Jeff is angrier than he has been in a long time. Gordons defiance in the name of a childish prank could have had deadly consequences, and he highly doubts Gordon was aware that the snake he caught was venomous. Kyrano having enough knowledge of the area to identify it as a Tiger Snake, it was captured and released back outside before Jeff went to pronounce Gordons sentence and send all 6 children to bed.
"He doesn't learn Jeff!" Grandma tells him, her head on her hands, now at her wits end with him.
Jeff just groans in response, she is right. Gordon never learns from his mistakes, and he too has no idea how to deal with this latest prank, apart from locking him in his room until he graduates from college!
"I just don't know what to do anymore mom, every single time I think his behaviour can't get any worse, he outdoes himself with something even crazier! The vandalism, the fucking sheep and now this!" Jeff eventually replies.
"Language Jefferson" She gently chastises.
"Sorry" he replies, looking round at the other people in the room, wondering how they would deal with it in his situation. He has to ask, get some opinions and advise from other parents.
"What would you guys do?" he asks Lord Creighton-Ward and Kyrano.
"Well, if he was my child, I wouldn't hesitate to give the boy a jolly good thrashing" Lord Creighton-Ward replies.
"I can't" Jeff responds, his face impassive realising that they don't know much about any of the boys' lives. "Hitting him will never be an option"
"Okay then, he would find himself being subjected to some extremely hard chores for several weeks, confined to his room only when he isn't working. Monitored around the clock and treated like the horrible little boy he is" Lord Creighton-Ward changes his tact.
"Chores are a good idea Jeff, there is a lot of work to be done around here" Grandma reminds him.
"I could use the help in the kitchen" Kyrano confirms.
Jeff nods, promising to think about it overnight and let Gordon know in the morning, excusing himself from the group and going upstairs to bed. Forcing himself to go and check on the boys, finding all 5 boys sleeping peacefully. Gordon looking unconcerned about his fate and the level of Jeffs fury.
*TB*
Jeff is up before the sun the following morning, awake and determined. Determined once and for all to sort out the discipline problems he has with Gordon. Marching up to the top floor, he flings open the door, and glares at the now empty bed. Devoid of both Gordon and the squid. Finding him in bed with Virgil doesn't surprise Jeff, it also abates some of the anger he is feeling, remembering that he is still just a child.
Bending down in front of the bed, he gently prises him away from Virgil. Trying to keep himself from laughing as he clings onto the bed post like a limpet, still half asleep.
"Shh, go back to sleep Virg" he tells Virgil, realising that he has started to stir. A grunt lets him know that he has done just that.
Jeff carries Gordon down the stairs and deposits him on the sofa in the lounge. Watching him let out a huge yawn and stretch, shivering slightly as the cold morning air blows in from the open window. Jeff moves to close it, not taking his eyes of Gordon while he does so.
"Let's talk about yesterday Gordon" Jeff tells him, giving him the opportunity to get his side across.
"What do you want to know, she kicked me, and I got revenge. That's all there is too it daddy" He replies shrugging showing no hint of regret, and hiding the truth.
"What would you have done If Tanusha had been bitten?" Jeff asks.
"I would have taken Toes to the vet to make sure she didn't poison him daddy" he replies seriously.
"Toes?" Jeff asks, despite his vow he can't stop a laugh rising.
"Yeah, that is what I called him because he doesn't have any" Gordon tells him.
"You are grounded for 2 weeks Gordon, you don't leave the house unsupervised. No beach, no swimming in the pool in the yard, no TV…"
"…What am I allowed to do?" He interrupts, the injustice of it causing him to lose his temper.
"Funny you should ask" Jeff replies. "you will be helping Kyrano and your Grandma in the house. Cleaning toilets, doing laundry, scrubbing floors, washing dishes and anything else your Grandma or any adult decide to ask of you. And you will do it promptly without complaint. When you aren't doing chores you will remain confined to your room, if one of your brothers wants to use it you will sit in my room."
"That isn't fair dad. She kicked me and picked on Allie and now I am being punished for her being such an evil bitch. I want to go home" Gordon complains bitterly.
"3 weeks" Jeff replies. "And you use language like that again and I will make it the rest of the holiday. Do I make myself clear Gordon?"
Gordon doesn't bother replying, getting up he walks away from his dad.
"Where are you going?" He asks.
"Back to bed" Gordon replies. "It is the middle of the night dad, and if you are going to be using me for illegal child labour then I need to get some rest!"
His display of attitude is not sitting well with his father, but inside he is dying, and he had to walk away before he could no longer hold back his tears.
Fleeing to the sanctuary of his room, Virgil is awake, waiting for him. Wordlessly he takes him into his arms and lets him cry. Sitting him down on his bed.
"What did he say?" Virgil asks, terrified of the reply he is about to get.
"H-h-he ha-ha-hates m-m-me" Gordon sobs.
