#warm rain

The funny thing was, if that eyebrow had belonged to Virgil, he would have been irritated. He knew Virgil’s motivation was similar to Em’s, but it was different.

Virgil was his brother. Em was his…girlfriend.

The word really wasn’t enough to express what she meant to him.

That thought sprouted about a dozen others better suited to a fancy restaurant and a candle lit dinner.

Instead, One shook them a little as Eos failed to fully compensate for the storm outside.

“Scott?”

Great. He’d advanced from arched eyebrow to verbal enquiry. He’d better move his ass before Em took command, wrapped him in cotton wool, and jumped out of One to save the climbers herself.

It wasn’t like she wasn’t capable. In the two years since they had become a couple, she had thrown herself into International Rescue almost as much as he. As the Thunderchicks became a force for the world to contend with, the Thunderbirds stepped back just a little. Em had kept an eye on Scott and reined him in, alongside Virgil, when the urge to jump in himself became too much. Today was one where Thunderbird One’s capabilities were needed. Thunderbird Two could also have sufficed, this storm battled even better by the massive green behemoth, but Virgil was hip deep in the floods in Bangladesh on the other end of the Himalayas.

Scott should be in Bangladesh as well, but both Em and Virgil had said no.

Grandma’s quiet hand on his shoulder had been the closer.

Virtually all of IR was in Bangladesh, a world-wide effort as the country was drowning under rising sea levels and its monsoon. Only a small contingent was available for the rest of the world and Scott was it.

Didn’t mean Em or Virgil liked it very much.

A soft hand on his cheek. “Are you sure you’re okay?” Pale blue eyes were as piercing as any yellow-eyed mediscanner.

He smiled just a little. “I’m fine.” But distracted, damnit.

He forced himself to ignore her hair tied back, the arch of her eyebrow, and the fact the word ‘girlfriend’ no longer described her well enough.

Scott shoved on his helmet and held out his hands signalling mutual safety check.

All business, he ran his hands across her harness, ever so careful to make sure she was properly secured to her specialist hoverscoot. Virgil’s handiwork was all over it and consequently, there was no way she was falling out of it.

Her hands ran over his harness and jetpack, fast, efficient…and to his shame, distracting.

Goddamnit, focus, you have a job to do!

Lines deployed he opened One’s hatch and stepped out into the weather.

Any chance of further distraction was immediately slapped sideways as wind and snow caught him.

If it wasn’t for his HUD, he would be blinded.

Thank god for Brains.

“Careful with that first step, White.”

“FAB.”

It was his job to secure the first of the climbers. It was her job to locate the injured person, do a medical assessment of their needs and prep for transport.

He hated the fact that she disappeared into the storm.

But they were professionals and as Scott’s feet made contact with the mountainside, his thoughts turned immediately to the rescuee and their safety.

As he lifted the woman off the mountain, her gushing thanks stolen by the storm, Em signalled Scott to attend the third rescuee. The injured person would need both of them.

The third climber was a man who did not want to leave his wife. Em had secured herself to the rockface with a piton, her hoverscoot managing her stability and her position beside the unconscious woman dangling against the cliff.

It only took him a glance to note she had followed procedure and secured the woman to herself before attempting any assessment.

Why he felt the need to check was frustrating. It wasn’t as if she didn’t know. Em was a professional on several fronts. She had passed every test he and Virgil and even John could think of throwing at her. It had still taken a little more convincing on Virgil’s part, not to mention several expletives on Kayo’s part, before Scott let her out into the field.

He couldn’t help it. He knew she was good. He trusted her with more than his life.

But he also knew what could happen out here and goddamnit, it still scared him.

“Please let me stay.” The man had tears in his voice while attempting to pull away. Scott’s external mic scratched together what the man was saying through the screaming wind. “This is my fault. Please, please let me stay!”

Outside of a rescue, Scott would probably have felt the pain in those words and those eyes. But this was a rescue. His goal was to keep these people safe.

He couldn’t afford to feel too much.

For anyone.

“Sir, we will do our best!” His external speakers fought to get the man to hear him. “We need to get you to safety first!”

He either didn’t hear Scott or chose to ignore him. Either way he yanked himself out of his grip and tried to climb closer to where Em was now huddled into a crack in the cliff, attempting to both provide first aid and get out of the wind.

Scott grabbed at him and felt his side twinge.

Shit. He couldn’t afford to stress his body. He could feel Virgil’s frown from the other side of the planet and the thought of facing Em again…

“Sir!” A gust of wind threw the both of them hard against the rockface.

Scott instinctively glanced at Em.

Again.

Hell, she was more secure than he was. Now well into that crack, she was immobilising the woman ready for transport.

But Scott wouldn’t be happy until Em was once again safe aboard One

Focus!

He turned back to his still struggling charge. “Sir, I need you in this harness, now!”

“She’s my wife!”

“And you’re endangering mine!”

The man stared at him, mouth open, snowflakes catching on his lips. His mouth closed without anything further falling out. Instead, he quietly reached for the harness and with Scott’s equally wordless help, put it on.

