Disclaimer: I don't own the weeTracys; I'm just borrowing them for this story.

A/N: This one-shot is dedicated to lissysue85. Happy Birthday! –love ya, sam1

A/N: In this story Alan has just turned 4. The other brothers...Well, they're all older.

Family Tradition

Four brothers crept along the hallway, seeking out their youngest brother. Self-preservation kept them quiet so as to not wake their father. That is until the second youngest brother tripped over a pair of shin guards that he'd carelessly dropped the night before after soccer practice. He fell against his older blonde-haired brother who shoved him back.

"Watch it, dippy," John snapped. He'd been up late the night before star-gazing and was a bit cranky.

"John, no name calling," Scott hissed, trying to maintain quiet. John glared at his oldest brother for a moment before shrugging off some of his irritability.

Trying to ease the sudden tension, Virgil shook his head, "Nice one, Gordy, only you could trip over something that you left lying about."

Gordon shrugged his shoulders before offering a quiet apology to John. "Sorry, Johnny, I honestly forgot that I had dropped them there." Lightly cuffing his younger brother, John merely grinned.

"Can we get on with more important matters?" Scott asked, lightly bouncing in anticipation.

"Lead on, big bro," Virgil answered. The brothers lined up outside Alan's bedroom with Scott at the door, carefully opening it. Stealthily they approached the bed, all tensing to jump on the youngest Tracy and sing – albeit not too well – Happy Birthday to him.

Scott held up his hand and the rest could see him count down. When he reached one, a sudden and very loud rendition of HAPPY BIRTHDAY rent the quietness of the early morning hour. The four brothers realized after a moment or two that no complaints of being woken so rudely were heard.

Gordon pulled back the blankets and found a few pillows positioned to look as if someone were lying in the bed. "He's not here, Scotty. Where'd he go?"

John and Virgil looked at one another before shifting their gaze to Scott. For his part, he stared at the bed and a slow but ornery grin spread across his face, "Nobody gets away from a family tradition. Guys, check every room and when you find the little bugger, yell for the rest of us." With a loud scampering, they did just that.

Meanwhile, the missing brother shook with laughter. He'd gotten up long before his brothers, knowing just what was coming and wanted to draw it out a little bit. It wasn't anything major to fix his pillows to make it look like he was asleep on his bed. Just as it wasn't a big deal to creep to his father's room and crawl into bed next to his daddy.

"Just what has tickled your funny bone, Allie?" asked Jeff, wiping his eyes and yawning.

Giggling behind his hands, Alan answered, "I hided from Scotty and Johnny and Virgie and Gordy, Daddy. They thoughts I was in my bed but I comed and got in bed with you. They sung Happy Birthday to my pillows."

"Are you saying that you're bucking a family tradition, Allie?" Jeff stared at his son, waiting to hear what he would say.

Confused, Alan tried to understand the words he didn't recognize. "Nuh-uh, Daddy. I just hiding from them. They jumped on me when I turned three. And we did it to Johnny when him turned ten."

Jeff heard what Alan missed during his eagerness to answer his father…The door slowly creaked open and Gordon poked his head in and saw his baby brother lying next to their dad, talking animatedly. Backing up, he hurried down the hall searching for his older brothers. He found Scott coming up the stairs. "He's in Daddy's room, Scotty. C'mon let's go get him."

"Whoa, Gordy, we have to get Virg and Johnny," Scott replied. No sooner had he spoken that Johnny and Virg came out of Gordon and Johnny's bedrooms which happened to be right across from each other. "Come on, guys. Gordy found him in Dad's room."

Quietly, they snuck up to their dad's bedroom door. Alan was still talking to Jeff, telling him some story from preschool the day before. Scott held up his hand and counted down again. When he lowered his last finger, he flung open the door. All four boys ran for Jeff's bed, singing Happy Birthday as loud as they could and pounced on their baby brother. Alan laughed hysterically as he was hugged and tickled by his father and big brothers. This was their tradition and one they tried to maintain even as they grew older. Each brother's birthday was something to be celebrated and what better way to do it than with a tradition started by their father. Who incidentally didn't escape the family tradition nor did he want to.