Nope, still own absolutely nothing!

This one is more light hearted, I promise!

And of course, where would I be without the world's best beta? Once again, a huge thank you to Bee for being a super star! THANK YOU!

Enjoy! ;)

"Another."

Scott pushed his empty glass across the bar, flipped down a note and turned almost pleading eyes onto the barman, who only hesitated for a moment before nodding, shooting Scott a sympathetic look. This was one of those nights where he would never be able to say no to any of his customers. He knew that he would never work again if he got on their bad side. The room contained some of the richest and most influential people in the world, all gathered together in one of Jeff Tracy's function rooms. The man owned the whole building, guest rooms taking up the lower floors while the top three had been turned into different conference and function rooms. All the guest rooms were empty right now, the occupants being at the function. They were on the top floor tonight; the biggest room of them all as some of the most important people in America were present. The ironic thing was, he knew that most didn't know his name and wouldn't bother to find out unless he did something wrong.

"Same thing, Scott?"

"Please…"

Martin chuckled at the whine that escaped his boss's son. Most might not spare him a second glance, but the Tracys were not like that. The size of their business meant it was impossible for them to know all of their staff, but they tried. Martin knew he was lucky to be able to work on nights like this, it took a lot of effort and security checks in order to select the right members of staff. He knew others thought his friendship with the three elder Tracy sons had something to do with it, but he didn't care. They could think what they wanted; he knew Mr Tracy would never show favouritism like that.

"That bad?"

"You have no idea…"

"Don't you dare drink that, Scott!"

Both Scott and Martin jumped as a hand came out of nowhere and plucked the glass away. Virgil took one look at it, shrugged and downed it himself, pulling a face at the after taste.

"How the hell can you drink that stuff?"

"Apparently I can't without a brother stealing it." Scott couldn't help but be in a mood. He didn't even understand why he had to come to this sort of thing; his father knew how much he hated it. His despondency must have shown in his face for Virgil chuckled softly, his hand squeezing his brother's shoulder momentarily before rising and ruffling Scott's hair. Instantly, the older man jerked his own hand up, trying to flatten it down again.

"Virg," his voice was an angry hiss as he glanced around. "Don't."

"Why, afraid I'll mess up your good looks? No fear of that. That would mean you would have to have some to start with."

"Tell Dad that."

If anything, Scott's scowl got even deeper. Martin caught Virgil's eye and slid an ordinary coke across to the oldest brother. He wasn't even sure if Scott noticed there was nothing else in it as he drained it in two gulps.

"C'mon, Scotty, you know it's for a good cause."

"So why don't you do it?"

"You know we have been through this. John is still away on business, Gordon did it last year, Al is protesting that things are just getting really good with Tin-Tin and I get out of it because I have to play at his charity dinners. If I can sit through those, you can do this."

"But that doesn't involve people… you know, fawning over you."

"Mm, must be so hard. A date with the most eligible bachelors the rich have to offer. God knows why they end up bidding so much for it. Who would want to spend time in your charming company?"

Without a word, Scott fished an ice cube out of the remains of his drink and flicked it at Virgil. It was a sign of Virgil's hidden sympathy that he didn't instantly retaliate, but smiled softly.

"Come on, let's leave Martin do his job."

"I can't go in there."

"You're gonna have to in a moment to be auctioned off, oh brother of mine. Why not just get it over and done with?" Not waiting for an answer, Virgil grabbed Scott's arm and dragged him from his seat. Scott only just managed to get his feet under him in time, but Virgil knew better than to think his brother had had too much to drink. Despite protesting about the whole evening, Virgil knew Scott was fully aware it was for a good cause. Just because they saved the world in secret time and time again didn't mean they couldn't be seen to be trying to do the same thing in the public eye sometimes.

However, that didn't mean Scott had any interest in giving Virgil some aid in getting him to move into the main function room.

"Remind me why again I decided to come?"

