#elephant sels | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

willow-salix · 2 years

Text

NEW CHAPTER WHO DIS?

Finally got a new chapter out, yay me! And John is NOT having a fun time.

His motto for this one is most definitely "don't ask questions, just accept it as best you can".

You can read the whole thing here on Ao3 or read it below the cut.

“Hey, Muscles, are you busy?”

At her question, Virgil put aside his tablet on which he had been reading, ready and willing to help her with anything she might need. “Not really, what’s up?”

“Do you have any flying hours left to spare?”

That wasn’t the question he had been expecting, he was used to her asking him to fetch and carry for her, to make her a drink or to help her to get around. “Not for another ten hours. Do you need to go somewhere?”

“Adam called earlier to tell me he’d arranged a special trip for us but obviously he can’t come here.”

“A trip?” Scott piped up, shamelessly listening in.

“Yes, a trip,” Selene said with a sarcastic roll of her eyes. “He wants to take me to this really cool alternative therapy retreat in Costa-”

“Does John know about this?” Virgil asked, not willing to be held responsible if his brother didn’t know and found out he’d taxied his wife somewhere dangerous.

“I don’t need his permission to go somewhere with my brother,” Selene told them. “I’m his wife, not his child.”

“You know it’s not like that,” Virgil soothed, “but you have to tell him.”

“I will, I was just making arrangeme-”

“Tell me what?”

All three jumped guiltily, even though Virgil and Scott were, for once, innocent of any and all wrongdoing. Selene shot a sideways glance at Scott, her backup, her best friend… he was refusing to meet her eyes, looking stubbornly out the window.

“Sel?” John's arms were crossed and even across the room, she could feel the heat of his scowl.

“Ad’s pulled a few strings and got us a place in the San Luis Valley, near a hot spring. They have a sweat lodge and every treatment you can think of.”

“Costa Rica? No, no way,” John said firmly. “It’s not safe for you to be off the island at the moment, you know that.”

Selene scowled right back at him, daring him to keep pissing her off. She was sore, she was cranky and she was bloody bored. Much as she loved everyone on the island she was fed up with sitting around feeling sorry for herself. She’d been a good girl, she’d sat and rested for nearly three weeks, hadn’t lifted a finger over Christmas or New Year, she’d done the small number of exercises she was allowed and she was still feeling stiff and out of sorts.

She’d done everything they had told her to, stuck with everything they had enforced, but the more she sat around doing barely anything, the more she felt like she was losing herself. She felt more like a patient than an active member of the household and if going to a healing retreat could help she was all for it. Western medicine was all well and good, but it focused on healing the body, not the mind or the spirit, and that was where she felt like she needed it the most.

“I want to go, I need to go.”

“No, you don’t,” John insisted. “What you need to do is stay right here, where we can keep an eye on you, and rest up.”

“I’m sick of resting! Resting is boring.”

“No, resting is sensible and what you need right now.”

“I can rest there! That’s the whole point of a healing retreat, you retreat! I can rest, relax and hopefully come back feeling like a whole new woman rather than one that has been sat on by an obese elephant with extra junk in its trunk.”

She heard Scott snigger and Virgil’s amused little huff, but she ignored them, as she suspected John was too.

“Can you do your treatments here? Whatever you need, just tell me and we’ll get it for you. Won’t you Virgil?” John looked at his brother for backup.

“Erm…sure, of course I will,” Virgil stammered, finding himself unexpectedly thrust into the spotlight. “It wouldn’t take me long to pick up anything you needed.”

Selene sighed, closing her eyes, her lips moving as she silently counted to ten.

“Do you have a problem with that?” John asked before she had even reached four.

“Yes, I have a problem with that!”

“Why? What can you do there that you can’t do here?”

“Everything!”

“But we can get you anythi-”

Selene slammed her hand down on the controls of her wheelchair, spinning it round and managing to stop it so it was pointed at the door after only two rotations. See, she was getting better at it! She had only crashed into the doorframe twice today and only ran over one foot. She was practically ready for racing.

Not looking back she started her rolling retreat, but her annoying husband had other ideas. The chair went dead, stopping before she even made it out of the room.

“What the hell?” She craned her neck round to shoot him a death glare so potent he should have combusted on the spot. “Release me!”

John’s fingers hovered over his wrist comm. “Guys, can you give us a few minutes?”

John didn’t need to ask them twice. They scrambled to their feet, more than ready to get out of this awkward situation before they were forced to pick sides. That never went well.

Selene’s outraged screech followed them as they left, and Scott just managed to catch a brief glimpse of her chair zooming backwards, depositing her back by the seating area steps.

“He’s braver than I am,” Scott muttered to Virgil, who could do nothing but nod in agreement as they hurried down the stairs to the kitchen and safety.

“You can’t just run away when you don’t like an answer, Sel,” John started, keeping his tone as gentle and reasonable as he could.

“I wasn’t,” she argued. “I was rolling, and it was because I was done with the conversation.”

“But I wasn’t. You can’t just drop this on me and expect me not to ask questions.”

She continued to glare at him, her head tipped back to maintain steely eye contact. “I won’t answer anything while you’re looming over me like that and laying the law down like you own me.”

“You’re right, I’m sorry.” He took a seat on the couch nearest the stairs, deliberately giving her the height advantage as she was still on the higher level. “Please can we talk about this?”

“If you’re willing to listen,” she countered.

“I’m always willing to listen,” he argued but thought better of it when he saw the disbelieving look on her face, and changed the subject. “So, Adam wants to take you to a retreat?”

“Yep.” A one-word answer was all he was getting.

“I hate to ask and dash any hopes I might have to the contrary, but it’s not a medical retreat, is it?”

“Fraid not.”

“So it’s not regulated by any health authority in any way?”

“I doubt it.”

He tried, he really did, but in the end, there was only one way he could answer. “You aren’t going, you can’t.”

“I’m not going?” she repeated, her tone deadly quiet. Over John’s head, she saw Jeff take two steps into the room, clock the situation, and then beat a hasty retreat back the way he had come. Smart man that one, smarter than his son that was for damn sure. “Are you seriously telling me what I can and cannot do?”

“No, of course not.”

“You aren’t going,” she parroted back in an awful impression of his most bossy tone.

John ignored that and pressed on. “I meant that it could be dangerous, not just medically but security-wise too. You don't know where it is, what it’s about or who runs it.”

“It’s a retreat, not a battlefield. People go there all the time, it’s very popular and according to Adam, quite exclusive and hard to get into.”

“It’s still dangerous if they aren’t medically trained.”

“Look, I love you, but I refuse to be stuck here at home, sitting around doing nothing for the next eight weeks. I need to go, I need to feel more like myself again. I’m going.”

“Not without me you aren’t.”

“Then I guess you had better get packing.” Her tone was firm, final. He knew that tone and knew just how stubborn she could be when her heart was set on something.

His sigh was epic but resigned.

“I’ve done everything that you’ve told me to, everything your brothers and grandma have told me to do, everything the doctors have told me to do, and I’ve done it with minimal complaining.” He snorted at this but she ignored it. “I’ve spent all this time with your family, now it’s time for me to spend time with mine.”

“Adam is going to make you do weird things, isn’t he?”

“Noooo,” she drawled. “Of course not.”

-x-

“What is that noise?”

“Drumming circle, man,” Adam said as he reached for the handles of Selene’s wheelchair, intending to push her along, but John got there first.

“A drumming circle? I fail to see how noise can help to heal, all it gives me is a headache.” John hung Selene’s bag over the handles of her chair and pushed forward. Why the place refused to allow any technology, even banning her electric wheelchair, was beyond him. But they had a strict policy, no phones, no communicating with the outside world, no listening to the news or anything that might be upsetting. They wanted you to be at peace, at one with nature, to set aside the trappings of modern-day life. Personally, John couldn’t think of anything worse. He discreetly fingered the collar of his jacket where he’d had Brains install a comm for just this kind of emergency. It was reassuring to know that if they found his phone hidden in his bag he still had a backup.

“A drumming circle has many benefits,” a wispy sounding voice commented from somewhere to the side of their little party, making John jump. The woman who had spoken looked to be older than dirt and was dressed in the traditional dress of an indigenous American shaman. “They reduce tension, anxiety, depression and stress, something that is all too common in this modern era. It has also been said to boost the immune system as well as release negative feelings and emotional trauma. Here we practice Shamanic drumming which helps connect us with our inner self and spirit.”

“Right,” John said with a nod. It wasn’t that he disbelieved in spiritual things, he would be crazy not to, but some things he found a little harder to understand and anything that involved loud noises was one of them.

“We’re the Tempest’s,” Selene offered helpfully, giving the woman a cheerful wave from her chair.

“I’m sure you’re expected. The entrance hall is over there, check-in and store your things in your room. I shall expect to see you in my circle at dusk.”

“We’ll be there,” Selene assured her. “Come on, guys, let’s get me rolling.”

“Thank you,” John called over his shoulder as he heaved her chair through the sloppy mud, the biting cold of the wind whipping his hair back from his face. He would never understand how someone could choose to leave their warm island for somewhere like this. The cold would be terrible for her joint pain, something he had already expressed concern over, but she wouldn’t hear of it. I'm English she’d said as if that was all the information he needed to understand her point. Unfortunately, he didn’t understand a thing.

The entrance hall was at least a welcome respite from the cold, something he was most grateful for. They had been outside for less than five minutes, just enough time to load up their belongings, plop Selene into her chair and walk from the neighbouring field where he had landed their small plane, and still, he felt chilled to the bone.

Selene and Adam chatted excitedly to the young man who manned the desk inside as he listed all the treatments they had available and signed them up for their chosen therapies. Each sounding more bizarre and uncomfortable than the last.

“And for yourself?” the young man asked, snapping John out of his horrified contemplation of the treatment brochure.

“I’m sorry?”

“What therapies shall I put you down for?”

“Erm…I’m not sure…this… isn’t not really my thing.”

The look the man gave him clearly asked why he was even there at their mega expensive retreat if he had no intention of joining in with anything.

“Can I not just watch?”

“This isn’t a spectator sport, babe,” Selene side whispered. “You have to pick some things or they might give your place away.

The young man continued to stare at him as if he were the dumbest creature on the face of the earth then, without saying another word, he tapped the framed menu boards on the wall beside him.

“I…I mean.” John frantically scanned the boards. Nothing sounded in the slightest bit appealing. “I guess…”

“You need to relax more,” Selene insisted. “So maybe something with a massage that's more calming?”

John made a face at that suggestion. The idea of a massage did not appeal to him in the slightest. The whole place looked quite grubby, he could practically feel the germs crawling on him as he stood there. How much worse would he feel if he was lying practically naked on a table?

“I don’t think a massage is for me.”

“Reiki then? Or crystal therapy?” the young man offered.

“I’ll do the serpent therapy, maybe a short cupping session and some reiki,” Adam ordered, pushing his sign-in sheet across the counter. "And sign me up for all the group sessions you have, I like the vibes," Adam continued.

“Certainly,” the young man said with a happy smile, obviously grateful that they weren’t all going to be as awkward as John.

Once again put on the spot, John did the only thing he could think of, he bowed down to his wife’s superior knowledge. “Sign me up for whatever you’re doing.” Surely that wouldn’t be too bad? She was injured, after all, so she wouldn’t be doing anything too strenuous or outlandish. Plus it would allow him to keep a close eye on her and ensure that nothing and no one could attempt anything untoward.

“Are you sure?” Selene asked, looking entirely too uncertain for his liking.

“Of course,” he assured her, hopefully sounding a lot more confident in his choice than he felt. If she could endure such things then he surely could too. “I wanted to spend time with you while you did this, so what better way than to experience it too?”

She didn’t look like she bought that explanation in the slightest, but she nodded her agreement. Picking up the pen she had been handed, she read through the options again, then ticked to select the one she wanted.

“It’s not too late to change your mind.” She held the paper out to the young man, who made no move to take it from her, his eyes fixed on John.

“No, I’ll do what you do.”

“Fine,” Selene said with a shrug. “Sign him up for the same as me.”

“Of course.” The young man took the paper, obviously grateful to be able to get on with his job. He spun around in his chair and grabbed a couple of old-fashioned keys. He handed one to Selene and one to Adam.

“These are the keys to the outer doors and one each for your yurt storage chests where you will find pillows and blankets to use.”

“Thanks, my man,” Adam said, slipping his key into what could have been a pocket in his poncho but was just as likely to be a pocket dimension with the frequency in which he lost things in it.

Selene, fearing their key might suffer the same fate if she kept hold of it, passed it over to John for safe keeping. Besides, he was the one that would be doing all the door unlocking anyway.

“Here are your timetables,” the young man said, handing them a couple of sheets of paper each. “There are no clocks in the yurts and only one in the main complex, so listen out for the gongs that signal the hours and half hours. Now, head through those doors and out into the main complex, you have twenty minutes until your first treatment to get settled. There’s a map included on the back of your schedules and a menu. Enjoy your stay.”

And with that, they were dismissed.

-x-

“We are not sleeping here.”

“Why not? We’ve stayed in a yurt before and you found it quite pleasant if I remember correctly.” Selene wheeled herself into the yurt after him, glad that her wrist was finally out of its cast and she was a two-handed being again. The ankle was still immobilised and her pelvis was still healing but at least she was able to do small tasks again.

“That was on a soft, inflatable bed at a decent height. This,” he paused to point disgustedly at the two small army-type cots that awaited them, “is not going to happen.”

“It’ll be fine, it’s only a few nights,” Selene said dismissively as she looked around the rest of the small tent.

“No, absolutely not. Sel, you can’t sleep on this, it’s only been four weeks since you had your accident, you need a real bed. One with adequate space and support.”

“Well this is all they have, they don’t do luxuries here, so we’ll have to make do.”

“Sel, please, be sensible.”

Selene snorted. “Sensible? Me? When have you ever known that to happen?”

“I live in hope. But please, I’m begging you, don’t make me drag you home because you’ll yell and hate me and I really don’t want that.”

Selene tipped her head back to look at him. He certainly didn’t look like he was happy to be asking such a thing of her, in fact, he looked downright wary like he expected her to explode any minute. She guessed she could understand that, she’d been a little grumpy lately, she just didn't do pain or inactivity well.

“What do you propose we do then?” she asked, willing to give him a chance. For what she didn't know, maybe to back down and let her make up her own adult mind, or to come up with a reasonable solution they could both live with.

“Stay for the day and then go home?” he suggested hopefully, not really expecting her to agree.

“It’ll take too long to fly home,” Selene argued.

“Hotel in the nearest town?” he countered, his tone firmer now.

Selene looked at him, her head tipped to one side, clearly weighing up her options. There was only so far she could push him out of his comfort zone, especially at the moment. He’d been on edge for the past month, hardly daring to let her out of his sight. He was tired and cranky, working while she was asleep or resting, only going to Five when he had to or until she got so fed up with him she threatened to run him over with her chair if he didn’t ‘piss off back to space’ for a while. Now he was here with her and she knew that he’d do his best to be as respectful as possible, but when it came to her health he wouldn’t compromise.

“We’ll stay here until the very end of the night and come back first thing in the morning?” she confirmed. “And we’ll stay at the resort's hotel, the one they use for day campers?”

“If that’s what you want, as long as you sleep in a real bed.”

