“…and don’t forget to inventory the small hold while you’re at it. Last time I looked someone had moved all the high tensile cable out of there. Tin-Tin – I need you to oversee the delivery of Brains’ new test materials on Wednesday, if you would, please.”

“Certainly, Scott.”

Gordon stifled a yawn.

The weekly roster briefing was, as usual, a pretty boring affair and he really didn’t see the need for it. Gordon liked spontaneity, and he’d have been perfectly happy if Scott simply gave him jobs to do on the spot. Knowing what they were a whole week in advance took all the fun out of work. He was, he told himself often, a free spirit. Scott, on the other hand, could be a joyless, list-loving, anal-retentive…

“Stay with me, Gordon,” Scott said sharply, without so much as a glance in his direction.

Gordon shot up in his seat. “Sorry,” he mumbled. “It’s the thought of another day oiling bits of Thunderbird Two.”

Scott ran a finger down the itinerary on his clip-board. “I can give you the annual check on the sewage treatment plant if you’d prefer.”

Gordon flapped a hand in defeat. “I’ll stick with Virgil’s bird. Thanks anyway.”

“Think of her like a woman, Gordon,” Virgil recommended. “Just dig your hands into that barrel grease and away you go.” He gestured suggestively, his hands outlining imaginary curves.

John cocked an eyebrow. “Which just serves to confirm my long-held suspicion that he makes love to that plane.”

“Guys,” Scott said hastily. “My stomach is a little delicate this morning.”

Alan grinned slyly. “I’ve seen him kiss her.”

“That’s a lie.”

“You puckered right up and planted one on her starboard engine just last week.”

“Oh, that. That was purely platonic. She’d been performing particularly well.”

“In what way?”

“In every way. I do not need to make out with my plane,” Virgil maintained steadily. “I have any number of beautiful women lined up every time I go to the mainland.”

“Really, guys.” Scott insisted. “My stomach? Pass me a bucket, please someone.”

Virgil grinned. “He’s just jealous. He can’t remember when he last kissed anyone.”

Alan looked innocent. “Scott kissed someone? No way! When?”

“Kid, I’ll have you know I kissed my first girl…”

“…while you were still in diapers,” three brothers finished for him in unison.

Alan’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “So I was right – he’s never actually kissed anyone?”

“Not while you were in diapers,” John conceded. “He was a late starter.”

“No, no,” Gordon contradicted amiably. “In this particular instance, he’s telling the truth, I can vouch for it. In fact, not only did Scott kiss his first girl when Alan was in diapers, I kissed my first girl when Alan was in diapers.”

“No way!”

“See, I’d overheard Scott giving all the gory details to his best friend Matt…”

“Scott, you cad,” Tin-Tin put in, reprovingly. “I’d never have had you down as the kiss and tell type.”

“…and it sounded so fascinating I just had to try it. So at my fourth birthday party I French-kissed Emma Baytree under the kitchen table.”

“No way was I still in diapers on your fourth birthday,” Alan muttered.

“So, you see,” Gordon said, taking no notice of him, “When it comes to kissing I have as much experience as pretty well anyone here,”

“Precocity isn’t everything,” Virgil told him. “There’s technique too.”

John rolled his eyes. “Virgil, your kissing technique pretty well resembles your technique for roping a steer.”

“I resent that. I could out-kiss you any day of the week.”

“Yeah, sure. You wanna put money on it?”

“Count me in,” Gordon said promptly.

Alan laughed. “How about it, guys? We should have a kissing competition.”

“And how do you suggest we do that, kid?” Scott asked drily. “It’s been a while since I practiced on the back of my hand, and I sure ain’t using yours.”

Alan made a small noise of disgust.

“Obviously we need a judge,” John said.

“A woman,” Virgil supplied helpfully.

Gordon shook his head. “In case you hadn’t noticed we’re a little short of women around here.”

“Excuse me?” Tin-Tin put in indignantly.

Gordon glanced round. “Oh, sorry, Tin. I guess I’m just used to thinking of you as one of the guys.”

Tin-Tin was unsure whether to be flattered or offended by this, but her response was pre-empted by Scott’s. “Gordon’s right; Tin-Tin’s off-limits. You want to do this, you’ll have to wait till the next time we’re all on the mainland together.”