"Moral support," Scott muttered, leaning more and more on his brother in an attempt to get Virgil to give up trying to get him to move. In response, the younger man simply jabbed his elbow into Scott's ribs.

"Moral support, Scott. Moral. Not actual support. Will you please stand…" Before Virgil could finish his sentence, Scott practically snapped upright. The weight loss took Virgil by surprise and he almost stumbled. Scott's hand on his elbow kept him steady and Virgil looked up to find a few of their father's business acquaintances heading in their direction. Virgil could barely suppress his own groan. It wasn't just the women that Scott needed support with. It was the men who had decided that since Jeff Tracy's sons didn't seem to be playing too much of an active role in their father's business, they might want to come and work for a rival company instead. It wasn't their offers that annoyed the boys, it was their presumptuous attitudes. They seemed to think that the boys had no choice in their life. Every encounter made Virgil bristle, just wishing he could say something. Scott obviously felt him tense, for his hand tightened in both support and a warning.

"Ah, Scott."

"Mr Rogers." Scott had a tight smile on his face as he dipped his head at the man. Virgil knew his brother's body language though. He was perfectly straight and upright, his chin lifted defiantly. This was a man who was used to having his orders followed in life or death situations. He wasn't going to be spoken down to by some businessman who thought he spent his life sitting by a pool doing nothing.

"John."

"Virgil."

"Excuse me?"

Virgil was hard pushed not to roll his eyes when the man looked at him as if he had said something outrageous.

"I'm Virgil. John isn't here. He's… well, blond for one thing, and not here for another."

"Virg!" Scott's hiss was barely audible as he tried not to move his lips but Virgil didn't back down. Mr Rogers only ever seemed to remember Scott's name and Virgil had already spent most of the night answering the "and which brother are you?" question. Virgil shot his brother a withering glance, knowing by the look on Scott's face he was trying not to laugh.

"I see." Mr Rogers watched Virgil coolly for a moment, but the artist simply stared back impassively. The look on Virgil's face was bordering on mockery by the time Scott finally stepped forward, drawing the man's attention back to him.

"How are you enjoying the evening so far, Sir?"

"Your father always did know how to throw a good party. But look at the appearance of the staff. Working class people, all of them."

"All the employees here are more than qualified, Sir."

Now it was Virgil's turn to smirk as Scott was barely able to conceal the anger in his voice.

"I'm sure they are, Scott. I'm sure they are." No one could deny the patronising tone in Mr Rogers' voice and Scott bristled. Virgil was just wondering whether he would actually need to restrain his brother when a commotion over by the door made him turn. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Scott doing the same thing. Two security guards had hold of the arms of a young man who had clearly had too much to drink and who was shouting abuse at Martin. Judging by the tux the offender was wearing, he was one of the guests. The words coming out of his mouth simply confirmed that as he informed Martin that he should be given anything he wantedsimply because of who he was. Virgil made to take a step forward at seeing how the guards were struggling to hold him, but he never got the chance.

Scott had moved forward even before Virgil had finished processing what he was seeing. The younger brother didn't even attempt to take another step, knowing Scott would have it under control. Sure enough, just as the young man broke free from security and sprang forward, Scott reached him. The man didn't even make it a step before Scott had caught hold of his wrist and casually twisted it up behind his back, taking hold of the man's shoulder in order to pull him in, before escorting him back towards the door.

"He shouldn't have done that, that young man was a guest."

"Who was abusing our staff. I'm not sure what kind of company you run, Sir, but we don't let anyone talk to our staff like that." Without so much as glancing at him, Virgil moved forward himself.

"You okay?" Reaching the bar, he frowned in concern at Martin.

The bartender nodded. "He just took me by surprise, that's all."

Virgil grimaced in sympathy before turning to see what was happening with the others. Scott had got the man back to security, but hadn't yet let go of him. Virgil smiled at seeing how the drunk was struggling furiously against his brother's hold, yet Scott was just having a casual conversation with security, almost not seeming to notice. One of the guards stepped out of the way of the door and Virgil suddenly understood what was going on.