“Deal,” she said with a decisive nod. “But how will you book it? There’s no phones here.”

The look John shot her said she really should know him better than that. He dipped a hand into his overnight bag, rummaged under the lining and pulled out his phone.

“You said you’d leave that at home!”

“And you should have known I’d never be able to do that, it’s one of my quirks and you promised to love me despite them.”

“You shouldn’t throw my love promises back at me like that,” she grumbled as he fired off a text command to EOS.

“EOS will order us a taxi for the end of the night and book us into a room that suits our needs.”

“I’m still not happy with this, I’d like that to be registered as a formal complaint.”

“Noted.”

“I won’t bother to unpack then, I’ll just lock my bag away.” Selene gathered the things that she’d managed to tuck all around her in her chair and deposited them into her bag. “Here, you can put your phone in here too.” She held out her bag with a pointed look. John dropped his phone in, not wanting to argue.

“This is going to be a really long weekend, isn’t it?”

-x-

“Can you repeat that, please?”

“What part, the snakes or the massage?” Selene asked innocently. The rather large but incredible docile boa constrictor she was holding stopped gliding from hand to hand, its head whipping round to stare at John like it was evaluating the tastiness of his soul. He wasn’t afraid of snakes, but he also wasn’t a fan of getting up close and personal with them. Yet there was his wife, cooing to it like it was a baby.

“What was it that Adam signed up for?” he asked.

“Hay bath I think, then he's doing this after us.”

“A Hay bath?” Was that something that might be better? Hay wasn't a favourite of his, it was itchy, sometimes spikey and it set his allergies off. But then anything would be better than this.

“Yep, old-fashioned claw foot tub filled with hay and in you go.” The snake turned away from John in favour of tongue kissing all over Selene’s face. “Aww look, he likes me!”

“I think I’ll sit this one out, I’ll come back when you’re done.” He was already moving towards the door, not giving her a chance to argue. Maybe if he stayed outside the tent someone would think he was lost and point him to the exit. He could dream.

“Fine, but this is your only veto, so make it count,” she told him firmly. “You wanted to come along so you have to join in.”

He waved his hand in acknowledgement but didn’t look back as the door swung shut behind him.

He spent a freezing, but blissfully alone, half hour wandering the grounds, orientating himself with the layout of the complex. The ever-present scent of smoke seemed to permeate the air, so much so that he could almost taste it on his tongue. He heard the distant sound of bubbling, trickling water from the promised hot springs. That wouldn’t be too much of a hardship to enjoy, he was sure, so long as they had seats in there on which Selene could rest and her waterproof cast stood up to the challenge.

He stood in the main circle of the complex, surrounded by a mixture of tents, cabins and what could affectionately be called garden sheds, all of which seemed to offer a different treatment. The air was filled with a cacophony of sounds, some pleasant, some not so, making him wonder just how anyone was supposed to relax while there. But he guessed that he wasn’t the one in need of relaxation and he wasn’t the type of person that this facility was intended for. He was here for his wife and if she was happy and relaxed, then he would try to be too.

By the time he’d completed a circuit of the compound, locating the bathroom facilities that were wheelchair accessible, the dining area and their next therapy session hut, he figured it was time to head back and collect Selene.

He pushed the door open as quietly as he could, not wanting to disturb her peace if they were still working. He didn’t think to knock on the door, he knew it was a massage but it wasn’t like she had anything to hide from him. That was his mistake.

“I…erm…I mean,” he stammered, coming to a halt when he found no words to describe the scene he had just walked in on.

“You at one with the earth,” the snake priestess intoned softly as she shook a dry sounding bead rattle around like she was salting the air.

“I am at one with the earth,” Selene repeated back in the quietest voice he’d ever heard from her.

“You are grounded.” The practitioner caught a snake that was about to dive bomb off onto the floor and guided it back onto Selene’s head.

“I am grounded,” Selene echoed, seeming not to even notice, or at least care about, the fat ball python she was wearing as a hat.

“You embrace the healing energies of mother earth.”

His wife was lying on what looked to be an old bean bag bed from the 1970s. She had not one, not two, not even three or four but FIVE large snakes roaming about her person. One was wrapped around her cast covered ankle, the other, the largest from what he could tell, was curled up on her lap, covering her pelvis and lower abdomen. She had another slithering across her chest, a smaller one wound around her right arm, and the one on her head made five.

“You no longer hurt,” the priestess said and Selene copied her once more. "Your body is healing from the inside out.”

“My body is healing from the inside out.”

“Talking of out,” John muttered, opening the door and slipping outside again. He’d leave her in peace until she was done.

-x-

“What’s the flame for?” John asked suspiciously as one of the women who would be performing their treatment lit what looked to be a stick with a bundle of cotton on the end that smelt strongly of rubbing alcohol.

“We heat the cups,” the woman answered, moving towards Selene purposefully.

John, Adam and another woman were lying on their fronts on massage beds, but Selene, unable to lie on her front, had been provided with a massage chair that tipped forwards enough that she could still have the treatment.

“Babe, it’ll be fine,” Selene assured him. “Just relax.”

“Yeah, chill out, man. Just go with the flow, feel that zen energy in the air,” Adam instructed, waving his arms in what was obviously meant to be a feeling-the-energy thing but, as he was lying down, made him look like a bug stuck on its back.

John huffed, he’d never felt less Zen in his entire life. He was lying half naked on a table, surrounded by people that carried flaming stick rags and pushed trays of glass jars around with them. Where was the sanity in that?

“What is this treatment again?” he asked. Knowledge was power and maybe, just maybe, if he actually understood what they were planning on doing, he’d feel a bit better about the situation.

“Cupping is an ancient Chinese practice that helps relieve tension, stress, and encourages healing,” one practitioner answered.

“It balances the Qi, dude,” Adam continued to explain. “When you get an imbalance of your wind, fire and humidity, you gotta do something about it.”

“Wind?”

“You got too much fire, my man. Makes you bad-tempered and hot.”

“He’s definitely hot,” Selene commented none too innocently. She was immune to his glare, as far as she was concerned, if she couldn't see it, it didn’t exist. John, for his part, didn’t dignify her with an answer.

“Too much fire,” Adam confirmed in a solemn voice. John ignored him too. He was too busy watching a therapist advance on an apparently already sleeping client with the flame and his jars. The man held the flame inside the jar for a moment or two then slapped the jar neck down onto his client's back where it stuck firmly in place.

“First we massage the back with oil,” a therapist said, keen to stop the bickering going on between clients. John couldn’t blame her. “Head in the hole, if you please.”

Never had anything sounded less appealing to him than that instruction but he wasn’t about to argue. He was doing this for his wife, so he would do it with minimal fuss.

He tensed the moment a dollop of cold oil splattered onto the centre of his back. He could feel it dribbling its way down his side, but the therapist caught it before it hit the couch.

“Try to relax,” his therapist instructed and he was sure he heard a small snort of disbelief from Selene’s direction. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, willing his muscles to unclench. It wasn’t easy. He didn’t like people he didn’t know touching him at the best of times and this wasn’t one of them. But he’d had a number of messages from Selene and liked them, he just hoped this one wouldn’t put him off for life.

The therapist, deciding that the only way to get this job done was to get on with it, started his massage.

This isn’t too awful, he grudgingly admitted to himself as the therapist's oiled hands slid the length of his spine, her fingers and thumbs kneading the tight muscles. He could do this, lie there while he was basted like a Thanksgiving turkey.

He forced himself to close his eyes and let out the breath he'd been holding. It didn't feel horrible, nor as intrusive as he had expected. He might even go so far as to say it was verging on pleasant. He was just starting to relax properly when she stopped.

“Now for cups.”

Welcome back tension. He knew how things worked and in his mind fire and glass didn’t mix. He wanted to sit up, to scramble off the table and make a break for it, but a soft sigh and a contented moan from Adam told him they wouldn’t appreciate his interruption.

The first thing he noticed was that the cup felt warm on his skin. The second was the pressure. He could feel the skin of his back being sucked up into the cup like it had been attacked with a vacuum cleaner. He’d barely had time to register what was going on when another cup was popped onto his back, and then another and another.

“Keep still,” the therapist ordered when he tried to lift his head to see what Adam’s back looked like. The movement stretched his back but the cups held firm, moving with it.

He stilled, dropping his face back down into the couch hole. The cups clinked together as he settled

“You wait here,” the therapist told him.

“Not like there is anywhere I could go,” he muttered. This was his worst nightmare, having to sit still, in one place, with nothing to occupy his mind. It wasn’t that he couldn’t do it, he just didn’t like to. He liked to keep busy, he considered time spent sitting around doing nothing to be wasted. When he had nothing to focus on his mind tended to wander and that wasn’t always a good thing.

He tried to relax, he tried to let the soothing sounds of pan-pipe music wash over him, but it didn’t help much. Sure, his muscles under the cups felt really good, like all the tension was being sucked out of them, but his mind kept going back over the reason they were at the retreat in the first place. His thoughts kept tumbling over and over, gathering and rearranging the evidence they had over and over, trying to form some kind of logical pattern.

By the time the therapist came back fifteen minutes later and whipped the cups off his back with an audible pop, he was still no closer to an answer, not that he had expected to be.

As soon as he was free of the cups he moved, sitting up and swinging his legs around so he was sitting on the table. An experimental wiggle of his shoulders told him that they actually felt less stiff than normal. His skin still felt tingly, like the start of pins and needles, but in a good way.

Selene’s back was covered in large, round red marks, obviously from the cups. They looked like giant hickies and reminded him of the ones he’d seen on Gordon from time to time.

“Is this treatment good for athletes?” he asked a passing therapist.

“Oh yes, athletes often get this,” she answered. “It increases the blood circulation into the muscles, drawing out toxins. It encourages the body to speed up the healing process. So any sport that involves a lot of muscle use, such as weight lifting, running, swimming, climbing, will benefit from a session after a big event or even in preparation if training has been hard.”

That would explain the tingling sensation he was experiencing, the increased blood flow. He nodded, pleasantly surprised that there appeared to be a relatively scientific reason behind such a bizarre seeming treatment.

“Can someone please bring my wheelchair over?”

Adam jumped to attention, his desire to help his sister at odds with his usual laid-back, snail-with-luggage speed at which he did most things. Working in tandem, Adam held the chair steady while John lifted her gently off the therapy chair, being careful of the metal pole between her legs that held the support she had been leaning against. Once situated, he helped her pull on her shirt, one that closed at the back and settle back into her chair.

“Thanks, guys.” Selene wiggled in her chair, rolling her shoulders and stretching her neck this way and that. “Wow, that feels so much better. Thanks, Li, you did an amazing job.”

“Very welcome,” Li responded with a brief but friendly nod of her head. She was already busily sterilising the cups for the next wave of clients, so they didn’t stop too long.

“Where to next?” John gamely asked although he was very much dreading the answer.

“Sweat lodge, then dinner, then the drumming circle,” Adam answered happily. “I’ve heard rumours that their Quinoa and tofu salad is life-changing.”

-x-

“I am not sleeping with crystals in the bed.”

“Why not?”

“Because they are crystals?”

“I fail to see your point.”

“Bed equals soft, comfortable, restful.” He picked up the large black tourmaline that had been nestled under the covers at the end of the bed. “This is large, heavy, hard and not at all restful. If that hits you in the night it could really hurt you.”

“But I need them, it’s part of the package.”

“So? The food was part of the package and neither of us needed that,” John pointed out. Adam had promised life-changing and all it had certainly been that, but definitely not in a good way.“Are you sure you don’t want me to order something in?”

“No, no outside food, you know the rules.” Her stomach growled traitorously and she glared down at it. “And I need them for my pain.”

“You’re in pain?” John dropped the crystal back onto the bed without a care in order to grab his bag. “How long have you been hurting for? You should have told me, I brought extra pain meds with me because I knew you’d probably forget.”

Selene straightened from her exhausted slump. “It's fine, I didn’t forget, I left them at home on purpose.”

“What? Why?” His expression was one of pure confusion and she had to fight the urge to giggle.

“You know I don’t like taking medication if I can help it.”

“But you’re in pain, Sel,” he pointed out, quite needlessly in his opinion. Why could nothing ever be straight forward when it came to his wife?

“I know that, which is why we’re here, what part of that aren’t you understanding, babe?”

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe the part where you allow yourself to suffer needlessly?”

“Then I suffer,” she said with a dismissive shrug. “I’ll heal at the same rate regardless if I take them or not.”

“But the difference is whether you’re in pain for the duration of that healing or resting comfortably!” John argued, his voice rising as his frustration took over.

“I don’t like them,” she insisted, crossing her arms stubbornly. “They make me feel like shit. I’m all fuzzy headed and grumpy, I need off them.”

His jaw tightened, his frustration clear. “You’re grumpy because you’re hurting.”

“No, I’m grumpy because people keep arguing with me, telling me what to do and thinking they know better.”

“We do know better, we deal with injuries all the time, you know that.”

“And I don’t.”

“Exactly!”

“But that doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t be able to have a say in my own life and treatment.”

“Of course you can have a say!" John exploded. He started to move, his legs carrying him the length of the room in quick strides, needing to work off some of the frustration. “But this isn’t treatment, this is madness! Crystals in the bed, bathing in hay and scoffing mung bean salad isn’t going to help you!”

“Yes, it is!” Selene slammed her hands down on the arms of her wheelchair, unable to do much more. She wanted to move as he was, to work off some of her frustration with action. Being forced to sit in a chair and stay where she was put was the worst thing in the world. She already felt like a piece of the furniture, an object that was getting in the way and being an inconvenience on a daily basis, she didn't need to feel like her voice was broken too.

“It won’t! There is not a shred of actual scientific evidence that can substantiate those claims!”

“Listen here,” Selene said, her voice dangerously low, her pointy finger of doom aimed in his direction. “I’ve been good, I’ve done everything that the doctors, Grandma, Virgil, your dad and you have told me to. I’ve taken the meds even when I haven’t wanted to. I’ve sat on my ass for weeks, I’ve avoided my friends calls, I’ve allowed you to screen every bit of contact I’ve had with the outside world and I’ve done it all with what I consider to be minimal complaining and if you can’t figure out why this is important to me without me having to scream at you about it, then you obviously don’t know me as well as you think you do.”

“Do you think I did all of this in order to control you in some way?” John asked quietly, shocked that she could even say such a thing, let alone think it.

“No, of course not.” She sighed deeply, allowing the anger to fade a little. The whole day had been wonderful, but quite exhausting. She was nowhere near ready for so much activity after doing basically nothing for the past four weeks and it was catching up to her. She was tired, she was hungry for something other than spirit and body cleansing vegan cuisine and she hurt all over. The glow she’d felt from her treatments had long since worn off and she wanted nothing more than to sleep.

“Then what did you mean by that?”

Selene didn’t answer, too busy wheeling herself towards the bed. “Help me into bed?” She hated to ask for help but there was no way she could do it herself and maybe, just maybe, it would give them both an excuse to stop and cool off for a minute or two.

Even though they were in the middle of an argument, John didn’t hesitate to help her. That was what she loved most about him, the fact that he never took things out on her. Even when she was annoying him in the worst possible way, he never punished her for it.

