Disclaimer: I own none of the characters mentioned.

Author Notes: A crossover between The New Avengers and the Thunderbirds movie, because Lady Penelope reminded me a lot of the fabulous Avenger women. I'm not sure what time this is set in, imagine that Purdey, Gambit and Steed are still fighting villainous masterminds in the era that the Thunderbirds movie is set.

Thank you to Timeless-A-Peel for her beta work and kind words. I'm very grateful.

SECRETS

It had seemed like such a simple task, Purdey mused. She ducked behind a pillar and then lashed out with a sudden kick that felled her pursuer into unconsciousness. Just a simple pick-up operation at the end of a long and unusually tiring case. But naturally, things got complicated. They always did in this line of work.

Of course, Purdey thought with her secretive amused smile as she traded blows with another stubborn thug who seemed determined to get the better of her, life would be a lot more boring without the unexpected. She just wished it would take the occasional day off.

She could see Gambit and Steed out of the corner of her eye, just about holding their own against the overwhelming odds. Where on earth had all these men come from? The stream of them appeared to be never ending, and there was no way to signal the Ministry for back-up.

A kick to her abdomen caused her to stagger backwards into someone with wandering possessive hands and no matter what she tried, he wasn't letting her go. Gambit yelled her name, but his path was extensively blocked, and Steed was no closer to reaching her.

Someone else's hands were around her throat now. Purdey struggled for breath, fighting against who held her. The world was starting to get hazy……..

There was a blur of pink suddenly and the hands loosened. Purdey dropped to the floor, gasping, and glanced up in time to roll out of the way of a vicious fist. The blur turned out to be a familiar-looking blonde in a beautiful pink suit who was managing to do a series of impeccable back-flips in pink high heels. She had very good turnout. The short man dressed in a chauffeur's uniform who was dealing out punches with immaculate white gloves also pulled at her memory. It would probably help to blink the tears of pain from her eyes, but there was no time for that. She threw herself back into the fray.

Eventually the endless parade of thugs lessened and Purdey found herself next to Gambit, who was nursing a sore jaw. Steed had only lost his hat, which he was now brushing off fastidiously. Purdey discovered a vexing tear in her dress.

"They really have no thought for clothing, do they?" mused a wonderfully familiar voice. "I should send them a bill."

Purdey looked up, startled, as the blonde's identity became suddenly crystal clear. Yes, the face was a little older but now utterly unmistakeable. How on earth hadn't she recognised her before?

"Penny!" she exclaimed with delight. "How wonderful to see you!"

"Purdey," Penelope Creighton-Ward, hardly a hair out of place despite the vigorous gymnastics she had just engaged in, embraced her warmly. "Still getting into trouble, I see."

"She never stops," Gambit confirmed, earning himself a reproving smile from Purdey over her shoulder.

"And who are these charming companions?" Penelope asked, looking Steed and Gambit up and down.

"John Steed," Steed gave a little bow and took her hand with a debonair smile. "Delighted."

"Mike Gambit," added Mike, looking equally happy.

"Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward," Penelope turned to her own companion. "And this is Parker."

"Pleasure to see you again, Ms Purdey," the Cockney butler doffed his hat at her with a smile before turning to Mike and Steed. "Gentlemen."

"Your timing always was impeccable," Purdey noted with a smile.

"And your high kicks are still a knock-out," Penelope replied. "Come now, I insist on providing you all with tea. You must be exhausted."

As Steed headed off to where they'd parked their cars to make a phone call, Purdey linked arms with Penelope and Parker led the way out of the parking lot.

"So how do you know our Purdey?" asked Gambit with a glint in his eyes that Purdey didn't approve of in the slightest.

"Oh, Purdey and I go back a long way," Penelope answered with a nostalgic smile full of stories. "School, modelling, the occasional crossing of paths at defence techniques class. We do keep bumping into each other."

"Parallels, your father used to call us," remarked Purdey. "Do you remember?"

"Yes, he always did have a soft spot for you."

Purdey nodded and squeezed her friend's arm. Penelope's father had been a very kind man, especially so after the death of Purdey's own father, and had been exceedingly good company every time she had met him. She still had the pearls he'd given her for her 21st birthday. In fact, the last time she'd seen Penelope had been at Sir Creighton-Ward's funeral.

"What an extraordinary machine!" exclaimed Steed, catching up with them as Penelope's car came into view.

"Rather striking, isn't it?" agreed Purdey as Penelope smiled proudly. "But not quite your colour, Steed."