"Oh no he doesn't."

Ignoring Martin's confused look, Virgil hurried over.

"They can take it from here now, Scott. Can't you?" Addressing the surprised-looking security men, Virgil grinned as he began to pry Scott away from the drunk, almost forcing the abusive man into the guards' hands. They didn't make the same mistake twice but swiftly grabbed hold of him. There was no chance that he would be getting away from them again. Scott took a step after them as they began pulling him out of the door, but Virgil rested his hand on Scott's arm.

"You have somewhere else to be," the younger brother murmured gently and Scott flushed.

"I just want to make sure they get him out of the building."

"And undermine their belief in their own performance by making them feel like they are being supervised? Not a smart move, Scotty. Now come on." Virgil made to tug Scott back in the direction they had originally been heading in, only to find his brother staring at him in disbelief.

"What?"

"Where did that come from? I knew you were an artist and an engineer, didn't realise you were a businessman as well."

Virgil rolled his eyes with a grin, forcing his brother to walk with him this time.

"I had to sit through those speeches remember? John isn't the only one who can simply absorb information. I might not do it as well as him, but I can still do it."

"So it filters out the younger you guys get," Scott murmured thoughtfully, a small smile tugging at his lips. Virgil grinned, knowing the thoughts running through his brother's mind.

"Explains Alan, doesn't it?"

Scott laughed, finally falling into step with his younger brother. Virgil, however, wasn't done yet.

"So it gave you the physique to stand in the firing line for us and let the rest of us make up for the lack of brain power then?"

"Hey!" Scott gave Virgil a mock shove, the artist immediately retaliating as they made their way through to the main room. Mr Rogers hurried after them and although he completely ignored Virgil, he looked as if he wanted to engage Scott in conversation again.

"Uh oh," Virgil's mutter was the only warning that Scott got, but he tensed again.

"If you'll excuse me, Sir, I have somewhere to be." Scott was moving before Mr Rogers could even open his mouth.

Mr Rogers blinked at the coolness in Scott's voice and Virgil yet again found that he was fighting back the urge to burst out laughing. If he had known that the stuck-up businessman would be what was needed in order to get Scott to go in without a fight, he would have invited the man out to the bar the second he realised where Scott had taken refuge. Scott took the lead this time, striding through the double doors with his head held high. The oldest brother didn't seem to notice that more than one person stopped their conversation at his entrance, but Virgil had to hold back his grin. Scott had certainly made it clear to Rogers he had no desire to continue their previous conversation. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Mr Rogers turn red with outrage, and not wanting to be left alone with the man, Virgil hurried after his brother.

"What a jerk." Sitting back down at the table they had been on earlier in the evening, Scott slumped, making as if to loosen his tie. Virgil grimaced as he held out a hand to stop him.

"Not yet, man," he said gently and Scott blew out a long breath even as he dropped his hand again. He looked almost wistfully around the table and Virgil was glad that the wine from the meal had been cleared away. He just wanted things to get moving now, for he wasn't sure he could keep Scott here if anything else happened. It wasn't so much what they were doing that was the issue, it was the fact that everyone else just saw them as the playboy sons of Jeff Tracy, wasting time sitting around doing nothing. They couldn't exactly tell them that just twelve hours before they had been pulling trapped miners free from a collapsed cave in Texas.

"Ladies and gentleman, if you could all take your seats? It is time for the main event of the evening, the one I'm sure you ladies have been saving up for."

Virgil saw Scott stiffen out of the corner of his eye and turned towards the announcer. Before he could do anything in order to make sure Scott didn't bolt, one of the organisers appeared next to them and spoke quietly in Scott's ear. Scott sighed but nodded, looking resigned as he stood up and followed the man off to one side. Virgil attempted to smile reassuringly at him, but knew it didn't quite match the mirth dancing in his eyes. Scott could defy death multiple times a day if he had to, yet Virgil didn't think he had ever seen him look as nervous as he did now. All across the room, the staff were collecting people and Virgil found himself settling back in his seat. Someone appeared at his elbow, handing him a drink before slipping into the seat next to him.

