his brothers laughed outright at his outburst. Alan waited patiently to hear what his oldest brother had thought of him the first time he'd seen him.

"Al was the total opposite of John with the exception of the hair color," Scott continued. "Whereas John was quiet, Alan was demanding and loud until he had everyone's attention and then he was all smiles and…" Winking at his baby brother, he added the last bit of his recollections. "Spit-up."