A/N: Anon1, Thanks for the review! I'll try...I'll try to work on my research paper as soon as I get this story out of my head, haha.

junienmomo, thanks again for your review! Yea, I feel like Jess has never really been actually having the Compliments/Consequence mentality, he was just abused by his mother's boyfriend for anything he did wrongly or even correctly. On the other hand, Rory has the coolest mom, they're like best friends more than mother/daughter so I figured Lorelai wouldn't care much about that. Loved the Luke rant example you point out, totally could imagine him saying that!

Droolia, thank you so much! You reviewed every single chapter, greatly, greatly appreciated! I love reading your reaction to every chapter! Jess is definitely a handful compare to Rory, but hey, who could not love him? He's awesome. And for Luke, I always think Luke is a person who acts tough and doesn't care about anything or anyone on the outside, but deep down, he has this marshmallow heart ready to melt for anyone he truly love and care. Jess and Luke are very similar in a lot of ways. Hope you'll continue liking the story~

Chapter 5: All In or All Out

SEPTEMBER 1992

A week has gone by, Jess was starting to get used to his small town routine in Stars Hollow. Waking up at 7am, get dressed, has breakfast and heads to school with Rory at 7:45am. Then he would come straight back to the diner unless he is going to the library with Rory, having Luke's permission of course. Finish his assignments before reading or hanging out with Rory or his baseball friends. Life is going well for Jess, it's just very scheduled, very Uncle Luke-like as he told his friends.

'Hi Luke!' said Rory while entering the diner, holding a bunch of books in her hands.

'Hey Rory! Let me help you with that.' Said Luke who put down the coffee pot and helped carried the books and placed them on the counter. Rory jumped on to the stool.

'Where's Jess? Why isn't he helping you with all these books?' asked Luke, while giving change to another customer.

'He didn't go to the library with me today, he said he needed to help you out at the diner.' Said Rory innocently.

'What do you mean? He told me this morning he's going to the library with you.' Luke replied scratching his head, hoping Jess is not going for any trouble again.

'No, he said you made him promise he had to come home and finish chores and help you out with things.'

'What chores? I've never assigned any chores to the boy.' Sighed Luke. 'Ay ye, ye. Jess.'

Luke put down everything he was doing and went out of the diner walking towards the direction of the park. He stood at the corner of his diner where he could see the ball parkfrom there. He saw Jess at the base.

'Jess!' he shouted, while crossing his arms around his chest.

'Oh man..' Jess mumbled in frustration before turning back to the direction of his uncle.

'What!' Jess shouted back, throwing the bat on his shoulder.

Luke didn't say anything but gave his serious grumpy face and pointing his finger to the ground where he stands, hinting that Jess should come back to the diner right that instant.

'No! I'm almost done here, 10 minutes max!' Jess shouted back, and turned back to his game.

Luke sighed at the sight where his nephew doesn't give a damn about his command and stomped to the ball park.

'Jess, I'm warning you!' Luke who's now blocking Jess's sight of the pitcher.

'Chill Uncle Luke! Let me finish the game! I promise I'll be back in the diner immediately after the game. We're down by 2 on the last inning!' Jess explained.

'I don't care what inning you're in, what score you're down by! I don't care even if you're Babe Ruth! We had an agreement, you can either go to the library with Rory or you

come back straight from school, finish your homework before heading out and hang out with your friends! Now for the last time, you drop the bat, pack your bag and come with

me.' Luke growled.

Jess was not having a good day, he was frustrated, he wasn't hitting as good as he should be and his team is losing.

'Uncle Luke! No! N-O No! I said I'll come back straight after!' Jess growled throwing his bat on the ground.

Luke was blowing up, he was trying to stop himself from going insanely mad on the boy. He took a deep breath and adjusted his baseball cap.

'So this is what you really want!' Luke shouted at the boy.

'Yes!' Jess replied loudly.

'Fine! Here's a deal, I'll pitch, if I strike you out, you'll be grounded for the entire week. No TV, no games, no baseball, no books, no nothing but homework and 'chores'!'

'And if I hit the ball, I'll get to control when I would like to be home, placing my butt on a chair to do the day's homework!'

'Deal!'

'Alright! Bring it on, old man!' Jess picked up his bat again staring angrily as his Uncle. He doesn't understand why his Uncle was making such a big deal out of this.

Johnny on the other side spammed his forehead at the deal. How could Jess be that clueless. He had seen Luke in the softball league with his dad last year, he was recognised as the best pitcher in town and in the league. This would really end badly he thought.

The uncle and nephew got into position, both staring at each other with a death stare, as if they are ready to kill each other if its the last thing they have to do. Luke was secretly smirking, he knew he would strike Jess out easily. Jess on the other hand was very determined to hit the ball, even though he knows it would be a slim chance. He didn't want to back down in front of all his friends.

Luke stretched his arms, threw a fastball infront of the kids eyes. Every kid went 'Woah!'

Even Jess.

'Hey! That's not fair! That's like what, 98 mph?! This is a 3rd grader baseball game, Luke!' shouted Jess who striked the first incoming ball.

