Customer Satisfaction [COMPLETE]

The Ballerina

Twenty minutes later, Kate found herself in Luke's apartment.

It hadn't been an easy feat. After pulling off her brother, she had dragged both men into the elevator and stuffed them inside, where they had stood on opposite corners glaring like sullen children. Luke had looked the worse for wear with a bleeding nose, as he clearly hadn't defended himself against Will's righteous punches, while Will had opened and closed his fists in impotent rage, not looking nearly as satisfied as he would like. She had glared at them both, just daring them to make another move with her eyes.

Upon spilling into the eighth floor, she had sent Will towards his apartment with a stern jab of her finger. He towered over her and outweighed her slim frame by at least forty pounds, but he had reluctantly obeyed--after giving Luke a look of deep, mildly threatening suspicion.

"I'll take a look at your nose. We need to make sure it isn't broken." Kate said to Luke, while Will jabbed a keycard into his door. She was mildly surprised to find his apartment to be right across from Luke's--they really had stuck together all these years. It was surprise it had taken her so many days to run into her brother.

"I'll take care of it." Luke said sullenly, "You shouldn't come with me lest I soil your virtue--"

"Oh, don't even talk about virtue, you son of a bitch!" Will flared up, taking the bait, "I know what you do--I've seen you with your--with your different women every other night--you never do relationships, and I don't give a damn, but if you think I'll stand here pretending it's okay that you're thinking to add my sister--"

"I'm not adding her to anything--don't talk about her like that!"

"Shut up!" Kate glared, throwing up her arms, "You two are acting like children. Will, go inside." she glared at him, "I mean it. Luke, take out a first aid kit and wash the blood from your face. I will be right back. I need to pick up a few things from my apartment."

She started to leave, then paused at the elevator and turned to shoot the two of them a deadly glare, "No fighting while I'm gone. Do you understand?"

They were both staring at her.

"Do you understand?" she repeated menacingly.

Luke shot Will a glance. Will looked back at him, and for a moment he appeared pained. Kate frowned in concern, but Will surprised her by bursting out in involuntary laugh, grimacing as he tried to control it.

"What?" Kate exclaimed.

"I just never thought I'd see the day when my shy little sister would be bossing us around like a drill sergeant." Will chuckled, but his eyes gleamed with pride, "Isn't she a sight to behold?"

"Quite terrifying." Luke agreed.

"Would've put Madam Hebert to shame."

"I believe Madam Hebert would have been quite gleeful to finally have us brought to heel." Luke speculated.

Her resultant scowl had them both hurrying to enter their apartment, no further words spoken. It was only once the elevator had closed that she allowed herself to smile.

She picked up a change of clothes and a small emergency kit she kept on a standby in case of an asthma attack, and hurried on down to Luke's apartment, which he had left unlocked for her.

A quick inspection deemed his nose unbroken, and she left him out in the kitchen to fix dinner while she went to take a quick bath, desperate to get the grime off of her after a long harrowing day. Once she was out of the shower and toweling her hair dry in front of his mirror, she allowed herself a look around her surroundings.