"Oh, I don't know." There was a smirk to Gambit's tone

Parker opened the door, helping first Penelope and then Purdey into the back as Steed took the passenger seat. Mike sat himself in the remaining space on the backseat beside the two ladies. It was a position he was clearly glad to occupy.

"Stick to the roads please, Parker," Penelope ordered, unfolding a newspaper from a pocket in the door.

"Very good, m'lady."

The breeze whipped Purdey's hair and coloured her cheeks. She could hear Steed talking to Parker about the car and what it was capable of. Gambit, meanwhile, was trying out his charms on Penelope. He was being met with warm amusement but definite distance that perhaps only Purdey could sense. She wondered, not at all idly, if those rumours about Penelope and that American millionaire astronaut were true. That was something she intended on finding out during this visit.

Creighton Mansion was still magnificent and Purdey smiled at the ancient stones and beautiful grounds as the car sailed up the driveway. Gambit looked a little dazed. Steed looked completely at home.

"Eighteenth-century," he marvelled, as the car drew to a stop. "Almost as beautiful as its owner."

Penelope smiled graciously and allowed Steed to help out of the car. Parker raised his eyebrows, not saying a word, though his thoughts were clear in his expression.

"Oh, you've redecorated the hall," noted Purdey, as they stepped inside the mansion.

"Yes, quite recently," Penelope replied. "There was a small incident with some dreadful thugs that needed remedying and my hall suffered because of it."

"I like it, the new look I mean."

"I'll bring the tea through, m'lady," Parker said as Penelope led the way into the sitting room.

"Thank you, Parker," Penelope smiled at her guests. "Please, take a seat."

Steed chose to stand by the fireplace, while Purdey sat with Penelope on the sofa and Gambit took a comfortable-looking armchair. The room itself was stunning, full of the stylish furnishings Purdey remembered. Steed looked even more at home than ever.

The tea was perfect, served in pink and white tea cups that clinked gently. Penelope knew, as always, exactly what to say to engage her guests, making sure not to get too exclusively caught up in memories with Purdey. Gambit flirted, of course, with both Penelope and Purdey, and Steed was lord of the manor, laughing heartily and taking in everything as though this was where he belonged. It was a pretty perfect place for him, of course. Obvious really, when one thought about it.

"Now, I'm sure you gentlemen would like a walk around the grounds," Penelope said, in that tone that didn't make her words a suggestion at all.

"Yes, that would be splendid," Steed picked up the cue seamlessly. "What do you say, Mike?"

"Oh yes, splendid," Gambit got to his feet, winking at Purdey.

Once they were out of the room, Parker having been called to show them the grounds and the garage and anything else that might take their fancy, Penelope turned a wide warm smile to her old friend. It was like looking at teenage Penny, Purdey decided with an answering smile of her own, that mischievous child who knew exactly what to say at any given moment to cover her tracks when she was doing something considered quite improper. It prompted Purdey to act in kind, as it always had before. She had learnt from the best, after all.

"So are the newspapers right about you and your astronaut?"

"Oh, don't tell me you read those dreadful rags. They can't be trusted at all," Penelope looked at her archly, though a smile did tug at her expression.

"There is a limit to the sustaining reading material one can take in hand luggage on long plane flights," replied Purdey.

"Mmmm, how is your work at the Ministry going?"

"Now how do you know about that?" Purdey was more amused than defensive. Penelope always was entirely capable of finding out what she wasn't supposed to know. She remained well informed and well connected.

"A lady never reveals her contacts, you know that. Well?"

"It's going marvellously and you've very neatly avoided answering my question!"

Penny sighed theatrically, her cup loud as she rested it on her saucer. The slight blush suddenly spreading across her cheeks was immensely telling and intriguing all at once. Penelope had rarely blushed about a man before, perhaps only once, maybe twice, in Purdey's memories. Times when she'd fallen hard.

"He's a dear friend," Penelope's tone was unabashedly affectionate in a way that Purdey was sure her friend never used in public. That would give the papers something to write about. "And his family are adorable, one of a kind. I feel quite at home there."

"Really?" Purdey lifted her cup to her lips in a manner that smirked in what could only be described as a Gambit-like way. A very bad sign indeed.

"Really," Penelope said like a warning.

Purdey raised an eyebrow, but didn't ask any more questions. Penny always did have her secrets, making her transparent and opaque all at once. It was why people were drawn to her. Purdey had never been able to get to the bottom of it and had often mused that Penelope would make an excellent Ministry agent. It did rather raise the question of who Penelope did work for.