Moments to secure their line, a last glance at Em, and Scott reeled them up into One.

The sudden protection from the wind made him stumble as he steered himself and the rescuee onto the deckplates.

Little was said as Scott released him from his harness, directed him to a seat and strapped the man in. Once he was secured Scott could finally turn all his attention to Em and her patient.

He grabbed a basket stretcher and attached it to a line. Much like Em’s ‘scoot, it had hoverjets designed for stabilising in high winds.

Drawing it close to his body, he jumped out of his Thunderbird again. “White, report.”

“Broken arm and leg, bad concussion, still unconscious. Rescuee prepped for transport.” Her tone was ever so clipped and professional.

He still loved to hear her voice.

As he decelerated towards her position, he kicked himself yet again for his distraction. What the hell was wrong with him?

His feet hit the rockface again and he stalked across it sideways to her position, activating the basketstretcher as he moved. It’s hoverjets fired and stabilised.

Em had the woman fully splinted with a neck brace in place just in case.

Yellow light flickered as Dr Harris ran the mediscanner over her again. “Nothing life threatening, but I’d like to get her to a hospital before she regains consciousness.” Em’s entire attention was on her patient.

He loved her focus, her determination…

For goodness sake!

“FAB.” His acknowledgement was as distracted as he was, but he was efficient, he had that much going for him. Together, they bundled her patient into the stretcher and secured her for transport.

The wind howled and buffeted them the entire time, screaming between the peaks. Em’s hoverscoot fought the gusts, keeping her level and moving. No words, just efficiency and concentration. Within minutes the rescuee was ready to be lifted up into One.

Scott gripped the edge of the stretcher, keeping himself stable as much as stabilising it. White’s gloved hand swept the scanner across the woman one last time, Em’s fingers wrapped around the instrument, her pale blue eyes focussed and obscured by snow.

He stared at her, caught in the moment despite the situation, despite the howling wind. Words formed on his lips and fell out without thought.

“Marry me?”

She glanced up at him, and stared a full moment, before frowning. “Ready for evac.”

Scott blinked, and they were moving. Automatically, smoothly, as a team.

They clung to the stretcher as One hauled them up. Nothing was more was said.

In fact, they managed to deliver the climbers to the nearest hospital before anything was said outside professional questions and replies.

By the time they tore over the Bay of Bengal on the way back to base, Scott’s hands were sweaty inside his gloves on the controls. His heart was beating far too fast, and if he was honest, he was terrified.

“Thunderbird One, what is your status?” John voice was concerned.

Scott swore under his breath. Five had access to his vitals which were, no doubt, bouncing about in all their holographic glory.

“A-okay, Thunderbird Five.”

But Thunderbird Two cut in. “Scott what the hell is going on? I told you to take it easy! Thunderbird White, report!”

Scott opened his mouth to berate his brother into paying more attention to his rescue, but a hand landed gently on his.

Scott’s grip on his ‘bird was absolute, but that hand…

“Put her into a hover.” Em’s voice was ever so quiet…until she spoke to his brothers. “Thunderbirds Five and Two, situation is under control. Rescue complete, and we are on our way home. Her eyes flicked over to him as One’s engines slowed and switched to a hover over the Indian Ocean far below. “Scott is okay.” Pale blue eyes were fixed on him. “There is no need for concern.”

John butted in again, but Em cut him off. “Thunderbird One out.”

She was still staring at him.

Wordlessly, she removed her helmet, her curls falling out onto her shoulders despite being tied back. She put it aside and then quietly reached for his.

He was frozen. For one of the very few times in his life, he had no idea what to do. This was all her. She had all the answers.

All of them.

His helmet hissed as she released its catch and he continued to watch her as she put it beside hers.

And then her eyes were back on him.

Her hand touched his cheek. “How can you think that my answer would be anything but yes, flyboy?”

Something inside him snapped and a goofy smile spread across his lips. “Really?” God, he sounded like a child.

Her lips curled into a loving smile and she was kissing him.

His hands left the controls and she was in his arms, her slight body crushed against his chest, baldrics caught against each other.

“Thunderbird One! What the hell is going on down there?!” John’s patience was obviously shot.

Em pulled back and caught his eyes as she arched an eyebrow. “Your timing is questionable.” She hit her comms. “Thunderbird Five, everything is fine. Beyond fine, in fact. Just give us a minute.”

“Thunderbird White!”

“John, please.”

There was silence over comms for a grumbling minute. “FAB.” Five cut off.

And Em’s attention returned to Scott. Her eyes stared at him for a moment and when he did and said nothing, she frowned. “Scott?”

“You are so beautiful.”

Her lips smiled, but the frown didn’t quite go away. “You’ve been distracted all rescue. Are you sure you are okay?” Her hand hovered over her baldric, obviously ready to yank out that mediscanner and zap him for information.

Instead he pulled her close again, almost clinging. “I’m fine.” He held her ever so tight. “Couldn’t be better.”