She remembered a time that Nathaniel had barged past her on the stairs. She’d stumbled down a couple of steps and badly sprained her ankle, so much so that she could hardly walk. She had only gone to the hospital because a neighbour had seen her struggling to fetch the groceries from the car and insisted on taking her to get checked out.

When she had returned home she was on crutches, with her foot in a support sock with orders to rest for a few weeks, keeping it elevated and iced to help reduce the swelling.

At first Nathaniel had been extremely apologetic and insisted on helping her into the house and settling her comfortably on the couch to rest. But that hadn’t lasted long. As soon as the neighbour had gone home he'd started blaming her for the accident, calling her clumsy and stupid for getting in his way when he’d been trying to get past her.

Nathaniel’s mood had flip flopped the entire length of her recovery. Some days he would be the doting, attentive partner, and others, mostly the times that she dared answer him back, he would make her suffer by refusing to help her or by forcing her to get up and do things for him that he could have easily done himself.

John was so different from Nathaniel in every conceivable way, but it was times like this that she was acutely aware of just how much. She realised that, in the time they had been together, she had changed just as much as he had. If she had been injured at the start of their relationship she would have assumed he’d act exactly as Nathaniel had, and would have adjusted her behaviour accordingly. But now she wasn’t afraid to talk back for fear of him abandoning her to suffer alone. She wasn’t afraid of him getting pissed off at her and ‘accidentally’ dropping her or moving her too roughly just to make his point. She knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that no matter how annoyed he was with her, he’d do anything for her. And that was worth its weight in gold.

She knew she was being a tad unfair to him. She hadn’t meant to get annoyed with him but his attitude had rubbed her up the wrong way. She appreciated the fact that he was there with her, joining in with things that he’d never choose to do off his own back. No, the thing that had annoyed her was the fact that he hadn’t stopped to consider or even ask her reasons for wanting to be there. And she didn’t feel like pointing it out to him.

“Do you want to talk about this?” John asked tentatively once she was situated in bed, in the spirit of compromise having moved the crystals to her bedside table so she could lie flat and supported.

“Not really, no,” she sighed. “It’s not that I don’t care, and I’m not pissed off with you, I just…” she paused, trying to gather her thoughts and voice them in a way that wouldn’t make her sound like a total bitch.

John sat down on his side of the bed, watching her closely. She knew he was studying her face, looking for any clues as to how she was feeling, but he was also assessing her to make sure she was comfortable. She knew that he was doing his best, in fact he was going above and beyond anything she would have expected or even wanted someone to do for her in this situation, but she had to be true to herself too.

“Can you explain it to me?” he asked gently.

“That’s the thing, I don’t think I can. Because I don’t think you’ll really understand just from me telling you, it's kind of something you have to figure out on your own.”

John didn’t look convinced. “How can I figure it out when you won’t even tell me what you’re thinking?”

“Because you’re you, I love you, and I have faith in you and your abilities as a husband.” She sat up with a little difficulty, holding in a painted groan.

“What are you doing?”

“Giving my husband a kiss. I assume that's still allowed?”

His eyes narrowed but he obviously thought better of arguing. “Fine, but just this once.”

-x-

“How can she be enjoying this?” John muttered under his breath as he watched Adam pour more foul smelling goo over his wife’s torso and rub it all over her skin. Apparently it was a herbal poultice that had amazing medicinal benefits. He thought it smelt like a gone off rock pool, or that mouldy bagel he’d found in Five that one time.

“My wife is the same,” the man next to him said, making John jump guiltily.

They were sitting on chairs along the outer edge of the round yurt where the treatment was taking place. The smell of smouldering sage was heavy in the air and John had to be careful not to breathe too deeply for fear of starting another coughing fit as he accidentally inhaled the thick smoke. Then again, that might help take away the taste of the mushroom water he had drunk at breakfast in place of real coffee.

“I’m sorry, what was that you said about your wife?”

The man stretched his legs out in front of him, settling back further in his chair. “My wife is the same as your lass, she enjoys all this weird stuff. I couldn’t say I’m a fan myself, but it makes her happy.”

“That’s the only reason I’m here. I just wish she hadn’t insisted on doing this right now. She needs to rest and look after herself.”

“What happened to her, if you don’t mind me asking?”

John kept his face impassive, while mentally rolling through the entire guest list. He wasn’t proud of it, but he’d hacked their database the moment Selene had told him they were going, he’d wanted to make sure that everyone there was legitimate. The last thing he wanted was for anything else to happen to her. No one had looked out of place, all their histories had checked out. Surely it would be safe enough if he didn’t give away too many details?

“She was in a car accident just over a month ago. She’s recovering well but decided she wanted to come here when her brother invited her.”

“Ahh, same as my Jodie. She was in an accident at work, nothing as serious as your lass by the looks of it, but enough to have her off her feet and resting for a while. She got bored while at home and started searching the internet and found alternative therapies. Not something I’d’ve ever expected from her but she found a kind of peace here, so we kept coming back. Her spiritual reboot she called it. Is yours like that?”

John shook his head. “This is nothing new for her, she’s always been this way. I learned to accept it years ago, though I must admit I’m finding this time harder for some reason.”

The man glanced over at Selene. Adam had moved on to her legs and was carefully smearing the goo onto her skin. “Can’t say as I blame you, looking at your lass I’d say she should still be in bed.”

“She should, or at the very least at home or somewhere with decent medical care.”

“Ah, but doctors can only do so much, can’t they, lad? My Jodie explained it to me as the doctors doing their work for her physical body, and this was what helped her spiritual self. And if this helps her, more power to her.”

“It’s not that I don’t support her spiritual practices, I find them interesting for the most part and they are part of what makes her so special. But I don’t believe they should mix with medicine and science, especially when it comes to her health.”

The man sucked in a slow breath, nodding gently as if he were contemplating John’s words.

“Aye, I can understand that, lad,” the man said at last. “But maybe you’re thinking about this the wrong way.”

“How so?” John had no idea where the man was going with his theories, but at this point he was willing to listen to anyone that might be able to shed some light on the crazy that had overtaken his wife. Selene had always been one to shirk western medicine if she could, that much was true, she never took headache remedies or anything to help her monthly pains or the occasional cold. She relied on her body's natural healing, aromatherapy or herbal teas. But this was different, this had been a life or death situation. She could have died right there in that car and she hadn’t come out of it unscathed. Because of that accident their lives together, all their plans for the future, might have changed beyond anything in their control.

“When someone goes through something traumatic, like your lass obviously has, it’s not just the body that has to come to terms with it and heal, it’s the mind too.”

John nodded, he understood that. Being in their line of work they often saw things that no one should, but they also saw people that survived things that no human should be able to walk away from. His own brothers had been in situations that still haunted them, not to mention their father, who was still attending monthly therapy sessions to come to terms with his time in space and subsequent rescue.

“Does she need therapy?” John asked aloud, more to himself than the man he was talking to.

“Possibly,” the man answered, assuming the question had been directed at him. “But maybe this is her version of therapy?”

Those simple words caused a lightbulb to go off in John’s brain. Honestly, he could have smacked himself for how dumb he’d been. Selene had done nothing but be herself and he’d not understood that. Selene talked all the time, talking therapy wouldn’t do much for her because she never felt like she needed to talk to someone outside of the family. She was always open and honest about how she was feeling. She’d told him as much the day she had announced the trip, she needed to feel like herself again. Her body was healing, she’d done everything the doctors had told her, had followed their instructions to the letter, even though she had grumbled the entire time. She was taking care of herself physically, but not spiritually. She hadn’t been taking care of herself mentally in a way that worked for her. He could kick himself for not seeing that.

He shot a grateful look towards Adam, who was now leaning over her while he plucked randomly at the air above her, tossing invisible things over his shoulder towards the smouldering sage burner. He, as her husband, had thought he knew her better than anyone, but it appeared he still had things to learn that only time and experience, such as a brother would have, could show him. Adam had known what she needed and provided it, just as his brothers would do for him.

He’d been lax in his attentions. Sure he’d been there for her physically and emotionally as much as he could, but he had been entirely too focused on providing what he thought she had needed, not what she was telling him she did.

“Now you get it, lad,” the man said, smiling proudly as he clapped a hand down on John’s shoulder. “We don’t always understand them as well as we’d like, but the trick is to never stop learning and to never stop listening.”

“How did you get so wise?” John asked, only half joking.

“Just as I told you, I listened, I learned and we talk about everything. And, when this place came up for sale, we knew it was the right thing for us.”

John’s eyebrow lifted in surprise. The man in front of him looked as normal as they came. Past middle aged, maybe late fifties to early sixties, he was wearing a plain green woolen sweater and beaten up jeans. His cheeks were ruddy, a ruddiness that extended up to his almost bald head. He looked like a dad, one that went to PTA meetings and ferried his kids around all day in his car. He looked like someone that barbequed on the weekends and enjoyed a beer while watching the game. In short he looked nothing like someone that would own and run a place like this.

“This is my wife’s baby,” he explained, waving a hand towards the yurt around them. “But I found my place here too. I was a therapist back in the day and, rather like you, I believed that spirituality couldn’t compete with more orthadox methods of treatment. But what you realise as you get older, is that nothing in life is orthadox and people have different needs. I work from here now, I still counsel people, it’s just in a different way.”

“I feel like I should pay you for this session,” John joked, needing to lighten the mood.

“I’ll put it on your tab,” the man joked right back. “Be at peace, lad, your lass looks like she’s doing fine to me. Plus her brother just cleansed her aura so she’ll be good to go.” There was a teasing twinkle in his eye that said he still didn’t buy all of the things they sold there, but he understood the importance of them nonetheless.

-x-

“I feel so much better,” Selene said with a contented sigh.

“You look better,” John said. "Especially after we washed all that gunk off you in the hot springs." She looked lighter somehow, like a little of the emotional weight that had been weighing her down had lifted.

They were back in their little flat for the first time since her accident, he could hear Adam chanting to himself in their spare room across the hall, and she was sitting up in bed, surrounded by pillows, with the remains of a chicken noodle box on her lap.

“Thanks for getting us there and back safely. And I’m sorry again that Adam screamed the entire way into London Airport. He’s a little sensitive to air pressure changes when he’s been meditating for too long.”

“It’s fine,” he assured her. “He more than earned the right to scream this weekend.”

“Yeah, he’s a good egg.” She pushed the noodle box in his direction in case he wanted to finish it for her. “We might not see each other as much as we used to, but he always knows when I need him.”

Moving the noodles to the bedside table, John sat up, careful not to jog her. “I want to apologise.”

“What for?” Selene asked, genuinely perplexed. He’d been a good sport all weekend, doing things that he’d never ordinarily do and he’d bought her food from her favourite stall on the market. What more could she ask for?

“For not understanding you, or anticipating your needs.”

“Oh, that,” she scoffed, waving his worries aside with a sweep of her hand. “I’m over that, it’s not a big deal. You shouldn’t have to feel like you need to anticipate my every little need and I’m sorry if I made you feel like I expected you to. I wasn’t really feeling like myself, but I’m good now.”

“I know you weren’t, and that’s the point.” John reached out, offering her his hand, smiling when she instantly dropped her own into his. “You weren’t feeling like yourself and you tried to tell me but I didn’t listen. I guess I was just so focused on trying to protect you and keep you safe that I didn’t realise I was doing the opposite.”

“You didn’t do anything wrong, baby. This wasn’t something anyone could do for me. I needed to feel like I was doing something positive towards my own recovery. Does that make sense?”

John nodded, because it did. It made perfect sense to him in the most Selene way possible.

“I hate relying on doctors and medication. I know, logically, that it was the right thing to do, I know that I need to keep up with my physio and keep doing as the doctors order, but I didn’t feel like I was doing anything to help myself, not long term.”

She squeezed his hand, tugging on it gently, encouraging him to move closer before she spoke again. “I know, logically, that most of those treatments will have done diddly squat to actually speed up or even help my recovery. But they still made me feel better. Because it felt like me. It felt like I was doing something to help myself. And that’s what I desperately needed.”

He moved closer, lying down beside her, supporting her as she settled back against her pillows. “I’m just sorry I made you feel bad about needing it.”

“You didn’t, you just didn’t understand it. I knew that it wasn’t something I could truly explain, it was something you had to see for yourself. I’ve spent a lot of time with the family, and I love them all, but I needed to be amongst people that I vibed on the same wavelength with. I needed to feel like I was making a difference to myself.”

John frowned, not quite understanding what she meant.

“It’s hard to admit,” Selene began, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. “But I’ve felt pretty useless lately.” She held up a hand to stop him when he opened his mouth, about to jump in to defend her. “Not just useless, but helpless. Everyone has had to do everything for me, and I’ve had to sit there, knowing that the reason I’m hurt is because I was helpless to start with. I’ve not felt that way since Nathaniel. There was nothing you could have done to help,” she added quickly, needing to reassure him. “I had to do something for myself. And this was that something. This was me, making a choice about my body and my treatment, doing something that I wanted to do, when I needed to do it.”

John nodded. “I understand that now. I’m just sorry that I didn’t realise it sooner. You’re you, you’ve always been you, and you needed to do things your way. We’ve been doing everything my way since you got home and that was wrong of me. I should have asked you sooner, I should have thought about it without Adam having to be the one to see it.”

“Baby,” she sighed, turning her head so they were nose to nose. “It wasn’t your job to do that. I could have spoken out about it sooner, but honestly I felt stuck. It's not anything you or anyone else has done to make me feel that way, it was me, in my head. If I had told you that I wanted to do this and explained you would have understood. But, when it came down to it, I needed someone to give me that push, to lay it out for me. And that’s what family is for.”

“But I-”

“No, there is no but. You’re you and I’m me. And you don’t think the way I do. Adam does. That’s why it was him that suggested it. You did nothing wrong, you did everything right. This was something I had to do for me, and I had to do it myself. That’s all there is to it. You supported me when you didn’t understand it, and that’s all I’ve ever cared about, that’s all that has ever mattered.”

“So you’re not mad at me anymore?”

“I never was, I was angry at the situation. This has been good for me, this has got me back on the path to feeling like myself again. I’m going to be fine. Everything is going to be fine.”

“I’m going to do everything in my power to keep you safe. I promise you that. I will find whoever did this and make sure that they can never hurt you or anyone else ever again.”

“I know, baby, but today is not that day. Tonight is a night to lie next to me and be the one thing in the world that always makes me feel safe.”

“I can do that,” he promised.

Her lips were soft and inviting and even though their kiss was brief, it contained a lifetime of promises.

#john tracy #selene tempest #recovery #healing #healthy romance #healthy relationships #soulmates #paranormal romance #thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds #thunderbirds 2015 #thunderbirds fanfiction #thunderbirdsarego #witch #fan fiction #fanfiction #fan fic update #new chapter

15 notes · View notes

swaminarayannepalyatra · 5 days

Text

Nepal Tour Package From Kathmandu

Embark on a Travel of Quietness and Splendor with Swaminarayan Nepal Yatra

Nestled in the midst of the grand Himalayas, Nepal calls with its unparalleled excellence and wealthy social legacy. Find the charm of this charming arrive with Swaminarayan Nepal Yatra your trusted companion for an extraordinary voyage. Our Nepal Tour Package From Kathmandu guarantees to drench you within the substance of this Himalayan diamond, advertising a mix of experience otherworldly existence and tranquility.