"And you? Which of your gorgeous companions are you taken with?" Penelope swiftly turned the tables.

"Neither."

"Why ever not?"

Purdey was saved from answering by Parker's discreet appearance in the doorway, file in hand.

'M'lady? This came through for you, high importance and most urgent."

"Thank you, Parker."

Penelope read the file rapidly as Purdey finished her tea and attempted to glean all the information she could out of the corner of her eye. Parker cleared the tea service away except for the teapot which he rather oddly left on the table alone. There was a frown creasing Penelope's forehead as she shut the file snappily.

"Purdey, darling, I'm afraid something has come up. Do you mind?"

"Is it serious?"

"It could be," Penelope nodded to Parker who tapped at his watch smartly before leaving the room again. "I am so sorry, it's terribly rude of me, but I really must dash. Are you available this weekend?"

Purdey shook her head. She was scheduled for a flight out to Cuba on Ministry work, accompanied by Gambit. She was already choosing her wardrobe very carefully.

"How about the end of next week?" she suggested as Penelope walked her out to the front door where Gambit and Steed were waiting.

"I can clear it," Penelope answered. "Parker, clear next Friday for me. Purdey and I have an engagement."

"Very good, m'lady."

Penelope turned back to her guests and favoured them all with a smile. But Purdey could see that her friend's mind was already far away. Just a bit of something in her eyes, hardly noticeable at all. Noticeable to Purdey, of course, that went without saying. Reading people was part of the job. Reading Penny was easy after many years of practice, even though her layers of secrets had thickened and hardened.

Parker had called a taxi to take them back to their cars and Penelope waved them off smart and smiling. Purdey watched and waved until her old friend was a speck of pink dwarfed by the enormous beautiful house. It was entirely an illusion.

"Well, how delightful," Steed declared. "Which agency does she work for?"

"The Americans, I imagine," Purdey was thoughtful, her gaze on the familiar countryside flying past them. "We'd have heard if it was one of the British agencies. And there was something about the file......."

"What file?" Steed raised his eyes to his rear-view mirror.

"The file that abruptly ended our visit, of course. I couldn't make much out unfortunately. And then there's the teapot......"

"The teapot?" Mike turned in the passenger seat to ask her.

"Parker is an excellent butler and when he took away the tea service, he left the teapot, all alone on the table."

"Hmmm, that is odd," agreed Steed.

"Very odd," added Purdey.

"Quite unheard of," confirmed Mike, though he looked amused more than anything else.

"Suppose we check with Mother," decided Steed. "See what we can turn up in the files."

"I doubt you'll find anything," replied Purdey. "Penny's fastidious. There'll be nothing there at all we can use. I don't think it matters anyway. We'll be unlikely to cross paths with her in an adversarial fashion."

"Mmm, good thing too. Her butler makes an excellent cup of tea," mused Steed. "Be a shame to miss out on another."

"Bring the car round, Parker."

"Yes, m'lady."

Penelope returned to the sitting room, sat back down on the sofa, and reached for the teapot. As soon as she pressed the top of the lid, the knob started blinking quietly. Then a wonderfully familiar voice sounded discretely from the ingeniously hidden speakers.

"Go ahead, Pen."

"I received the files," Penelope told him, said file spread across her lap artfully. "There are some interesting findings about that foreman that I think you need to see."

"Tracy Island's always open to you," Jeff's smile was clear across the ocean. "Everything else go okay?"

"Yes, it's all been taken care of," Penelope smiled. "We arrived just in time to help clear things up. Any later and it could have been too close."

"Your timing's always great," dear Jeff replied, before there was a babble of noise in the background. "I've gotta go, Penny, looks like there's trouble on the Thai coast."

"Go, we'll be there soon."

"FAB."

Penelope emerged outside in a beautiful pink sundress and a wide-brimmed hat that shaded her face. She had left several bikinis at Tracy Island, should there be time for such things as enjoying paradise. Parker had the car ready. Penelope had the file.

"Step on it, Parker," she commanded, as she took her customary seat. "Oh, and I must arrange a lunch with Mother. Whatever the Ministry's investigating could dovetail with our own findings."

"Very good, m'lady."

There was no one around to see the car drive smoothly down the long driveway, wings unfolding suddenly from the sides before it just as smoothly took off. But on a road not too far away, Purdey caught a fleeting glimpse of a rapidly ascending and oddly-shaped aeroplane that seemed to be painted pink and smiled.

-end