His cries wake Scott up, who leaps down from the top bunk, not bothering with the ladder. Landing with as much grace as an elephant, causing both John and Alan to also wake up.
They all sit down on Gordons bed, and he slowly tells them everything, including showing them the bruise on his stomach from where she kicked him.
"Stay here with Virgil, John and Alan I will go and talk to him, it's going to be okay Gordy. There is no way she is getting away with playing the victim here" Scott tells him. Tracys stick together, no matter what, and he has had time to sleep on it, and he is no longer angry with Gordon for tricking Alan into helping him. Right now, it is him who needs their help.
Scott leaves the room. Going to find his dad he locates him in the kitchen, spooning large amounts of coffee into the machine.
"Morning Scotty, want a cup?" he asks, grabbing an extra cup from the shelf.
"No thanks dad, I just wanted to talk. You have got to ease up on Gordon, that was really harsh. He's up there crying thinking you hate him now because you let that girl bully him and Alan. She's vile when you aren't around. Have you even seen the mark she left on him? It was just a childish prank, no harm done right? Tough love as you like to call it has never worked on Gordon, and it never will. You treat him like this and all you will do is drive a wedge between the pair of you, and he will just do even worse next time" Scott tells him.
"He needs to be taught Scott, nothing else has ever worked" His dad insists.
"You haven't heard a single word I have said. Let me put it another way father, either ease up on Gordon or I will enter the prank war, and so will my brothers. Do you really want to spend the entire summer refereeing that?! As for helping with the construction, forget it!" Scott tells him, refusing to back down. Gordon does not deserve this.
"Fine, tell him from me, he doesn't come out of his room today" Jeff replies, giving in. knowing that he would live to regret all out war.
"Tell him yourself" Scott turns to the coffee machine which has just bleeped to announce that the water is ready. Pouring himself a cup Scott leaves the kitchen.
"Scott, get back here with my coffee! You said you didn't want one" Jeff only put enough water in for one cup. Scott ignores him and takes his coffee outside on to the porch, to watch the sun rise.
Grumbling under his breath, Jeff refills the pot, flicking the switch and sinking down into a chair at the table.
Thirty minutes, and three cups of coffee later Jeff has calmed down enough to realise that Scott is right, he was too hard on him.
The sun is starting to rise as he walks up the two flights of stairs, knocking on the door he is told by what still sounds like an angry Virgil to "come in"
The 4 younger boys are all sitting on Gordons bed, Alan is also wearing the tell-tale signs of having recently stopped crying. They all look at him. Gordon is holding in a deep breath, scared that he is coming up here with further restrictions for him, banning him from breathing maybe.
"Gordon, I'm sorry"
Those were the last words he expected to hear, letting out the breath he has been holding in Gordon looks at him.
"She is really mean daddy" Alan tells him. "Gordy was only trying to protect me" he insists.
"I know, and I don't approve of your methods Gordon and I want you to stay in your room for the day – just the day – and think about your behaviour. I will bring you some breakfast in a bit. And I am going to discuss what is happening with her father because she won't be allowed to pick on you anymore. Show me the mark Gordon"
Gordon slowly lifts his shirt up, causing his father to gasp in horror at the sight, the purple foot shaped bruise on his stomach looks painful to touch. He had no idea she had kicked him so hard and he is disgusted, and worse than that he is starting to see exactly why Gordon put a snake in her bed!
"Come here Gordy, you too Allie" he tells them holding his arms out for his boys. "We will sort this, I promise. I am not letting my boys be unhappy" he has them both in his arms now, his chin is resting on the top of Gordons head.
John and Virgil are still sitting on Gordons bed, both wondering what Scott said to get him to change his mind.
*TB*
They don't know it but Tanusha heard every word of Jeffs first conversation with Gordon, and cant wait to watch him doing back breaking chores, determined to make it as hard as possible for him, she retires back to her room and starts to brainstorm sabotage attempts, pulling a page out of her notebook. Doodling skulls and crossbones absentmindedly on the blank paper in front of her, stopping every now and again to add some new ideas, including blocking the toilets, adding bubble bath to the dishwasher, deliberately spilling juice on the floor are just some of her ideas, her plan is to make sure the boy gets grounded for the whole summer.
Once that plan is complete, she will work on his horrible brothers.
*TB*
"Gordon is spending the day in his room" Jeff announces at breakfast.
Grandma is confused, last night the plan was a much harsher and stricter punishment now she is hearing that it's a day in his room.
Her confusion is nothing compared to Tanushas, she was expecting to be able to play some mean tricks on him to cause further tension.
"Jeff?" Grandma asks.
"Trust me on this, Gordon is not the only one to blame for what happened yesterday" Jeff tells her.