Experience the Heavenliness of Kathmandu Valley

Begin your journey in Kathmandu, the dynamic capital city of Nepal, where antiquated sanctuaries and bustling markets anticipate your investigation. Jump into the heart of the city's social embroidered artwork as you visit notorious points of interest such as the respected Pashupatinath Sanctuary a UNESCO World Legacy Location and the sacrosanct Swayambhunath Stupa known tenderly as the "Monkey Sanctuary" for its inhabitant primates. Witness the engineering wonders of Durbar Square where history comes lively in the midst of complicatedly carved royal residences and temples.

Journey to the Quiet Shores of Pokhara

As your experience unfurls wander towards the beautiful city of Pokhara, settled on the serene shores of Phewa Lake. Lose yourself within the mesmerizing vistas of snow-capped crests reflected within the crystal-clear waters making a postcard-perfect display. Investigate the enchanted caves of Devi Drop and witness the ethereal magnificence of the Gupteshwor Mahadev Cave, where sacrosanct waters cascade into the profundities underneath. For the bold soul set out on a exciting paragliding encounter in the midst of the background of the magnificent Annapurna run, taking off tall over the valley for a bird-eye see of paradise.

Discover the Otherworldly Haven of Lumbini

No travel to Nepal is complete without a journey to Lumbini the origin of Ruler Buddha and a venerated otherworldly asylum. Submerge yourself within the quiet vibe of this sacrosanct location as you investigate the Maya Devi Sanctuary where the Edified One is said to have been born. Walk within the strides of history in the midst of antiquated ruins and sacrosanct religious communities reflecting on the significant lessons of peace and illumination that resound all through the sacrosanct grounds.

Experience the Excite of Enterprise in Chitwan National Park

For the courageous at heart a visit to Chitwan National Stop offers an invigorating experience with Nepal differing natural life. Set out on a wilderness safari through lavish timberlands and prairies where tricky Bengal tigers one-horned rhinoceroses, and Asiatic elephants meander unreservedly. Encounter the excite of spotting exotic fowl species and uncommon natural life as you navigate the flawless wild guided by master naturalists who divulge the privileged insights of this environmental haven.

Indulge in Bona fide Nepali Hospitality

Throughout your travel enjoy within the warm neighborliness and bona fide flavors of Nepali food tantalizing your taste buds with a differing cluster of culinary delights. From healthy dal bhat Nepal national dish to savory momos and sweet luxuries like sel roti each feast could be a culinary experience that celebrates the wealthy embroidered artwork of Nepali culture.

Unwind in Consolation and Luxury

At the conclusion of each day enterprises resign to the consolation and extravagance of handpicked housing that offer a consistent mix of advanced comforts and traditional charm. Relax and revive in the midst of peaceful environment permitting yourself to drench completely within the tranquility of Nepal breathtaking landscapes.

Embark on a Travel of a Lifetime with Swaminarayan Nepal Yatra

With Swaminarayannepalyatra your Nepal Tour Package From Kathmandu rises above the conventional, advertising a transformative encounter that feeds the body intellect and soul.

Book your Nepal enterprise with Swaminarayannepalyatra nowadays and set out on a voyage of a lifetime. Let the charming arrive of Nepal captivate your faculties and take off an permanent imprint on your heart until the end of time.

#5 Days Nepal Tour Package From Gorakhpur #Nepal Tour Package From Kathmandu

0 notes

travellingveinsbihar · 10 months

Text

Nepal Tour by Innova Car: Exploring the Himalayan Paradise

Are you an adventure enthusiast seeking a thrilling escapade? Look no further than Nepal, a mesmerizing country nestled in the lap of the majestic Himalayas. Nepal is renowned for its breathtaking landscapes, rich cultural heritage, and warm hospitality. To fully immerse yourself in the wonders of this Himalayan paradise, embark on a Nepal tour by Innova car. This article will serve as your ultimate guide, providing you with valuable insights and information to make your journey truly unforgettable.

Nepal, with its towering mountains, lush valleys, and vibrant cultural heritage, has captivated the hearts of travelers from around the world. A Hire Innova for Nepal tour offers the perfect blend of comfort, convenience, and flexibility, allowing you to explore this enchanting country at your own pace.

2. Exploring Kathmandu: The Cultural Capital

As the capital city of Nepal, Kathmandu is a melting pot of ancient traditions, stunning architecture, and bustling markets. Visit the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Durbar Square, Swayambhunath Stupa, and Pashupatinath Temple. Indulge in the vibrant atmosphere of Thamel, where you can shop for exquisite handicrafts and sample delicious local cuisine.

3. Discovering Pokhara: The Serene Lakeside City

Nestled beside the tranquil Phewa Lake, Pokhara is a paradise for nature lovers. Admire the reflection of the Annapurna mountain range on the pristine lake, and embark on a boating adventure to explore the Tal Barahi Temple. Don't miss the opportunity to witness the awe-inspiring sunrise over the Himalayas from the vantage point of Sarangkot.

4. Chitwan National Park: A Wildlife Extravaganza

For wildlife enthusiasts, a visit to Chitwan National Park is a must. Embark on an exciting jungle safari to spot endangered species such as Bengal tigers, one-horned rhinos, and Asian elephants. Immerse yourself in the local Tharu culture and enjoy a traditional dance performance.

5. Lumbini: Birthplace of Lord Buddha

Pay homage to Lord Buddha by visiting Lumbini, his birthplace. Explore the sacred Maya Devi Temple and the Ashoka Pillar, both of which hold immense religious significance. Walk through the tranquil gardens and monasteries, experiencing a sense of serenity and spirituality.

6. The Enchanting Annapurna Circuit Trek

Embark on a journey of a lifetime with the Annapurna Circuit Trek. Marvel at the breathtaking landscapes, pass through charming villages, and conquer the Thorong La Pass at an altitude of 5,416 meters. Immerse yourself in the rich culture of the Gurung and Thakali communities while relishing the panoramic views of the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri mountain ranges.

7. Exploring the Mystic Beauty of Mustang

Venture into the mystical kingdom of Mustang, a Hire Scorpio for Nepal tour. Experience the unique blend of Tibetan and Nepali cultures as you explore ancient monasteries, visit the royal palace of Lo Manthang, and witness the vibrant Tiji Festival. The rugged terrain, wind-carved cliffs, and barren landscapes of Mustang will leave you awestruck.

8. Adventure Sports in Nepal: A Thrill Seeker's Paradise

Nepal is a haven for adventure enthusiasts, offering a plethora of adrenaline-pumping activities. Engage in white-water rafting along the raging rivers, go bungee jumping from towering suspension bridges, or experience the thrill of paragliding amidst the stunning Himalayan vistas. Indulge your adventurous spirit and create lifelong memories.

9. Cuisine of Nepal: A Gastronomic Delight

Delight your taste buds with the diverse flavors of Nepali cuisine. From the aromatic momos and spicy dal bhat to the sweet delights of sel roti and lassi, Nepal offers a gastronomic journey like no other. Experience the warmth of Nepali hospitality as you savor traditional dishes infused with unique herbs and spices.

10. Festivals and Celebrations: Embrace the Vibrant Culture

Nepal's cultural tapestry is woven with vibrant festivals and celebrations throughout the year. Witness the grandeur of Dashain and Tihar, immerse yourself in the exuberance of Holi, or be part of the colorful Indra Jatra festival. Celebrate with the locals, dance to traditional music, and cherish the cultural diversity of Nepal.

11. Traditional Handicrafts and Souvenirs

Take a piece of Nepal's rich culture and craftsmanship back home by exploring the traditional handicraft markets. From intricately carved wooden statues and handmade paper products to vibrant Thangka paintings and soft Pashmina shawls, you'll find a treasure trove of unique souvenirs to cherish forever.

12. Accommodation in Nepal: From Luxurious Hotels to Cozy Homestays

Nepal offers a wide range of accommodation options to suit every traveler's preferences. Stay in luxurious hotels that offer panoramic mountain views or opt for cozy homestays to experience the warmth of Nepali hospitality firsthand. Whether you seek luxury or a more intimate experience, Nepal has it all.

13. Safety and Travel Tips: Ensuring a Smooth Journey

While Nepal is a relatively safe destination, it's essential to take certain precautions to ensure a smooth journey. Respect the local customs and traditions, stay hydrated, carry essential medications, and be cautious while trekking in remote areas. Familiarize yourself with local regulations and seek guidance from experienced guides for a hassle-free experience.

14. Sustainable Tourism in Nepal: Preserving the Natural Beauty

As you explore the natural wonders of Nepal, it's crucial to be mindful of sustainable tourism practices. Support local communities, minimize your environmental footprint, and engage in responsible activities. By preserving the natural beauty of Nepal, we can ensure future generations can experience its magnificence as well.

15. Conclusion

A Nepal tour by Innova car is the perfect way to immerse yourself in the captivating beauty of this Himalayan nation. From the cultural delights of Kathmandu to the serene lakeside city of Pokhara, and from the majestic Himalayan treks to the mystical kingdom of Mustang, Nepal offers a plethora of experiences for every traveler. Embark on this extraordinary journey, soak in the breathtaking landscapes, and create memories that will last a lifetime.

#innova car in raxaul #car hire #car rental #travelling veins

0 notes

alokastrology1 · 1 year

Text

Everything To Know About Astraverse

Astra denotes divine strength in Norse, “extraordinary weapon” in Latin, and “star” in Sanskrit. Astras (About Astraverse) played a significant role in the epic conflicts depicted in the Mahabharata and the Ramayana and were frequently employed.

What is the most powerful Astra in Hindu mythology? Get an online astrology consultation by the world-renowned Astrologer Mr. Alok Khandelwal.

Archers like Parashurama, Rama, Lakshman, Bhishma, Indrajit (Meghnad), Ravana, Drona, Bhishma, Karna, Ashwatthama, Arjuna, and other fighters are portrayed as using them.

Shastra: Physical weapons

Astra: Mantra-powered objects

When someone obtained an Astra, the associated devatas used to place their Amsha in that person’s body. So, after appeasing the appropriate Devata, one could obtain an Astra. Brahmastra, Pashupatastra, Vaishnavastra, and others were obtained by pleasing Brahma. Although they may be utilized with anything, Divya Astra was typically conjured into arrows. Similar to Ashwatthama, who used a grass blade as his weapon to conjure Brahmashirsha Astra.

So, to operate an Astra, the following was required:

Astra devatas, the corresponding devatas in the body

Mantras for the Astra

Any tangible object, including a blade of grass, wood, bows, arrows, etc.

Even if the individual is knowledgeable of the mantras and the Vidhya, utilizing an Astra would be useless if the devata left the person’s body. Arjuna experienced this after Krishna left the material world. He learned all mantras, yet Astra devatas departed his body, leaving him defenseless. According to legend, the following mantras are needed to use the Astras.

According to legend, the following mantras are needed to use the Astras.

An incantation or chant must be used to summon an Astra. It is a particular invocation of the Gayathri Mantra.

Altering Ether sound waves gives the Brahmastra its potency.

In abstraction, the sound is called “Nada Brahma,” meaning it is heavenly.

Two different sound types exist. Unstruck/unheard sound and the sound that was struck/heard

Ether, the purer air towards the celestial world, vibrates un-struck sound. Only the enlightened yogis may hear the unperturbed sound known as “Anahata Nada,” which they seek.

The striking sound, or “Anahata Nada,” is air vibration near the earth. It includes both musical and non-musical sounds that we hear in nature or those produced by humans.

As a result, rather than using the standard Anahata sound for puja, the Gayathri mantra is chanted to unleash Brahmastra.

In three hours, Lord Rama utilizes the Gandharva Astra to slaughter and annihilate the army of 10,000 chariots, 18,000 elephants, 14000 horses and their rider, and 200,000 ground soldiers.

Each Astra used to have unique characteristics of its own. Brahmastra, for instance, has the power to obliterate any of Brahma’s creations. The Nagastra weapon was a snake. Nagapasham and Garudastra were heavenly and eagle weapons, respectively. Parvatastra was a terrifying weapon that utilized sky-falling mountains.

Vaishnavastra, Pashupatastra, and Brahmandastra are possible Astras. But because Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Ganesha, and Devi are the ultimate manifestations of the divine, these Astras cannot hurt them. These Astras cannot damage Vishnu, the greatest god, Mahadev, the god of gods and the destroyer, or Shakti, the Supreme Being and source of all Astras. Hanuman, son of Vayu, received boons from these five gods, therefore the Astras cannot harm him.

The epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata, known as “Itihasas,” include many meaningful metaphors. Astras’ celestial weapons destroyed hundreds of warriors in seconds and revolutionized warfare. Although it may sound like fiction, they were very much a reality rather than a myth. Many of them were just as potent as modern nuclear bombs.

It didn’t need mathematical formulas, scientific theories, or huge equipment like modern weapons. However, only a small number of people back then had access to information and technology. Selectively, the powerful governing class, etc., everything ends, including Astras’ knowledge.

Read Also:- What are the remedies to strengthen Venus?

The vast knowledge vanished, but where? How did The Celestial Weapons fare?

Astras are energy, not swords or spears. People’s physical prowess and memory used to be much better in the previous yugas (Dwapara, Treta, and Satya). They memorized everything, thus they didn’t write down these scriptures.

In the battle of Kurukshetra, most persons who knew how to use the weapons perished, leaving Arjuna alone. Ashwatthama, another knowledgeable person, was cursed and lost all his knowledge. So he was unable to instruct anyone.

The remaining generation was unworthy of such knowledge, so it died with them. After the Mahabharata War, Astras were not used. After the Great War, Arjuna taught Vrishaketu about Astra.

Vrishaketu, Karna’s son, visited Surya Narayan’s riverside shrine after the Kurukshetra conflict. He desired to exact revenge on all of his father’s adversaries. But when Arjun shows up in front of Vrishaketu, he begs for pardon. As a renowned warrior like his father, Arjuna urged him to join him in learning the skill of bow and arrow fighting so that he could take over the kingdom that his father was unable to control. He was educated about all the holy Astras by Arjuna, who regarded him as his son.

However, Lord Krishna ordered Vrishaketu not to disseminate the Astra Vidya since in Kaliyuga, individuals may exploit them for personal gain. Because the Kaliyuga was set to begin and this weaponry would later threaten widespread devastation, Krishna had warned him not to pass on the wisdom of the heavenly weapons to the following generation. As a result, we don’t observe any Vrishaketu students. To prevent misuse of the Pashupatastra mantra, Lord Shiva sealed it during the Kaliyuga. Lord Parashurama is likely doing penance while awaiting his turn as Kalki’s guru.

By Shri Krishna’s Mercy, the majority of the harmful science and those who used it were destroyed or killed after the conflict.

Read Also:- Are two elements compatible with each other per astrology?

