With Grandma around, life for the Tracy family settles down into a routine. One that is different from what they are used to. Grandma is strict, but she is fair. But some of her rules are hard for them to swallow. Scott, Virgil, John, and Gordon all hate the homework before tv rule! But they love having someone there for them when they get home from school, with a plate of cookies and a glass of milk on the table for them. Even if the cookies are burned and taste like feet!

She kept her promise of letting Gordon stay up all night to watch the Olympic trials, and more importantly helped Gordon feed Bradley, who is growing fast and almost ready for solid food. The vet has been out to visit and is thrilled with the little cats' progress.

Despite Jeffs objections, Gordon is still sleeping in the dinning room, and after three days of telling him off for sneaking down in the middle of the night he has finally given in and let him sleep in there until Bradley is old enough to sleep wherever he likes. Grandma has taken over the night feeds, so Jeff can sleep properly, as his sleep deprived temper tantrums rattle the walls, and scare Alan.

It is Monday morning and the start of another frantic week. Jeff has a meeting in New York on Wednesday and has spent the weekend packing for his three day stay, his plan is to leave on Tuesday and come home on Thursday, even though he has only just returned from his last business trip, the boys are used to not having him round much.

Grandma walks Gordon, John, and Virgil to the elementary school in the village, with Alan in his pushchair, while Scott gets on the bus to the middle school, sitting on the back seat and waving at his brothers as the bus drives off around the corner.

*TB*

Alans world

Alan is a little blonde whirlwind of energy, that doesn't stop from waking up to going to bed, he refuses point blank to nap during the day. He loves having his grandma to himself far more than the horrible nannies his daddy used to hire! Nanny number one had no sense of humour, neither did number two and three, and number 4 was cruel and nasty, constantly threatening him, and tried to hit Gawdee with a belt. No way was he letting her get away with that, he screamed the house down until he got his dads attention, saving his brother from getting hurt.

Gawdee was almost so much fun to play with, but after he started school he didn't want to play as much when he got home, he would shout at him and tell him to go away, or push him over and get shouted at by daddy or Scotty.

Then he got that darned cat, now he never sees him. Gawdee loves that cat more than he loves anything else in the world, even those disgusting celery things he is always eating, and certainly far more than he loves him.

It has been a week since he got the cat, and he is sick of it taking up all his time and attention. Waiting for grandma to fall asleep on the sofa before having to do the afternoon school run, he sneaks out of his room where he has been put down to take his nap, despite his fervent protests that he is not tired. Carefully climbing over the baby gate at the top of the stairs, he toddles down the stairs and out into the hallway. Checking to make sure Grandma is still asleep, he opens the dinning room door.

Bradley is batting a ball around the room and doesn't stop playing when he walks into the room. Even the cat ignores him he thinks.

"Kitty" He calls. "Come on" He says, trying to tempt it out of the room so he can put it outside. Getting frustrated then the cat ignores him still intent on chasing the ball.

He grabs the cat around the middle, causing the startled animal to Miaow loudly in protest and swipe at the assailant with his claws.

"OW!" He howls in pain, dropping Bradley roughly down on to the floor, and he flees to the corner of the room, hiding, crouched down, ears flat against his head behind the inflatable mattress Gordon has been sleeping on.

Running over to it, he grabs tries to grab the terrified cat a second time, only a loud noise behind him stops him in his tracks.

"ALAN BARTLETT TRACY!"

Looking round to the source of the noise, he is shocked to find Grandma standing there, looking angrier than she did on yesterday morning when Gawdee put slime in her church shoes. Shuddering at the memory of Gawdee crying after she spanked him and banished him to this room until this morning.

He doesn't speak, as she closes the door behind her and sits down at one of the chairs.

"Come here Alan" She tells him. Picking him up and sitting him on her lap.

"What did you do to Bradley?"

Gulping back his years he mumbles something so incoherent even he doesn't know what it is he is trying to say.

"Try again Alan" she asks him.

"I want Gawdee to like me again" He tells her wailing. "He doesn't want me now he has that cat, so I was going to put it outside, and it scratched me!"

"Oh Allie, Gordon loves you, but you have to realise that Bradley needs a lot of care and attention at the moment, once he is bigger and exploring the house, Gordon will have a lot more time but you have got to be patient."

"Are you mad?" he asks fearfully.

