When his sister, Liz gives up Luke takes in her kids. Yes. Kids. The seventeen year old Mariano twins. How will this duo react to being pulled out of New York and dropped into a tiny Connecticut town?
//Completed, but going through minor edits\\
"Okay. We got the patch, the gum, hypnosis tapes, chinese herbs, self-help books, and several pictures of diseased lungs to hang on the fridge. Pretty, huh? This is done," he says, taking the cigarette from Jess's mouth.
"Hey!" Jess yells.
"You will get up, you will go to school, you will come home. You will work in the diner until closing, you will do your homework, then you will go to bed. Where's the gnome?"
"The what?" Jess asks, playing dumb.
"You stole a gnome?" I ask.
"Weekends are for chores, and selected preapproved outings, I.E. kabala studies, freeway beautification projects, pottery painting- all discussable options."
He says all this while looking around the apartment until he opens the closet and pulls out what I recognize to be Babbet's gnome.
"You will not steal. You will pay back Taylor Doose, you will graduate from high school, and you will return Pierpon to his yard."
"You can't just-" Luke cuts Jess off.
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"I can just. I am not letting you two fall off the face of the earth. You will not drift. I won't let it happen. Now, I don't know if this is the right way to handle this, but this is the way it's being handled, and that my friend is the end of this discussion," Luke finishes.
There is a pause and then Jess grabs his jacket and stands, walking to the door.
"Where are you going?" Luke asks.
"Out," Jess replies.
Luke signs when the door closes.
"Well, at least I asked."
"Monster stole Pierpon," I mumble.
I stand up and walk up next to Luke, holding my hands out.
"May I take him home?" I ask.
"Um, sure. Here."
He hands the gnome to me. I grab my bag containing a book, my keys, and my last pack of smokes, heading for the door.
"Be back in time to do your homework," he says.
"Already done."
"Alright, be back to help close then."
"Okay."
I open the door.
"Wait," he says, stopping me.
I turn to look at him. He looks like he's thinking for a second before holding his hand out.
"Give 'em," he says.
"Give what?" I ask.
"You know what."
I sigh.
"Please, Uncle Luke. They help keep me calm," I try.
They do. He walks over to the pile of stuff he gave Jess and walks back over to me.
"Give me," he repeats.
I pout, reaching into my bag, pulling out the pack of cigarettes. I drop them in his hand and he replaces them with the gum he bought.
"No more. Got it?"
I just nod, still pouting. He steps forward, and gives me a kiss on the forehead.
"Now, take your friend home," he tells me.
I give him a smile and head to Babette's.
\\AN// -- All grammar, punctuation, and spelling corrections are helpful, encouraged, and greatly appreciated.