#Astraverse in Hinduism #astrology consultation #astrology services #Best astrologer online consultation #best online astrology consultation #Hinduism #Hinduism in Mythological #real Astraverse in Hinduism #story of real Astraverse in Hinduism #vedic astrology consultation #zodiac signs #rashi

0 notes

promontoryranger · 3 years

Text

Biodiversity is an Emotional Issue

When it comes to biodiversity, my feelings run through the full gamut of emotions. Happiness Biodiverse landscapes make us happy. Being close to nature has been a priority of mine for nearly my whole adult life. From my first backpacking trip on, I realized that immersing myself in landscapes teeming with life – many different forms of life interacting easily and naturally with each other – kept…

View On WordPress

#animals #bears #biodiversity #birds #bison #butterflies #climate change #conservation #ecosystems #elephant sels #environment #extinction #flowers #National Parks #National Wildlife Refuges #sea otters #trees #wildlife

3 notes · View notes

ciggylungz · 4 years

Text

Summer Bummer

y/n x harry pairing

summary- y/n and Harry are part of a cast of a reality show called ‘summer bummer’ that’s a uk version of the jersey shore and things are chaotic

(hoping if it’s received well it can become a series, tbh I’ve been rewatching jersey shore and I stan snooki and pauly’s friendship)

2.8k words

The first thing that Y/n was hit with when she walked into the large mansion was booze, a giant whiff of it as she entered the doors trying not to react too much since the cameras were already following her around and she didn’t want to risk any horrid screenshots on twitter when the episode aired.

“woah, swear I could get wasted just smelling this place…” she giggled to herself as she made her way to the kitchen where she heard people who she assumed were her new roommates chatting.

“Oi! Hey love! Welcome.” The first person to welcome her was a tall tanned guy with a pretty strong posh-ish accent, big muscles and obvious over grooming, he seemed a bit full of himself just by how he looked. Y/n internally laughed as the guy hugged her calling him a ‘wanker’ in her brain.

“Hi! I’m Y/n, what’s your name?”

“Tommy, here I’ll take your bags. Take a load off sweetheart, everyone’s cool don’t look so nervous.”

Y/n was in physical pain from how badly she wanted to roll her eyes at this kids cocky and terribly flirty aggression, he wasn’t her type at-fucking-all. He looked like a guy who would cat call her when she’s out buying groceries, a hard pass on that one.

But- she managed to hold back and focus her energy on the other people all mingling in the kitchen. She counted 7, seemed like 4 girls- herself included- and 3 guys which means there was one person left to show up since she was told by producers ahead of time there were 8 cast members in total.

She introduced herself to her fellow cast mates who she learned were named Mandy, Kaitlyn, Selena, Ryan, Casey and of course the dreaded Tommy who was now looming over her again, topping off her basically full cup of vodka and red bull without asking her, and giving her a wink that made her want to vomit from cringing so hard.

Finally, the door opened again revealing the final person, who had all eyes on him as he closed the door behind him and set his luggage down, giving everyone a smile and making his way over.

Y/n let herself slyly size the man up. He looked to be about 22, long hair with a nice body to it with some curls, green eyes, dimples- he was cute. Plus he was at least a foot taller than her which was always a plus, she has always had a thing for tall guys.

The man greeted everyone, introducing himself as ‘Harry’ and Y/n smiled as he ducked down to hug her and politely kiss her on the cheek as he greeted her, asking for her name making polite conversation with everyone while they tried their best to ignore the-what seemed to be- millions of cameras surrounding them. The crew had left the house for the time being but the house was covered in cameras in pretty much every corner, on every wall- even outside.

It was a bit unnerving to the girl, she wasn’t used to being on camera and she was a bit worried about if she looked alright. She was one of the youngest in the house, freshly 19- a year over legal drinking age in England and when she saw the ad for casting of a summer reality show, she thought ‘fuck it, im young and hot and I wanna get wasted. If someone wants to pay me to do it, all the better!’ and she took the risk, auditioning and thankfully getting her spot on the new show.

It was around 8 in the evening when everyone sat down for their first dinner together, opting to make a simple meal of pasta and some nice finger foods as well since they were going out to a club tonight and the last thing she wanted was to get sloppy drunk her first night and puke all over herself in front of her new roommates. She wanted to at least have a chance to make a good impression.

They all seemed to get along great, besides Tommy who was still creeping on Y/n trying to flirt and being a total tool even when she was just trying to enjoy her dinner, making conversation with everyone. She of course gave him nothing in return making it pretty obvious she wasn’t interested and seeing as this kid was such a cocky little bastard he seemed to get butthurt over her cold shoulder. He was used to getting any girl he wanted back home, since ‘apparently there they have no taste or standards’ is what she thought to herself as she finished off her food and helped the rest of the group wash up the dishes leaving the pouting man child to sulk at the table while everyone else ignored him.

“alright guys, I think we should all chill for a while then start getting ready to go to Headliners and we should leave at like 12 since clubs usually busiest from 1-5am and I’m not trying to have a lame night. Sound like a plan?” Selena cupped her hands around her mouth as she spoke to everyone making sure they all could hear her, getting approval from everyone before smiling and making her way to her room.

Y/n was sitting on her bedroom floor using the full-length mirror to do her hair and makeup as she sat in her robe, her dress and heels already picked out and laid on her twin sized bed. All the girls were chatting among themselves as they groomed themselves and glammed themselves up. They were fucking hot and they knew it, making sure to highlight their beauty with the clothes that would probably burst into flames if they were worn in a church and heels as high as they could handle.

The girls went into a frenzy rushing around when they heard Ryan yell up the stairs that they were leaving in 30 minutes, all of them scrambling to get the skin tight dresses onto their bodies making sure they sprayed themselves with some deodorant and perfume since they fully planned to fool around tonight and BO from dancing your ass off in a club isn’t exactly an aphrodisiac.

All of the guys heads turned towards the stairs as the girls rushed down them, their heels loud on the wooden steps making it sound like a heard of elephants was rushing through the house but they didn’t care.

“Christ…look fucking good girls.” Casey smiled at them as he looked each one from head to toe, licking over his lips a bit as he took them in. They looked like sin personified and what’s better than that?

“Right?” Selena laughed and turned towards Y/n and Kait “Kait looks fucking hot and Y/n looks so fucking good I’m questioning if I’m bisexual now” Selena was their hype woman, even on the first day of meeting she was ready with a mouthful of compliment word vomit to spew into their ears.

Everyone laughed at her comment, Y/n smiling and smacking her roomates ass as she walked towards the door , “Sel, if I don’t find a cute guy tonight you can bring me home instead” Y/n giggled a bit as she watched all the guys eyes blow up wide at the comment, getting a few ‘can I watch’ comments from some of them which just got them an eye roll and groan from the girls.

Everyone piled into the cabs that were waiting for them, all excited and already a little buzzed from the pre-gaming they did before and during dinner anxious to get to the club, all of them just wanting to dance and enjoy their first night of summer. And of course, get absolutely trashed,

And so the team of young adults did just that. They made a b-line to the bar as soon as they got let in all taking a round of shots together before moving to the dance floor sipping the cups of liquor they held in their hands as they grinded and danced on whoever was near them.

Y/n was pretty wasted as she stumbled towards her group of roommates again, making a grossed out noise when she saw Kaitlyn kissing Tommy, hearing a laugh from next to her as she turned to see Harry. “poor girl, I guess being drunk does make people seem more attractive.” He commented while eyeing the younger girl getting a slight disgusted shiver from her as she thought about the guy. “he’s such a tool, I almost wanna stop her. He’s a total wanker, wouldn’t leave me alone and then pouted like a child when I wouldn’t flirt back at him. He’s got no chance, doesn’t matter how many of these I’ve had. I promise you that one.” She held her now empty cup in the air as she said it, giggling like crazy at her own words getting a lazy drunk smile from the man who joined her in the laughter.

He went to the bar with her to get both of them another refill on their drinks of choice, Y/n’s being a screwdriver and his being a rum and coke. They were both pretty wasted, but they were having fun and that’s what it was all about, plus she was almost chest to chest with the hottest guy she’s seen in a long time, in the middle of the club as they both are crammed into a corner trying to talk to each other a bit.

“Where you from love?” Harry asked her as he took another swig of his drink, looking down at the girl that he swears he’s torn between scooping her up like a baby and cuddling like a teddy bear and fucking her hard against the wall till she’s begging him to stop. She’s adorable, yet she’s just so goddamn sexy.

“Up in North London, how about you?”

“originally Holmes Chapel but live in Central London now.” He gave a smile to the girl and she returned it

“ahh London, maybe if I decide I like ya’ enough we can meet up after summer since we’re not too far from each other.” She offered with a playful poke to his stomach getting a smirk in return as he leaned down a bit to be a little closer to the girls face

“maybe we can, cmon wanna dance with me?” he held his hand out to the girl who took it, following him into the sea of people all grinding against each other to the blaring music, and Y/n wasted no time in doing the same.

Her back was to his chest as she danced on him, her heels putting her at perfect level for her ass to grind right on his crotch. They were like horny kids dirty dancing on each other, Y/n was having the fun she came here for and well, Harry was too.

When Y/n spun around in his arms she was pushed chest to chest with him by another couple who were dancing, nudging into her a bit seeing as the floor was packed with people. Harry of course took the opportunity to smoothly wrap his arm around her waist leaning down to look into her dilated pupils giving her a smirk that she gave right back to him before he leaned down to talk in her ear

“you got no idea how badly I wanna fuck your brains out right now darlin’, but I’m a gentlemen. Can’t do anything like that with a drunk girl, at least till I talk to the sober version about it first.” Harry talked in a deep voice right into her ear getting a shutter from her as her body tingled at the tone. When he pulled back he was met with a adorable pout on her pretty lips letting out a chuckle himself at her rather dramatic expression.

“that’s not fairrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, you’re so hot! And you wanna fuck me but now you’re being a tease!” she gave him her best puppy dog eyes but he just shook his head with a smile tugging on his lips, he was firm on his rule. He never wanted to hurt a girl, well unless they liked it but right now Y/n was in no state to truly decide that. Her body was swaying from how wasted she was, and he could tell by the slow speech she wouldn’t pass a basic sobriety test let alone be able to fully consent to having sex with him.

“Not tonight, maybe next time sweetheart.”

“Can we at least kiss? Snuggle?” she tugged on the collar of his shirt a little giving him her best pouty face and he couldn’t help but smile down at her giving her a nod.

“I’ll go for snuggles and kisses, but that’s all for tonight little girl.” He pointed his finger in her face jokingly scolding her getting a gentle bite on the tip of that finger before she pulled him down to kiss her.

It was 25 past 4 in the morning when the group of housemates stumbled their way out of the club, all completely wasted and some even having a plus one this cab ride, and Harry didn’t mind one bit as Y/n held onto him like a little lost puppy keeping a hold on his shirt sleeve the entire way home stealing kisses from him every so often.

“I’m taking the extra room tonight guys, me and my girl need some privacy.” Casey managed to slur out as the random girl-who was equally as wasted as him- tugged him towards the extra bedroom with the only full sized bed in it. Everyone besides Harry was completely fine hooking up with randoms while completely wasted, but he didn’t wanna do that to Y/n and he knew it would be wrong of him when she’s a bit drunker than he is. She was a smiley mess as she held onto the wall for support looking back at Harry who kept his hand on her lower back to keep her from falling.

“Both my roommates are getting dick right now and yours is in the guest room, and what am I getting? No penis, not even a little bit! How rude mister Harry!” she put her hands on her hips and he laughed

“ ‘m sorry, can’t offer my services up when you couldn’t even remember how to spell your own name back in the taxi love. I promised snuggles and kisses as a compromise though, did I not?” he tilted his head a bit and looked down at her raising an eyebrow as he reminded her, which didn’t help her libido since first he called her ‘little girl’ and now he’s being all stern, the guy was killing her here!

“yea yea, both my roommates are in there though, who do you share a room with?”

“just Casey, so it’ll just be us in there its only a two bed one, Ryan and Tommy share the other one.”

“Yuck, I feel bad for whatever girl Tommy is about to bang. I can tell by his attitude he has a small dick and he finishes first. I bet he even has cooties!”

She was a babbling mess as he walked her down the hall to his room, sitting her on his twin bed that’s against the farthest wall right under the window.

“He probably does have cooties, here put these on I’m gonna go take a leak and change myself.”

The older man handed Y/n one of his shirts and a pair of his boxer before grabbing his own change of clothes, helping her tug her heels off before he left her to change while he relieved himself and got ready for bed himself.

When he came back she was putting her hair into a messy bun, mumbling to herself about how bad the knots are gonna be tomorrow.

“bed time, ironically the suns about to come up but lets pretend it’s still night time.” His voice was deep and slow from his sleepiness and the booze as he spoke, getting her to scoot over so she’s on the inside of the bed, back against the pillow he had leaning against the wall so she’s more comfortable and he slid in next to her laying on his side to give her the last few kisses of the night, nibbling on her bottom lip a bit before pulling away laying on his back letting her tuck herself into his side.

‘yea’- he thinks- ‘this summers gonna be fun’

#harry styles fluff #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles #harry styles imagine #harry styles angst #harry styles au #harry styles writing #harry styles series #harry styles fanfic #harry styles blurb #harry styles concep #harry styles smut #older!harry #younger!yn

351 notes · View notes

snowy-mint-arts · 4 years

Photo

#character design #mixed media art #traditional art #watercolor #gouache #acrylic paint #colourpencil #ink #pen art #dark humour #stop marine litter #stop overfishing #fish

3 notes · View notes

stylinsoncity · 3 months

Note

Which are your fave children?

come as you are, sel, the wonderlands... recently, elephant juice as well. :>

i really do love most of them, but if i have a significant regret about something in the story, it's unlikely to be a favorite of mine.

9 notes · View notes

willow-salix · 3 years

Text

TAG MiniBang 2021

Because the combined bad influences of Flyboy and Sonata were at work here we also decided to bend the rules a little and post early...

I was privileged to work with one of my best friends on this project, @misssquidtracy . We went a little rogue (seems to be a theme for us) and shared both parts of the challenge with both of us contributing to the art and the writing. Squiddy provided a beautifully done pallet knife piece as the background for my foreground art and we plotted the story together to ensure that it worked for both of us. We had been looking forward to sharing the writing but unfortunately, due to life constraints on her part she was only able to write a little of the fic but what she did add perfectly compliments the tone and style of my writing.

Big thanks to @tagminibang ) @godsliltippy ) for organising this event.

So, here it is, our offering to the TAG Mini Bang. We hope you enjoy it.

Ting ting ting

“Not again,” Virgil groaned, hauling himself up the stairs from the kitchen to the lounge. He regretted ever giving Gordon that bell, he really did. Yes his brother had gone through a tough time, yes he had scared the hell out of them when the Chaos Crew had left him at the bottom of the ocean in his mangled craft, yes they were incredibly grateful that he was alive and mostly whole, but if they had to hear that dinging one more time they might possibly murder him themselves.

“Yes, Gordy, what do you need?”

“I’m lonely, and I’m hungry, come and sit with me for a bit?”

“Sure-”

“But maybe make me a sandwich first?”

“A sandwich?”

“Yeah, with extra cheese and a pickle on the side, not too large a pickle but not too small that it’s gone in one bite. I want to taste it, you know, but not be overwhelmed.”

“Sure-”

“And can you get me a drink too? One of my special milkyshakes, you know, with the ice cream and frozen banana in it?”

“Coming right up,” Virgil sighed, heading back down to the kitchen again.

“Gordon still demanding everything and anything?” Scott asked as he jogged in from the poolside. His T-shirt was sticking to his chest and his hair was damp with sweat but he still looked like he could do it all again. Not that they would have time, they were lucky if they got to do any planned exercise at all, usually they were forced to skip it and work out on the job when a call came in.