Luke just laughed histerically, he loved seeing Jess now being the grumpy and frustrated one.

'Whatever you say , boss!' Luke chuckled, while throwing the second round. This time he did a knuckle ball. Jess of course didn't hit it, he's 8 years old afterall, if he could hit

any of Luke's greatest pitching, he'll be boy genius on the papers.

'Jeez!' Jess throwing his bat to the ground and kicked the sand.

'Last chance, buddy! You can do it!' Luke shouted sarcastically while giving his grinning face to the grumpy Jess. Luke was not backing down at all, he was doing the big boy speed for Jess.

Jess got back in position, he lost all his confidence, he just wanted to finish and get the hell out of the park and on to his bed. Luke again, got back to his professional posture which every kid in the park was staring with an open mouth as if they were watching a pitcher at a world series match. And there goes Luke's signature curve ball beautifull passed Jess's bat.

'I striked you out! Woah!' cheered Luke, giving high five to the kids around him.

Jess on the other hand, threw his yankees hat on the ground, stepped and kicked on it, leaving it on the ground and grabbed his bag and stomped back to the diner without a word.

8pm

Luke closed down half an hour earlier, knowing Jess was still mad at him for the strike out thing. He knew he had to go up and have a little chat with him. Luke entered the apartment and saw Jess plotting his head into his textbooks, holding a pencil, working on his problems at the dinner table. He walked up to him and put the Yankees cap on Jess's head before sitting down opposite of his nephew.

' Baseball fan 101, never take anger out of such fine cap. The cap has done nothing wrong to deserve it.' Luke said while giving Jess a half smile, testing the level of anger in the boy.

Jess rolled his eyes, 'you sure take your own advice pretty seriously.'

Luke frowned, not understanding where his nephew is going with this.

'You never even take your hat off, let alone taking out anger with it. You must LOVE that someone so much who gave it to you.' Jess smirked while still looking down at his homework.

'Hey!' Luke protested 'How did you know someone gave it to me?'

'Rory tells me everything! And it's so obvious, you like Lorelai!' exclaimed Jess.

'I do not! We're just friends!' argued Luke.

'Whatever.' Jess shooked his head and went back to his workbook.

A long five minute paused,

'Jess, you still mad at me?' asked Luke out of the blue.

Jess put down his pencil and paused for a while. At first, right after the strike out, he was furious, he hated his Uncle to the gut. But after he stormed back to the apartment and punched his pillow a few times out of anger, he calmed down and reflected. He knew he deserved this punishment, he was being very rude and lied to the only person in the world who truly cares for him, even though Luke was being unfair, pitching the ball at full speed on purpose, he knew he was the one who violated the rules of Luke.

'No.' Jess replied, 'I deserved it.'

Luke was surprised at Jess's answer, he was trying to think of something to say.

' Uncle Luke, I'm sorry I shouted, didn't listen to you and lied.' Jess still gluing his eyes on his books, afraid of looking into his Uncle's eyes.

Luke gave a half smile, he's so glad the boy actually knows what he did wrong.

' I'm sorry too. It was unfair, pitching like that.'

'It's okay.' Jess replied with a half smile. 'You're a great pitcher, if I was the manager of the Yankees, I would have signed you.'

Luke ruffled Jess's hair and chuckled, ' You're a fine hitter, unfortunately, you played against Randy Johnson, buddy.'

' Sorry Mr. Randy Johnson, but have you met this young boy, future Mickey Mantle?' Smirked Jess.

' You're The Mick?! You gotta be kidding me!' Luke laughed bringing out a beer and a soda from the fridge. 'You really wanna bat like Mickey Mantle, huh?'

Jess nodded in all seriousness, he really didn't think so far ahead of the future, but recently playing baseball almost everyday, it was hard to avoid having dreams of being the greatest baseball player of all time.

' How bout I'll teach you a thing or two after your one-week jail time?' asked Luke, sipping his beer. Baseball has been one of his favourite sports growing up, he had a chance to get into the tracks team and the baseball team in high school but he could only choose one because he had to help his dad with the store and take care of Liz as well so he gave up on baseball.

' Yeh! That will be awesome!' Jess is now all excited, he has never had anyone taught him anything outside of school. His mom was too busy with her boyfriends and her boyfriends never make the effort to bond with him. But here it is, his Uncle, who's willing to teach him after all he had said and done to him.

'here.' Jess signed his name on a piece of paper and gave it to Luke.

'What's that?' asked Luke, who couldn't figure out what that is because of Jess's kiddie writing.

'It's my autograph, don't thank me now, thank me in the future.' Jess gave Luke a cocky smile, while patting his Uncle on the shoulder.

Luke laughed and shook his head, he sighed and mumbled, what am I gonna do with this kid...

A/N: I know I know... I keep writing about baseball while I don't even know how to watch the game, but I really think Jess deserves some quality time with Luke since he had a pretty rough start in the beginning of his life. Baseball just sounds like the thing they would both like. Hope you guys like this, tell me what you think of this chapter! Till then, stay tuned!