"This one taken?"

Virgil glanced up at the source of the voice, smiling softly.

"All yours."

"Naomi."

"Virgil."

"You're… you're Jeff Tracy's son, aren't you?"

"And you are Ronald Cackson's daughter."

Naomi grinned and Virgil felt himself relaxing. All night he had been dealing with men and women his father's age, talking business. One look at Naomi's face and Virgil knew she had been going through the same thing. The fact that she had to be around his age and looked absolutely stunning in a short black dress made Virgil decide maybe this night wouldn't be such a waste after all.

"So you're not one of the lucky guys then?" Naomi motioned towards where someone had come out with a microphone and begun trying to set it up on a stage. Many an event had been hosted in this room, and Virgil wondered just how many of them he had attended over the years. He was sure it was more than his fair share, something he was making a mental note to complain to his father about.

"My brother is," Virgil murmured, still grinning at how put-out Scott had been about the whole thing.

"Same."

"Older or younger?" Virgil recalled something about the Cacksons having two children, but he couldn't remember the details. He was sure that John would have been able to spout out their whole family history, but as he had mentioned to numerous people throughout the evening, John wasn't there, Virgil was.

"Neither."

Virgil frowned for a moment as Naomi raised her eyebrows at him, waiting for everything to slot into place.

"Oh. Twins?"

"Yep. Although Nathan always claims he is the older one. Our parents have never said, I think they thought telling us would cause more problems than it was worth. How about you? Older or younger being sold off tonight?"

"Older." Virgil was no longer able to hide his grin and Naomi seemed to realise just how funny he was finding the situation.

"Not a fan of this sort of thing?"

The pair continued talking as the auction was started. Virgil had no interest in watching everyone try and outbid themselves over people he didn't know. He wasn't sure whether he had ever met Naomi before despite it turning out that they had been to a lot of the same business functions over the years, and was delighted to find that they seemed to share a lot in common. When Naomi revealed she hated being dressed up and would much rather be in a pair of old overalls tinkering with her father's cars, Virgil knew that the night hadn't been a complete waste. He knew it wasn't like anything serious could happen, not with what he did; but just having someone he could talk to about things he was genuinely interested in was enough for him for one night. If things hinted at going further…well, just because Scott's evening was being auctioned off didn't mean Virgil's was.

Neither of them paid any attention until Naomi's brother was up. She sat forward, her elbows resting on the table and her hand cupping her chin as her eyes glinted. Activity was happening around him as patrons started bidding for her brother and Virgil was vaguely aware of the price going up and up. Yet at the same time, he wasn't sure he had looked towards the stage even once.

Naomi almost looked disappointed when the bidding was over, as if she had been hoping the results would have been different.

"I was so hoping he would get some old lady. That woman is going to have her claws in him all evening."

Virgil recognised the same protectiveness in her voice as he knew was present between him and his brothers. He glanced towards where Nathan was being escorted off stage, a young woman immediately latching onto his arm.

"You heard how much she bid, it's not like she'll be after his money."

"I wouldn't be so sure." There was a dark scowl on Naomi's face as she twisted her head to see better as her twin went to join his date.

"I'm sure he can handle himself," Virgil said softly, letting his hand cover hers. Naomi started, then a gentle smile crossed her lips as she stopped looking for her brother. But before she could say anything, the presenter announced that Scott was up next. Smirking, Virgil turned his attention to the stage for the first time that evening.

Virgil had no idea what he had been expecting. Gordon had broken the record the year before, and he knew the rest of the island would be eager to hear whether Scott could top that or not. For a long while, Virgil thought he was going to do it as prices shot way past anything that had been bid before. Initially, his brother simply stood on the stage looking awkward, but as the amounts increased, he seemed to relax. Scott finally seemed to be accepting there was no way out of this and so he might as well get as much money for charity as he could. As soon as the bidding seemed to be slowing down, the pilot winked at a woman in the front row and she immediately threw herself back into the competition.