“Of course he is,” Virgil growled, slapping a slice of cheese on a piece of bread with far more force than necessary.

“What did the cheese do to you?”

“It’s guilty by association.”

“Ah,” Scott said, like that explained things perfectly.

A few slices of chicken received the same treatment and Scott wondered if the meat had actually been dead when it arrived on the island or if Virgil had simply smacked it into submission so well that the chicken had flown clear into next week and arrived as sandwich filling.

“Can you fix his drink?” Virgil asked.

“Can’t gotta shower this off before Grandma accuses me of stinking up the place again.”

“Any excuse,” Virgil scowled. “It would only take you a second.”

“A second too long, bro, I’m escaping while I can and you’d be wise to do the same,” Scott said, heading for the stairs and freedom.

“How can I escape when Gordon needs help?”

“You’re forgetting one important thing,” Scott told him wisely.

“I am? And that would be…”

“John’s home.”

Virgil snorted out a laugh. “He’s less likely to do it than you are.”

“No, you're misunderstanding me. If John’s home that means…” Scott let his sentence trail off into silence heavily filled with insinuation.

“Sel’s here,” Virgil finished triumphantly, catching on perfectly.

“Give that Tracy a prize,” Scott grinned, shooting triumphant finger guns his brother’s way as he headed up the stairs.

And they said that John was the genius in the family, they hadn’t seen Scott at his most devious. Virgil wasted no time in yanking out his phone and texting the witch to come and take over.

“Here’s your sammich, Squidward,” Selene cooed, plonking the plate down on Gordon’s lap while smacking a kiss to his forehead. “Virgil started it but I finished it for you, Brains called him down to his lab with some kind of air filter emergency so I took over. I brought you some of those crisps you like from my private stash too.”

“The cheesy curl ones?” Gordon asked hopefully.

“Yep,” she grinned, waggling a family sized bag of Quavers in his general direction.

“Did you bring my drink?” Gordon asked around a mouthful of chickeny goodness. Say what you wanted about Virgil but he made a damn good sandwich, even if Gordon could taste that this was made with a little less love and a little more impatience than usual.

“No, sorry, did you want one? Virgil didn’t say that. I’ll go get you something, just wait right there.”

"Not like I can leave if the mood takes me," Gordon grumbled as he opened the chip bag.

She was already gone, only to race back in a few moments later with a can of coke.

“What? What’s wrong, boo?” Selene asked when she saw the pouting look of disappointment on Gordon’s face.

“It was supposed to be one of my special milkyshakes,” he whined.

“Right, got it, my bad!”

She was gone again, taking off to the kitchen where, upon closer inspections, she did indeed find the beginnings of a milkshake. There were two scoops of ice cream already in the blender, melting in the warmth of the room. A half peeled banana sat abandoned on the counter next to a carton of milk.

“Typical,” she groused as she set about breaking up the banana, pouring the milk and setting it to blend as she tidied the mess away. Once done she poured it into a tall glass, added a straw and a few slices of fresh banana to decorate the edges, just as he liked it, and delivered it to the waiting aquanaut.

“Great, thanks, Sel,” he grinned, handing her his now empty plate and swapping it for the glass. She put the plate on the coffee table and sat on the couch opposite him.

“Anything else I can do for you?”

“Sit with me and keep me company?” he begged, looking so miserable and pathetic that she couldn’t say no.

“Of course I will.”

Gordon swung his injured leg up and she moved to sit next to him on the couch, placing a cushion on her lap for him to rest his cast covered foot on.

Gordon settled down with a contented sigh, sucking happily on his straw, the milkshake level in the glass steadily dropping.

“I’m bored,” Gordon bitched five minutes later.

“That peace lasted a long time,” Selene laughed, putting her phone down on the side table to give him her full attention. “What can I do to help? Do you want to watch something or play a game?”

Gordon made a face. “You’re crap at games, Sel.”

One eyebrow rose in disbelief. “I wouldn’t exactly say crap…”

“You tried to play with Alan and died three times in two minutes, lost all your lives and were forced to float along behind him as a ghost for the rest of his turn.”

“Anything is crap when you say it like that,” Selene huffed.

“Only when it’s true.”

“Tell me then, oh great games master, what do you want to do?”

“Nothing.”

“Then don’t moan you’re bored,” she pointed out.

“I mean there’s nothing to do. No one is around.”

Selene gestured to her chest. “Am I suddenly invisible?”

“No, of course not,” he scoffed. “That would be far too cool, why don’t you have witch powers like that?”

“Because I live in the real world, not a movie?”

“Lame,” he declared, dismissing it.

“Back to the original point that I am, in fact, right here. Therefore your comment that no one is around is redundant.”

“I meant no one I can do anything with.”

“Thin ice, bub, thin ice.”

“I meant like my brothers or someone. Alan is busy revising for his final exams, Virgil’s with Brains and I’ve no idea where Scott is but I think he’s avoiding me, which is just mean if you ask me. I’m a delight.”

“Yeah, you sure are,” she drawled, not sounding too convinced. “You’re also forgetting a brother.”

“Who?”

“John? You know, gorgeous ginger love of my life that’s chilling in his room right this minute? That brother?”

“John? No way.”

“What’s wrong with John?” she squawked indignantly. Her man was the most perfect of people, amazing and fabulous, just all round awesome. Although she might be a tad biased.

Gordon shrugged, scrunching his nose up in a ‘meh’ kinda way that said everything and nothing.

“No, come on, tell me what you meant,” she demanded.

“No offence, Sel, but John’s a bit…”

“A bit what?” she asked, her tone warning him that he was in very dangerous territory.

Gordon, with the grace of an elephant and confidence of a man that knew he was injured and therefore wouldn’t get slapped, plowed on.

“A bit boring.”

“Boring?!” she hollered, her voice travelling to the four corners of the island so effectively that Alan lifted his head, wondering if some distant God was echoing his thoughts as he slogged through his history homework.

“How very dare you!” Selene continued, working up a good glare that Gordon was completely immune to. He simply sipped the last of his milkshake, smacked his lips and raised an eyebrow, daring her to do something about it.

“He is not boring.”

“Matter of opinion,” Gordon shrugged, handing her the glass to put down on the table.

“Right, that’s it, you can besmirch my fun factor but I will not allow you to do so to my man. That’s a step too far.” She gently, for which he was thankful, shoved his leg off her lap and dragged his hover chair over from its spot beside Virgil’s piano.

“Get the hell in, hoppy, we’re going for a ride.”

-x-

"You deal with him, he's driving me nuts and pissing me off at the same time."

"Me? I'm the very picture of perfection, I could never drive anyone nuts."

John declined to comment on that one for fear of never stopping, he had twenty-four years worth of stories after all.

“The pissing you off is subjective too,” Gordon finished triumphantly.

"He's your problem now," Selene announced, shoving Gordon's hover chair further into the room before making her escape, slamming the door shut behind her.

John closed his eyes, praying for patience. His fiancée was well known for her legendary patience when it came to pampering and mothering his family whenever any of them were sick or injured. She'd spent almost every day with Gordon since his run in with the Chaos Crew and had done so with relentless cheer, for her to have given up now was not a good sign.

"What did you do?"

"Nothing!" Gordon protested hotly.

"Are you sure?"

Gordon averted his gaze, suddenly taking great interest in a dust particle dancing across the shaft of sunlight filtering in through the window, "Yes, I'm sure. I wasn't doing anything. That was part of the problem."

"Ah," there it was. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"I'm so bored," Gordon wailed. "And your girlfriend is being mean to me."

"Fiancée," John corrected him, not looking up from his work.

"It's not my fault I hate sitting around doing nothing all day. I’ve gone from a physically and mentally intensive, fifty plus hour a week job, to sitting on my ass from dawn until dusk. Can you blame a guy for getting twitchy?"

"Unfortunately, you don't have much of a choice at the moment," John reminded him, quite needlessly he thought.

"Gee, thanks for the reminder," Gordon huffed, trying to cross his arms although the cast and sling he was sporting prevented it. That just seemed to annoy him even more.

"I can't do anything right now! How do you do it?"

"Do what?" John asked, squinting through his magnifier at the small window frame he was carving from a piece of polymer clay.

"Just sit around all day."

John raised a disbelieving eyebrow. "I don't sit around all day."

"OK, float around then. It's not like you're actively running around like the rest of us are."

"I'll pretend I never heard you say that," John scowled, wishing Selene had dumped his brother into the sea instead of into his quiet, peaceful room.

"You're sitting around right now," Gordon pointed out, gesturing to the desk John was sitting at, which was currently doing double duty as a work table for his latest project.

"One day you'll learn to appreciate the benefits of a quiet, occupied mind and a still body," John told him.

Gordon sighed, propping his good elbow on the desktop, his chin resting in his upturned palm as he watched his brother fiddling with tiny things that seemed utterly useless to him.

"What are you even doing?"

"Working on a series of book nooks for Sel's side of the bookcase," John answered, sounding slightly distracted as he measured the finished window against its place in an intricately carved brick wall.

"Why?"

"Because she likes them."

"I mean why are you making it? Can't you just buy her one? It's not like you can't afford it."

"Where's the challenge in that? Besides, things are always more special when you make them yourself."

Gordon yawned and leant forward to rest his head on the tabletop.

"Do you want to help?" John offered, although honestly Gordon's version of helping was always patchy at best.

Gordon scooted closer to look over John's shoulder, eyes darting over the rectangular box that he was building the nook inside. About the size of two thick books sandwiched together, the nook already had a little cobbled street and two shop fronts in place. The tabletop was scattered with a selection of impossibly tiny screwdrivers, picks, scalpels and other instruments of possible torture that he couldn't hope to name.

"Pass," he announced decisively, flicking the control of his hoverchair so he spun in a wide circle, pointing to the door. "I'm out."

"Peace at last," John sighed, flicking his magnifier back into place over his right eye as he set aside the window to be baked later and reached for a fresh blob of clay.

-x-

"What ya dooooooing?" Gordon yodelled, slamming the bedroom door open so hard that it smacked into the wall and shook several picture frames. He scooted his way into the room without even waiting for an invite.

"Gordon!" John huffed, clutching his heart where it was trying to leap out of his chest from the shock of his brother’s sudden, and very noisy, entrance.

"Hi, I got bored, thought I'd drop in on my favourite big brother," Gordon grinned as he glided his hoverchair closer.

"Are Scott and Virgil busy?" John asked, that would be the only reason Gordon would have promoted him to his favourite.

"Yes," Gordon admitted, "but that's not the reason why I'm here."

John turned his head to shoot him a raised eyebrow of doom, clearly communicating without words that he didn't believe him in the slightest.

"So, what are you doing?"

"Working on this book nook," John replied patiently, holding up the small cauldron he was crafting.

"The same one?"

"Yes."

Gordon’s eyes nearly fell out of his head, "Still? It’s been four days!"

"Yes," John hissed out, starting to get frustrated by the constant questions.

"Why?"

"Because it takes a long time. If you're going to do a project you should do it right."

"At the speed you're going it's gonna take forever," Gordon snorted, casting an assessing eye over the work John had already done.

"That doesn't matter," John assured him. "It's not really about the time it takes or the end result, it's about the process, the journey to get there."

"Sounds lame to me," Gordon yawned.

"Obviously," John drawled, rolling his eyes.

"What do you mean by that?" Gordon demanded to know, his eyes narrowing suspiciously.

"Because it's you."

"Hey! Rude."

"Accurate," John said, placing the little cauldron down and selecting another piece of clay which he placed on a ceramic tile.

"Why?"

"Because it requires a calm mind. It's good to slow down sometimes and just be still."

"Says the console jockey."

Console Jockey? He did not just say that!

"So you don't think my job is stressful? Or as tiring and important as yours?" John snapped, wondering if it was bad form to smack your injured brother around the head with a partially constructed book nook. He glanced at the nook, he had put a lot of work into it… It would be a shame to waste it. That thought alone saved Gordon.

“Well, yeah I get that it might be a bit stressful, but it’s not like you have to do much that puts you in danger, not like us,” Gordon continued, digging his hole even deeper, a hole that John was looking forward to shoving him into.

“We all have our specialities, you couldn’t do your job without me doing mine,” John retorted, trying very hard not to let Gordon’s comments get to him. Gordon would never understand what it was like for him to be stuck so far away from the action, away from his brothers when things were going wrong.

Gordon, thankfully for him, had been unconscious from the moment he had activated his emergency code. He hadn’t heard the frantic calls going out over the comms as the family mobilized to help him. He hadn’t heard the desperate scramble as Thunderbirds took off, racing to the scene. But John had heard it all.

John had been the one to stay on the line with Gordon, talking to him the entire time, knowing that he probably wouldn’t hear it but feeling that he needed to say it all the same. He wanted to know that if his little brother regained consciousness for even a second he would hear a familiar voice, that he would know that they were coming, that they would rescue him. He would know that he wasn’t alone.

He knew what it was like for people that were in danger, knew the comfort they got from someone talking to them, listening to their stories, being there for them verbally if not physically. John was often the one that spent the most amount of time with those they rescued, keeping their spirits up as much as possible until his brothers got there.

His brothers were seen by their rescuees as the real heroes, the ones that leapt in and plucked them out of danger, but John was the one that got them that help, the one that made sure the rescue played out as best it could, liaising and coordinating until the job was done. But Virgil, Scott, Gordon and Alan were the ones that got the thanks , the ones that got the hugs after they dropped their charges off, not John.

Not that he minded too much, he knew that his job was just as important as theirs, maybe even more so because, when someone put out that call for help, when they sent their desperate plea out into the world, they deserved to know that someone would always be listening out for it, that someone would hear and that help would come.

He knew all of this, and he knew that Gordon did too, it was just the frustration of inactivity that was making him say the things that he was. John just wished that that knowledge made it easier to listen to.

“I might not be doing the physical rescuing,” John continued, feeling the need to push his point home. “But I work just as hard, when you’re home you’re off duty until a call comes in, you can relax, swim, watch movies and laze around until you’re needed. When I’m up there I’m on duty 24/7 and even when I do manage to catch some sleep it’s not deep or particularly restful. Any little noise, any call that triggers the system's keyword algorithm gets transferred automatically, I have to go from asleep to awake in seconds to take it.”

Gordon was quiet for once, watching him closely. John didn’t like it, it made him feel like an exhibit in a zoo. And here we have the little seen Tracy, see how he stays inside his hide and hardly ever ventures out… he knew how they saw him, why they likely thought he had the easy job.

“These help, they give me something else to focus on. I need to keep my mind active and challenged while still trying to relax.” John paused, trying to think of a way to explain his thinking that Gordon might understand.

“These are almost like a meditation,” he started. Gordon understood meditation and finding your zone. “Creating something out of almost nothing. It keeps my mind focused, helps with finger dexterity and hand eye coordination with the added bonus of it relaxing me. It’s good to slow down and take some time to do something creative, you should try it some time.”

Gordon listened to his brother and he tried to take in all his words, he tried to understand the meaning behind them, he really did, but it just didn’t make any sense to him. He understood about wanting to be lazy, to sit around and do nothing sometimes. He loved to laze on the couch with his snackies and an Into the Unknown marathon playing out on the holoscreen, but that was watching something exciting, interesting, to him that was relaxing. This...whatever it was that John was actually doing, made no sense whatsoever to him. The idea of trying to relax by actually thinking...that was the most alien concept of all.

