No Way
"You are Skelley's little girl?"
"Hey, lay off the little," Ally objected.
"Then you lay off the short," Jesse retorted.
"Fine," Ally said. "At least your memory seemed to have been refreshed."
"Indeed," Jesse commented. "Skelley committed suicide?"
"Hey, why didn't you become a detective as apposed to a doctor," Ally asked sarcastically.
"Ha ha," Jesse replied with just as much sarcasm. "You seem cut up about it."
"I guess I don't," Ally replied. "I was cut up about m… but Dad… he was just different. When I was eight or nine, Dad had to raise me on his own. He had a lot of trouble, because he was always away and stuff. I had to raise myself. Sounds harsh, but it happened, c'est la vie. He was always doing his business, you know."
"By the sound of it, the business was probably not legal," Jesse mumbled.
"Again, Sherlock strikes again," Ally remarked, not waiting long enough for Jesse's flippant comeback. "Dad wasn't really much of a Dad. Sure, biologically and stuff, he was my Dad, but otherwise he was a guy that gave me money to get me food when the refrigerator got empty. Deal with it. I had to."
Jesse couldn't really believe it, so he changed the subject. "So, what this letter is saying is that you get to live in my apartment for who knows how long?"
"Yep," Ally replied brightly.
"No way," Jesse told her flatly.
"No way?" Ally asked, deflated. "How can you say no way to a dead man's daughter?"
"It won't be that bad," Jesse told her. "I'll just find you an orphanage or somewhere to go to. A foster home, perhaps."
"You obviously do not get it," Ally stated. "I mean, you obviously do not give a damn if I get skinned alive by Frankie Pasco."
"Ally, none of this is legal! The fact that your father is dead somewhere, and then you travel all the way from wherever you came from to live with a perfect stranger."
"It was Dad's dying wish, all right?" Ally shouted back at him.
"Ally, cool it," Jesse said. "Look, it's too late to contact social services tonight. You can spend one night at my apartment, and then tomorrow, you go."
"I still don't get why I can't stay with you," Ally sulked with a pout on her face.
"As I said, none of this is legal. I'd be putting my career on the line, for a start, and that is something that I have worked hard for. Plus, I'd get fined and probably put into jail."
"Is that all you're worried about?" Ally asked offhandedly. "I thought you'd be worried about Frankie Pasco coming to skin you alive, after me."
"I don't care about that," Jesse said, only caring slightly. "Like you father said, I play by the rules."
"Fine," Ally said. "By the way, I've got my bike in the underground parking lot. Can I ride it home or is there somewhere I can keep it?"
"You cycled here? From, where is it you live?"
"I didn't cycle here," Ally laughed. "Bike as in motorbike."
Jesse opened his mouth to say something, but he decided to be tactful. "Leave the bike here, give the keys to me, and you can ride in my car."
"Hey, don't sulk," Jesse told Ally as she sat with her arms folded and her lips pouted. The two were travelling home in Jesse's car, and Ally was not in the best mood, according to Jesse.
"Don't sulk?" Ally reacted heatedly. "He's giving me a first-class ticket to death and he's telling me not to sulk about it. That's just charming, isn't it."
"Hey, I'm sure foster homes and such aren't that bad," Jesse told her. "I've got a very good friend who was fostered, and it turned out great."
"You still don't get it, do you," Ally sighed.
"And besides, you might not even go to a foster home. There could be some family out there. What about your mom?"
"You can shut up about my mom as of now," Ally growled.
Point taken, Jesse thought to himself.
He kept quiet until Ally asked, "what favour did you owe my Dad?"
"Nothing," Jesse muttered.
"I'll bet that he saved your sorry butt," Ally told him. "And, you're just gonna let his daughter, his only kid, to be skinned alive? That's also charming."
"You've got quite a mouth for a ten-year-old," Jesse commented.
"Twelve, actually," Ally put him right. "I'm not even going to attempt to guess your age."
"Probably wise," Jesse murmured as he pulled into a parking space. "We're here."
Jesse opened the door to his apartment, and gestured for Ally to walk in before himself. Ally walked in a few paces, and stopped, taking in the apartment.
"It's not much," Jesse told her modestly as he hung his coat up.
Ally wanted to tell Jesse that compared to her old place, his apartment was something of a palace. It was clean, for a start. It was a lot bigger than the other one, and it had a lot of love in it, even for just one person living there.
"It's great," Ally whispered softly.
"Here," Jesse said, taking her coat and hanging it on a peg. "Have a seat."
Ally settled onto the couch. "Would you like a drink?" Jesse asked her.
"Just a glass of water, please," Ally replied, still taking in the apartment.
A few moments later, he handed Ally the glass, and he then settled down in an armchair.
"So," Jesse began, "tell me a bit about yourself."
This made no sense to Ally. "You're going to dump me somewhere in the morning, and you still want to know about me?"
"Or, I could hazard a guess at what you are like," Jesse changed his approach. "I guess you are smart, outgoing, daring, not afraid to do anything. And, I think you are probably a pretty streetwise kid."
"You are close, but there are some things I am afraid of," Ally told him, feeling pretty good that Jesse summed her up so well.
"Like what?" Jesse asked her.
"Like nothing I'm going to tell you," Ally told him. "It's a bit stupid telling a stranger your weak points, because they could use them against you."
"Fair enough," Jesse commented.
"Now, you," Ally began. "At a guess, I'd say that you were one of these people that could remain calm in most situations. I also guess that you are brave, understanding and selfless."
"I might be," Jesse said, yawning. "Come on, it's late. I'll see you in the morning."
Note: Thanks for the reviews! To Jenben: I hope this kinda covers your point a bit. And I have more to write on the subject later. Hope that you keep reading!