The bidding war raged for at least half an hour, almost tripling the price that Nathan's date had paid for him. He didn't quite beat Gordon's record, but Virgil could tell by the look on his brother's face that he wasn't even thinking about it. The proceeds would make a vast difference, and Virgil knew what Scott was thinking. It was nice, just once, to have someone thank them personally for what they were trying to do rather than just thanking the mysterious rescuers whose identity remained a secret. Still, Virgil couldn't help but laugh when the final bid was made and no one was able to go any higher.

Nathan might have got a stunning young woman, yet despite the money being thrown around, Scott found himself taking the arm of a woman old enough to be his grandmother. From across the room, Virgil could see that he had managed to fix a charming smile onto his face, but his eyes had widened slightly when he saw who it was that he had to entertain for the rest of the evening.

"Thank God for that."

Naomi's mutter made Virgil turn in surprise, frowning at her.

"What do you mean?"

The woman flashed him a smile and Virgil found himself smiling back before he knew what he was even smiling about.

"Nathan and I had a bet. You could say that my brother thinks rather a lot of himself. He was adamant that he was going to attract the highest bid tonight, and I could tell he was thinking that by the look on his face when he doubled everything that had gone before him. Your brother, Virgil, just trebled Nathan's price. So he now owes me fifty bucks. Thanks."

Virgil didn't have time to say anything before she leant over and kissed him on the cheek. Announcements were being made, but now the main part of the evening was over, not many people were listening. Glancing around, Virgil saw that Scott seemed to be chatting pleasantly to his date.

"Do you fancy going to get a drink somewhere?" Feeling brave and determined that this night was going to be for him as well as for his brother, Virgil decided to take the plunge. Naomi looked startled but then smiled.

"Sure. Let me just go and grab my coat and tell Father where I'm going. Meet you at the bar in a few?"

Virgil just nodded, watching her slip away and wondering if anyone was going to believe this. Despite not particularly wanting to have to report in to his Field Commander when they were strictly off duty, Virgil knew that he couldn't just leave without telling Scott he was going. Standing up, he navigated his way through the tables until he could reach his brother. Scott saw him coming and to Virgil's astonishment, grinned at him. It was a genuine smile as well.

"Hey. Virg, meet Mrs Harris. Mrs Harris, my younger brother, Virgil."

"He looks to be just as much of a charmer as you, dear."

Virgil found himself blushing slightly. The boys had all been used to such comments when they were growing up, their grandmother's friends loving to fuss over them all. Gordon and Alan always had it worse, the latter in particular as Gordon always managed to escape or cause enough trouble that they stopped thinking him cute. It had always annoyed Virgil back then, but he found himself smiling this time.

"Nice to meet you, Ma'am. That was quite a sum you placed on my brother."

"Well, it's been a few years since I've had a nice young man to myself all evening."

Scott choked halfway through taking a sip of water, spluttering and going bright red in a way Virgil didn't think he had ever seen before.

"Excuse me?!"

Mrs Harris winked at Virgil, and the younger brother could suddenly see why Scott was so relaxed. He didn't have to worry about how much his "date" expected of him from the evening, nor did he have to worry about having someone use it against him to get more money from him in the future. Instead, he could just relax.

"Scott? I'm heading out. Naomi and I are going to get a drink somewhere."

"Who?"

"Cackson's daughter. Her brother, Nathan, was the one auctioned off before you. No, you can't make me change my mind, no I'm not staying here and yes I'll stay in touch if I'm not coming back to the apartment tonight."

"Going that well is it?"

Virgil rolled his eyes at his brother's smirk but refrained from answering. He knew the look on his face would tell Scott everything he needed to know, and it had been a while since either of them had been on leave. Scott nodded softly, reaching into his pocket and flipping his brother a few notes.