Gordon knew, probably better than his family gave him credit for, what it was like to be mislabelled. Within every sibling pool, there were the mandatory roles: the serious one, the caring one, the smart one, the funny one, the calm one, the angry one, the one who sang in the shower, et cetera. He’d proudly embraced the role of ‘the funny one’, and had diligently flown the flag for the humour camp for as long as he could remember. If a brother came home from a rescue in a slump and needed a cheery pick-me-up, it was Gordon who stepped up to the task, irrespective of his own mood. His smile and laugh were infectious, and he had yet to encounter a frown he couldn’t (eventually) turn upside down.

But with every ‘role’ came misconceptions. Scott was serious, therefore people were quick to automatically assume that he was a killjoy. Similarly, John’s intellect and preference for solitude often went hand in hand with him being branded antisocial, since there was apparently no possible way someone could enjoy their own company so much, yet still pursue and maintain meaningful relationships with actual people.

Gordon was no stranger to this treatment. He liked to laugh and be spontaneous, and consequently, was often regarded as the Tracy who didn’t take his work seriously, the Tracy who had the attention span of a gnat (albeit a very handsome one), and the Tracy who couldn’t be trusted with anything that required delicacy, be it physical or emotional. His affinity for making people laugh, though an exceptional quality, frequently acted as a double-edged sword. On the one hand, his relentless optimism made him the most effective of the bunch when it came to emergencies involving children and young adults. On the other hand, it sentenced him to a fate where the bad jokes he cracked would always be two steps ahead of the secret deep thinker that lay within.

“Let me see it again,” Gordon sighed, trying his best to be a supportive and understanding brother, since he did feel a little bad about the things he had just said. He hadn’t meant to say them, they had just come out. That was the trouble with being laid up from an injury, not only were you out of action but you were in pain, and pain made you grumpy and less likely to monitor the things that came out of your mouth the way you should.

He knew that John worked hard, hell he knew that what his brother had said was right, John was never truly off duty. They were all aware that he didn’t get enough sleep, enough down time, enough time to relax and just be. They knew that if John was on Five he would consider himself on duty, at work, and therefore he’d never allow himself to take time out. Things had changed since Selene had blundered her way into his life, now he spent a lot more time on the Island, which meant that he was finally taking some time out for himself. If one of the ways he chose to do that was by crafting ridiculously tiny things out of clay to stick in a hollowed out box that was his business. Gordon wasn’t there to judge, he was there to spend time with his brother.

John moved aside a little so Gordon could get a closer look, trying to resist the urge to smack his hand away every time Gordon reached for a tiny piece that had taken him hours to perfect.

“These are really small,” Gordon mused, poking at a window that John had just finished painting, leaving behind a smudged fingerprint. “Woops, sorry, Bro.”

“Maybe you should try making something of your own,“ John suggested, carefully removing the window from his brother's possession and picking up a brush in order to attempt a fix.

Gordon nodded and John passed him a ceramic tile and a miniature rolling pin.

“How about you try cutting me out a few shop sign bases?” John suggested.

“Do I get one of those scalpel things?” Gordon asked, a little too eagerly for John’s liking.

“Maybe we can work up to that,” John hedged, subtly moving the scalpel out of his brother’s reach and passing him a square cookie cutter. “Use this cutter for now.”

Gordon shrugged and spent a few minutes rolling and squishing the clay trying to get the thickness to the exact measurement that John insisted on. It wasn’t easy or fun.

“Nope!” Gordon announced, giving up and pushing the tile away. “It’s still boring. Pass.”

He swung his hoverchair around and headed in the direction of the door. “Later, Bro.”

“Oh...OK...later, I guess,” John stuttered, wondering just what he had done to deserve such a chaotic family as his.

“Oh, hey, boo, where are you go- WAHH!”

John’s head shot up as Selene’s yelp rang out from the hallway.

“Sorry!”

“So you should be, you little shit,” she grumbled to his retreating back as she thumped into the room.

“What happened, love?”

“Let’s just say that if his chair had wheels I’d have lost a few toes,” she said, wincing in imagined pain.

John scooted his desk chair back and patted his lap in offer, one that she happily accepted.

“So, why was Gordy doing his boy racer bit? What did you say to him?”

“Me? What makes you think I said anything to him?”

“Because I know you two?”

“Fair,” he sighed, sliding his arms around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder. “I don’t know what to do to help him.”

Selene turned her head to look at him, not liking the helpless look on his face.

“Babe, you are helping him, you’re there to keep him company or talk to him if he needs it, that’s more important than anything. What happened to make you think that you weren’t helping?”

“He was asking me about these again,” John nodded towards his work area on the desktop. “But he didn’t seem to understand, that or he just didn’t want to.”

“He’s Gordon,” she sighed. “You know what he’s like, he’s full on, he’s in your face and he’s not at all subtle. Taking his time with things just doesn’t compute with him.”

“It would do him good though, if he doesn’t learn to embrace it he’ll be exactly the same as he was last time.”

“Was he really that bad?” she asked, concern lacing her voice.

John nodded. “He doesn’t do inactivity well. When he had his hydrofoil accident his therapist talked him into signing up for a virtual college degree in Environmental Management of Rivers and Wetlands. It was supposed to take him at least a year as a part time course with ANU in Canberra, but he blew through it in the first semester and earned himself a distinction for his insights on the impact of Anthropogenic Noise on Wetland Habitats. His professor was so impressed he offered him a fully funded PhD, citing his time with WASP and the time he spent in the bathyscaphe as practical experience that would make up for his lack of degree. Obviously he turned it down, but he still likes to rub our faces in it now and then.”

“Wow,” Selene breathed. “Forget his professor being impressed, I’m impressed.”

“He has a phenomenal brain,” John said, a small but very proud smile on his face. “When he actually decides to use it to its full potential, that is. There is nothing he can't do when he chooses to focus on something, he’s all in. It really helped him to feel like he was gaining something and moving forward even though he was sitting still.”

Selene nodded, understanding completely. She knew that all of her boys were wicked smart, but Gordon always presented himself as the least academic. He was more of a doer, wanting to be out in the field, learning as he went, diving in head first to every situation.

But as Selene and John both knew, appearances could be deceiving.

“If that’s what helped him last time, then we need to find a way to convince him to try something new,” Selene insisted.

“I tried, he’s not interested.”

“That was with your things, babe. We need to find something that’s a little more him, and I think I know just the thing.”

-x-

“I have arrived!” Gordon yodelled, announcing his entrance in his own unique way. He slid his hover chair in through the open door like the boss that he was, bringing his shining presence in to brighten up his middle brother's obviously dull existence. “Didja miss me?”

“Like a hole in the head,” John grumbled, turning to look at the grinning face of his brother. His eyes immediately began to water as they were assaulted by the far too bright colours of the shirt Gordon was wearing, a tie dyed monstrosity that Selene had made for him for his birthday.

“A little more gratitude, if you please," Gordon huffed.

“Grandma finally released you?”

“Yep,” Gordon stretched out his injured leg and patted the air cast on his now slingless arm. “Got time off for good behaviour.”

“I find that hard to believe,” John teased, then nodded to Gordon’s arm. “How’s it feeling?”

“Not too bad, my grip still isn't great but Grandma promised me that once the bone has finished knitting I’ll just need to exercise it and build the muscle strength up, then it’ll be as good as new.”

“That’s great, it won't be long before you're able to go back out with Virgil and stop, how did Sel put it, 'haunting the house like the ghost of Christmas future'?"

"Can't come soon enough," Gordon sighed, butting his chair right up close to John's, knocking his arm in the process. "What you do- you're still doing that? Still? It's been a week!"

"It's not like I get a huge amount of down time," John pointed out. "I'm only here now because Sel said she'd dump me if I didn't make an effort to come down earlier in the evenings so I could actually eat a meal with you all."

"You actually believed that threat?" Gordon laughed.

"Of course not, she'd never dump me, but I thought I had better humour her and let her feel like she at least had a little sway," John shrugged, pushing aside the little piece of doorstep he had been painting. "Honestly, it's nice to come down for a meal and family time, I hadn't realised how much I'd missed it until it was happening again."

"I guess we all got a bit too caught up in International Rescue after we lost Dad," Gordon admitted.

"Like we had nothing else in our lives," John nodded, completely understanding.

"Yep."

Gordon fell silent and John let him, concentrating on mixing the perfect colour acrylic to add a few highlights to his stones.

"Can I have a go at making something? I bet I could do it quicker than you," Gordon asked, reaching towards what Selene called the sharps tub. John smacked the lid down on it just in time.

"Actually, we got you a present."

"You did?" Instantly distracted, Gordon sat up straighter, excited by the prospect of a gift. "What did you get me?"

This," John answered, opening his desk drawer and extracting an interestingly shaped bottle, upright with a thicker, rounded bottom and a thinner neck, ending a cork stopper.

"Wow, is that an original?" Gordon asked, taking the bottle carefully and turning it to study it from all angles. He knew exactly what this shaped bottle was, there had been a collection of them in Commander Shore’s office that he would stare at every time he got called in for some reprimand or another.

"19th century," John nodded. "Sel found it in a little shop in Mayfair. They assured her it was a genuine, used on a ship, captain's decanter from around the time of the civil war. They hadn’t fully traced it when Sel bought it but they think it came from one of the ships that fought in one of the smaller skirmishes around 1861.”

“This is really cool, thanks,” Gordon smiled, still turning the bottle over and over.

“It’s to hold this,” John continued, drawing Gordon’s attention back to him.

Grinning, John delved back into his desk drawer and pulled out a rather faded and quite dusty box. He brushed the dirt off the top and slid it over to Gordon.

"A ship?" Gordon frowned.

"Yep, Selene and I thought that you needed a little project of your own, so she had the idea to get you a ship in a bottle. You don’t see them a lot these days, but apparently her Grandfather had a couple and they always fascinated her.”

“So you put the ship in the bottle?”

“Yep, instructions are inside, go nuts.”

“Pfft, instructions,” Gordon snorted. “No one needs instructions, they’re a waste of time.”

-x-

“Ouch,” John hissed, hopping in place on one foot as he bent down to pick up what looked to be a tiny piece of mast that had attacked the sole of his foot. “Gordon, why are there bits of ship all over my floor?”

“Because I dropped them,” Gordon replied, his voice muffled due to the tongue of concentration that was peeking out from between his teeth.

Huffing, John gathered all the pieces off the floor, both pieces of ship and bits that they had been cut out of, and deposited them on the desk next to Gordon.

“How’s it coming along?” John asked, settling in his own chair. He’d only been gone a day but Gordon had managed to take over the entire bedroom, spreading his belongings, bottles, snack wrappers, his phone and a discarded hoodie, all over the place, as well as half the contents of the vintage ship box.

“It’s ridiculous. I think it’s missing pieces or something, it’s broken.”

“Well it was an old kit, but we were assured that it was complete,” John frowned, sliding the tray over that Gordon was supposed to be storing all the pieces in. “Have you checked the contents list and matched each piece to make sure they’re all there?”

Gordon looked at him blankly, like he was talking a foreign language.

“Did you check that everything was there before you started?" John elaborated.

“Of course I did,” Gordon promised, crossing his fingers and hoping his brother didn’t see.

“Against the list?” John clarified.

“I eyeballed it, OK?”

“Not good enough,” John insisted. “That’s not how you go about doing things like this, you can’t just slap them together and hope for the best.”

“Why not?” Gordon whined. It worked for him in almost everything else he did in life.

“Because this happens," John gestured to the mess surrounding them.

“Fine, I’ll read the damn instructions.”

Leaving Gordon to it John slid his almost completed book nook over and picked up his paintbrush to start adding some finishing touches before he started on the wiring for the lights. He’d barely done more than five minutes when Gordon started huffing.

John waited a little longer, trying his hardest to ignore the ever increasing sounds of frustration and impatience from his brother. In the end he couldn't stand it a moment longer, he had to ask the most loaded question ever.

“What’s the problem?” John asked, pushing his own work aside.

“These instructions don’t make sense,” Gordon bitched, flapping the paper in John’s face. “Look at the little picture here, you have to stick this little pole into that hole in the deck but the deck doesn’t want to stay together and that piece there keeps sliding and the pictures make no sense.”

“That’s because you missed around eight steps in between,” John told him, praying for patience.

“No I didn't, I followed the pictures exactly,” Gordon insisted.

“The steps aren’t in the pictures,” John explained. “See right there?” he pointed to the words above the pictures. “The pictures are a diagram of each finished stage, not how to get there. They are for reference only, not instructions.”

“Urghhh, this is going to take forever,” Gordon pouted, crossing his arms. “What’s the point?”

“The point is that by the end of it you’ll have something unique that no one else does, something you can be proud of and know that you built with your own two hands.”

“I’m not sure it’s worth the effort,” Gordon muttered.

“It is,” John promised. “I’ll help. How about I read out the instructions and you follow along? We’ll get through it quicker that way.”

Gordon wasn’t convinced, but John looked so hopeful that he didn’t have the heart to refuse him, especially since he and Selene had gone to so much trouble to get the things for him in the first place. He might be a miserable little sod, but he wasn’t that ungrateful. He knew that they had gone out of their way to get something they thought he’d like, the least he could do was make the thing, even if he knew he wouldn’t enjoy it. Maybe John was right, working together they could get through it quicker, and that could only be a good thing.

“Alright,” Gordon agreed, “let’s give it a go.”

Slowly, methodically, John read out each piece that was needed and Gordon located them, storing them neatly in a wooden box that Selene provided when she popped in to bring them drinks an hour or so later. She stayed just long enough to steal a kiss from John and drop one on the top of Gordon’s head before she beat a hasty retreat, not wanting to get roped into helping. She wasn’t the best at following instructions and didn’t want to get grumped at.

By the time they had all the pieces checked and catalogued they had discovered there were indeed two pieces missing, but thankfully they were easy fixes, just a small , round piece of wood to represent a porthole, which they could easily make a replacement for and a piece of mast. One snipped toothpick later and that was sorted too.

John started with the first set of instructions, reading them out patiently as Gordon found and fitted them together.

“So, how’s work been?” Gordon asked, like a chatty hairstylist, as he carefully dipped the end of a thin dowel into a small pot of wood glue.

“Same as ever,” John deadpanned, “a bunch of idiots that got themselves into trouble and needed help, and only half of them related to us.”

Gordon sniggered, glancing at John, seeing the sly smile on his brother’s face. He’d forgotten just how amusing John could be when he delivered something sarcastically witty with such a serious tone. Gordon hadn’t realised how much he’d missed it, wondering just what his more serious brother would come out with next. John was always like that, he seemed so quiet and reserved but, when he was relaxed and in company he was comfortable with he’d take you by surprise by letting loose a zinger that you couldn’t help but laugh at.

“Let’s not talk about work,” Gordon suggested, “we haven’t hung out properly in ages, you’re either up in Five or there are other people around.”

“Is that your way of saying you’ve missed me?” John teased.

“Maybe,” Gordon allowed, “but if you ever tell anyone I said that I’ll deny it and tell Grandma you want her to make your birthday cake this year.”