“Meaning never,” Virgil pouted. “We can’t all take down-time together and you know it.”

“Well now, ain’t that a shame,” Scott said evenly. “I guess we’re going to have to drop the whole thing.”

“Now just you wait a minute, Scott Tracy,” Tin-Tin put in sternly. “I won’t have you making my decisions for me.”

A muscle under his eye twitched; the way it did when Grandma yelled at him. He went for the rational counter-argument approach, even though it rarely cut any ice with his grandmother. “Honey, I’m really not into objectifying women, y’know? You can’t surely want to…”

“And don’t tell me what I want, either. Just like a man.”

“Better listen to her, Scott,” Virgil said reasonably. “You really wanna do this, hon’?”

“Nah,” John put in. “She’s going to be biased.” He glanced sideways at Alan. “No way can she be objective. We need someone independent.”

Tin-Tin sat up very straight. “I resent that, John Tracy. If you think I can’t separate out a competition from my personal life…”

“What about Alan?” Gordon put in. “He might have a few things to say about it.”

Five sets of eyes swiveled to the youngster, whose face clearly betrayed the conflict between his self-image as indignant lover on the one hand and cool self-confident non-possessive man-about-the-island on the other. Eventually he sputtered out, “Well, I guess, whatever Tin-Tin wants. It’s her decision.”

“Quite,” she said smartly. “So we’re going to do this. Besides, I’ll admit I’m curious.”

Five pairs of eyes now swiveled in her direction.

“What?!” she snapped. “A girl lives on an island with five healthy young males, you don’t think she at least wonders from time to time?”

“Forget what I said about objectifying women,” Scott said helplessly.

“I’m not objectifying anyone,” Tin-Tin snapped. “You’re like brothers to me; well, for the most part. This is curiosity, pure and simple. Just curiosity. I mean, I don’t have any brothers, but don’t you wonder a bit, too? About one another, I mean.”

“My stomach, please! Guys.”

“Just men-talk. Come on – I know you do it - admit it!”

“We might compare notes about style once in a while,” John conceded airily.

“We might?” Scott asked faintly.

“Ha!I knew it!” Tin-Tin, said, her eyes beginning to flash a little. It didn’t escape anyone’s notice that she had eyed up Alan at this point. “Typical men.”

Gordon intervened hastily. “But Tin, you just said…”

But Tin-Tin was in full flow and not to be interrupted. “And I expect you exaggerate. Or lie. How would anyone even know? Alan, would you trust John to tell you the truth about his prowess with women?”

Alan opened his mouth and then - very wisely - shut it again.

“Don’t women talk about those things?” Virgil asked, his own curiosity piqued.

Tin-Tin glowered at him. “And who would I talk to? Your grandmother? But a girl can’t stop her mind wandering once in a while. And I do actually dream, you know.”

“I am so going to try to forget I heard that,” Virgil groaned.

“Well, think of it this way; how long would one of you last on an island surrounded only by beautiful women?”

“That conjures an entirely more satisfying mental picture,” Gordon noted, and ducked as she aimed a cushion at his head.

“Okay, if we’re going to do this, here are the ground rules,” Scott broke in quickly in an effort to re-establish some semblance of order. His voice was not quite steady. “Usual stakes, winner takes all. One kiss.” He glanced at Virgil and held up a finger. “One. I mean it. Multiple kisses means automatic disqualification. And no…” his face contorted a little as he searched for the right words “…no…well, nothing that Tin-Tin isn’t up for.”

Tin-Tin stuck out her chin. “This is a romantic kiss, Scott,” she chided. “Anything goes.”

He shrugged uncomfortably. “Okay. You heard the lady. Anything goes. But it’s a kiss, nothing more. No…hands where there shouldn’t be hands. Or…or anything. Twenty-second time limit. Automatic disqualification for exceeding it.” He glanced at Virgil again. “You getting this?”

“I can work to order,” Virgil said easily.

“And no-one says a thing to Dad or Grandma. They’ll just blow the whole thing out of all proportion.”

There was a flurry of heart crossing.