"Have one on me. And have fun. Be careful."

"You too." Virgil gave a pointed nod to the woman at Scott's side and her face lit up, clearly glad that they were playing along with her. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"You'd be surprised, young man. With my experience, there is a lot we can do you wouldn't even dream of."

"Right…" Taking that as his cue to leave, Virgil chuckled to himself as he moved across the room. He only wished he had taken a picture of Scott's face as his brother had yet again gone bright red.

Making his way out of the room, Virgil frowned when he realised that Naomi was nowhere to be seen. He wondered whether perhaps she'd had no intention of coming and was just using asking her father as a reason to go without having to make another excuse. But before his thoughts could take him any further, the door opened and she slipped out, looking slightly breathless.

"Sorry. Father wanted to know the usual: who, what, where, why…"

"Why?"

"You aren't the only family here that people will be trying to get money off. He wanted to make sure I wasn't going with someone less fortunate." It was only the tone of her voice that stopped Virgil from saying anything, knowing that she clearly disapproved of her father's attitude as much as he did. It suddenly made the artist feel thankful that their father had never been like that. Virgil couldn't help but wonder whether things would have been different if their mother had lived. Would the wealth have gone to their heads? From what he knew about her, Virgil had a feeling his mother would have made sure they kept their feet firmly on the ground.

"Virgil? You okay?" Realising that he had been staring into space, Virgil grinned and held out his hand, taking her jacket from her. Naomi giggled as he helped her into it and Virgil decided she was even prettier when she blushed. Naomi slipped her arm through his as they headed towards the door, but a sudden thought struck Virgil.

"Here, come this way." Pulling her in the opposite direction, Virgil made to make his way around the back of the bar. Martin just rolled his eyes as Virgil grinned at him, and he knew that Martin wouldn't tell anyone.

"Where are we going?"

"Unless you want to be hounded by the press and be all over the front pages as the newest couple by tomorrow morning, I suggest we take the back way." Grateful that he knew his way around the building so well, Virgil pushed at a panel on the wall and it swung open. Not a hidden door as such, just a way for the staff to come and go without it being obvious there was a door there. Naomi smiled as Virgil held it open for her.

"Why thank you, kind sir."

"After you, my lady." Feeling more relaxed than he had done for a long time, Virgil gestured for her to go first. But no sooner had Naomi taken a step forward when an almighty bang sounded from the main doors and they swung open. After years in International Rescue, Virgil knew to trust his instincts and didn't hesitate as he grabbed Naomi and dragged her down to the floor.

Martin was out of his reach and Virgil grimaced as he heard the man call out, "This is a private function, you can't be in here. Leave before I call security."

Keeping low, Virgil reached out to try and catch Martin's leg as the man rounded the bar, but he couldn't reach. All he could do was stay low as he heard a thud and a moan of pain. His heart was pounding hard as he slowly peered over the top of the bar, swearing when he saw eight heavily armed men throwing open the doors. One had hold of Martin and Virgil could only watch as they practically threw him over the bar. He crashed down onto the floor and didn't get up again. Virgil, however, found his attention drawn by the men moving into the main room.

The final thing Virgil saw was one of them aiming his gun at the ceiling, firing and beginning to yell as the others shut the doors. Virgil was up and running almost before it was safe to do so, but he was still too late. He simply slammed into the doors, and no matter how much he shoved at them, it was clear they had been barricaded from within.

"No!" Naomi's scream made him jump as she ran up next to him, slamming her hand against the door. Virgil swiftly caught her around the waist and pulled her away.

"Sh, shh, they'll hear you. It will be alright…"

"My brother is in there!"

Naomi didn't seem to notice as Virgil dragged her away from the doors and pushed her onto a bar stool. Only when he knew he no longer had to take her weight or risk her collapsing did he sigh heavily and turn to look at the firmly shut doors.

"So is mine," he muttered, his heart feeling like it had just plummeted.