John held his hands up in surrender, although he couldn’t hold in the laugh that bubbled up as he reached for the instructions again.

“OK, let’s get this done before we stop enjoying each other’s company.”

They worked slowly but steadily over the next few hours, putting together the structure for the first mast. Once it was done they called it quits and abandoned it for another day, the smell of something tasty coming from the kitchen proving to be too much to ignore.

-x-

“Gordon, that’s my finger.”

“Oh, sorry, can you just like… I don’t know, yank it off?”

“If I wish to leave half my identifying fingerprints behind, yes.”

“Do you really need them?”

John didn’t dignify that with an answer, the look he threw at his brother communicated his thoughts perfectly.

“OK, OK, I’ll get some dissolver from Virgil’s studio, wait right there,” Gordon instructed him, grabbing his crutches and hobbling his way out of the room.

John sighed, keeping his hand perfectly still, the hull of the boat dangling from his fingertip. He was still there five minutes later when Gordon clumped his way back in, Selene hot on his heels. She had the glue dissolver under one arm, a large bag of chips under the other and a plate of sandwiches in each hand.

She dumped the plates on the desk, then the chips, before turning to see the state her fiancé was in.

“Do I even want to know?”

“Probably not,” Gordon winced, dropping down into his abandoned desk chair and reaching for a plate.

“Can you at least help me before you start stuffing your face?” John asked, waggling his hand, which made the boat sway violently from side to side.

“Can’t, eating,” Gordon mumbled around the massive mouthful he had just taken.

“What did I say?” she demanded to know. “No hurting the hands, you know how I feel about that.”

John wiggled his fingers again, drawing her attention to his plight. He looked so pathetic with the half built little ship swinging from his hand that Selene took pity on him, intervening when he looked like he was about to grab the thing and yank it off himself, fingerprints be damned.

“Oh for the love of the Gods, let me do it!” Taking his hand she used a paintbrush to smear glue dissolver around the area of skin it was stuck to. She took her time, rewetting and using the brush bristles to push the dissolver under the boat, trying to ease it free from his skin with minimal pulling.

“Thank you,” he sighed, sitting patiently while she worked. Thankfully it didn’t take her too long, although it took a lot of cursing under her breath and the odd ouch from him to get there.

“One boat,” she announced, placing it triumphantly on the desk.

“Fanks,” Gordon said, spraying chip crumbs as he did so.

“Welcome,” she said, brushing at her leg which had unfortunately been in splatter range. Still holding John’s hand she bestowed a kiss to each of his abused digits before releasing him.

“Right, I’m out of here. Play nicely, you two, I don’t want to have to send Grandma in to babysit you both.”

“It won’t come to that,” John assured her, reaching for his own sandwich. “We’ve not got much left to do now. We just have to attach the rigging to the masts, check that they fold properly then insert th-”

“I’m out, I don’t need to hear anything about insertion, not after you just glued a boat to your hand,” Selene declared, her exit swift and to the point, the door shutting firmly behind her.

“She has a point,” Gordon admitted, swallowing his last bite. He pushed the chip bag in John’s direction, although there was barely more than a handful and a few crumbs left in it.

“But we’ll never admit it to her face,” John insisted, steadily munching through the large sub she had brought for him.

“Never,” Gordon agreed.

-x-

Gordon sighed dramatically as he crutched his way down the hall from his bedroom. John’s bedroom door was open but his brother wasn’t inside. The ship, now fully rigged, sat beside the bottle on the desk, just waiting to be placed inside once some sand had been poured in as a base. Gordon had chosen all different shades of blue to represent the sea and had even watched a few videos on how to do sand pouring art, something he’d never expected to find even remotely interesting, yet he couldn’t bring himself to go in and make a start on it.

John had barely been home the past week and when he had it had only been for food and enforced sleep. Even then he had been known to sneak out of bed the second Selene was asleep, being discovered on numerous occasions sitting at their father’s desk until the small hours working on this, that or the other.

Emergencies, and therefore the need for their services, had seemed to increase three fold, something Selene was blaming on the moon phase and mercury going retrograde and, for want of a better explanation, they were all inclined to agree. There was no rhyme or reason for the surge in idiots that were calling in at all hours of the day and night with trucks caught under a too low bridge causing a pile up, hands stuck down toilets, drunks climbing to the top of electricity pylons and repair men getting trapped inside ATM machines they had been fixing.

His brothers had been on the go near constantly, whether it was from rescue call outs or working on their plan to find their father, but none more so than John. While Selene had always been good at what she liked to call Tracy Wrangling, none more so that when she was dealing with a stressed out Scott, even she had admitted defeat and left them to their own devices. Self preservation was key after all.

John had been dealing with not only rescue calls and Chaos Crew sightings, but signal tracking, GDF liaising and general hoop jumping, all of which had kept him far too busy.

It had been over a week since they had done anything to their project and Gordon was feeling the loss. Not so much of the project, although that really had helped with his frustrations at his lack of physical ability, not that he would ever admit that to John, but in spending time with his brother.

Much to his surprise he’d found that he was reluctant to work on it alone, it had become their thing to do together. It was a time where they would hang out, shoot the shit, reminisce about childhood memories, times that they had spent together talking about their hope for the future where they would find their father alive and bring him home.

Both of them knew that it wouldn’t be easy, that if they did manage to find him there would be no telling what physical or mental state he would be in. Gordon knew from experience just how tough physical injury, limitations, and recovery could be on the mind and the body, especially in someone who had been as active and viril as Jeff Tracy.

They all knew, although no one seemed to want to talk about it, that as hard as it was going to be to actually locate him and hopefully bring him home, that would only be the beginning of what could potentially be an incredibly long and difficult journey of rehabilitation and reintegration into the family and the world as a whole.

John had been right, taking some time to be quiet, to slow down and think while keeping your mind and hands busy really was a productive way to spend your rest hours and, stupid as it sounded, Gordon didn’t really want that to end.

He was only a week or two away from potential cast removal and a return to physical activities like his beloved swimming and strength training in their home gym and, while he couldn’t wait to get back to it, he knew he’d feel the loss of his enforced quiet time.

He glanced again at the abandoned ship on the desk and turned away, clumping down the hall towards the stairs. So it would take them a little longer to get it finished, Gordon was fine with that because for once he wasn’t feeling the need to rush.

-x-

“Remember to pour it slowly,” Gordon instructed as he held the funnel in place, its long pipe reaching right down into the bottom of the jar. “Start with the darkest one, that’s going to be our base colour.”

“I’ve got it,” John assured him, selecting the tub of midnight blue sand and scooping some out into a smaller pot to make things easier. At Gordon’s nod he began to slowly and steadily pour the sand into the open neck of the funnel. As he watched Gordon expertly directed the tube, allowing the sand to pour out to pool in the bottom of the bottle.

At Gordon’s signal John stopped pouring and waited while Gordon carefully removed the tube and used a long metal skewer to poke and prod the sand into something that looked vaguely like waves.

“The next colour up,” Gordon requested and John did as he was asked. They repeated the process four more times with different shades of blue, John pouring in a little at a time, Gordon directing the tube to deposit more in one place than others, mimicking the movement of sea waves as best they could. In between each layer Gordon used the skewer to poke and mix the colours here and there, blending the layers into a smoother transition.

“That’ll do,” Gordon said confidently, twisting the bottle so John could see the full effect.

John had to admit that he had been pleasantly surprised when Gordon had announced that he had ordered some coloured sand and looked up how to do sand art on the internet. He hadn’t really known what to expect, although he would admit, if only to himself, that he had thought that Gordon would be a little heavy handed and impatient, but once again he had proved him wrong. He really had done his research and the result was a beautiful mix of colours that really did give a perfect impression of a gently moving sea.

“That’s looking great.”

“I know,” Gordon grinned, modest as always. “Where’s that resin gone?”

“Here,” John answered, pushing it across the desk towards his brother. “Make sure you read the instructions and measure the amounts accurately or it won’t set and you’ll ruin the sand and the bottle.”

“Yeah, yeah I got this,” Gordon assured him as he did indeed read the instructions through properly. Once he had familiarised himself with the ratio of resin to hardener, he measured carefully and poured them into a mixing jug. Once it was fully mixed he slowly, gently, poured the mixture a little at a time into the bottle on top of the sand. With each little pour he waited for the resin to trickle down between the grains, slowly adding to it until all the sand was covered.

“And now we wait,” John said, carefully placing the bottle in the patch of bright sunlight coming in through the window.

“Wanna watch a movie?” Gordon offered casually, not really expecting his brother to agree. John hardly ever watched anything with just him, they had vastly different tastes in movies and John usually made some polite excuse to escape.

“Sure, sounds good.”

“Really?” Gordon goggled, his eyes almost falling out of his head. “You don’t have anything more important to do?”

“More important than watching a movie with my little brother? I don’t think so,” John grinned, retrieving Gordon’s crutches from where they were leaning against his bookshelf and tossing them to him one by one. “Come on, last one to the lounge picks the movie.”

“Hey, no fair!” Gordon yelled, scrambling to his feet as he fumbled with his crutches. “You’ve got legs like a giraffe and neither of them are broken!”

“Sucks to be you,” John tossed over his shoulder as he took off down the hall to victory.

-x-

“Careful,” John warned.

“I am being careful,” Gordon snapped. “I got this.”

“Your hand’s shaking.”

“Thanks for that, Captain Obvious.” He steadied his, only slightly shaky, hand by propping his elbow on the desk for stability. “OK, let’s do this.”

They both held their breath as Gordon maneuvered the body of the boat through the opening in the bottle, making sure each sail stayed carefully folded down and the strings remained untangled before he fed it down the neck and into the bottle.

“Phase one, complete,” John intoned in such a serious voice that Gordon couldn’t help the laugh that he snorted out.

“Pass me those long nosed tweezers?” Gordon asked, holding out a hand.

John slapped the requested instrument into his brother's hand like a nurse in an operating theater, provoking another burst of laughter.

“Thanks.”

“Welcome.”

Making sure the strings of the sails were still dangling outside of the bottle, Gordon carefully moved the body of the boat further down into the bottle with the metal skewer until the stern touched the top of the resin and sand layer.

“Now the sails,” Gordon whispered, hardly daring to breathe as John moved in to help, taking over the holding of the strings while Gordon reached in with the tweezers.

Gently, working together, they started the delicate process of tugging gently on each string, unfolding the paper sails and locking them in place.

“String one.”

“Got it. Watch number four sail.”

“Yep, thanks...OK… can you just give string five a little pull? Perfect.”

“Sail three is flopping!”

“Gah, hang on, just got to tighten that...yep that’s got it.”

“Maybe if I gather…”

“Yep, that’s good, do that again.”

“This next bit is going to require a delicate touch, maybe I should-”

“Hey! I can be delicate!”

“It’s not coming up...back sail two is stuck, release it...careful!”

“There, saved it.”

John gently pulled the strings a little more and there it was, their ship, sails proudly upright and everything. He kept hold of the strings, while Gordon held on to the boat with the tweezers as they carefully lifted the bottle from its side to its proper upright position.

Using the skewer John maneuvered around Gordon’s hand and nudged the boat into a better position before he carefully released the strings. They both held their breath, hoping and praying that the sails wouldn't collapse the second the strings fell.

The boat, with its sails, stayed strong.

“Yes!” Gordon cheered, holding up his free hand for a high five, grinning when his brother’s palm smacked against his own.

“Scalpel,” Gordon joked as John handed it to him so they could lop off a little of the trailing strings. Then, using the skewer, they arranged the strings around the edges of the boat.

With the boat finally upright and in place, they added another layer of light blue coloured sand with a sprinkling of white to mimic the tips of the waves. They finished it off by pouring in a little more resin, both to set the sand and hold the boat in place, using the tweezers to make sure it was correctly positioned.

“Phew,” Gordon breathed, leaning back in his chair and stretching out his cast covered leg. “We did it. Go team.”

“We did,” John smiled. “And it looks damn good.”

“It really does,” Gordon agreed, shifting his head to look at the bottle from all angles.

“Nothing left to do but let it dry and put the stopper in,” John said. “How do you feel now it’s done? Was it worth the time?”

“I still think we could have done it a lot faster if you’d just let me skip a few steps in the instructions and do it my way, but it wasn’t that bad,” Gordon admitted. “I’m oddly proud of it.”

“You should be, you did good,” John leant back in his chair, crossing his arms as he relaxed. “Are you going to stop teasing me about my book nooks now?”

“Pssh, no,” Gordon snorted. “Ships are cool, yours will always be boring.”

He didn’t see the bottle of water coming until it was too late.

-x-

Gordon walked straight to John’s room from the infirmary, feeling oddly free without his crutches and casts. Six weeks was a long time, after all.

The bottle with its little ship sat exactly where they had left it in the center of John’s desk next to the abandoned book nook that was still not finished. It took him very little time to insert the cork stopper and pour a little of Selene’s spell bottle sealing wax around the top, a bright, cheery yellow wax that matched his beloved Thunderbird Four.

He smiled as he thought of his little craft, waiting down in her dock for him, ready to be taken out when the next call came in. It had been a long and frustrating time but finally, blessedly, that time was over.

He poked an experimental finger into the wax seal, checking that it had set properly. It had, and he couldn’t help feeling a little sad about it. It had been a project that at first he’d had very little interest in, but slowly it had turned into so much more. Not just something to wile away a few hours but a chance for him to reconnect with the brother he spent the least amount of time with.

Years ago, back when he had been small, John had been his everything. When Alan had been too tiny to be of any use and Scott and Virgil had been too old to be bothered with him hanging around, it had been John that had been there for him. It was John that had patiently listened as he read aloud from his sealife books, who had watched movies with him, played with him, and spent the most amount of time with him. Back then, their three year age difference had seemed like so little but so much at the same time, an older brother that made him feel wanted and included when the other two saw him as an annoyance.

Gordon couldn’t quite put his finger on when things had changed, when they had slowly drifted apart. John had seemed to grow up so much faster than he had, Alan had welded himself to his side, looking up to Gordon as he had to John and things had never been the same again.

It had been too long since they had been able to just hang out, to laugh, to tease each other without things going too far and one of them getting annoyed. It had been nice and Gordon had realised that he didn’t want to go back to nothing but hollocalls to Five when an emergency came in or the odd family dinner and movie night where he had to share with the rest of the family. John was the only brother that Gordon didn’t spend one on one time with as standard and he realised that, no matter how much he might blame it on John being so far away, in reality it was as much his fault as John’s.

Gordon picked up the bottle, leaving a box in its place. The model kit of the Mercury Project space capsule and its launch pad had been hard to find even with his junker contacts. In fact, he had almost given up and admitted defeat before he'd thought to look at the label on his ship box and sent the shop owner an email.

Smiling to himself, knowing that there was no way John would be able to resist that challenge, he took the finished bottle, with its little ship, to his room where it would take pride of place on his bookshelf, a constant reminder that even in the worst of times, positivity could still be found.

“Thanks, Bro.”

#tag mini bang 2021 #tagminibang2021 #Gordon Tracy #John Tracy #thunderbirds are go #thunderbirdsarego #thunderbirds fandom #thunderbirds 2015 #thunderbirds fanfiction #thunderbirds fanart #TAG Mini Bang 2021 #TAGMiniBang2021

51 notes · View notes