“And you, honey,” Scott continued, “have to agree to render a fair and objective verdict. You have to choose. No dead heats, and no cheating on us.”

“Cheating on you? How…?”

“This is strictly brothers only. Sneaking off for a little extra kissing action with Dad or Brains and declaring one of them the winner is definitely not on.”

“The very thought!” she murmured demurely.

“And no teasing us afterwards.”

She put her head on one side coquettishly. “Now that’s one rule too far. After all, this isn’t going to happen without my cooperation. Allow a girl a few pleasures.”

He glanced around his brothers’ quizzical expressions and grunted. “I give up. Okay – shall we do this?”

“Not so fast!” Tin-Tin held up her hand. “We need to prepare ourselves. I suggest we reconvene after supper.”

“Prepare ourselves?” Virgil sounded incredulous. “Honey, I was born prepared.”

Gordon shook his head. “No. Tin-Tin’s right. I, for one, need to get used to the idea.”

Scott glanced at his watch and rolled to his feet in one easy action. “Okay. Barring rescues, games room, twenty-three hundred hours prompt. Come…” he glanced quizzically at Gordon “…prepared. Right, then – briefing over. To work, everyone.”

As he passed, John muttered an aside to Virgil. “Scott’s the only person I know who could make a kissing contest sound like an assault on hijacked plane.”

His brother grinned and clapped him on the shoulder as they too turned to leave. “And that’s one of the many reasons why he is so going to lose.”

“Boys,” Tin-Tin called after them, her tone severe. “I have two words to say to you all.”

Five Tracy brothers swung around as one, their expressions uniformly anxious.

Tin-Tin regarded them sternly.

“Breath mints,” she said firmly.

If Jeff Tracy noticed that supper that evening was an unusually muted affair, he said nothing about it. The boys were uncommonly polite to one another and most of the conversation had revolved around the work schedule of the day. Never before had the lubrication of Thunderbird Two’s moving parts been such a keen topic of conversation. But one by one they excused themselves.

Getting the timing right was a serious business. Arrive too early and one would look too keen. On the other hand…Scott was tapping his foot impatiently as Gordon arrived, about two minutes past the hour.

“Sorry,” Gordon mumbled. Scott really didn’t do late.

Virgil turned his attention to Tin-Tin. “You sure you’re up for this, honey?”

“Most definitely,” she assured him.

“And Alan?” Virgil persisted.

The youngest Tracy brother shifted a little uncomfortably. “I’m not her keeper.”

“Fair enough.” Virgil glanced around the others. “How are we going to do this?”

John grinned. “Age before beauty.”

Scott grunted. “Typical. When I want to pull rank you’re all out of here like there’s no tomorrow.” He glanced around the room, a sudden suspicion running through his brain. “Speaking of which, if this turns out to be some kind of let’s get big brother to make an idiot of himself and I turn around to find you all gone sort of stunt, I swear I’ll…”

This met with a chorus of groans. “Oh, just get on with it,” Virgil told him.

Scott shrugged, and took a step towards Tin-Tin. He took a deep breath and appeared to relax. Then he reached down and smoothed her hair away from her face with his fingertips, and, still framing her face in both hands met her lips with his own.

The other four watched, Virgil and John, arms folded, a critical air; Gordon, a little anxious; Alan, a myriad of emotions playing one after another across his face.

The pair stayed locked for several seconds before Scott lightly disengaged to a ripple of applause. Then he smiled a little and gently kissed her forehead. She met his eyes and smiled back.

“Uh?!” Virgil exclaimed sharply. “That’s two kisses.”

“Sure,” Alan agreed hotly. “You just broke your own rules. Disqualified!”

Scott shook his head. “Crap. I was just re-establishing the usual parameters of our relationship.” He took a step back.

“Tin?” Alan appealed.

She just shrugged, a little wide-eyed.

John grinned easily. “Only an issue if he’s in danger of winning. Of course, if you two are so sure you can’t beat that…”

Virgil glared at him. “Watch and learn.” He stepped towards Tin-Tin. “You ready, hon’?”