"A little, but I understand you are feeling neglected, but it doesn't mean you can be cruel to an innocent creature Allie, and when I go to pick your brothers up from school, they will be getting their sweets as normal and you will not." she pronounces his sentence sternly.

She lifts him down to the floor after checking the scratch on his arm, it hasn't penetrated the skin and is not bleeding, satisfied that he is okay, she turns her attention to the still scared cat who is poking his head up tentatively now all the shouting has finished.

"Bradley" she calls, smiling as the cat's ears prick at the sound of his name. she dangles the fish on the pole that Jeff bought home from his business trip, laughing as he jumps up from his hiding spot and attacks the fish.

*TB*

"What is wrong with Allie?" Gordon asks.

He doesn't understand why Alan isn't allowed any sweets, on the walk back from school. Grandma always lets them have a small bag of sweets. But his younger brother is sitting sullenly in the pushchair and has not even greeted them like he usually does. Looking at Grandma he is confused.

"Allie is being punished" she explains, not giving any details as she wants to get them home first.

"Why?" Gordon asks.

"I will explain when we get home, I need to speak to you" She replies.

"Am I in trouble?" A hint of fear in his voice as he racks his brain for any pranks he hasn't been punished for in the last week.

"No, unless you know something I don't!" she replies with a grin.

"Nope, I have been really good today" Gordon tells her. "My teacher only told me off once, and I wasn't made to stay inside at recess or stand in the corner"

"What were you told off for?" Unsure she really wants to know.

"Talking too much" he replies.

"Why doesn't that surprise me!" She tells him smiling.

The walk in the late summer sunshine is pleasant and they all know that soon it will be too cold for this, and Grandma will have to drive them too and from school, but for now they are going to make the most of it.

Turning into the driveway, Gordon starts to run up to the house followed by Virgil and the two boys make it into an unofficial race, laughing as Virgil makes up the head start Gordon got and they reach the porch at the same time, laughing and panting as they wait for Grandma to catch up. John is trailing behind, happily daydreaming, and not even aware that they are home already.

"Virgil, John, Kitchen, Homework, now" Grandma barks at the two elder boys. "Gordon, Alan come with me"

Still convinced that he is about to be punished Gordon follows Grandma and Alan into their dad's office.

"I wanted to talk to you about Bradley, Gordon. I know that you have been spending a lot of time looking after him, and it is admirable, and your father and I are very proud of you."

Gordon can sense a but coming here.

"However, this afternoon, Alan tried to let him out as he thinks you love Bradley more than you love him. He was caught and punished, and he won't be doing it again, but Gordy sweetheart can you please try to consider his feelings a bit more? He wants to spend time with you, like he used to."

"I do consider his feelings, why else would I have slimed you yesterday. I was trying to entertain him! And you spanked and grounded me for it!" Gordon reminds her indignantly.

Burying her head in her hands, she groans inwardly.

"Wow, you look just like daddy then" Gordon tells her laughing.

She grabs him by the arms and drags him onto her lap, wrapping her arms around him and joins in his laughter.

"Okay, do me a deal. Entertain Allie and spend time with him without pulling pranks on me – or your brothers – and I won't tell you off!" Grandma tells him. "He needs you Gordon, you know you are his favourite"

"I am everyone's favourite, and can I still prank dad?" he replies, realising that she never added him to the list.

"NO!" she replies. "Now go and get your homework done"

"I can't I need your help with it, I have to do these flashcards with words on and spell them" he tells her.

"Come on then, lets go and join your brothers and get it done, then you can go and play with Bradley, but only if you take Allie with you"

"Okay" he shrugs jumping down from her knee and joining his brothers in the kitchen.

They are just finishing up, when the door swings open and Scott stomps in, slamming it behind him. Dumping his bag on the floor by the door and continuing his stomping through the house, silently, as he walks to the fridge and starts pulling out ingredients for a snack.

"Hi Scott" Grandma says to him, unimpressed by his rudeness and lack of greeting.

"Grrr" He grumbles back, slamming the fridge door shut and stomping out the room with an entire block of cheese.

"Bring that back Scott, and apologise for your attitude" Grandma tells him, getting up and following him up the stairs.

They return less than 5 minutes later, and Scott mumbles apologies to the rest of the room and starts on his homework without a single word of further complaint. And the cheese is returned to the fridge.

*TB*

Gordon keeps his word regarding being more considerate of Alans feelings, but finds it impossible to keep to the promise about not pranking his siblings!