"You are Skelley's little girl?"
"Hey, lay off the little," Ally objected.
"Then you lay off the short," Jesse retorted.
"Fine," Ally said. "At least your memory seemed to have been refreshed."
"Indeed," Jesse commented. "Skelley committed suicide?"
"Hey, why didn't you become a detective as apposed to a doctor," Ally asked sarcastically.
"Ha ha," Jesse replied with just as much sarcasm. "You seem cut up about it."
"I guess I don't," Ally replied. "I was cut up about m… but Dad… he was just different. When I was eight or nine, Dad had to raise me on his own. He had a lot of trouble, because he was always away and stuff. I had to raise myself. Sounds harsh, but it happened, c'est la vie. He was always doing his business, you know."
"By the sound of it, the business was probably not legal," Jesse mumbled.
"Again, Sherlock strikes again," Ally remarked, not waiting long enough for Jesse's flippant comeback. "Dad wasn't really much of a Dad. Sure, biologically and stuff, he was my Dad, but otherwise he was a guy that gave me money to get me food when the refrigerator got empty. Deal with it. I had to."
Jesse couldn't really believe it, so he changed the subject. "So, what this letter is saying is that you get to live in my apartment for who knows how long?"
"Yep," Ally replied brightly.
"No way," Jesse told her flatly.
"No way?" Ally asked, deflated. "How can you say no way to a dead man's daughter?"
"It won't be that bad," Jesse told her. "I'll just find you an orphanage or somewhere to go to. A foster home, perhaps."
"You obviously do not get it," Ally stated. "I mean, you obviously do not give a damn if I get skinned alive by Frankie Pasco."
"Ally, none of this is legal! The fact that your father is dead somewhere, and then you travel all the way from wherever you came from to live with a perfect stranger."
"It was Dad's dying wish, all right?" Ally shouted back at him.
"Ally, cool it," Jesse said. "Look, it's too late to contact social services tonight. You can spend one night at my apartment, and then tomorrow, you go."
"I still don't get why I can't stay with you," Ally sulked with a pout on her face.
"As I said, none of this is legal. I'd be putting my career on the line, for a start, and that is something that I have worked hard for. Plus, I'd get fined and probably put into jail."
"Is that all you're worried about?" Ally asked offhandedly. "I thought you'd be worried about Frankie Pasco coming to skin you alive, after me."
"I don't care about that," Jesse said, only caring slightly. "Like you father said, I play by the rules."
"Fine," Ally said. "By the way, I've got my bike in the underground parking lot. Can I ride it home or is there somewhere I can keep it?"
"You cycled here? From, where is it you live?"
"I didn't cycle here," Ally laughed. "Bike as in motorbike."
Jesse opened his mouth to say something, but he decided to be tactful. "Leave the bike here, give the keys to me, and you can ride in my car."
"Hey, don't sulk," Jesse told Ally as she sat with her arms folded and her lips pouted. The two were travelling home in Jesse's car, and Ally was not in the best mood, according to Jesse.
"Don't sulk?" Ally reacted heatedly. "He's giving me a first-class ticket to death and he's telling me not to sulk about it. That's just charming, isn't it."
"Hey, I'm sure foster homes and such aren't that bad," Jesse told her. "I've got a very good friend who was fostered, and it turned out great."
"You still don't get it, do you," Ally sighed.
"And besides, you might not even go to a foster home. There could be some family out there. What about your mom?"
"You can shut up about my mom as of now," Ally growled.
Point taken, Jesse thought to himself.
He kept quiet until Ally asked, "what favour did you owe my Dad?"
"Nothing," Jesse muttered.
"I'll bet that he saved your sorry butt," Ally told him. "And, you're just gonna let his daughter, his only kid, to be skinned alive? That's also charming."
"You've got quite a mouth for a ten-year-old," Jesse commented.
"Twelve, actually," Ally put him right. "I'm not even going to attempt to guess your age."
"Probably wise," Jesse murmured as he pulled into a parking space. "We're here."
Jesse opened the door to his apartment, and gestured for Ally to walk in before himself. Ally walked in a few paces, and stopped, taking in the apartment.
"It's not much," Jesse told her modestly as he hung his coat up.
Ally wanted to tell Jesse that compared to her old place, his apartment was something of a palace. It was clean, for a start. It was a lot bigger than the other one, and it had a lot of love in it, even for just one person living there.
"It's great," Ally whispered softly.
"Here," Jesse said, taking her coat and hanging it on a peg. "Have a seat."
Ally settled onto the couch. "Would you like a drink?" Jesse asked her.
"Just a glass of water, please," Ally replied, still taking in the apartment.
A few moments later, he handed Ally the glass, and he then settled down in an armchair.
"So," Jesse began, "tell me a bit about yourself."
This made no sense to Ally. "You're going to dump me somewhere in the morning, and you still want to know about me?"
"Or, I could hazard a guess at what you are like," Jesse changed his approach. "I guess you are smart, outgoing, daring, not afraid to do anything. And, I think you are probably a pretty streetwise kid."
"You are close, but there are some things I am afraid of," Ally told him, feeling pretty good that Jesse summed her up so well.
"Like what?" Jesse asked her.
"Like nothing I'm going to tell you," Ally told him. "It's a bit stupid telling a stranger your weak points, because they could use them against you."
"Fair enough," Jesse commented.
"Now, you," Ally began. "At a guess, I'd say that you were one of these people that could remain calm in most situations. I also guess that you are brave, understanding and selfless."
"I might be," Jesse said, yawning. "Come on, it's late. I'll see you in the morning."
Note: Thanks for the reviews! To Jenben: I hope this kinda covers your point a bit. And I have more to write on the subject later. Hope that you keep reading!