“Mm-hm,” she affirmed. Virgil grasped her firmly, pulling her to him, one hand in the small of her back, the other around her shoulders. He enfolded her, bending her backwards a little. His mouth closed resolutely over hers, eliciting little moans of delight. This state of affairs continued for quite some long while, much to the amusement of the others. After several moments Scott began to look at his watch. He shook his head. “Three…two…one…”

She came up gasping for air.

“…and just in time!” Gordon finished.

“Any longer and the next guy would be doing the kiss of life,” Alan noted sourly.

“Why do you think I put a time limit on it?” Scott asked him. “I’ve seen the guy in action before. John?”

Tin-Tin put out a hand. She was still breathing heavily. “A minute here, boys.”

“Time out,” Alan ordered. He glared at Virgil. “Next guy who tries to suffocate her has me to answer to.”

“It’s all right, Alan,’ Tin-Tin said, a little crossly. She shook herself and took a sip of water. “Okay. Next!”

John’s turn. He stepped towards her, and took her by the fingertips, drawing her in a little closer. Meeting her eyes, he watched her for several moments, his gaze almost mesmeric in intensity. Tin-Tin found she couldn’t take her eyes away from his, and they drew closer. Their lips brushed, it seemed almost accidentally. Otherwise they barely touched. If anyone had asked her afterwards at exactly what point in the proceedings she and John had actually begun to kiss, she would not have been able to answer. But it was a long, lingering kiss that generated a burning heat that started much lower than her lips and worked its way upwards with a slow, smouldering intensity.

When John finally broke the moment, she gave a little sigh.

There was a slight murmur of appreciation around the room. There was a definite sense of being in the presence of a master.

Scott nodded. “Gordon?”

Gordon waved a hand. “How am I supposed to follow that?”

Scott looked at him in astonishment. “You want to forfeit?”

“Yes…no…I don’t know,” Gordon said in an agony of indecision. “It just doesn’t feel right.”

John smirked. “Felt pretty damn good to me.”

“Down, boy,” Scott said quietly, though whether this was addressed to John or Alan no-one was quite sure.

“Come on, Gordon,” Virgil said impatiently. “We’re all in this together. Besides, if you make your move now while she’s still in a trance she’ll think you’re Johnny.”

“That isn’t funny,” Tin-Tin said with dignity. “Now, come along, Gordon, and don’t be a baby,” she coaxed.

He skipped up to her, and took a long, deep bow, rising slightly unsteadily. It hadn’t escaped anyone’s notice that he’d had quite a lot to drink at supper-time. “Milady, if you’d do me the honor.”

Tin-Tin gave a little curtsey. Gordon grabbed her, and whisked her sharply backwards until her head was inches from the floor, then gave her an exaggeratedly loud, smacking kiss on the lips before righting her again. She came up giggling.

Scott rolled his eyes. “Idiot,” he told Gordon.

“I’m sorry.” Gordon waved his arms wildly. “That’s my best shot. I’m sorry. We practically grew up together.”

“Never mind, Gordon,” Tin-Tin soothed. “But now that’s over with you can go back to thinking of me as one of your brothers again.”

“I never stopped,” he confessed.

“Really?” Virgil growled at him. “Try something like that with me and you’re a dead man.”

Tin-Tin’s attention was already elsewhere. “Now…Alan.”

There was a hint of something provocative in her voice. But Alan hesitated before stepping forward. His brothers glanced towards him in surprise. He was blushing a little and rubbing his mouth awkwardly with his hand as if unsure of himself.

“Come on, Alan,” Virgil encouraged.

John patted him on the shoulder. “Don’t make like this is the first time you two have done this.”

Alan glared at him, and stepped forward silently.

Tin-Tin tilted her head up in anticipation, a faint look of amusement in her eyes. He looked down at her, and grasped her rather stiffly by the shoulders. Then he bent his head, a little awkwardly, and their mouths met. For a few moments they stood, locked together clumsily, then abruptly Alan released her and took a single step back.

His brothers exchanged glances.

“That’s it? That’s the best you’ve got?” Virgil said incredulously, and who could blame him?

No romantic embrace, no fireworks. Just a rather gauche, awkward meeting of mouths.

Tin-Tin herself looked serious now, a hand coming up to her mouth in a gesture of what…surprise? Disappointment?