Furious Tanusha politely excuses herself from the table, smiling gracefully at the adults, to put them at ease, before heading upstairs, not knowing that she is being followed, by both Jeff and her father. They follow her all the way to the top floor just in time to hear her shouting at Gordon.
"I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU GOT OUT OF BEING PUNISHED YOU HORRIBLE LITTLE ASSHOLE BUT I AM GOING TO MAKE SURE THE REST OF YOUR TIME HERE IS HELL. YOU AND THOSE AWFUL THINGS YOU CALL YOUR BROTHERS. I DON'T NEED YOU; MY FATHER AND I WERE PERFECTLY HAPPY BEFORE YOU SHOWED UP"
Her father and Jeff storm into the room to find her lifting Gordon from the floor and throwing him back against the wall.
Slamming the door closed behind him, so she can't run, her father takes her by the arm and leads her over to Gordons bed. Forcing her to sit down on the bed next to him.
"I told you she was mean daddy" Gordon whimpers.
"Are you hurt?" His dad asks.
"No, I'm okay I promise" he replies, his voice still shaky from the shock. Jeff sits down on the floor next to him, one arm draped around his shoulder. And turns his attention back to the bed.
"You cannot keep this up Tanusha, I know you are hurting from the divorce and I know you don't think you need anyone else in your life. Which is stemming from your paralysing fear of being abandoned, but if you let the right people in, they will never leave. The boys are going to be here for the next 10 weeks, if you want to spend that time pushing them around and bullying them then you will be shipped off to a summer camp for wayward teens. I note that you have not picked a fight with Scott, Virgil or John, assuming that's because they are bigger than you are. You are a coward Tanusha" he finishes before turning back to Jeff.
"Tanusha is going to be the one grounded, come daughter, I have a mop and bucket with your name on" Kyrano gets up, leading her out of the room.
"Want to come and get some breakfast Squid?" Jeff asks.
"You mean I don't have to stay in here anymore?" Gordon asks, not wanting to get his hopes up.
"Nah, just do me a favour please Gordon" He asks seriously. "Don't prank her, she says or does anything cruel you tell me, or your grandma okay?"
"Okay daddy" he replies, wincing in pain when he gets up.
"Thought you said she didn't hurt you"
"I hit my back on the wall, it's not that bad, nothing a good swim in the pool won't cure!" he tells him hopefully.
"After you have had breakfast Squid"
"Thanks dad" he replies smiling.
*TB*
The rest of the day passes fairly peacefully, Gordon and Alan spend most of the day in the pool playing once Gordon has finished his lengths, showing off his freestyle to an ever increasing audience, including Tanusha, who is trying to be unimpressed but even she can't deny that he has talent.
She also for the first time, really looks at him spotting the scars on his legs and chest and to her ever growing shame the bruise on his stomach.
"What happened to him?" She asks his Grandma.
"Open heart surgery when he was a baby, and last year he was hit by a car, he still has nightmares" she replies.
She can't believe any of it, she just assumed he lived a life of complete luxury in his mansion with his billionaire father, bossing about his servants, and never having to lift a finger to help anyone other than himself.
"Let yourself get to know them dear" Grandma advises her, not unkindly considering the way she has treated them since their arrival.
"How? They're not going to want to speak to me?" She replies
"You will work it out Dear" Grandma tells her, leaving her to her thoughts to go and help her father with dinner.
*TB*
After dinner, and she has finished cleaning the kitchen under the watchful eye of her father, Tanusha retreats to the safety of her room, tearing up the paper, determined to never do anything so stupid again.
Deciding that her father was right, maybe if she could get to know the boys, this won't be the worst summer of her life after all.
*TB*
"You were supposed to be punishing him Jeff!" Grandma reminds him over coffee once everyone else is asleep.
"I talked to him, he was trying to stick up for himself and Alan, he knows now to come to one of us if something like that happens again" Jeff replies, sipping his coffee. Even though he is exhausted and should have gone to bed hours ago, a late-night coffee is just what he needs.
"What did happen?" She asks, she knows from Tanushas attitude change this afternoon that something happened up there, she isn't sure what, and from what she's gathered from listening to the boys it wasn't a pleasant experience for Gordon.
"She threw him against a wall" Jeff tells her, "she has been mercilessly picking on him and Alan since we got here, and Gordon couldn't put up with it anymore."
"So he thought feeding her to the local wildlife was a good plan?!" she replies.
"No, he just wanted her to leave him alone, and thought that the best way to do it was to let her know that he was equal to her in terms of planning and deviousness. There is no way on this earth that I am punishing him for being bullied mom" Jeff insists.
She knows that he is right, and Gordon has pulled off far worse pranks in his time!
Finishing off her own coffee and knowing that the boys will be up at the crack of dawn, Grandma puts her cup in the sink, and goes to bed. It has been another long day and she cannot wait to lie down in her own bed and snore until her hearts content. Or at least until sunrise when the noise starts up again.