Both Hector and Gaia flinched out of their soldier forms so quickly that they stumbled: the hanger rasped underneath the doorway in the key of annoyance minor. Jesse Alvarez strode over to fling the door open, and there were two grade-schoolers -- Tiffany, Biffany, they had names, he just couldn't remember 'em -- crouched, hanger poised in Biffany's hand. Their expressions were pretty funny.

They screamed like trains going through a tunnel as Jesse yanked one under one arm, reached out and caught the other, hurtling down the stairs with them like they were two potato sacks. Angelica passed with a load of laundry, but didn't seem to care about their predicament. "Here's what you two little assholes are gonna be fed," he said over their shrieks. "Garbage."

When Madison had made non-garbage cheese on toast and the kids were sitting at the counter, spraying crumbs, Jesse picked at his own piece moodily. He was leant up against the garbage disposal where he had attempted to stick Biffany's hand down and threatened the switch, but now he was prodding at his food like his appetite was AWOL.

"You like kids, don't you," said Maddy conversationally. "You have an oozy caramel center."

"No," said Jesse. "I just don't like ignoring them, is all."

The plate was pushed away in the kids' direction. "You eat mine." Again, the threatening finger. "I will put you on my list if you waste food. There are kids who dumpster dive just because Momma is too high to see the Trix box is empty. Remember that."

None of this had fazed the Heller fosters, but Maddy was a different kettle of fish as he pushed himself away from the counter and made to leave. "Hey, wait -- "

Framed by the doorway, all he did was say: "We'll talk, Madison." Then he was gone.

(The kids were already halving up his cheese on toast by the time he'd walked out the door.)