Scott nudged Virgil, hard, and then stirred, feeling a little uncomfortable. “Well…” he glanced around. “What’s the verdict, honey?”

Tin-Tin’s hand dropped from her face. Her eyes didn’t leave Alan. “Well, I shall have to think about it.”

There was a groan around the room. “What’s to think about?” Gordon wanted to know.

“A girl can’t rush these things, Gordon,” Tin-Tin chided. “You’ll have my answer tomorrow.”

John chuckled. He waved a hand at the group. “Fair enough. I have a date with a telescope and a planetary conjunction in any case.”

“And I’m going to turn in,” Gordon said.

“Me too,” said Tin-Tin. “I feel quite exhausted.”

She locked arms with Gordon and allowed him to escort her out of the room. Alan trailed after them, looking a little forlorn.

Scott watched them go. Then he nodded at Virgil. “You wanna shoot some pool?” Which translated to I’ve got something on my mind.

“Sure,” Virgil responded easily, which translated to I’d like to go to bed, but I guess you’ve got something on your mind.

They each bagged a few easy balls, then Scott raised an eyebrow. “Is it just me, or did Alan mind way more than he said he did back there? Four ball, corner pocket.”

“He struck me as distinctly lacklustre about the whole thing, it’s true.”

Scott’s face twisted oddly. He took a wild shot at the ball and missed the pocket. “Wish we hadn’t started this?” Meaning the contest, not the game.

“Yup.” Meaning both.

Scott nodded slowly. “Can’t be easy trying to conduct a romance with the only eligible female within a five hundred mile radius and a quartet of brothers breathing down your neck.”

“He hasn’t always helped himself,” Virgil pointed out, quite reasonably, lining up his next shot and trying not to yawn.

“True. And you can’t blame Tin-Tin for having a go at him now and then. But he’s trying now; you’ve got to give him that. Least we could do is keep out of his way, I guess.” He straightened decisively. “I’ll talk to him tomorrow. Call the whole thing off. Try to reassure him.”

His mind made up, he slapped his brother easily on the elbow, and exited to do his late night security rounds, the game forgotten. Virgil shook his head and cleared the table in a few swift shots. Then he hung up the cue and went to bed.

The next day Scott sought Alan out at lunch and took him quietly to one side.

“About that business, last night, kid.”

Alan looked quizzical. “What about it?”

“Well, I guess it got a little outta hand. It’s my fault, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have let it all go as far as it did. It wasn’t fair to you or to Tin-Tin. I suggest we draw a veil over the whole thing. It didn’t mean anything – you know that, don’t you?”

“Sure I do,” Alan responded easily.

“That’s good,” Scott said cautiously. “Because last night you seemed – well, kinda quiet.”

“Mm, I well, you know…”

“If we thought you were going to get upset about it we’d never have gone ahead with it. So how about we just forget it happened? No-one’s going to give it a second thought.”

“Forget it?” Alan seemed surprised. “I, for one, really want to hear the verdict.”

“You do?”

“What’s the matter? Afraid you’re going to lose?”

“I don’t care who loses and wins. I just don’t want you to get upset.”

Alan put his hands on his brother’s shoulders and looked him straight in the eye. “Scott, I’m fine. I’m a big boy; it’s a bit of harmless fun and I can take it. Okay?”

“If you say so,” Scott responded doubtfully.

Alan turned to go. “Same time, same place?” he shot back over his shoulder.

“Whatever,” Scott said, watching him go.

The second hand ticked away on the games room clock. Gordon made it on time tonight, with five seconds to spare. This time it was Tin-Tin herself who was late, a fact that didn’t go unnoticed by any of the brothers.

“Woman’s prerogative,” John said firmly, glaring at Scott before he had the chance to go to amber.

“Maybe she’s changed her mind,” Gordon said. It was not lost on the others that he sounded rather hopeful.

“Relax, Gordon,” Virgil told him sweetly. “She isn’t going to be rank ordering us.”

John grinned. “She might.”

“In which case the loser gets the sewerage plant,” Scott said promptly.

“Wh-ho!” Virgil said. “You’re pretty sure of yourself.”

“I’m pretty sure I wasn’t last,” Scott said, exasperated, looking at his watch again. “Where the h….oh, here you are, honey.”

