6Right, well this is the last chapter in this story. There are a couple more stories that I have written already and need to post, so hopefully they will be up here fairly soon, and a few more stories in the process of being written. Hope you've enjoyed this little insight into the life of Jeff and Isabelle.
Thank-you to all those who have read this and especially KimiRaikkonenFan2709 who reviewed, letting me know at least one person was reading!
Ems.
Disclaimer: I do not own Thunderbirds (they belong to someone who is not me, I don't actually know who it is now) and I am not making any money from this story. None of the characters are intended to portray any living or dead person and any similarities are entirely coincidental.
2031
It was late May and the whole of Oakley High School was anticipating the bell. It would signal the end to another school day and for the sophomore year of fifteen and sixteen year olds it would signal the countdown to the few hours before one of the biggest parties of the year.
Isabelle Douglas was turning sixteen. She was one of the prettiest girls in the school and most of boys invited were hoping to try their chances this evening. For the girls it was a chance to show off another new outfit. Her parents weren't rich. Her father a police officer in Oakley and her mother stayed at home to look after the house and her family, but they had pulled some favours and along with the kind offer of her best friend's family barn, the party was set to be one of the best of year.
The shrill sound rang through the school and the scraping of chairs and excited footsteps could be heard clearly. Teenagers broke into the dazzling sunlight outside the building and the 10th grade were the only year not hanging around the school making plans for the weekend. They were rushing home to prepare for the coming evening.
A brown haired girl stood at the bottom of the steps and her smile grew when she saw the boy she was waiting for leave the building.
"About time." She laughed.
"You could have gone. I wouldn't want you to be late for your own party." The newly turned sixteen year-old shoved the tall, muscular boy backwards.
"We get a bus idiot. I can't leave until it comes."
"Oh yeah." He feigned ignorance for a while and the playful banter continued all the way to the bus stop. They stood in the gathering of other teens all waiting to get home and Isabelle turned to Jeff.
"Thanks. Again. For the barn that is."
"Two hundred and thirty-six."
"What?"
"How many times you've said thank-you." He smirked. "I told you I'm not doing it for you. Just means that when I get drunk I don't have far to stumble to find my bed."
"I don' care what you say Jefferson Tracy, you say thank-you to your parents all the same."
"They're getting bored of it too."
"Sure." Friendly conversation continued all the way home on the bus until they parted company. "I'll see you this evening, and thank-you."
"Two hundred and thirty-seven!" Jeff shouted out of the window brightly coloured bus as it began to pull out of Wallace, leaving his friend behind. She merely shook her head, waved and turned to finish the small journey to her house.
Three hours later, Jefferson Tracy stood by the entrance to his family barn. His parents had been great. His mother had outdone herself with the catering and decorations and his father had rigged up some lights and speakers. The barn was already packed and the only person missing was the birthday girl. Jeff kicked a stone and it came to rest against a barrel full of ice. His parents were normally strict on alcohol but just this once they had given in and decided it was better they knew what the teenagers were drinking, and thus a barrel full of cans of larger and bottles of Alco-pops sat outside the door.
A green pick-up pulled to a halt on the track road and Jeff looked up. Isabelle's father climbed out of the driver's door and the sixteen year old waited with baited breathe for his best friend. A girl dressed in a knee-length white and blue dress stepped out from behind the rear of the truck. Her hair fell in ringlets about her shoulders and her cheeks were a rosy red.
"Wow Iz." Jeff stepped closer to her. "You look amazing."
"You don't scrub up bad either." Jeff was wearing a pair of neatly pressed suit trousers that belonged to his father and had been altered by his mother, with a white shirt that was open at the neck. Pulling his eyes away from her stunning form the boy offered her his arm. "Shall we?"
"Might as well I guess." Pushing the heavy wooden barn door open the pair entered and all the occupants turned to look at the striking girl with the dashing boy on her arm. Applause rose from nowhere and people rushed to compliment the young girl. She took it graciously with more than a few blushes, until finally the music changed. A faster dance tune rang out and people dispersed to find others to impress with their dancing skills, leaving Isabelle alone to meet people at her own pace and will.
Jeff disappeared with his own agenda to attend to and the pair barely saw each other all evening. Isabelle danced with most of the boys in the year and all of those in attendance from the year above. Jeff shared a few songs with female company but mainly stuck to chatting with his other friends from school and picking his friend, Robert Clark, up multiple times after he had had 'just a couple of drinks'. Towards midnight the music changed, slowing its fast pace, replacing electric guitar with piano. Screaming with tuneful melodies.
As though higher forces were at work the barn floor cleared without their realising until just Isabelle and Jeff remained standing in the centre. Isabelle looked quizzically at Jeff and he shrugged in reply, closing the gap between them.
"Excuse me Miss, but may I have this dance?" Jeff put on his best English accent and Isabelle giggled, slightly drunk.
"Of course fine Sir."
Jeff wrapped his arms around her waist and she placed hers around his neck. They slowly moved in time to the music while the others present in the room looked on. Slowly they began to join the dance. One song passed and for some reason the pair in the centre didn't let go, but continued to hold each other close as the next began. Isabelle lowered her head onto Jeff's shoulder breathing in his scent, while he subconsciously lowered his hands to a more comfortable position at the bottom of her spine. Neither commented.
Two became three, three became four. Half way through the fourth song, Isabelle moved and rested her forehead against his.
"How did this happen?" She whispered.
"What?"
"These four songs?"
"I don't know."
Both looked up into each other's eyes and for the first time, truly saw each other.
Both felt their hearts skip a beat and their stomach's twist into knots.
Without really knowing whether what he was doing was right, whether he was about to destroy a very long friendship, Jeff took one of his hands and placed it below her chin, tilting it up towards him. Bowing his head slightly he kissed her lips lightly at first and when his first true love didn't pull back he kissed her again. Her arms instinctively moved up to the back of his head and she pulled him closer to him, pushing her tongue into his mouth and exploring it for the first of many times. They stayed like this for what seemed like hours to them, alone in their own world.
Safe from everything, safe in each other's arms. Forever.