“Sorry I’m late, boys.” She didn’t sound very sorry. “I had to fix my hair.”

There was a general chorus of admiration. The Tracy brothers had learned a few things about women over the past years.

“Let’s get comfortable,” she continued, looking around them. She draped herself across the leather sofa in the corner of the room. The five brothers did their best to arrange themselves in an almost casual deployment around the room, perching on the pool table and the arms of the sofa.

“Well,” she continued. “First of all, I have to say I had a wonderful time last night, and it quite satisfied my curiosity on a number of counts.”

This drew forth a number of wolf whistles and the like. She waited politely for them to die down. “It isn’t every day a girl is kissed by five of the world’s most eligible bachelors.” A chuckle went around the room, a little quieter this time. “So – going through in order.”

“Could we maybe just cut to the chase, hon’?” Scott interjected swiftly. The idea of a post-mortem didn’t much appeal.

“Certainly not,” she chided, her eyes flashing a little. “You boys can be so impatient.”

A chorus of tsk-ing went around. Scott held up his hands in defeat.

“So…Scott,” Tin-Tin continued. She put her head on one side and considered. “That was lovely. Very reassuring, very tender. Very….safe.”

Scott glanced at Virgil, his expression a little pained ‘Safe?’ he mouthed. Virgil simply grinned.

“If I wanted ‘gentle’ you’d be the first one I’d come to…now, Virgil.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he straightened.

“Definitely the most…passionate! You certainly know how to leave a girl breathless.”

There were a few animal growls. Virgil pursed his lips and nodded, satisfied. Passionate he could live with.

Tin-Tin’s voice changed. “Johnny.”

He lifted an eyebrow and gave her a small, knowing smile.

“That was the sexiest kiss I’ve ever had.”

Alan’s eyes may have narrowed just a very small degree.

“I don’t know how you did that,” Tin-Tin continued.

“I’d be willing to discuss it further at a later date.”

“Gordon,” she said swiftly, above the cat-calls. “Darling, that was the funniest kiss I’ve had. And probably the most athletic.”

“Don’t you mean dangerous?” Virgil asked.

“I was trying not to say that,” Tin-Tin replied.

She let the laughter die down.

Then she looked Alan in the eye. “But, the winner…”

There was a moment’s silence, as the brothers took in her meaning. Then a rush of protests.

“No way!”

“You’ve gotta be kidding!”

“It’s a fix!”

“This is bias, pure and simple.”

Tin-Tin held up a hand. “You agreed to abide by my verdict. Let me have my say. Alan. That was the best kiss I’ve ever had.”

He reddened a little. “Really?”

She stood up and crossed to where he stood perched against the pool table to give him a peck on the cheek. “And the answer is yes.”

“Really?” He began to grin like an idiot. He was blushing furiously.

There was a moment’s puzzled silence. Then Scott suddenly gave a whoop of delight and thumped his youngest brother on the back. “You crazy kids!” Alan continued to grin from ear to ear.

Gordon, too, began to grin.

“What?” Virgil asked him, puzzled. But Gordon had darted forward and had wrapped his younger brother in a bear-hug. Meanwhile, Scott had swept a delighted Tin-Tin up off her feet.

John nudged Virgil.

“What?” Virgil repeated, exasperated.

“Her left hand, stupid!”

“What about it? Oh….oh!”

Tin-Tin met their gaze across Scott’s shoulder, and glanced down at the diamond on her ring finger. “I was so surprised I almost swallowed it,” she admitted, “which would have been a terrible pity.”

Virgil started to nod slowly, then sank back against the pool table, his arms folded, an unconscious mirror-image of John’s pose.

“Well, I guess that’s one kiss we really couldn’t compete with.” He frowned a little. “Wasn’t it against the rules?”

John watched the pair a little ruefully. “Nothing in the rules about bribery or offers of marriage. But I agree it was never really a level playing field.” He dug into his pocket for a twenty-dollar note.

“Still,” Virgil considered, delving into his own pocket. “If that’s what it took to finally get those two together, I guess it was worth the sacrifice.” He flicked it towards Alan and raised his voice. “Consider it a down payment on the wedding gift, you two.”